Anyway, the Fantasy Card deck had no limit on capacity.
Even if Kenji casually tossed random junk into it, there was no pressure at all.
His chance encounter with Saitama was just a minor interlude at work, but it sparked an inexplicable sense of crisis in Kenji’s heart.
The monster disasters that made others turn pale at the mere mention of them had become precious, renewable resources in his eyes.
…
A month passed.
This month, City Z hadn’t experienced any large-scale disasters at the Demon level or above, but Wolf and Tiger-level monsters were springing up like mushrooms after rain.
Onion Monster, Sausage Monster, Mailbox Monster, Toilet Monster…
Who knew what stimulated these mutated everyday objects, but they kept appearing crop after crop.
While happily harvesting them, Kenji seriously suspected that these monsters were actually meant for Saitama to grind levels.
It seemed like…
He was the one stealing kills.
Thanks to his diligent dispatching and card drawing over these past few weeks, Kenji’s base strength had slightly increased by another level.
Unfortunately, drawing cards relied entirely on luck.
Limited by the drop rate, he was still on the path of consolidating his base stats.
At the same time, Kenji noticed that recently, while patrolling, there always seemed to be faint, hard-to-detect gazes fixed on him.
Yet, when he actively activated his Spider Sense to search, he couldn’t find where the owners of those gazes were hiding.
Finding nothing meant there was no entity posing a danger nearby, but Kenji still secretly raised his guard.
Others might not know, but he was well aware that beneath City Z lay the headquarters of the Monster Association.
With his frequent activities lately, being targeted was inevitable.
Recently, the Hero Association was on the rise.
When it came to keeping a high profile, they were the ones constantly trending.
With them drawing the aggro, Kenji wasn’t worried at all.
Police Station.
“Kenji, Chief Kuma wants to see you.” “Me?” Kenji, who was catching up on his reports, paused and looked up at the young policewoman with flushed cheeks.
“Do you know what it’s about, Kyoko?” “I have no idea,” Kyoko blinked, tapping her lips with a pale index finger as she tried hard to recall.
“A few guests arrived at the chief’s office early this morning.
It’s probably related to them?” “Guests…
Alright, got it.” The young policewoman walked away, her ponytail swinging.
Kenji put down his work, stood up, and headed toward the chief’s office at the end of the corridor.
“PCZ9527 reporting.” “Come in.” Three men in suits and leather shoes were sitting on the sofa opposite the chief.
The moment Kenji entered, three pairs of eyes instantly turned his way, scanning him up and down.
Their intense scrutiny made him want to frown.
“Chief, you wanted to see me?” “Yes.” Seeing the guests’ gazes growing increasingly passionate, Chief Kuma couldn’t help but fake a couple of coughs to bring them back to reality.
“This is Kenji, an outstanding officer in our precinct.
Regarding the matter you mentioned, you can just ask for his opinion directly.” Huh?
Hearing the slight displeasure in the chief’s tone, Kenji was a bit dumbfounded.
What do you mean ‘ask for my opinion’?
Chief, are you just pushing your own officer out without even explaining the situation?
“Yes, thank you for the introduction!” The three men in black suits stood up in perfect synchronization.
The leader thanked Chief Kuma and approached Kenji.
“Mr.
Kenji, it’s an honor to meet you!
I am an executive of the Hero Association’s City Z branch.
You can just call me Bucky.” “Hello…” “We’ve taken the liberty of coming here today to invite you to join the Hero Association and become a professional hero for us.
Of course, becoming a hero won’t affect your current job.
You’ll just need to cooperate with our promotional activities during your free time.
We’ve already confirmed this arrangement with the Chief!
We are confident that we can make you the most popular ace hero in City Z…
no, the entire Association!” Suddenly being called out, Chief Kuma rolled his eyes.
“Hold on, I never agreed to that.
Of course, if you can convince Kenji, I won’t interfere either.” ‘So they were from the Hero Association.’ Kenji immediately understood.
In a modern city filled with surveillance cameras and everyone carrying a smartphone, it really wasn’t easy to stay completely hidden.
No wonder Chief Kuma was so annoyed.
He had never liked this civilian organization that was encroaching on their territory.
However, with official backing, the Hero Association’s expansion was a foregone conclusion, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Kenji nodded, suddenly realizing where that inexplicable feeling of being watched over the past few days had come from.
So he was being stalked by these corporate lackeys!
Sigh, no wonder his Spider Sense hadn’t reacted.
After thinking for a moment, Kenji replied, “In that case, I’d like to know more details about the duties and obligations of becoming a hero.
Is that alright?” The executive named Bucky nodded repeatedly.
“No problem at all!
We brought all the materials with us.
We can find a place to talk in detail.” “Then, Chief…” Turning his head, Kenji looked at his direct superior with eager eyes.
Chief Kuma sighed softly and waved his hand impatiently.
“Go on, go on.
I’m just the middleman here.
You don’t need to worry about my opinion.” “Yes, sir!
Thank you, sir!” Ultimately, Kenji signed his name on the documents Bucky provided.
The Hero Association was in its early stages.
Aside from casting a wide net for recruitment, they actively sought out individuals who displayed talent, offering very generous compensation.
This was what frustrated Chief Kuma the most.
Before they even arrived, higher-ups had already issued orders to fully cooperate.
Plus, since it involved his subordinate’s financial future, he didn’t want to be the bad guy.
“Mr.
Kenji, my mission here is complete!” Bucky gathered the documents and handed them to his subordinate.
“However, according to the Association’s rules, you’ll still need to visit the City Z branch to complete a simple professional aptitude test to determine your hero rank, initial ranking, and so on.
Please understand this is standard procedure!” A hero test?
Kenji nodded.
“No problem, that’s expected.” “Thank you!
Here’s to a pleasant cooperation!” “A pleasant cooperation.” …
‘A hero, huh?’ Kenji held a certain admiration for this group.
No matter how things developed in the future, the pure and noble souls among them would never change.
Then he would join!
This was his thought process after his conversation with Association executive Bucky.
Before leaving, he specifically went back to the chief’s office.
The somewhat exhausted Chief Kuma simply patted his shoulder, told him to do a good job, and promptly shooed him away.
Kenji naturally obliged.
The first thing he did after getting off work was head to the convenience store.
As his physique gradually transcended human limits, his appetite increased proportionately.
A car with a large engine displacement consumes more fuel, and his body was the same.
He restocked his household essentials and the fridge.
When he came out, he was carrying so many large and small bags in both hands that he was practically drowning in them.
Finding a secluded corner, Kenji decisively activated his Stand ability, sealing all the items in his hands into cards in one go.
Instantly, the heavy burden of life felt much lighter.
When he turned around, a harmless-looking face came into view.
“Good evening, Mr.
Police Officer.” Saitama, whose art style was beginning to simplify, smiled and greeted him.
At the same time, he scratched his head, completely oblivious to the two precious black hairs that drifted down from his fingers.
“Just now,” he reached out, trying to gesture, “was that the legendary psychic power?
Are you a legendary esper?” Kenji: “…” [Fantasy Card: Limiter Fragment] +1 Hm?
Another one?
Kenji silently put away the N-tier card that had inexplicably appeared in his hand and instantly made a decision.
“Yare yare, so I’ve been discovered?” Hearing Kenji’s intentionally lowered voice, Saitama’s expression turned serious.
He clenched his fists, even getting ready for a fight.
“Ah, according to TV drama plots, is this the part where you silence the witness?” Kenji stepped closer and patted his shoulder.
“Of course not!
Since you saw it, come along.” “Eh?” …
Bubble, bubble, bubble…
The fiery red spicy oil boiled vigorously.
Thickly sliced premium beef on special discount was tossed in piece by piece.
After bobbing in the boiling broth a few times, the bright red raw meat was cooked through, releasing an irresistible aroma.
The two sweating men sat around the hotpot, their burning gazes locked onto the tumbling slices of meat in the pot.
“It’s ready!” “Thanks for the food!” At this moment, the two men holding wooden chopsticks were like peerless swordsmen.
The instant the meat was fully cooked, their intersecting gazes sparked, and their swords were unsheathed simultaneously.
Swish, swish, swish…
Dipping the scalding hot meat into a specially mixed spicy sauce before shoving it into their mouths.
“Sssss…
haaa…
Wow!
It’s so hot…
no, it’s so spicy!” Compared to Saitama, who was turning red from the spice, Kenji’s movements were much more elegant.
Supported by his powerful base stats, the scalding hot meat was instantly chewed to pieces by his iron teeth.
While his opponent was still frantically fanning his mouth and reaching for beer to cool down, Kenji had already struck again, scooping up all the remaining meat slices.
“Ah…
It’s not right!” Saitama watched in despair as Kenji shoved the rest of the beef into his mouth, embarrassing tears of defeat leaking from the corners of his eyes.
“Hmph.
When it comes to the discipline of hotpot, you still have a long way to go, Saitama!” Kenji elegantly wiped his mouth and gave a mocking, crooked smile.
“If you want to defeat me, try again next time!” “Next time, huh?
I’d feel bad imposing,” Saitama scratched his head, not noticing another five or six strands of hair falling out.
“Just being invited this time was a huge surprise.
Thank you very much for your hospitality, Kenji.” “It’s nothing, just adding another pair of chopsticks,” Kenji waved his hand, telling him not to mind.
Then, he discreetly pocketed yet another Limiter Fragment card.
“Besides, you don’t understand.
The true essence of hotpot is…” Saitama blinked.
Feeling a profound sense of awe, he straightened his back and sat upright.
“Eh?
What is it?” “It’s fighting for the food!” Kenji patted Saitama’s shoulder.
“A hotpot where no one is fighting you for the food has no soul!” Saitama nodded repeatedly with a serious face.
“I see!
That’s the first time I’ve heard such unique insight.!” “Then, as tuition, please wash the dishes today.
Thanks.” “…Ah, okay.” The hotpot session lasted deep into the night.
By the time he saw Saitama off, it was close to midnight.
Summoning his Stand to place the newly purchased ingredients into the completely empty fridge, Kenji opened the balcony doors and windows to air the place out.
The cool night breeze blew away the lingering smell of food in the room, making him feel much more awake.
[Fantasy Card: Limiter Fragment] X10 [Can be fused!] “Hm?” Looking at the special N-tier cards that had automatically jumped out of his deck and were floating in front of him, Kenji couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
While his Stand intelligently provided feedback on many things, it had never shown any excessive emotional fluctuations.
Yet at this very moment, he received a piece of feedback from his Stand laden with intense emotion, and what it contained was actually full of…