Ding!
[Congratulations to Player Aomori for successfully slaying the Potato Monster (Tiger-level), obtaining 1,100 EXP and 100 Points.]
Ding!
[Congratulations to Player Aomori for completing the Daily Quest: Subdue Monster (1/1), obtaining 550 EXP and 50 Points.]
Ding!
[Congratulations to Player Aomori for leveling up to Level 5. Reward: Constitution +1, Energy +1, Spirit +1, 100 Points.]
Ding!
[Congratulations to Player Aomori for unlocking a new feature: Dungeon. Would you like to immediately enter a Dungeon?]
"No."
The rush of comfort from leveling up diluted the soreness in Aomori's muscles. He put away The Best Sword in the Village and stretched his limbs slightly, only to see Miss Fujiwara rushing over.
"That was too dangerous, Aomori! You're a huge star; how can you engage in fighting and killing? Look, the new suit I picked out for you is all wrinkled now." Miss Fujiwara lightly stroked Aomori's chest, her tone filled with admiration rather than blame.
"Alright, let's hurry up! We can't keep Director Edwards waiting."
"Just wait for me a moment longer."
"?"
Under Miss Fujiwara's confused gaze, Aomori walked toward a young delinquent who was heavily injured. He raised his arm slightly, and a flash of holy light descended from the void, covering the wound caused by broken stones.
The bloodied injury healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"T-this... are you an emissary sent by God?" The surrounding people who witnessed this scene were all stunned, and many of the elderly even knelt down.
The delinquent who was treated was prostrate on the ground, tears and snot flowing, "A person like me, to actually receive help from a divine messenger... I... I will turn over a new leaf after this!"
Beside them, Miss Fujiwara was dumbfounded. "Aomori, you never told me you weren't human..."
The crowd of onlookers grew larger. Aomori's face showed five parts helplessness, four parts joy, and one part pride. He helped the delinquent stand up, and just as he was about to speak, he heard someone say, "Aomori-san isn't a divine messenger at all! He's a Hero, a genuine Hero!"
Aomori looked at the speaker in surprise. After confirming their gaze, he realized this person wasn't paid to be there. He nodded in agreement and said, "That's right, I prefer the title of Hero over divine messenger. Healing injuries is just my psychic ability; there's no need to be too surprised."
In this world plagued by Monsters, humans with extraordinary powers are common. Most people are quite used to it, which is why Aomori didn't conceal his abilities. There were plenty of beings with powers much stranger than his, so people generally accepted Aomori's explanation.
"Regardless, you are our savior, and we will always support you!"
"I feel the same way!"
"You are the best Hero in my heart!"
"I feel the same way!"
"Aomori-nii, I'm your fan, sniffle..."
"I feel the same way!"
In a corner, a young man wearing a safety helmet and goggles silently bandaged the wounds of an injured person. Looking at Aomori in the crowd, he wore an expression of admiration and yearning. "A Hero, huh? Maybe I can be one too..."
After finally treating all the wounded, Aomori was dragged back into the car by Miss Fujiwara.
The moment the car door closed, Aomori, who had been wearing a heartwarming smile, immediately dropped his expression. He leaned back against the soft seat, not bothering to hide his fatigue. Frequent use of the Lesser Healing Spell was a considerable burden on his Spirit.
"Tsk tsk tsk, I told you you're a natural actor. The seamless shift in expression is flawless." Miss Fujiwara started the car, glancing at Aomori through the rearview mirror.
"Miss Fujiwara's acting is much weaker; her expression is too exaggerated."
"Oh, stop it! That's just a way to build rapport, not acting!"
"Can you speak normally? That's rather repulsive."
"...So, how did you find out?" Miss Fujiwara dropped her usual infatuated tone, adopting a voice filled with authority, like a queen.
"Last month's gossip magazine said that Miss Fujiwara has a fetish for pretending to be an infatuated simpleton to mess with new talent."
Miss Fujiwara pouted. "Who among respectable people reads gossip magazines?"
"My apologies, I just happened to see it."
Whenever she managed a new talent, Miss Fujiwara habitually pretended to be a ditzy, sweet simpleton to confuse them. Once she found their weakness, she would reveal her true colors, easily taking control and ensuring the newcomer cooperated obediently with their work.
However, this mysterious Aomori was completely immune to her tactics and easily saw through her disguise, which frustrated Miss Fujiwara, who was accustomed to being in charge.
Forget it. Aomori was handsome, his singing was excellent, and he was physically strong. He didn't seem like the kind of clueless young talent who wouldn't know boundaries, so cooperation should be fine.
With that thought, Miss Fujiwara felt much better. She teased, "Aomori, you're so boring. But what can I do? You're a cash cow, so I forgive you. But is this kind of complete honesty really good for us?"
Aomori ignored the flirtatious look Miss Fujiwara threw his way and said indifferently, "I am merely an idol who strives to display a warm smile to my fans, working hard to change my cold self. Besides, aren't we on the same side?"
"Hahaha! That's true! Aomori, I think I'm starting to like you more and more. How about we..."
"Sorry, no. Women will only slow down the speed of my sword."
Having said that, Aomori ignored the pouting Miss Fujiwara, looked out the window, and remained silent.
Weakness is the root of all tragedies. Aomori, who had experienced the apocalypse in his previous life, understood this deeply.
Therefore, the Aomori of this life could no longer tolerate his own weakness. Becoming stronger was the most important thing, the top priority on his list. He never had the chance or the talent before, but now that he had the System, he was going to become the strongest!
As Aomori expected, Director Edwards "coincidentally" discovered the video of him saving people and immediately decided that Aomori would be the male lead. Only then did everyone realize that Director Edwards' new work was about the loves and struggles of Heroes.
Naturally, a series of arrangements and activities followed. By the time Aomori returned to his home in the suburbs of Z-City, it was already night.
After showering, his condition fully restored, Aomori placed a pillow under the covers, making it look like he was asleep. He then opened the secret door in his bedroom and descended into the concealed basement.
The basement was small, only about 20 square meters. In the center, there was a chair and a square table. Scattered on the table were metal scraps, a half-finished chest plate, and tools like iron tongs and a soldering iron.
On the surrounding walls hung pictures of the same person: Blast, the Hero who had been active for many years and was known as the Strongest Hero.
In the photos, he wore a high-tech suit of armor and a cape identical to Piccolo's, his face bearing a genuine and warm smile.
These were the doings of Aomori's original body. According to the memories he received, the original body's parents died in a Monster attack, so the original body yearned to become a Hero and idolized the Strongest Hero, Blast. However, he accidentally electrocuted himself while crafting his own Hero equipment, which led to Aomori's transmigration.
After receiving the memories, Aomori knew he was in the world of One-Punch Man, and it was a period before the Hero Association was founded, when Blast was still active.
After searching for some information, he deduced that there were still three to four years until the main storyline officially began, and the establishment of the Hero Association was less than a year away.
Time waits for no one.
As per custom, Aomori silently mourned the original body for one second. He then pulled out the chair and sat down, picking up his tools to hammer and shape the half-finished chest plate.
In his previous life, Aomori's world suffered an invasion by exotic beasts. Humans could only barely survive by manufacturing mechanical armor, and Aomori grew from a mechanical enthusiast to a skilled Mechanic.
Based on his past experience, crafting a functional armor should have been easy, but due to a lack of specialized instruments and materials, progress had been slow. It had taken him nearly three months to complete ninety percent of it.
There's an old saying: "The poor rely on mutation, the rich rely on technology."
Crafting armor was merely a hobby for the currently cash-strapped Aomori, but its potential in the later stages of the One-Punch Man world's technological development was not to be underestimated.
After a long while, Aomori finally put down the armor, rubbing his tired eyes.
Right. The Dungeon feature unlocked this morning, and I haven't had a chance to look at it yet.
Aomori focused his mind, and a light screen appeared in his consciousness. The screen resembled the interface of a "pay-to-win" mobile game he had played in his past life. In the center was his 3D full-body model, surrounded by five options: Character, Skills, Items, Dungeon, and Treasure Chest. The Dungeon option was currently flashing.
Aomori glanced past the Dungeon option to the top, where his current Points were displayed.
[Points: 4040]
Points were primarily used to buy keys to open Point Treasure Chests, which came in three grades: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. The Basic Chest Key cost 200 Points, with a guaranteed Blue-quality item on a 10x pull. The Intermediate Chest Key cost 2,000 Points, with a guaranteed Purple-quality item on a 10x pull. The Advanced Chest Key cost 20,000 Points, with a guaranteed Orange-quality item on a 10x pull.
Items pulled from the Chests were ranked by rarity and value using five colors, from lowest to highest: White, Blue, Purple, Orange, and Gold.
He had performed two 10x Basic Chest pulls before, yielding useful skills and items like Thunder Breathing, but unfortunately, he hadn't pulled the Gundam he desperately coveted.
Looking at the slightly inauspicious Point total, Aomori decided to perform a 10x Basic Chest pull first to try and boost his luck.