"Oh? Someone's not afraid of death?"
Deluxe Ramen's grotesque face twisted as its gaze swept across the ruined restaurant. It passed over Jack, lingered briefly on the trembling young woman behind him, then settled on the figure in the corner.
"Oi—! You bastard human over there!"
The Monster's voice boomed, thick with offended pride.
"How dare you sit there so arrogantly in the face of my might! You're very arrogant!"
Chopsticks and knife-fork combo clacked together menacingly.
"Stand up! Come over here and die, you bastard!"
*Thump—! *
A dull sound. Faint at first.
*Thump-thump—!! *
Growing louder.
*Thump-thump-thump—!!! *
Deluxe Ramen's noodle-bowl body swiveled in confusion. Its human face contorted, looking around the shattered shop.
"Eh…? What's that strange noise?"
*Thump-thump-thump-THUMP—!! *
*Thump-thump-thump-THUMP—!! *
*Thump-thump-thump-THUMP—!! *
Within breaths, the rhythm accelerated. The sound intensified. Became passionate. Primal.
The air in the ramen shop trembled.
In the corner, the man in the baseball cap slowly rose. Turned. Faced the rampaging Monster.
*BOOM—! *
A massive explosion erupted from the back kitchen—the Monster's earlier rampage had ruptured gas lines. A wave of blistering heat and fire blasted through the shop.
It caught the man's baseball cap. Sent it spinning away.
Revealing a stern face. Three scars cutting across the left eye.
"Are you calling me?"
The voice was deep. Resonant. Carrying an undeniable authority.
Deluxe Ramen's momentum evaporated.
"Uh…"
Stared down by that gaze—cold as an arctic wind—the Monster involuntarily retreated half a step. Its noodle-bowl chest cavity resonated with the war drum thundering through the shop.
*Thump. Thump. Thump. *
The oppressive weight was suffocating. Its grotesque face paled. Pupils contracted. Legs turned to jelly.
Kneel. Kneel. Kneel—
"Damn—DAMN IT!!"
Realizing it had exposed weakness before a hated human, Deluxe Ramen roared. The ramen inside its bowl erupted—noodles, soup, toppings churning like a living thing.
"Who do you think you are, you hateful bastard!"
The soup surged.
"EAT MY 'SUPER-HOT SOFT-BOILED EGG BOMB' ATTACK!"
Multiple scalding soft-boiled eggs launched from the churning broth. They shot forward like cannonballs, whistling toward King.
*BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM—!! *
Moments Earlier – When the Monster First Appeared
*Gulp. *
King's face, hidden beneath his baseball cap, was ashen. A bead of sweat the size of a bean traced slowly down his temple.
The good mood from clearing his favorite character's route? Completely evaporated.
So… so scared.
I'm not strong at all. I'm just a 29-year-old shut-in who doesn't work and stays home all day.
Because my heart beats dozens of times louder than normal—from being more timid—they named it a special move. 'Emperor Engine.' How stupid is that?
Brutal Monsters always appear in front of me. And by the time I open my eyes, they're already defeated by someone else.
The same coincidence, over and over. The Hero Association inexplicably sent me an S-Class Hero certificate. Said I was the strongest newcomer on Earth. What a joke.
It's my fault for not denying it. But I don't want to keep being targeted by Monsters!
Damn it. I really—really—don't want to be a hero!
*RUMBLE. RUMBLE—!! *
The Monster rampaged. The restaurant emptied. Few remained.
King sat frozen in his corner. A storm of thoughts raged in his mind. His back was drenched in cold sweat. His body refused to move.
Not because he chose to stay. Because his weak legs felt filled with lead. Useless. Trapped.
His heart hammered—thump-thump-THUMP—deafening to his own ears, drowning out almost everything else.
When the Monster's attention turned to him, he sighed internally.
Still can't escape.
Under death's threat, his body's weakness seemed momentarily overridden. He suppressed the terror. Assumed the practiced expression—cold, indifferent. Stood.
Deep voice. Skillful.
"Are you calling me?"
Bluff it. Please, please, PLEASE bluff it out of here—
Present
The young female employee behind Jack peeked out from his protective stance. Her face lit up with excited adoration.
"It's King! It's LORD KING!"
She pointed at the scarred face revealed by the explosion's aftermath.
"Those iconic scars! That explosively powerful aura! Our ramen shop is even named after Lord King!" She bounced slightly, despite her terror. "I absolutely can't be wrong!"
"This is great, customer! We're saved!" The young woman clutched her hands together, eyes shining. "Lord King will definitely defeat it!"
Jack: …
(・_・?)
Heh. Women.
Just now you were practically throwing yourself at me. Now your eyes are only for your idol.
Your reaction just now wasn't like this.
On the other side.
The scorching heat wave washed over King. The whistling "egg bombs" hurtled toward him. His face remained cold, expressionless—the practiced mask of an S-Class hero.
Internally?
Desperate sweat. Frantic screaming.
OH NO!! I'm going to die—I'm going to die—THIS TIME I'M REALLY GOING TO DIE!!
"W-Wait…!"
Death was imminent. Block? Beg for mercy? His body moved on instinct—hand raising.
"Look! Lord King is about to make his move!"
The young female employee watched her idol with bated breath. Eyes sparkling. Anticipation radiating.
She didn't notice the complex look that flickered across the man's face in front of her.
Jack's thoughts moved at a different speed.
He hasn't shown up for so long. Saitama's most likely not in M City today.
A faint smile.
Oh dear, oh dear. So King's good luck today… is running into me?
*WHOOSH—! *
A scorching white meteor flashed past.
"AHHHHH! WHAT'S—!!"
*CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—!! *
Shattering porcelain. Monster scream. Simultaneous.
The impossibly fast streak of white light shot through the egg bombs targeting King—detonating them mid-air—then continued, momentum undiminished, straight through the ramen Monster's face.
Scalding broth gushed from the wound.
No one saw Jack move. He hadn't even stood. His right hand had simply lifted—casual, almost lazy—and an ultra-miniature Scorching Heat Bullet had already launched.
The scream cut off.
The Monster's bowl-body shattered. It collapsed like a puppet with severed strings. Massive form toppled forward, face-first into the ground.
*SPLASH— *
Ramen. Ingredients. Soup. All flooded across the floor. Steam billowed from the spreading puddle.
Silence.
[Killed Tiger-level Monster 'Deluxe Ramen' | Gained Origin Points × 68!]
As expected of a Monster born from distorted will in the human world. Jack noted the number. Close to upper Tiger-level. Worth three useless Slime Octopuses.
(Slime Octopus: ???)
"S-SUGAI!" (Amazing!)
The young female employee's exclamation rang out behind him.
Jack allowed the corner of his lips to curve slightly.
Instant-firing Scorching Heat Bullet from fingertips. A new move, developed after his overall strength increased. Low energy consumption. High speed. Reduced power, yes—but more than enough for a Tiger-level.
Why develop it?
Because the mouth-cannon style was just too villainous.
His satisfaction lasted approximately three seconds.
"AS EXPECTED OF LORD KING!"
The young woman's voice soared with enthusiastic admiration. Stars practically exploded in her eyes.
"He just slightly raised his hand, and his powerful psychic abilities defeated the Monster! HOW WONDERFUL!"
She clasped her hands beneath her chin.
"Lord King's power is simply UNFATHOMABLE!"
King: …Huh?
(⊙０⊙)
W-Was it… me? Did I do that?
Jack: …
No. When exactly did you go blind?
(눈~눈)