Chapter 28: A Goddamn Misunderstanding (Part 2)
king and Mike arrived at the headquarters on the Hero Association's aircraft. After watching the Hero Association staff carry Mike onto an ambulance, he immediately turned and walked towards the Operations Department conference room.
I wonder why Sitch is looking for me? Sigh, today's ups and downs have been too intense. I encountered a Monster, got into a car accident, then ran into Saitama and picked up a Four-Star Card for free. Speaking of which, I now have two Four-Star Cards, one Two-Star Card, and one One-Star Card. My inventory is slowly building up.
Inside the elevator, he was happily calculating his Card reserves, completely unaware that the System had just swindled him out of two Cards.
*Whoosh!*
The doors to the Operations Department's strategy room opened. He stood in the doorway, and his eyes fell upon Flashy Flash, Child Emperor, and other S-Class heroes. His expression had already shifted from cheerful to indifferent. This was an instinct he had inherited from King; in front of others, he always maintained a cold expression as a means of preserving his authority.
king felt that this instinct wasn't bad. It had a certain deterrent effect and did a better job of ensuring his safety, so he made no changes, continuing to maintain his cold attitude towards others.
*Clap, clap, clap!*
Sitch led the applause. "Welcome back, our great hero."
*Clap, clap!*
Maria and the others clapped along, shouting at the same time.
"King! Invincible!"
"King, you'll always be the strongest man in my heart."
"King, King!"
king was stunned. What was going on? He usually came to the Hero Association, and while he was always respected, they were never this enthusiastic. The atmosphere today was very strange!
Metal Bat stared intently at King. "What a powerful aura. Is this the mighty presence of the Strongest Man on Earth? It seems I need to work even harder to take my own aura to the next level and touch upon King's ultimate realm."
*Hey, hey, are you serious when you say the King in front of you has a powerful aura? I swear to God, you must be blind.*
A few drops of cold sweat appeared on Tanktop Master's forehead. "Why... why can't I see a trace of fatigue on King's face? After killing a Dragon-level Monster that nearly all the S-Class heroes were helpless against, why... why does he look so relaxed? Could it be... that a Dragon-level Monster is nothing in his eyes? Has his power already reached the point where he can kill a Dragon-level Monster in one punch? Too terrifying. He's simply a monster."
*Heh, king just collected another Four-Star Card, and the System rewarded him by restoring him to peak condition. Of course he doesn't feel any fatigue. But he really didn't kill that Monster. Do you people identify the hero who killed the Monster based purely on speculation? Can you be a little more reliable?*
Flashy Flash's gaze remained fixed on king. "Possessing superhuman speed that can evade cameras... King, are you issuing a challenge to me? Very well. I accept your challenge."
*You've got it completely wrong too! He really just missed all the cameras by pure luck, definitely not because of his speed. Please be a little more rational and don't make someone your rival for no reason!*
Child Emperor bit down on his lollipop, staring unblinkingly at king. He asked in a childish voice, "Hey, King, can I ask you a question? How were you able to ignore the restraint of the rules and kill that Monster?"
The Monster's power was clearly beyond what human strength could resist; it was a power of rules that transcended everything. The genius scientist Schwartzgeid once said that no one can escape the shackles of rules. Even someone as strong as Superalloy Darkshine fell before them. So why is it that King alone can ignore the power of rules?
He was very curious, extremely curious.
"What?"
king was bewildered. *When... when did I defeat a Monster again? Why don't I remember this at all? Huh? Could it be that Monster I passed by and got a Four-Star Card from? Holy crap, this is a huge misunderstanding! Saitama was the one who killed it! It has nothing to do with me!*
Child Emperor licked the sweetness from the corner of his lips, his eyes bright as he asked with great interest, "We've already analyzed it. The Desire Arbiter possessed the power of rules. As long as a person possessed 'hunger,' 'lust,' or 'killing intent,' they would be judged immediately, their consciousness seized, turning them into a vegetable. This power of rules is like the iron law that one plus one equals two—it cannot be defied. The genius scientist Schwartzgeid even said that no one can escape the shackles of rules. So how did you break free from those shackles, remain conscious, and even kill the Monster in a single punch? Is it a power that surpasses humanity, or is it a higher-level realm?"
Metal Bat and the others perked up, staring intently at King and awaiting his answer. For a question concerning strength like this, if the strongest human like King revealed even a little insight into becoming stronger, it would be of immense help to them in improving their own power.
king paused, lost in thought. *How did I break free from the rules and stay conscious? Hmm, I traveled through time and space to possess King's body, so I have a prior record of breaking the laws of nature. And this time, I was also able to break the rules and didn't fall unconscious like Mike and Superalloy Darkshine... Could it be that I have a natural talent for ignoring rules?*
His eyes lit up slightly, and his mood soared.
(The System violently shakes king: Hey, hey, wake up! Stop dreaming! Time to get up and move bricks!)
However, he couldn't explain why he was able to break free from the rules. It seemed he could only bluff his way through.
Having made up his mind, he said, "First, I want to clarify that I didn't kill the Monster. Second, an iron law? Heh. No iron laws exist in this world; they are merely things that haven't been overturned yet. One plus one doesn't necessarily equal two. A husband plus a wife can eventually become a family of three, a family of four, or even a family of five."
"Remember, rules... are meant to be broken!!"
"Rules are meant to be broken?"
Metal Bat and the other S-Class heroes were shaken to their core. It was as if a shackle in their minds called 'limitation' had loosened. They sucked in a sharp breath. At their level, it was already difficult to improve their strength. They never expected that a single sentence from King would allow their state of mind to touch the threshold of a higher level. Heh, he truly was the strongest man.
Although Sitch felt the statement "rules are meant to be broken" was utter nonsense, his attention was more focused on the fact that king had once again denied his achievement of slaying the Monster. He said with a smile, "King, we all saw the scene of you slaying the Monster with our own eyes. So, you don't need to deny it anymore."
king was speechless. *Which eye did you see me slay a Monster with? Your left eye? Your right eye? Or your as... ahem, ahem. I was just passing by to pick up a Card. I never fought any Monster.*
He said flatly, "Believe it or not, I didn't kill that Monster."
"Alright, alright, you didn't kill it. We understand perfectly."
Seeing King so resolutely deny that he was the one who killed the Monster, Sitch didn't insist on his own opinion. *Heh, we'll just agree with him on the surface, but deep down, we don't believe him at all.*
Flashy Flash's beautiful eyes narrowed, his gaze locked onto king as he thought, *"Why? Why does he deny his own achievements time and again? Isn't that a hero's glory? What on earth is he after... hmm? Could it be that in his eyes, so-called heroic glory is just a burden? Yes, that must be it. To a true practitioner, all external praise is nothing but an unnecessary encumbrance. Therefore, even the glory of a hero would only become a weight holding him back from getting stronger. Heh, what a terrifying man. Even though he's already the strongest on Earth, he has never once slackened due to the world's praise or stopped his steps on the path to becoming stronger. King, you are the first man I have ever admired (alternate version: deeply loved). If we have the chance in the future, let's have a race. We are both S-Class heroes, and I don't want to be completely outshone by you. At the very least, I must defend my dignity when it comes to speed."*
Sucking on his lollipop, Child Emperor's eyes sparkled. *"He's denied his own contributions several times now? Could it be that in King's view, as a hero, killing Monsters is a matter of course and there's no need to make it known to everyone? The genius philosopher Schwartzgeid said that the truest heroes are the nameless ones. Is this what being a hero means in King's eyes? What a respectable old man!"*
Metal Bat's heart was in turmoil. *"A hero who rejects glory? Why? Could it be that in King's view, a fight with a Monster shouldn't be adulterated with other things? Hmm, can a pure intent to fight make one stronger? Perhaps when I fight, I should also cast aside all distracting thoughts and take my aura to the next level."*
Tanktop Master's expression was grave. *"Indifferent to glory, indifferent to achievements, and even more indifferent to credit... His inexplicable heroic heart has actually moved me. King, don't think that this will let you evade my challenge. Sooner or later, you and I will have a man's battle—a fight to the death."*
(end of chapter)