"This is an arduous and extraordinary road."
Jordan held a small magnetic field in his palm, electric arcs flickering within.
"I'll use telekinesis to generate electricity through cellular friction in your body. Once you adapt to the process, your electrical charge will increase and your physical form will strengthen. After that, you'll have to rely on yourself."
King nodded emphatically, expressing sincere gratitude.
"Thank you, Jordan-san!"
"You're welcome. You chose this yourself."
Three days later.
Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.
King sat cross-legged on a bluestone slab, surrounded by a powerful magnetic field that distorted vision itself.
Electric current generated by the jumping magnetic field was immediately tamed and controlled by telekinesis, conducted into King's body, slowly strengthening him from within.
After testing, Jordan had determined King's current physical condition couldn't generate bioelectric current independently.
But that didn't matter. With Jordan providing the cheat code, even a poor foundation was manageable.
So he'd chosen to use external current to stimulate King's physical development first.
He had simpler methods to make King instantly stronger—like using the Kennen character card still gathering dust in his deck.
But that would leave King as just an ordinary person who'd suddenly gained great power. The result might not even reach the heights the collectively deluded masses and Hero Association had pushed him to in the original timeline.
The strongest hero on Earth.
If that was the case, better to do nothing.
Jordan felt that since they'd become friends, transforming King from a comedic character into a true powerhouse—making the super technique "Purgatory Unparalleled Explosive Heat Wave Cannon" the public imagined into reality—was the better choice.
In the world of martial cultivation, Electric Current Propulsion was a power anyone could train.
King had Jordan's help and could control his body with psychic guidance. Even if training went wrong, the Mystical Palm Technique could heal him. No matter how you looked at it, there was no way King couldn't master electric current.
King, deep in meditation, suddenly shivered for no reason. The feeling of being targeted by something unclean in broad daylight.
The willpower he'd displayed over three days exceeded his own belief.
Electric shock training twice daily. Initially each session lasted an hour. Now the duration had doubled.
His body's reaction resembled torture. Even as he gradually adapted to the current's presence, it remained an experience he never wanted to repeat.
Yet something strange happened.
No matter how uncomfortable he felt, King suppressed human instinct and silently endured. Each time he finished training numb and weak all over, he never complained.
This surprised King, who'd thought he'd give up quickly.
Is Saitama's training method really this effective?
King, believing he understood the truth, became even more convinced.
Thank you, Jordan!
Thank you, Saitama!
I won't let you down!
After cleaning the kitchen, Saitama called out, "King, I've sorted the trash. Could you go down and throw it away?"
"Sure, leave it to me." King was silently reviewing key cultivation points Jordan had explained when he heard this and stood reflexively. "There aren't garbage trucks nearby. Should I take it closer to the city center?"
"Yeah, might be a bit of a walk."
"Not at all. I feel guilty being treated so well every day." King gathered large and small black plastic bags filled with dry and wet garbage. His body, much stronger than before training began, looked particularly reliable. "Leave it to me."
Bang.
King shut the door and departed.
Saitama looked up from the kitchen, a strange smile crossing his face.
"It's about to begin."
King walked through flooded streets, surrounded only by echoing footsteps. Not a single pedestrian or vehicle in sight.
"Strange. I felt something was off about Saitama's place the first time I came here, but I ignored it every time we went out together." King walked with the trash, watching the sun gradually set westward. "This area's less 'sparsely populated' and more 'huge no-man's-land.' Water, electricity, and gas are supplied normally. Streetlights turn on on schedule."
"Thinking about it that way, it's such a waste."
King complained to himself, completely unaware of strange black shadows occasionally flitting across both sides of the street.
Ten minutes earlier.
Jordan stood atop a building in downtown D-City. On the street below, citizens took photos and livestreamed with a huge, grotesque corpse occupying the entire road.
"The Demon-level threat in D-City has been dealt with. Anzu, are there any low-level monsters appearing?"
"Wait a moment... Okay, I've hacked the Hero Association's threat system!"
Anzu's voice came through the police walkie-talkie, accompanied by clattering keyboard sounds.
"Chief, according to Association system data, there were twenty-three monster attacks across all cities today. Five marked as 'missing,' three monsters you deal with, and the rest handled by other heroes on scene."
After a pause, Anzu added, "In other words, there are no living monsters around right now."
"That's all?" Jordan was disappointed, not expecting today to be so peaceful. "Alright, understood. Be careful to cover your tracks. Don't get caught."
"Don't worry. I've already cleared all intrusion traces. They won't find me!"
Anzu spoke calmly, as if she'd done something completely ordinary. In reality, the corners of her mouth were practically turned up in satisfaction.
"By the way, there's one more thing."
Spiritual flames had already enveloped the walkie-talkie. Jordan told F-boy to pause the card-making process.
"What is it?"
"While hacking, I also checked their confidential file database. Found some interesting things I thought you'd want to see."
Anzu hit Enter. "Okay, sending via email now."
Jordan's phone vibrated. Several unread emails appeared on screen.
Electromagnetic control activated. Information signals in the phone were directly read by Mind Network.
Metal Knight... Cooperation Agreement...
Top Secret Transaction Records Archive...
Feasibility Analysis: Monster Breeding Program...
Jordan raised an eyebrow.
What was bound to happen had happened.
No matter the time or place, human nature couldn't withstand testing.
Especially the humanity of those in the Hero Association's upper echelons—the beneficiaries of the system.
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