Chapter 464: Huh? You actually have my poster up at home?
Qingshui believed that King thought those monsters weren't actually killed by him, and that the money shouldn't belong to him, so he proactively donated it, only keeping the base salary of an S-Class Hero.
Occasionally, he'd take on some game-related commercial endorsements, but they were pitifully few.
Because King was a super gaming recluse, the kind who barely ever left the house, even if many people outside waved cash hoping to hire him, King couldn't be bothered.
Such things would only disturb his gaming.
If he hadn't spent so much time on games, King wouldn't have coincidentally taken on those few game-related endorsements.
For a gaming recluse like King, aside from buying games, computers, consoles, and controllers, he had almost no extra daily expenses. The base salary of an S-Class Hero was already enough for him to live like a god.
From this perspective, King's character was actually decent. He had obvious flaws, but he was also a very kind-hearted person, with no shortage of shining qualities in his personality. He was a normal person with both strengths and weaknesses.
To the outside world, King was simply incredibly great.
As the strongest man on Earth, he not only engaged in heroic activities but also wasn't greedy for fame, fortune, or enjoyment, donating almost all of his earnings.
This truly moved many people beyond words, and they regarded King as the benchmark for heroes—powerful, low-key, domineering, unsmiling, yet responsible and kind-hearted; incredibly perfect.
This also led many heroes in the Hero Association to become enthusiastic about charity, donating a portion of their income.
If this wasn't being a hero, then what was?
"Fifteen percent of the Giant Younger Brother's corpse recovery price was given to me. This fifteen percent should be the Hero Association's official assessment of my contribution to this monster incident."
Putting away the infrastructure equipment, Qingshui silently calculated in his mind.
How much would the Hero Association raise his hero ranking next time?
Could he reach S-Class?
Even if most of the credit for this incident belonged to Saitama, and it was attributed to King, wouldn't it be perfectly reasonable to rank him as S-Class?
When he fought the Giant Younger Brother, the commotion caused by his White Rage Concussion Grenade was huge. Even from far away, one could see that small sun-like white light, which looked incredibly awesome.
Even if the surveillance and detection equipment near the battlefield were damaged, there must have been long-range detection equipment, right? Otherwise, how would the real-time footage in the Hero Association app come about?
If Sweet Mask blocked his promotion to S-Class, wanting to test him or something, then being A-Class Rank 2 shouldn't be a problem. After that, he could rack up a few more Demon-level Monster victories, and he'd surely rise.
Puri-Puri Prisoner and Tanktop Master could become S-Class Heroes; Qingshui felt his own strength wouldn't be worse than theirs, so there shouldn't be any issues.
And that hero name, he should be able to change it this time, right?
He didn't want to keep using a name that reminded him of a certain bald man every time he heard it, even if people in this world thought the hero name was good.
The packing of the equipment was quick.
Qingshui now had a Devouring Pouch. Although its level wasn't high due to not being nurtured long enough, it contained space equivalent to two normal bedrooms, enough to hold most of the items in the room.
As for the remaining beds, wardrobes, and such, they were left there; no need to move them. Compared to the equipment and instruments, these things weren't worth much. As for the wallpaper and posters on the wall, there was even less need to bother with them.
Thus, Qingshui quickly moved with all his belongings to a villa in an outer district of City D, costing approximately 60 million Japanese Yen in total.
The 100 million he earned from Haragiri previously, plus the salary, commissions, and over 20 million Japanese Yen earned from selling monster corpses in recent months as an A-Class Hero, after deducting the cost of current equipment, most of it went into this villa.
Qingshui wasn't worried about not having money to buy the remaining equipment, as many pieces of equipment couldn't be bought back. What he could do was buy materials and craft them himself.
He now fully possessed this ability.
Not to mention, his current ability to attract money wasn't weak either.
Monsters weren't always available, but for Qingshui now, it was easy to take on high-priced commercial endorsements and collect advertising fees. If he were willing, variety shows even offered him substantial sums.
Not all A-Class Heroes received this treatment; Qingshui did because of his high popularity.
His other avatars in their respective worlds controlled vast capital, and they were extremely familiar with the operating rules of commercial entertainment. With just a few conditions, it wasn't difficult to boost popularity.
Once popularity went up, capital would naturally wave cash, because they knew how to monetize that popularity into more money.
And Qingshui's conditions were actually quite good. Although his original body was a bit sloppy and a little older, he had a good foundation, regular features, and a rather handsome face. Just shaving and getting a haircut, a little grooming could give him an appearance score close to eighty.
And now, through extensive physical training and conditioning, body sculpting, the Reverse Life Triple's effect on improving appearance, and the sharp, refined aura cultivated by Qingshui's past experiences, his overall appearance hadn't reached the level of Sweet Mask, who was instantly recognizable as a peerless handsome man, but he was still in the outstanding category.
Coupled with the cool, futuristic Black Samurai Armor, his mere appearance and A-Class Hero status were enough to earn him the adoration of many young people.
Once strength, realm, means, resources, and money reach a certain level, as long as one cares about their appearance and is willing to put in some effort, there are no ugly people.
Even wealthy ordinary people can improve their appearance through beauty treatments, skincare, and fitness.
The heroes of the Hero Association have varying appearances. There are those like Puri-Puri Prisoner and Butterfly DX who are an eyesore, but there are also good-looking ones who know how to manage their image.
In fact, even if one looks average, they can wear a cartoon headgear like Toad Chain to increase their popularity among children.
Therefore, if one wants to stand out in popularity among these heroes, an excellent appearance is a must.
Otherwise...
Well, a certain Caped Baldy who is always mistaken for a small fry is a very good counter-example.
And after satisfying the appearance requirements, it's a matter of strong hard power, as well as exposure and topicality.
There's no doubt about his strength. As for exposure and topicality, that requires operation.
In this regard, capital has its own operating methods. Without capital, there are still ways to do it without spending a lot of money.
His avatar in the Marvel Universe had a film and television company in Hollywood, and there were so many professional agents' wisdom, and successful celebrity cases and routines to draw upon there.
Qingshui was clearly doing quite well; he already had a sizable hero support group. With the appearance of a Dragon-level Monster today, his and King's names were firmly at the top of the internet's trending topics.
While Qingshui was moving into his new villa and reorganizing his facilities and equipment, a visitor arrived at his old house.
"Hmm? Is no one home?"
Fubuki knocked on the door, but received no response, so she vaguely sensed with her psychic powers.
"No one's here, indeed, and there doesn't seem to be much inside. Did he move?"
Fubuki hesitated, then looked around. Seeing no one watching, she hesitated for a moment longer.
That guy fought me last time, and we were evenly matched. Maybe I was slightly at a disadvantage, but our strength was definitely on the same level.
It's just that I was held back by Mountain Ape and Eyelashes.
But why, according to today's news, is that guy already strong enough to fight a Dragon-level Monster, escape unscathed, and hold out until King's support arrived?
Was he hiding his strength before, or in such a short time, did he go from being a peer to a super-strong individual?
If it's the former, then was he just toying with me before, deliberately holding back out of respect for my sister?
Fubuki pursed her sexy red lips, looking at the door.
But if it's the latter, then there must be some traces of his growth left in this house, right?
So...
Since he's moved out, it shouldn't count as trespassing, right?
Ultimately, curiosity triumphed over her slight guilt. Fubuki then placed her hand on the doorknob, and a greenish psychic glow lit up her palm.
*CRACK!*
The door swung open, revealing the tidied living room to Fubuki's eyes, completely unobstructed.
Her British-style beige platform Dr. Martens stepped into the living room. Fubuki glanced at the relatively clean floor, then seemed to think it wasn't good to leave traces of her "crime" just like that. So, she raised a hand, and a blue light emanated from her body. She used her psychic powers to lift herself into the air and floated towards the inside of the room.
"There doesn't seem to be anything here, but it smells strongly of oil. Hmm... the kitchen seasonings and utensils weren't taken. Were they forgotten? Should I call him and tell him to come back for them? But if I do that, I'll be exposed, won't I?"
Fubuki checked several rooms, finding nothing unusual. She felt a little disappointed, then, with a hint of anticipation, floated into Qingshui's bedroom.
"The bed is still here. Is it because his new place isn't settled yet, so he'll temporarily come back to sleep here at night? And this wallpaper..."
Fubuki looked at the hentai-themed wallpaper on the wall by the head of the bed, her expression disgusted.
Her gaze then moved, and she saw two posters opposite the bed.
!!!
"Why is there a poster of me?!"
Fubuki was instantly astonished.
Considering this was a bedroom, and he had put her poster on the wall just like those hentai-style wallpapers, didn't that mean...
Fubuki's fair cheeks slowly turned red.
Perverted shut-in!
That guy was so cold towards me last time, and he even refused to join the Blizzard Group and lectured me!
He's definitely a repressed, introverted otaku who doesn't know how to talk to women!
But if that's the case, does it mean there's still a chance to pull him into the Blizzard Group?
A powerful hero who can guide the development of the Blizzard Group and possesses the ability to fight Dragon-level Monsters, he'll surely bring a qualitative change to the Blizzard Group, right?
Fubuki reached up and twisted a strand of hair from her forehead back, a faint smile appearing on her beautiful face.
Aside from the filter of his hero identity, he's just a pure and innocent otaku who's been a corporate drone for many years.
Can't she, Queen Fubuki, handle him?
He just didn't think much of the old Blizzard Group, right?
However you want to change it, I'll leave it all to you!
She, Fubuki, has that kind of boldness!
But now that guy is already an A-Class Hero, and he even has the ability to fight Dragon-level Monsters. In the future, he might even be promoted to S-Class.
If she waits until then, the difficulty of getting him will probably skyrocket. She needs to act fast now.
Fubuki smiled confidently, looking at her poster.
She, Fubuki, never wants to fall behind anyone in her life!
Then, Fubuki glanced at the concert promotional poster of the female singer Vibikaisha next to her own poster on the wall. She crossed her arms, huffed, and quietly floated away, not forgetting to use her psychic powers to lock the door again before she left.
Time to go home and figure out how to reel in this otaku!
The next morning.
Qingshui, slurping noodles and watching suggestive videos, noticed a notification on his phone.
Hellish Blizzard has sent you a message.
Huh?
"Did the Blizzard Group manage to scrape together 100 million yen?"
That was pretty fast.
However, Qingshui's expression fell as he clicked on the notification.
Why is this woman asking him again if he wants to join the Blizzard Group?
Looks like that last phone call didn't fool her after all...
He really had no interest in joining such a small, playhouse-like organization, especially since they weren't asking him to be the leader of the Blizzard Group...
Huh?
[To that end, Hellish Blizzard, the current leader of the Blizzard Group, sincerely invites you to join the Blizzard Group and serve as its new leader, providing guidance for the future development of the Blizzard Group.]
They really want me to be the leader of the Blizzard Group?
But Qingshui still had no intention of joining.
Your organization is called the Blizzard Group, and every single person was personally recruited by you, Hellish Blizzard. So if I join as leader, will they listen to me or to you, Fubuki?
Aren't you just trying to trick me into doing your work by giving me a title?
Hmph, you bad woman, I've seen through your tricks!
Qingshui brought up his keyboard, lightly tapped his fingers, and then sent his reply.
[No]
In a simply decorated mansion, Fubuki held her tablet, looking at the two simple words that appeared in the app, and a "#" symbol appeared on her forehead.
No way? I spent half the day thinking, carefully choosing my words, and wrote such a long message, and you just rejected me with two simple words?
Right, he's a closet pervert, so it's normal for him not to communicate normally with girls, let alone with me, his fantasy object.
Thinking this, Fubuki extended a slender finger, resting it on her pale, beautiful chin as she pondered.
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