I remove "Ren" and just use "king" instead (again for my brain)
Hero Association.
Inside the control room, a sea of tense staffers sat at their stations frantically working while crimson alarms flashed on the giant screen.
"Report! The Dragon-level threat Vaccine Man's energy reading is still climbing—his next strike will probably wipe out the entire M-City!"
"No heroes en route yet? What about the nearby S-Class Heroes!"
"Large numbers of A- and B-Class heroes rushed over minutes ago, but none could last a single round against Vaccine Man; the closest S-Class are still on their way!"
The staff rattled off updates. Sitch, the manager with his somewhat comical big nose, was already drenched in sweat.
If this monster kept rampaging, all of M-City might be obliterated and neighboring cities would suffer massive fallout.
Worse, mishandling this disaster would send the Hero Association's credibility and influence plummeting—an incalculable consequence.
As Sitch panicked, a fresh report made the frantic staffers light up with joy.
"Sir! Interference-blocked satellites finally relayed a blurry image—Mr. King has reached the battlefield and engaged Vaccine Man!"
Hearing this, Sitch's expression sharpened and the boulder in his chest instantly lifted.
The Strongest Man on the Surface of the Earth, KING, was on the job—this was in the bag!
No one had ever actually seen King fight, but the legends were endless; Sitch trusted the mysterious powerhouse almost blindly.
If it's King, he might really save M-City—crap!
A jolt of lethal sense of crisis shot through Vaccine Man; he instantly mustered every ounce of energy inside him.
A sphere of annihilating energy rapidly formed in his mouth and blasted toward the charging King.
It was a sphere condensed at the brink of death, its power peaking.
If it detonated here, the entire district would be erased.
King's eyes narrowed. Even if he took the hit head-on, his body wouldn't suffer much, but everything around him would be obliterated.
He spread his perception and was startled to find thousands of life signs still within several kilometers.
Those survivors were only buried under rubble; if the sphere exploded here, they'd be reduced to ash.
Fine, then…
Abandoning his attack, King flashed beneath the energy sphere.
"Evening Elephant!"
His fists blurred, pounding the air so fast that the atmosphere itself was compressed into visible blasts, sending cannon-like shockwaves skyward.
In seconds, he threw over a hundred punches, carving a near-vacuum as every wisp of air was packed into the assault.
Propelled by the immense impact, the sphere rocketed high into the sky before it could erupt.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!!
In an instant, the heavens changed color; golden light blazed across the horizon, and the shockwave scattered clouds for dozens of kilometers.
Drained, his body visibly shriveled, Vaccine Man stared in disbelief.
"Impossible! You're no human—who are you?! Humans can't possess such power! You're just pollution-spewing vermin! How could you threaten me, the embodiment of Earth's will?!"
King didn't answer. He reappeared before Vaccine Man, a blood-red aura seeping from his skin and wrapping his fist.
A sound like a bursting balloon—and Vaccine Man's head exploded. His massive frame toppled, crashing to the ground.
Green blood drizzled like rain. Feeling the terrifying power still coursing through him, King marveled at his luck.
To have drawn such an insane reward right out of the gate—his battle power had skyrocketed to ridiculous levels.
Judging by how easily he'd handled Vaccine Man, King estimated he was at least high Dragon-level—whether top-tier or merely strong was unclear.
After all, he could warp space with a punch and obliterate Vaccine Man without any side effects.
That kind of performance, even in the One-Punch Man world, was dazzling—barring the obvious outliers.
[Ding! Congratulations on your first victory over a Dragon-Level Monster: random passive skill ×1, stat points +500.]
[Ding! Acquired passive skill: Ultra-Regeneration.]
[Ultra-Regeneration: grants peerless recovery speed. Regrowing a limb is child's play; unless your head is blown off and you lose consciousness, you can regenerate—at the cost of stamina.]
Not bad at all!
Self-healing is a classic power boost, guaranteeing survivability and stamina—one of the most coveted passives.
Wait…
A wild idea suddenly struck King.
Death Gate physique plus ultra-fast healing—couldn't he spam Night Gale infinitely?
Night Gale's power was so immense that, even with his current body, the moment it landed, his own leg would snap.
But with regeneration he'd heal instantly and kick again—how dirty is that?
Just then, a voice echoed across the empty ruins.
"Huh? It's already over?"
That voice… could it be—?!
King turned—and the first thing he saw was a gleaming bald head.
Mustard-yellow bodysuit, white cape, red gloves, and that trademark blank stare.
The truly invincible existence of the One-Punch Man world—the Bald Demon King, Saitama.
Looking at Vaccine Man's headless corpse, Saitama scratched his bald scalp in resignation.
"Meh, someone already finished it—guess I'll head home."
He muttered a couple of disappointed lines, crouched, and prepared for his usual giant leap away.
King, splattered with green blood, stepped up and clapped Saitama on the shoulder.
"Long time no see, Saitama—how've you been lately?"
Saitama: ????
Dude, we're not pals, right?
…