Chapter 54: Kill Stealing
Over ten minutes ago.
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a two-star Monster Card: Dread Dragon."
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a two-star Monster Card: Heavy Armor Dragon."
...
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a two-star Monster Card: Scythe Dragon."
Along the way, King had collected several more Monster Cards. However, gathering more Monster Cards didn't make him happy; instead, it made him frustrated. This was because every time he rushed to a Monster's location, the Monster was already dead, and Piccolo hadn't gained any corresponding Experience Value from it.
"Blown apart by a single punch?"
When he rushed to the next dinosaur Monster's location, he found that the Monster, which resembled a Carnotaurus, was also thoroughly dead. He frowned, staring at the dinosaur Monster's caved-in head. The wound bore the clear imprint of a fist.
"This... couldn't have been Saitama, could it?"
He pondered this. That guy Saitama was quite interested in playing the hero. He'd always set out to eliminate Monsters whenever he saw them appear on TV. Now that M-City was being invaded by dinosaur Monsters, it was surely being reported on every city's Monster news channel. Saitama had probably seen the news as well, so it was perfectly normal for him to rush over and kill them.
Ordinarily, he would have been more than happy to follow behind Saitama and pick up cards. But right now, he was trying to level up Piccolo. How could he have the leisure to just pick up scraps!
"Piccolo, let's go! Saitama's on the move. If we don't hurry, it'll be too late."
King called out to Piccolo and took the lead, heading toward the nearest location indicated by the Monster information on his phone. However, he was ultimately a step too late. By the time he and Piccolo arrived, the Monster was already dead. Its death was particularly gruesome; its head had exploded, and its entire dinosaur-like body lay amidst the ruins of a skyscraper.
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a two-star Monster Card: Savage Dragon."
"Damn it, Saitama beat me to it again."
King cursed in frustration. Without wasting any more words, he led Piccolo and dashed toward the other Monster locations at top speed.
"Shit, late again."
"Holy shit, Saitama, leave the next Monster alone! Let me handle it!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Baldy, this is my turf! Stop messing around!"
He chased the Monsters' trail all over, but every place he went, he was always greeted by the sight of a thoroughly dead Monster. And every single one of them had been blown apart by a single punch, completely unable to fight back.
After Sitch decided to provide live text reports on heroes eliminating Monsters, the Monster alert system established by the Hero Association in the city center began broadcasting continuously:
"Attention, residents of M-City! Attention, residents of M-City! This is a live broadcast from the Hero Association with the latest updates on the dinosaur Monster rampage."
"Seven minutes ago, King eliminated a Tiger-level dinosaur Monster..."
"Five minutes ago, King eliminated a Wolf-level dinosaur Monster..."
"One minute ago, King eliminated a Tiger-level dinosaur Monster..."
More than ten consecutive reports on Monster deaths were all attributed solely to King.
"Attention, residents of M-City! Attention, residents of M-City! This is an emergency notice from the Hero Association. A Tiger-level Monster has appeared on Erli Street. The Hero Association is currently dispatching heroes to eliminate the Monster. Until the Monster has been eliminated, all residents are advised to stay away from Erli Street and proceed to the nearest shelter..."
Of course, the Monster alert system was still broadcasting information about various other Monster sightings as usual.
...
King was still fuming about Saitama stealing his Monsters when he suddenly heard the Association's broadcast. He froze for a moment, then couldn't help but feel amused. *Fine, you damned baldy, you steal my Monsters, and I'll steal your credit. Seems pretty fair.*
"Huh?" Just as King was feeling torn between laughter and tears over the Hero Association's broadcast, Saitama walked out of a small alley between buildings, looking troubled. He scanned the surrounding architecture with a lost expression, but his eyes lit up when he saw King and Piccolo. He shouted, "Hey, do you two know how to get to Erli Street?"
"Hm?"
King turned his head at the sound and saw Saitama walking over with his typical deadpan eyes. *Saitama? Ha, so he isn't heading to the next Monster location because he doesn't know the way? Hmm, what a great opportunity.*
His eyes brightened, and the idea of tricking Saitama into leaving had already formed in his mind.
"He is... He is..."
Piccolo, who had been running all over the place with King, was panting lightly. Hearing Saitama's shout, the voice sounded incredibly familiar. He looked up, and in an instant, his pupils contracted. The egg-like bald head, the ridiculously tacky earthy-yellow superhero suit, the tattered white cape, the red household dishwashing gloves, and the red plastic rain boots...
The inherited memories of the old Vaccine Man surged into Piccolo's mind, causing his breathing to become ragged. His fists clenched tightly, his eyes turned crimson, and he stared deathly at Saitama. "Hah... hah... He's... he's... the one who killed my father... that damn egg... that damn baldy..."
*Crack!*
His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles made a grinding sound, and he felt a powerful urge to charge forward and kill Saitama.
"Hm?"
King heard Piccolo's ragged breathing and glanced doubtfully at the gasping creature. He sighed internally. *Sigh, I originally wanted to raise a powerful pet to show off with everywhere I went. I never thought the system would screw me over and give me a 'potential' pet that anyone can bully. What a rip-off. The Vaccine Man of the past was so majestic, but the current one is just pathetic. He gets winded like this after just a bit of running. He's so weak it's painful to watch. This won't do. I have to get him leveled up as soon as possible. I was supposed to be raising him to protect me, but right now, I'm the one protecting him and putting in all this effort to level him up. My carefree life is completely gone. This is exhausting!*
Still, it was the pet he had chosen. No matter how hard or tiring it got, he had to see it through.
"Oh, Erli Street is that way."
Lost in thought, King casually pointed in a direction for Saitama. Then, without paying any more attention to the confused Saitama, he led Piccolo and ran toward Erli Street.
"Piccolo, stop spacing out! Let's go, it's time to grind some levels!"
Just as Piccolo was about to give in to his urge to attack Saitama, King's command forced him to reluctantly abandon his revenge. He shot Saitama a vicious glare, lingering for a moment before following King toward Erli Street.
"Huh? That thing just now... was that underwear?"
Saitama glanced doubtfully at King's retreating back, shook his head, and then dashed off in the direction King had pointed. *Monsters, wait for me... time to execute justice!*
"Roar~"
As King led Piccolo toward Erli Street, he heard the roar of a Monster from a distance. His spirits lifted. *A Monster, and it's still alive! Great! Piccolo's Experience Value hasn't gotten away! That damned baldy Saitama fell for my trick.*
"Piccolo, quick! Go kill this Monster for me! Whatever you do, don't let that baldy snatch it!"
In his anxiousness, he subconsciously yelled for Piccolo to go take care of the Monster, completely forgetting that Piccolo was just a little Wolf-level pet. How could he possibly defeat the big brute in front of them?
"Yes!"
Piccolo could not defy King's command. Even though he knew he couldn't defeat the dinosaur Monster before him, which resembled a great white shark, he could only brace himself and charge forward.
"Explosive Energy Blast!"
He immediately fired an energy blast, kicking off his battle against a superior foe.
It seems like everyone really dislikes Piccolo, huh? Hmm, some people say he should have been killed at birth, others say it would be better if a Monster killed him now. Hmm, and some say adopting Mosquito Girl would be acceptable. Sigh, alright then. If you all dislike him that much, then I'll just bring the knife down... *Kacha!* Piccolo: Aiya, I'm dead!
(end of chapter)