Rod didn't hesitate for a second. He immediately looked at the store and clicked to enter. The store was simple to use—you could purchase lottery chances to obtain fragments of various monsters. Every 10 fragments could be combined into a complete monster.
Right now, the only available option was the basic lottery, which could summon ordinary Earth monsters. More exotic creatures, like cosmic monsters, super beasts, negative energy monsters, and dimensional monsters, were off-limits unless the store was upgraded.
This was Rod's first time encountering the game, and last night he had only briefly played a few rounds. He had one beginner monster in his backpack, a free gift from the system—a basic Earth monster.
This monster was called Red King, also known as the "Skull Monster" or "Corn Cob"—Big Fool Spring!
It stood at 45 meters tall and weighed 20,000 tons.
Red King had incredible strength and a huge body, but its head was small in comparison. It was the type of monster with powerful limbs and a simple mind.
Its roar was distinctive, and two massive outward-curving tusks made it look terrifying. Its enormous body, thick arms, and long tail were all weapons used to attack enemies.
Its appearance was somewhat like a primitive dinosaur, and it had a mighty title: the "Internal War Phantom God," because its battle record against Ultraman was almost entirely negative—it had never won. But against other monsters of its kind, its record was terrifying—never having lost a fight. Some Red Kings were even capable of taking down the Black Golden Bridge and standing toe-to-toe with Jettone.
It had ripped apart the cosmic monster Dolocao and scared off the snow mountain beast Cikas. But when fighting Ultraman, it could even end up hurting itself by dropping rocks on its own feet.
Rod clearly remembered that last night, when playing the game, there were three starter monsters to choose from. You could pick one for free. These were Red King, the ancient monster Gomora, and the volcanic bird monster Batton.
If following the usual logic, Rod would have chosen the strongest—either the volcanic bird Batton, which had knocked out Zoffy and Taro, or Gomora, the ancient monster.
However, Corn Cob Red King was just too funny, and for a beginner monster, its close combat skills were top-notch.
In the game, it was the perfect tank for the early stages. After all, you could easily get other monsters later. So, Rod casually chose it and clicked on Red King as his starting monster.
Honestly, if he could choose again, Rod would definitely pick Batton, the vicious volcanic bird that had toppled Zoffy and Taro.
Batton had an extra advantage against the Tyranid swarm, and while the Tyranids were strong, Rod felt confident he could bully them with Batton, whose size would be a major advantage.
But well, Corn Cob Red King would do. It was still strong!
After all, it was called the "Phantom God of Internal War," and it would be quite effective against the swarm of insects in front of him.
With that, Rod decided to put his faith in the Corn Cob Red King.
Boom! Boom!
At that moment, a series of loud explosions rang out, shaking the entire ground as a colossal Tyranid Warrior Bug appeared on the battlefield.
Armored Space Marines immediately charged forward and engaged in close combat with the Tyranid Warrior Bugs. Chainsaw swords clashed violently against the Tyranid exoskeletal weapons.
Dozens of Tyranid Warrior Bugs charged, initiating a brutal melee with the Space Marines. When these large units clashed, it was impossible for other allied troops, like the Battle Sisters and Star Corps soldiers, to intervene.
If it had been just a single Tyranid Warrior Bug, the fully equipped Space Marines could have taken it down. But facing a whole group, even they suffered casualties. One Space Marine was surrounded by three Tyranid Warrior Bugs. Two of them restrained the Space Marine while the third used its massive blade to pierce through his chest.
The power armor made of tough titanium didn't stand a chance against the Tyranid's hardened biological weaponry.
The other two Tyranid Warrior Bugs immediately moved in, grabbing the Space Marine's arms and tearing him in half.
After killing the Space Marine, the Tyranid Warrior Bugs let out excited roars, and the battlefield situation became dire. Several other Space Marines were also heavily injured and taken down.
The numbers of the human Star Corps and Battle Sisters were dwindling, and they were gradually being cornered onto a high ground. Some of the Tyranid bugs were already heading towards the large rock where Rod was hiding.
Without any hesitation, Rod immediately clicked on the virtual screen only he could see and summoned the Skull Monster—Corn Cob Red King.
If it could be summoned, Rod was ready to live it up. But if it couldn't be, he'd at least make sure to go out with a bang.
With a mix of nervousness and anticipation, Rod watched as a burst of earth-yellow light flashed, and a massive 45-meter tall beast, weighing 20,000 tons, materialized on the battlefield.
The monster, fully covered in earthy yellow scales, had a head the size of a fist but an incredibly muscular body, dragging a massive tail and sporting thick arms.
"Wow! Wow! Wow!" The moment Red King appeared, it let out a roar of excitement and stomped on a large group of Tyranids.
Rod froze. It worked! He had successfully summoned a monster from the game!
And as soon as Red King appeared, Rod instantly established a mental link with it. He could now freely control this powerful Earth monster.
"Good! Red King, attack these bugs and kill them all!" Rod commanded with great excitement.
"Wow! Wow! Wow!" With an enthusiastic roar, Red King swung its massive tail in a sweeping motion. Instantly, over a thousand Tyranid bugs of various sizes were sent flying into the air.
Red King raised its fists and slammed them into the ground. The earth trembled violently, shaking like an earthquake. Even the surviving Star Corps, Battle Sisters, and Space Marines struggled to stay on their feet.
The shockwave immediately overturned countless Tyranid monsters. Red King, filled with excitement, began mercilessly slaughtering the Tyranids in front of it, and the swarm soon shifted its focus to this enormous newcomer.
This massive beast had become the star of the battlefield.
All the surviving humans immediately retreated, watching as Red King engaged in an epic battle with the Tyranid swarm.