I, the Supreme Overlord, Start by Enslaving the Zerg Queen
Chapter 37 - 37: Zerg Hero - The Venomous Queen

Simultaneously, Catherine revealed her true form alongside him.

Two stunningly attractive individuals, a breathtakingly beautiful woman and a strikingly handsome man, appeared before old Johann's eyes.

This sight drove old Johann to the brink of madness. He kept muttering incessantly, "I knew it! I knew it all along! Why didn't they listen to me?"

"How could a leading figure like Overlord No. 1 be someone our vanguard could afford to offend? It's over, everything is over!"

Listening to the old werewolf's desperate soliloquy, neither Charles nor Catherine felt any pangs of sympathy.

In truth, the moment he appeared here, he should have been prepared for the possibility of sacrifice.

"Roar! (Master Overlord, Your Majesty the Queen, how did I do?)" Little Green exclaimed excitedly. She had already sensed the presence of her Queen and the Overlord, and seeing them reveal their true forms made her even more ecstatic.

It was, of course, referring to the current mission: to hunt down and eliminate all invading enemies. Little Green believed it had executed this task exceptionally well.

In fact, because it wanted to personally savor the hunt, it had been extremely cautious with its poison, fearing to kill its prey too swiftly. The enemies outside had all been meticulously slain, one by one, by Little Green's own hand!

Charles and Catherine bypassed the dazed old Johann, who was kneeling on the ground in utter despair. Charles, with a pleased smile, gently patted Little Green's head. "Little Green, you did an excellent job, far better than your disappointing sister."

Moreover...

[Little Green]

[Species: Zerg → Zerg Hero (Metamorphosis Phase)]

[Combat Power: Tier 2 Superior → Tier 3 Inferior (Metamorphosis Phase)]

[Description: After countless slaughters, the Toxic Baneling has reached the threshold of becoming a Zerg Hero. Bathing in the blood of its kin once more might grant it the chance to become a true Zerg warrior!]

It was almost a foregone conclusion that Little Green would become a Zerg Hero. Charles was very pleased with the little creature.

Another member was about to join the high-ranking Zerg family.

"Exactly, your sister disappointed me greatly not long ago. She forgot all the combat training and discipline I had instilled in her, choosing to be playful instead. The result? She was killed by those lowly Overlords teaming up against her!" Catherine fondly caressed the antennae on Little Green's head, though her words were filled with complaints about the deceased Zergling.

"Roar! (I won't be a fool like her, Master Overlord, Your Majesty the Queen. Little Green loves you both the most!)" Little Green squinted its eyes, clearly enjoying the attention.

While they were basking in their camaraderie, old Johann was drenched in cold sweat.

He stared in terror at the three imposing figures united before him. Their combined strength, reaching a formidable Tier 3 Intermediate, crushed any remaining hope of resistance within him.

He collapsed to the ground in utter despair, a bitter smile playing on his lips.

From the very beginning, it had been an unequal battle. To think that even a mere Tier 2 Superior Zerg could possess such intelligence.

The coalition stood no chance of victory. Anyone who opposed Overlord No. 1 was doomed.

"I just want to ask one thing: how exactly did you poison us? At least let me die knowing the truth." old Johann pleaded, almost begging, as he looked at Charles with a desperate gaze. After all, this Overlord was the ruler who controlled everything.

Charles turned his head to look at the inquisitive old Johann and found the situation somewhat amusing.

He shook his head and softly said, "Little Green, there's still one survivor here. Finish him off."

Charles had no intention of boasting about his victory. In these times, everyone knew the wisdom of keeping a low profile while amassing wealth. He had adhered to this principle since the game began.

Being cautious never hurt.

Hearing this, Little Green nodded and spat out a dose of poison. Soon, the light faded from old Johann's eyes.

For some reason, Little Green felt that its control over poison was becoming increasingly sophisticated. Unlike before, when it could only spit poison or detonate poison bombs, it could now manipulate and combine toxins within its body to create a variety of skills.

Unbeknownst to Little Green, it had already reached the threshold of becoming a hero. All it needed was to drain the essence blood of a hundred Toxic Banelings in a gladiatorial arena, and a venomous Zerg hero would be born!

Satisfied with old Johann's demise, Charles nodded approvingly and then left the encampment.

Stepping outside, he saw the blood and scattered remains left by Little Green's slaughter of the minions.

About half an hour later, the three of them returned to the Zerg hive.

Charles immediately summoned a hundred Tier 2 Superior Toxic Banelings and instructed the worms to work together to carve out a gladiatorial arena.

Leading Little Green to the entrance of the arena, Charles spoke solemnly, "Little Green, I need you to enter the arena and eliminate all the Toxic Banelings. Absorb their essence blood and advance to become the third Zerg hero in my domain. Are you willing?"

Upon hearing this, Little Green was momentarily taken aback. She curiously glanced at the kin inside the arena. These were the obstacles standing in the way of her breaking through the racial shackles, weren't they?

How weak.

Facing the Overlord's command, she nodded earnestly and replied, "Roar! (Overlord Master, I will undoubtedly advance to become a Zerg hero and live up to your and the Queen's expectations!)"

Little Green could be quite careless when idle, but when it came to serious matters, she was incredibly proactive.

Without hesitation, she stepped into the gladiatorial arena

Looking at her bewildered kin, Little Green's insect eyes gleamed with intense murderous intent.

What did kinship matter? Zerg only obey the Overlord's commands!

She wielded her insect blades and mercilessly harvested the comrades she once fought alongside, her heart remaining utterly calm.

Just as Charles had envisioned, Little Green's swarm mentality was gradually shifting to a hero's perspective.

From this heroic viewpoint, the Toxic Banelings were not her kin. They were merely resources to aid her ascent.

And resources had only one fate—consumption!

Charles watched with anticipation as Little Green, now enveloped in a cocoon, approached her successful evolution. Her data panel indicated she was on the verge of a breakthrough.

They had succeeded!

At this moment, the mysterious Zerg system reappeared.

[Ding! Host's unit detected to be on the brink of ascending to hero level. Choose an evolution path from the options below!]

[Path One: Bloodstone + Essence Blood of Multiple Toxic Banelings + One Bronze-level Overlord Heart = Zerg Hero - Blood Venom Queen]

[Path Two: Three Venomous Scorpion Tails + Essence Blood of Multiple Toxic Banelings + One Bronze-level Overlord Heart = Zerg Hero - Scorpion Venom Queen]

[Path Three: Source of Toxins + Essence Blood of the Entire Toxic Baneling Swarm (collected by the system) + One Drop of Dark Essence + One Bronze-level Overlord Heart = Zerg Hero - The Venomous Queen]

Charles was a bit taken aback, he hadn't expected the system to provide these evolution paths for ascending to a Zerg hero.

This required careful consideration.

After some thorough thinking, and following the logic that the rarer and more powerful the materials, the stronger the evolved hero would be, he ultimately chose Path Three.

But where could he find the Source of Toxins?

That was something incredibly rare and hard to come by...

After a while, gazing at the still-evolving Little Green, Charles couldn't resist reaching out to Rose for another trade.

[Charles: Rose, do you have a Source of Toxins?]

As if she had been waiting for him, Rose replied almost immediately.

[Rose: I think I do have a Source of Toxins. I just can't remember which uncle gave it to me.]

[Rose: If you want it, though, Dark Essence alone won't suffice. The Source of Toxins is a high-tier, Level 6 material.]

[Charles: One of my subordinates needs the Source of Toxins for a perfect evolution. How about I set up a pact to borrow it from you?]

Rose went silent for a moment.

[Rose: Forget the pact. Even though it's high-tier, I have no use for it.]

[Rose: How about this—I'll waive the Dark Essence you owe me, and in return, you must either share your experiences from the outside world with me daily, or come visit me at the Succubus Castle once you reach Level 7 to keep me company.]

[Rose: You can pick either condition and set up the pact. I'm quite bored in the castle and need an interesting fellow like you to amuse me.]

[Charles: The pact has been sent. Please check your inbox.]

In the end, Charles decided to share his daily experiences with Rose. After all, he was quite hesitant to visit the Succubus Castle, fearing that the succubi there might drain him of his essence, leaving him as nothing more than a desiccated corpse!

Before long, the Source of Toxins was delivered to him.

The moment he received the material, Charles said in his mind, "System, I choose the third path!"