stonecrandall Page 23
Page 23
Thin bean sprouts
[Estimated Disaster Level: "Dragon"]
Deep inside a freezer in an inconspicuous corner of a farmers' market, no one knows how long a bean sprout has been there.
It was so small that customers passing by never noticed it; after all, no one would go out of their way to buy such a tiny bean sprout that wouldn't even fill a tooth gap.
Originally, it should have just lay there quietly until it rotted into mud.
But one day, perhaps it absorbed some unknown energy escaping from the freezer, or perhaps it was just a coincidence, it gained consciousness.
It left the cold cage that had imprisoned it for so long and saw the outside world for the first time.
At the beginning, it was not powerful; in fact, it could be described as weak.
With its slender body and frail limbs, it would be the most inconspicuous among all the monsters, even if thrown into a group of them. Any low-level monster would seem capable of crushing it easily.
But it was not discouraged; on the contrary, it was very fortunate.
Especially after it gradually learned through various channels that a behemoth called the "Hero Association" existed in this world.
It was even more grateful to God, who, while giving it a frail body, endowed it with a freezing ability with boundless potential, which was in stark contrast to its physical appearance.
"Pretending to be weak to catch a tiger".
This is the survival rule it has learned best for itself through countless trials of life and death.
And so, the slender bean sprout hid in the shadows and gradually and silently improved his abilities from the initial "wolf" level to the terrifying "dragon" level.
Today, everything seems to be the same as usual, and it, which pretended to be weak but was actually strong, is still the ultimate winner.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A drum-like sound suddenly echoed through the narrow street.
The bean sprout's smug expression froze instantly, and he abruptly turned around to look—
At the end of the street, a man was standing quietly.
He was dressed in ordinary casual clothes, his blond hair still standing out in the dim light, and the three distinctive scars on his face added to his fierce appearance.
His entire body exuded a terrifying aura, and a thunderous voice emanated from his chest as he looked at it with the eyes of someone who had never seen a living thing.
Time goes back half an hour.
Lin Mo was on his way to the anime city when his hearing, which had also been enhanced, came from the street not far away.
After a fierce internal struggle, he decided to go and see what was going on.
Are you kidding me? You think dragon-level monsters are as easy as cabbages? They can be wiped out with one punch. Lin Mo would have to take on ten of them!
But when he arrived at the scene, he immediately regretted it.
Thin bean sprouts!
He actually happened to recognize this thing, and it actually happened to be a dragon-level creature!
In the One-Punch Man spin-off, this guy is a master of cunning, a master of playing dumb to outmaneuver others, and only plays when he's winning.
With this excitement, Lin Mo's heart began to race uncontrollably, and the "Emperor Engine" of KING resounded throughout the entire street.
Hearing the noise, the bean sprouts naturally looked over and met "KING's" gaze.
At that moment, both of them had only one thought in their minds—
"Bu Hao! My life is over!"
Chapter 33: There is always a mountain higher than another
Time seemed to stand still at that moment, and every second felt like an eternity.
[The fear and unease of the Dragon-level monster 'Skinny Bean Sprout' have been detected!]
[Target Strength Assessment: Dragon-level (Disaster Level)]
[Energy Points Gained: +800]
"Damn it, how could KING be here..." The playfulness in Bean Sprout's eyes had completely disappeared, replaced by a deep sense of vigilance and unease.
As a steady and reliable guy, the skinny bean sprout naturally already knew that KING had been promoted to sixth place among S-class heroes.
Despite his confidence in his own strength, the person standing in front of him was someone who could instantly kill a "Dragon" level monster!
Moreover, fighting against stronger opponents is not in line with his usual fighting style.
The bean sprout had lost all will to fight and only wanted to seize the opportunity to escape this place.
"Did he see me? When I made my move..." Bean Sprout stared intently at KING's every move. "Looks like our old tactics aren't working anymore... What should we do..."
Meanwhile, Lin Mo's situation wasn't much better.
"It's all over, it's all over, it's all over!" In his inner world, a chibi version of Lin Mo was running away with his head in his hands, against a backdrop of raging fire like the end of the world.
"Why! Why did I have to come here just to buy a figurine and run into a Dragon-level monster! And I had to come and join in the fun, now I'm really at my wit's end..."
Despite his deep regret, Lin Mo still activated [Pressure (Dragon Level)].
In an instant, the space around Lin Mo seemed to freeze, making him appear like an emperor who looked down on the mortal world.
However, Lin Mo didn't expect that [Intimidation (Dragon Level)] could directly subdue the bean sprout, after all, the skill description clearly stated:
This skill will be significantly less effective against monsters of Dragon level or higher.
Sure enough, after being shocked, the bean sprout experienced a very brief moment of disorientation, and its body stiffened involuntarily.
But this only lasted for a moment.
"Damn it, their aura is completely different now!"
Bean Sprout's heart trembled violently. "The sound of the Emperor Engine... is getting louder and faster! What's going on? Is King finally about to make his move?"
If bean sprouts could sweat, they would be drenched in sweat by now.
"No, we can't keep going on like this. If we drag this out, he'll find a weakness sooner or later, and then we'll be killed in one blow!"
"It seems the only option is to use a feint attack and take the opportunity to escape..."
Once she made up her mind, the bean sprouts no longer hesitated.
He suddenly raised both hands, and a dazzling azure light gathered in his palms. In an instant, an extremely intense icy aura spread out like a tide, and the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped below freezing.
Lin Mo, who was not far away, felt a deadly aura rushing towards him, making the hairs on his body stand on end.
Just at this critical moment, a figure suddenly appeared on the scene.
The man was dressed in a cheap, khaki-colored jumpsuit, with a white cape over his shoulders and a bald head, making him stand out from the tense atmosphere around him.
"Hmm... I saw this whole area was frozen over, so I came to check. Was this one of your doing?"
The visitor was none other than Saitama.
Immediately, the two people present were overjoyed.
Lin Mo felt that Saitama was so dazzling at this moment, and he was ready to lie down.
Saitama, my Superman!
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, the bean sprouts were happy that a "weak" human had arrived.
He recognized all the top S-class and A-class heroes, and this bald man was clearly not among them.
So, at best, he'd be a low-level, insignificant hero, or simply an ordinary citizen! This is a golden opportunity!
Hearing the terrifying "Emperor Engine" sound from the other side seem to have lessened somewhat because of the appearance of this ordinary person, Bean Sprout thought to himself, "Just as I thought!"
To save the people, we had to abandon the attack... King, King... This is your weakness as a hero!
Without further hesitation, Bean Sprout suddenly aimed his palm, imbued with extreme cold energy, at the newly appeared Saitama, launching a swift and fierce ice attack.
"Huh?" Saitama seemed not to have reacted yet.
In an instant, the surging cold current completely engulfed him, turning him into a crystal-clear ice sculpture.
After arriving at the ice sculpture, Bean Sprout said to Lin Mo, "KING! You don't want ordinary citizens to get hurt, do you? Then let me leave!"
Lin Mo didn't even lift his eyelids, and even felt a little amused, but he just ignored it.
"You really dare to do that... You've frozen me solid," Saitama casually shook off the ice.
"The roasted sweet potatoes I just bought have frozen in your hands. You really dare to do that!"
The bean sprouts wore an incredulous expression.
The next second, an even more intense attack came—
"Freeze! Freeze! Freeze! Freeze!"
"You guy..."
One cold wave after another swept over Saitama, and in the blink of an eye, Saitama was frozen again, this time by even larger blocks of ice.
But soon, cracks appeared on the ice.
"Why?! Why?!"
"You're a hero below Rank B, right?"
"So, you're here to play dumb and take advantage of others too?!"
Lin Mo watched from afar as the bean sprouts broke through the defenses and couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
Yes, who would have thought that this seemingly harmless bald man, who would take a roasted sweet potato so seriously, would actually be the strongest fighter in this world?
Who are you calling a pig?!
When Lin Mo heard these slightly angry words and came to his senses again, the battle was already over.
[The bean sprout's emotions were detected (strongly): resentment, shock]
[Gained +4000 Conversion Energy Points]
[Saitama's emotion detected (extremely faint): anger]
[Gained +5 Conversion Energy Points]
The small iceberg exploded with a deafening roar, and the arrogant and domineering "Dragon" level monster, Bean Sprout, which had been so arrogant just minutes before, was now reduced to fragments scattered evenly across the ground.