From sunrise to sunset, ever since his battle with Saitama seven days ago, Lucien had been staying at Saitama's apartment.
Most of their days passed in a surprisingly mundane way.
They either played simple games together or went to the supermarket to buy ingredients. After that, they would return home and cook. Hotpot had been the main meal during these seven days.
Seven days was more than enough time for Lucien to recover completely.
With the activation of his fourth near death ability, the Ki inside his body surged once again. His power had returned to the same level he reached when he activated the war battle music during his fight with Saitama.
Now, that level of power had become his normal state.
If he used the war battle music again and fired a full power Kamehameha, Lucien estimated that the attack could destroy more than half of the Earth.
Even so, Lucien knew one thing very clearly.
He was still no match for the bug known as Saitama.
That fact irritated him greatly.
During the past few days, Lucien had thought things through carefully. After dealing with Boros when the alien eventually arrived on Earth, he would blow up the planet.
If Saitama somehow survived that as well, then Lucien would have no other options left.
The difference between them was simply too obvious.
There was another theoretical method.
He could continue increasing his combat power, or rather, repeatedly trigger his near death ability.
However, judging from the description of that ability, Lucien felt the chances of success were extremely small.
Still, he planned to try.
Sooner or later, he would challenge Saitama again and push himself to the brink of death one more time.
Meanwhile, the entire world had been far from peaceful during these seven days.
Everything started because of the aftermath of the battle between Lucien and Saitama.
The destruction of the Moon alone had already created enormous consequences for Earth.
News reports claimed that multiple governments around the world had begun discussing plans to construct an artificial Moon.
As for the southwestern region, the Antarctic area, and the Arctic zone, those three places had already become forbidden regions rarely visited by ordinary people.
The landforms there had completely changed.
Some areas had turned into bottomless abysses.
Others had become desolate valleys surrounded by shattered mountains.
However, some heroes and monsters still appeared in those regions occasionally, mostly to train themselves in the dangerous environment.
Originally, that was the situation.
But two days ago, everything changed.
Various forces discovered that many resources had suddenly appeared in those areas.
Underground gold deposits had surfaced.
Metal veins buried beneath the ice for countless years were now exposed.
The violent battle had completely reshaped the terrain, revealing things that had remained hidden for centuries.
Besides those valuable resources, many strange phenomena also appeared.
For example, one particular region contained a mysterious energy field. Any lifeform entering that area would experience genetic changes and eventually develop supernatural abilities.
In another location, the environment could stimulate the hidden potential of the human body.
Elsewhere, ancient microorganisms were discovered that could enter living bodies and grant incredible strength.
All kinds of news reports spread rapidly across the world.
Naturally, countless people rushed toward those three regions in search of treasure, power, or opportunity.
Today, the weather was excellent.
The sky was clear and the sunlight bright.
Lucien had been sitting cross legged on his bed in meditation.
Suddenly, loud noises from the apartment next door broke his concentration.
Clap, clap.
Repeated slapping sounds echoed through the building.
Each impact made the entire structure tremble slightly.
Lucien slowly opened his eyes.
His expression looked somewhat deflated.
"Saitama, are you losing your mind this early in the morning?"
He stood up and pushed open the French window leading to the balcony.
From there, he could clearly see the balcony next door.
During these seven days, the two of them had become completely familiar with each other.
At that moment, Saitama was jumping up and down on his balcony while frantically slapping the air.
He was chasing a mosquito.
Lucien watched the scene with twitching lips.
Saitama's face was twisted with frustration. Veins bulged across his forehead, his eyes bloodshot with rage.
And the cause of all this anger was a single mosquito.
To be honest, Lucien did not know much about the One Punch Man world.
He had only watched the first season of the anime.
Back then, when he saw this scene, many viewers in the comment section had suggested a strange theory.
According to them, Saitama's power was a type of subjective idealism.
What did that mean?
In simple terms, it meant that whatever Saitama believed would become reality.
If Saitama believed he was invincible and could defeat any opponent with one punch, then he would defeat them with one punch.
If he believed that he needed to breathe like a normal human, then he would continue breathing.
Eating and drinking followed the same logic.
It was similar to the idea of a god declaring something into existence.
Let there be wind, and wind would appear.
Let there be rain, and rain would fall.
Other viewers believed that Saitama had simply broken through the natural limits of human biology and undergone an unknown transformation.
Lucien did not care much about those theories.
He was more interested in combat power.
Many people online compared Saitama's strength to Super Saiyan 2 from Dragon Ball.
When Lucien first heard that claim, he almost laughed.
If Saitama truly possessed power comparable to Super Saiyan 2, then even one hundred versions of Lucien at his current strength would not be able to defeat him.
The gap between them would not be large.
It would be astronomical.
Lucien remembered a scene from Dragon Ball.
During the battle against Cell after he achieved his perfect form, Cell released a Kamehameha and claimed that his attack possessed enough power to destroy the entire Solar System.
At that time, Cell had not yet reached Super Saiyan 2 level power.
Later, once Gohan transformed into Super Saiyan 2, he defeated Cell with overwhelming strength.
Only after Cell resurrected in his ultimate perfect form did he manage to gain an advantage again.
Unfortunately for Cell, he made a fatal mistake.
He chose to clash power with the Son family.
Lucien considered his current strength carefully.
Even after activating his fourth near death ability, he still felt extremely far from reaching the level of Super Saiyan 1.
Super Saiyan 2 was completely out of the question.
Which meant that his plan remained unchanged.
Blowing up the Earth was still the only reliable method to kill Saitama.
Lucien had already decided to gamble on one thing.
Saitama might not be able to survive in outer space for very long.
Lucien himself, however, could.
"Lucien, good morning!"
Saitama turned toward him with a twisted expression that looked almost murderous.
Of course, the hatred on his face was entirely directed at the mosquito.
"What are you doing?"
Lucien suddenly appeared beside him.
He glanced at a tiny mosquito hovering above a potted plant, its wings buzzing lazily.
"I'm killing this mosquito."
Saitama stared at it with extreme focus.
The veins on his forehead pulsed violently.
Clearly, he felt personally offended by the insect.
"It's just a mosquito. Just pinch it."
Lucien reached out casually.
His fingers moved faster than the insect could react.
In the next moment, the mosquito was already crushed between his fingertips.
He placed the tiny corpse in front of Saitama.
This created a rather absurd contradiction.
Saitama could easily defeat Lucien.
Lucien could easily kill a mosquito.
Yet a mosquito could somehow evade Saitama repeatedly.
By that strange logic, mosquitoes were the strongest creatures in existence.
When Lucien first watched the anime, he thought the situation was ridiculous.
Now that he experienced it personally, it felt even more absurd.
The laws of physics clearly did not function properly in a two dimensional world.
Einstein's theories, Newtonian mechanics, and relativity would probably collapse instantly here.
"It's finally dead."
Saitama let out a sigh of relief.
"Lucien, you really are…"
"Shut up."
Lucien's face darkened.
"If you say that sentence again, I'm going to get angry."
The two of them walked back inside.
Lucien's mood was already sour.
At this point, every time he heard that phrase, he felt irritation building inside his chest.
"What are we eating for lunch today?"
Saitama opened the refrigerator and took out two bottles of cola.
He handed one to Lucien while casually picking his nose and watching the morning news on television.
The topic changed naturally, without any awkwardness.
This kind of conversation had already happened many times over the past week.
"I'm tired of hotpot."
Lucien took the cola and drank a mouthful.
After eating hotpot for seven straight days, even his abnormal physique was starting to feel the consequences.
If he had still been an ordinary human, his digestive system would probably be suffering terribly by now.
Saitama switched channels on the television.
Coincidentally, a cooking show appeared.
The host was demonstrating how to make braised pork ribs.
"How about that?" Saitama asked.
"That sounds good."
Lucien watched the program quietly.
"It feels like I haven't eaten a normal home cooked meal like that in a long time."
A hint of nostalgia appeared in his amethyst colored eyes.
Ever since he transmigrated into different worlds, he rarely had the chance to eat the simple dishes from his previous life.
Looking at the screen now, he suddenly felt a strong craving.
"Oh right," Lucien said after a moment. "Do you want a computer?"
The technology in this world was actually quite advanced.
Computers existed, along with movies and video games.
Lucien planned to buy one soon.
According to his calculations, Boros would still need some time before arriving on Earth.
During that waiting period, Lucien could pass the time playing games.
He might also eliminate some minor villains along the way.
Creatures like the Subterranean King, Forest King, Deep Sea King, Sky King, and Ancient King.
Most of them did not even survive a single episode in the anime.
Compared to ordinary monsters, those so called Kings might still provide some useful rewards.
Even if the benefits were small, they were still worth collecting.
After all, Lucien was extremely poor at the moment.
Saitama's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Are you giving one to me?"
His excitement was obvious.
He had always wanted a computer but could never afford one.
Because of that, his only entertainment at home was a cheap television.
Lucien looked at him and immediately shook his head.
"Of course not."
"But I can lend you the money."
He refused without hesitation.
Lucien would rather let Saitama owe him money than give him something for free.
As long as Saitama owed him a debt, many things would become easier in the future.
Favors created obligations.
And that principle worked perfectly on Saitama.
After all, personality and behavior were determined by character design.
And Saitama's design made him someone who always repaid what he owed.
Lucien intended to take full advantage of that.
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