The main hall was deathly silent. All the Sea People were completely terrified by the overwhelming, horrifying scene that had just unfolded, not daring to even breathe. Even the arrogant Deep Sea King had been blasted into smithereens by this mysterious Monster's continuous attacks—what could they do? They were desperate.
Just as all the Sea People were about to kneel in submission, a muffled voice suddenly echoed from the back of the hall.
"Impossible! The Sea People will never be slaves!!"
Everyone turned to look. A large-bodied octopus Sea Person swam in from outside the shattered gate. The octopus Monster raised several thick tentacles and let out an angry roar.
"I, the 'Deep Sea Emissary,' would rather die in battle than bow down to an unknown fellow like you!"
As its voice fell, more than a dozen octopus-type Sea People swam to its side, assuming fighting stances.
"Yes! The dignity of the Sea People cannot be trampled upon!"
"Avenge Deep Sea King!"
"Let's go together—kill him!"
The group of octopus-type Sea People shouted in unison, their momentum quite grand, their waving tentacles stirring the seawater.
Jack looked at these aggressive octopuses, his eyelids twitching slightly.
"Sure enough… octopuses are really disgusting!"
(Slime Octopus: ??? So, love disappears, right?)
*BOOM—!! *
Before he finished speaking, Jack's figure flashed—instantly appearing before the group of octopus Sea People. Fist winds howled. One punch per Monster. More than a dozen octopus heads, each over ten meters in diameter, exploded one after another like balloons burst by a high-pressure water gun. Flesh and blood splattered everywhere.
"Ah—!"
"Help—!"
"UGH, AH!!!"
"I'M DEAD!!"
The remaining Sea People were scared out of their wits, retreating one after another, fearing they would be next.
In just a few seconds, the octopus army—so formidable just moments ago—had turned into a pile of scattered remains and minced meat.
Jack clapped his hands and turned back to the other Sea People.
"Now—who else objects?"
Deathly silence.
All the Sea People lowered their heads, not daring to breathe. The fate of those octopuses was vivid in their minds. Who would dare to say no now?
Just then, a very distinguished voice rang out.
"Great strong one—the Sea People are willing to offer you eternal loyalty!"
Everyone looked toward the voice. A black-and-white orca Monster swam out from among the Monsters, bowing deeply to Jack with a humble posture.
Jack looked at this orca Monster and couldn't help but chuckle. In the ability information popped up by the system, this big, goofy fellow was named "Deep Sea Street Wanderer." As expected of a husky of the sea—its thought process was unique, and its survival instinct at critical moments was sharp.
"Very good. You are very sensible."
Jack nodded in satisfaction, casually pointing at the orca Monster.
"From now on—you are the second-generation Deep Sea King."
"Wh-…what?!"
Deep Sea Street Wanderer was stunned at first, then overwhelmed by immense joy. The other Sea People looked on with envy, jealousy, and regret, their intestines turning green with remorse—wishing they had spoken first.
The orca Monster never expected that in a situation that should have been certain death, it would instead find fortune in disaster—ascending to heaven in one step, becoming the new king of the Sea People.
—This unknown Insect Race adult is simply my benefactor!!
A City – Hero Association Headquarters
A high-level meeting was underway in the luxurious conference room on the upper floor. Around the large circular table sat the Hero Association's high-ranking officials. A holographic projection displayed recent disaster reports that had been quickly resolved—alongside a blurry but clearly outlined handsome figure.
Jack.
"Sitch—and everyone."
A young bespectacled executive addressed Sitch, the square-faced, large-nosed blonde middle-aged man who headed the Disaster Countermeasures Department. He pointed at the data in the projection.
"These are several Demon-level—and even suspected Dragon-level—disaster incidents that occurred in M City, J City, and surrounding cities within the past month."
The projection screen switched, showing a large number of citizen-recorded videos. Though video quality varied, Jack's overwhelming fighting style and the highly impactful Monster corpses were clearly displayed.
"According to eyewitness descriptions and big data monitoring, besides the Association's strongest man on Earth, King—the other person resolving these disasters is not an Association-registered hero."
The young executive pushed up his glasses. His gaze behind the lenses was particularly sharp.
"Based on current intelligence, this person is named Jack—and he is extremely powerful. At minimum, he possesses the standard of an S-Class hero."
A pause.
"I personally and boldly speculate that King's mysterious friend—his strength… may even be above King's."
Subtle gasps echoed in the conference room. Some executives subconsciously frowned. Though King's strength had always remained mysterious, his title as "Strongest Man on Earth" had never been questioned.
A person potentially stronger than King was undoubtedly major news. But more people shook their heads in disbelief.
"Impossible—absolutely impossible!"
"It's all just your speculation."
"King's achievements are evident for all to see. I doubt whether a hero stronger than him exists among humans."
"Indeed…!"
"Makes sense."
"Me too."
Voices of opposition quickly rose and soon became the mainstream. The young executive opened his mouth, but clearly, his thoughts were irrelevant at this moment.
"Alright, everyone. Mr. Mark is not questioning King's strength—merely speculating on a possibility."
An executive responsible for hero resource allocation pondered, shifting the topic in another direction.
"There's still a problem at hand—since he's King's friend, why didn't King introduce him earlier?"
"Exactly," someone next to him echoed. "According to intelligence, this person's style of action… seems overly casual. He has no interest in becoming a hero."
"This is precisely the focus of our discussion today."
Sitch—at the head of the table—tapped the surface and spoke in a deep voice.
"You all understand King's personality. He has always carried out hero activities quietly. Even when he achieves astonishing feats, they are leaked through other channels. He himself has always been very low-key."
A pause.
"As for Jack—whom we've been observing recently—his actions are undoubtedly protecting citizens and eliminating Monsters. I believe it is necessary for us to specially recruit him—just as we recruited King back then—and directly grant him the status of an S-Class hero."
"Specially recruit an S-Class hero?" Another executive raised an objection. "Director Sitch, the appointment of an S-Class hero is of great importance. Every S-Class hero is a pillar of the Association, representing humanity's highest combat power against Monsters. We know too little about Jack. Granting him S-Class rashly, I'm afraid… it might displease our newly appointed hero consultant—Amai Mask."
A female executive added, a hint of worry in her tone.
"Amai Mask has recently publicly stated that he will conduct a comprehensive review of the abilities and conduct of the Association's existing S-Class heroes. At this critical juncture, specially recruiting a new S-Class with an unclear background—I'm afraid it will be very difficult to get approval from Amai Mask."
Amai Mask's operating style was known for its strictness and pursuit of perfection—especially his extremely high demands on the conduct and strength of S-Class heroes. Everyone present was well aware of this.
The atmosphere in the conference room became tense for a while.
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