One-Punch Man: Boros, the Universe Overlord

"Boros, we're out of soy sauce! Go downstairs and buy a bag!" King shouted into the living room as he frantically waved his spatula in the kitchen.

"What? Why do I have to go? Why can't Saitama go buy it?" Boros, who was lounging on the sofa out of boredom, sat up abruptly upon hearing the shout and protested.

"I was in a rush when I brought you back, and I didn't bring my wallet," Saitama said, shrugging at Boros as he listened to the game.

"Damn it... I, Boros, have been reduced to a mere extra! This is utterly outrageous!"

Despite complaining, he put on the mask and quickly walked out of the apartment building.

I had just reached the entrance of the building downstairs.

A tall, slender figure suddenly appeared in front of him. His face was perfectly sculpted, the sunlight highlighting his delicate jawline. His fine blue hair swayed gently in the breeze, and he exuded an undeniable air of nobility and handsomeness.

Boros paused slightly, a name flashing through his mind: "The number one A-rank hero in the Hero Association, Sweet Mask?"

"You must be Boros? I'm Sweet Mask, the number one A-rank player."

Huh? A monster? It can recognize me even though it's a monster?

"You seem surprised," Sweet Mask elegantly gestured with the Hero Association communicator on his wrist, explaining in a calm tone:

"Don't overthink it, it's all thanks to this device. It can display the location of all registered heroes, and of course, you can also set a hidden mode according to your personal preference."

"I came here specifically to see you."

"What's up?" Boros asked, feigning indifference.

"Don't be so cold," Sweet Mask gently shook the communicator in his hand, his tone relaxed. "I've heard that you're quite popular lately."

Seeing that Boros didn't respond, he continued on his own, "Because before I became a hero, I allowed many mediocre people to easily reach S-rank. So I'm stuck at the top of A-rank and can't get promoted."

He dropped his nonchalant smile and said seriously, "The reason I did this is to ensure strict vetting in the future and to prevent any weak and useless trash from sneaking into the S-rank. I heard the association is planning to include you in the S-rank, so I came here specifically to see you."

"Don't waste my time," Boros's voice remained indifferent.

"It's good that newcomers are full of energy, but they shouldn't overdo it, or they'll get hurt."

Oh dear, what's with that faint air of pretentiousness wafting over me?

Boros used to really like this character when he read the comics. He was a true hero, a bit arrogant but very charismatic. Boros decided to tease him.

Boros then removed his mask and asked in a deliberately cold tone, "Are you here to test me?"

"It's not really an assessment," Sweet Mask said calmly and confidently, waving his hand lightly. "I just wanted to have a chat with you and see if you're really qualified to enter S-class."

"Heh, qualifications?"

"You? You think you're worthy?"

Boros's voice suddenly turned cold. With a slight thought, an extremely terrifying aura slowly rose like a dormant volcano. It was not an ethereal aura, but a destructive killing intent that felt tangible, spreading outwards from him like a black tide.

In an instant, the air seemed to be sucked away, and the surrounding light was distorted and deformed under the heavy pressure. The oppressive force, like that of a giant beast from the abyss, made the space viscous and suffocating.

The sudden change in his surroundings froze Sweet Mask's signature perfect smile on his face, and his body's instinctive danger warning made him involuntarily take a step back.

"Are you prepared?" Boros's single eye emitted a chilling light.

"What?"

"I don't have time to play your boring assessment games," Boros said coldly. "If you dare to lay a hand on me, I will only consider you an enemy."

"So, I'll ask you one last time, are you prepared for death?"

"Is this guy a reckless madman?"

Sweet Mask felt a slight pang of regret, thinking he should have gathered more information about Boros before coming. However, since things had come to this point, his pride wouldn't allow him to flee without a fight. He put on a solemn face, his eyes fixed on Boros, and slowly assumed an attack stance.

The atmosphere had become extremely tense.

Suddenly, that tangible killing intent, that terrifying aura that seemed to crush people, vanished without warning, as if the suffocating oppression from before was just some kind of illusion.

"Not bad, ordinary small fry don't even have the right to look me in the eye."

Boros's voice remained cold, but his tone carried an air of appreciation: "To stand firm under my pressure and still have the courage to attack me, I acknowledge you as the number one A-rank." He reached out and patted Sweet Mask's stiff shoulder, then added:

"Don't be too nervous. Considering you still have some redeeming qualities, I'll pretend your provocation never happened. Here's a piece of advice: in this world, strong people are as numerous as carp crossing a river. Curb your arrogance a bit." With that, Boros ignored his reaction, brushed past him, and left behind a mysterious and enigmatic figure.

Only when that figure completely disappeared around the corner did Sweet Mask's tense body suddenly relax.

"Huff...huff...is there a demon god hidden inside this guy? The oppressive feeling is a hundred times stronger than in the video, it's incomparable to any other S-class..." He muttered to himself, his voice revealing an unprecedented solemnity, and cold sweat had already soaked through his clothes.

On the other side, after showing off, Boros thought, "Hehe, today's showing off points +1. Feeling refreshed, feeling refreshed. Little Sweetheart Mask, got it."

"If I can't handle Saitama, I can handle you guys. I can't trade one for one with monsters above God level, but I'm invincible below God level. S-class heroes and Dragon-level monsters, come and get them. I'll take care of you."

Boros put his hood and mask back on, happily took eight steps, humming a little tune, and walked into the small supermarket.

"Boss, give me a bottle of soy sauce, the most expensive one."

"What? You think I walk too arrogantly? You think I'm too annoying? You won't sell to me? You're a businessman, how can you be so capricious?"

"Damn it, I'll show you what it means to be willful."

"Give me two cases of the most expensive soy sauce, and I'll give you one free. No, give me as many cases as there are people in the supermarket right now. One case for each person here. Swipe your card."

"Hmph," Boros snorted proudly, carrying a box of soy sauce as he walked out of the supermarket.

Whispers could be heard inside the supermarket.

"Where did this idiot come from?"

"A case of soy sauce costs several thousand yuan, what's he pretending for?"

"I don't know, maybe there's something wrong with his/her brain..."

Boros: ...

..........................................

A few days later, the morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains onto the living room floor, filling the air with a lazy atmosphere.

"Boros, your new hero rating is out," King said, leaning back on the sofa and scrolling through his phone. "You're ranked 11th in the S tier."

The moment the words left his mouth, the quiet room was shattered.

"Hey, come look! The game has been updated!" Saitama suddenly jumped up from in front of the game console, pointing to the domineering character illustration in the center of the screen.

"Boros, is that you on the cover? You're one of the rarest characters in this limited-time gacha pool!" Saitama said to the screen, his tone tinged with envy.

On the screen, Boros, clad in armor and arms crossed, exudes an imposing aura that dominates the visual center, surrounded by dazzling special effects.

+1 to the envious look from the bald demon king, +1 to Boros's sense of superiority.

Haha, so what if you're really strong? If you can't show off, you'll just be seen as a bald, weakling. Go ahead and learn.

Saitama turned his head and stared intently at King: "King, I want to join the Hero Association. Tell me what procedures I need to follow?"

"Um..." King hesitated slightly. "Saitama, if you don't want to be specially recruited through my recommendation letter, you'll have to take the Hero Assessment Test and undergo a standardized examination. Not only will you have to be tested on physical fitness, but you'll also have to take a written test. The assessment isn't scheduled for yet, but it'll be soon. This is the 55th term, so you'll have to wait a little longer."

"Sigh, I have to wait several more days... Fine..." Upon hearing that he couldn't join the Hero Association immediately, the bald man's bright eyes instantly dimmed, and he slumped back onto the floor dejectedly, exuding an aura of utter despair.

"Boros, you've already been promoted to S-rank, why are you still so calm?"

Upon hearing this, Boros simply glanced at King calmly: "There's nothing to be happy about, is there? It's just S-rank, not number one. With my strength, it's only a matter of time."

"Tch, all pretentious." King was speechless.

Saitama, seemingly struck by a sudden thought, looked at the two with a glimmer of hope for the future and asked, "King, Boros, what hero rating do you think the Hero Association will give me if I pass the test?"

"Hmm, that..." King thought for a moment, "Saitama, with your strength, theoretically you should have no problem being promoted to S-rank. But since you don't have any publicly known achievements, according to the rules, you'll probably get a mid-to-lower A-rank rating."

"Only mid-to-late A-level?" Saitama frowned, clearly not satisfied with this estimate.

"However!" Saitama's tone shifted, his eyes suddenly hardening as if he could already see the dawn of victory.

"With my skills, it shouldn't be long before I surpass you all. When that happens, I'll definitely get the association to make me a game cover that's even more gorgeous than Boros'! Ideally, it'll even have some lightning effects. Hehehe."

Boros looked at Saitama's innocent smile and chuckled inwardly, "Bald guy, you're dreaming. This is a world that judges by appearance. I'm genuinely handsome, and you're genuinely bald. You think you can be on the game cover? I'll give you a bottom-tier C-rank ranking, codenamed 'Bald Cape Man.' You'll probably even have to make the NPC portraits a bit blurry then. I hope the harsh reality won't dampen your spirits."

The two of them, one grinning foolishly and the other with a sinister smile, were both fantasizing about their imagined future.

"By the way, today is the day Boros was promoted to S-rank, so we should have some ceremony. Let's have a big meal tonight!" King suggested from the side.

This pulled the two strange people back from their reverie.

"Agreed! Seconded!"

"What are we having for dinner tonight?"

"barbecue!"

"Barbecue!"

"hot pot!"

The three people shouted out their first choice at the same time, their voices intertwining, and the air suddenly became heavy.

Let's solve this in the most manly way! The three, who were of one mind, were suddenly filled with a strange fighting spirit.

Their eyes met, and it seemed as if invisible lightning was clashing fiercely between them.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors"

"Rock, Paper, Scissors"

"Rock, Paper, Scissors"

"No, no, King, the bald guy came out too late this round, so this round doesn't count."

"Hey, you one-eyed alien, who are you calling bald?"

"Damn it, you still have the nerve to say that? You were clearly late, so why did King still win? Are you an idiot?"

"Hey, King, don't hold me back! Today I'm going to smash this alien cyclops's head in!"

"Damn it, go ahead and fight! Do you think I'm afraid of you? Do you really think I'm the overlord of the universe for nothing?"

..............................

""