"I see!"
"So that's the bearing of the Great Mountain Bandit King, Higuma! Boss is Boss!"
The bandits got excited again on their own.
Meanwhile, Higuma stood off to the side, his scalp going numb.
They drew their swords…
At that moment, Shanks—who'd been sitting on the floor—brushed off his pants and stood up.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, his smile faint and hard to read.
His eyes were hidden beneath the shadow of his straw hat brim. You couldn't make them out clearly, yet his voice remained calm as ever.
"If you've drawn blades, then stake your lives on it."
"After all, swords and guns aren't toys for bluffing."
The moment those words fell, the tavern atmosphere congealed to an absolute freezing point.
Even the Red Hair Pirates—who'd been watching like it was a show—grew serious. A few of them even stood up from their seats.
If their captain was saying that much, they couldn't keep treating it like entertainment.
"Wait!"
Right then, Higuma suddenly spoke.
And in that instant, a very obvious flicker of joy appeared on his face.
Higuma's reaction made the Red Hair Pirates pause, startled.
Benn Beckman, the vice captain, swept a surprised glance over him, thinking to himself:
I figured he was just some insignificant small fry.
But he… gets excited when he's about to fight?
Beckman couldn't help but regard Higuma a little more highly.
Someone with that kind of fighting spirit—even if they were weak now—might not be a nobody forever.
What Beckman didn't know was that Higuma's excitement had nothing to do with squaring off against the Red Hair Pirates.
It was because he'd just seen a possible way out.
A translucent floating panel snapped open in front of Higuma, and a voice sounded in his mind.
"Method Acting System activated!"
"Newbie reward issued: S-Class character card draw opportunity. Use immediately?"
My cheat is finally here.
Higuma felt thrilled—yet also a little confused.
Why a "method acting" system?
This was a battle manga world. What the hell was an acting system supposed to do?
But once he read the system's description, his excitement reignited.
The closer he acted to the original character, the more of that character's abilities he could obtain.
When the compatibility reached 100%, he would gain all of the character's abilities.
For example, if he drew Vegeta from Dragon Ball—once he hit 100% compatibility, he'd become a planet-busting monster.
"Use the S-Class character card draw. Now!"
Higuma shouted in his head.
In the next moment, his consciousness seemed to peel away from the little tavern and sink into a vast sea of stars.
He looked around—countless stars glittered. It felt like he was standing in the depths of the universe.
And hovering before him was a golden card, appearing out of thin air.
"What is this, some gacha screen from a pay-to-win mobile game? FGO?"
Higuma took a deep breath.
"This is my exclusive moment."
At the same time, the golden card began to flip rapidly in the starry sea.
In that instant, endless threads of golden light spilled from the card face, spreading outward and illuminating the boundless cosmos.
Higuma himself seemed to be bathed in that dazzling glow.
"Wooow. A golden legend."
This was a system-designated S-Class character card!
Higuma could already see it: rising to the peak of life, stepping on Yonko, punching Admirals, riding all the way to the top—
As he waited, the golden light finally dispersed, and the card's full image revealed itself.
"Th… why is it him?"
The moment Higuma saw who it was, his brain short-circuited.
Inside the card was a man with an extremely dangerous look, the kind who came with an aura by default.
Cold, stern eyes. Hard, chiseled facial lines. Blond hair. Three blade-scar marks carved across his left eye—absolutely the visual language of a powerhouse.
Character Card: KING
Rarity: S-Class
Source: One-Punch Man
Ability: Emperor Engine — a powerful heartbeat sound known as the Emperor Engine, which strongly triggers other people's wild imagination.
Higuma: "..."
This was not how he pictured it.
An S-Class card should mean instant power-up, stepping on Yonko, guaranteed.
Instead, he pulled a meme character with zero actual combat ability.
"Mm-hmm…"
"Look, fair. KING really is S-Class, and he's even one of the higher-ranked heroes…"
Higuma grumbled.
"But, System, are you sure this is the complete KING? The real KING should have another ability."
"Like summoning his stand user: Saitama!"
VIP-member Higuma roared internally.
The system, of course, gave him nothing back.
"Equip character card: KING."
Can KING's Emperor Engine really save me here?
This world isn't going to suddenly spawn a bald caped hero to bail me out…
Higuma felt extremely uneasy.
In the next second, his awareness snapped back into reality.
In fact, only an instant had passed since he'd shouted "Wait!"
Inside the tavern, tension was razor-sharp. Both sides' gazes converged on Higuma.
"Uh, so…"
Higuma took a deep breath, and his heart started hammering violently.
He made a difficult decision.
Staying alive came first. He was going to fold.
He looked at Shanks, forced a friendly smile onto his face, and said:
"Let's not fight. After all, someone like me… how could I possibly be a match for a Yonko of the New World?"
The moment he said it, Higuma himself jumped.
Because his voice had changed.
It was a low, unfamiliar baritone—deep and forceful, steady and full, with a cold, stern edge.
Same sentence. Completely different impact.
The wimpiest words—spoken in the cockiest tone.
That didn't sound like backing down.
It sounded like max-level provocation.
Everyone reacted at once. In the tavern, every single gaze locked onto Higuma.
At that moment, every member of the Red Hair Pirates' expressions changed sharply.
Before, they'd been watching for fun.
Even when the tension spiked, none of them had ever treated Higuma as an equal opponent.
But now, the moment Higuma spoke, everyone's faces tightened.
This just got serious.
Beckman frowned at Higuma, studying the bandit for the first time with genuine focus.
He was the Red Hair Pirates' number two, and their brains—the strategist of the crew.
"This Higuma… he recognizes who we are, and he still dares to provoke us like this?"
And the more Beckman looked, the more he noticed something.
Higuma's entire "feel" seemed to have shifted a little.
Before, Higuma was just a tall extra—someone you'd lose in a crowd instantly.
Now, Higuma's expression was cold and stern, and even the lines of his face seemed a bit harder.
Especially his mouth.
When Higuma spoke, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly, as if forcing a strange smile. But paired with that icy expression, it became an obvious half-smile that didn't reach the eyes.
A smile that screamed mockery.
And there was another thing Beckman couldn't ignore.
"Since just now… what is that 'thump-thump-thump-thump' sound?"
Beckman frowned and followed the sound.
In the end, his gaze landed back on Higuma.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]