At the sound of Genos's enthusiastic shout, King felt his heart sink straight to the bottom of a valley.
I'm doomed… he's really latched onto me.
With no other choice, King opened the door and waved at Genos, who was standing outside.
"Come in for a while."
He didn't bother trying to shoo him away; this mechanical version of a loyal dog wouldn't understand hints or polite refusals. Even if he chased him off, Genos would simply return five times, ten times—an endless stream of visits.
King knew he was stuck. Helplessly.
"Yes, Sensei!"
Genos lifted the towering pile of gifts he had brought and stepped through the doorway, trembling with emotion.
So this is Sensei KING's room… a grand, magnificent space. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city below, giving the sense of standing above all life. The house was spacious, bright, and exuded a subtle power.
The only flaw? The floor was scattered with empty bottles and cans—mostly drinks. Anything truly gross had already been thrown out.
King's mouth twitched. He'd forgotten to tidy up.
All garbage that could rot or smell foul got handled immediately—but odorless, space-saving bottles always slipped his mind.
Then King's gaze fell on Genos.
Right now, the cyborg's mechanical eyes gleamed brightly. Excitedly, he pulled out a notebook and pen, scribbling away like a tornado:
"This is Sensei KING's supreme realm—who would have thought even the house layout holds such profound insights! I've already learned so much!"
King nearly cracked. He had just arrived, and Genos was already exposing his "true colors." What possible insight could his ordinary room layout provide for someone to record so frantically?
Using his extreme speed, King flickered behind him and peeked at the notes.
"Sensei KING's house layout: within a design that is both perfect and domineering, the retained flaw of scattered bottles implies that nothing in the world is truly flawless—everything has a tiny defect. This deep analysis of the world's rules is also the ultimate understanding of the path to transformation!!"
King: "…"
Whatever makes you happy.
Just as he wondered whether there was any hope left for the mechanical brain in front of him, Genos finished writing and closed his notebook.
He then arranged the gifts he had brought and spoke with utmost seriousness:
"Sensei KING, I know this sudden visit is abrupt. Dr. Kuseno asked me to buy some gifts to convey his regards. Please see the itemized list."
King finally smiled, clapping Genos on the shoulder.
"Come on, you didn't need to bring gifts…"
He glanced at the list and immediately laughed in exasperation.
Ultra-Tonic Pills ×10
One-Night KING ×10
Big Honey Pills ×10
Liuwei Dihuang Pills ×10
Essence-Solidifying Pills ×10
Divine Oil ×5
Why is everything for kidney replenishment, damn it?!
Genos, still completely serious, continued:
"It's based on Dr. Kuseno's data. Seventy-five percent of adult males your age recommended the above supplements."
King lifted his head. Genos sat bolt upright, golden mechanical eyes fixed on him, waiting for the teacher to dispense some profound truth.
A heavy silence fell between them.
"Huh? KING… you really got all this for me? These things aren't cheap, right?"
Saitama, who had just been setting up the console for a gaming session, froze. King was not only delivering piles of gifts… he had even brought a robot along.
King waved it off with a grin, totally ignoring Saitama's stunned expression:
"It's not much—only about a million in total. Just take it."
"How much?!"
Saitama's bald head seemed to sharpen instantly, his eyes blazing serious as he gripped King's hand.
"We're definitely best friends for life, gaming buddies forever, KING."
Genos quietly observed their exchange, nodded thoughtfully, and whipped out pen and paper again. What is he even writing now?!
After a bit of small talk, Saitama set the gifts on the sofa and sat beside King at the game console.
While choosing characters, he asked casually, with a trace of puzzlement:
"Say, KING, did you do something? I keep feeling your aura slowly getting stronger… did you really go eat those Ultra-Tonic Pills?"
"Buzz off. I'm not so weak I need that stuff."
King chuckled, but Saitama's senses were correct. Bit by bit, he really was growing stronger.
Thanks to two special items from a previous choice: the Automatic Martial Arts Training Card.
[Automatic Martial Arts Training Card: After use, receive a steady stream of stat boosts for 24 hours—roughly 500 points to all attributes.]
Using both cards would raise his total attributes by 5,000, increasing every stat by 1,000.
On the system's scale, reaching 1,000 in every stat marked entry into Dragon Level.
In other words, those two cards were equivalent to turning him into a full Dragon-Level combatant.