Wolf, Tiger, Demon, Dragon, and the yet-unseen God—these were the monster levels defined after the Hero Association was founded.
"Wolf"—a dangerous entity or group possibly emerging.
"Tiger"—a crisis that might endanger an unspecified large number of lives.
"Demon"—a crisis that might bring a city to a standstill—or destroy it.
"Dragon"—a crisis that might destroy multiple cities.
"God"—a crisis that might spell human extinction.
The scale was very rough, leading to frequent errors in Association ratings.
Partly because some monsters could mimic humans, partly because some hid their true strength.
Skinny Bean Sprout was clearly the latter.
After Lin Mo left the battlefield, the three—Smiling Man and the others—soon woke up.
"We almost died out there… you set the disaster level way too low!" Smiling Man complained to the Association contact.
"This kind of power can't be 'Wolf.' That sprout was definitely 'Dragon'!"
He spoke into the phone with conviction.
"We understand how you feel, Smiling Man. But disaster ratings require solid evidence."
The voice on the line was calm and rigid—the Association's operations chief.
"If, as you say, the sprout was a 'Dragon'—then who defeated it?"
Smiling Man remembered the "drumbeat" he'd heard before blacking out. It was familiar… but he couldn't place it.
"I… I don't know…"
His voice sank, tinged with confusion.
"All I remember is a 'dong-dong' like a drum before I passed out."
"When we woke up, that powerful sprout was already down—no signs of life."
The Association wouldn't accept it.
"It was defeated while you were unconscious? If a Dragon-level monster could be taken out so easily, the unknown hero who did it would be a huge deal."
A pause. "It would upend the balance of power among heroes."
"If there are extremely strong unknowns among these mysteriously defeated monsters, then our data isn't trustworthy."
"Public trust would collapse; the Association's balance would crumble. We can't shake the foundation of the system over an unprovable guess."
The chief gave the final decision:
"Listen, I'll handle this report personally. I can bump its disaster level from 'Wolf' to 'Tiger' as a special exception. That's as far as I can go."
Smiling Man stood silent for a long time before he said:
"I understand…"
Anyway, he had no hard proof—after all, the sprout was already on the ground.
City Z, Anime City.
Practically a holy land for 2D culture, a paradise for ACG fans—the air vibrated with excitement and youth.
Coser everywhere: greatsword-wielding dragon-slayers, elven mages chanting spells—one by one as if they'd stepped out of fantasy into reality.
Even veteran otaku Lin Mo had his eyes opened—and even felt the urge to "stamp his album" with some selfies.
But he held back. As KING, the moment he took off his mask he'd probably be mobbed.
"Whoa… look at that guy… he's huge…"
"A coser? That aura's intense—hard to breathe with him just standing there…"
"His eyes… so scary… should we ask for a photo? I'm kind of scared…"
Lin Mo—well over 1.85 meters and broad—radiated pressure even through his hoodie.
Especially the sharp gaze beneath his brim, slashed by those three scars—he stood out among the slim, bookish otaku crowd.
Though [Intimidation (Dragon-level)] was an active skill, it subtly beefed up his presence as well.
Lin Mo himself didn't notice. All his focus was on the most eye-catching spot on Anime City's first floor—the official flagship store of "Mecha Girl: Final Frontline."
Through the big glass window, he could clearly see that globally limited 500-piece "Lilith Final Battle Form" figure still resting in the display case, as if waiting for its chosen master.
Lilith, I'm coming!
He quickened his pace, cut through the crowd—just as he was about to reach the shop—
"BOOOOM!!!"
The second-floor exterior glass exploded without warning!
A massive, metallic silver figure fell like a meteor and slammed into the center of the first-floor hall, kicking up a fog of dust and a chorus of screams.
"Beep—target detected."
"Beep—target confirmed."
Out of the thick dust came a clipped, icy synth voice.
As the haze cleared, the robot came into view—
A giant over three meters tall. Its body looked like it was made of liquid metal, mirror-smooth and reflecting terrified faces.
Its head was a simple inverted triangle—only a single, ominous red eye in the center.
That eye swept the chaos like a radar.
The giant robot drew a wildly oversized greatsword from its back; the blade flashed a chilling gleam under the lights.
It leveled the heavy tip—and that blood-red eye locked precisely onto Lin Mo.
"I am the ultimate combat weapon created by 'the Organization.' Codename: G1."
The cold electronic voice echoed through the hall, each word crisp.
"Cross-referencing database—you are the strongest hero on the surface—KING, correct?!"
The earlier shockwave had blown Lin Mo's cap off, exposing his unmistakable golden hair and three terrifying scars.
Knowing it was pointless to keep up the disguise, Lin Mo stripped off his mask too and fixed his eyes on the robot.
"Wow! Look, it's KING! S-Class KING!"
A coser in a red wig jumped for joy and dropped his prop sword.
"Great! We're saved!" A blue-haired kid was near tears, hands clasped, eyes brimming with adoration.
"Go, Lord KING! Turn that tin can into scrap!"
"KING! KING! KING!"
People stopped running and started shouting. In their eyes, with KING here, any crisis was solvable.
Hey hey… easy for you to say… if you're so tough, you go…
Lin Mo nearly spat blood; his legs trembled a little.
-------
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