— — — — — —
"That's it? It's over already?"
Just a second ago, Genos had been shouting to warn Renzo.
The next moment, before he could even process what happened, he saw Mosquito Girl completely frozen in ice—body and all—collected and stored by Renzo. He stood there, stunned.
"If I could become the disciple of someone this powerful... I could get stronger, wipe out more monsters, and help more people, right?"
With that thought, Genos immediately ran toward Renzo.
"Saitama! Time to go back!" Renzo floated down from the sky, calling out to Saitama, who was still frantically smacking at mosquitoes.
He couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Seriously? This guy can't even kill a single mosquito? What's going on here?"
"Huh?"
Saitama paused and looked over. "It's already over? That was fast!"
Just then, Genos ran over and dropped into a full kneeling bow before Renzo.
"Renzo-Sama! Please accept me as your disciple! Help me become stronger!"
"...Huh?" Renzo looked at him, completely speechless. "Aren't you supposed to ask Saitama to be your master? He's way stronger than me."
"Oi oi oi! This has nothing to do with me!" Saitama scratched the back of his head. "Taking disciples and all that? Nah, too much hassle."
Genos didn't even glance at Saitama, his gaze firm and locked on Renzo. "I want to be your disciple, Renzo-Sama. I want to become stronger so I can save more people!"
"...Huh, is that so?" Renzo grinned. Well, this wasn't the original story, after all. Saitama hadn't shown off any real strength yet—he was just over there swatting mosquitoes and failing at it. You'd have to be blind to want to become his student right now.
"Actually... this might be the perfect opportunity."
Renzo had been toying with some ideas involving cybernetic enhancements, and having Genos as a test subject could work out nicely. Plus, Genos was kind of a perfect helper. He could definitely come in handy down the line.
With that in mind, Renzo waved his hand and said, "Alright, stand up. I'm not against taking you in as a disciple. But in your current state, there are a lot of things I know that you won't be able to learn."
"I'll give you two options."
He held up two fingers.
"Yes, Renzo-Sensei!" Genos immediately stood up and gave him a deep bow, listening intently like a model student.
"First option—continue down the path of mechanical enhancement and advanced tech. I've got some pretty sophisticated stuff that could seriously boost your power in a short time."
Genos's eyes lit up instantly.
But Renzo continued, "Second option—I can use my genetic tech and healing abilities to restore your original body. Flesh and blood, just like before. Then you'd train with me physically from the ground up."
Genos's eyes went wide. "That's even possible?"
Renzo gave him a soft smile. "Maybe not for others—but for me? Absolutely."
"Of course, both paths have pros and cons."
"The first—tech-based—can give you explosive growth in the short term. But long-term, you'll be limited by the tech itself. Once you hit a ceiling, there's no easy way past it. And it'll interfere with things like body training or even meditation techniques."
"The second path has way more potential. You can keep growing stronger as you train. But it means starting over from scratch—and that takes time."
"So. Which one will you choose?"
Renzo honestly didn't care which one Genos picked.
"Sensei, I'll go with the first one!" Genos didn't hesitate. "I'm not afraid of hitting a bottleneck. I just want to get stronger as fast as possible—to kill more monsters and stop more tragedies!"
He answered with determination in his eyes.
He was already used to fighting this way. Starting from zero? That was too much to ask. Sure, the idea of having his human body back was tempting. But he gritted his teeth and gave it up.
"Stopping others from ending up like me—that's why I survived and accepted cybernetic upgrades in the first place, right? Potential doesn't mean much. Training takes more than time—it takes talent, and not everyone's cut out for it."
"...Fair enough."Renzo nodded. "You chose your path. Just don't regret it later."
"Alright then, let's head back. As for boosting your strength, I'll need to think through the details."
"Oh, and—" Renzo glanced at Genos. "I'll need to meet the one who handled your cybernetics. Dr. Kuseno, right? We'll need to talk."
"That's what I really want," he thought to himself.
"Huh?" Genos blinked. "You want to meet Dr. Kuseno? I'll need to check with him first."
"Of course. I'll send you some info later. Give it to Dr. Kuseno—he won't say no once he sees it."
As he said that, Renzo waved at both Saitama and Genos. He put a hand on each of their shoulders, and in the blink of an eye, the three of them vanished from the scene——teleporting straight back home.
Once they arrived, Renzo had Red Queen run a full diagnostic scan on Genos. After getting a complete breakdown of his physical data and systems, he promptly kicked him out with a flash drive in hand.
"Take this to Dr. Kuseno," he said.
"Wow..." Saitama watched Genos leave, then turned to Renzo with a curious look. "You're not usually into troublesome stuff, right? Why'd you take on a disciple? You really think that kid's worth it?"
"He's got a solid mindset," Renzo shrugged. "And I've been meaning to mess around with mechanical enhancement tech anyway. Might as well test some ideas out. It's not gonna take up that much of my time."
"Well, your call." Saitama waved it off. "I'm gonna play some games. So, when's that VR MMORPG you mentioned gonna be ready? I've been dying to try it!"
"Ask Red Queen, she's the one running that whole project," Renzo replied. "But it should be close. Once it's ready, we'll launch an open beta—get a bunch of players involved. That's what makes it fun, right?"
"I mean, what's the point of playing with NPCs alone? Might as well be a single-player game."
As he spoke, Renzo called out, "Red Queen, how much longer until the game's ready for beta testing?"
"Good question," Saitama nodded.
Red Queen's voice responded promptly: "Master, the first round of open beta will begin in 10 days."
"At that time, the Hero Association will assist with promotion as well," she added.
"After all, the game is modeled after real-world events. It'll feature various types of monsters, and even basic training methods for players."
"With the monster-hunting system in place, the game is designed to provide players with real-life benefits—like improving reflexes and decision-making during emergencies."
"Thanks to the Hero Association's contribution of detailed data on previously defeated monsters, development has progressed at an accelerated pace."
That's right—this wasn't just some ordinary VR MMO.
Renzo's goal was to build a game that could influence the real world.
Something like Sword Art Online, but without the death traps.
Even if the powers you gain in the game can't be brought into reality, the experience—combat skills, reflex training, mental toughness—that could make a real difference in players' lives.
Plus, Renzo had personally developed a few beginner-friendly training routines, and even got support from top heroes like Bang (Silver Fang) and Atomic Samurai, who shared their basic martial arts techniques for the game.
In the future, players could actually improve their physical abilities in real life.
Who knows—maybe this would even lead to a new generation of heroes.
"Heh," Renzo chuckled. "Sounds like even the Hero Association's excited for this game. All the more reason for us to make sure it lives up to expectations. Red Queen, let's make this count."
Red Queen nodded in agreement.
"Huh?" Saitama raised an eyebrow. "I thought this was just a normal game, but you guys went all out, huh? And it might actually help regular people, too? That's seriously impressive."
"I mean, as a hero, I can't just sit on the sidelines, right? I'd like to contribute my training regimen too! What do you think, Renzo? Red Queen?"
Renzo: "..."
Red Queen: "..."
"You mean that... 10 km run, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 100 squats every day thing?"
Renzo pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Exactly!" Saitama nodded proudly.
"...You do realize that's just a basic workout, right?" Renzo said, exasperated. "Nobody else has ever gotten stronger from that. It's insane that you ended up with that kind of power doing it."
"It's a miracle. One that can't be replicated."
"Saitama, you have to understand—you're the exception. What worked for you isn't gonna work for anyone else. Honestly, I bet even a regular C-class hero trains harder than you."
"To put it simply, Saitama—you're a total cheat code who somehow hit the peak of the world in just three years."
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