One-Punch Man: Boros, the Universe Overlord

Boros was taken aback.

Sich's subsequent explanations about "public opinion" and "official website release" were all automatically ignored by him at this moment.

Upon hearing that he had to choose his own hero codename, he didn't hear a word Sitch said afterward; his inner "chuunibyou" was burning fiercely, and his brain was in a frenzy of activity...

"A hero's codename? Just thinking about it makes me feel so ashamed!!" Boros thought to himself.

"Damn it, don't you know I have a severe case of name-choosing disorder? I struggle for ages just to come up with a game ID. It's one thing if someone else suggests it, but you're making me choose it myself? This is more torture than taking apart a Gundam with my bare hands! What should I choose? Can't you give me options A, B, and C? Do you have any cool, awesome, and powerful nicknames that sound incredibly badass and make people's knees go weak?"

"Help me, help me! I'm waiting online, it's urgent!" The CPU in his mind was already smoking.

"What should I choose? Following the pattern of dungeons from my previous life, what cool classes are there? Sword God? Sword Master? Sword Emperor? No, no, I don't play with swords, and I'm not a Ghost Swordsman. Emperor Blood Killer? Dark Lord? Chaos Walker? Moon Shadow Star Calamity? None of them seem to fit, they're too flashy and don't suit my tough guy image as a cosmic overlord."

"No, I need a really cool, impressive code name that people will admire and look up to! I don't know if it's strong, but being cool is for life! I absolutely can't lose at the starting line!" Boros was panicking.

"Heavenly Overlord Fist? Deathly Demon God? Illusory War God? Use your brain! Ah, my barren imagination is an insult to intelligence! I'm speechless! I'm truly speechless!"

At this moment, a miniature version of Boros seemed to materialize on his body. This miniature version of him was kneeling on the illusory ground with a dejected look on his face, with three curved black lines hanging from his head. He was weakly pounding the floor with his little fists, making a silent, frustrated howl.

"Mr. Boros? Mr. Boros?" Silence fell over the conference room as the powerful alien remained silent, arms crossed in deep thought. Finally, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Sitch tentatively asked in a low voice, "Do you... have some concerns?"

"Cough cough, um..." Boros suddenly came to his senses, took a deep breath, and his eyes instantly became extremely determined. He finally made a major decision that showed his willingness to die.

"In that case, my code name will be—Azure Sky Overlord Fist."

The moment those words were uttered, a faint sense of awkwardness seemed to fill the air. He could even feel a strange look coming from King beside him.

"Uh, the Azure Heaven Overlord Fist, is that right? Okay, Mr. Boros."

Sic's hand holding the pen visibly stiffened for a moment, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly uncontrollably, clearly as he was desperately trying to suppress something. But as a seasoned association employee, his high level of professionalism allowed him to quickly suppress his inner urge to complain and force a formal smile.

"This name... is very impressive. Would you mind recording a few videos with our staff later? We'll collect some basic information about you, such as your fighting style and special skills, and publish it on the association's official website as soon as possible so that the public can be prepared in advance."

"Okay." Boros uttered these two words weakly, and closed his huge single eye in despair, as if that would shut him out of this cruel world.

At this moment, his mental defenses had completely collapsed. The chibi-style Boros was lying on the ground, rolling around and pounding the ground in agony.

"I'll regret this, won't I? I'm definitely going to regret this! Is this ridiculously embarrassing name really suitable for me? Ugh! I really can't think of anything! My brain is completely blank, my CPU is fried! 'Heavenly Fist'... This name sounds like a cheap online game game that crashes at 3 a.m.! My reputation is going to be ruined by this terminally delusional nickname?!"

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

The tedious association procedures finally came to an end. Faced with Sitch's enthusiastic recommendation of a luxury apartment and a full-service concierge, Boros simply waved his hand and resolutely refused. He only accepted a salary card and a brand-new association-issued mobile phone, and then insisted on following King, citing "being new here and needing to adapt to Earth customs as soon as possible."

And so, carrying his only "belongings," Boros followed King to that quiet apartment on the edge of the city.

Actually, King's first reaction upon hearing this suggestion was some hesitation.

However, upon further reflection, King was somewhat tempted. Although he was nominally an S-class hero, he was essentially a reclusive, hardcore otaku. Apart from his AI girlfriend who only existed on screen, he had almost no real friends or family, and deep down he endured a loneliness and solitude unimaginable to most people.

Recalling how Boros rescued the little girl and the tacit understanding between the two when they talked about games in the car, King thought that letting this straightforward alien, who also loved games, stay for a few days might not be such a bad thing. At least, in the future, when playing games, he would finally have someone to play online with or comment on the story.

Moreover, in this terrifying world fraught with danger and eccentric characters, King felt a surge of fear every time he went out in the past.

Whether it's rushing to the supermarket to buy discounted ready-made meals or waiting in line at a video game store for limited-edition game discs, it's all a life-or-death mission for him.

Every time he opened the door, he would pray that he would not encounter any strange people or powerful individuals who came to challenge him. Only he knew how agonizing those days were when he had to be on edge, constantly on edge, and pretending to be someone he was not.

Now, with Boros, a genuine top-tier fighter, by his side, even if their relationship is only platonic, he feels an unprecedented sense of security. At least from now on, when he goes shopping with Boros, he no longer needs to fear sudden attacks; his personal safety has skyrocketed.

What pleased King the most wasn't just having an extra bodyguard. More importantly, with the keen intuition typical of otaku, he had long seen through Boros's cold and fierce exterior, realizing that beneath it lay the heart of an otaku who, like him, loved anime and was addicted to games.

King felt a sense of kinship that transcended race with that passion for games, that carefree attitude towards life, and that unintentional display of adolescent angst.

I've seen it in your eyes, you're the one. (=^▽^=)

The spacious living room was filled with a lazy and decadent atmosphere. King sat cross-legged on the soft carpet, the huge screen in front of him displaying the character selection screen of a fighting game. His slender fingers danced nimbly across the buttons on the game controller, producing a crisp "click" sound.

On the sofa not far from him, Boros was lying on his back in an extremely contorted position, his enormous body almost taking up the entire sofa.

He stared blankly at the ceiling, as if it held the ultimate answers to the universe, and occasionally muttered incomprehensible murmurs to himself:

"I'm tired, let's destroy it already..." "How stupid, this is so incredibly stupid... Why did I even come to Earth..."

King, unable to bear the dejected voice beside him any longer, paused the game, turned his head to look at the alien wallowing in self-pity, and tentatively invited him:

"Hey, Boros, I don't know why you've suddenly become so depressed, like the whole universe has abandoned you. But, how about playing a couple of rounds of video games with me?"

Seemingly trying to change the subject, King brandished the controller in his hand, his tone carrying a hint of pride in his collection:

"I don't know what kind of entertainment you have on your planet, but the game discs I have here are treasures of human civilization, classics among classics. How about it, interested?"

Upon hearing this, Boros, who had been feigning death, finally stirred slightly. He didn't sit up, but remained in the position of covering his face, his voice trembling as he squeezed out from between his fingers, carrying a deep sense of despair and self-loathing:

"You don't understand... How could someone with the title of 'Strongest Man on Earth' possibly understand... You can't even begin to imagine the pain I've suffered!"

Boros abruptly removed his hand from his face, his single eye bloodshot. "What?! What on earth is that?! It sounds like the name of a villain from some third-rate tokusatsu show! Ugh, why! Why did my brain short-circuit and that's the only thing I could think of? Is it too late to back out now?"

"This is so weak, absolutely so weak! I'm so stupid, really, so incredibly stupid! My coolness is completely gone! I should have just called myself the Cosmic Overlord; that would have been a million times better than this Heavenly Overlord Fist..."

Seeing Boros's agonizing state, King silently withdrew his gaze, his finger unconsciously pressing a button on the controller, emitting a soft beep. He coughed lightly, his eyes somewhat unfocused, a hint of self-mockery in his voice as he muttered to himself.

"The strongest man on Earth? Cough... Don't even mention it."

King flung the controller aside, ignoring even the game character on the screen who was about to win, and ignoring the system notification that "player countdown is over." He collapsed onto the carpet next to Boros as if all his strength had been drained, and began to rant and rave:

"Boros, you know I'm just an ordinary person, not even that! Every time those monsters appear, tens of meters tall with gaping maws, I'm terrified! My heart jumps out of my throat, I almost pee my pants! You can't even imagine what that feels like!"