Marvel Entertainment HQ, Midtown
"This is the new comic?"
Andy flipped through the thick stack of sketches in his hand, his tone unreadable. He looked up at Light, skepticism written all over his face.
"A subject that has nothing to do with superheroes, and it's so bloody... are you sure someone will read this?"
He knew how many cartoonists had died trying to break away from the mold. Superheroes were the safe bet. They were the easiest to draw and the most profitable. This... this was a risk.
"Correct," Light replied, unfazed.
He knew exactly what Andy was thinking.
"The two new comics are very eye-catching," Light explained calmly. "Uncle, you should know that the superhero market is full. The success of One Punch Man does not mean that we can just keep using that theme forever."
"Well, you are the boss. You can say anything," Andy sighed, putting the manuscripts down. "I'm just worried that some people will say that you are exhausted. That you're running out of ideas."
"How is it possible?" Light laughed. "Actually, there is still a superhero theme in my mind, but it is not suitable for publishing right now."
Light snorted softly and tapped his temple. "It's all in here."
"That's good," Andy said, looking relieved. "I will print it now, and it will be published tomorrow morning."
It was good to see the kid had confidence.
Andy paused at the door, his expression darkening slightly. "By the way... recently, Manhattan hasn't been peaceful. I heard that the gangsters who died a few days ago were killed by mutants. They were all leftovers, but I heard the gang behind them was a big drug lord. Be careful when you go out."
"Thank you, Uncle Andy, for your concern," Light said.
His eyes flashed as he watched Andy leave.
It had been four days since he killed those gangsters in the alley.
The Loft, Chelsea
Weekly Shonen Jump was a weekly magazine. Tomorrow was the release date for the new issue.
Light sat in his study and called out the System interface.
[Fan Value: 1,000,000+]
The fan value had finally reached the beginning of one million. Light had been hoarding points for days, afraid that if he drew too early, he would just pull another useless item like Saitama's uniform.
But tonight was the night.
"System," Light commanded. "Adjust specifications. Five draws at 100,000. One draw at 500,000."
Strictly speaking, drawing now wasn't optimal. If he waited until tomorrow after the new comics were published, the item pool would expand.
But Light chose to draw now for a reason.
One Punch Man had helped him immensely. The items he could get from the other two upcoming comics—one about bloody violence, the other about girls—might not be as useful for direct combat.
Currently, the pool only contained the first four chapters of One Punch Man. If he waited, the pool would dilute. The chances of getting useful things would shrink.
He started with the five draws of 100,000 Fan Value.
[Congratulations, Host. You received: Saitama's White Cloak.]
"Sure enough," Light muttered. "I used up all my luck last time."
He shook his head and threw the white cloak into the trash without a word. It had no special characteristics, let alone injury reduction. It was just cloth.
[Congratulations, Host. You received: A TV.]
"A TV?" Light stared. "You can pull a TV out of this thing?"
[Congratulations, Host. You received: A Football.]
"Fuck," Light cursed under his breath. "And a football. Is this the ball from that kid with the cleft chin?"
Light threw the football onto the sofa in the living room. Gali, who had been lazing around, immediately sat up, her eyes lighting up as she saw the toy.
"Go on," Light grumbled.
[Congratulations, Host. You received: Vaccine Man Skill Fragment: Energy Ball x1.]
"That's it." Light nodded. Skill fragments were practical.
Just Lv1 was enough to blow up ordinary people. Lv2 would be even stronger.
He equipped the fragment. The text on the blue sphere icon changed from [Lv1] to [Lv2].
[Congratulations, Host. You received: Subterranean King Fragment x1.]
"Subterranean King... hmm."
In Saitama's dream, the Subterranean King was a god-like monster capable of giving him a real fight. In reality, he was just a weakling who got stomped.
"System," Light asked. "How do I use character fragments?"
[Gather ten fragments of the same character to Summon them. The summoned character will be Friendly and Trustworthy towards the Host.] [Signature Items can be summoned with only three fragments.]
"Summoning characters..." Light mused. That was incredible.
Imagining the chaos of Japanese manga characters running around the Marvel Universe made him eager to try it.
But now, it was time for the main event.
The 500,000 Fan Value draw. The probability of getting rare items was five times higher.
Light forced himself to calm down, staring at the lottery interface, his heart in his throat.
[Congratulations to the Host. You obtained: Giant Skill Set.]
[Rewards: "Toughness" Fragment x2, "Monstrous Power" Fragment x1, and "Negative Intelligence" Fragment x1.]
"Hiss!"
Light took a deep breath. He never expected to pull a full suit. But...
"System," Light asked, eyeing the last item. "What does 'Negative Intelligence' mean? Can it really be negative?"
[After taking the potion, the subject, Marugori, stupidly killed his brother due to lowered IQ. Before that, his IQ was normal.]
[Host can choose not to equip it.]
"Nonsense," Light said instantly. "Of course I won't equip that."
He glanced at the living room. Gali was happily kicking the football against the wall.
"Fortunately," he muttered. "If Gali had become stupid after drinking that potion..."
He shook his head. She seemed fine. The potion must have been digested.
Light equipped the [Toughness] and [Monstrous Power] fragments.
Two streams of white light poured into his body. A warm energy flowed through his limbs. He felt his cells activating, power surging through his muscles.
BOOM!
Light punched out of thin air.
A terrifying force exploded in midair. A shockwave rushed from his fist and slammed into the wall.
A large hole was punched directly through the plaster and brick, with web-like cracks spreading in all directions.
Gali, who was playing with the ball, glanced at the study. She silently put down the football and went back to eating snacks.
"Yah, yah, yah... looks like it needs to be renovated." Light scratched his head, not annoyed in the slightest. Money wasn't a problem anymore.
He smiled happily. As expected of a Dragon-Level disaster. Even [Monstrous Power Lv1] was this terrifying.
Dududu.
His phone rang.
"Hey, is it Light?" Peter Parker's joyous voice came through the speaker. "Today is the New York Carnival Parade. Will you come?"
Peter, who had just come out of the tragedy of Uncle Ben's death, sounded like he needed a smile to fill his heart.
"Good," Light said. "I'll be there."
After hanging up, Light looked down. Gali was staring at him with big, watery eyes.
He smiled bitterly. "Okay, okay. I'll take you."
"Hehehehe."
Gali immediately picked up her small purple backpack—filled to the brim with snacks—and ran to the door, beckoning him to hurry.
Light sighed.