Unlike the other man present, Saitama habitually ignored the pain, as if getting injured was nothing out of the ordinary.
Noticing the man staring at him in disbelief, Saitama grinned. "Don't worry, I'm still very strong after training!"
He nimbly scrambled to his feet, shoving aside the still-dazed man, and fiercely attacked the octopus monster that was pursuing him.
"Come on! The battle has only just begun!"
When Jordan arrived, the giant octopus that had caused the chaos had its head blown clean off by some unknown force. Its mangled body lay sprawled across the middle of the street.
A ragged figure was gripping an octopus tentacle with sharp claws and methodically severing it from the main body.
Why do octopuses grow tentacles anyway?
Oh, right. Because it's a monster!
The Mind Network located several severely injured survivors scattered through the debris. Jordan's hands flowed with vibrant green chakra as he activated Mystical Palm Technique, rapidly repairing wounded bodies and pulling victims back from the brink of death.
Unfortunately, such lucky individuals were ultimately few and far between.
"Are you alright, Saitama?"
"Hey, wait a minute... who are you?"
Saitama turned around instinctively and saw a guy whose face he couldn't quite make out approaching. He couldn't help but ask.
Does it work this well?
Jordan looked up in surprise at the baseball cap he was wearing. He lifted the brim slightly, revealing his handsome face. "It's me, Jordan."
"Jordan! That's weird, I almost didn't recognize you with the hat on."
"After all, I'm a public figure. It's normal to need some disguise when going out, right?"
Saitama recalled the serious stampede that had nearly killed him earlier and nodded repeatedly in agreement. "What you said makes perfect sense!"
Using telekinesis to move injured individuals whose vital signs had stabilized to an open area where rescue would be easier, Jordan looked at Saitama, who was covered in blood but working diligently. His lips twitched.
"Hey, hey, hey. What are you doing? Cutting off so many octopus legs—are you planning to take them home to eat?"
"Yeah! These octopus legs are so fresh, it would be a complete waste to leave them!" Saitama, who looked like he'd just returned from scavenging, kept his hands busy while appearing completely at ease. "Besides, I also bought some wasabi sauce this time. With soy sauce, it's the perfect match for boiled octopus slices!"
At this point, Saitama froze. His expression changed drastically. "Oh no, I dropped the stuff I bought while saving people! I have to go find it!"
Before the words even finished, he'd already vanished in a flash.
Jordan raised his hand but couldn't stop him. He sighed and used telekinesis to transform the severed octopus legs into cards, intending to help Saitama retrieve them later.
Eating monster meat is impossible! I would never eat such bizarre food in my entire life!
Just as he handed the fantasy cards to F-boy to add to the deck, he caught a glimpse of a tall, thin, timid figure from the corner of his eye.
Jordan turned his gaze and saw the person's left cheek wrapped tightly with gauze. The image overlapped with someone in his memory.
The man's heart started racing as Jordan's gaze swept over him. He quickly raised both hands to indicate he was harmless and explained rapidly. "I... I... I'm here to find the hero who just defeated the monster!"
Thump-thump-thump... thump-thump-thump...
As the familiar Emperor Engine sounded, Jordan suddenly realized. "It's King!"
I was wondering why he looked so familiar.
However, could it be that the slightly younger King before him had just encountered the monster that left him with those three scars?
Jordan slightly raised the brim of his hat, walked over, and patted King on the shoulder. "Don't be nervous. You're looking for Saitama, right?"
King, already a hardcore otaku, didn't recognize Jordan's hero identity. "That hero's name is Saitama?"
"If you're talking about the guy who defeated that octopus monster, then yes, that's him."
Jordan pointed. King turned his head to look in the indicated direction.
In the ruins of the collapsed cityscape, a figure was struggling to move fallen building debris. Pieces of reinforced concrete of varying sizes flew to both sides like wadded waste paper, raising billowing clouds of dust.
"It's right here! How can I not find it... oh, I finally found it!"
Saitama returned happily carrying two large plastic bags. His previous shopping basket had vanished.
Upon seeing his benefactor return, King was about to speak when he heard the man beside him call out. "Stop! Saitama, let me help you with your bags."
"Oh, thanks! But why—"
Before he could finish, the two plastic bags were enveloped by telekinesis, detached from Saitama's hands, and floated into the air.
Immediately, Jordan clapped his hands together. His cheeks puffed out.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
An exaggerated stream of water sprayed toward Saitama from a distance. By the time he reacted, he was completely soaked.
Along with that, the bloodstains and grime covering his body were washed away completely.
"Okay, all clean."
With precise control over the water output, Jordan snapped his fingers. The plastic bags in the sky fell gently back into Saitama's hands.
Drip, drip, drip...
Drenched from head to toe, Saitama took them blankly and spat out a mouthful of water. His dead fish eyes filled with resentment. "Jordan, I have no grudge against you! Why did you spit on me?!"
"That's not saliva, it's... never mind. Just think of it as a superpower."
"Don't think you can get away with this so easily!"
King, who had been watching in a daze, suddenly realized that his benefactor's defeat of the giant octopus monster wasn't so outrageous after all.
Is this what heroes are?
"Hey, you're still here?"
After arguing for a while, Saitama realized he couldn't win against Jordan, who always acted like a wealthy patron. He gave up and then noticed King, who had been standing beside Jordan the entire time.
King snapped out of his reverie and bowed sincerely to Saitama. "There's a pharmacy outside the pedestrian street. I asked them to bandage my wound, then rushed back to thank you, my benefactor!"
"Oh, there's no need for such a formal thank you." Saitama scratched his head. "I'm someone who wants to be a hero out of interest. Since I encountered a monster, there's no way I could just ignore it."
He gestured at the monster corpse. "Besides, the big guy I took down today was also a significant gain for me, so there's no need to worry about it."
A hint of envy and longing flickered in King's eyes. But when he looked at Saitama and Jordan—who was clearly no ordinary person—that glimmer of emotion quickly faded.
Impossible. I'm just an ordinary person. A lazy otaku who only knows how to play games. How could I become a hero like them, who are already so strong?
"It's possible."
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