Chapter 124: Becoming a hero?

In the heart of a sprawling city, where modern buildings stretched across the horizon, one skyscraper stood out among the rest. Its sleek, dark exterior glinted with a metallic sheen, catching the sunlight and making it impossible to miss.

This was the Hero Association Headquarters.

An organization that managed all the heroes across the cities.

It operated independently from the government, standing as humanity's first line of defense against the monsters that relentlessly emerged from the shadows.

With the Hero Association's presence, City A had the highest security measures in existence.

The streets buzzed with life.

Vehicles zipped back and forth, while people chatted quietly on the sidewalks, either in small groups or lost in their own thoughts.

The atmosphere was incredibly peaceful, a stark contrast to the devastation that had nearly wiped out another city just hours ago.

Contrary to the bustling atmosphere outside, the room was dimly lit, with only the glow from a massive screen illuminating the space.

At the far end of the room, a middle-aged man with a bulbous nose and gray hair parted neatly to the right sat behind a large desk, his face stern and thoughtful.

"Busho, are you certain about the information you and Jinzuren reported earlier?"

Stitch, the current Minister Officer of Justice for the Hero Association, asked while furrowing his eyebrows as his gaze fixed on the two men standing before him.

Busho, a tall man with short black hair and serious brown eyes, nodded firmly.

"Yes, sir. This is the footage..."

He held a tablet in his hands before the large screen in the room lit up.

The video played, revealing the scene during the Deep Sea King's rampage.

The C-class hero, Mumen Rider, was shown being mercilessly thrashed before a teenager turned things around.

With an incredible display of power, the young man impaled the monstrous king with an earthen spear after somehow restraining the monster with his power.

"Is he... a telekinesis user?"

Stitch murmured before turning to a man with hazel eyes, hair parted down the middle with gentle outward flicks and an undercut, "Jinzuren, have you found anything on this young hero?"

Jinzuren shook his head before speaking, "Nothing concrete yet, sir. He's not in our database, and no registered hero matches his description. He could be a new, unaffiliated hero—or something else entirely."

"This is quite a headache..."

Stitch leaned back in his chair, deep in thought as the room fell into a contemplative silence.

"However," Jinzuren interjected, breaking the silence, "we might have an answer regarding his power—"

BAM!

The sudden burst of the door slamming open cut Jinzuren off, drawing all eyes to the entrance.

He smiled, clearly unfazed, as he had anticipated this arrival.

The figure that stormed into the room was none other than the S-class hero, ranked number 2...

Tatsumaki, the Tornado of Terror!

"Hmph! Why the hell did you drag me here!?"

She snapped, her small frame vibrating with barely contained annoyance. Her green hair floated slightly, "You woke me up from my nap for this? Are you looking to die!?"

Her fierce gaze swept over the room, daring anyone to give her an unsatisfactory answer.

"..."

Stitch went quiet at Tatsumaki's temper as he gestured his staff to take over.

Jinzuren nodded at this while maintaining his calm demeanor, "We need your expertise, Tatsumaki. It seems we've encountered a potential telekinesis user with powers rivaling even yours."

"Rivaling mine? What a load of bullshit!"

Tatsumaki's eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms.

Despite saying such words, her irritation momentarily gave way to curiosity. She floated slightly off the ground, her expression shifting to one of interest, "Alright, show me what you've got."

Meanwhile, in a different city that had become a ghost town, empty streets stretched endlessly, and abandoned buildings, now overtaken by moss stood in silence.

"I've got everything you asked for..."

A voice tinged with boredom, echoed in one of the vacant apartment rooms. The response came quickly from the kitchen, where the sound of boiling water filled the air.

"Just place it on the table; I'm preparing the meat right now..."

Genos furrowed his brow.

He glanced over at Tsuna, who was wearing an apron and working intently in the kitchen. His expression grew indignant as he voiced his frustration, "Sensei, why do we have to use my money?"

Saitama, lounging lazily in the living room, let out a casual sigh.

"Genos, you know I'm broke. Sometimes, it's important to cover your teacher's expenses..." His reasoning was delivered with the same nonchalance as ever as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Genos's mechanical eyes narrowed as he glared at Tsuna, who seemed completely unbothered by the situation.

"But why doesn't he have to pay anything?"

"You'll understand later..."

Saitama chuckled, almost drooling at the thought of a proper meal.

However, as he eyed Genos—who was still emitting that new car scent—Saitama paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "Or maybe not?"

Then...

A sizzling sounds were heard as aroma of the meat slowly enveloped the whole room. Tsuna had taken out the meat from the boiling water and after. preparing the grill and everything, he had started grilling the octopus meat.

Saitama's eyes lit up at this while Genos sharply turned as he felt his sense of smell malfunctioning.

Before long, everyone sat at the table in the living room where Tsuna placed his creation on the table.

"Whoaa! It looks stunning!"

Saitama looked at the elegantly curled tentacles with a deep, smoky char that contrasted beautifully with the tender, pale flesh underneath.

Even Genos couldn't help but be surprised by this as he blinked his eyes in disbelief, "It does look incredibly tasty..."

The golden-brown zest from the marinade glistens against the dark, caramelized crust, while fresh parsley and oregano add vibrant green accents.

Scattered lemon wedges brighten the platter, enhancing the rustic yet refined presentation.

Tsuna chuckled as he noticed the surprised expressions around the table.

"Alright, let's dig in..."

With a lighthearted grin, he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat. The others followed suit, and in a matter of minutes, the entire platter of octopus meat was devoured, leaving nothing but empty plates.

"Yeah, that was good..."

Saitama leaned back, patting his bloated stomach with a satisfied sigh.

His face, however, quickly returned to its usual bored expression as he glanced over at Tsuna, "Anyway, even though you look the same, you're definitely way stronger now, haha..."

He recalled their last encounter, where Tsuna could barely put up a fight against a small bird. Now, the same Tsuna had managed to defeat a monster that even Genos couldn't handle.

It was impressive, to say the least.

"Well, I can bend a few more things now, so it's only natural..."

Tsuna replied with a casual shrug.

"Hmm? I guess... So, wanna spar?"

Saitama's eyes lit up, his previous boredom was gone. The thought of a good fight, something that could finally challenge him, had his serious side emerging.

But Tsuna quickly shook his head. "Nah, I'd be dead with one punch..."

"Huh? Alright..."

Saitama's enthusiasm quickly faded, replaced by his usual boredom as he stared up at the ceiling.

He couldn't remember the last time he truly enjoyed a fight.

Lost in thought, he suddenly got an idea and turned to Tsuna, "Well, you're not a hero, right? Why not become one? As your senior, I can guide you..."

Ding!

"Hmm?"

Tsuna's eyes widened at the familiar chime echoing in his ears.

A blue screen appeared before him, floating in mid-air. He blinked in surprise and turned to Saitama, who was now looking at him with confusion.

"Why do you have to jinx me like this?"

Tsuna sighed, shaking his head in exasperation. 

[Mission: A Hero For Fun!]

[Reward: Unlimited Gateway to One Punch Man World!]

[Description: You will be able to set an entrance gate in any part of the world to your original world and move between them at will!]

[Upon Failure: You will never be able to return to the One Punch Man world!]

[Accept the mission?]

[Yes/No]

He looked at the mission pop-up screen and muttered, "Alright, bet..."

---

FUCKK, I legit feel so dumb right now, like I wanna laugh and cry at the same time. So, there's this thing called a self-custody wallet for crypto, right? Way safer. But like, you can't just be clicking random links and get your wallet drained.

And guess what? I FUCKING DID THAT.

Like what??

It's not my main wallet, but still, like $1k gone. That's my rent for like a month and a half!! I'm losing my mind I feel like crashing out rn. ARGHHH!

Sigh...

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chap. Forget I ever said anything.