After Han Sen finished speaking, he calmly looked directly at the scar-faced man in front of him, who exuded the aura of a strong individual, with a hint of playfulness in his eyes.
As if struck silent, King's gaze gradually wavered, cold sweat began to seep from his temples, and he finally managed to squeeze out, "How…how did you know…?"
Han Sen shrugged and said casually, "If you ignore your terrifying battle records, it's actually quite easy to figure out."
"I understand."
After a fierce internal struggle, King seemed to have all his strength drained, sighing in relief as if freed, his shoulders slumping. "If you're going to expose me to the Hero Association, I'll cooperate voluntarily."
"To be honest, living under this title every day puts a lot of pressure on me…"
"There's no need for that."
Han Sen shook his head, stepped forward familiarly, and patted King's shoulder.
Feeling the other party's rather unmuscular body instantly stiffen, he continued, "People already consider you the strongest hero in their hearts, and that's a given fact. It actually has little to do with whether you possess the corresponding strength."
"Sometimes, a spiritual symbol is more useful than actual combat power, isn't it?"
"Besides," Han Sen's tone shifted, "my main purpose in coming to find you wasn't to expose you."
Han Sen spoke very sincerely, after all…
King's innate Monster-attracting physique was simply a mobile Source Point ATM for him!
If he could stay by his side long-term, wouldn't the efficiency of farming Monsters greatly increase?
"…Huh?" King looked bewildered, completely unprepared for this turn of events. "Then, Han Sen-jun, why did you come to find me…?"
"I came to…"
Boom—!
A violent explosion interrupted Han Sen's words, and both of them simultaneously looked towards the road ahead from where the sound came.
They saw a large crater suddenly explode on the side of the park road. Amidst the swirling dust, a vending machine swayed precariously, growing thick metal limbs, and pulling itself out of the dirt!
On the glass panel displaying drinks on its front, a gaping, toothy maw had cracked open.
"Why! Why am I assigned to work in this godforsaken place!" the Vending Machine Monster roared. "Not a single person passes by all day, and no one buys my drinks! My performance! My KPIs!!"
The newly freed Vending Machine Monster suddenly turned its head, its blood-red single eye locking onto Han Sen and King. "You two… you look very thirsty!"
"Want to buy a drink? Hehehehe—! If you don't buy, I'll kill you and make you into drinks!"
King: "…"
—Here we go again! I definitely didn't check the almanac before leaving today!
Han Sen: That's it! This is it!!
Thump, thump, thump-thump-thump…!
The familiar "Emperor Engine" had already begun its low rumble of preheating, and King's body instinctively adopted a defensive—ready to flee—posture.
Han Sen's lips curved into a smile. Before King's engine could fully roar, he raised his right arm as if possessed by a Sun family member, and with an open hand, he unleashed a basketball-sized "Scorching Heat Bullet"!
"Hehehehe… Ugh! Ah ah ah ah—!!"
Boom—!!!
A more violent explosion than before erupted, and a small mushroom cloud rose into the sky, nearly three or four stories high!
This time, it was the Vending Machine Monster's turn to be interrupted by Han Sen. Its newly formed twisted will, along with its entire body, instantly turned into charred residue and scattered parts under the violent energy impact!
[Killed Tiger-level Monster "Vending Machine That Couldn't Sell Drinks", gained Source Point × 87!]
King, who witnessed the entire event, leaned back slightly, his mouth agape in shock, unconsciously stalling his Emperor Engine, which had only just begun to start.
"So, so strong…!!"
Having consecutively "summoned" two Tiger-level Monsters in less than half an hour, both of which were easily annihilated by the man in front of him, Han Sen was very satisfied with King's potential as the strongest tool-person on Earth.
Casually patting away non-existent dust from his clothes, he calmly turned to King and continued the conversation that had been interrupted: "Where were we? Oh, right."
"I've recently encountered a small change and am currently homeless and a bit short on cash." Han Sen looked at King sincerely. "So, I was wondering if I could trouble you, King, to take me in for a while? What do you think? Please!"
"…Eh?"
King's brain froze for half a second, completely unprepared for such an answer. "Ah, this… take you in?"
"Hmm? Is there a problem?"
"Uh… no," After thinking for a moment, the outcome didn't seem as bad as he imagined. King relaxed slightly, his shoulders slumping. "If that's the case, my apartment is actually quite large."
Han Sen: ???
Pushing the image of Jie Ge taking off his glasses and smiling evilly out of his mind, Han Sen said with a serious expression, "Don't you need to think about it?"
He even considerately added, "If it's really inconvenient for you, King, it's fine if I sleep under a bridge for a few days."
King: ???
Listen, he said that, so if he didn't agree, would he still be human?
King was inwardly distressed, but he forced a smile onto his face: "No, no, no, it's not inconvenient at all, I'm completely willing!"
"Thank you, that's a huge help!"
Han Sen raised an eyebrow, looking delighted, and at the same time, he patted King's shoulder and said, "In return, I'll find a way to help you build muscle and truly become a strong individual."
"…Huh?"
King's body trembled, his face turned bitter, and he almost cried: "Building muscle… let's just forget about it, it sounds too exhausting…"
Han Sen nodded in strong agreement: "Yes, if the meat quality is too poor, it would indeed be very difficult for Monsters to eat."
"If they eat half of you and then dislike it and stop, and instead torture you, that wouldn't be good."
"Ugh…"
Thinking of his suspected Monster-summoning physique, and the ferocious faces of those Monsters, King's scar-faced expression, devoid of all dignity, grew even more bitter: "I'm sorry, I'll try my best to work on it…"
…
…
Han Sen successfully "ate" King, securing a place to stay in M City.
Although he currently had no plans to join the Hero Association, being able to get acquainted with King beforehand and use him to attract Monsters to farm Source Points was an excellent idea.
Besides being known as the strongest on Earth, King was also a member of the top hero organization, the "Hotpot Group."
This organization was truly filled with powerful individuals, starting at S-class, easily capable of defeating gods!
If he could avoid being an enemy, there was no need to seek trouble.
Following King through streets and alleys, the two quickly arrived at a luxurious residential area in the city center.
King's apartment was located on the twenty-second floor of a luxurious high-rise residence in the heart of M City, with first-class security measures and excellent privacy.
As Han Sen followed King through the apartment door, he was immediately enveloped by a strong "otaku" culture atmosphere.
A massive LCD television dominated the living room, with the latest game consoles and various peripherals of unknown purpose placed beneath it.
Several large bookshelves along the walls were piled high with manga, light novels, and beautifully packaged game discs. The air even faintly carried a sweet and savory scent mixed with potato chips, cola, and some kind of instant ramen.
"I thought that since you live alone, King, your house would be full of tissues and bento box trash, but I didn't expect it to be so clean."
King's expression stiffened, thinking how fortunate it was that he hadn't forgotten to take out the trash when he left this morning, otherwise his image would have been completely ruined…
—No, in front of Han Sen-jun, it seemed there was no image left to ruin anyway.
(╥ω╥`)