Volume 1, Chapter 18: The Dark Core

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[Name: Lin Yu]
[Monster: Hyper Zetton]
[Life Tier: Ultimate Lifeform]
[Strength: Elite Monster]
[Spirit Power: 300]
[Lifespan: 10 days]
[Stats: Attack Power (10,000), Energy Reserve (25,000), Defense (1,500), Speed (Mach 22)]
[Skills: Teleportation, Fireball, Melba Wings, One Trillion Degree Fireball, Devour, Energy Barrier, Psychic Perception, Physical Transformation]
[Health: 20,000/20,000]
[Remaining Enhancement Points: 500]
[Hyper Zetton Evolution Level: 3.2%]

The attack power rose from 8,000 to 10,000, energy reserves increased by a full 10,000, and health broke through to 20,000. Defense and speed also saw improvements. But none of this was the most important part.

When Lin Yu successfully advanced to the rank of Elite Warrior, the system’s shop officially unlocked.

[Congratulations, host! You have been promoted to Elite Monster!]
[Unlock conditions met]
[System Shop activated]

Hearing the prompt in his mind, Lin Yu felt both surprise and delight; he had been wondering why the shop he designed hadn’t appeared yet. He initially assumed the system’s functions were impaired after crossing over, but it turned out that he simply needed to increase his strength.

As a game designer, Lin Yu understood well the importance of the system shop. Within it, he could purchase anything—Hyper Zetton eggs, Leafrot eggs, and even Ultraman transformation items were all available. However, the shop only offered basic templates for both monster eggs and Ultraman forms, requiring Lin Yu to nurture and develop them himself. Monster eggs needed to be incubated, while the Ultraman templates required continuous combat and growth. The currency for these transactions was the enhancement points awarded by the system.

“Ding! Congratulations, host, on unlocking the system shop for the first time. Here is your activation gift pack!”

Along with the prompt, a translucent panel appeared before Lin Yu, and a gift box materialized.

Open it!

Without hesitation, Lin Yu opened the pack.

“Activation gift pack opened. Congratulations, host! You have received three purple lottery tickets!”

With the system’s announcement, three purple lottery tickets appeared in Lin Yu’s inventory. As a designer, Lin Yu immediately knew their value. In addition to purchasing items, the system shop allowed spending enhancement points on lotteries. The higher-tier tickets increased the chances of winning better prizes. The purple ticket was the highest level—the system’s own gift to itself. Each was worth 300,000 enhancement points, meaning Lin Yu had just been granted 900,000 enhancement points in total.

“Not bad at all!”

Lin Yu was very satisfied with the activation gift pack he had designed, but he didn’t use the tickets immediately. The reason was simple: Da Gu had just risen to his feet. Lin Yu needed to deal with him first.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Da Gu stood up from the ground, feeling pain and a deep sense of humiliation. During this time, whenever he had a moment, he trained with his martial arts coach. He had hoped that his hard work would narrow the gap between him and Zetton, but he was still knocked down with a single blow.

“No, I can’t be like this!”

Da Gu recalled the expressionless faces of the Victory Team during the meeting, their helplessness against Zetton, and his own shaking legs under the opponent’s overwhelming presence. These scenes ignited a fierce determination within the destined child. His potential was fully awakened.

His status panel showed a significant upgrade: his warrior level had risen to Elite. His attack power increased to 8,000, and health recovered to 5,000.

TPC.

Nori immediately noticed the change in Diga’s stats and exclaimed happily, “The data shows that Ultraman Diga’s combat ability has improved significantly!”

“Really? Can Diga defeat Zetton now?” Shincheng asked excitedly.

“Not certain, but the chances are much better than before!” Nori replied, analyzing the data.

Nearby, Kumi felt a surge of hope upon hearing this.

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If Diga could defeat Zetton, the pressure on the Victory Team would ease considerably.

“Go for it, Diga!” Lina cheered on the screen.

Hope rose not only among the Victory Team but also on the battlefield. Feeling his newfound strength, Da Gu was brimming with confidence. He now sensed he was far stronger than moments earlier. If he had been like this at the start of his duel with Gadron, he was confident he could have taken him on alone.

“Zetton, come fight me!”

Motivated by the desire to erase his past humiliation and to protect Earth, Da Gu boldly charged at Lin Yu.

Diga’s assault drew the full attention of the Victory Team.

Lin Yu, watching Da Gu’s renewed attack, felt a flicker of surprise. This destined child was indeed worthy of his title. After Lin Yu devoured Gadron and evolved into an elite warrior, Da Gu immediately followed suit. But it was futile.

Seeing Da Gu’s health at 5,000 on the panel, Lin Yu instantly vanished from where he stood using teleportation.

Da Gu, charging forward, saw Lin Yu disappear but had no time to react. Lin Yu reappeared above him, unleashing a powerful torrent of fiery energy.

Boom!

A one-trillion-degree fireball, with 10,000 attack power, struck Da Gu. The overwhelming flames engulfed his body.

A system prompt sounded in Lin Yu’s mind.

[Congratulations on completing the task: First Glimmer!]
[Reward: 2,000 enhancement points]

The entire confrontation lasted less than ten seconds.

TPC.

The Victory Team, who had just been hopeful, now watched the screen in despair. Under the fireball’s assault, Diga dissolved into particles, vanishing midair. Lin Yu’s effortless victory brought the battle to a close.

Kumi, gazing at the dark, powerful humanoid monster on the screen, felt despair rising within. Could they really handle such a formidable foe?

Nori and Shincheng’s faces darkened. As vice-captain, Munakata slammed the table in anger, complaining, “How can Zetton be this strong? Even the empowered Diga can’t handle him! What are we humans supposed to do?”

Munakata’s frustrated voice echoed in the conference room. Normally, Kumi would have scolded him for such despair, but now, staring at the invincible black monster on the screen, she found no words of encouragement. Clenching her fists, a sense of defeat filled the room.

How could Zetton be this powerful?

Da Gu, knocked back into human form, lifted his head for one last resentful glance at Zetton before losing consciousness.

Unaware of the Victory Team’s emotional shift, Lin Yu noted that his Hyper Zetton evolution level had increased by 0.2%, reaching 3.5%. But focused on the lottery, he paid it no mind. Flapping his wings, he vanished into the sky.

Minutes later.

At a volcano, Lin Yu absorbed the volcanic energy while opening his system inventory.

He was ready to use the three purple lottery tickets.

“The highest-level lottery tickets—let’s see if I’m lucky or not after crossing over!”

With anticipation, Lin Yu began the draws.

[Used one purple lottery ticket, obtained Hyper Zetton Experience Card!]

The first ticket brought a pleasant surprise: a half-day peak-level Hyper Zetton experience card. Using it, Lin Yu could access Hyper Zetton’s peak power for half a day.

“This is great! With this, I’m not afraid of any of the mysterious Four Ultra Warriors!”

The experience card gave Lin Yu a profound sense of security. It also allowed him to start executing some of his plans.

Upon discovering that Hyper Zetton’s evolution level could be increased through fear, Lin Yu conceived an ambitious plan. He intended to imitate the evil god Gatanjuer from the Diga universe, spreading terror across Earth. The fear generated globally would boost the evolution rate by 20%.

Previously, he lacked the strength to implement this. But now, with the Hyper Zetton experience card in hand, he had the prerequisite.

Nevertheless, Lin Yu was resolute: this world was still too dangerous for him as a monster. The Hyper Zetton card would keep him safe for a day.

Weighing safety and power growth, he decided to use the remaining two lottery tickets before further evolving.

“System, use the remaining two purple lottery tickets at once!”

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No sooner had Lin Yu spoken than the system prompt sounded again.

[Congratulations, host! You have obtained item: Eternal Dark Core!]
[Congratulations, host! You have obtained Experience Card: Rebrondo Alien Experience Card!]

The two items appeared in his system inventory. Lying amid the magma, Lin Yu’s eyes gleamed with joy. As expected of the highest-level purple lottery tickets—the rewards were excellent.

First was the Eternal Dark Core. According to the description, this core was a product from the new-generation Triga universe. In that world’s storyline, a powerful energy source known as the Eternal Core exists in the cosmos. One fragment of it allowed Ultraman Triga to evolve into Shining Triga, a form comparable to Shining Diga. Given that a fragment held such power, the full Eternal Core’s strength was unimaginable.

Lin Yu had drawn the opposite of that: the Eternal Dark Core. It contained pure, malevolent dark energy—representing a universe’s shadow side.

From now on, Lin Yu wouldn’t need to worry about the blue energy bar for replenishment; he could directly draw from the Dark Core.

Intrigued, Lin Yu immediately tried absorbing energy from the Dark Core instead of the magma. The moment the connection was made, a surge of dark energy flooded his body. This intensely evil energy caused his Hyper Zetton’s evolution level to jump by 10% at once, raising it to 13.5%.

However, he hadn’t anticipated the accompanying dark temptation. A berserk urge to destroy and kill filled his mind. Previously, Lin Yu identified himself as human, but the influx of dark energy began altering his consciousness. He started to see himself as a god, regarding all humans as inferior beings.

Realizing something was wrong, Lin Yu immediately ceased absorbing the dark energy.

After calming himself, he used 1,000 enhancement points to request a full system diagnostic—a feature he had originally designed for checking monster health, now proving useful.

The system quickly analyzed his condition and provided explanations and solutions.

The cause was simple: the Dark Core embodied the universe’s dark side, formed from humanity’s negative emotions. Absorbing its energy inevitably influenced Lin Yu’s mind.

To resist this influence, there were two methods: one relying on his own willpower, the other on external means.

The first method involved strengthening his own spirit. The power of a resolute mind was boundless; with firm determination, he could resist the dark influence naturally.

The second method required external help—using his devour skill to consume the sacrificial wills of humans, offsetting the Dark Core’s negative effects with their sacrifice.

Contemplating these options, Lin Yu planned to absorb a little energy daily, training his willpower. Over time, he believed he could remain unaffected. Still, he intended to seek out human sacrificial wills as a backup, for the dark power was too overwhelming; a moment’s lapse could lead to temptation.

Thus, Lin Yu’s strategy for the Dark Core was clear: first secure sacrificial wills as insurance, then gradually absorb its energy while strengthening his resolve.

Satisfied, Lin Yu turned to the other lottery prize: the Rebrondo Alien Experience Card!

Unlike the Hyper Zetton card, this one lasted only three hours. The system explained that Hyper Zetton’s card lasted half a day because Lin Yu possessed Hyper Zetton’s bloodline, extending the duration.

Seeing this, Lin Yu glanced again at the Hyper Zetton card, noting its duration had been extended to a full day.