Great, we're doomed now!

"Actually, I've always..."

The mountain wind blew quietly. After listening to King recount how he had taken credit for Saitama's achievements, Saitama remained surprisingly calm and even comforted him.

"It's not a big deal, you must be really bothered by it anyway, right?"

"...Aren't you going to come and punch me?"

Why would I do that?

Saitama was slightly speechless. Let alone ordinary people, even criminals, as long as they are not weirdos, or even if they look similar to ordinary people, he would subconsciously hold back and try to wake them up if he could.

Why did this KING thing have to involve fists?

Ye Shou, finding the scene amusing, simply put away his fishing rod.

"Is this all you can think of to apologize? That's so unoriginal." Ye Shou chuckled. "It's not like this is a shonen comedy manga."

"Yes, so I am also aware of this."

KING solemnly knelt on the ground, took out his bankbook from his pocket and placed it on the stone, tears welling up in his eyes.

"This, this is... the money I got from selling my anime girl figurines!"

"!"

Ye Shou looked surprised, almost to the point of being filled with awe.

"Although I still kept my main character... their value has unexpectedly increased a lot, and the total amount of money... I know this can't make up for the loss of reputation, but I really can't think of any other way..."

"Money? Huh? Why?" Saitama was poor, but his first reaction was why he should be given money.

"Actually, most of the bounties are in the Hero Association's account. I only withdraw a portion when I encounter particularly desirable otaku items. As for that account, I will—"

"Wait! Wait a minute!"

Saitama's eyes widened: "What bounty? No, do you get gold coins for defeating monsters? This isn't a game!"

"Huh? You don't know Saitama?" King was stunned and looked Saitama up and down as if he were an alien.

"It's a reward from the Hero Association. We'll receive financial support based on our contribution when we defeat monsters."

"!"

Saitama's eyes were vacant, as if he had discovered a new world.

"Wait a minute, could it be that I... oh?"

Ignoring Saitama, who was already questioning his existence, Ye Shou turned to King and said, "I'm a little surprised that you're doing this... And then, are you going to announce the truth to the public? This is much more serious than an idol's downfall."

“I know the consequences, but if I keep it a secret, it doesn’t seem fair to the public… I’m not some great man, I don’t understand complicated things.”

KING said with a bitter face, "I've thought about it too. If I really had the strength to KO all the enemies with one punch, then I wouldn't be unworthy of the treatment of an S-class hero. But now... no matter how I think about it, I don't deserve the title of 'the strongest man on earth'."

"I was lucky before, and I was able to scare those weirdos occasionally. Surely not every weirdo has such a wild imagination?"

Ye Shou: "..."

"If a similar situation occurs again in the future, and ordinary people don't run away because I'm there, what should I do? Wouldn't that be equivalent to me causing their deaths?"

You think Dragon-level monsters are all very smart? They could see right through me at a glance!

"..."

"Even if you can't see through it, you'll understand everything as soon as you take action—it's impossible for all dragon-level beings to be so cowardly, right?"

It's one thing if there are one or two cowards, but what if there are three or four?

After saying that, KING laughed at himself: "Three or four Dragon-level monsters appearing at once, I'm afraid we're about to have an apocalyptic war."

Ye Shou coughed lightly, skipping the topic: "I think you still have potential. Don't give up. Keep practicing diligently, and you might be able to have the strength to match the 'Seventh S-Rank'."

"Don't try to comfort me~" KING chuckled.

—Ye Shou was surprisingly serious.

"How about we make a bet?"

"Is my strength going to improve?"

"No, I bet there really are some cowards as powerful as Dragon-level monsters!"

Chapter 335: Yes, Saitama was very thin back then (Bonus Chapter 4K)

It's not too late for King to start working hard now. Ripple isn't something you can learn as a child; on the contrary, it depends a lot on individual talent. As long as you have enough talent, you can achieve something even if you start learning in middle age. Moreover, the potential of the characters in One-Punch Man is very high. As long as you have enough perseverance and keep training, it's normal for you to become a powerful figure.

The blond nerd has great potential in this area. First, his reaction speed and concentration are simply superhuman, to the point that Ye Shou couldn't help but want to physically untie the wires. Therefore, he can easily enter a meditative state, and his subtle control over muscles and energy is also quite good.

On a physical level, the fact that he, a homebody who doesn't enjoy sports, could naturally develop such a physique actually says something.

Just as Ye Shou had predicted, when he came to "experience" it before, King's performance in learning the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist was average, but he mastered the Ripple technique on the spot, much faster than Mumen Rider and Genie, and second only to Saitama and Bang, who both had extremely strong life energy.

It should be noted that the person without a license was originally rated as the top of the C level (he could actually be rated as B, but the top three A, B, and C levels are deliberately blocked for special reasons).

Ye Shou carefully examined King's physical condition and discovered that this guy was practically a chosen one with a divinely chosen breathing technique body:

Its cardiopulmonary function is extremely powerful, enabling it to transport blood with maximum efficiency and supply oxygen to the whole body. At the same time, its metabolism is extremely fast, allowing it to withstand extremely high blood pressure and temperature increases with negligible subsequent stress.

—Isn't it true that he's supposed to be a comedic character?

Reaching S-rank was Ye Shou's way of encouraging him; no one can be sure about such a thing, but it's safe to say that he should have an A-rank physique.

If he can also gain some understanding of martial arts and persevere in his training, then reaching S-rank is not so incredible.

And KING, who was "a hero in name only," became "the real KING," and his fate can be said to have taken a completely opposite turn—Ye Shou is very much looking forward to this.

"yes……"

Saitama suddenly realized: "Why don't I just register too? As long as you're a hero, you can join, right?"

“The Saitama clan will definitely be fine.” King nodded immediately. “After all, you’re so capable. As long as you explain the situation clearly to them…”

"Then forget it. There's no point in assigning blame. As long as we can improve our family's financial situation a little in the future, that's enough."

Saitama was very excited, and he had no intention of exposing King—that would be quite troublesome for him.

Whether it's fame or prize money, it can be accumulated over time. However, if KING's affair is exposed, it will definitely cause a lot of trouble for the association and for him personally.

Ever since witnessing the reversal of public opinion during the last meteorite incident, Saitama has subconsciously developed a strong aversion to such things... It's better to avoid trouble.

He's a hero driven by passion, and he doesn't want to get caught up in any public opinion storms, otherwise even going out to buy groceries wouldn't be peaceful for him.

"The Hero Association?"

Ye Shou stroked his chin, turned his head and took a good look at Saitama: "It's very simple to join. The association's threshold is not high. You just need to pass the physical test and the written test."

"Written test? What written test?" Saitama exclaimed.

Do you need to take an exam to become a hero?

“If you’re directly invited, you don’t need to. I’m sure there are several S-class students who won’t sit in the classroom and answer questions. You broke through the meteorite before, so you should have a certain degree of fame. As long as you express your interest, people will come to contact you.”

"That's great! Ye Shou, have you joined? Why don't you come with me?"

"That won't be necessary. I can't stand being restricted."

"That's a great deal, you get rewards for defeating monsters."

Ye Shou smiled slightly at him without saying a word. Saitama was slightly dazed, then fell silent.

"Well! On another note, what kind of treatment should I be fighting for?"

Saitama was quite concerned about this issue: "You guys often talk about S-class, A-class, and so on. The treatment must be different for different ranks, right?"

“Of course, even if an S-class hero doesn’t go on missions, the fixed support funds they receive are more than those of corporate executives,” KING explained. “And this is just for daily living expenses. If you have special expenses, such as equipment repairs, compensation for damaged buildings, or medical expenses, the association has special funds and insurance.”

"That sounds great!"

Saitama cheered: I never expected that I, who was disheartened by unemployment three years ago, would find a job again because of my "interest"!

What level could I be?

“Well… I can’t be sure.” KING shook his head. “Although the meteorite was rated as a Dragon-level hazard, the Association will probably also consider other aspects of you… How about asking Mr. Bang to help negotiate? He has a lot of influence within the Association.”

"Bang, he usually likes to stay at home like an old man, so it's not really a good idea to bother him."

"I'll do it."

Ye Shou suddenly spoke up: "Not to brag, but I do have some experience in business negotiations."

"Oh, you'd be willing to help? That would be great!"

Saitama naturally had great faith in Ye Shou's abilities. In his eyes, this incredibly handsome man was practically as omnipotent as the blue Doraemon.

However, the usually reliable Ye Shou made a very silly mistake that day.

He didn't even organize his personal information properly!

"...Is this photo of you?"

The association staff member held the resume-like personal information card, looked at the photo and then at Saitama, and frowned slightly.

Although he knew that Saitama had already proven his strength long ago, regardless of whether Metal Knight had actually weakened the meteorite, the courage and power displayed by the bald cape-wearing hero were undeniable. Moreover, he seemed to have connections with famous heroes like Bang and Fubuki, and was not some self-taught individual. If the association could successfully cooperate with him this time, he would at least be an A-class hero.

Even if someone has made contributions, shouldn't they be a little more meticulous? If someone is careless or simply doesn't respect the Hero Association, then communication will be very difficult in the future.

This photo is clearly not of the person in question, at least not taken recently!

This man with thick hair, dead eyes, and who looks like he's been repeatedly ravaged in the job market, is completely different from the yellow-skinned man in front of you with smooth scalp like a hard-boiled egg and clear eyes like a college student.

"It's me." Saitama said cheerfully. Although he didn't know where Ye Shou got the photo from or why he made such a basic mistake, he didn't care because he wasn't particular about such things.

He's here to be a hero, not an idol.

"It doesn't look like it to me."

"Yes, I was very thin back then."

This isn't about whether I'm thin or not; there are obviously much more noticeable changes!

The staff looked up at Saitama's head, clenching their lips to keep from making any sarcastic remarks.

“Phew…right, right, this Kamui…Mr. Kuze.”

Turning their attention to Ye Shou on the other side, the staff immediately became enthusiastic: "Thank you again for your contribution to the 'Immune System' incident. In addition, our field agents detected another evil force that has been destroyed, called 'House of Evolution'. You and Fubuki-sama eliminated it together, right?"

Besides, there are giants, mosquito girls... Although you haven't been around for long, you're more active than many heroes.

Our audit management team believes that we can certainly award you the highest S-level rating. We wonder if you—”