"Cheers!"
At Saitama's apartment, the Shabu-Shabu Party was in full swing once again.
This time, alongside the usual regulars, there was a fresh face. Genos. He had been introduced to the group through Fubuki's recommendation.
"Congratulations to everyone on successfully promoting to A-Class!"
"Congratulations!"
As they drained their glasses, everyone was visibly elated, except for Genos, who remained as stoic as ever.
"Ah," Glasses let out a long sigh. "I never thought I'd see the day I actually became an A-Class hero."
Only six months ago, he had been a corporate drone struggling just to get by. Now, he was an A-Class hero capable of maintaining peace in an entire city.
"Yeah," Mumen Rider added, speaking from the heart.
"You guys are making such a fuss over just making A-Class? Have some ambition!" Fubuki said, pointing a finger toward the ceiling. "I'm the woman who's going to become an S-Class hero!"
"Hmph, precisely. Only S-Class heroes are worthy of being my targets now." Genos, having recently upgraded his equipment, carried a significantly higher level of confidence than before.
"S-Class, A-Class... aren't we all just heroes?" Saitama mumbled while busily stuffing his face with meat. "Doesn't matter to me."
If it weren't for the better pay and benefits, he wouldn't have bothered with the promotion at all; it all felt like too much of a hassle.
"That's true, but it's better to have a goal," Mumen Rider said. "In that case, let's all work together toward the goal of reaching S-Class!"
"Yeah!"
…
"K.O.!"
A crisp, mechanical voice rang out. A Gundam plummeted from the sky with a thunderous crash, shattering into digital fragments before vanishing into thin air.
"Impressive. You really are the 'King' of the gaming world." Child Emperor logged out of the virtual space and pulled off his helmet. He unwrapped a lollipop and started licking it. "18 losses, 0 wins. I haven't lost this badly in a long time."
Except for the first round where he managed to knock King's health into the red, King's HP hadn't dropped below 80% in any of the subsequent matches. It was a complete curb-stomp.
"Haha, sorry. Maybe I should play with one hand next time?" Sitting nearby, King also removed his helmet, looking like he hadn't had enough. "This thing is incredible. I didn't expect it to be so realistic."
If galgames used this technology, wouldn't they be even more lifelike... At the thought, King's face flushed bright red. His body shuddered, and his "King Engine" began to thrum with a loud thump-thump-thump.
"Eh? What's that sound?" Child Emperor, gnawing on his lollipop, looked at King suspiciously.
"Nothing, it's nothing." King struggled to compose himself, finally suppressing the pounding of the King Engine. He checked the time on his phone. "Um, thanks for the hospitality today. It's getting late, so I should probably head back?"
"Wait!" Child Emperor quickly intercepted him. "We haven't even talked about the real business yet. How can you leave?"
"Real business? Wasn't it just to help you test this virtual game?"
"Heh, you wish." Child Emperor wasn't about to let King go that easily. With the official operation only three days away, he planned to keep King here.
Grabbing a corner of King's jacket with his small hand, Child Emperor began pulling him along. "Just come with me. Relax, we're heroes, we aren't going to rob you or anything."
"Whoa, whoa! Slow down!" Despite being a nearly 1.9-meter-tall burly man, the physically frail King could only be dragged along by the diminutive Child Emperor, unable to offer any real resistance.
After passing through several doors and a long corridor, Child Emperor led him into a spacious room. Before Child Emperor could say a word, King was instantly floored by the sight before him.
Three giant robots, nearly five stories tall, stood majestically in front of him. The aesthetic lines of the frames, the massive cannons, and the pungent scent of machine oil, it all sent a surge of excitement through King. The King Engine began to vibrate violently once more.
"Are... are these real? Or are they just life-sized models?"
"What do you think?" Child Emperor smiled, took the lollipop out of his mouth, and pointed proudly at the three Gundams. "These are my precious creations. They carry the heavy responsibility of eradicating monsters and saving the world!"
"So, are you willing to become their pilot?"
"Me?" King looked down at Child Emperor, pointing at his own nose in disbelief. "You want me to pilot these? Is that even allowed?"
"Why not? The test just now proved that you're more suited for piloting than I am."
"But that was just a game!" King crossed his arms, explaining frantically. "I'm just an otaku who's good at video games. How could I take on such a massive responsibility?"
While piloting a majestic Gundam was every man's dream, he knew in his heart that he was just a cowardly ordinary person. Once on a real battlefield, his hands would likely shake so hard he'd become a useless heap of scrap. Besides, fighting those monsters... you could actually die, right?
At that thought, King shook his head even more vigorously.
"Don't worry." Child Emperor seemed to sense his fear and explained, "Unlike traditional piloting, these three Gundams use a neural link, remote-control system. We link your consciousness to the machine. It's essentially like having an AI control system, except you are the system."
"So?" King was utterly confused.
"So, you just need to do exactly what you did earlier. Just treat piloting the Gundam as if it were a game, King."
"A game?"
"Talk is cheap. You want to try a test run?"
"I..." King hesitated for a long time. Eventually, his gamer soul triumphed over his cowardice. He nodded. "Alright... I'll try it."
"Great! Which one do you want to start with?" Child Emperor pointed to the three machines. "The red one on the left is Justice Gundam. It's equipped with thirty-six all-range heavy cannons, two high-intensity lasers, and a tactical nuke. It's a long-range bombardment type, but it's a bit sluggish due to the heavy gear. However, it can purge all armor and weapons to switch to a lightweight mode if needed."
"The black one on the right is Strike Gundam. It's a high-speed type. Its primary weapon is a laser greatsword, and its only long-range weapon is a single beam cannon. It's designed to handle large monsters that aren't afraid of missiles."
King nodded and looked at the white machine in the center. "What about that one?"
"Freedom Gundam. An all-rounder. It has solid long-range bombardment capabilities and plenty of attachments for close quarters. You choose your loadout based on the situation." Child Emperor asked, "So? Which do you prefer?"
"Hmm." King rubbed his chin for a moment. "Can I try them all?"
"Heh, of course. Follow me."
Child Emperor led King to another room containing three large, oval-shaped pods.
"Here. Take off your shirt and lie down." Child Emperor opened the canopy of one pod, revealing a bed-like interior.
"Oh, okay." King removed his shoes and shirt and lay inside, letting Child Emperor attach several wired sensors to his body.
"Ready?"
"Phew... ready." King took a deep breath.
"See you in a bit." Child Emperor closed the canopy, tapped a few commands on the console, and hit the start button. "Good luck!"
Pain!
It felt as if a needle had been driven into his brain. King's head throbbed intensely, but thankfully the sensation vanished as quickly as it came.
When King opened his eyes again, he found himself standing naked in a dark space. A red button the size of a basin floated before him.
King wasn't a stranger to this: "This is the start button, huh? The login interface is exactly like the game from earlier." He reached out and pressed it without hesitation.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the red button turned pure white and expanded in all directions. The environment flooded with light. Three large display screens appeared in front of King, occupying his entire field of vision. A joystick and dozens of buttons materialized before him, though they were currently in a locked state.
In the real world, Child Emperor watched as the Strike Gundam's eyes flickered to life. He put on his headset. "Testing, testing. King, can you hear me?"
"Yeah, I can." King saw Child Emperor standing below through the display screen.
"Great. You've probably noticed the interface is identical to the game we just played. Do you need a tutorial?"
"No, I've already memorized it," King said.
"Alright then." Child Emperor turned to the nearby technicians. "Release Strike Gundam's locks. Open the launch bay."
"Yes, sir!"
With a thunderous rumble, the transport gears beneath Strike Gundam began to move, sliding it backward. The restraints snapped open, and the ceiling above slid apart to reveal a star-studded night sky.
"Interface unlocked. The stage is yours," Child Emperor said. "I can't give you weapon authorization yet, so take it easy. Just go for a quick flight and come back."
"Got it," King replied. With his personality, he wouldn't dare do anything reckless even if someone paid him.
"Good. Then I wish you a smooth flight. Strike Gundam, launching!"
King took a deep breath, only to realize he wasn't actually taking in any air. He remembered he was essentially a "wandering soul" right now. Chuckling at himself, he placed his hand on the engine throttle and pushed it all the way to the top.
"Strike Gundam, moving out!"
Boom!
The thrusters on the machine's back ignited with blue flames. Propelled by the roaring jets, Strike Gundam shot out of the lab like a bolt of lightning, soaring toward the stars.
"This feeling... it's amazing!" King manipulated the Strike Gundam, dancing through the air and performing high-difficulty banking maneuvers. In his excitement, he even used the engine's vapor trail to write "KING" in the sky.
"Shame I can't use the weapons." Simply flying grew old quickly for King. Since he couldn't use the guns, he tried shadowboxing and dancing with the Strike Gundam.
After an hour of playing, he reluctantly returned to the lab, landing with pinpoint precision onto the recovery rack. As his consciousness returned to his body, King sat up in the pod. Child Emperor was waiting.
"So? How was it?"
"It was... incredible." King didn't hide his excitement. Compared to other games, this "game" that could affect reality was far more thrilling. He was actually looking forward to piloting a Gundam against monsters.
"So you're willing to join the Hero Association as a pilot, then?"
"Yes, I am!"
"Great. We'll handle your registration tomorrow. Hmm, we shouldn't start you too high, how about B-Class?"
"Hero? Someone like me can be a hero?" King asked in surprise.
"If you're fighting monsters, why wouldn't you be a hero?" Child Emperor smiled. "Even though I mostly handle R&D, I'm still an A-Class hero."
"No, it's just... hard to believe." King scratched his head, feeling embarrassed. Only yesterday he was just a shut-in, and now he was becoming a hero. The change in identity was so fast he hadn't fully adjusted.
"You'll get used to it soon." Child Emperor pointed to another pod. "Want to try this one?"
"Yes, please!"
As he lay down again, King remembered something. "If I get a Game Over... I'll be okay, right?"
"As long as your consciousness returns here before the core unit is destroyed, you'll be fine."
"And if it doesn't?"
"At best, brain damage. At worst, a persistent vegetative state."
"Wait, what?!!" King looked at him with hollow eyes. "Can I change my mind?"
"What do you think?" Child Emperor bit through his lollipop and closed the canopy.
I'm just an otaku! Why am I getting involved in something so dangerous?!!
Amidst his silent scream, King's consciousness plunged back into the darkness.
…
"You say the Monster Association wants to kidnap Kamikaze and Bang?"
Aomori frowned as he listened to Darkrai's report. "The Monster Association is getting cocky, daring to strike first."
This was nearly two years ahead of the original timeline. The overall strength of the Monster Association should be far inferior to the Hero Association's. What gave them the courage to take the initiative? Was it the Apostle?
Thinking of the mysterious No. 17 who was still hiding somewhere, Aomori asked, "Still no sign of that guy?"
Darkrai shook his head. Except for Orochi's private quarters, they had searched almost everywhere.
"So he's likely with Orochi? That's unsettling."
Aomori was extremely cautious regarding this mysterious enemy. He still hadn't forgotten the vision Absol had shared, how he and Tatsumaki had been wiped out by No. 18.
"It's a pity Blast is still missing. It's like he's vanished from the world." Otherwise, they might have more information.
Shaking his head, Aomori turned his thoughts back to the impending attack. There were two ways to handle it. First, have Atomic Samurai and Bang "disappear" temporarily, allowing Aomori and the others to proceed with their original plan (or even move it forward). This would avoid fighting on multiple fronts and keep the initiative in their hands.
Second, set an ambush. Wipe out Fuhrer Ugly and the other executives first, then execute the main plan. While this would reduce the enemy's strength, it risked alerting them.
Aomori tapped his finger incessantly on the table. After careful consideration, he made his decision.