The violent "scrap metal demolition" went on for a full ten minutes.
By the time it ended, the massive steel monster was twisted and shattered beyond recognition—like a mangled pretzel. Saitama, looking bored, clapped his hands and tossed it aside like trash.
The hundred-ton heap of scrap crashed to the ground, shaking the earth.
[ Ding! Congratulations, Saitama, for completing the main storyline mission. Progress: 100%. Rewards will be issued upon returning. You may remain in this world for 24 more hours. Stay? ]
The system notification finally rang in his ears.
So it seemed killing Obadiah Stane was the last requirement to fully complete the main storyline.
"Let's go back… I'm kinda tired. I want to take a bath and rest. Stark, I'm heading out—see you next time!"
Yawning, Saitama turned to leave. Two days of running around with Barton, followed by beating up scrap metal… and on top of that, he hadn't eaten much.
Stark and Pepper were still frozen, replaying the scene of Stane's utter humiliation in their minds.
It wasn't until Saitama's figure shimmered and faded away that Stark snapped out of it.
"He's gone?! Saitama… is he even human? That's… too strong!" Pepper gasped, covering her mouth in awe.
"Pepper! Forget everything that happened today! That's an order from your boss!"
Stark's brows knitted as he spoke without hesitation.
He had decided—he must push the Mark armor upgrade plan forward, and not just to Mark VIII. No, not until Mark X before showing off again! Otherwise…
One glance at the pile of twisted metal in the ruins sent a chill straight down his spine.
…
[ Ding! Congratulations, main mission completion rate 100%. High probability of receiving S-grade reward, chance for SS-grade, small chance for SSS-grade. Draw reward now? ]
[ Ding! Congratulations on completing "Save Yinsen." Mysterious reward incoming… ]
[ Ding! Congratulations on completing "Burger King" title. Special reward incoming… ]
Items appeared in Saitama's consciousness space.
——————
Item: Perfect-Grade Enhancement Scroll ×1
Grade: S
Description: Mysterious reward from side mission [Save Yinsen]. A scroll from another dimension that can enhance items at or below its grade.
Effect: Increases target item's grade by +1. Being perfect-grade, success rate is greatly increased.
——————
Item: Iron Man 2 Family Movie Ticket
Grade: C
Description: Special reward from side mission [Burger King]. A ticket to watch as a family.
Effect: Allows early preview of Iron Man 2's original events. Note: The host's presence may cause slight changes to Iron Man 2's plot.
——————
Item: Super Burger ×5
Grade: None
Description: Special reward from side mission [Burger King]. Super burgers from the Big Burger shop in the Iron Man 1 world. Deliciousness: full marks. Shelf life: 1 day at room temperature.
Effect: Eat one if you're hungry.
"Gulp… Super burgers? Nice! I gotta bring these back for Genos to try—they're seriously tasty!"
Saitama's eyes lit up. The flavor of the super burger was on par with his favorite ramen and egg over rice. As for the other two rewards… the salted-fish hero barely paid them any mind.
[ Honored Host, begin main mission reward draw? ]
"Oh right, the lottery! Draw, draw, draw—let's see what I get!"
Saitama was always up for testing his luck.
The main mission had taken a fair bit of effort. His last big reward—S-minus-grade Vibranium—had been great, so this one had to be even better.
[ Ding~~ Drawing begins… ]
A massive spinning reward panel appeared in front of him, filled with colorful items—fruits, swords, even giant robots. They all looked pretty impressive.
[ Ding! Congratulations, you've obtained rare item—Arc Reactor ]
Item: Mark IV Arc Reactor
Grade: SS
Description: The most advanced version of the reactor, created by Tony Stark in the Marvel world. Powered by palladium with no radiation, classified as Tier-2 clean energy in the galactic scale. Surpasses current One Punch world technology by 70 years (though One Punch world's biotech is stronger, its mechanical tech is top-tier).
Effect: Produces over 100 billion joules of plasma energy per second; daily power output can supply all of Z-City's yearly electricity needs.
"Hss—"
Saitama sucked in a breath.
He didn't understand what a Mark IV or palladium was, but the last line made perfect sense:
"One day's power enough for Z-City for a year."
Which meant…
No more worrying about electricity bills?! Hahahaha!!
The darkness of dimensional travel was brief. Light returned in an instant.
"I'm back!"
In the One Punch world, a bald head popped out of the black portal in Child Emperor's private lab.
Inside the lab, only Fubuki was waiting for Saitama. She hadn't slept well for several days, and faint dark circles had appeared under her eyes.
"You're back? Have you eaten yet?"
Like a little wife waiting at home, a hint of joy appeared on Fubuki's pretty face.
"No, but I brought you guys some super burgers. Where are those two kids?"
Casually finding a seat, Saitama placed the five super burgers he had brought on the table. He picked one up and bit into it, speaking with his mouth full, "Want to try it? Tastes pretty good."
"There seems to be some trouble over with the S-Class heroes. Tatsumaki and Child Emperor just went over. Should we go too?" Fubuki took a burger, taking small bites while sneaking glances at Saitama.
"No monsters?" Saitama asked.
"No."
"Then I'm going home."
Yawning, Saitama continued eating without a care. He had no interest in battles between professional heroes.
Just as he was about to leave the lab, Fubuki's collar-mounted mini-communicator lit up. It was Tatsumaki's voice.
"Has Saitama come back yet? If he has, tell him to get over here. Genos is having some trouble."
"Genos? What happened to him?" Saitama frowned slightly.
…
Z-City, Hero Association branch.
A place normally quiet and empty was now packed with professional heroes and media from all over, some even rushing in from headquarters.
The reason? A rare battle between S-Class heroes was about to take place!
In the training area, a large square ring stood at the center, surrounded by rows of professional heroes. Bright spotlights illuminated the figure at the center—a tall, elegant man in a fitted suit: Sweet Mask.
"I heard Sweet Mask passed the Association's S-Class promotion test yesterday!"
"Not just that—he immediately opened a points challenge before his seat even got warm!"
"He's so cool! Sweet Mask, I love you!"
"Only Sweet Mask would dare to do this. This is what a real S-Class hero looks like~!"
The crowd erupted in cheers.
The Points Challenge was a special privilege of S-Class heroes, allowing them to challenge higher-ranked heroes. Winning would earn them half of their opponent's points and their ranking. Losing… meant dropping to A-Class or lower, and being banned from S-Class promotions for five years.
"I'm honored you could all attend my points challenge. Even in S-Class, there's plenty of trash. I'll just have to clean them up myself."
Sweet Mask smiled under the lights, drawing another wave of adoration from fans and reporters.
Before his promotion, there were only 18 S-Class heroes (including the newly promoted Fubuki). With Sweet Mask joining, the former A-Class gatekeeper was gone, and the number of S-Class heroes jumped to 28 overnight.
"Sweetie-baby sure is brave, starting a points challenge right away~~"
Puri-Puri Prisoner, huge and muscular despite wearing prison clothes and speaking with a dainty lilt, muttered to himself.
"Tch! Idiot. He really thinks he's something? Even among S-Class, there's a huge gap between rookies and veterans. He shouldn't think he's another freak like Fubuki."
Metal Bat, holding his bat and wearing a flat expression, scoffed from the side.
Genos, Atomic Samurai, and even Tatsumaki were all present—after all, it had been years since an S-Class points challenge had been seen.
Sweet Mask's gaze swept across the crowd and paused on Genos, the corner of his mouth curling in amusement before he lifted a finger toward Puri-Puri Prisoner.
"Let's start with the weakest. S-Class rank 17: Puri-Puri Prisoner. Total points: 187. Pathetic. Even trash this weak can be an S-Class hero?"
Puri-Puri Prisoner's smile vanished. Cracking his neck with a series of pops, he grinned, "Starting with me? Guess I should feel honored. Time to correct your mistaken ideas."
"Take down that arrogant guy! Show him what respect for seniors means!"
"Crush him, Prisoner!"
"Sweet Mask, don't get too cocky!"
Some professional heroes shouted in support of the prisoner.
Muscles bulged under the tight prison uniform, and Puri-Puri Prisoner's huge frame exuded pressure as he threw a heavy punch.
Whoosh—
The fist missed by a hair, the wind from it whipping past Sweet Mask's cheek and kicking up a rush of air that rattled the ground.
"So fast!"
From the sidelines, Genos's cybernetic eyes flashed, data streams pouring through his vision. "Sweet Mask's speed and strength… both surpass Puri-Puri Prisoner's? I didn't expect the A-Class gatekeeper to be this strong!"
Thud!
Seizing the moment when the punch's momentum was spent, Sweet Mask slipped into his opponent's guard and drove a brutal knee strike forward.
Crack—crack—crack—
The bear-like muscles on the prisoner's back twisted, and the sound of bone breaking echoed.
His body stiffened, pupils dilating as the impact robbed him of consciousness instantly.
With a heavy crash, he fell to the floor!
(End of Chapter)
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