Z-City, no-man's-land.
Saitama's apartment.
In Saitama's small apartment, under the warm yellow light, the familiar hotpot was bubbling and steaming.
The rich aroma, mixed with the rolling white mist, almost blurred the faces of the three men at the dining table.
Today's hotpot theme was tonic food, a feast for top-tier powerhouses.
Who said the world's number one Strong Luck wasn't a powerhouse?
Get out of here!
As for why Han Sen didn't bring Tatsumaki, well, those who know, know.
After all, Tatsumaki needed rest more than tonic food right now.
Neither Han Sen nor Saitama immediately entered 'war mode'; the atmosphere in the room, amid the bubbling of the hotpot, was exceptionally harmonious and warm.
"So, Han Sen, are these... special ingredients of yours really okay?"
King cautiously used his chopsticks to pick up a slice of marbled meat, bobbing up and down in the red oil broth.
The meat was thinly sliced, with an even distribution of fat and lean, and when cooked, it exuded a rich aroma, perfectly like a work of art.
He then looked at the few radish chunks in the pot, each larger than an adult's fist, his face filled with an indescribable mix of apprehension and horror.
Ever since he accidentally awakened superpowers after eating Han Sen's hotpot last time,
King now felt an uncontrollable prickle of fear whenever he saw these exquisite, obviously extraordinary, high-grade special ingredients.
Even though his superpower had grown strong enough to easily manipulate tens or hundreds of kilograms of metal, the Emperor Engine in his chest continued to preheat from tension, its sound so loud that he himself found it noisy.
"If I eat this… will it make me awaken something else strange?"
King subconsciously touched his thick golden hair, then glanced at the shiny bald head opposite him, and the alarm bells in his heart rang even louder.
Saitama: Alert.JPG
"Don't worry, eat up. The ingredients are absolutely fresh and handled very cleanly."
Han Sen calmly picked up a perfectly blanched slice of "100,000-Year Wild Ginseng" from the boiling soup and casually placed it into Saitama's bowl.
The ginseng slice was crystal clear, exuding a rich, almost palpable life energy.
"Look at Saitama, he's eating so heartily."
"Mmm! Han Sen, this radish of yours is so crispy! Sweet and crispy!"
The simple-minded Saitama completely ignored the terrifying high temperature of the freshly cooked ingredients, his chopsticks moving like phantoms.
In an instant, his mouth was full, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster's, and he munched heartily while indistinctly uttering sincere praises.
King: "..."
Watching Saitama's pure demeanor, as if nothing could stop him from eating, King felt a sense of powerlessness.
Perhaps... this was the world of powerhouses.
Mysterious ingredients that ordinary people feared like tigers were, in their mouths, merely "crispy radishes."
"Come on, don't be shy," Han Sen conjured a large amount of freshly sliced radishes from thin air and poured them into the hotpot, then filled King's bowl, "There's plenty of radish!"
King let out a long sigh, ultimately unable to resist the overwhelming aroma that assaulted his nostrils, and resignedly put the radish into his mouth.
The next second, his eyes widened abruptly.
There was no need to chew; the strange radish melted in his mouth!
The delicious flavor exploded on his taste buds, and a vast yet gentle life energy slid down his throat into his stomach.
A warm current instantly swept through his limbs and bones, making his superpower grow exponentially, and every single cell in his body collectively let out a satisfied groan.
"Truly... truly delicious!"
The hotpot meal was enjoyed by all, satisfying and exhilarating.
Saitama let out a contented burp, rubbing his slightly bulging belly, and contentedly shuffled back to his room.
Within a few minutes, even and heavy snores resonated throughout the entire apartment.
After helping to clear the dishes, King also hastily excused himself, citing the need to "wake up early tomorrow to train his newly awakened superpower."
He felt that if he stayed any longer, his Emperor Engine would completely lose control due to digesting the overly effective ingredients!
Since Tatsumaki wasn't here today, Han Sen stayed at Saitama's place.
He was familiar with the guest room by now, returning to it and turning on the 80-inch plasma TV, a gift from King, to play the latest AAA title, "Great Sun and Moon Undead."
The night deepened, and all was silent.
Just as Han Sen was controlling his game character, battling a powerful BOSS, an extremely peculiar mental fluctuation emanated without warning from Saitama's room next door.
This fluctuation...
Han Sen's eyebrows shot up; his perception, refined through the Imaginary Divine Power, instantly captured the source and essence of this fluctuation.
It did not originate from the real material world, but from a deeper, more ethereal mental dimension, between reality and fantasy.
A dream.
But not just a simple dream!
A gleam flashed in Han Sen's eyes; he clearly perceived that within this dream, a powerful existence, between reality and nothingness, was rapidly condensing into form.
Its foundation was Saitama's deepest, most hidden desire for a "hearty battle."
And what constituted its flesh and blood was Saitama's extraordinary battle intuition, subconsciously detecting the stirring threat from beneath his feet—
Han Sen instantly perceived that directly below the apartment building, a large number of weak underground Monsters were strenuously digging through the rock layer!
Given their momentum and speed, it would take them at least until dawn to reach the surface.
Desire and premonition, fantasy and reality!
The two intertwined and collided, finally forming a truly existing special Monster, using Saitama's dream as a vessel!
It was both illusory, destined to completely vanish once Saitama woke up.
But it was also real, truly existing within the dream, fulfilling all the battle desires of the strongest person in this world!
The true value of idealism...
Is still rising!!!
"Dream Monster... so it's this!"
Han Sen's spirit instantly soared, and a gleam flashed in his eyes!
With a thought, the Imaginary Divine Power quietly activated!
Finally!
The big one is here!!!
...
...
Rumble—!
The earth screamed in agony, and the sky was dyed an ominous dark red, as if flowing with congealed blood.
As far as the eye could see, there were only shattered walls and crumbling ruins.
The burning city ruins stretched like a massive graveyard to the horizon.
The air was filled with the pungent smell of sulfur and charcoal, and countless bizarre creature corpses piled up into mountains, blood flowing like rivers.
In the center of this apocalyptic scene, a bald figure, shirtless, was heavily panting.
His body was covered in wounds, and blood stained the corner of his mouth, but those eyes, which usually seemed somewhat lifeless, now burned with an unprecedented light.
It was Saitama.
Just now, he had experienced a battle that truly made his blood boil.
He had fought until his head was bleeding and he was utterly exhausted!
Fluttering, exhilarating, tense... these emotions, long forgotten in the depths of his memory, now erupted like a volcanic eruption in the depths of his eyes.
Turning into roaring fuel, igniting long-lost passion and surging fighting spirit!!!
"It's been so long... so long since I've encountered a Monster that felt so good to fight!"
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