He suddenly recalled that the physical appearance of the giant cicada was indeed identical to the 170,000-Year-Old Cicada Adult from One Punch Man.
But soon, a new confusion surfaced.
"That's not right. The 170,000-Year-Old Cicada in the One Punch Man world is clearly a Mysterious Being, so why is it listed as a D-rank monster here? And do creatures like Goblins even exist in the One Punch Man world?"
Su Mu furrowed his brows and pondered for a long while, but he still couldn't determine the exact nature of this world.
"If only I could recruit some tenants. Maybe I could learn more about this world from them..." He sighed, setting his doubts aside for the moment. He picked up his fork, took a bite of the cake, and muttered, "Forget it, no use overthinking. Let's celebrate the birthday first."
The sweet richness of the cream spread across his palate. Su Mu wasn't actually a fan of sweets, but since this was his eighteenth birthday cake, he forced himself to keep eating.
Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened. The howls of the monsters in the ruins grew clearer, while the interior of the apartment remained warm and quiet, save for the faint sound of Su Mu chewing his cake.
Time ticked by, minute by minute. Only a few minutes remained until Su Mu officially turned eighteen.
Meanwhile, in a section of ruins about a hundred meters away from the Goddess Apartment, two thin figures were huddled together in the darkness.
This place had originally been the underground parking garage of a five-star hotel. The buildings above had long since been reduced to rubble during a monster attack. Fortunately, the main structure of the underground garage hadn't completely collapsed, serving as their temporary shelter.
The damp air was thick with dust and the smell of mold. An old, tattered blanket was spread in a corner, where Yubihama Yui was nestled. Her face was pale, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her shirt, and her eyes were filled with unrest and terror.
Yui looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old. Her hair was messy and her lips were cracked from dehydration. The face that usually wore a gentle smile now held only an exhaustion beyond her years; all of her usual vibrancy had vanished.
"Mama..." Seeing Yubihama Misaki, who was wearing a worn-out coat, walking back from the darkness, Yui quickly looked up. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum. She stumbled slightly as she tried to stand, clearly weakened by prolonged hunger. "It's okay if you didn't find any food... I-I'm not hungry yet..."
Yubihama Misaki was Yui's mother. She possessed a gentle temperament but hid a core of resilience within. Her husband had unfortunately perished in the monster attack three days ago. To protect her daughter, she had led Yui into this underground parking lot, narrowly escaping death.
They had found some biscuits and bottled water in the trunk of their car, but those meager supplies had long since been finished. The mother and daughter had gone three full days without a proper meal. They were so weak they could barely stand, every movement consuming the last of their strength.
Just now, Misaki couldn't bear to see her daughter starve any longer. She had intended to risk going to the surface to search for anything edible, even if it was just wild fruit or expired food.
But as soon as she crawled to the surface, she saw that strikingly prominent apartment building in the distance and the shocking scene that followed: the massive monster cicada frantically slamming into the building, only for the apartment to remain unmoved. Then, two colossal transparent hands had emerged, easily crushing the monster into meat paste, and the building had even grown taller out of thin air.
Misaki's heart pounded wildly as two words flashed through her mind.
Monster! Hero!
In this world, humanoid threats were called Mysterious Beings, beast-like ones were called Monsters, and those that were neither—possessing bizarre forms—were called Creatures.
That apartment building, which could actively counterattack and grow taller at will, fit the description of a "Creature" perfectly.
However, there was another possibility—a Hero lived inside that apartment.
"Hero" was the general term used in this world for humans who possessed special abilities, known as [Talents].
Once everyone reached adulthood, there was a certain probability they would awaken a Talent and become a Hero.
Heroic Talents were incredibly varied: some had Herculean strength, some could manipulate fire, and some could move at high speeds... the bizarre phenomenon of that apartment might have been caused by a Hero's Talent.
Misaki had seen videos of Heroes fighting Monsters on television. She knew clearly that both Heroes and Monsters were classified by a unified grading system, ranging from the lowest F-rank to E, D, and C, and further up to B, A, S-rank, and so on.
The giant cicada from earlier, with its massive size and terrifying destructive power, was at least a D-rank Monster.
As for a Hero who could one-shot a D-rank Monster, their rank would definitely not be lower than C—a Hero of the same rank would never be able to achieve such an effortless kill.
If a Hero truly lived in that apartment, perhaps they could find protection, something to eat, and a way out of their current desperate situation.
But if it was a Monster... Misaki looked at Yui's uneasy face and reached out to gently stroke her daughter's head. Her gaze gradually became resolute.
If they stayed here without food or clean water, they would eventually starve or die of thirst. Even if they went out to forage, in their current state, they would be killed instantly by even an F-rank Mysterious Being; they had no power to resist.
Therefore, rather than sitting around waiting for death, it was better to take a gamble.
"Yui, help me up. We're going to the surface."
Though Misaki's voice was weak, it carried an unquestionable firmness. She reached out and tightly grasped her daughter's cool palm, passing her strength to her.
Yui was stunned, her eyes filled with confusion. She didn't understand why her mother suddenly wanted to go to the dangerous surface, but seeing the determination in her mother's eyes, she nodded obediently. She gripped Misaki's arm tightly to support her and whispered, "Okay, Mama."
Though she was afraid, she didn't want her mother to worry. Suppressing the terror in her heart, she followed closely in Misaki's footsteps.
"Mama... will it be very dangerous there?" Yui couldn't help but ask in a small voice, her tone trembling with unconcealed fear.
"It will be a little dangerous, but we have no other choice." Misaki gently patted the back of her daughter's hand, her voice soft yet steady. "We'll find food and a safe place. Mama will protect you."
Yui's father, I hope your spirit in heaven can watch over us... keep Yui safe.
She could only pray silently in her heart, her eyes hiding deep worry alongside a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve.
Supporting each other, the two carefully climbed the damaged stairs, keeping their footsteps extremely light. Every step was taken with extreme caution, for fear of alerting the monsters roaming outside.
Under the dim light, their two frail figures huddled together looked exceptionally thin, yet they radiated a tenacity that refused to give up even in the face of despair.
On the top floor of the Goddess Apartment, Su Mu looked at the remaining half of the cake and shook his head helplessly.
As expected, he really didn't like sweets. After trying his best for a while, he had only managed to eat the smallest top layer.
"I'll put it in the fridge; can't let it go to waste."
He carefully placed the cake in the refrigerator, planning to eat it slowly as dessert later—after all, it had cost 578 Gold Coins; he couldn't just throw it away.
The moment he closed the refrigerator door, a pale blue notification panel suddenly appeared before his eyes. It was identical to the previous apartment system panel, yet it carried a slight difference.
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