Chapter 336: So-Called Heroes
"[Planeswalker] is dead. Regeneration had no effect. That bald head was likely indeed Saitama."
The shocking glimpse just now felt like a dream. Saitama, merely reacting to Planeswalker casting an overly powerful Phantasmal Light spell, had backhanded him with a punch, instantly killing this somewhat famous Reincarnator on the spot.
Of the Reincarnators in the shop, three or four fled in that instant. Only Planeswalker, who used the Phantasmal Light spell, was killed. The others, whether they fled directly or stayed put, were not attacked.
[Treant] rose from the table by the window. He glanced calmly at the barista. In the next moment, a tree root pierced directly into the barista's body from under the floor.
"Ugh..."
The barista's mouth opened and closed, but he didn't die. His eyes bulged as if experiencing immense pain. The Reincarnators remaining in the coffee shop noticed this scene, but no one would antagonize Treant over an ordinary plot character.
Lee Chae-rin didn't even glance at it. She just frowned, leaning against the corner, her tension not fully subsided.
[Saitama], the absolute ceiling entity of the One Punch Man world. That momentary eye contact just now made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
She had never felt such terrifying oppression. Although he hadn't attacked, her Observation Haki made her feel she was already walking on the edge of a cliff.
If he attacked, she would die.
However, upon reflection, she clearly realized that this [Saitama]'s state was wrong.
In the original work, although Saitama possessed the ability to kill almost all enemies with one punch, he had a very atypical personality. Due to his overly powerful strength, his human desires gradually faded, and he lost interest in most things.
Only a few things, like supermarket sales and being a 'hero for fun,' could engage him.
Moreover, Saitama was a hero who 'did not kill humans.'
Even when Garou called himself a Hero Hunter and eventually completed his monsterization, becoming a monster stronger than almost all heroes, Saitama still didn't kill him.
But the Saitama who just appeared was not only indifferent to the violently killed humans in the shop but also, when Planeswalker instinctively released Phantasmal Light to obscure vision, killed him directly without explanation.
These two points were completely different from the Saitama in the manga.
In other words, something must have happened in this world that caused a change in [Saitama]'s personality and logic of conduct.
"Heh. Those who stayed, seems you are all smart people..."
Treant stood up and tidied his hair. He didn't hide his fear. As the person sitting by the window directly facing Saitama, how could he not be afraid?
"Then you should all realize that we should go gather intelligence now and grasp the root cause of this world's changes."
As he spoke, the barista walked out of the coffee shop with a wooden expression, merging into the flow of people outside, heading towards an unknown destination.
Lee Chae-rin had heard of Treant's ability. He had an incomparable advantage in this kind of intelligence gathering.
"How about it? Is anyone willing to join my team in this world?"
Treant stood by the window, extending a hand to invite the others.
The cross on his forehead emitted a hazy gray glow. Seeing no response, the corner of his mouth curled up. He could sense these guys were guarding against him.
Guarding against him meant they feared him.
No one could see the arrogance deep in Treant's eyes. Even these Reincarnators, considered decent within the [Strong] tier, were weaklings in his eyes.
Lambs for him to shepherd at will.
"Relax. I can allow you to request that I sign a contract prohibiting mutual attacks within this world."
There was a special rhythm in Treant's voice, allowing people to perceive his 'sincerity.'
Hum!
A sword hum rang out, and an emerald sword light flashed instantly.
Treant turned his head to see the tall woman wearing a half-mask had sheathed her sword. The entire wall behind the coffee shop then tilted and collapsed.
Sunlight poured in completely. The woman's black half-mask looked like a black lunar eclipse under the sunlight.
"Sorry. I plan to act alone."
Lee Chae-rin was extremely sensitive to that expression of arrogance. She had seen it countless times in Kaito Shirogane's eyes. A guy with such an expression definitely had no concept of teammates in his heart.
She turned and left. Treant tapped his fingers in the air, contemplating whether to turn hostile with [Eclipse] and keep her here. He knew very well that the true identity of this [Eclipse] was likely [Moon Fiend].
But ultimately, he didn't attack. Saitama's sudden appearance just now had genuinely made him wary. If he caused a disturbance by attacking now and attracted another powerful hero, his ability would easily be mistaken for a monster (Kaijin).
Lee Chae-rin walked out of the coffee shop, and only then did the chill on her back disappear completely.
She walked onto the street and blended into the crowd, attempting to figure out the changes in this world.
This city was quite prosperous, completely unlike the dilapidated Z-City where Saitama lived in the original work. Billboards were everywhere on the streets.
The most eye-catching ones were portraits of heroes.
Heroes of various images were used as signboards, erected on shops and buildings, accompanied by names of various Hero Agencies.
Lee Chae-rin suddenly stopped.
Hero Agencies?
If she remembered correctly, in the One Punch Man world, heroes should be registered by the [Hero Association].
She walked quickly into a convenience store. Sure enough, even in such a shop, many advertisements for Hero Agencies were posted.
"These advertisements for heroes really are everywhere."
She spoke casually. The proprietress, who was looking down at the register, chimed in:
"Sigh, tell me about it. When something really happens, you can't contact anyone. No monsters around, but heroes are everywhere. Pah!"
Clearly, she hadn't posted these advertisements willingly and held a lot of resentment.
Lee Chae-rin picked out quite a few items from the store, then continued chatting with her.
"Can anyone become a hero?"
She vaguely sensed she might have found a clue to Saitama's change.
The proprietress shook her head, truly missing the old days.
"Spend money to register, then pay someone to write a few newspaper articles. Knowing how to hype makes anyone a hero."
After speaking, she looked at a poster on the wall. It featured a handsome man holding two silver revolvers, [Dual-Gun Cowboy].
She tore down the poster and said:
"This hero seems to have encountered a robbery last week and was beaten to death. Heroes... heh..."
Kaito Shirogane and [Lilith] sat on the wooden floor. Ayase Seiko didn't have a habit of entertaining guests. Bringing them back to sit for a while was already giving face to Kaito's claim of knowing the truth about the Cataclysm half a year ago.
Continuing the previous topic, Kaito revealed a look of keen interest.
"So anyone can become a hero just by spending some money? Ha, such a good thing exists~"
Hearing Kaito's words, Reigen Arataka, who was sitting alone at the door smoking with his back to everyone, exhaled a puff of white smoke.
Sometimes he felt his disciple might be right. Among ability users, the wicked were the majority after all.
Ability wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Kaito looked at the group and said:
"How about I go become a great hero first?"
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