To read the next chapters of the book, please visit *patreon.com/Tengri02*
Wolf, Tiger, Demon, Dragon, and the never-before-seen God-level Mysterious Being—these are the classifications of Mysterious Being strength established by the Hero Association after its formation.
"Wolf" — The appearance of creatures or groups that may be dangerous factors.
"Tiger" — A crisis that may endanger an unspecified number of lives.
"Demon" — A crisis that may cause a city's functions to cease, or even be destroyed.
"Dragon" — A crisis that may lead to the destruction of several cities.
"God" — A crisis that may lead to the extinction of humanity.
This strength classification is very broad, which often leads to discrepancies in the disaster levels given by the Hero Association.
Part of this is because some Mysterious Beings have mimicry abilities to disguise themselves as others, or some Mysterious Beings hide their true strength.
The Skinny Bean Sprout clearly belonged to the second type of Mysterious Being.
As Lin Mo left the battlefield, the Smiling Man and his two companions quickly woke up.
"We almost died, all three of us… Your disaster level was set too low!" the Smiling Man complained to the Association contact.
"How could this power be 'Wolf'-level? That Dou Ya Cai (Bean Sprouts)'s power has definitely reached 'Dragon'-level!"
The Smiling Man spoke confidently into his phone.
"We understand your feelings, Smiling Man. However, the assessment of disaster levels requires concrete evidence."
The voice on the phone was calm and rigid; it was the voice of the Association's Operations Department director.
"If, as you say, Smiling Man, Dou Ya Cai (Bean Sprouts) is a 'Dragon'-level Mysterious Being, then who repelled him?"
The Smiling Man remembered the "drumming sound" he heard before losing consciousness. The sound felt somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recall it for a moment.
"I… I don't know…"
The Smiling Man's voice dropped, tinged with a hint of confusion.
"I only remember hearing a 'thump-thump' sound, like drumming, before I passed out."
"When we woke up, that powerful Dou Ya Cai (Bean Sprouts) was already lying on the ground, completely devoid of life signs."
The Hero Association staff didn't accept this.
"The Skinny Bean Sprout was defeated while you were unconscious? If a 'Dragon'-level Mysterious Being could be defeated that easily, then the nameless hero who defeated him would be the big event."
The voice paused, "The power structure of the hero world would be shattered by him."
"If there are extremely powerful entities among these Mysterious Beings defeated by unknown individuals, then the data collected by the Hero Association would be unreliable."
"Public trust in us would collapse, and the balance of the Hero Association would also disintegrate. We cannot shake the foundation of the entire system based on an unverified speculation."
The director made the final decision:
"Listen, I will personally handle the report for this incident. I can exceptionally raise its disaster level from 'Wolf' to 'Tiger'. This is the biggest concession I can make."
The Smiling Man stood silently for a long time before saying:
"I understand…"
No matter what, he indeed had no concrete evidence to prove it, as Dou Ya Cai (Bean Sprouts) was already lying on the ground… Z City Anime City.
This place was practically a sacred land of ACG culture, a paradise for all ACG enthusiasts, with the air filled with excitement and youthful energy.
Coser's in elaborate costumes were everywhere; some dressed as dragon-slaying heroes with greatswords, others as elven mages chanting spells, each one seemingly stepping from a virtual fantasy world into reality.
This was an eye-opener for Lin Mo, who was also a seasoned otaku, even giving him an urge to "collect" photos.
But he thought better of it; after all, his current identity was KING, and he would probably be swarmed the moment he took off his mask.
"Wow… look at that person… he's so tall…"
"Is he a coser? His aura is too strong, isn't it? Just standing there makes it hard to breathe…"
"Look at his eyes… so scary… Should we go ask if we can take a photo? I'm a little scared…"
At this moment, Lin Mo—with his burly physique over 1.85 meters tall—exuded a sense of oppression even under a loose hoodie.
Especially the sharp gaze, inadvertently revealed from beneath his hat brim, with three terrifying scars, made him stand out among a group of generally slender and introverted otaku men and women.
Although Intimidation (Dragon Class) is an active skill, it also subtly influenced Lin Mo's aura, making him appear more imposing.
Lin Mo himself was oblivious to this; all his attention was currently focused on the target located in the most prominent spot on the first floor of Anime City—the official flagship store of "Mecha Girl: Final Frontline."
Through the huge glass display window, he could clearly see that the "Lilith Final Battle Form" figure, limited to five hundred pieces worldwide, was still quietly displayed in the cabinet, seemingly awaiting its destined owner.
Lilith, I'm coming!
He quickened his pace, moving through the crowd, and just as he was about to reach the small shop—
"Boom—!!!"
The outer wall glass on the second floor of Anime City shattered without warning!
A huge, metallic, silver figure, like a meteorite, descended from the sky, crashing heavily into the center of the first-floor lobby, kicking up a cloud of dust and the screams of countless tourists.
"Beep beep, target detected!"
"Beep beep, target confirmed!"
From within the thick dust, a standard and cold electronic synthesized voice emerged.
As the dust settled, the robot's figure came into Lin Mo's view—
It was a giant robot over three meters tall. Its body seemed to be made of liquid metal, its surface smooth as a mirror, reflecting the frightened faces of those around it.
Its head was a simple inverted triangle, with only one huge, ominous red eye in the center.
At this moment, that single eye was slowly scanning the chaotic scene like a radar.
"Clang—"
The giant robot pulled out an exaggerated greatsword from its back with a backhand, the blade glinting with a chilling light under the illumination.
It pointed the heavy sword tip forward, and finally, that blood-red single eye accurately locked onto Lin Mo.
"I am the ultimate combat weapon created by the 'Organization,' codenamed G1."
The cold electronic voice echoed through the lobby, every word clear and distinct.
"According to database comparison, you are strongest man on earth (title/epithet) hero—KING, right!?"
The previous shockwave had knocked Lin Mo's baseball cap off, revealing his iconic long golden hair and the three terrifying scars.
Knowing that disguise was useless now, Lin Mo simply took off his mask and stared intently at the robot in front of him.
"Wow! Look, everyone, it's KING! It's S-class Lord KING!"
A Coser wearing a red wig jumped up excitedly, his prop sword falling to the ground.
"That's great! We're saved!" The blue-haired kid next to him cried tears of joy, clasping his hands together, his eyes filled with admiration.
"Go, Lord KING! Tear this tin can into scrap metal!"
"KING! KING! KING!"
The surrounding crowd stopped running and excitedly shouted. In their eyes, as long as KING was here, all crises would be resolved.
Hey, hey… you say it so easily… if you're so capable, you go for it… Lin Mo almost spat out a mouthful of old blood, his legs trembling slightly.