Hero for Fun (Second Update)

"Hey, are you sure this is okay? This world seems to be the world of One-Punch Man. Won’t we attract some S-Class Heroes if we do this…?"

The hooded man sat atop a building, having deployed several drones. He watched the footage on their monitors as he continuously surveyed the streets within a three-kilometer radius.

The moment any powerful hero appeared, he would issue a swift warning, and the entire team would retreat.

The man’s codename was Li Mo, a reincarnator specializing in sniping who also handled crowd control and intelligence. His expression remained calm, but doubts from his team members kept echoing through his mind.

It irritated him somewhat. Not every reincarnator could find teammates who suited them in every respect. The vast majority simply banded together because they were weak.

He was no exception. That was why he understood Asuka’s incessant chatter, and as the captain, he still did his best to reassure him.

"Relax. Didn’t we investigate this already? The Hero Association disbanded long ago. Among those S-Class Heroes, only a handful, such as Superalloy Darkshine, are still active. And as top-tier celebrities, we won’t run into those powerful bastards unless there’s a big enough appearance fee."

"Besides, we’re not the ones making a move. The monsters are. The Plot Characters won’t notice us at all…"

"Exactly. Asuka, you’re just too timid. This mission world is so huge—how could our luck possibly be that bad? Just go ahead and farm your milestones without worry."

The reincarnator codenamed Asuka was hiding inside a nearby mall. He had been remarkably fortunate to draw the Innate Technique of Cursed Spirit Manipulation from a Drop Card.

That was the fundamental reason why the team members kept reassuring him despite how cowardly he acted.

Asuka stood by the window, watching a faceless black cursed spirit begin slaughtering people recklessly in the street. His Killer Seed milestone climbed rapidly. It disgusted him, yet at the same time, a twisted pleasure began emerging from some corner of his heart.

Moreover, he realized that Li Mo and the others were right. These negative emotions could also increase his cursed energy.

The sickly pallor of Asuka’s face gradually faded as he muttered to himself.

"That’s right. These Plot Characters are basically NPCs. They aren’t even our kind, while we reincarnators are the real humans. The Space’s missions are meant to guide us into slaughtering these NPCs for rewards…"

I’m not wrong… This is how reincarnators grow…

He kept soothing his own emotions, freeing himself from the predicament known as morality.

Splat!

A terrified man suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. Looking down, he saw a hole had appeared there. Only then did he see the tall, pitch-black monster standing before him.

The man’s body went limp, and he dropped to his knees as blood spilled from his mouth and nose.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his son emerge from a fast-food restaurant, a hamburger in his hand.

"Run… Junsuke, don’t come over…"

His lips moved as he hoped his voice could be heard. Yet through his steadily darkening vision, the little boy in a sun hat saw his father’s miserable state, threw away the hamburger and fries he had been longing for, and stumbled toward him.

"No…"

Tears began streaming uncontrollably from the corners of Miyagi Shingo’s eyes. He wanted to raise his hand, but he had no strength left, and his body began to tremble.

"Can’t someone save my child? God, heroes, anyone… please save Junsuke…"

Miyagi Shingo’s vision went completely dark, though his hearing had not yet faded. As his body shuddered in waves, he heard his son run to his side and begin crying.

In that instant, immense despair engulfed him.

"Ah, Dad, Dad…"

"Someone save my dad!"

The little boy’s hat bore the word HERO, but as he watched his father collapse in a pool of blood, he could not call out a single name.

Suddenly, an icy sensation touched his forehead. A tremendous force lifted him into the air, leaving him dangling as the immense strength squeezed his head with a cracking sound.

His legs kicked wildly, but it did no good.

The others nearby witnessed this as well, but more than a dozen corpses already lay scattered across the ground. Some had their necks twisted off, while others had their bodies torn open. The horrific sight made it impossible for anyone to approach.

"Hey, that’s just a child! Someone save him!"

"Why don’t you go? Who knows what that thing is!"

"It has to be a ghost or a monster. There’ve been more and more of those filthy things lately…"

"Call a hero, quick! Has anyone called a hero?"

"If you want to call one, you call one! Who’s paying when the bill comes, you?"

The people hiding in the mall across the street argued noisily among themselves. Some could not bear to watch and made calls for help, but most received no response. The hero agencies that agreed to come did not say when they would arrive either.

No one knew when this world had become like this. Back when monsters ran rampant, heroes used to descend from the sky. Yet at some point, they had vanished, leaving behind only Professional Heroes who bragged about themselves on every kind of program but never appeared when real danger struck…

"Save me… Dad…"

In his terror, Miyagi Junsuke finally cried out for help to the true hero in his heart.

The man on the ground, whose heart had been shattered and whose blood had nearly drained away, had already completely lost consciousness in darkness. Yet at that moment, a voice suddenly entered his mind and reached the depths of his soul.

His child was calling for help. Because of his death, his son was in danger…

Get up. Get up already!

Miyagi Shingo roared, then suddenly sprang to his feet. Seeing the black monster gripping his son’s head, he was consumed by rage. He leaped up and seized the monster’s fingers with both hands.

He found himself frighteningly light, with barely any strength at all. Looking down, however, he saw his own corpse still lying where it had been.

This is…

Whoosh—

The air let out a piercing shriek in the sky. Something was rapidly tearing through the air as it approached from afar.

The people in the mall looked up and saw only a silver streak slash across the distant sky, followed by a black dot appearing overhead.

The black dot rapidly grew larger before crashing violently into the ground.

Boom!

The ground shook violently as shattered stones shot in every direction, drawing terrified screams. The mall’s windows shattered one after another, while the powerful shockwave swept dust through the surroundings, forcing everyone to cover their eyes and cough.

As the smoke and dust dispersed, a tall figure stood in the center of the enormous crater. He had an exceptionally muscular build, a white cape fluttering behind him in the wind. As he rose to his feet, his face shone brilliantly beneath the sunlight.

Even more strikingly, he held the little boy, who had been struggling in midair moments ago, in one hand, while his other hand seemed to be thrust into something’s body.

"What kind of villain would murder someone’s child before the corpse and soul of that child’s father…?"

The man’s voice was low, firm, and magnetic, making people unable to help listening. What he said also resonated deeply with them.

They had been too afraid of the monster to help, but they still sympathized with the man who had died so tragically and the son now trapped in danger.

Splat!

The man withdrew his left hand, and purple-black blood sprayed into the air. Then, the black monster revealed itself before everyone.

"Ah, it really is a monster!"

"Is that a monster or a yokai?"

"Who is that guy? Which agency is he from? Did anyone call him?"

Amid the crowd’s noisy discussion, Bai Cangshu set the boy down. Looking at the man who was on the verge of becoming a Grudge Spirit, he reached out and pressed down on both the boy’s and the man’s souls.

"Da… Dad!"

The boy burst into tears. He saw his father once again. Beneath the sunlight, the man’s soul flickered in and out of view as he stood before his sobbing son, continually wiping away his own tears.

In the end, the man’s soul bowed to Bai Cangshu before slowly fading away.

Bai Cangshu gently stroked the boy’s head, then turned to look at the curious people emerging from all around to inspect him.

"Hey, big guy, who are you? Are you a newly debuted Professional Hero?!"

Seeing the looks in their eyes, Bai Cangshu knew his goal was nearly achieved.

He spread his arms and examined his outfit. A blue-and-white bodysuit, with a white cape. Time had been tight, and it had not been easy to find even these two pieces of clothing resembling a hero costume.

He revealed a righteous smile and spoke the line he had carefully planned to say to the phones pointed at him.

"I’m not a Professional Hero, and I don’t have a hero name."

"I’m merely… a Hero for Fun."