(AN: I kept the original name of MC as it is, since it is a Scandinavian name.)
The world of One Punch Man.
City Z, deep underground. Monster Association headquarters.
"Hurry up already! Quit dragging your feet! If we're late with the executive's meal, we're finished!"
In a dim, musty tunnel, a cockroach-headed monster with a greasy black carapace barked orders while twitching its long antennae. The underground air was damp and freezing, tainted by a sharp, blood-soaked stench. Flickering, barely functional lights overhead cast a grim glow over five distinct figures.
Monsters.
Their appearances varied wildly, and so did their strength, but none exceeded the lowest tier on the five-level disaster scale: Wolf, Tiger, Demon, Dragon, God. All five were bottom-tier Wolf-class creatures, and they were weaklings in the eyes of the Monster Association. Disposable. The kind used to soak up enemy fire.
And now they were dragging along the bloated carcass of some unknown beast, its flesh reeking of rot and slime. As they stumbled forward, the thing's oozing body left a trail of sticky gore across the uneven stone floor. Their footsteps were heavy, the weight of their burden matched only by the dread weighing on their minds.
At the back of the group walked Hansen, his obsidian-black exoskeleton glistening under the dim lights. His face was expressionless, but his mind raced with disbelieving frustration.
'I was literally just eating hotpot and singing karaoke, and now I've transmigrated? And not just anywhere. I landed in One Punch Man, a world where power scaling is nonsense, and somehow ended up as cannon fodder in the lowest tier of the Monster Association?'
This wasn't just a rough start; it was nightmare-level difficulty. And as if the cruel twist of fate wasn't enough, his very first mission had arrived: Deliver food to a Dragon-level executive, "Overgrown Rover."
Yes, the same six-eyed, black-furred beast that Saitama pummeled in the manga until it gave up fighting altogether and turned into a pitiful, oversized puppy. On paper, it had looked kind of goofy and harmless by the end.
But what Hansen and the others were about to face wasn't that version. They were headed toward the real thing, the full-sized, terrifyingly violent Overgrown Rover. The kind that could incinerate buildings with a single energy blast.
Hansen, a total rookie with no idea how to fight, wouldn't stand a chance. Even if all five of them combined their strength, they wouldn't even register as a threat, more like crunchy snacks that got caught between the dog's teeth.
Word was, the number of monsters who'd survived a food delivery run to Rover could be counted on one hand. The implication was clear.
The delivery crew wasn't just bringing the food. They were part of the menu.
Facing what was practically a death sentence, Hansen didn't feel the slightest camaraderie with his fellow errand boys. He was far too busy screaming inside.
'Where the hell is my cheat or golden dick? Where's the damn system? Come on, just come to Papa fast!'
Maybe it was the twisted kindness of a world that occasionally threw scraps to transmigrators, or maybe Hansen's will to survive had finally peaked, either way, a soft mechanical chime echoed in his mind without warning.
[Alert! The host's life is detected to be in extreme danger. Survival instinct triggered... Non-Human System successfully bound!]
A sharp hiss escaped Hansen's throat as he inhaled, nearly shouting aloud in shock. His heartbeat thundered, not from terror, but a sudden wave of exhilaration. Holy crap, it was real. A system. A lifeline granted right at the edge of death.
===
Non-Human System
Host: Hansen
Current species: Monster (Unknown Insect-Type Mutation)
Disaster Level: Wolf (Mid)
(Note: Disaster level hierarchy consists of Wolf, Tiger, Demon, Dragon, and God. Each rank contains sublevels: Low, Mid, High, and Peak.)
Ability List:
Innate Ability: 1
"Hardened Carapace (N)" Lv3: A durable outer shell formed after absorbing Monster Cells. Its density approaches that of hardened steel.
Ability Slots: 5/5
Origin Points: 0
===
As the flood of system data settled in his mind, Hansen immediately grasped its mechanics. The so-called No-Human System, just as the name suggests, could only be activated after severing all human ties.
Its central function allowed the user to replicate the supernatural powers of non-human creatures and store them within dedicated ability slots, which could then be enhanced by consuming Origin Points.
Powers were ranked by rarity and color-coded accordingly: N (Normal) – White, R (Rare) – Blue, SR (Super Rare) – Purple, SSR (Superior Super Rare) – Gold, UR (Ultra Rare) – Red.
The rarer the ability, the more Origin Points were needed to upgrade it. Every user began with five active slots, but more could be unlocked through evolution and increased strength. The stronger one became, the more power could be absorbed.
Copied abilities always started at Level 1, and upon reaching Level 10, they would permanently fuse with the user, freeing up their slot and allowing growth beyond their original potential.
To copy an ability, direct physical contact with the source was required. For upgrading, Origin Points served as pure condensed life essence. The system made it crystal clear that these points didn't have to be drawn from the user's own body. Understood.
This meant one thing: monster hunting, farming points, and limitless growth.
With the system's structure now fully absorbed, Hansen glanced around at his rancid-smelling teammates and, to his own surprise, found them unexpectedly endearing. The greasy cockroach mutant, the starved chicken-headed freak, the radioactive fish creature leaking glowing ooze, the grimy rat monster with a single chewed ear, hideous, yes, but to Hansen, each of them now looked like a moving sack of Origin Points.
"Hey, you! The new guy!"
The cockroach-headed monster turned sharply, its grotesque compound eyes locked onto Hansen with obvious condescension. Its tone carried smugness, thick with superiority.
"Looking at that armor, I'd say you're one of us insect-types, right?" Without waiting for confirmation, it added, "You'll be the one to bring the food in later. Got it? This is a chance we're giving you, straight from your seniors. You should be grateful."
Hansen didn't reply immediately. His gaze dropped to his own body, taking in the details.
Humanoid, lean, and well-proportioned, his form was wrapped entirely in jagged, black armor that gleamed like chitin. His palms were protected by the same keratin shell, each hand ending in sharp, claw-like extensions. He could feel the weight of two long antennae sprouting from his head, twitching like those of a longhorn beetle.
At first glance, he did look like a combat-grade insect-type monster clad in natural plating. But even so, just because he looked like one of them, did they really think they could treat him like a disposable underling and order him to his death?
The arrogance was almost insulting.
When Hansen scanned the area, he noticed the cockroach monster beside him narrowing its grotesque eyes with a hostile glare. The other three were no better, their deformed faces stretched into grins that were full of mockery and anticipation, expressions dripping with schadenfreude as if already picturing his grisly end. But Hansen wasn't paying attention to their expressions.
What caught his focus were the translucent status windows floating beside each of their heads, like simplified HUD elements in a game.
[Monster: Mutated Cockroach]
[Disaster Level: Wolf (Low)]
[Ability: "Minor Regeneration (N)" – Speeds up recovery of physical injuries and stamina. Lost limbs can regrow slowly, though at the cost of a large amount of life force.]
[Monster: Iron Rooster]
[Disaster Level: Wolf (Trash)]
[Abilities: 1. "Crowing (N)" 2. "Iron Feathers (N)"...]
[Monster: Radiation Fish]
[Disaster Level: Wolf (Trash)]
[Ability: "Desperate Leap (N)"...]
[Monster: One-Ear]
[Disaster Level: Wolf (Trash)]
[Ability: "Sharp Incisors (N)"...]
This was the system's built-in scan ability, a function that automatically identified non-human beings whose strength was at or below Hansen's current tier. For more powerful monsters or higher-level entities, it seemed their data would only be revealed through direct physical contact.
Hansen said nothing. He only narrowed his eyes.
So this is how it is.
This place really does live up to the Monster Association's reputation, nothing but freaks and bottom-feeders crawling around in the dark. Looking at this circus of mutations, Hansen couldn't help but feel amused. The cockroach's regeneration was the only skill that wasn't completely useless. Regenerative abilities were rare enough to be considered valuable.
Still, the system had already shown him that even within a single disaster level, huge differences existed in potential and actual combat strength. He was currently classed as a mid-level Wolf. That might not sound impressive on paper, but compared to these bottom-tier oddities, it was practically elite.
Instead of feeling threatened, looking at them only made Hansen feel more confident in his position.
"Tch... what are you yapping about?"
The words slipped out before he could stop them, an old verbal tic from his past life. His shadowed form radiated a sudden chill, the edges of his voice hard and sharp. His gaze was steady, with a sharp glint buried deep within his eyes.
Back in the human world, before this strange transmigration, he had spent years binging random videos on blade technique, stir-frying at high heat, reshaping horseshoes, and building shelters out of scrap, a strange cocktail of survival and martial footage that had burned countless movement patterns into his memory.
What had started as idle curiosity turned into a strange kind of training. Lying in bed for years, watching these techniques over and over, had turned his mind into a vault of movement and timing.
And now, in this monstrous body, stronger and faster than he had ever been, those ingrained instincts clicked into place. A feral heat surged through his limbs. Time to find out if his fists could still back up his attitude.
Besides, they were all just Wolf-class monsters. And their rankings were even worse than his. Why should he be intimidated?
"What... what did you just say?!"
The mutated cockroach froze, clearly stunned that this fresh piece of cannon fodder had the nerve to talk back. Its slimy antennae twitched violently, and its already ugly face twisted with barely restrained rage. It was just about to lash out when—
A sudden wave of blistering, oppressive heat exploded from deep within the tunnel ahead. It roared toward them like an invisible inferno, overwhelming and fast, crashing down like a molten avalanche.
"Ahhh!"
"L-Lord Rover...!"
The cockroach monster's snarl evaporated, instantly replaced by sheer terror. All six of its legs began to tremble uncontrollably, unable to support its body. The other three trash-tier Wolf-level monsters didn't fare any better. They dropped to the ground in a heap, whimpering like frightened animals.
BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!
Each thunderous step pounded the earth with a force that seemed capable of cracking the crust beneath them. The tunnel floor trembled violently with every impact, dust and bits of rubble raining from above, bouncing off their fur, shells, and armored hides.
A suffocating pressure swept through the corridor like a tidal wave. It felt as though a massive invisible hand had reached down from the heavens to crush them in its grip. From the far end of the tunnel, a flicker of firelight was abruptly swallowed by a monstrous shadow. Something enormous was moving toward them, blotting out the light entirely.
Then six flaming orbs suddenly ignited in the darkness, demonic eyes glaring straight through the void like they'd emerged from the gates of hell.
The wave of killing intent slammed into them, suffocating and relentless. As the mountainous shadow advanced, its full form finally became visible. A terrifying creature slowly stepped into view, its hulking body covered in thick, black fur as coarse as iron wire. Each strand gleamed faintly like sharpened needles. Its grotesquely large head bore six burning eyes, each radiating a crushing, soul-level intensity.
The Monster Association's Dragon-level executive, Overgrown Rover, had arrived.
Lowering its massive head slightly, the beast scanned them with unsettling curiosity. Its gaze swept over the pathetic delivery monsters below, like someone eyeing a tray of barely edible snacks. It hadn't roared, hadn't moved aggressively, hadn't even shown clear intent, but it didn't need to.
Its presence alone was overwhelming.
The corridor air turned to sludge, thick and impossible to breathe. The temperature dropped sharply, the icy chill piercing straight through Hansen's carapace. He could feel it in his bones. Cold raced up from his tailbone all the way to the top of his skull, an involuntary tremor overtaking his body.
The shadow of death was no longer distant. It was real. It was here.
And in the very next second... he could be dog food.
===
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