Genos thought he had misheard.
Teacher said he was too weak?
If Saitama-sensei—the man who obliterated the Mosquito Girl with a single slap—claimed he was weak… then what was Genos supposed to be?
A malfunctioning tin can?
He still remembered that day clearly—the Mosquito Girl had nearly forced him to self-destruct. And then, out of nowhere, Saitama appeared and ended the fight with one effortless swing.
Such overwhelming power… yet Saitama was calling himself weak?
"No!" Genos clenched his fists tightly, his mechanical eyes flashing. "It's not that Sensei is weak… it's that the Master is too strong!"
He turned his gaze toward Fenric, who had already walked over to Skynet's workstation.
Fenric frowned when he saw her tinkering with a pile of mechanical parts. "Skynet, where did these come from?"
"Brother, you're back!" Skynet looked up with a smile and pointed toward Genos. "I took them from him."
"..."
Fenric's expression darkened.
No wonder Genos had been walking strangely earlier, his movements stiff and awkward—like a malfunctioning robot.
It turned out Skynet had removed his parts.
"Naughty girl," Fenric sighed, his tone carrying a touch of reprimand. "Why are you disassembling Genos without permission?"
Skynet quickly bowed her head. "I… I just wanted to help! Genos said he wanted to become stronger, so I was checking if I could upgrade him."
Just then, Saitama and Genos entered the room.
Genos immediately spoke up, "It's true, Master. Please don't blame Miss Skynet."
Fenric rubbed his temples. "Fine… since you're not angry, I'll let it go."
He turned to Skynet again. "So, did you discover anything useful?"
Skynet nodded earnestly. "Genos's mechanical body contains many advanced technologies—far beyond anything I've seen. I can't upgrade him yet, but studying his systems gave me lots of inspiration. With these insights, I think I can enhance my own body. And maybe one day…" she looked up with a spark of determination, "…I can fight alongside you, Brother."
Fenric blinked in surprise. Even Saitama raised his eyebrows slightly.
He had just realized—this girl, Fenric's "sister," was also a cyborg?
"Not bad," Fenric said with a smile. "You've grown a lot."
Skynet grinned proudly. "But… I'll need a lot of materials to complete the upgrade."
"Oh?" Fenric asked, "What kind of materials?"
Skynet handed him a long list filled with complex names—none of which Fenric recognized.
Before he could respond, Genos spoke up, "Some of these parts are available at Dr. Kuseno's lab. I can return to him and collect them for Miss Skynet."
"That would help a lot," Fenric said. "If you need funds, tell Dr. Kuseno to contact me directly."
Genos bowed slightly. "Understood."
Without wasting another second, the cyborg turned on his heel and left.
Once Genos was gone, Fenric gestured for Saitama to follow him into the study.
"Teacher, what's up?" Saitama asked curiously.
"There's something I need you to handle," Fenric said seriously.
Instantly, Saitama straightened his posture, his face solemn. "Yes, teacher! Please give your orders."
Fenric nodded. "Saitama, do you remember where you lived three years ago?"
"Three years ago?" Saitama blinked, thinking. "You mean my old apartment?"
"Probably." Fenric tilted his head slightly. The original plot hadn't exactly specified whether that tiny house was rented or owned.
Saitama nodded. "Of course I remember!"
Fenric smiled faintly. "Good. Tomorrow, you'll take me there."
Saitama scratched his cheek, confused. "Teacher, is there something important there?"
Fenric's gaze sharpened. "Yes."
He folded his arms and continued in a serious tone, "Saitama, have you heard of the Monster Association?"
Saitama blinked. "The… what?"
Fenric sighed inwardly. As expected of him.
Saitama only cared about supermarket discounts, not existential threats to humanity.
"Recently, a surge of powerful monsters has been attacking human cities," Fenric explained patiently. "Many have already fallen. These monsters all originate from the same organization—the Monster Association. The giant centipede I killed three years ago was one of their members."
Saitama's expression grew more serious. "So, they're behind it all?"
"Exactly." Fenric nodded. "Monsters hate humans. To them, we're nothing but prey. And the Monster Association… is their nest."
That was all Saitama needed to hear. His fists clenched automatically.
"The Monster Association should be wiped out!"
Fenric smiled approvingly. "That's why I'm assigning you this mission—to eliminate them."
Saitama's eyes lit up instantly.
He was, at heart, a hero. And now that he was officially an S-Class hero, a mission like this made his blood boil with excitement.
"Don't worry, teacher! Once I find their base, I'll crush them all!"
Fenric nodded approvingly. "Good. According to my intel, their headquarters is hidden beneath the very house you used to live in."
"Eh? Beneath my house?"
"That's right," Fenric said calmly. "Tomorrow, we'll go together. I'll observe how much you've grown."
In truth, Fenric had no intention of fighting the Monster King himself.
Why waste the effort when he had the perfect battle maniac at his disposal?
Saitama would fight, exhaust, and—ideally—obliterate the Monster King. Then Fenric would step in at the end and finish the job, claiming the victory for himself.
After all, the system task only said kill the monster—not do it alone.
It wasn't cheating. It was… strategy.
And when Boros, the "Overlord of the Universe," eventually descended, Fenric had a similar plan.
Let Saitama go first, drain the alien's immense regeneration, then strike the killing blow himself.
Why risk a direct battle when you can harvest the results?
Effortless victory—perfect efficiency~
…
That evening.
Genos returned with a massive package of mechanical parts and rare materials.
The moment Skynet saw them, her eyes gleamed with excitement. She immediately carried them off to her room, muttering about "optimization algorithms" and "power output ratios," completely forgetting about dinner.
Fenric could only shake his head helplessly.
"Skynet, take it easy! Don't destroy the house," he called after her.
"I know, Brother! You can go eat!" she replied without looking back.
Fenric sighed as he watched her go. "She's becoming more and more human…"
He smiled faintly.
Maybe after she finishes upgrading, I should give her a new name—a human one.