Chapter 1: Excuse Me, Supermarket Sale
"This world is really... too dangerous!"
In the most secluded corner of a Kenggeji fast-food restaurant, sat a man wearing a black flat cap that tightly concealed his face. Three terrifying scars were faintly visible on his face.
The man's name was king, a transmigrator from modern times into the world of 'One-Punch Man'.
At this moment, king's gaze was fixed on the laptop on the table. The screen was playing a short video clip of what looked like a superhero eliminating a monster.
"Do monsters really exist?"
He murmured in disbelief. According to the information he had found, although this world wasn't overrun by monsters, they frequently appeared in major cities to burn, kill, and destroy.
According to the data, monsters were beings that had abandoned their humanity, existing completely apart from the human world.
There were generally four sources:
1. Humans who mutated into monsters due to extreme emotions, bad habits, immense pressure, or genetic mutations.
2. Artificial monsters created through modification or by obtaining technology far ahead of its time.
3. Mutations of non-human organisms.
4. Other special intelligent lifeforms different from humans.
...
"Monster alert, monster alert! According to the latest news, a dangerous monster attack has occurred in M-City. The Hero Association has already dispatched nearby heroes to eliminate the monster. Before the monster is eliminated, residents of the city should pay attention to their safety..."
On the large TV screen in the Kenggeji, the latest monster news was being broadcast.
"Huh? M-City?"
king was startled. The city he was currently in was M-City.
In the world of 'One-Punch Man', the world is relatively small, with only 26 cities in total, each named after a letter of the English alphabet. The cities are located very close to each other, and transportation is primarily by train; airplanes are completely unnecessary.
"BOOM!"
Just as king closed his laptop, preparing to pay and go home to escape the danger, the sound of an explosion suddenly erupted from the street. Startled, his gaze immediately shot towards the source of the sound, and then he froze in shock.
"Damn it, what is this thing now, a monster?"
He was stunned. A minotaur had appeared at the street intersection. It was burrowing under the road, 'swimming' along like a void beast from a video game. Only its ferocious, locomotive-sized head was visible. On its head were two terrifying, half-meter-long horns with spiral grooves. Its bell-sized eyes were crimson, and its nose, pierced with an iron ring, occasionally snorted out two long streams of white mist. Its mouth gaped open like a gaping maw, dripping with foul-smelling saliva. It was both terrifying and disgusting.
BOOM! BOOM!
The minotaur snorted out two streams of white mist, then immediately lowered its horns and violently crashed into a red-painted electronics store on the street. "CRASH!" The chaotic sounds of destruction echoed from within the store. Ten seconds later, with a final bang, the minotaur had demolished the electronics store, leaving it in ruins.
Without pausing, the minotaur charged headfirst into a clothing store with a red banner hanging outside. BOOM! BOOM! The incessant sounds of destruction and explosions echoed through the street.
I have to run!
The same thought occurred to all the customers inside the Kenggeji. After a brief observation, they keenly noticed that the minotaur would immediately destroy any red objects in its path, while non-red objects could usually escape unharmed by a stroke of luck.
However, to their bitter dismay, the world-famous Kenggeji fast-food chain had always used red as its primary color scheme. This meant that the Kenggeji they were in would become one of the minotaur's targets.
king's body tensed, and he subconsciously followed the crowd out of the Kenggeji.
BOOM! BOOM!
The instant they fled, the minotaur, as if predicting their move, smashed the Kenggeji to the ground. The monster's disaster level was estimated to be Tiger. Without a reasonably strong hero on the scene, it would be impossible to resolve this incident quickly.
The Hero Association categorized monsters into the following five levels based on factors such as their danger level and the difficulty of extermination:
Wolf: The appearance of a being or group that might be a threat.
Tiger: A threat to a large number of people.
Demon: A threat that could halt the functioning of or destroy an entire city.
Dragon: A threat that could destroy multiple cities.
God: A threat to the survival of humanity.
Huff, huff!
king broke into a sprint, panting heavily after just a short while. His body was too weak. Bursts of explosions sounded from behind, but he didn't hesitate for a second, running as fast as he could while his eyes scanned for the best escape route.
BOOM—
Coming to an abrupt halt, king's face turned pale. The minotaur was simply too fast. It took only a dozen seconds to destroy a building. After demolishing several buildings in a row, it had coincidentally appeared right in front of him.
He was... in the unlucky position of being between the minotaur and a red brick house!
Thump—Thump—Thump—
He stared nervously at the "swimming" minotaur as dust and debris filled the street. His mind raced frantically, trying to find any possible chance of escape. His heart, overwhelmed by fear, began to beat overtime. The thumping sound seemed to break out of his chest, echoing in the air until it became a continuous roar.
The minotaur seemed to be attracted by this strange thumping sound. Its huge, bell-like eyes stared intently at king, as if observing something.
At that moment, three strangely dressed people burst out from the chaotic crowd. The one in the lead carried a large cannon on his shoulder, the second held an oversized dog-bone club, and the third was clad in a suit of iron armor.
"Minotaur, your evil deeds end today! I, Water Iron Cannon, will send you to the afterlife!"
"I, Big Mallet, have personally come for you! Surrender without a fight!"
"Haha, let me, the great hero Iron Armored Man, personally take care of you!"
The three oddballs shouted their slogans one after another.
"Wow, it's heroes!"
"We don't have to be afraid now! The monster will be eliminated by the heroes!"
Upon seeing the appearance of Water Iron Cannon and the other two heroes, the fleeing crowd immediately cheered in surprise. The minotaur shook its head in annoyance, a trace of red slowly creeping into its eyes as it began to let out a low, menacing snort.
"Charge!"
The three heroes shouted and charged forward. Water Iron Cannon pulled the lanyard on his cannon. With a boom, he fired a shell that exploded on the minotaur's body. However, the monster only shuddered slightly, showing no other signs of injury. Big Mallet and the Iron Armored Man rushed bravely forward, striking the minotaur's body with their respective weapons.
"ROAR!"
The minotaur roared in anger. BOOM! Its body moved, and it leaped out from beneath the ground, revealing a body as large as a building. Countless bits of rock and dirt fell from its body with a clattering sound.
CRASH!
The minotaur landed, its four thick legs stomping the ground. It lowered its horns and charged violently toward the three heroes' position.
"Ah!"
The three heroes, who had been so arrogant just three seconds ago, were instantly defeated. One landed in the crowd, one was left hanging on a tall building, and another was caught on a horn before being flung to the other end of the street.
Damn it, I'm going to be killed because of you lot!
"You all, hurry up and go!"
After the three heroes were dealt with by the minotaur, king immediately became its primary target. The rampaging monster's gaze locked onto him, causing his legs to tense up, freezing him in place. However, his voice remained as calm and indifferent as a steel machine.
Through the endless monster attacks, he had already honed a super-strong instinct: the ability to maintain a perfect poker face, no matter the danger.
"The heroes have been defeated! Run!"
"Mommy, save me!"
The stunned crowd was jolted awake by king's cold, detached voice and immediately began to flee, crying for their parents.
"Excuse me, let me through. There's a supermarket sale, I'm going to miss it..."
Just then, amidst the chaotic wails of the crowd, a clear voice—no, a muddy torrent would be more accurate—emerged. In such a critical situation, someone was still concerned about a supermarket sale.
What a weirdo!
king's mouth twitched. He felt utterly exhausted...
(end of chapter)