"Ahh! someone, someone save me!"
In the desolate forest, a beautiful maiden in a fluffy gown fled in panic. Behind her, a five-meter-tall Tyrannical Bear, King of the Forest, pursued her with a look of cruel amusement.
"Go ahead and cry! Go ahead and call for help! Let's see who in this forest dares to save the King of the Forest's prey!"
The panicked maiden sped up, but she let out a cry of surprise as she suddenly tripped over a vine. Gazing at the approaching Tyrannical Bear, her eyes revealed despair, and tears streamed down her lovely, delicate face, making her a pitiable sight.
"Haha, where do you think you're running to!" The Tyrannical Bear reached her, extending a wicked paw.
The beautiful maiden couldn't help but shriek, "No!"
Just as it seemed a fresh flower was about to wither, a tall, imposing figure suddenly appeared, standing between the maiden and the Tyrannical Bear.
He wore a suit of crimson armor and wielded a two-meter greatsword, which he pointed at the Tyrannical Bear as he declared: "In front of Blazefire Knight, you won't lay a finger on her!"
"What? It's Blazefire Knight!" The Tyrannical Bear instantly lost its will to fight and fled in disarray.
"Ah, I knew it! I knew you would come to save me, Blazefire Knight," the beautiful maiden blurted out.
"Of course! Because I am a Hero!"
Gazing at the handsome Blazefire Knight, the beautiful maiden's face flushed with shyness.
...
"Cut!"
"Perfect! All of the outdoor scenes are now finished. Everyone, please take two days off to prepare for the studio shoots. Great work, everyone."
"Hooray! Thank you, Director, for your hard work!"
"You all worked hard."
"Aomori-kun, you acted so well! I can't believe it's your first time shooting a drama."
"That pose just now was so cool! Look, Miwako is still blushing."
"I am not! It's just hot," she protested.
"Aomori-senpai, are you free to go out with us later? To celebrate a smooth wrap for the location shoot."
"No, I'm afraid not. I have other things to attend to. My apologies."
Finally managing to escape the swarm of girls, Aomori let out a deep breath. To him, this was more exhausting than fighting ten Muzans.
After removing his makeup and changing back into his own clothes, Aomori departed, accompanied by a small entourage.
As Aomori's fame grew, the big boss assigned him a dedicated driver. Miss Fujiwara also became his exclusive manager, with four assistants helping her out.
"Aomori, as you requested, I've cleared your schedule for the next two days. You can finally get some proper rest."
"Mn, thank you, Fujiwara-san."
Hearing this, Miss Fujiwara shook her head. They had known each other for so long, yet Aomori still kept his distance, his manner of addressing her never changing.
"By the way, Fujiwara-san."
"Yes?"
"Could you help me compile a list of all the mechanical companies in Z-City that are on the verge of bankruptcy and looking to transfer ownership shares?"
"...Understood!"
Miss Fujiwara knew Aomori was a man of firm resolve, so she swallowed her questions. Instead, she said, "I know a famous lawyer. If you need one, I can recommend him to you."
"Excellent. That's exactly what I need."
With that, Aomori closed his eyes, and Miss Fujiwara wisely fell silent.
'Lately, Aomori has been giving off an increasingly authoritative aura, like a person in a high position,' she thought, looking at Aomori's young face. 'It must be my imagination.'
...
Back at home, Aomori headed straight for the basement.
Before long, a clanging, banging sound echoed from within.
The next day, a weary-looking Aomori emerged from the basement. After his usual morning exercise and wash-up, he fried himself three sunny-side-up eggs, which he ate with two sausages and a glass of fresh milk for breakfast.
Afterward, Aomori picked up a large bundle and left the house on foot; he didn't bother to drive.
About half an hour later, on the outskirts of Z-City, not far from his home, Aomori cautiously entered a cave. After ten minutes of twisting and turning, the space suddenly opened up into a spacious clearing.
The spacious clearing had been slowly carved out by Aomori. This was his second secret base, used specifically for testing skills and equipment. It was also stocked with various high-tech equipment, from desks and chairs to computers and generators—everything he needed.
Besides Aomori, only one other person knew about this place.
"The big star is free today, just as I thought." A childish voice echoed from the shadows of the clearing.
Even in the poor light, Aomori's eyes reflected the image of the speaker: a small child with a backpack, holding a lollipop.
This was Child Emperor, a super genius not yet seven years old, whose intelligence and knowledge far exceeded the average person's. In the original series, he was the S-Class Rank 5 Hero whose equipment was capable of instantly defeating Demon-level Monsters, far surpassing Aomori's current abilities.
Of course, the present Child Emperor had not yet embarked on the Hero path or become the assistant to Dr. Bofoi (Metal Knight). He was merely a young genius unsure of how to utilize his talents.
Three months prior, a Monster suddenly appeared at an elementary school in Y-City. Aomori "happened" to pass by and saved the endangered Child Emperor. Thus, the two became acquainted.
Through their casual conversations, they were mutually impressed by each other's knowledge. Moreover, Aomori's treatment of him as an equal significantly boosted Child Emperor's goodwill, leading to a deepening friendship.
"Hmph, you could have figured that out just by looking at the news. I'm more interested in whether or not you have any other good news for me, little genius," Aomori said, looking down at Child Emperor.
Noticing Aomori's condescending gaze, Child Emperor scoffed. He jumped onto a swivel chair, turned his back to Aomori, and began clattering away on a computer keyboard.
"That toy car you gave me last time, I just took a quick look. Apart from the chip being somewhat interesting, the rest of the structure is just so-so," Child Emperor mumbled, the lollipop still in his mouth. "What's up? Is the big star thinking of switching careers to sell toys? I don't think it has much potential."
The toy car in question was the Cyclone Magnum, which Aomori didn't have time to study, so he tossed it to Child Emperor.
Watching the various data displayed on the screen, Aomori shrugged and casually said, "It was just a small toy for you to play with."
"I don't believe it!" Child Emperor clasped his hands behind his head and kept spinning in the chair. "You never do anything pointless. You must be here to test something."
"Heh, it's right there. See for yourself." Aomori pointed toward the large bundle he had brought.
Given permission, Child Emperor zipped over to the large bundle. Seeming to feel that he had been too hasty, he coughed twice before slowly and deliberately unwrapping the package.
"Is this... an exoskeleton suit?" Child Emperor asked uncertainly, seeing the full contents.
"That's right. It's a single-occupant exoskeleton suit, minus the attached thermal weapons." This was the piece of equipment Aomori had produced the most in his previous life, though it was manufactured on an automated assembly line then. It had taken him quite a while to make this one by himself.
"It's size-adjustable, so children and big guys can wear it."
With Aomori's help, Child Emperor put on the exoskeleton suit, which Aomori had named "Iron Man I".
"Wow, cool!" Child Emperor dashed and leapt around the clearing, sometimes scaling the rock face and sometimes smashing a large stone with a single punch. He was clearly having a blast.
After a while, when the energy was depleted, Child Emperor reluctantly took off "Iron Man I".
"The energy consumption is lower than I expected. Paired with the latest commercial turbine nuclear power source, it should last for two hours."
Aomori swapped out the battery and put on "Iron Man I" himself to test it.
Afterward, the two engaged in a fierce discussion on several detailed aspects. In the end, Child Emperor sighed with emotion, "If the price is reasonable, this is definitely going to be a smash hit."
He knew Aomori wanted to start a company to make money.
"But I prefer robots that can be remotely controlled," he thought, licking his lollipop. 'Humans are too fragile; rushing into battle easily gets you killed.'
"There will be."
Aomori suddenly stroked Child Emperor's small head and asked, "Hey, have you ever thought about what you want to do later in life?"
"Huh? Why ask such a profound question all of a sudden?"
"Have you ever heard this theory: When the world is on the verge of destruction, people with extraordinary talents will be born one after another. This is the world's last gasp, its desperate final struggle."
"Hmm, are you trying to say that the world is about to face its doom, and you are one of those extraordinarily talented humans born in response?"
"To be precise, humanity is on the verge of extinction. Since the Age of Ruin, all that remains of humanity are these large settlements made up of 26 cities. Natural disasters, viruses, and war have not abandoned us, and coupled with the increasingly frequent appearance of Monsters, our final survival environment is precarious. Therefore, only by uniting humans with extraordinary talents, like you and me, can we overcome this difficulty."
"I could not choose my birth; the world chose me," Aomori grew increasingly intense, his usually gentle voice becoming impassioned: "The world needs a Hero? Then I will become a Hero. The world needs a Savior? Then I will become a Savior! Child Emperor, will you join me to lead lost humanity and save the world?!"
That's right, Aomori was laying his cards on the table: he was an ambitious man.
The day he transmigrated into the One-Punch Man world, he decided to establish his own Hero Association. Rather than being led by capitalists who managed to lose even with a royal flush of resources, he would take charge himself.
Thus, he became a singer to gain mass popularity; he became a Hero to display reliable power; and the next step was to become a capitalist to control the initiative in the game and find like-minded partners to unite every force that could be united.
Having lived through a past apocalypse, Aomori was not naive enough to believe that personal strength alone was enough to subdue everyone and securely occupy the position of the Hero Association's ultimate authority.
Aomori's enemies were not limited to the Monsters in the One-Punch Man world. He still held a glimmer of hope: to return to his original world and save his family and friends who were barely surviving there!
With the System, what was impossible?!
Aomori's gaze grew even more resolute.
Crunch!
Child Emperor bit the lollipop in half and slowly chewed it. He looked up, his eyes shining brightly as well. "Heh, a Savior? You really are arrogant! But, saving the world... that's not a bad ideal."
The precocious Child Emperor had already begun to contemplate the world and life. Aomori had simply awakened the righteous spirit within him a little earlier.
Therefore, Child Emperor nodded heavily. "Savior, I'm going to be one!"
Thus, in that hidden base, their tightly clasped hands marked the beginning of a new resolve.
————
You can read the ahead chapter on Patr if you're interested: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]