Nova walked the dimly lit streets of City Z, the adrenaline from the mosquito fight still buzzing under his skin like static electricity. His torn shirt hung in rags, but the shallow cuts had already sealed into faint pink lines. He could feel the stored kinetic charge thrumming quietly—67% capacity, 1.67× multiplier locked in. It wasn't Saitama-level yet, but it was more than any C-Class hero should have after one fight.
His phone buzzed again.
Hero Association UpdateMosquito Swarm incident closed.Nova – C-Class Rank 187Bonus merit points awarded. Access to D-Class gear shop unlocked.New mission ping: Unidentified monster sighting – City Z, abandoned warehouse district. Threat level: Tiger (potentially Demon). Respond if available.
Tiger. In One Punch Man terms, that meant city-block destruction potential. Demon meant multi-city threat.
Nova's lips curved. "Perfect."
He didn't run—he jogged at a casual pace that still outstripped most cars in acceleration. His new body felt effortless. Enhanced intelligence mapped the fastest route in seconds: cut through three alleys, vault a chain-link fence, arrive in under four minutes.
When he reached the warehouse district, the scene was already chaotic.
Floodlights from news helicopters swept the area. Police cordons kept civilians back. Several B-Class heroes were on scene—among them, a familiar face from the manga: Lightning Max, the kickboxer in the yellow tracksuit, and Bunbunman, the rabbit-eared brawler.
They were facing something huge.
The creature stood nearly ten feet tall, humanoid but grotesque—deep blue skin glistening like wet rubber, muscular arms ending in webbed claws, gills flaring on its neck. A crown of jagged coral-like spines crowned its head.
Deep Sea King.
Not the fully hydrated version yet—this one looked only partially moistened, still in its "dry" form. But even dry, it was casually backhanding B-Class heroes into walls.
Lightning Max launched a flurry of high-speed kicks. Each connected with a thunderclap of sound.
The Deep Sea King barely flinched.
It grabbed Max by the ankle mid-spin and slammed him face-first into concrete. The impact cratered the pavement.
Bunbunman roared and charged with a rabbit-punch combo. The King caught his fist in one palm, twisted, and hurled him twenty meters into a stack of shipping containers.
The crowd gasped.
Nova stepped forward, ducking under the police tape without breaking stride.
A nearby reporter spotted him first.
"That's the new guy! The one who wiped the mosquito swarm earlier!"
Cameras swiveled.
Nova ignored them.
He stopped ten meters from the monster.
"Hey, fish-face," he called, voice calm but carrying. "You're scaring the locals. How about we take this somewhere less crowded?"
The Deep Sea King turned slowly. Its yellow slit-pupil eyes narrowed.
"You… are small. Weak. Smell of human fear."
Nova cracked a smile. "Smell that again in about thirty seconds."
He walked forward.
The King lunged—faster than its bulk suggested—claws slashing in a wide arc meant to bisect him.
Nova didn't dodge.
He planted his feet and met the claw strike with an open palm.
Impact.
The force would have pulped a normal human.
Instead, the kinetic energy poured into Nova like water into a dry riverbed.
Pain flared bright and hot across his arm, but it was immediately swallowed by the rush of power.
Kinetic Charge +29%Current Output Multiplier: 1.96×Stored Capacity: 96%
The Deep Sea King blinked, confused. Its claw hadn't cut through. It had stopped—like hitting a steel beam.
Nova looked up at it.
"Nice try."
Then he moved.
He stepped inside the monster's guard and drove a single, clean uppercut into its gut.
The sound was like a cannon shot.
The Deep Sea King's eyes bulged. Its body folded around the fist. Air blasted outward in a visible shockwave, shattering every nearby window.
The creature flew backward, crashing through two warehouses before embedding in the side of a third.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Lightning Max, crawling out of his crater, stared wide-eyed.
Bunbunman coughed blood but managed a weak "What the hell…?"
Nova flexed his hand. The stored charge hit 100%.
Kinetic Charge: 100% – Overflow mode activeCurrent Output Multiplier: 2.50× (temporary burst)Warning: Overflow unstable. Discharge recommended within 3 minutes.
He looked at the hole in the warehouse wall.
The Deep Sea King was already climbing out, angrier now. Rain began to fall—light at first, then heavier. The monster's skin drank it in, muscles swelling, spines lengthening.
The hydrated form.
"Human…" it growled, voice deeper, more guttural. "I will tear you apart and drink your fluids!"
Nova tilted his head.
"Big words for a guy who just ate a building."
He clenched his fist, feeling the overflow energy crackling along his skin like faint blue lightning.
"Let's see if you can take a real punch."
The Deep Sea King charged, rain pouring, power surging.
Nova met it head-on.
End of Chapter 3