"Weakness! There must be a weakness!"
Gritting his teeth, he changed tactics. Eight Extremes Fist, Tiger Hard Climbing Mountain, struck straight for Fat Old Man's eyes, but it was easily blocked by the opponent's thick, fatty palm. He immediately shifted to a low sweep targeting the groin, but it was swallowed by the man's belly.
He almost got grabbed.
Fortunately, Fat Old Man didn't have much flexibility. Otherwise, Dark Jin would have been in real danger.
He quickly pulled out of the attack range and retreated, thinking hard about how to deal with him.
In the distance, Lily unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes, clearly worried about him.
Flora, on the other hand, had no such concerns. She was excitedly waving her fists like his personal cheerleader.
"Dark Jin, go for it!"
"Both of you, stay back!"
After shouting, Dark Jin glanced at the tall perimeter wall and came up with an idea.
He shouted at Fat Old Man.
"You fat idiot! You're so useless you're already out of breath just chasing people? Want me to call you an ambulance?"
Fat Old Man's breathing suddenly grew heavier.
He hated being called fat the most.
"You little brat! I'll tear you apart!"
"Flesh Bomb Charge!"
With a furious roar, he rushed forward like an out-of-control armored vehicle, the ground cracking beneath every step.
Dark Jin pretended to panic and retreated, but in the final moment, he rolled sideways.
Fat Old Man could not stop in time and slammed straight into the wall like a cannonball.
BOOOOM!
Dust and debris rose more than three meters high as the brick wall collapsed.
Half of Fat Old Man's body was buried in the ruins, rubble covering him up to his waist.
He struggled to pull himself out, but due to his momentum, he toppled forward and smashed the back of his head into exposed steel rebar.
Watching him lie motionless on the ground, Dark Jin finally let out a breath of relief.
A tough opponent with both high attack and high defense was truly troublesome.
At that moment, a message appeared on his system panel.
[Congratulations on defeating a monster using ancient martial arts.]
[Reward: +0.5 Physique, Eight Extremes Fist proficiency increased by 50%.]
A surge of energy flowed into his body.
His exhausted stamina instantly recovered, and his strength increased noticeably. His understanding of Eight Extremes Fist deepened further.
"You're alright!"
Lily rushed over and asked.
"I'm fine. I'll go inside to find Little Yellow first. You two wait outside," Dark Jin said, stopping Lily and Flora from following. "There may still be enemies inside."
"But…" Flora clenched her clothes nervously.
"Trust me," he replied.
Lily held Flora back and nodded. "Be careful."
Dark Jin entered the factory alone.
The moment he stepped inside, his pupils contracted sharply.
Rust-covered cages were stacked in rows, each containing trembling lives curled up inside.
Poodles, Shiba Inus, Labrador Retrievers… all were thin, weak, and dirty. Some were even injured, letting out faint whimpers.
"This is hell…"
Dark Jin clenched his teeth.
It was good he hadn't let Lily and Flora come in. They would not have been able to handle this scene.
Suddenly, his eyes caught a familiar figure.
"Little Yellow?"
It was the Akita he had sold earlier that morning. It looked healthy and unharmed.
As he went deeper, he discovered something even more horrifying.
One room was filled with butchered dog meat. Another stored videos of animal abuse.
"These bastards…"
His phone screen lit up as he immediately dialed the Hero Association reporting hotline.
Inside an office, the bespectacled man from earlier was frantically stuffing documents into a briefcase.
He froze when he heard footsteps and looked toward the door.
Dark Jin was standing there.
"D-Don't come any closer!" the man shouted, raising his hands. "I surrender! According to hero regulations, you're not allowed to use violence against someone who has surrendered!"
Dark Jin let out a cold laugh.
"Oh? When those dogs were suffering and crying, did you stop?"
A punch struck the man's cheekbone. He collapsed like a rag doll, his glasses flying away.
Another punch hit his stomach. The man doubled over in pain, clutching his abdomen.
"Mercy… please, hero… I was wrong!"
"Go repent in prison!"
Dark Jin's anger surged as he kicked the man in the head. Even if he survived, he would likely end up severely brain damaged.
The matter came to an end.
The Wild Dog Gang was eliminated by the Hero Association.
Three days later, Dark Jin received an update.
[Hero Ranking Updated: C Rank 288 → C Rank 88]
An increase of 200 places in one go.
"As expected… this ranking system is really inflated."
Most C-rank heroes were just ordinary people. Only someone absurdly strong like Saitama did not need rankings to prove anything.
That night, under a cool breeze, Dark Jin stood in an open area in the park and slowly performed a move from Eight Extremes Fist, the Piercing Heart Elbow.
WHOOSH!
The moment his fist cut through the air, his muscles tensed layer by layer. Bones and tendons worked in perfect coordination. A condensed force shot forward like a steel nail piercing through empty space.
A sonic boom exploded from the strike.
This was the sign of force reaching the level of external manifestation.
"So this is… Mastery of Ming Jin?"
He retracted his fist, faint mist rising from his knuckles.
The battle with Fat Old Man had given him 80 percent proficiency in Eight Extremes Fist.
Combined with his recent training, his status panel had become:
Name: Dark Jin
Skill: Eight Extremes Fist (Ming Jin 90%)
Physique: 2.8
Combat Power: 19.4
He clenched his fist, joints cracking.
He still felt he was only scratching the surface.
Although he had reached Ming Jin, he knew his strength was still far from enough.
According to the combat rating system:
1–49: Wolf level
50–499: Tiger level
500–4999: Demon level
5000–49999: Dragon level
"My current combat power… at best I can barely handle Wolf-level monsters. Tiger-level would already be life-or-death."
He gave a bitter smile.
"But…"
Dark Jin looked up at the night sky, as if it were Saitama's bald head.
"At least I've stepped onto the path of becoming stronger."
One month later.
Early morning. Dark Jin was still training in the park, but his focus had sharpened even further.
He kept analyzing the techniques of Eight Extremes Fist in his mind.
"Dark force is the ability to turn soft force inward, penetrating into the bones. A strike may show no external injury, but the organs are already shattered."
"This realm requires not just muscle power, but the use of internal energy."
"If Ming Jin is the surface, then how do I break through?"
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, sensing the flow within his body.
"Hoo…"
Then exhaled a long breath.
He slowly settled his stance.
Ming Jin had reached completion, and he was already touching the threshold of Dark Force.
But to break through, he needed pressure.
Unfortunately, A City was too peaceful.
As the headquarters of the Hero Association, strong heroes were everywhere. Even a mutant cockroach could be instantly dealt with by a passing A-rank hero. There was no room for him to act.
"This won't work… I can't break through like this…"
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked toward the awakening city skyline.
It was time to leave.
He planned to tell Lily.
The moment he pushed open her door, a warm fragrance drifted out. She had just woken up and was half-asleep, making coffee in the kitchen.
"You went out to train again?" Lily rubbed her eyes, her sleepwear slightly loose at the collar, revealing a hint of her collarbone.
Dark Jin stood at the entrance, suddenly feeling his throat dry.
"Yeah." He nodded. "Lily… I need to tell you something."
"What is it?" she asked, walking closer with a coffee cup, her eyes still hazy with sleep.
"I'm leaving tomorrow. I'm going to another city."
"Huh? Is A City not good? Or… are you not used to living with me anymore?"
Dark Jin quickly shook his head.
"No! This place is great. But I have to go."
He looked directly into her eyes.
"I'm going to become the strongest hero."
A brief silence filled the room.
Lily suddenly smiled.
"I didn't expect you to have such big ambitions."
She reached out and adjusted his collar. Her fingertips made his heartbeat slightly faster.
"Being a hero is dangerous, you know?"
"Staying in a greenhouse is worse," he said softly. "Only through real battles can I become stronger."
Lily did not try to stop him. Instead, she asked, "Where are you going?"
"Don't worry. I'll come back. I'm just leaving for a while."
"D City. Fewer heroes there, and more frequent monster appearances."
"When will you come back?"
"I don't know," he answered honestly. "But I will."
She took a deep breath, then suddenly stepped forward and hugged him tightly.
"Come back alive. Don't push yourself."
He slowly raised his hand and returned the embrace.
"Okay."
The next morning, Lily insisted on sending him to the station.
"Remember to text me when you arrive."
"Okay."
"If you meet something you can't handle, don't force it."
"I know."
Dark Jin waved and stepped onto the train.
Lily watched him leave with reluctance. She always felt an inexplicable closeness toward him.
Even though they had only known each other for two months, she already felt something.
On the high-speed train, Dark Jin waved back at her.
The One Punch Man world was a modern city, and transportation was very convenient.
Two hours later, he stood on the streets of D City and stretched.
A notification suddenly arrived on his phone.
[Emergency Alert: Tiger-level disaster detected on Oak Street. Nearby heroes, respond immediately.]
The map showed the location flashing.
Only three blocks away.
His blood instantly boiled.
"Roger that!"