Chapter 47: The Name... Piccolo!
Silence!
A strange silence!
The room was extremely quiet!
Vaccine Man stared with cold sweat dripping down his forehead at king.
*Who exactly is this guy? He actually possesses an intimidating aura that makes me surrender! He's definitely not an ordinary person. Indeed, how could an ordinary person take me in and hatch me? To possess an aura that makes my heart and soul submit, he must be one of humanity's rare strong individuals, or perhaps even humanity's strongest. Damn it, how unlucky can I be to encounter humanity's strongest right after being born? I met the big boss without any chance to level up. How am I supposed to play this game?*
Vaccine Man's mind was in a mess, all sorts of chaotic thoughts swirled within him, making him even more anxious and confused. He stared blankly at king, not knowing what to say. *Hmm, should I call him Father? Uh, my dad is already dead. Calling him Father wouldn't be like cursing him to die? If so, I'd probably follow in my dad's footsteps to hell. Call him Grandfather? Not good, calling someone old would get me beaten. Then... call him Ancestor? Oh my, what on earth am I thinking? I am a dignified Earth Emissary, how can I easily succumb to that guy's authority?!*
He sneered, "You are truly formidable. You've unknowingly trapped me. But so what? I am an Earth Emissary, possessing immeasurable power. Even if you are equally terrifyingly strong, I will not surrender. I am the Earth Emissary destined to destroy all of humanity!"
"Huh?" king stared blankly at the stubbornly defiant Vaccine Man. What was all this? And didn't the System say that after being bound as a pet, the pet's ability level would be reset to zero? But Vaccine Man had clearly already been bound as his pet, so why hadn't its ability level been reset?
"Your power hasn't decreased?"
He asked Vaccine Man doubtfully. However, as soon as his voice fell, the System's prompt sound immediately rang out:
"Ding, Host's pet—Vaccine Man's level detection complete. Comprehensive evaluation: three stars. As it has become the Host's pet, Vaccine Man's ability level will be reset to zero. Countdown begins: 5, 4..."
"..."
king was speechless. The System's timing was impeccable. And Vaccine Man's comprehensive evaluation was only three stars? *Sigh, I was startled by it just now. Oh, perhaps it was because I expended a lot of its energy, which prevented it from reaching a four-star evaluation.*
Vaccine Man snorted coldly, "My power is inherited from my father, a weapon bestowed upon us Emissaries by the Earth to destroy humanity. How could it... Huh?"
Although it dismissed king's words, facing king's immense imposing might, it couldn't help but feel fear. It instinctively checked its body's energy. Suddenly, its eyes widened. "Huh, wait a minute, my power... my power... is flowing away?"
A terrifying feeling surged from within it. Its entire body's energy was gradually decreasing. At this moment, it felt as if a balloon was being punctured and deflated, its energy slowly dwindling.
It stared at king in horror. *He, he, who exactly is he? Why is he so strong? I didn't even see him make a move, and just a glance made my heart and soul submit, completely unable to conceive any thought of resistance. Then a mere short sentence robbed me of my power. It's too terrifying. The mission my father gave me to destroy humanity is simply hell-level difficulty. Oh no, from this current perspective, it's practically a death wish!*
"You... what did you do to me? Why has my power inexplicably disappeared by half?"
Vaccine Man was extremely terrified. *This world is too frightening. Talking about destroying all of humanity? Don't make me laugh. I can't even deal with one person, let alone destroy all of humanity?*
"Heh."
king chuckled lightly, too lazy to explain things like "it was the System's doing." He directly asked Vaccine Man, "Are you truly an Earth Emissary?"
He was very curious. In the original *One-Punch Man* story, there had once been a being called "God" who was suspected to be the embodiment of Earth's will. Since Vaccine Man claimed to be an Earth Emissary, perhaps it knew some useful information.
"Hmph, although you are very strong, I also have my own dignity. Kill me, flay me, do as you please, but don't expect me to answer your questions."
Vaccine Man tilted its head to the side, ignoring king. Although according to the System's settings, it had submitted to king, submission did not mean becoming a puppet. It still had its own thoughts and personality.
"Heh, you won't answer?" king gave a peculiar smile. "Please answer my question, are you truly an Earth Emissary?"
The System had another setting: one hundred percent obedience to the Host's orders!
Vaccine Man was stunned. It subconsciously replied, "My father's inherited memories tell me I am an Earth Emissary, but whether it's true or false, I don't know."
As soon as it finished speaking, it immediately froze in stupefaction. *I... how could I listen to him?*
king nodded with satisfaction. "From today onwards, your name shall be Piccolo!"
Vaccine Man still instinctively nodded in agreement. "Yes!" As soon as the words left its mouth, a trace of sorrow immediately arose in its heart. *It, the son of a dignified Earth Emissary, had actually become a slave. It completely had no intention of resisting, let alone any power to defy. Ugh, could someone please help me hold down my dad's coffin lid? I'm afraid he'd be so angry he'd resurrect and beat me.*
king nodded with satisfaction, then instructed, "Now, get down and stick your butt out."
"Huh?"
Vaccine Man's body tensed. Although it hadn't experienced much of human affairs, it subconsciously felt that something would happen that would make it ashamed for the rest of its life.
"Heh, you just scared me half to death, and afterwards you were frantically defiant again. This time, let's see if you can still be defiant!"
king picked up the stool, aimed it at Vaccine Man's protruding butt, and smacked it down hard. *Whack!* A sound rang out.
"Ahhh~!"
Vaccine Man let out a painful wail. "I'm just a newborn baby! Do you have to be so fierce? *Damn it,* I want to go home, back to that warm, comfortable, and safe home inside your body!"
*Whack whack whack!*
"Alright, hitting you a few times counts as a disciplinary measure." king threw the stool away. "Go to my room and find some suitable clothes to wear. Parading around naked all day, do you want this book to be 404'd? At least wear some underwear to hide that hair on your bare parts, honestly, aren't you afraid of embarrassing yourself?!"
Vaccine Man responded softly and aggrievedly, "Yes." It lowered its head dejectedly and entered king's room to search for suitable clothes. To fit the length of king's clothes, it even used its enhanced transformation to control its height. After a while, it emerged wearing King's clothes.
"Hmm, it fits quite well."
king glanced at it and nodded with satisfaction. However, looking at Vaccine Man's head, he scratched his head in a troubled manner. Such obvious monster characteristics meant he couldn't take it out in public!
"Although there are many people in the *One-Punch Man* world who raise monsters, they only do so secretly at home. Have you ever seen anyone lead a monster out onto the street?"
"What's more, the monsters that others raise are all animal-like monsters—that is, unintelligent monsters. But Piccolo is different; apart from its appearance, its behavior, mannerisms, and way of thinking are all identical to humans. Instead of calling it a pet, it's more appropriate to call it a slave."
"I should buy it a cartoon mascot costume." king stroked his chin and pondered, "What kind of mascot costume would be good? It has two tentacles, so the mascot should have upright ears or two horns. Hmm, an ox-head mascot or a rabbit mascot would be good."
His eyes lit up, and he decided to take Piccolo out to buy a mascot costume.
*This is a thank you to "Glasses" (Hmph! I really didn't want to give extra chapters!). Also, thank you to Floating Clouds with the Wind for the generous donation. Sigh, is money like floating clouds to you? Why so many donations? Everyone, no more donations for now. Save it up and give me a song later! That way, every time I think about abandoning the novel, I'll remember you're still holding my money. I can't abandon it; I must update and work hard to earn that money back. Hmm, this is a King-style Qigong ultimate technique—Writing for Money!*
...
...
(end of chapter)