Chapter 18: Dragon-Level Combat Power
Hearing that spirited shout from outside, Kenji's heart sank to rock bottom.
Crap. He's really stuck to me now.
With no other choice, Kenji opened the door and waved to Genos, who was standing stiffly outside.
"Come in and sit for a bit."
He didn't try to chase Genos away. He knew that this guy, whose brain was seemingly made of screws and bolts, couldn't understand human subtlety. If Kenji tried to drive him off, Genos would just interpret it as a "test" and come back five times, ten times, maybe endlessly.
Kenji knew he had been tagged by this mechanical piece of chewing gum. He had no choice but to accept it.
"Yes! Sensei!"
Genos shouted excitedly. He hoisted the massive pile of gifts in his hands and stepped into the apartment with reverence.
So this is King-sensei's abode...
The design was grand and magnificent. The apartment was spacious and bright, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the city—a view that suggested a being who stood above the masses.
The only flaw in this perfection was the floor, which was littered with empty bottles and cans. Most were beverage containers; the actual smelly trash seemed to have been disposed of already.
Kenji's mouth twitched. He had forgotten to clean up.
He always threw away food waste that might rot or smell immediately, but he had a bad habit of leaving non-smelly bottles and cans lying around because they didn't take up much space.
However, when Kenji looked at Genos, he was stunned.
Genos's mechanical eyes were shining with intense brightness. He excitedly pulled a notebook and pen from his pocket and began scribbling furiously.
"As expected of King-sensei's supreme state of mind! To think you have such profound insights regarding housing and layout... I have learned so much!"
Kenji almost lost his composure. You just got here and you're already starting with this? What the hell!
He really wanted to know what "profound insights" his messy, average apartment layout offered.
While Genos was writing like a madman, Kenji used his immense speed to flicker behind him and peek at the notebook.
[King-sensei's room layout: Within a design that can only be called perfectly domineering, he deliberately retains flawed items like bottles and cans. This symbolizes that no matter is truly perfect; everything exists with a flaw. This profound dissection of the rules of the world is also the ultimate understanding of the path to becoming strong!!]
Kenji: "......"
As long as you're happy, I guess.
Just as Kenji was wondering if there was any hope of fixing this guy's mechanical brain, Genos finished writing and closed the notebook.
Seeming to remember something, he arranged the various gift boxes he had brought on the table and spoke with utmost seriousness:
"King-sensei, I know this sudden visit is abrupt. Dr. Kuseno gave me funds to purchase some gifts to pay my respects. Please take a look at the inventory list!"
Finally, it was Kenji's turn to smile. He patted Genos on the shoulder and took the list with a chuckle.
"Oh, you really didn't have to. You came to visit, why bring gi—"
The moment he saw the items on the list, Kenji's smile froze. Then, he laughed out of sheer disbelief.
[Supreme Vitality Pills x10]
[One-Night Emperor (Golden Gun Formula) x10]
[Honeyed Energy Boluses x10]
[Kidney Fortifier Pills x10]
[Essence Solidifying Tablets x10]
[Indian God Oil x5]
Why are they all for male enhancement and kidney function, you bastard?!
Seeing the annoyance rising in Kenji's eyes, Genos began to explain with a straight face:
"It is like this, King-sensei. The Doctor gave me ample funds and told me to buy gifts you might need. According to big data analysis, for an adult male of your age, 75% of recommendations point toward these nutritional supplements."
Kenji looked up. Genos immediately sat up straight, his golden mechanical eyes staring unblinkingly at him, as if waiting for his master to speak some words of wisdom.
A suffocating silence filled the room. The two stared at each other.
Location: Saitama's Apartment
"Huh? King, you're really giving all this to me? These things aren't cheap, right?"
Saitama's eyes were perfectly round circles of shock.
A few minutes ago, he had received a text from Kenji saying he was coming over to play games. Saitama had set up the console early, ready for a battle.
But the moment Kenji walked in, he was carrying bags of gifts big and small. He had even brought a moving... robot?
Kenji waved his hand with a smile, completely ignoring Saitama's confused look, and pushed all the gifts toward him.
"It's not much. The total value is only around one million Yen. Just take it."
"HOW MUCH?!!"
Saitama's face transformed instantly. His simple "egg" face shifted into a sharp, handsome, "Serious Mode" art style. He gripped Kenji's hands tightly.
"I knew we were best friends. Let's play video games together for the rest of our lives, King."
One million Yen. That was equivalent to 500 boxes of premium beef. It was wealth the old Saitama wouldn't have dared to dream of.
Standing to the side, Genos listened to their conversation, nodded thoughtfully, and quickly pulled out his notebook to record it.
What the hell are you recording now?!
Seeing Genos taking notes again, Kenji gave up.
After a brief chat, Saitama dumped the expensive "supplements" onto the sofa and sat down in front of the TV with Kenji.
While selecting his character, Saitama asked a question casually, though there was a hint of curiosity in his tone:
"By the way, King, did you do something? I feel like your aura is slowly getting stronger. Did you actually eat those 'Supreme Vitality Pills'?"
"Screw off. I'm not weak enough to need that stuff."
Kenji laughed and cursed back. However, Saitama's perception was accurate. Kenji was indeed getting stronger at a steady pace.
This was thanks to the two special items he had obtained from the previous system choice: [Taijutsu Auto-Training Card].
[Taijutsu Auto-Training Card: Upon use, you will receive a continuous stream of attribute increases for 24 hours. Estimated gain: +500 points to each attribute.]
If he used both cards, Kenji's stats would increase by a total of 5,000 points (1,000 points per attribute across 5 categories).
In the System's power scaling, reaching 1,000 points in all attributes was the threshold for entering the Dragon Level.
In other words, these two Auto-Training Cards were equivalent to adding an entire Dragon-level entity's worth of power directly to his body.