M-City.
After notifying the Hero Association, King was ready to leave.
He recalled his home address from memory and prepared to dash back at his unmatched speed.
Just then, his perception sharpened; he frowned and looked skyward.
He could sense that a powerhouse no weaker than himself had arrived.
Sure enough, a petite figure wrapped in pale green light descended from the heavens.
A loli-like frame, curly green hair, emerald eyes, and a fluttering black dress.
These traits formed a being feared by all—S-Class Rank 2, Tatsumaki.
Oh, right!
King remembered: in the original story, Tatsumaki had been dispatched to handle the Dragon-Level Disaster, Vaccine Man. However, Saitama's one-punch insta-kill had been so fast that the battle ended before she arrived.
This time, chatting with Saitama had delayed things, allowing Tatsumaki to reach the battlefield.
A petulant, distinctly loli voice rang out as Tatsumaki scanned the surroundings in annoyance.
"Hah? Are the Hero Association good-for-nothings? They said there's a Dragon-Level Disaster here—where is it?"
Sweeping the ground with her psychokinesis, Tatsumaki instantly spotted King amid the rubble—and the lingering Dragon-Level aura wafting from Vaccine Man's corpse.
"KING… why is that guy here…?"
Seeing KING on the scene and finding only a Dragon-Level corpse, Tatsumaki immediately understood—and burned with rage.
A vein throbbed on her smooth forehead. She descended with psychokinesis, green curls writhing like snakes, and snapped:
"Hey! That Dragon-Level Monster was mine to kill! Snatching it halfway—what's that about? Want a fight, Scarface?"
Unwilling to bicker, King calmly waved a hand.
"No need to fight here; rescuing the injured comes first. If you still want to battle, I'll oblige later."
Perfect—he also wanted to test himself against Tatsumaki.
Now armed with immense power, he needed an equally strong opponent to gauge his true strength.
Saitama was out; though he wouldn't kill humans, the gap between them was so vast that comparison was meaningless.
Tatsumaki—officially rated at Dragon Peak—was the ideal measuring stick.
They would fight—but not now. He had other business and no time to spar with this legal loli.
To Tatsumaki, KING's words sounded like a provocation. She laughed coldly as a tempest of psychokinesis erupted around her.
"Scarface, I don't care if you're the Strongest Man on the Surface—remember this! When this is over, I'll beat you senseless!"
Livid, Tatsumaki exploded into green light and shot skyward like a comet.
Watching the pint-sized brat leave, King lingered no longer and vanished in a flicker.
Minutes later, hordes of official rescuers and Hero Association staff members arrived and began treating the wounded.
At the same time, news that the Strongest Man on the Surface, KING, had single-handedly defeated Vaccine Man spread across every major city. Media outlets scrambled to report it.
Already revered, KING's public image soared even higher.
Behind the scenes, the Hero Association fanned the flames, using every outlet to extol KING's deeds and strength.
A hero with such prestige greatly amplified the Association's own social influence.
As the hype grew, rumors about KING became increasingly outrageous.
"Did you hear? When the Dragon-Level Disaster struck, KING just glared and the city-destroying monster dropped dead."
"Weak rumor—when KING arrived, the monster knelt and begged before being shattered by his Emperor Engine."
"Huh? I heard KING dragged the monster to the Moon, killed it there, and even stopped a meteor crisis."
The rumors snowballed into yet another legend of the Strongest Man on the Surface.
No one was particularly surprised.
After all, KING's long list of jaw-dropping achievements had already numbed the public.
Instantly slaying any monster.
The three scars on his face? Left from a battle with God.
The craters on the Moon? All from using it as a punching bag.
Countless such tales—while their subject, King, had already returned home.
Looking at a room packed with game discs and the latest consoles, he smiled in relief.
Not bad!
Though he wasn't into dating sims, he loved a good fighting or action game.
The moment his fingers touched the controller, muscle memory etched into his soul kicked in.
He realized the original owner's gaming genius was surfacing.
After a few rounds, he set the controller aside and soaked in a relaxing bath.
Traces of Vaccine Man's blood still clung to him—harmless, but annoyingly sticky.
Lying in the tub, watching steam swirl above, he stared blankly at the ceiling.
Suddenly transmigrating into this world still felt surreal.
Fortunately, the System—his golden finger—had granted him enough power to dispel that unease.
Clean and refreshed, he set his next plan in motion.
Target: Z-City ghost town—capture the Bald Demon King!