After Saitama and Genos finished their hero exams, Lin Mo went back home, and life returned to normal.
His days were filled with three things: playing video games, eating snacks, and thinking about what game to buy next.
Even though he had the [Emotion Value System], Lin Mo wasn't in a hurry to farm emotions and power up.
In his view, with Teacher Saitama around, he didn't need to grind desperately for strength—basic self-preservation was enough.
"Strength 50, Speed 50, Constitution 50… by the Hero Association's physical testing standards, my current stats probably already rival the vast majority of B-Class heroes, right?"
Lin Mo poured an entire bag of chips into his mouth and mumbled, "Perfect, except for the lack of combat technique."
Just as he was bored out of his mind and about to browse the web for some obscure indie game to challenge, a pop-up ad grabbed all his attention.
["Mecha Girl: Final Frontline" Global Limited Collector's Figure—Lilith. City Z Anime City Flagship Store Exclusive, on sale today! Only 100 sets!]
Lin Mo's eyes went glassy in an instant.
That was the character he'd poured the most time and emotion into in the "Mecha Girl" series!
And the "Awakened Morning Star" version shown in the ad was Lilith's final form in the endgame—burning all core energy to awaken and save the world!
He had been drooling over that sculpt ever since the dev interview—who knew the release was today, and exclusively in City Z, not far from him!
"I have to—have to get it!"
He immediately dug out his going-out essentials—an ash-gray baseball cap that could cover even his eyebrows, a black mask that could hide the lower half of his face, plus the most nondescript hoodie imaginable.
Without hesitation, Lin Mo set off for City Z.
"J-just now… some weird-looking thing fell from the sky and attacked me… I thought I was a goner…" A middle-aged man, still shaken and sweating at the temples, spoke to the bald young man before him.
He'd clearly been badly rattled.
Standing before him was Saitama, who'd just finished his daily workout and stopped by to buy a roasted sweet potato.
"Mm." Saitama answered blankly, his eyes drifting toward the fragrant sweet-potato stall.
Seeing how calm he was, the middle-aged man probed, "Are you a C-Class hero? Or B-Class?"
Before Saitama could answer, a harsh broadcast blared through the street, cutting them off—
[Monster Appearance Alert!!!]
[A monster has appeared in City Z. Disaster level: Tiger.]
[An A-Class hero is currently engaged with it in the Gray Residential District.]
[For your safety, do not approach!]
"Huh? There's a monster somewhere else too?"
The middle-aged uncle stared at the speaker in surprise. "Feels like monsters have been popping up more and more lately… what a troubled time…"
At that, Saitama's eyebrows faintly knit.
This would be his first task since becoming a hero—since it came to him, he might as well take care of it.
But the moment he had the thought and was about to move, the broadcast sounded again—
[The Tiger-level monster has been defeated. We apologize for the inconvenience to citizens.]
"Tch… I was gonna head over." Saitama looked annoyed for a beat, then his face fell back to dead-fish calm.
[Emergency Evacuation Notice!]
[Emergency Evacuation Notice!]
Suddenly, the broadcast's tone turned urgent and sharp.
[A new monster has appeared. Disaster level: Demon! Repeat, disaster level: Demon!]
"Another one?!" the middle-aged uncle exclaimed.
But his hands didn't stop; he deftly bagged a steaming sweet potato and handed it to Saitama.
"Kid, this one's on me; you saved my life and all."
"But… maybe don't go. That's a Demon-level monster—we're not talking about child's play. You… you might not win."
He looked at Saitama's slightly comical outfit and offered the advice in good faith.
Saitama said nothing; he simply accepted the sweet potato, nodded lightly in thanks, and turned to stroll unhurriedly in the direction the broadcast had named.
Elsewhere, at the heart of the incident—
The Demon-level monster Muscle Radish had already been defeated by the Expressionless Trio—A-Class Rank 27 Smiling Man, B-Class Rank 69 Crying Man, and C-Class Rank 255 Angry Man—reduced to chunks scattered all over a narrow alley.
Its remains did resemble a giant radish, but the surface was covered in knotted textures mimicking muscle fibers.
It was said the three had once been known as the Expressionless Brothers, but never got popular. To grab attention, they put on clothes with emoticon faces—but it didn't help.
Only in the end did they realize: only strong heroes win respect. So they started hunting monsters…
"Feels like it's pathetically brittle, bro…"
Angry Man picked up a piece of "Muscle Radish," poked it, and—compelled by some devil—took a bite.
"It's completely radish through and through…"
"Hey!" Crying Man barked, older-brother authority in his voice.
"Don't eat random stuff! What if you get a stomachache!"
Angry Man spat with a sulky "ptooey" and tossed the chunk.
As team leader, Smiling Man stood aside with furrowed brows.
"Nothing but a paper tiger," he sighed inwardly. "This guy didn't feel Demon-level at all."
Just then, Smiling Man's phone rang.
He answered, listening with a grave expression.
"Mm… understood… nearby, you say?" His eyes swept the maze of alleys. "Got it."
"The Association says there's a straggler lurking around here."
"Let's take care of it on the way."
At this time, Lin Mo had arrived in City Z by train.
He was following his phone's map through the maze-like alleys of City Z.
And his destination happened to take him right through that area.
Thus, three parties with entirely different aims all moved toward the same place.
-------
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