Asahi floated above City A, a pair of fiery wings shimmering behind him.

‘It’s huge. But it’ll get destroyed in seconds.’

Boros’ invasion would spell the end of City A. Metal Knight will rebuild the city into a fortress for the Heroes Association and its staff.

‘Should I stop him?’

The heroic deed of saving a city should give him a shit ton of Excelia. Well, his previous deed of killing Vaccine Man already filled his Falna to the brim. He had to find time to update his status with Astraea.

“Klyscha, did you record Saitama’s status?”

He forgot to see Saitama’s status during his battle, but he did glance at him with his glasses. That should have recorded Saitama’s status.

(Yes, my love. Don’t be shocked.)

“I’m ready.”

[Saitama Lv. 650] Designated Title: Protagonist Race: Human Class: Brawler [Attributes] Strength: 1300 Dexterity: 1300 Constitution: 1300 Defense: 1300 Magic: 10 Charm: 10 [Skills] [Broken Limits (Special): Saitama has shattered his human limits. Infinite Potential (EX): Saitama can grow endlessly as long as he remains within his universe. Emotions have a powerful effect on his growth. Indomitable Will (EX): Saitama’s willpower is extraordinary. [Physical Resistance (A-Rank)] [Heat Resistance (A-Rank)] [Cold Resistance (A-Rank)] [Exceptional Mimicry (A-Rank): Saitama can replicate fighting skills after watching them once.]

“What the fuck is this nonsense?”

No, he wasn't ready for this.

It was a ridiculous status for a human.

He could go all out and defeat Saitama at his current level. It will be a close match but he could accomplish it with Boosted Gear. However, that was without taking Saitama’s broken-ass Special Skill into consideration.

There was no way to beat someone with no ceiling for growth unless he killed them instantly. Someone with this type of defense could hardly be killed without a special skill, such as the innate curse of Gae Bolg.

(Uh… my love, he blew destroyed a planet with a sneeze… and a fart.)

‘He is supposed to be a gag character and all. It still baffles me.’

(Imagine we are characters in some story too.)

Asahi’s eyes widened. “That makes no sense!”

He flew over the city in search of some university before pausing. He went about it in the wrong way. Choosing a university close to Fubuki’s organization would benefit him more.

(That’s actually a good idea.)

‘Where is her crew based?’

He recited all the letters, and his instinct settled on the last letter.

‘City Z? Isn’t that Saitama’s home? The Monster Association’s headquarters are also underground in City Z.’

He tapped his forehead, recalling the details of the manga. The Monster Association was a bunch of powerful monsters working under Orochi, the Monster King. And his partner was Psykos, a human Esper close to Tatsumaki’s level. Her peculiar ability to accelerate the “monster growth” in humans made her an invaluable asset in Orochi’s growth.

‘Messing with a super cocky lady is gonna be fun.’

Unfortunately, he hadn’t read past her fusion with Orochi. Not that he needed to know a future that won’t come to reality. The ripples of the butterfly effect caused by existence would change the entire timeline one way or another. Minor changes would lead to inexplicable results.

He flew over to City Z, paying no mind to the many gazes tracking him.

***

City Z comprised three main areas. Residential district, business district, and the abandoned neighborhood in the east known for spawning powerful monsters—the Ghost Town. Saitama lived rent-free in one of the apartments in the Ghost Town. Though, that wasn’t Asahi’s target today.

He landed at the entrance of a large university. The very place which might be his base for the next couple of years. Unless he grew bored with university life.

The appearance of a hero capable of flight sparked a debate among the students. Few heroes could fly and none had beautiful wings made of pure fire.

Some students walked up to him, asking him for his hero rank and name. One cautious one asked if the university was going to be attacked by some monster.

“I’m not a hero yet. And you people are safe. Well, as safe as you are every day.”

Even though he settled the matter, students still lingered around. Asahi became an attraction capable of enticing young women to throw invites at him.

(My love, you have the evil CEO aura around you. They can’t resist you!)

‘...’

“What's a CEO?” Ddraig, the ignorant dragon, asked. “Some type of supernatural power?”

“Nope.”

A tall young man walked out of the crowd. A black-haired beauty clung to his arm. He has tanned skin and a similar build to Asahi, and wore a black martial arts uniform.

Asahi knew this young man.

‘What was his name again? Seiryu?’

(Suiryu.)

‘Yeah that. Never could have imagined him as a university student.’

Then again, he was a notorious playboy. A university was one of the best places to hook up.

Suiryu stopped before Asahi, and the womanizers faced off against each other. One looked as calm as a midnight sea, while the other showed hints of suspicion on his face.

After a long silence, Suiryu took the initiative. “You want to be a professional hero?”

Asahi cocked his head. “Yeah? You don’t like heroes?”

Suiryu gave a cocky smile. “Heroes protect everyone from the monsters. Who doesn’t like them?”

A white lie.

He thought of heroes as cocky, fame-hungry people.

He was on par with S-class heroes in terms of strength. But he lived a carefree life, only using his strength when he was in danger or showing off at tournaments.

The work and efforts of heroes amounted to nothing in his eyes.

Asahi shrugged and walked past him. “Go play somewhere, kid. I don’t have time for self-centered kids like you.”

Suiryu’s eyes went wide. Seeing Asahi’s back wide open, he clenched his fist. 

Asahi looked over his shoulder with a smile. A smile that concealed daggers. “Don’t make me commit murder on my first day here.”

A razor-sharp killing intent brushed his neck. Suiryu felt his legs quiver and sweat covered his face.

‘W-What was that?’

The girl beside him pulled his hand, stopping him from charging head first into a certain death.

“Suiryu, let’s go to that hotel we visited before. It had some great toys.”

“Okay…”

He absentmindedly followed the girl. The icy wind made him reconsider the young man he had met.

‘He was strong. I’ll need to train more for him.’

As cocky as he was, he wasn’t foolish enough to disregard the killing intent. He couldn’t face that man at his current strength, or how he perceived the situation.