Chapter 2: The Corn Cob Red King

Without a moment's hesitation, Rhodes focused his attention on the shop interface and tapped into it. The system was straightforward: one could purchase lottery draws to obtain monster shards, and every ten shards could be synthesized into a complete monster.

At present, only the basic lottery was active, allowing for the acquisition of common Earth monsters. Exotic entities like cosmic monsters, super monsters, negative-energy monsters, and dimensional monsters remained unavailable until the shop was upgraded.

This was his first time engaging with the game; he had only spent a few minutes exploring it the previous night. His inventory currently contained a single starter monster, a gift from the system: a Red King—also known as the "Skull Monster," colloquially dubbed "The Corncob" or "Big Silly Chun."

Standing 45 meters tall and weighing 20,000 tons, the Red King possessed immense physical strength. Its massive frame was anchored by thick limbs, though its head was disproportionately small, giving it the appearance of being brawny but dim-witted. Its cry was distinctive, and its two protruding fangs were fearsome to behold. Its hulking body, thick arms, and long tail served as devastating weapons against any foe.

In appearance, it resembled a primitive dinosaur, and it bore a rather infamous title: "The Phantom God of Civil Wars." This was because its track record against Ultra Warriors was abysmal—it had essentially never won a fight against them. However, when facing its own kind, its performance could only be described as terrifying; it remained undefeated in internal monster conflicts. Some variants of the "Corncob" had even been known to topple Black King Joe and stand toe-to-toe with Zetton. It had torn the cosmic monster Dorako to shreds and frightened off the mountain monster Chigusa, yet when fighting an Ultraman, it was the type of creature that could trip over its own feet while trying to throw a rock.

Rhodes clearly remembered that when he played the game last night, there had been three starter monsters to choose from for free: the Red King, the Ancient Monster Gomora, and the Bird-like Volcanic Monster Birdon. Under normal circumstances, he would have chosen the formidable Birdon or the reliable Gomora. However, the Red King was simply too hilarious, and in terms of base stats, its melee prowess was top-tier. It served as an excellent early-game tank. Since other monsters could be obtained through gameplay later, he had simply picked the Red King on a whim.

To be honest, if he had the chance to choose again, he would definitely have picked the Volcanic Birdon—the brutal monster that had defeated both Zoffy and Taro. Moreover, Birdon possessed an inherent advantage against insects. While the Tyranids were powerful, surely he could use the Birdon to bully a few Tyranids that were only a couple of meters tall?

*Forget it! A Corncob is a Corncob!* he thought. *The Corncob is plenty strong, isn't it? It’s a "Phantom God," and it should be more than capable of stomping these bugs! It certainly has the advantage in size.*

Boom! Boom!

A series of violent explosions shook the ground as a massive Tyranid Warrior appeared. Space Marines in power armor immediately charged forward, engaging the Tyranid Warriors in close-quarters combat. Chainswords clashed violently against the chitinous exoskeletons of the Tyranids. As dozens of Tyranid Warriors clashed with the Space Marines, other friendly forces—such as the Sisters of Battle and the Astra Militarum—found themselves unable to intervene.

A fully equipped Space Marine could take down a single Tyranid Warrior, but against a swarm, they began to suffer casualties. One Space Marine was surrounded by three Tyranids; two restrained him while the third thrust a massive blade through his chest. His ceramite power armor offered no resistance against the Tyranids' hardened biological weapons. The other two Tyranids exerted their strength, grabbing the marine’s arms and tearing him in two.

Upon killing the marine, the Tyranids let out shrill, excited screeches. The situation on the battlefield was grim; several Space Marines had already fallen. The numbers of the Astra Militarum and the Sisters of Battle were dwindling, and they were gradually being pushed back toward a high ridge. Some of the insectoid creatures were already charging toward the large rock where Rhodes was hiding.

Without hesitation, Rhodes tapped the command on his private virtual screen to summon the Skull Monster, the Red King.

*If I can summon it, I'll live like a king,* he thought. *If I can't, I’ll end up as lunch in some bug's stomach.*

With a heart full of anxiety, Rhodes watched as a flash of earthy yellow light erupted before him. A massive beast, 45 meters tall and weighing 20,000 tons, materialized on the battlefield. It was a creature of yellow-brown hues, with a head no larger than a human fist but a body of incredible bulk, dragging a heavy tail and supported by thick, powerful legs.

"Waa! Waa! Waa!" The Red King let out an ecstatic roar the moment it appeared, crushing a crowd of Tyranids under its feet in the process.

Rhodes felt a surge of adrenaline. It had worked! He had successfully summoned a monster from the game system. Furthermore, a telepathic link was instantly established; he could control this powerful Earth monster at will.

"Good! Red King, attack these bugs! Kill them all!" Rhodes commanded excitedly.

"Waa! Waa! Waa!" With another roar, the Red King swung its massive tail in a wide arc. In an instant, thousands of Tyranids of various shapes and sizes were sent flying into the sky.

Raising its fists, the Red King smashed them into the ground. The entire surface shook as if an earthquake had struck, causing even the surviving Astra Militarum, Sisters of Battle, and Space Marines to lose their footing. The resulting shockwave flattened countless Tyranid beasts. As the Red King gleefully slaughtered the swarm, the Tyranid horde shifted its focus toward this massive, sudden intruder.

The giant monster became the star of the battlefield. The surviving humans immediately retreated, watching in awe as the Red King engaged the Tyranid swarm in a titanic struggle.