The ramen shop customers had already backed against the walls, staring at him with a mixture of fear and anticipation.
Zeke cleared his throat. The steady roar of the King Engine echoed in the room, adding a natural weight to his presence.
"There's no need to panic," he said in a low, calm voice that carried across the restaurant. "This monster has lost her ability to fight. As a hero, it is my duty to bring her back to the Association for justice."
The moment his words landed, the room erupted in cheers and applause.
"As expected of King-sama!"
"So cool! He's even taking the monster alive!"
"Quick, get a picture! This is a front-page exclusive!"
With an expression of calm authority, Zeke walked toward Mosquito Girl, though his heart was racing.
He knelt beside her and studied the once fearsome monster who had given Genos such a hard time.
Mosquito Girl stirred faintly, her blood-red eyes fluttering open. When she saw the face above her, her pupils shrank in horror.
"K… King…" Her shattered wings trembled violently. Her voice, barely more than a whisper, was filled with dread. "D-Don't kill me…"
Clearly, as a top-tier combatant from the House of Evolution, she had heard of King's terrifying reputation.
Ding! Detected intense fear from Demon-level monster Mosquito Girl. Intimidation Points +200!
Zeke's heart leapt with joy at the system prompt.
A perfect start!
Putting on a grim expression, he reached out and gripped her slender neck, lifting her up with one hand.
Gasps rang out all around.
"Relax. I won't kill you," Zeke whispered just loud enough for Mosquito Girl to hear. "But you need to cooperate. Understand?"
Mosquito Girl gave a faint nod, her long lashes wet with beads of blood.
Zeke could feel her trembling in his grasp. Holding a once-powerful creature completely in his control sent a thrill through him.
"Everyone, please step aside."
Holding Mosquito Girl in his arms, Zeke stood up. The King Engine rumbled steadily, and the surrounding onlookers instinctively cleared a path.
"The Hero Association has special containment facilities for this kind of situation."
As he walked out of the ramen shop, the golden glow of sunset bathed him and the weakened monster in its light.
Zeke looked down at the barely breathing Mosquito Girl in his arms and allowed a small, subtle smile to tug at the corner of his lips.
"This… is quite the jackpot."
........
Zeke, of course, didn't take Mosquito Girl to the Hero Association.
Was he crazy?
Handing over a freshly acquired "XP bundle" and potential research subject just like that?
No way.
Avoiding crowded main roads, he weaved through quiet back alleys.
Eventually, he reached King's upscale apartment complex in M City.
Fingerprint scanned, and the heavy alloy door slid open silently.
Inside was a typical bachelor's setup, but it was unexpectedly clean and spacious.
The living room's most eye-catching feature was the giant wall-sized screen, surrounded by high-end audio equipment and gaming consoles.
The corners of the room were stacked with limited-edition figures and piles of game discs.
Thanks to the generous monthly salaries based on hero rankings, King—ranked seventh among the S-class heroes—was living comfortably at the top. He didn't have to worry about money at all.
Carefully closing the alloy door behind him, Zeke finally let out a long breath.
He leaned back against the cool metal and looked down at the unconscious but still-breathing Mosquito Girl in his arms.
Her battered, blood-stained body was a stark contrast to the clean and orderly living room.
"Tsk. I can't just leave her like this…" Zeke frowned.
He needed her alive, awake… and afraid.
But letting her lie there all dirty and bloody on the floor clearly wouldn't do.
The next hour and a half taught Zeke what true chaos felt like.
He wasn't a medical professional, nor a biologist. Handling a severely injured monster who looked nearly identical to a human woman proved far more awkward and complicated than he'd imagined.
He found a large plastic basin, filled it with warm water, and rummaged through his things to find some old towels.
Carefully carrying Mosquito Girl into the bathroom, he hesitated for a long time.
Finally, with his eyes mostly shut, he dipped a towel in the water and gently began wiping the blood and grime from her body, avoiding the most gruesome wounds.
He did his best not to look at the more… feminine features.
Still, when his fingers brushed against the cold but supple texture of her skin, his heart skipped. The King Engine nearly roared again.
The whole cleaning process was clumsy and exhausting. He focused on scrubbing away the blood clots and dirt without damaging her already fragile body.
He treated her as delicately as a bomb disposal expert would handle an explosive. By the end, his back was sore, and he was drenched in sweat.
Finally, he wrapped her in a large, dry towel and carefully placed her on the guest room bed.
Then he collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath.
"Damn… That was more tiring than a full day of gaming…"
Though still unconscious, Mosquito Girl now looked much cleaner. The strong stench of blood had faded, and her pale skin shimmered softly in the dim light.
Her facial features were striking — unnaturally beautiful, caught somewhere between a broken weapon and a fallen seductress.
Zeke found himself staring in a daze.
Snapping out of it, he slapped his cheeks hard.
"Zeke, get a grip! Don't be fooled by appearances! She's a demon-level monster! Who knows what she'll do when she recovers?!"
Shoving those strange thoughts aside, he began his next step: securing her.
He dug through the storage closet and pulled out some spare cords — the durable kind.
Working carefully but quickly, he tied her waist and the upper parts of her thighs to the sturdy wooden bed frame, looping several tight knots for safety.
He didn't know how strong she'd be when she recovered, but this was the best he could manage for now.
Once finished, he backed out of the guest room and collapsed onto the living room sofa.
His body was exhausted, but his mind was racing.
"System!" he called silently.
The familiar virtual screen unfolded instantly.
[Intimidation System]
Host: Zeke (King)
Level: 1 (EXP: 0/100)
Attributes: Strength: 7, Agility: 6, Spirit: 5
Skill: King Engine (Skilled: 0/200): Emits real soundwaves when activated. Red aura appears around the user. Intimidation effectiveness increased.
Intimidation Points: 200
Two hundred points — all gained from Mosquito Girl's sheer terror in the ramen shop. A solid start.
Zeke took a deep breath and stared at the interface.
"Leveling up requires 100 EXP, and 1 Intimidation Point equals 1 EXP. If I level up, I'll get 10 free attribute points…"
The temptation was massive.
Ten attribute points meant a huge boost in physical performance — more speed for running away, more strength for punching, or more clarity for decision-making.
But there was another option — investing in his skill.
"King Engine" was currently at the Skilled level. It would take exactly 200 points to reach the next rank.
From the system notes, leveling up the skill had unlocked soundwave effects.
In the ramen shop earlier, hadn't the soup visibly rippled from the heartbeats?
What if he upgraded it again?
Would it grow stronger? Cover a wider area?
Could it even inflict psychological effects — like momentary disorientation?
This skill was his signature move — his entire identity as "King." It was also the key to intimidating monsters and earning more points.
Improving it meant enhancing his ability to "bluff" and building a stronger foundation for future growth.
The two options clashed fiercely in Zeke's mind.
Leveling up would raise his base stats, giving him better survival, mobility, and flexibility. It felt more stable.
Upgrading his skill, on the other hand, could make his signature intimidation tactic even more convincing — a better bluff, a stronger deterrent — allowing him to scare off stronger monsters more effectively and harvest more Intimidation Points in return.