Super Gene

Han Sen touched his forehead and felt nothing. It was smooth and free from wrinkles, like usual.

But Zhou Yumei’s face did not look like she was telling him a lie. Han Sen pulled out a mirror from his pack—the one that was used for the Beetle Knight—and had a look.

Han Sen’s face dropped. On his forehead, between his eyebrows, there was a single red dot. He tried to rub it away, but it was as if it had been branded. No matter how much he scrubbed, it wouldn’t go away.

Han Sen took a closer look. The red dot was on the surface of his skin, but it was as stubborn as if it was embedded within. Removing it anytime soon didn’t seem likely.

Quickly, Han Sen ran his Dongxuan Sutra to see if there was anything wrong with his body. To his relief, there were no problems and everything seemed to be normal.

"Hmm, then what is this exactly?" Han Sen then thought about the spirit that had stepped from beyond that metal door and the things it had said. As soon as his mind reflected upon those events, an uneasy feeling began to swell.

But he wasn’t too worried yet. The spirit could have killed him if it wanted to, so it was clear he wasn’t on the chopping block yet. But it upset Han Sen to know that he had received a seemingly permanent mark upon his forehead.

"If I am guessing this correctly, that spirit must have come from the Third Shelter. The holy rhino must have been taken there. But why would he stop to place a mark on me?" Han Sen frowned, unable to figure out what had happened.

Right now, Han Sen wanted to be gone from the Black Desert once and for all. He was burning with inquisitiveness, so he wanted to return to civilization and get to asking about the Third Shelter. He wouldn’t be able to learn a single thing from his current location.

Han Sen had not previously been in a hurry to learn about the Third Shelter since he had no immediate connection to the place, and it would be a while before he went there. But now things were different. A scorching desire had taken root in his heart; he wanted to know what the secretive Third Shelter looked like.

For miles around him, as far as his eyes could see, there was only a sweltering desert. There was not a single shelter to be found. He couldn’t do anything from where he was right now, so all he could do was stick to what he had been doing so far.

Half a day, later the fairy caught up with them and flew around Han Sen with a look of excitement.

He didn’t pay her much heed, however. He remained seated on the Golden Roarer and played with the rhino’s crystallized tear. He cast his Dongxuan Sutra to see if he could absorb it.

But the Dongxuan Sutra did not work as expected, despite his simulation of the rhino’s energy flow. There was a different reaction. The tear in his hand melted into a holy water of sorts, which soaked into his body.

As curious as this was, he did not receive a geno increase announcement. This disappointed him. But the tear was like a holy light that cleansed his every cell. His skin began to peel, as dirt rose to the surface and was thrown away.

After this process began, Han Sen could peel large films of his skin away. It was as if he was shedding, and every time he removed some of his old, now-dead skin, more dirt would appear and be cleansed away. After doing this four times, his body was put at great ease and a comfort he never knew existed. Now he felt as if he had previously suffered a flu and a wretchedly stuffed nose to go along with it. But now, he had fully healed. His nose was clear, and he could breathe unlike ever before.

"This really is some good stuff." Han Sen was surprised, feeling as if his body had just been reborn. The tear’s effectiveness was incredible.

This was the tear that fell from the rhino’s eyes while it was evolving. It possessed a nirvanic power, and through this energy he had absorbed from the rhino’s teardrop, he felt reborn.

Even if he took the fruit of the cactus and ate it, he thought the tear he had received was a far greater item.

Although this Holy Tear of Nirvana did not increase Han Sen’s gene number, it strengthened them.

The quality of genes always exceeded the quantity. His existential tier might not have risen, but such a task was something that would take a long time to do. It was something Han Sen was prepared for, anyway.

Han Sen’s dirt and old skin continued to peel, and his body performed this cycle ten times before stopping.

This did not take place over the course of one day, however. But after he was finished, his body was heavy. Everything in his vision blurred, and his prior ease of breathing became a struggle. He felt as if the atmosphere had been consumed by smog or dust.

Han Sen was surprised. It felt like when he became an evolver, and he was staying in the First Shelter. It was that sort of feeling, but not quite as strong.

"Luckily, my body hasn’t evolved enough to be excluded from the Second Shelter. If it did, that would be terrible. If I was excluded, I would have to become a surpasser before reaching the Third Shelter." Han Sen sighed, and then continued to think, "Sometimes, I cannot just randomly eat whatever I desire. This tear is far beyond what I expected. It is too powerful. It exceeds what is normally offered by super creatures."

Although his fitness did not increase, his first gene lock was blown wide open. And that came as a shock.

Although he hadn’t reached a fitness of three hundred and become a Celestial Being, he could already unleash his true power. This made him exuberantly happy.

It was a shame Zhou Yumei was with him, because he fancied giving his new powers a spin.

"Good men always receive good rewards." Han Sen could not stop repeating this phrase to himself.

If others knew what he was thinking, he’d be viewed with disdain. The truth was, he had never done nor thought of performing a good deed.

Han Sen continued riding through the sweltering badlands of the Black Desert in boredom. Seeking to occupy his mind, he decided to research the white rhino’s energy flow a bit more. The rhino was incredibly strong, so its energy flow couldn’t have been that bad. Therefore, Han Sen wanted to try it.

Han Sen then found out that the holy light did not lend itself to any act of aggression. The holy light could heal wounds and provide impressive remedial effects, but it couldn’t be used for attacks. Small wounds could be immediately healed by the light, but the overall, future effectiveness would depend on the individual’s level.

He didn’t have enough fitness right now, and his energy was nowhere near as impressive as the rhino’s. As such, any holy light he simulated would not be as strong.

Still, this satisfied Han Sen. Living in this world was unpredictable, and things could change in a heartbeat. If there was ever a crisis, and medical aid was needed but could not be found, this skill would prove incredibly valuable.

After walking for a dozen days, his eyes met with the sight of the Gobi Desert and a nearby mountain. This made Han Sen and Zhou Yumei incredibly happy, for they had now, at long last, exited the Black Desert.

Han Sen quickened their pace in desire for a shelter. He wanted to return to the Alliance and find out all he could about the Third Shelter.