"Teacher King, what is—"
The shrill alarm cut through the air before Genos could finish. All three of them turned at once, eyes locking onto the phone in King's hand as its screen flashed crimson.
King stared at it calmly."This is a special phone issued to every S-Class Hero. When a major disaster occurs, it force-broadcasts an alert so the threat doesn't keep escalating—and so S-Class Heroes can respond immediately."
Saitama blinked. He patted his pocket and pulled out the battered phone he'd bought earlier."Huh? Didn't they say every S-Class Hero gets one? Where's mine?"
"You only just got promoted," King said patiently. "You haven't picked up your official gear yet. Go to the Hero Association headquarters and collect it—while you're there, you can also sort out that hero name of yours."
Hearing that, Saitama tilted his head, glancing at the blaring alarm."Shouldn't we deal with the disaster first? This thing's really loud."
Before King could reply, a familiar mechanical chime echoed inside his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have triggered a choice.]
[Option 1]A powered-up anime-version Giant Younger Brother has appeared in B-City. The destruction will be massive. Threat level: Dragon.As the Strongest Man on the Surface of the Earth, march into battle, protect humanity, and crush the Giant Younger Brother alone, further solidifying your legend.
Reward: All attributes +10%
[Option 2]How can one grow without enduring storms? Since the Financially-Strapped Hero Genos has chosen you, take him along so he may personally witness the true weight of the title "Strongest Man on the Surface of the Earth."
Reward: Random passive skill ×1, random active skill ×1
King's eyes flickered.
So this was the system's pattern—real rewards came from choices like these. Everything else was still a black box.
He'd heard that defeating monsters of certain tiers for the first time could also grant attribute points, but he hadn't tested that yet.
Perfect. This Giant Younger Brother would be a great experiment.
King weighed the options in an instant.
Option One was solid—guaranteed strength, immediate payoff.
But—
The corner of his mouth curled upward.
Random skills were far too tempting.
After all, at heart, King was a gambler.
"Option Two."
[Ding! Option Two selected. Rewards will be issued after the Giant Younger Brother is slain.]
The translucent blue interface vanished.
King turned to Saitama."Go to the Hero Association. Pick up your gear. I'll handle the monster in B-City."
Scratching his shiny bald head, Saitama nodded."Alright, it's all yours. I'm heading over to complain—how dare they give me such a humiliating hero name!"
With that, he shot off in a yellow streak. He didn't fly—he simply jumped, vanishing faster than the eye could follow.
Watching the Bald Demon King leave, King turned to Genos, who stood rigidly at attention.
"Genos," King said, "you've always wanted to become my disciple. You want strength. Do you know what makes someone stronger the fastest?"
Genos's heart tightened.
This was it—the secret of power from the strongest man on Earth.
"There is only one answer."
King lifted his head. His blue eyes burned with an arrogance that seemed to place him above the world itself.
"Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. To grow stronger, you must face countless life-and-death battles, stand on the brink of death, and only then can you truly surpass yourself and shatter your limits."
The words struck Genos like thunder.
Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth…
As expected of Teacher King. One sentence held such profound philosophy. Every action of the mighty carried meaning. Clearly, King had reached the pinnacle only after surviving endless battles and achieving ultimate transcendence.
Seeing the enlightenment on Genos's face, King smiled in satisfaction and clapped a hand against his metal shoulder—clang.
"And now," King said calmly, "I'll take you into real combat. That is the true path to strength. Don't disappoint me."
Teacher King is taking me to fight the monster ravaging B-City?!
Genos's excitement skyrocketed. This would be his first battle alongside his mentor. His expression hardened with resolve.
"Yes, Teacher! I will complete the mission!"
B-City, Third District
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
With earth-shaking roars, entire blocks of high-rise buildings were flattened like toys.
Panicked crowds fled in every direction. Streets were packed with people screaming, stumbling, desperately trying to escape.
Some had already given up. They collapsed where they stood, staring in despair at the colossal silhouette that towered into the clouds.
The piercing alarm wailed endlessly.
[Warning: Massive monster detected in B-City. Current threat level: Demon. All residents please evacuate immediately!][Warning: Massive monster detected in B-City. Current threat level: Demon. All residents please evacuate immediately!]
Screams, sirens, explosions, and the cracking of the earth merged into a single symphony of destruction.
At this moment—
B-City had truly become hell on earth.
...
(End of Chapter)
[I will Release 2 chapters everyday]
[100 Power stones, 1 Bonus Chapter]