A trembling cart was sent off at high speed by two men in an attempt to outspeed the monsters that continued to follow them. The two men, with bullets of sweat and streams of tears dripping down their chins, grit their teeth as they looked forward with nearly paralyzed bodies.

"My children…my wife…Dammit, I 'm too young for this bullshit!"

"One of those monsters could probably destroy a small village. Two could destroy a town. Now, we've got our hands full with three. Three danger beasts. Our luck couldn't get any worse, I swear."

"Like I want to know that! I just want to go home, where everything's safe and my kids ar-"

An exceptionally large, flying dragon with crystal-like scales and golden eyes blocked the way of their horses. The dragon was roughly as large as a large house. A massive, segmented creature that resembled a bug and a winged dark scaled wyvern surrounded the three. The creatures, or danger beasts as they would like to call them, roared in unison, prompting the two men to cover their ears.

"We're done for good with this situation. Still…" one of the men stepped down from the wagon and unsheathed his sword for a final attempt to struggle. "Try to find a way into the woods. Maybe you could escape this. I've got myself cornered in hundreds of situations like these before, but I seem to be capable of muddling through."

"But…even you couldn't take on three by yourself…" the other man jumped out of the wagon.

"If this be my last stand…then so be it. My family's gone anyway. Might as well join them" the old man said as he smiled at his colleague. The man shed a tear before running to the forest.

As the man ran through the thick foliage of the forest, a branch made him trip.

"Shit, my ankle's sprained" he exclaimed as he winced in pain. However, he powered through the pain and, though shaken, stood up.

"I…must not yield!" the man said as he took a few steps before the bug like monster, known as an earth dragon, blocked his way. The man's face wrinkled in anger.

"You damn bastards…" he shouted as he took a knife from his pocket. "You think I'll let you end me right here, right now? Sorry, fella, but I can't let you do that"

The massive claw of the danger beast descended on the man, while the man shouted with all his determination to survive for his loved ones, when a splash of blood covered his face.

"Wha-?" the man noticed the bleeding stub where its arm was previously located. The man looked at the rear of the monster and saw a young man with brown hair and green eyes, and he was clad in a casual outfit consisting of a white shirt topped with a beige sweater and dark trousers. He wore leather gloves and boots and wielded a sword.

"That was a close call for you, sir. That's a first class earth dragon for you, and it sounds upset."

The monster raised its other arm and plunged it to the green eyed man, who swiftly leaped to the air. He looked at the danger beast while suspended mid-air and released a swift barrage of slices.

The man landed to the ground and didn't look at the monster, which bled out from the slices the adolescent made. It was as if the boy had come straight out of a shonen manga.

"And it's done" the man said before turning to face the man with a wide grin showcasing his innocent smile. "Are you okay, sir?"

"Sir, thank you for saving me!" the man wept with joy as he, in intense gratitude, burrowed his head to the ground.

"Ah, well then please remember! Soon, you'll be hearing the name 'Tatsumi' echo from the walls of the Imperial capital for generations-"

"Sir, that is not the time for that right now! I beg of you to help my comrade."

"Your comrade?"

"Yes, he was in some trouble somewhere in the south of the forest."

"Oh, then he's probably safe now."

"Wh-what?"

"I'm sure he's safe. After all…" Tatsumi looked at the south part of the forest, where what seems like a massive explosion took place. "He's there."

000

"Gotcha!" the man said as he slashed the wyvern's wing with his sword. However, the other, much larger and more powerful dragon lashed its tail to the man's body.

"I guess this is it, then…" the man thought as he coughed out blood. He was thrown meters across his original position. If he were to land or to hit a tree, his bones would be broken, his organs would fail, he might die.

However, he suddenly felt his body stop. It was as if his back was cushioned by something rubbery, while he saw a white cloth waving from behind. The man was surely saved from the impact to the ground or the tree, but the attack broke his ribs. Due to his weak and fragile body, he felt his consciousness slipping. Before he could allow it to overwhelm him, he took one look at the man who saved him. What was revealed was a face. It was average, simple, normal. He was anything but outstanding to the ordinary man. However, to the old man, what he saw was the face of a savior. The bored messiah. The caped baldy.

"Who…no, nevermind. Thank you…" he said before falling to his slumber. The bald man laid the man under a nearby tree. "Well, you did your best I guess."

He stood up and faced the wyvern. "Another monster, huh. This one looks a lot tougher than the ones before, though they're nowhere near the ones in my place. Oh well." The wyvern grunted and roared. The bald man placed his pinky finger down his ear as he stared at the danger beast's attempt at scaring him. The danger beast, bewildered by the man's continuous walking towards him and, inadvertently standing its ground, decided it's best not to mingle with the fearless man.

However, the dragon danger beast did not like it. The dragon beast was primarily a dominant creature. Its massive size was unrivaled in the region of the forest. It lead the other danger beasts in the forest, ate the younglings and the weaker creatures, and soared in the sky as the apex predator. Why would it be scared of someone with a chrome dome? The beast roared in anger as it approached the caped baldy at high speed. The bald man looked at it, unimpressed. Noticing this, the dragon evolved itself. Frills grew from its neck. Two larger wings were added to its back. Its tail was now club-like. The danger beast's mouth revealed three more layers of teeth, and two eyes grew from its long head. The growl it made was much deeper, and its golden slit eyes became crimson. Truly, it was what you would call a monster. However…all it took was…

ONE PUNCH

The punch was so strong that the entire head of the danger beast was utterly crushed. The shockwave of the punch not only scattered the flesh of the monster's head throughout 500 meters of the forest, but it also bent some the trees in its direction to a degree while some were completely uprooted and broken.

"I see. So it's still the same. Dammit" the man grit his teeth as his face crumpled in irritation.

Even if the world was different from his own, he at least wanted to meet something different. Something that could take his own attacks. Something that's strong.

"Saitama! Hey!" Tatsumi said as he ran to the hero. The man who followed Tatsumi stopped and gazed at the scene filled with the red hodgepodge which previously represented the power of an apex predator. The man could spout no word.

"Aw, you took my kill" Tatsumi shouted as he looked at the beast's corpse. "The guys there could've gotten my popularity higher, too."

"Well, you were far away. Plus, neither of us realized only one would follow the other guy."

"Hmm, you were correct on that. Ah, there's the guy we saved!" Tatsumi pointed to the man.

"Umm, sir, if I could ask…" the man worriedly looked at his surroundings. "Where might my colleague be?"

"Ah, there he is, sleeping like a rock." Saitama lousily pointed to the fellow resting under the tree. "He might've broken some bones. You should look after him."

"Ah!" the man, teary eyed, ran to his partner as he stripped himself of his jacket and used it to as a tourniquet on his chest. "You're okay, old man!"

"Ah, shaddup" the old man, with his eyes still closed, woke in pain when his partner tightened the tourniquet. "Didn't I tell you I could muddle through?"

"Still, that was too reckless. Your ribs are probably broken now. This'll take more than a week."

"Make that more than a month. With my age, my body's getting more fragile each day. Hell, I think some of my injuries today won't even heal completely"

"Don't say that" the man said with an annoyed smile. The old man laughed.

"Still, I think it's time I went and hung up my boots now. This is probably my closest encounter with death for a while."

"Hah, no shit. It took a miracle for you to actually surviving."

"Speaking of miracles…thank you" the old man looked at Saitama, who still wore the deadpan expression on his face. "Your presence and strength completely overwhelmed the danger beasts. If it weren't for you, I would have accepted my death right then and there."

"Oh, it's fine. It's just a hobby, anyway. Well, it was."

"A hobby?" both men said in unison.

"Yeah, I'm Saitama, a professional hero in the hero association."

"Hero…association…"

The two men thought and thought whether that organization was of the Imperial capital's or another nation's, but to no avail.

"Sorry, but we don't know any association for 'heroes'."

"I see."

"That's because Saitama's not from here."

"Wh-what do you mean by that, sir?"

"Yeah. I'm not saying that Saitama's not from this region. I'm saying he's not from this world."

"Eh? What made you say that?" Though both were in shock, the old man rested himself on the tree, while the younger colleague asked.

"Well, when we first met somewhere in the Northern part of the forest, Saitama was walking with no idea where he is. I was protecting another carriage from a danger beast when he came. At first, he asked where he was, despite the intense situation."

"What'd you do?"

"What any normal person would. Call him an idiot and get him to stay out of harm's way. It didn't help though. The danger beast quickly closed the distance between them and…" Tatsumi smiled.

"Let's just say he took care of the situation." Both men looked at Saitama, who picked his nose with a finger.

"Are you okay now?" Saitama asked the man.

"Oh, you can leave us alone now. I believe we got followed by those danger beasts because we advanced too far from our original group. I bet they're looking for us right now."

"I see. We should leave then. See ya." Saitama said as he turned to the direction of the capital and walked.

"W-wait a minute!" the man ran inside the wagon and took out a small chest. "It might not be enough, but…it's our gratitude. Please take it!"

The man opened the chest, revealing five bags of money. He took two and placed them on the hands of his saviors.

"Ah, thanks!" Tatsumi smiled heartily. "I'll be helping you again when I go big in the capital. At last, the dream of every country boy is within my grasp!"

After hearing those words, the man was shaken. "Sir…Please be careful in the capital. Since we're outside the capital, we're a bit more free."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"The danger beasts out here are nothing compared to the people in the capital. Sure, they make it lively, but that place is certainly hiding its stench. They're rotten to the core!"

"I see. Well, that wouldn't stop me anyway. My village needs me. Don't worry, though. As you've seen, I am quite powerful. I can make it there, I swear!" Tatsumi flashed his pearly whites at the man, who returned with a subtle smile. "Goodbye then!"

As the man waved them goodbye, his colleague spoke. "This is unusual."

"What are you talking about?"

"That boy certainly has the capabilities to survive, though his kind heart might be a problem. However, that man…" The old man opened his eye to the direction of the capital, wherein the image of caped baldy's shimmering head could still be seen. "That man is not normal. He's way too strong to be normal."

"Seriously?"

"I witnessed countless people show their potentials. That man is the pinnacle of power. It's like those teigu-wielding fellas we heard rumors of in the inns."

"Perhaps he'll change the Imperial capital with his presence, for better or for worse."

000

"DAMN, THIS IS AWESOME" the country boy known as Tatsumi exclaimed. His backpack of necessities was full. His face was gleaming with excitement. The unfamiliar surrounding made his body rich with adrenaline for success and fame. With the incredible view of prosperity, he was sure his goal was to be done imminently.

"If I just make enough money here, my village won't be losing food for generations. I could even buy my own village!" Tatsumi daydreamed of his imaginary success as a general in the army of the capital.

"Yeah, it seems pretty medieval, alright." Saitama said as he looked at his surroundings.

"Eh? Saitama, you think this is medieval?" Tatsumi widened his eyes at the baldy's bold remarks.

"Yeah. In my place, this would be a perfect setting for a light novel, where a normal boy gets transported to a fantasy world like this one and becomes a hero."

"Wait, wouldn't that be you?"

"Hmm, good point. However, the main characters of those series usually wanted to be transported. I was pretty satisfied with how things were in my world." Saitama held his chin up as he viewed his surroundings. "My world's technology is much superior than this one's."

"Really? How could you say?" The two talked as they walked on the busy streets of the area.

"Well, we've got high speed vehicles for flying, cellphones, satellites, anime, manga, light novels, and the internet."

"Actually, I've got no clue what you're talking about. I've heard of novels, but a novel made of light? I guess it truly is advanced." Tatsumi scratched his head in embarassment.

"Nah, it's not really made of light. It's just…well…a novel for high schoolers I guess?"

"High school?"

"Nevermind."

"Well, Saitama, I should probably start finding the recruitment center now."

"Is that so? Then I might as well find a supermarket here. I am quite hungry now…"

"There you go again with those fancy words." That moment, Tatsumi had an idea. "Then, we'll meet up by that bridge. Whoever's the least successful today will get to treat the other. How's that sound?"

Hmm, this place seems like those weird other world anime I've watched. Well, I don't think I've ever seen a supermarket or deals there.

"Fine. It's a deal" both shook each other's hands and bid a farewell to each other. Just before losing sight of Tatsumi, Saitama noticed him being stalked by a blonde girl with a massive chest.

"Well, it seems he's famous already."

Saitama explored the new environment he was in. The new world truly showed potential. New words, new tastes, new artifact. So many things were different from his world.

"I wish Genos was here." Saitama said while walking through the streets. "It's too troublesome to know this world. I can't ask it to summarize in twenty words, too. Damn."

As he walked, he noticed several people staring at him, yet avoiding his gaze.

"Look, mommy, a weirdo!" a boy with weird clothes said.

"Now, now, child. Don't look at him. You'll get his weirdness." The presumed mother with equally weird clothes said.

"HEY, YOU'RE THE ONES WHO LOOK WEIRD!" Saitama shouted in annoyance. Apparently, shouting back at the people caused quite the commotion, as the lady began to call for help.

"You there." An imperial soldier, whose height and build made him tower everyone, shouted as he approached Saitama. "What were you doing to that lady?"

"What was I doing? They were the ones saying I was a weirdo."

"It doesn't matter. You are disturbing the peace of the public. You're coming with us."

"But I've only been walking ever since I entered the capital!"

"Oh, so you're even from outside the capital, huh? You haven't paid your entrance taxes. With your attitude and your negligence of the law, you'll have to pay dearly. Or else, if you want, we can settle it in a fight, right here, right now-"

"Okay" Saitama muttered as he sent the man flying to the window of another building with the flick of his wrist.

"The soldiers in this place should lessen their hostility." Saitama muttered as the people stood there in disbelief. Apparently, the Imperial soldier had a high rank and status. He was on patrol when the lady cried out.

"Si-Sir Romus is down!" one of the footsoldiers shouted as he initiated the preparation to attack the offender. "For attacking a soldier of the Imperial capital, you are under arrest!"

Crap, I broke a window. How much does that window cost? In any case, it's probably much more than this whole bag of coins. Dammit, I should've been more careful.

"Look, if we could just se-"

"For attacking one of our captains, we will arrest you and have you pay the fine of 100 000 gold coins! If you can't, you'll be executed by the captain's sword."

Now, I really don't think this bag contains enough to pay 100 000 gold coins. Maybe I could work my ass off? No way, they won't let me off this so easily. Then what? What should I do?

"Uhm, maybe we could talk out of this? See, I have enough cash to pay a part of it, but I don't think-"

As he tried to negotiate himself away from the situation, two soldiers supported the captain with a stretcher. The two soldiers stopped by the hand signal of the captain.

"Y-you won't get away…so easily" the man said with a weak voice before coughing. "Arrest him-no, BRING ME HIS HEAD" the man lost his consciousness after delivering his message.

"Yes sir!" the soldiers said before turning their heads back to the caped baldy. However, a strong gust of wind managed to make them cover their eyes.

"Where'd he go?"

"He was here a moment ago"

"Find him!"

The soldiers scattered trying to find the bald man in a yellow jumsuit and a white cape. However, they didn't realize that even if there wasn't a strong wind, they couldn't comprehend the speed he did so.

"Damn, the people here are scary. What they said were right. The danger beasts are nothing compared to them. Plus, there're no supermarkets in s-"

Before completing his sentence, Saitama saw the market of the capital. The market was not only different. The prices were incredibly high, thanks to the recession.

"F-Five hundred gold pieces for a loaf of bread? You've got to be kidding." Saitama said as he glared at the prices of the products. "I want to go home."

000

"In the end, I could only rent a room for myself. I tried finding another market that has some good deals, but I guess there aren't today. Still, I found a good spot to buy some fruits that at least resembled bananas, so that's fine." Saitama sighed as he walked to the rendezvous point. "I wonder what Tatsumi did. I bet he's gotten in the army now. He's got skills, anyways. Ah, there he…is"

Saitama looked at Tatsumi sitting on the side of a bridge when a carriage stopped. A lady with a skyblue dress and blonde hair came outside of her carriage and escorted Tatsumi to it.

"Now, I guess I don't have to pay for the meal." Saitama smiled as he returned to the inn. The inn was part restaurant, so it was quite lively in the evening.

"Good evening, sir!" a girl in the waitress uniform of the restaurant greeted Saitama. She had vermillion, bob-cut hair and a cheery face. "Would you like a table?"

"Ah, just a seat."

"Then is the one near the counter good enough, sir."

"Ah, thanks."

Saitama was escorted by the girl to the counter. Saitama seated himself.

"What would you like, sir?" The girl gave Saitama a menu of items.

…Hmm, these food sound weird. It's like the food from those fancy restaurants that would sell a rice ball for a fortune. Still, though. I don't know anything about the food here.

"Sir, your order?"

"Uhm...just a minute."

"Sir, could it be that you're having a hard time to choose a meal?"

Saitama sighed before relaxing his face. "I guess I am. Sorry, I'm a newcomer to this place and I have absolutely no idea of the food here."

"Oh is that so? Then let me be of service!" the girl exclaimed as she took the card and mentioned some of the items.

"So, we have some great food in the restaurant, all of which our cooked by the cooks fitting the standard of the master of this restaurant. We have fried toads with mushroom herb gravy, Steamed schrofingers, ardevornian fruit, and, our specialty, frog tongue stew. Please choose, tho if I must say…" the girl leaned and whispered to Saitama. "the best one in the list is probably the fried toads with mushroom herb gravy. I'll add some darnuvian stool if you'd like!"

A sweat rolled from Saitama's reflective head.

The girl didn't even describe what they are. Talk about service. Isn't stool also called feces in his world? Perhaps it's a delicacy in this one?

No no no, I shouldn't be choosing. The food she recommended are still too expensive. That's right! Food like these are probably worth my whole bag of coins!

"Uhm, what's your cheapest meal?" Saitama said with an embarassed face.

"Hmm? The cheapest meal, huh…Well…we do have some centipede legs, which makes 10 pieces of silver. Is that good enough?"

"I'll take it then!" Saitama raised his thumb.

"Alright, one plate of centipede legs for the newcomer!" the waitress shouted as she went to the kitchen. Saitama looked at the lively nature of the restaurant.

"Hmm, I wonder if some of these people are staying in this inn."

"Hey, you!" a man shouted before wrapping his hand on Saitama's shoulders. "You seem to be new here, baldy?"

Uh, what a touchy guy.

"What do you want?" Saitama asked with his trademark deadpan expression.

"Not much, really. I just want some, you know." The man began to rub his middle and index fingers with his thumb.

"What?"

"Some dough! Cash! Don't you get it, baldy?" the man pounded his fist on the counter. The slam caught the attention of everyone in the restaurant. "I'm hungry and I want food now."

"Yeah…sorry. I have no money."

"Whaaaat? You come to this restaurant with no money? Are you sure about that?"the man shouted with a cocky voice.

"Hey, hey, he's here again." The waitresses murmured to each other. "It's been the 2nd night now."

"Really? Why was he here?"

"They say he demanded respect as the brother of a high ranking officer in the army."

'The army, again?' Saitama thought.

"Yeah. Don't you know? Ms. Lucia talked back to him in his first night, and do you know what he did? He had her in a dark alley and…and…."

"OH, ladies, don't stop talking!" the man boisterously laughed as he took a mug of beer from a table. "Why stop talking of my glorious acts!"

The waitresses immediately silenced theirselves. The man, irritated at this silence, went to the counter and pointed to a girl.

"You"

"Eh? Me?" the girl pointed to herself with a pitiful expression. "Please don't, sir, I-" the girl shrieked as the man grabbed her by her cheeks.

"I've taken a liking at you." He sniffed her neck with vigor. "Ahhh you smell delicious, too, young lady. I bet the minister would be proud to have you as his meal!"

"Sir, please spare me!" the girl tried to force the massive hands off her, to no avail.

"I'm sorry, miss, but I think I like you as well. I bet I'll feel muuuuch better than that bitch from the other night."

"S-Sir!" The waitress couldn't fend him off. He held her close and licked her flawless cheeks wet.

"Say, want to-" the man suddenly flew through the window of the restaurant and toward the other window of another building.

"Sorry, she was taking my order first." Saitama said as she looked back at the waitress. "Sorry for the trouble, miss."

"Oh, no, I don't really mind." Saitama said as he went back to his seat. "Is the food ready yet, miss?"

"Ah, just a moment, sir." The girl said as her face lit back once more. She entered the kitchen once more.

Damn, two broken windows. I swear, I'm gonna work my ass off to pay all this now. Why should I be so careless?!

As Saitama pondered on how much he's going to pay, the girl arrived with two platters.

"Here you go! Centipede legs and…" the woman leaned once more to her savior and winked. "I'll give you a treat for saving me back there. Have the specialty of this house!"

"Ah, thanks." Saitama gave a small smile before eating the exotic food of the other world. Surprisingly, the food actually tasted good. Saitama stuffed his stomach with the delicacy and decided it was time to go upstairs.

"Thanks for the food. I'll be sleeping now."

"Oh, sir, wait!" the waitress shouted as she faced him. "Thanks for earlier, again."

"No problem. The guy was getting annoying, anyway."

"My name is Kumi, by the way. What's yours?"

"Saitama…" she giggled. "I see. Then, Saitama, I'll see you around!"

She gave her farewell and proceeded with accompanying her customers. Saitama went to the second floor of the room and slept soundly.

000

"Hey, miss." Saitama said to the inn's caretaker, who was reading a book. "Do you have some newspapers? I really need to find a job now to continue paying."

"Oh, certainly." The lady bent down to the desk, took what she was asked of, and brought it to the baldy. Saitama thanked the lady and immediately tried finding the classified ads. The lady realized this so she made a statement.

"Sir, if you're trying to search the classified ads there for a job, I'm afraid it's nonexistent."

"What?"

"The recession struck so hard, nearly every job position is full. You'd be lucky enough to get a blue collar job alone, nowadays."

"…Seriously?" Saitama's brows deepened further. The lady pointed to a nearby wall with several papers plastered on. "I've got to warn you, though. It's just full of criminals and lost people. Better not try."

"I see." Saitama gazed at the section. It was indeed full of papers. Some were wrinkled, others were torn halfway, and others had such a vauge language that Saitama couldn't even make out a word. However, what would catch any person's attention was three large posters. The word 'WANTED' was written above a picture of the respective criminal, while the words 'DEAD OR ALIVE' and their names and bounties were written below. The three wanted posters showed the image of a short haired girl with an eye patch, a girl with long, Hime-style haircut, and a man with chin length hair.

"Hey there!" a voice gained Saitama's attention. The vermillion-haired girl was back. However, she was now wearing a grey sweater that hugged her body well and a beige skirt in place of her waitress uniform.

"Ah, it's you…" Saitama scratched the back of his bald head. "Who are you again?"

"That's just rude!" the girl said as she pouted. "I'm Kumi. KU-M-I"

"Kumi?"

"Yeah, I'm the waitress you just saved last night. Don't you even remember who you save?"

"Nah, not really."

"Geez." The girl sighed. "Well, that's not what I really wanted to do."

"What?"

"I came to help you, dummy" the girl said with a warm smile. "This is the least I could do for saving me."

"I see. First, who're these guys." Saitama pointed to the three posters.

"Oh, they're assassins."

"Oh?"

"They're called Night Raid for what they're known: attacking at night. Usually, they kill the nobles and high ranking people of the empire."

"Is that so?"

"Hmm, are you planning to take them on for the bounty?" the girl said with a laugh.

"Well, maybe I could…"

"I was kidding. You can't." the girl said. "They're too powerful."

"Really?"

"I know. I witnessed it myself. She was like a gust of wind that came and went. After that, the master of the house was cringing in pain on the floor."

"It's weird of you to say that with a smile on your face, though"

"Well, you're right."

"Well, I guess I should find a job now."

"Hmm, I may know a place."

"Woah, really?"

"Yeah. It's just a book shop, but it pays good."

"Good?"

"Yes, enough to at least feed you a day. Plus, I'm the owner's friend, so I could probably ask him to provide you some food and possibly some shelter in the meanwhile."

"Wow, you're a lifesaver. Thanks." Saitama said with a smile.

"We should go to him now. Think of it as introducing you to your boss."

"Alright then."

000

As the two entered a seemingly normal building from the outside, they noticed a rumbling in the corner of the book shop.

"Eh? What was that?" Saitama said as he looked at the dusty desks with several boxes on top.

"He's probably doing something weird again. Lubbock usually does those things when no one's around."

"Yeah, I don't think I wanna know the details."

"Ah, is there a customer?" a voice said as a green haired, wide grinned man with a goat-eyed head accessory on. However, the green hair and outfit of the man made him look more like a frog than a goat.

" Oh, it's just you, Kumi." The man's expression went from gladness to disappointment in less than a blink of an eye. "I thought it was some big breasted girl I could make out with."

"Geez, Lubbock. We've got the guy I was talking about, after all."

"Really? Oh, please take a seat!" Lubbock said as he took a randomly stacked chair from a corner, dusted it off, and placed it in front of his desk. As Saitama seated himself, Lubbock took the boxes off his desk and seated himself.

"Now then." Lubbock leaned his elbows on the desk and held his hands together. He matched his gesture with a serious expression on his face as he looked at Saitama.

"Do you h-"

"Wait a minute."

Lubbock continued to gaze at Saitama. Specifically, he was gazing at Saitama's head, which directly reflected his own image. He continued to stae at it for minutes before heaving a sigh.

"Are you really worth marrying to Kumi?"

"GEEZ, LUBBOCK" Kumi smacked Lubbock to the table furiously. After doing so, she continued to pound on his shoulder.

"Ah, sorry, sorrry. I was kidding, hey!" Lubbock laughed before assuming a more casual seat by crossing his legs.

"Alright, so Kumi says that your name's Saitama, correct?"

"Yeah. I just returned to the capital yesterday."

"Oh, is that so? Where were you from?"

"Actually, I'm not from here."

"An undisclosed origin? How could I know you're not one of those criminals, then?"

"Well, just as I said, I'm not from here. I was from an-"

"Nah, it's too bothersome to know your origin. You're hired!"

"Eh?" Saitama said with an unsatisfied look before getting congratulated by Kumi and his new boss.

This totally isn't like my job interviews. Usually, the job interviews I went through was hell to go through. They kept asking me unnecessary questions like 'what's your plan', 'why should we hire you', things like that. But this…was too easy. This really sounds fishy.

"Wait a minute, isn't it a bit too fast?"

"Not really. Kumi already talked to me about your employment last night. She says you saved her from being violated. Since Kumi's a really close friend of mine, I should at least consider her wishes."

"I see."

"Now that's outta the way, we should get you your clothes. You can't really be running around with that all the time, can you?"

"Yeah…I guess not. Still, my hero suit's comfortable, so I'm keeping it."

"Well, you need to have some clothes at least for living in your house, right?"

"Yeah, I guess a shirt or two is fine."

"Alright then!"

000

"I think this is…a bit too much…"

"No it isn't. On the contrary, it's very needed!" Kumi carried a tower of boxes by herself. "What if I needed new clothes for some party? Plus, my old clothes are quite worn now…"

"Wait, I'm the reason why we're shopping right?"

"Yeah, yeah, your shirt's already bought."

"Still, isn't this too much?"

"Of course it isn't! All girls love clothes. In fact…" Kumi pointed to a nearby cart. If we described the tower she's lifting as a tower, then the one she pointed to was a mountain. "That's too much."

As she pointed to the cart, Saitama noticed a familiar brown haired juvenile.

Tatsumi!

"Ah, could you take what I bought back to my place? I sort of have something to take care of…" Saitama said to Kumi, who had her view completely blocked by the tower of boxes.

"Eh? Talk about chivalry! Do you think it's easy to carry all these?"

"Hmm, good point." Saitama held his chin and quietly analyzed the situation. "Do you have some strings?"

000

"Alright, all done!" Saitama said as he tied the boxes to her body. Saitama gazed at his brilliant idea with a satisfied expression. Kumi, on the other hand, awkwardly stood with her hands straightened and some boxes dangling from it.

"With this, your sight won't be blocked. You can thank me later!"

"Saitama. I don't think this is a good idea."

"Well, all you need to do is bring it back to the book shop, right? This should be enough. I might miss the cart now, so I should get going" Saitama said before running high speed towards the cart, which had already driven a few kilometers away. Fortunately, Saitama's keen sight allowed him to see beyond a normal human's own eyesight.

"Just after I bought him his stuff, he leaves me like this?" Kumi sighed as she walked to Lubbock's place.

000

"…Where am I?" Saitama said as he looked around himself. The sun had set, and the darkness of the forest swallowed everything. The massive trees had prevented the moonlight from entering and getting reflected by the mirror that is Saitama's head. Still, the darkness wasn't an obstruction to Saitama's eyes.

"I think the cart went this way, but I'm not really sure where it went after…"

As Saitama wandered through the forest, he noticed a noise rustling through the leaves of the upper part of the forest.

"Ah" Saitama looked up and saw some beings…humans…leaping from branch to branch, just like the ninjas he watched from his Saturday morning anime.

"Hey, isn't that manager?" Saitama said as a green haired man's image fluttered through the darkness of the night.

Maybe they know the way out of here…I should follow them.

Saitama followed the group from half a kilometer and ran swiftly. As they began to lower their speeds, Saitama turned from running to walking towards a clearing in the forest. In the middle of the forest was some kind of large mansion with several soldiers guarding it. Well, they were guarding it.

"Huh, what a harsh way to die." Saitama said with apathy at the bloody corpses of the people. It's not that he didn't feel bad for them. It's just that he couldn't do anything to reverse the situation.

As he gazed at the surroundings in search of his acquaintance, he noticed a spark near one of the trees. The spark grew brighter and brighter as he noticed it wasn't a spark from a distance but it was a fiery beam sent to specifically incinerate his forehead.

"Got another one." A girl with pink hair tied to twintails said. "These damn soldiers are all over the place. Though I admit it's good target practice for me, it's just way too easy. Even danger beasts are harder to deal with than these guys."

"Well, Mine, you should know those guys don't even have any imperial arms. Of course you'd have the upper hand."

"Shut up, you perv. Don't think I had forgotten of what you just did back at the hideout."

"Oh, c'mooon that was hours ago!"

"Hey, why are you targeting people's foreheads for no reason?" An unfamiliar voice stated behind them. As they turned around, they were greeted by the man known as Saitama.

"A pinch!" At the sight of the baldy, who was supposed to be her target, Mine leaped from the strings Lubbock had strapped as their platforms and fired her pumpkin at full power. The trees were instantly incinerated, but Saitama wasn't there.

"Where did he-"

"Hey manager, Kumi's probably back at the inn right now. Did she give you the things you asked?"

"Wait, you're that bald guy Kumi-chan introduced!"

"That's just rude. Anyway, she's probably done that, so nevermind"

"Hey, wa-" before Lubbock could finish his words, the hero had already run inside the mansion grounds.

"I'll take care of him, Lubbock." Mine said as she aimed at Saitama once more. However, Lubbock held her pumpkin and shook his head.

"No, I don't think the guy's gonna do anything I shouldn't expect. After all, he's an outsider. Let's just be cautious."

"Ah, Tatsumi!" Saitama shouted when the brown haired teen ran towards a guard and the girl from before. Tatsumi continued running, as he was too confused by the happenings in the manor.

"Dammit, why is this happening?" Tatsumi shouted as he cussed some more.

"Tatsumi, cussing won't help. We need to reach the storage before they arrive." The guard shouted back as he desperately kept watch of his master.

"They? Do you mean…"

"Yes. They're…"

Before the man could finish what he says, a dark shadow leapt towards the girl's direction. The dark shadow was so fast, the girl and the man could not comprehend it coming. The man continued running when he noticed blood dripping from his neck. As he saw the blood, a sudden pain overwhelmed him, causing him to convulse and eventually paralyze to the ground. The shadow went on to the girl, who was so powerless she could only cry for help. However, Tatsumi's keen eyesight trained by his adventures against the danger beasts allowed him to repel the blade of the entity. The entity retreated a few meters away to regain its composure.

"What was that?" Tatsumi said as the shadow leaped back and stood on a spot. From a dark, cloudy entity, the firgure slowly formed to show the image of a woman with jet black hair and clad in a black longcoat, collared vest, skirt, and a red tie. However, what seemed to make her distinct from any girl in the streets was her eyes. Her eyes were indeed human, but they gave off a bestial feeling as well. It was predatory. If one were to look at her eyes, they would instantly paralyze in fear, as if they suddenly became prey to a sharp toothed carnivore. Indeed, Tatsumi was warned by his own instincts as he met the crimson red eyes of an assassin in the glowing light of the moon.

"Get out of the way" the woman said as she wielded in her hands what would be known as a Samurai sword or katana to you readers.

"No. No way will I let someone like Aria be killed by the likes of you…you murderers!" Tatsumi shouted defiantly as he held his sword in front.

"Fine. I shall eliminate you." The girl said almost nonchalantly. The two gazed at each other before running and exchanging a couple of swings. Well, most of the swings was from Tatsumi. The assassin parried and dodged the strikes by jumping to the air and lightly stepping on him in order to throw him off balance.

She went forth and scraped Tatsumi's torso, making Aria shriek in fear. However, Tatsumi managed to stand up. "That won't hurt me. I've got the whole village by my side. I wouldn't get killed without fulfilling my promise." The country boy took out some sort of figure representing his people.

"Kill." The assassin said in the same manner as her first line before advancing towards her enemy. Tatsumi tried to reason out why she shouldn't do so through Aria's innocence. Of course, this naïve effort won't affect an experienced assassin. Again, the assassin's speed was too much for Tatsumi. Her blade was already a centimeter near his neck. It's impossible to avoid it.

However, before she could do so, a cloud of dust arrived and covered the area. As the dust subsided, a bald man in a weird suit and a lady with beast-like features were present in the scene.

"That was close. You could have gotten your neck grazed, Tatsumi." Saitama held Tatsumi's vest like he was a plastic bag from the grocery store.

"S-Saitama? Why are you here?" Tatsumi said as Saitama allowed him to stand back on his feet.

"Well, I was going to inform you of the girl that was following you from back when we first entered the Imperial capital, but I guess we speak of the devil." Saitama said with his trademark nonchalance before pointing to the girl with the bestial features. "Though she does look a bit different. Is she in some cosplay?"

"E-eeeeh? She's…She's that boobs girl who swindled me!" Tatsumi said with an air of anger.

"That's right~ I'm the beauty you got for your first time, right?" the girl said before winking at Tatsumi, making him blush.

"I see. Then I shouldn't have bothered following then…" Saitama said as he turned around to leave.

"Wait, that's not true! It's a misunderstanding."

"Ah, oh yeah." Saitama said as he looked back at the girl. "Why are you killing people."

At this statement, Tatsumi looked back at the lady.

"I see. You were talking about innocence, weren't you? Then-" the lady went to the storehouse and punched the doors open, giving everyone the full view of the structure's interior. "Look clearly and don't falter. This is the 'innocence' you speak of."

Everyone's gazes were met by horrifying bodies, scourged, tortured, and torn, hanging from the ceiling just like you would imagine in a livestock slaughterhouse. Corpses aside from the ones on the ceiling were cleanly organized by cages and cells. The putrid smell of the storage was not limited to those of the bodies. No, they also had the scent of chemicals. Poison, to be exact. Some bodies were also laid down on tables, like patients currently in the process of surgery. Beside them are tables with a cloth and various instruments of torture cleanly laid out, just like the scalpel of a surgeon. If one were to see this, it would seem like a morgue of dead gladiators fresh from battle. The wounds on this one, however, were caused by no less the masters of the house. They were experimenting on live specimen.

"These people are also from the countryside. This family use illustrious promises to lure you in, like moths to a flame. After giving good first impressions, they'll torture you and play with your insides for no reason until you're broken. This is the disturbing truth behind all those."

As Tatsumi gazed at the gruesome scene, his eyes widened as he noticed a familiar face. The face of a friend revealed itself to him.

"S-Sayo…" Tatsumi tried to reach out to her. He called her by her name multiple times. It was too late.

"One of your friends, huh." Leone said before walking towards the escaping Aria and grasping her by her head. "Trying to run away, rich girl?"

"They…did this?"

"Didn't you think it was weird? The guards were always speaking in an undertone and were paranoid. That's enough evidence to know that they're just as guilty as these scum."

"Not really. They could have been forced to work, you know?" Saitama interrupted. "That's not really a reasonable way to kill someone."

"…Who's the baldy?"

"OH MY GOD" Saitama, finally breaking down from the taunts since day 1, started to grit his teeth in anger.

"T-Tatsumi…" a voice said from one of the cells. It was Ieyasu, Tatsumi's friend. He was not as battered as their friend, Sayo, but he had sore spots all over his body.

Tatsumi looked at his friend with shock and horror. He, along with his two friends, went to the capital in a desperate effort to help out his poverty-stricken village. Only he remained unscathed.

"That girl…she…she tricked us. We ate dinner one day and the next thing we knew was…was…" Ieyasu said before breaking down in tears. "That girl…that bitch…SHE TORTURED HER TO DEATH"

"My friends had to go through all that…because of you." Tatsumi clenched his fist without looking at the girl.

"Wh-what the hell is wrong with that?" the girl grit her teeth before shoving away the beast lady.

"You're all worthless, pathetic pieces of shit from the countryside, of course I could do anything to you. Shouldn't you consider repaying us with your bodies like that, after all we did for you? We fed you, clothed you, brought you shelter to the cold atmosphere, it's understandable we could do this to you hicks! That girl had the silkiest hair I've ever seen. Shouldn't I be fairer than you filthy livestock? YOU DESERVE TO SUFFER. ESPECIALLY HER-" Before the girl could end her long insult, or worldview in her case, a quick chop to the nape sent her down the ground, done by none other than Saitama.

"These spoiled kids should really be taught a lesson." Saitama looked at Aria, who felt her energy completely drained from her. "Listen. No one really stands above you or anything. Sure, you may have cash, but that's it. If these people actually fought back, and your back hits the wall, wouldn't you be completely overwhelmed?"

"It's no use, baldy." the beast girl stated. "She's a complete monster incapable of changing anymore."

"Really? I don't think so. Sure, she's a spoiled brat, but all she needs is a spanking like all kids do. After that, they won't fight back. I've seen real monsters that lost their humanity. These people are just narcissistic people with power, but still they're people, nonetheless."

"Then, you're in our way" the katana girl said before preparing to slice off the girl.

"Sorry, but I can't let you kill a brat." Saitama noticed Tatsumi walking towards the girl with the intent to kill.

"Wait, you want to kill her too?"

"She deserves it." Tatsumi said before leaping and striking down his short sword, which was easily caught by Saitama's hand.

"Let go, Saitama!"

"What's with you guys? She isn't a monster. She's still human."

"No way will I let her get through with killing my…my friends!" Tatsumi tried to hit Saitama, but Saitama, wanting not to cause any extra expenses to the acquaintance, dodged the strikes.

"This is taking too long. I will eliminate." Akame said as she used her inhuman speed to deal with Saitama with her one-hit-kill sword.

"Wh-what's going on?" the beast girl, Leone, said as she witnessed for the very first time someone dodge Akame's sword without even sweating. "This bald guy's good. He's actually dodging the sword instead of parrying them with his fists. However, Akame looks concentrated in her attacks. Each attack of hers is aiming to at least scrape him. But…up til now, she hasn't taken this long to take on a commoner. Is he even a commoner? What is going on? No, wait."

As she concentrated more on Saitama, she began to realize a horrifying fact. Her instincts were all heightened and alert, as if she was on the verge of falling to oblivion. That power wasn't even directed to her, and yet it managed to make her paralyzed right on the spot. There was no way he could be a commoner.

Akame was concentrated and focused in both stance and attacks. However, in truth, she was feeling fear and inferior. For Akame, it was completely incomprehensible. She never sundered against even the most intimidating men from her assassinating days or the empire's elites. This guy is definitely different. Not one of her attacks were even landing. Even if she tried changing directions, leaping from one place to another, and changing from one technique to another, she couldn't break his defense. The man looked like he had hundreds of openings to her, and yet she couldn't take him down. Her speed was being outmatched. The man isn't even intimidated. He's just looking at her try, like an adult watching a kid struggle in a fight between them. It doesn't look like a fight to her. She's being played with. It was very obvious the person was hiding his true strength, and yet she was already having trouble.

"Im…possible…" Akame leaped a few meters across Saitama, who stood there motionless. Akame was surely fatigue-stricken, as seen with her sweating profusely and breathing deeply, like an obese person engaging in a marathon. Except the obese person is instead an incredibly skilled assassin and the marathon is trying to kill some weirdo.

"Damn, I almost broke that sword a couple of times." Saitama said as he looked at the sword wielding opponent. "That sure looks expensive."

Akame raised her sword. "This is the Murasame sword. One wound it makes on your body can kill you. It is a genuine Imperial arm. What is your Imperial arm, Saitama?" Akame had already learned of Saitama's name when Tatsumi called out to him more than once.

"Imperial arms? If you're talking about weapons, I've got none."

"It's impossible for someone as strong as you to have no Imperial arm. Perhaps it's that skin helmet, or some liquid-based Imperial arms you drank?"

"THIS IS NOT A SKIN HELMET, I'M JUST BALD." Saitama said before calming himself. "There's really no special reason other than training."

"I trained as well, but in no way did I reach your calibre." Saitama raised his brow before remembering his own absurd training.

"Hmm, maybe you just didn't try as much?"

"I see. Will you really not let us kill her, then?" Akame asked as she pointed to the girl.

"Nope."

"I see, then we shall retreat." Akame said before turning and walking away.

As Akame walked away, she noticed Leone standing there, gazing at Saitama while shaking in fear.

"Leone. Leone?" Akame said as she tapped her friend. Leone, upon being shaken from her stasis, impulsively backed away a few meters. "Leone, what's the matter?"

"Th-that man…Even if we the whole Night Raid ganged up on him, he'll win."

"I see. So you've noticed that strange feeling as well."

"Yes, except what I'm feeling is ten times more intense than yours because of my predator instincts."

"I see.I tried everything on him, yet he could dodge them all. Honestly, my body's already at its limit now." Akame said as she looked at her trembling hand. She clenched it before moving towards the forest.

"Ah, you're going with us, Tatsumi."

"No, I won't. Not until I've killed that bitch." Leone held Tatsumi by his shoulders as she tried to vigorously break through her hold to go to Aria.

"T-Tatsumi…" Ieyasu said before coughing out blood and groveling to the floor. Tatsumi, remembering his friend's status, immediately broke the cell and went to his aid.

"D-dammit, Tatsumi…" Ieyasu smiled despite the pain creeping in every nook and cranny of his body.

"He's dying." Akame said as she inspected Ieyasu's body from afar. "He's in the final stages of Lubora. The mistress of the house wrote of it extensively in her journals."

"Sayo really wasn't like a girl at all. She was too badass, not giving up despite that bitch's attempts." Ieyasu muttered up the tiny bit of strength left from the inhuman human experiments done to him."Then…the mighty Ieyasu will also follow her example and…keep…it…real"

As Ieyasu's lifeless hand fell to the ground, Tatsumi grit his teeth before being pulled away by the beautiful, beastly Leone.

"Let go, I still have the score to settle with that girl…"

"Haven't you seen? That guy won't let you. If Akame-chan, our best girl can't, I'll bet anyone else couldn't as well." Leone said before grinning from ear to ear. "Now, I saw when you tried to kill her that you didn't even hesitate. Now that's what we want: talented, young men who want justice served in this corrupt city!"

"Eeeeh? But I didn't even say I was going to joi- Hey, wait!" Leone transferred Tatsumi's body from carrying him beside her waist to her shoulder, like an abduction.

"Akame." Mine said as soon as they reached them. "That girl…she's not dead yet."

"Yes. As much as I try to kill her, she won't. He won't let me."

"A baldy…huh."

"Eh? Someone who Akame-chan can't kill? Seems dangerous." Bulat, the muscular, armored man said as he gazed at the girl and her protector. "Should we-"

"No. He is someone beyond our capabilities. We shouldn't be fighting someone like him." Leone said with fear still making her spine shiver in fear.

"Yeah, we noticed that a while back." Lubbock dropped from the trees. "I actually recruited him to work as a book keeper in my library. Well, I did't think he would be anyone more than a poor weirdo, though. Haha!"

"In any case, he seems like someone we couldn't control once he gets controlled by the empire. We need to have him in our side." Mine noticed Tatsumi, who stopped wiggling due to his flushed face meeting the breasts of Leone. "Wait, who the hell is he?"

"Oh, he'll be part of us now. He's got the justice and the skills, too!" Leone said as her cheerful personality seemingly returned.

"HEEEY,DON'T DECIDE ON WHAT OTHERS WANT TO DO" Tatsumi yelled.

"Oh, don't worry. We'll make sure to care for you and enhance your body~~" Bulat said to the rather confused Tatsumi.

After the strange night, the assassin group Night Raid left the mission and escaped to the forests outside the Capital. Meanwhile, Saitama looked at the girl and the mess that the assassin group had created.

"Crap, this is bad. They might frame me as the one who killed the girl's parents. I need to get out of here." Saitama said before focusing his vision on the girl. "Before that, what should I do with this stuck up brat." After a few moments of silence in thinking, a carriage disturbed the bloodied mansion.

"Ah, shit. I'll just think of it in the way." Saitama took the girl over his shoulders and ran to the wilderness, leaving the mansion of a family of sadists in peace.

000

"Whe-Where am I?" the girl said as she laid under the morning sky. The darkness of the night was slowly being replaced by the vibrant orange light of the rising sun. The clouds suspended on the skies looked like the soft feathers of a free bird.

The girl stood up from the ground and noticed that she was standing in a clearing in the forest near a stream.

"Hey, rich girl, you awake?" a tanned, fit man wearing thick clothes said to her. "I don't think this is a place for you to rest in."

"What are you talking about? I woke up already here."

"Is that so? I thought you asked that bald guy to lay you here."

"Bald guy? You mean that weirdo with the cape?"

"Yep. He seemed like an aloof but nice man."

"Where'd he go?"

"Are you sure you know that guy? It doesn't look like you even know this pla-"

"Where is he?" Aria shouted, catching the man offguard.

"Woah there, is he your boyfriend or something?"

"As if!"

"Fine, fine. He went to get some fishes. He borrowed my fishing rod and went down the stream."

Aria tried to stand, but it seems her body was still battered from the chop of Saitama. "Better take it easy, rich girl. You don't look too good."

As the man supported the girl to a nearby tree, she shrugged him off.

"Fuck off!" Aria hissed at the man, who backed away slowly. "I don't need anyone like you to add to my problems"

"Fine, I'll just let the bald guy get through with you then!" the man, in response, hissed back and left to a trail, presumably to a nearby village.

Damn that guy. Doesn't he think someone like me should be praised? How dare he not serve me! He even mocked me with a petty nickname. After what they did to mother…father…those scum should-

As Aria grit her teeth, a basket with only three fishes fell in front of her. She looked up and saw her saving figure.

"So you're awake, huh."

Saitama looked rather irritated and his clothes were damp. His cape was dripping wet. He went to a nearby tree and took a few dead branches out of it.

"I think I should use the skills I learned from my days as a boy scout." Saitama said as he took a piece of wood and planted it on another piece. As he tried rubbing the piece of wood to the other by spinning it, the stick broke.

"I guess another."

He tried once more. And again. And again. And again.

"What the hell is with this wood?" Saitama raised his brow as he took another, more durable stick.

"Alright, then I should go serious now." He placed the wood on the other once more, but this time his facial expressions were truly serious.

"Super moves: Serious Series"

"Serious fire starting"

Saitama began spinning the durable stick so fast, that the wood he was rubbing on, which was actually wet from the start, dried out in an instant. After only a few milliseconds, the fire was brighter than ever.

"I guess that worked." Saitama said with a satisfied smirk on his face after wiping his brow with his glove.

"Well, now that that's settled…" Saitama looked at Aria, who had her hair completely blown to an awkward style. In fact, the environment looked a lot…different.

"Hmm, what happened?"

"When you…started the fire-" Aria had wide eyes before she burst to laugher as Saitama faced her. Saitama had his head blackened by the black ashes on his gloves. The girl laughed boisterously, as if she had never laughed in her life.

"What's happening? Are you really broken after all?"

"No, no, that!" Aria pointed to his head, which, added with the glossy surface the ash created, made his head look like a dark bowling bowl.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm bald. So what." Saitama, used to the insults of everyone who perceives his head, responded with as much animosity as he could.

"No, have you ever looked at the mirror yet?" the girl tried covering her laughing face, but she couldn't.

Saitama looked for any water puddles he made after fishing. Apparently, his serious movements were so fast, the blast of wind was enough to change the environment like uproot some plants and make rotting logs fly to the air, as well as drying out the area by a radius. Aria was also affected by the winds. It made her hair stick out in an awkward direction.

Saitama looked at his glove and noticed the ashes of the wood. He clicked his tongue. "What a rotten kid. You could've informed me, you know?"

"Where's the fun in that? You low lives are pretty pathetic sometimes!"

"Hmm, you're a bit harsher now, huh?" Saitama took some sticks and impaled the fishes before putting them near the fire.

"Why shouldn't I? They're all dead, and you saw my true nature, too. There's no reason I shouldn-" Aria stopped as she felt a slight tap to the head.

"Yeah, I heard you before. You think people are cattle, right?"

"Tsk, so what if I do?" Aria muttered as she pouted.

"Well, cattle or not, you wouldn't be productive to society like that."

"…You're shitting me, right?" Aria deadpanned at Saitama, who looked serious.

"If you're gonna be like that all your life, then society will despise you. No one likes a brat."

"I don't care if they like me or not. As long as I do what I want as a higher being, I'm fine."

"Check it." Saitama grabbed the girl by the head, making her struggle in removing his hand. "See? You can't even do a thing without it."

"Dammit, Y-yes I could…" She continued to struggle by trying to wiggle the hand off, to no avail. Eventually, to avoid hurting her, Saitama had to release her, making her tumble to a nearby tree.

"No you can't. You're not strong enough."

"Strong? Strong? I don't need to be stronger than you. I'm richer than you, and that alone makes me superior to you!" Aria shouted as she tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Don't you understand? I'm a noble. A damn noble! Cattle like you should know your place. Mother and father always said that people like us are always destined for greatness. How dare you…you…filthy commoners to outright murder them."

"Hey, it wasn't me who killed them!" Saitama said as he waved his hand to assure her. "Anyways, I don't care if you are a noble or a high ranking member or anything. If you can't have healthy relationships with people, you'll always end up in ruins. Eventually, you'll end up running out of money and having to get a job. If you have those ideas, no one will hire you and you'll end up having trouble with a bunch of part-time jobs."

"Part-time…jobs?"

"Yeah. You'll have to be a cashier or join construction sites. The job's shit but hey, it pays."

"I couldn't care less of the work of you commoners. I could just claim my fortune from my parents."

"Damn, weren't you listening?" Saitama sighed. "Anyways, I'm hungry. Gotta go."

"I…I don't even know where I am now."

"Well, you say you're a noble, right? I bet you could find it on your own." Saitama waved his cape as he turned around. "By the way, you should learn from that hunter. He's a good guy."

"Wa-Wait…" Before she could grab Saitama's cape, Saitama leaped to the sky, sending her away from the wind pressure.

"That…damn…baldy" She shouted as she flew meters away before being caught by a man. The hunter caught her, but he was also thrown away to a nearby tree.

"What was that, a danger beast?" The hunter, distraught by the powerful pressure, shouted as he acted as a cushion for Aria.

"Let go, you commoner!" the girl shouted as she tried standing. However, like the common trope of the anime world, she sprained her ankle, possibly because of Saitama, and fell back down. "Dammit."

"What's up, rich girl?" The hunter approached her, but she continued to strive and stand, signaling him to stop in his stracks. "Don't come. I could…do this…"

She continued to try, but she eventually fell back. "You can't solve your problems with just willpower, you know?"

"Shut up! You low life cattle shouldn't reprimand me! I'm a noble, you know. I could buy your whole village."

"Yeah, but with that attitude, you shouldn't survive in here. If that's what you say, then…"

The hunter stood and walked away from her.

"Where are you going?"

"You're rich enough, right? You should just pay yourself to stand up then." The man smirked as he moved, never looking back at her. "And if there's a danger beast or something, bribe him not to!" He began to boisterously laugh, making the girl grit her teeth in anger.

"You…I swear, if I get out of this bullshit, you're going to have your skin peeled, your mouth flooded with chemicals,…" She continued to rant with hundreds of torturing methods despite her target escaping with a hearty laugh.

000

"Took you long enough to shut."

"Shut up."

Aria was being carried in a backpack carry as the hunter held his quota meat in a burlap sack.

"Rich girls like you should really think before you say. You don't think what you said hurt?"

"Yeah, it should. It's the truth, after all."

"Yeah, and you're a bitch. That's the truth as well."

"Bastard."

"Bitch."

As the two arrived at the village, a few villagers greeted the man.

"How's it hanging, Hiro?" A hunter said as he raised his hut's windows.

"Plenty of game today?" An elderly lady said as she held a basket full of herbs.

"Ah, not much, really. It's as if there are danger beasts nearby, so please be aware." The hunter, Hiro, shouted with a smile on his face. The community was incredibly alien to Aria. Yes, she could hear a few greetings here and there by the guards in her mansion, as well as the store clerks in the capital, but she knew they were merely empty expressions brought by jobs. The smiles here were more genuine.

"Hey, hey, what did you get today?" a group of kids approached Hiro. Apparently, he was really famous in the village, which wasn't really that far from the capital. Rather, the village was in poverty like Tatsumi's village, and so the empire has less influence.

"A few birdies for you lot, and I've brought you some cool rocks I found!" Hiro said cheerfully with his thumbs up and a wink to his fans, who had sparkling eyes. Hiro took his burlap sack, which was stringed to his waist, opened it, and took a few fake crystals he had found. In truth, they were crystalized feces of a certain danger beast that, when applied enough heat and pressure, will become more valuable.

"Wooow" the children shouted with glee before running away with Hiro's gifts. "Now we've got more toys for our games! Thanks, Hiro!"

"Ah, those kids sure are fun to watch."

"That was rather rude, giving ignorant kids some useless crap like that."

"Hey, that is rude."

"Be that as it may, it is the truth."

"Well, be that as it may, you're still rude. Who cares if it's worthless. It's the thought that counts, right? At least they'll have fun."

"Yeah, but they'll just end up like my toys if things go like this. Eventually, one of my kind will find them and play with them, like I did."

"Sheesh, can you stand not to talk about death, torture, or anything not pleasing to the ears?"

"As long as I remain superior, then it's all good-" As they conversed, a tremor occurred.

"Dammit, what the hell could that be?" Hiro shouted before running towards the village chief's house.

"Village chief!" Hiro shouted as he entered the house. It was rather large as it acted as the community center. The house, which was in the middle of the village, had no corners. It looks quite ancient, as it had tapestry that gave the image that it was centuries old, and the clay walls of it had so many cracks that it wouldn't be surprising if it had been destroyed and rebuilt a hundred times in the past.

"What is it, Hiro?" the village chief was an old man in his eighties with thick clothes adorned by colorful ceremonial beads, feathers from rare birds, dark crimson leather and white fur from danger beasts long gone. Beside the man was another woman with the same age as the man, only the woman was adorned with the opposite spectrum. She had white, silky clothes with sky blue fur.

"Please, take care of this girl." Hiro said as he placed the girl down. "Have you felt the tremor just now?"

"Yes. The wives of the community have already gathered within the shelter. The husbands are preparing the weapons."

"Indeed? Then I must make haste." Hiro shouted as he went to another clay hut. He exited the hut with a variety of weapons and a subtle armor for defense. He went to an unspecified location before the women of the village sealed the windows shut.

"Are you okay, miss?" The village chief inspected Aria's foot. "Thank the gods, it's just a sprain."

"Why is everyone in a panic?" the rich girl asked loudly, before being silenced by the village chief's wife.

"It's not safe to be soi loud, little girl. Please don't shout too much. They can hear you."

"They?"

"Yes, the danger beasts in the area have been increasing in population recently. We've been waiting for the capital's help for ages, but since assassins killed the one previously in charge of our village, the situation's been worse."

"You mean that guy?"

"No, I meant the empire's lackey. We allowed him to do as he pleased in the area, so that he'll protect our lands from the monsters. We gave him our women, our crops, our water, and he gladly accepted it. However, when he got killed in a visit by night raid, everything went downhill."

"I wouldn't say he's a very good man." The village chief said. "I could say it's a rather sad thought to offer our virgins to him, but we couldn't help it. He ordered us to do it as a sacrfice to protect us. We had no choice."

"Often, girls like your age would be picked off and sent to him for his 'inspections'. We don't know what happens in his chateau, but in the end of the day, the girls would be quivering in fear. Some weren't even able to return to their homes."

Heh, I bet those bitches loved the guy so much, they wanted to spend their lives in his servitude. Hell, I won't even be surprised ifall the women in this town once became slaves to that guy. Hehe, props to him. Now I stand out as a beautiful, pure and virgin gir-

A powerful, large danger beast broke a wall of the village chief's home. The danger beast was several meters taller than the house itself, and the beast's exoskeleton gave the impression that it wore it as alternative armor to serve his purpose. The beast's claws were massive and dark. If one person was pounded by them, their bones would be ground. The monster had a rather bulbous and sharp part on the end of its tail.

"A-a boulder scorpion!" The village chief shouted before taking his wife and Aria and running away. However, the monster shoved its claw. It didn't reach the man, but the air pressure alone made him fly towards another section of the house.

"Dear!" the wife shouted as she approached her husband. However, she did not realize that the monster began to approach Aria.

"St-Stay away, beast!" Aria shouted as she began to crawl away from the monster.

Dammit, I might've escaped Night Raid, but this monster has no conscience. This is…

"…impossible." The girl suddenly cracked a laugh and faced the beast by standing with her good foot. "I guess this is the end!" She shouted as she took a piece of wood and tried to attack the monster. She merely fell facefirst in a very humiliating manner.

The monster raised its leg, and stomped at the girl. However, the monster had noticed that the girl was gone.

"That was a very funny side of you, rich girl." The hunter whispered. Aria opened her eyes. She was being carried in a princess-like manner by the man he had called a "commoner".

"Very funny. It's good that I had saved you from that scorpion though. You could've become juice, damn." The man wore a very innocent smile on his face, as if it was not a grave situation. Aria gazed at him before breaking down and crying.

How did it end up like this? Why does a commoner suddenly look so…so trustworthy.

"Woah, what the hell did I do wrong? I saved you, you know."

"Yes, I know." Aria said as she wiped the tears on the cheeks of her face. "I just…I don't really know. Just…thanks."

Hiro was flustered and taken aback, before he resumed his ever cheerful smile. "You know, if you wore that face all the time, I bet you'd be the idol of the kids here"

Hiro jumped from the tower and attacked the invulnerable shell of the monster.

"FOR THE VILLAGE!" he shouted as he attacked in every possible weak point. As Aria gazed at the man do his best and risk his life, more of the village's husbands joined him. The village chief, who was supported by his wife, led the attack on a native ox.

When did I love to torture these people. These people who only do their best to protect their own. These people who want peace for not only themselves but everyone else. These people who shine the brightest in the darkness.

As she contemplated on these thoughts, she stood on the roof which she was left on by the hunter. She watched as the villagers did everything they could. She watched them struggle to kill the great threat to their safety. She smiled before freefalling to the debris below.

"Ah, you almost fell there." She was caught midair by a red glove.

"That voice…you're-" Before she could finish what she was saying, she was dropped back to the dusty ground.

She sat back up and looked around, seeing no one else again.

"That baldy…"

As Saitama walked to the monster, who flicked off the soldiers with ease, the women of the village cried out.

"Don't go!"

"You'll be killed!"

"Let the others handle it! We can't afford to lose more!"

Saitama dismissed these comments, as he knew they would only serve to raise his hopes up.

As he approached the monster, men were littered everywhere like scraps. They looked injured and some were bleeding profusely.

"You there! Don't go nearer!" The village chief shouted as he prepared to throw his spear, though his arm strength wasn't enough to lift it. "DON'T, DAMMIT"

As Saitama approached, the monster noticed him and screeched. It approached him with incredible intent to kill.

And just as it had started, it had ended.

Within less than a fraction of a second, the invulnerable danger beast reaching meters into the air, and built with a terrifying form and structure that it could decimate armies within moments, was instantly a piece of flesh with a cylindrical hole in its body.

"Did that take care of my debt? The food was really good, so I wanted to repay you with some cash I collected ever since I came here."

"You…" Hiro looked with disbelief with everyone else. The mediocre man killed a powerful beast.

"You did well, friend." The village chief said with a pleasant smile on his face. "You didn't just repay your debt. You returned it to us a hundred-fold. Thank you."

"Well, that's a bit too much, but thanks." As Saitama looked at him, he noticed Aria, who crawled towards him in an attempt to not miss him again.

"Ah, and consider it as payment for taking care of that girl, too. She has quite the antisocial disorder but, if you get to care for her, maybe she could be a productive person in society too."

"Yes, we will take care of her. Even without your help, we would still tend to her like she's ours. After all, it's all thanks to god that we all live. We're just here to give his blessings back to those who need it."

"Thanks." Saitama said before he walked towards the girl.

"I'm leaving you now, for sure."

"What the hell? You just returned."

"Yeah, but I am quite tired after that night. I haven't even slept yet." Saitama said as he scratched his head while thinking of a good sleep in his room. "Anyways, you saw what happened, right? You probably saw how those guys dealt with the monster."

No kidding. Those guys were completely risking their lives to kill that danger beast.

"Well, this is why you shouldn't have such a rotten personality. If you end up in that situation again, you'd probably be dead."

"Yeah, I've learned that already. Maybe I shouldn't have such an opinion on them. Well…they did save my ass."

"Yeah, well, I've gotta go. Make sure you don't trouble these guys. Their probably the only ones capable of tolerating your true personality."

"That so?"

"Yeah." Saitama said before leaving so fast no one saw him.

"Eh? Where's the bald guy?" Hiro said. "He actually saved our village…twice now. We better give him a feast or something!"

"I don't think that's necessary." Aria said as she showed a subtle smirk. "I bet he's not the type to accept such extravagant rewards. Maybe he just needs your appreciation…your gratitude.

000

"What the hell?" Saitama said as he looked at the number of people in front of the inn's bulletin board. "What's with this huge number of people? A new wanted criminal, perhaps?"

Saitama approached the board and began to notice a few details.

"I guess I was right. A wanted criminal's on the loose again. I wonder if I could catch him or something. I do need the extra cash."

As Saitama went nearer to the poster, he noticed something.

"A curve? No, no, is that a head?"

Saitama squinted his eyes in an effort to see who it was, before being pulled back by a mysterious person.

"H-hey!" Saitama said to the hooded being before the being raised his finger to its lips, signaling Saitama to stay silent. It held his hand and lead him to a nearby alley.

"Who are you?"

"Saitama, it seems you've upset the government this much."

"Eh?"

As Saitama expressed confusion, the hooded figure raised its hood to reveal herself.

"You've got a bounty on your head, Saitama."

"Kumi?"

"Yes." She took a scrolled sheet of paper from her satchel and gave it to Saitama. Saitama viewed the scroll and saw his own, deadpan face greet himself.

"8, 273 gold coins? What did I do?"

"Nothing at all. They're just very salty on their loss against you." Kumi replaced her hood on once more. "That's how the empire is. It's full of baby jerks who haven't been taught to be humble."

"Yeah, but all I did is just poke them a bit. It shouldn't warrant a dead or alive poster, should it?"

"That's just how the justice system works here. I know, it's bullshit. That's why we of the resistance put up a great façade. Have you noticed?"

"Nope."

"When I'm in my waitress mode, I'm incredibly cheerful and happy. Of course, I still am. It's just that I've gotten tired of it."

"So you too have lost emotion, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. What should I do now? My stuff's up there."

"I'm sure they're eagerly waiting for your return. You should come to the revolutionary army's base."

"But-"

"Don't worry. I'll be getting your clothes. I'll bring it to you so don't worry. First, let's get out of here."

As Kumi grabbed Saitama's sleeve and pulled him through the dark streets of the capital, they notice a person following them through the roofs. Kumi increased the pace.

"Is that…hey, that guy's following us."

"That's obvious. We need to lose him." As Kumi increased the pace from a brisk walk to a full sprint through the maze of the backstreets of the empire , the being leaped from roof to roof.

"Dammit, this guy's good" Kumi said as she continued until she reached a dead end.

"We got cornered, huh." Saitama said as he looked at the approaching figure.

"Shit, here goes nothing." Kumi said as she took a knife from her pocket and prepared herself.

"Woah there, Kumi. Do you want to be fired or something?"

"That voice!"

The figure raised his hood. "You shouldn't attack your boss, you know?"

"Lubbock!"

"Ah it's that guy from the library!" Saitama said as if he had formulated a brilliant idea.

"Damn, running after you could surely be good exercise though. That made my sweat a bit." Lubbock said as he took a handkerchief and proceeded to wipe the sweat off of his face.

"Why were you following us?" Kumi sheathed her knife and sighed with relief. "We thought you might've been a royal guard."

"Yeah, I thought it would be a good way to test you. You failed, though." Lubbock smiled despite the harsh truth he said.

"Well, we weren't really that fast." Saitama said.

"Is that so?" Lubbock looked at Saitama and examined his body. "You were quite a spectacle in the mansion raid. Might you know where the rich girl is?"

"Yeah, no."

"Heh, of course. Sorry for interrogating you in such a place."

"It isn't the place, really. It's just that you're probably going to kill her."

"We might have different tastes in terms of morality, but that's a discussion for another day. Right now, you're coming with me."

"Eh?" Kumi raised her brow. "You're taking him to the Night Raid headquarters?"

"Yes. From the moment we saw his wanted posters and reported our encounter with him to Najenda, She ordered us to try and persuade him to our club." Lubbock looked at Saitama, who casually flicked off a booger. "Saitama, you'll be with us now."

"Nah, I'm fine. I'll just find my own home."

"There won't be any rent."

Saitama paused at the mention of no rent. "...Should I get my things then?" he said with a subtle smile.

"I'll be retrieving your personal belongings from the inn. You just go with Lubbock here." Kumi said as she went on her way towards the inn.

"You sure?"

"Don't worry, Saitama. She might seem like a cute, friendly girl in her waitress disguise, but she's quite deadly if she were against the normal soldiers. She is stationed at the Capital."

"I see. Take care of my stuff then" Saitama said as the two turned around and went to the cliffside hideout of night raid.