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"Breaking news! A strange and powerful monster has recently appeared. Its true form and abilities are unknown, but it seems to have tentacle-like powers that can pull people into a game. Until this situation is resolved, we strongly urge all gamers to stop playing any games for now…"
Early in the morning, half-sprawled on his couch, Ethan watched the news on TV with a look of disbelief.A monster that can drag people into video games? What the hell is that supposed to mean?
He played games sometimes himself—raising-sim games, dating sims, stuff like that—but he'd never run into anything weird.Then again, that was probably thanks to Sayuriko's power. Her "Sanctuary of Protection" could block any monster, no matter how it attacked. So even if something tried to crawl out of his computer screen, Sayuriko's barrier would stop it cold.
So after watching the report, Ethan just shrugged it off. Things like that had nothing to do with him anyway.
But right when he was about to forget about it completely, the Hero Association called.
The message was simple: all heroes—including Ethan—were told not to "act recklessly." Until the creature known as Electronic Tentacle was eliminated, they were not to play any games.
Apparently, the S-Class Rank 7 hero—KING, the so-called "Strongest Man Alive"—had already stepped up to handle it. The same KING who could annihilate monsters of any level with a single punch, and whose "Emperor Engine" roared to life when he got serious.
According to the Association, KING had deliberately started playing games after Electronic Tentacle appeared, trying to bait it out. He wanted to invade its digital world, find where it was keeping the kidnapped players, and rescue them while taking down the monster.
In short:Don't play games. Don't get in KING's way.That was the whole message.
"KING's really something, huh? Playing video games just to save people—what a guy." Ethan said with a sigh after hanging up.
"They say KING's one of the most powerful heroes ever!" Sayuriko chimed in. "No one knows how strong he really is. Every monster he's faced was wiped out in an instant."
She was always up to date on hero gossip—probably because her own master was one. The Rank 7 S-Class hero, supposedly the strongest of them all—of course she knew the rumors.
"Tsk, tsk. That strong, huh? I wonder who'd win if he fought Saitama," Ethan mused.
"Probably KING," Sayuriko replied matter-of-factly. "He is an S-Class hero ranked seventh, after all."
"I dunno… I still think Saitama's stronger. No matter how tough someone is, against that guy? Doesn't seem like anyone could keep up."
Sayuriko didn't really get why her master admired Saitama so much. Sure, that bald guy looked powerful and took out monsters every day, but his fights were boring—no flash, no tension. He'd just walk up and end it with one casual punch.
It didn't feel like he was strong. It felt like the monsters were just weak.And besides, he was bald. And never even tried to act cool.
Other heroes had flair—flashy moves, epic battle scenes, something to raise their "coolness level." But Saitama? Nothing.No drama, no posing, no style.How was anyone supposed to think he was strong?
A few days passed, and Electronic Tentacle still hadn't been defeated.
Some shut-ins tried to gamble on their luck, thinking maybe if they just played a little it would be fine. But no—the creature somehow sensed it every time. The moment anyone touched a game, any kind of game, it found them.
And they vanished.
Gradually, gaming itself became a forbidden zone. Studios began shutting down, developers went bankrupt… The whole industry was collapsing.
"..."
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