Nova—formerly plain Alex—stepped out of the Hero Association headquarters with his shiny new C-Class hero license in hand. Rank 390. Not exactly inspiring, but it was a start.
The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across City Z. The streets were quieter than he expected; most civilians had already retreated indoors after the morning's monster alert sirens. His enhanced senses picked up distant crashes and the faint buzz of something… off.
He flexed his fingers, feeling that strange inner hum again. Kinetic absorption. The system voice hadn't given him a name for it, but the concept was clear in his upgraded mind: every impact he took or delivered would feed into his power pool. The more he got hit, the stronger the next punch became. The more he punched, the more efficient the cycle. Exponential growth, theoretically.
"Time to test the theory," he muttered, heading toward the source of the noise.
Three blocks later he found it.
A cloud of oversized mosquitoes—each the size of a football—swarmed a small park. They weren't cartoonishly giant like some monsters he remembered from the manga; these were grotesque, realistic horrors with needle-like proboscises dripping green venom. Civilians screamed from apartment windows while a handful of low-rank heroes tried (and failed) to keep the swarm contained.
One C-Class hero, a guy in a cheap spandex suit labeled "Bug Zapper," swung a electrified baton wildly. A mosquito latched onto his neck. He screamed as the creature drained him in seconds before exploding in a spray of blood.
Nova's stomach twisted. This wasn't a game anymore.
He sprinted forward.
"Hey!" he shouted, voice carrying with unnatural clarity. "Get back! I've got this!"
The remaining heroes—two more C-Classers—glanced at him, saw the fresh license tag on his chest, and immediately backed off. One muttered, "Newbie's gonna die," but they didn't stop him.
Nova cracked his knuckles.
First mosquito dove at him, wings humming like a chainsaw.
He didn't dodge.
Instead, he let it slam into his chest at full speed.
Pain flared—sharp, burning—but then something clicked.
The impact energy surged into his body like liquid fire, coiling in his muscles, his bones, his very cells. The mosquito's needle bent against his suddenly tougher skin. It buzzed in confusion.
Nova grinned.
He grabbed the creature by its thorax and squeezed.
CRUNCH.
Green ichor sprayed. The mosquito popped like an overripe grape.
A notification bloomed in his mind's eye, faint and game-like:
Kinetic Charge +12%Current Output Multiplier: 1.12×
More came.
Five, then ten, then twenty mosquitoes dive-bombed him at once.
He stood his ground.
They stabbed, they bit, they tore at his clothes and skin. Each impact fed the growing storm inside him. Pain became fuel. Blood trickled from shallow cuts, but the wounds were already closing faster than they should.
Kinetic Charge +38%Current Output Multiplier: 1.38×
The swarm thickened. Civilians watching from windows began recording on their phones.
Nova laughed—low, almost exhilarated.
"Alright," he said, clenching his fist. "Let's see what this body can do."
He launched forward.
One punch.
The air cracked.
A shockwave rippled outward as his fist met the dense cloud. Mosquitoes disintegrated mid-flight, bodies turning to red mist. The force continued, shattering tree branches fifty meters away and cratering the park's central fountain.
When the dust settled, the swarm was gone.
Only a handful of twitching wings remained on the grass.
The two C-Class heroes stared, mouths open.
Nova exhaled slowly, feeling the absorbed energy settle into a warm, steady burn throughout his body.
Kinetic Charge stored: 67%Current Output Multiplier: 1.67×New Personal Record: Single-target burst equivalent to 4.2 tons of force
He looked down at his torn shirt, the shallow cuts already scabbing over.
"Not bad for day one."
His phone buzzed—the Hero Association app.
Alert: Mosquito Swarm threat neutralized.Contribution recognized. Rank adjustment pending review.Current estimated movement: C-Class, Rank 187
A slow smile spread across his (still unfairly handsome) face.
One fight. One rank jump of over 200 places.
If this was the baseline…
What would happen when he fought something that could actually hurt him?
He glanced toward the horizon, where the silhouette of City A's tallest buildings pierced the sky.
Saitama was out there somewhere. Probably buying groceries or napping.
Nova cracked his neck.
"Let's see how long it takes to catch up, One Punch Man."
End of Chapter 2