Q City.
After finding a suitable hotel to stay in, Yami led the goddesses — Hephaestus, Hestia, and Artemis — out into the streets.
Together, the four of them began exploring this strange new world.
Everything around them seemed so novel.
Compared to Fuyuki City(Fate World), the cities in the world of 'One Punch Man' were clearly more advanced and luxurious.
Even in such a dangerous world, people hadn't lost hope. Despite the lurking dangers, there was still a faint smile on most people's faces.
Overall, they seemed relatively happy.
Q City was one of the few safe havens in this world.
Thanks to the long-standing protection of the S-Class hero, Watchdog Man, the city was much safer than others. At the very least, there was no need to worry about terrifying monsters appearing out of nowhere.
"This world is so strange," Hestia remarked.
"Kind of like Orario, where all sorts of powerful monsters constantly threaten humans."
"It's hard to believe humans can survive here without the intervention of gods," Hestia mused, flipping through a brand-new history book in the bookstore.
Even though gods like them had regained their divine powers, they weren't omniscient or omnipotent. However, learning new information in an instant, like what Hestia was doing, was no problem at all.
Even though the book came from a different world, it didn't faze them.
Yami, on the other hand, had no such concerns.
"Yes, the humans here are stronger than the adventurers back in Orario. I never expected another world to be this exciting!" Artemis chimed in.
The moon goddess' face lit up with excitement.
She had already been thrilled when women from the Amazon Lily from the Pirate World had joined her familia. But now, seeing these professional heroes in this world, none of the gods could ignore the potential they held.
If they could recruit these powerful heroes, their familia's strength would increase dramatically.
"Do you think so too?" Yami asked. "This is one of the reasons I enjoy traveling to new worlds — unknown places, new knowledge, and all kinds of fascinating things."
"No matter what it is, the allure of the unknown is irresistible to us gods!" Hephaestus smiled knowingly.
"If the gods of Orario knew about this world, they'd chase after it, no matter the cost," she added, shaking her head with a smile.
Hearing this, Hestia and Artemis nodded in agreement.
In truth, both goddesses were a little envious of Hephaestus for having such an outstanding child like Yami.
It was a pity they hadn't encountered Yami first. But even so, they were happy for their friend.
It was a complicated feeling — a mix of envy and joy, something that ordinary people might not understand.
"So, are you going to spend the entire day in this bookstore?" Yami asked, sighing as he looked at the radiant goddesses beside him.
It seemed like a waste to spend their rare free time holed up in a bookstore.
But as an adventurer, Yami couldn't exactly force his goddess or her friends to do anything, nor did he have the power to.
So, he had no choice but to keep them company.
Meanwhile, Yami's mind wandered as he contemplated his next steps.
"Now that we're in Q City, why not find a chance to challenge Metal Bat?"
"If I can defeat all the heroes from the Hero Association, it would undoubtedly raise my final evaluation to the level I'm aiming for."
The path ahead was growing more complicated and less straightforward.
This time, Yami hadn't run any simulations to prepare. He had come into this world with nothing but his life, taking a risk without any prior groundwork.
So, he wasn't planning to make any big moves until he was fully prepared. If the final evaluation wasn't high enough, it could spell disaster for him.
"Am I overthinking this?"
"If it were anything else, it might be difficult, but when it comes to handling things, I'm good at it. I just have to defeat monsters and heroes alike."
"Of course, if some so-called heroes don't know their place and choose to challenge me…"
"Even if the Hero Association becomes my enemy, it's not impossible to take them down."
Yami whispered to himself, his eyes deep with thought.
There was one clear path to victory.
By maintaining absolute neutrality and targeting both monsters and heroes alike, Yami could become the final boss and unify the world. If he could defeat everyone, the final evaluation for this real-life time travel simulation would be off the charts.
But, unfortunately, Yami wasn't one for senseless destruction.
Besides, in a world like 'One Punch Man', there was still a terrifying force like the bald-headed hero, Saitama, whose power only kept growing. Ordinary people were no match for him.
Yami wasn't entirely confident he could defeat Saitama, either.
Furthermore, Goddess Hephaestus would never condone such reckless behavior.
These three factors meant that Yami was unlikely to pursue the path of becoming the ultimate villain. Instead, he needed to find another way to reach his goal.
Thankfully, Yami was still confident in his abilities.
As he absentmindedly flipped through the light novel in his hands, he silently mulled over his plans. The contents of the book didn't interest him much; he was only reading it to pass the time.
Once Goddess Hephaestus finished her reading, they would leave together.
The bookstore remained unusually quiet.
But then, Yami's ears caught the faint sound of approaching footsteps.
He assumed it was just another customer passing by and didn't pay it any mind, continuing to flip through the pages.
"Good day, sir, if I may interrupt."
"Do you enjoy that light novel very much?"