One-Punch Man: Boros, the Universe Overlord

Seeing that Boros and Saitama had accepted the gifts, Genos breathed a sigh of relief and immediately began his long-prepared "sad storytelling mode".

"Here's what happened," Genos said, his hands clasped on his knees, leaning slightly forward with a serious and reminiscent expression on his face.

"Four years ago, I unfortunately encountered a huge change. My family was destroyed by an evil monster...blah blah blah."

I was alone and stranded in the wilderness when that great doctor passed by and used his superb skills to reshape my body, giving me a new meaning in life...blah blah blah.

To repay this kindness, and to protect this world, I vow to fight against all evil forces in the world to the very end, even if it means being shattered to pieces...blah blah blah."

He spoke eloquently, but his voice was so flat and even, without any sobs of sadness or trembling of anger, as if he were reciting a dry robot instruction manual. Therefore, he failed to evoke any empathy from anyone.

However, this did not diminish his desire to express himself at all. On the contrary, he became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke, from his broken family to the process of reformation, from daily training to combat experience, and even adding a few words about his outlook on the future.

King and Boros, sitting opposite each other, had already been listening so long that their eyelids were drooping, their hands supporting their chins, their eyes gradually becoming unfocused, as if a flock of crows were flying overhead.

As for Saitama, the bald hero was staring intently at Genos, his usually calm eyes now showing three clearly visible black lines with the number "#".

Genos, however, was completely oblivious to this, even believing that everyone was intimidated by his tragic experience, and thus began his second long and arduous discourse with even greater enthusiasm:

"...Therefore, power is not merely a tool for destruction, but also a cornerstone for protecting the weak, just as I did back then..."

"Enough!!"

Finally, Saitama, having reached his limit of patience, slammed his fist on the table with a loud "bang," making the teacups on it jump. Veins bulged on his forehead as he pointed at Genos's nose and roared:

"Damn it! Who cares about your rambling back and forth! Summarize your nonsense in 20 words or I'll throw you out right now!"

"In short, I have a reason to become stronger, so please let me follow my two teachers and join their ranks of the strong," Genos concluded solemnly.

"Hey, hey," King, who had been silently playing the background role, couldn't help but lean out halfway and count with a serious expression.

"That last sentence already exceeded 20 characters."

No response

"Well, since you've already accepted the gift, there's nothing I can do about it. Surely there aren't any shameless people in this world who would accept a gift and then not do anything in return?" Boros glanced at Saitama and said meaningfully.

Saitama really wanted to throw this annoying robot away, but the hair growth potion smelled so good that he had no choice but to accept Genos as his apprentice, even though he had to hold his nose.

After becoming an apprentice, the young man showed great insight and immediately entered "all-around housekeeper" mode.

He spotted the mess King had left in the kitchen sink at a glance. Without a word, he rolled up his sleeves and took over the job. With the sound of running water and the crisp clinking of dishes, the stubborn grease seemed to have met its match in his hands, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

Next, he brought his own whole-house scanning system, conjured up a rag and a vacuum cleaner, and thoroughly cleaned the living room, kitchen, and even the balcony, inside and out. The space, which had been somewhat messy due to the three of them living together, became spotless and orderly under his operation. Watching his tireless figure, he was practically a domestic nanny robot born for family harmony.

King, who had witnessed the entire process from a corner, finally let out a long sigh of relief. He strolled out slowly, looking at his newly renovated home, a relaxed smile spreading across his face. He gave Saitama and Boros a thumbs-up and exclaimed sincerely:

"You guys didn't just go out and do nothing yesterday, you actually brought back such a perfect nanny robot! With him, I can finally relieve myself of this burden!"

As King spoke, he let out a sigh of relief, his whole body melting into the cracks of the sofa like a lump of mud, as if a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

The scene inside this residential building at this very moment:

A tireless robot leads three contented salted fish. Genos is cleaning every nook and cranny of the sink with a high-speed rotating robotic arm.

Meanwhile, the two "teachers" in the living room not only lacked any awareness of being role models or teaching by example, but also naturally switched to "idle" mode. Saitama continued to bury himself in his video game, while Boros crossed his legs and pondered how to get Genos to give him a massage. Both of them had a carefree expression on their faces and began to lie down completely.

"Oh, right, Saitama." King seemed to remember something, his gaze sweeping across the coffee table to the bald man who was munching on an apple. "Tomorrow is the 55th Hero Association Exam. Do you need us to go with you?"

"Ah, no need to trouble yourself, King." Saitama swallowed the apple in his mouth, waved his hand, and smiled confidently.

"I can go by myself. It seems that tomorrow is the day I officially join the Hero Association and directly become an S-class hero. I'll take out the best ingredients from the refrigerator and prepare my victory celebration in advance."

"Is Saitama-sensei participating in the Hero Association's assessment tomorrow?"

Genos, who was preparing dinner in the kitchen, heard the noise and immediately leaned out, his voice full of admiration:

"Boros-sensei and King-sensei are both incredibly powerful S-class heroes in the Hero Association! Now Saitama-sensei is also going to become an S-class professional hero! Saitama-sensei, if there's an exam tomorrow, please take me with you! I want to join the Hero Association too, even if I just start as a C-class hero, I want to catch up with the teachers!"

"Well, well, since you've said so, Genos, then you'll come with me to the assessment tomorrow."

Saitama had already greatly changed his opinion of his apprentice, who could both cook and do chores. He readily agreed upon hearing this and even went over to pat Genos on the shoulder, offering him heartfelt words of comfort.

"However, Genos, with your strength and my participation in the assessment at the same time, the ranking difference may be very large. You should be prepared."

"Yes, Saitama-sensei!" Genos stood ramrod straight, his voice filled with steely resolve.

"No matter how big the ranking gap is, I will never be discouraged! I will take this as motivation to work even harder and one day catch up with my teachers!"

"puff"

Boros, who had already increased his energy level to Agility, was feeling the changes within his body when he heard Saitama's flag and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Sensing the questioning looks from the group, Boros quickly waved his hand:

"It's nothing, cough cough, I just suddenly remembered something interesting... By the way, how about we make a bet? Let's bet on who gets a higher hero ranking after Genos and Saitama's assessment tomorrow?"

"Tch, does something this obvious even need a bet?" Saitama scoffed, looking at Boros as if he were an idiot.

"Do you really think Genos is stronger than me?"

"Come on, I love confident young people like you!" Boros's one eye gleamed.

"The bet is that the loser has to pay for all the bowls for the next two weeks! And—no Genos allowed to help them! How about it? I bet Genos will rank higher!"

"Hey, Pineapple Head, there's a limit to looking down on people! Damn it, I bet I can't!" Saitama roared angrily, his head seemingly bursting with flames, pointing at Boros.

"I'm betting on Saitama too," Genos said timidly, raising his hand in agreement. Clearly, he also had unwavering faith in Saitama's strength and didn't believe he could surpass Saitama in the rankings.

"Genius, you're still too young and naive." Boros sighed deeply, looking at Genos with an air of "you don't understand the dangers of the world," and walked over to him earnestly, patting him on the shoulder.

"You have to understand, in gambling, how could the house possibly lose?"

"I'll bet on Genos too," King said slowly, raising his hand.

"Oh?" Boros paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his single eye. He turned his head and asked with considerable astonishment:

"King, what do you think? Do you also think Genos will win?"

"I haven't thought about it much," King casually replied, indicating that he didn't care.

"I just think 2 against 2 is fairer. Besides, it's just washing dishes for half a month. Anyway, before Genos came, I did all the pots and pans in this house by myself. I'm used to it."

"Ugh, it's all that bald guy's fault for being lazy and gluttonous. These past few days, I've had to unpack his takeout for him. He's corrupted me too." Boros said, pointing at Saitama with an indignant expression.

He then straightened his chest and solemnly made a promise to King.

"King, don't worry! If we lose this time, I'll do all the washing dishes for the next two weeks! You won't have to lift a finger!"

"Hmph, King, Pineapple Head, you two will regret this!" Saitama was so angry that steam was billowing from his head. His expression was more serious than ever before. He clenched his fists, as if he were going to face the strongest monster tomorrow.

"Watch me go all out at the assessment tomorrow and slap you all in the face in the blink of an eye! Don't even think about backing out then, especially you, you shameless one-eyed monster."

"Very good, very energetic," Boros nodded affirmatively, then arrogantly raised a finger and said:

"Then I'll add one more condition: if I lose, from now on I'll call you Saitama-nii-san and I'll never mention your nickname again. If you tell me to go east, I'll never go west."

"If you lose, you can just let me draw eight or ten vials of blood and send them to Genus for research. How about it, bald guy, dare to take it?"

"Feed me? Are you kidding me? Ten vials of blood? Are you trying to drain me to death?"

"What's wrong? Got scared? Where did your confidence go?"

"Fine, I'll gamble. But don't regret it, Pineapple Head!" Saitama shouted angrily.