Two months later, the Hero Association officially ranked the heroes, claiming to combine their strength and achievements.
Then...
In S City, more and more passersby are circling around Watchdog Man.
"So cute! It looks like a dog no matter how you look at it. Look, it's licking its butt!"
"Aish...!"
"Watchdog Man was actually ranked in S-class?!"
"That's not how you should say it. You should be asking why Watchdog Man is only qualified as the fourteenth of S-class!"
"No matter what kind of Monster appears in S City, Watchdog Man can handle it!"
"Yes, ranking fourteenth is far too low; it should at least be in the top ten!"
"Speaking of which, if the fourteenth-ranked S-class hero is this strong, just how powerful must the heroes ahead of him be?!"
"Horrible!"
"That's truly terrifying!"
"That's great! Since the Hero Association was established, there haven't been any particularly serious incidents of urban destruction!"
"Yes, all the heroes are very enthusiastic!"
"I want to be a hero when I grow up!"
"Dude, you're already thirty, right? Are you still waiting to grow up?"
"You know nothing! Thirty is the age to establish oneself. Most people who do great things are trash before thirty. We'll see who's who after thirty!"
"Yes, don't underestimate a young person's poverty, don't underestimate a middle-aged person's poverty, and don't underestimate an old person's poverty. In eighteen years, you'll be a hero again, right?"
"Gan!"
Amid the discussion, Watchdog Man silently lay down on the concrete post erected for him by the citizens of S City.
As I lay there, I started to feel sleepy.
In his ears, the Hero Association's earpiece was constantly ringing. While S City remained peaceful, two other cities were simultaneously attacked by Monster.
One is that a Tiger-level Monster has attacked J City, and Superalloy Darkshine has been temporarily assigned to deal with it.
Another issue is that a Demon-level Monster has attacked B City, and Thunderstorm has been temporarily dispatched to resolve the situation.
Speaking of which, that Thunderstorm... wasn't it the one that fell from outer space a while ago?
He's become a hero?
Oh yeah, the earphones I'm wearing were put on me by that guy a while ago.
If the system says "everyone gather" in my headset in the future, will I have to leave S City and go to City A for the meeting?
This is so troublesome...
Lost in thought, Watchdog Man quietly drifted off to sleep. Let the other cities do whatever they want; he only needed to take care of S City.
After all, he had never lived in other cities.
And all I'm doing now is to protect the city he left behind... the city he's always lived in.
Who could blame him when the person he deeply loved lived here, and he himself was his most beloved dog?
As a good dog, I will definitely take good care of him, even though he has passed away. I will take care of the things he once loved.
Must!
Because I'm a dog.
I shouldn't be loyal to all of humanity.
I am simply a human being loyal to myself.
There's only... one person, and everything related to him.
As Watchdog Man Momo fell asleep, Gawain descended upon the streets of B City amidst the commotion.
As planned, B City doesn't have any S-class heroes stationed there, but at least B City has a few other heroes.
For example, there's the A-level Unyielding King Kong, the B-level Yoyo Warrior and Roller Girl, and the C-level Mysterious Mask, etc.
Before Gawain arrived, they had already launched an attack on the Monster who had just appeared.
The Monster that appeared this time was a guy who was extremely fond of GL games, so he simply transformed himself into a GL game protagonist – Heart Underwear Monster.
Despite its comical name and appearance, the Demon-level Monster is incredibly powerful; even the combined efforts of the Unyielding King Kong and the Yoyo Warrior couldn't subdue it.
Even Unyielding King Kong warrior's face was completely covered by the underwear that the Monster kept throwing at him, and he almost suffocated to death.
Seeing how useless the heroes stationed in B City were, the citizens who had initially wanted to join in the fun and watch the show began to flee again.
As they fled, someone shouted angrily at the heroes.
"You guys are really useless! You thought you'd be safe just because a hero came!"
Get lost! Get Lord Thunderstorm here!
"Yes, only Lord Thunderstorm can protect us. If we rely on you, even a Demon-level Monster could kill many people!"
"You guys are really despicable! Heroes like this?!"
"If you can't even protect civilians, what right do you have to receive subsidies from the Hero Association!"
"Go to hell, you piece of trash!"
Hearing the curses around him, the Mysterious Mask sadly shook his head.
That's just how the world is. People always prefer to appreciate the pathetic side of others, and then criticize and judge it, throwing out plenty of curses and profanities.
Although he knew that not all the citizens around him were worth saving, the Mysterious Mask was still prepared to die for them.
As rational human beings, we should never lose our compassion for an entire group just because of the existence of a single exception.
If someone drowns in one river, should we fill up all the rivers in the world?
If a murderer goes to prison, should we lock up all the people of the same gender, age, residence, birthday, or even household registration as the murderer, or even just kill them all?
Considering the complexity of living beings, the Mysterious Mask shook off his slight sadness and picked up his weapon to continue charging towards the Monster.
Aside from the tentacles growing from his back and the underwear that kept being thrown out, the Monster in front of them also possessed considerable strength and physique.
Even when the Mysterious Mask found an opportunity to strike the Monster twice, the Monster felt nothing.
Boom!
After the attack by the Mysterious Mask, the Monster punched the Mysterious Mask in the chest.
As he flew backwards and crashed into a wall, the Mysterious Mask painfully got up from the ground and looked towards the sky.
To defeat this Monster, the heroes present alone are not enough. So, when exactly will the number one ranked S-class hero arrive?
Yes, although Gawain, who protects B City, is stationed in City A, he is incredibly fast and should arrive soon!
This is only in B City. In other places like J City or N City, the S-class heroes there are all much slower.
It seems like it was just two days ago. That S-class hero named Superalloy Darkshine was not only exposed for owing a huge amount of money to loan sharks, but he also caused Monster to kill two B-class heroes and destroy three city blocks because he was reluctant to leave his bed with a woman.
S-class hero?
Snort!
They possess such power, yet few are worthy of it!
Besides the three heroes: Thunderstorm, Bang, and Tatsumaki.
Blast, despite holding the second-highest S-class rank, has accomplished nothing. Atomic Samurai is prone to alcoholism, and even when he's not, he likes to have his A-class disciples practice their swordsmanship on Monster, resulting in the Monster causing more destruction during the practice sessions.
Metal Knight and Drive Knight are basically scholars; they rarely take the initiative to deal with Monster, instead letting their robots fight Monster recklessly, regardless of the damage they cause.
Child Emperor is alright, but he's still just a child, what does he know?
As for the others, they were absolutely rubbish!
Aside from Watchdog Man, who can at least keep a city at peace, most S-class heroes simply don't deserve that kind of power!
And myself...
I really want to do more for people!
I really want to work harder to protect everyone!
But why am I so weak?!
Yes, not only am I weak, but I also have a disgusting face, to the point that... I can't even take off my mask!!!
Without anyone noticing, the will of the Mysterious Mask began to fluctuate rapidly.
After struggling to his feet, the Mysterious Mask, wielding a stick, once again charged at the Monster before him like a moth to a flame!
This time, he didn't even get close to the Monster before being violently blasted away by Monster tentacles!
The most terrifying thing was that, the instant the Mysterious Mask hit the ground, a bad message came through his earpiece.
"Breaking news, breaking news! Heroes within B City, please take note."
An incredibly powerful Dragon-level Monster has just appeared in E City. The Monster destroyed one-fifth of the E City's area the moment it appeared.
Therefore, the first S-class rescue team, originally scheduled to head to B City for rescue, must be prioritized to go to E City for reinforcement!
Therefore, all heroes in B City, please hold on for a while longer! Please hold on for a while longer!
Please trust that after dealing with the problems in E City, the number one S-rank official, Lord Thunderstorm, will rush to B City to provide reinforcements as soon as possible!
Upon hearing this news, the heroes fighting on the front lines in B City were all stunned.
They looked at each other, then at each other...
Then, the Unyielding King Kong warrior violently tore the underwear off his head and roared as he crawled out of the rubble.
"I thought we'd be saved as long as we waited for Gawain!"
As a result, a Dragon-level Monster appeared in E City!
That's someone only an S-rank or higher could rival!
Guys, looks like we'll have to work a bit harder today!
"Let's take down this bastard Monster, and then we'll get promoted and get a raise, so we can finally sit on the S-class hero throne! Haha!"
Amidst the laughter, the Unyielding King Kong charged angrily at the Underwear Monster.
Meanwhile, the other heroes around them rallied and charged towards the Underwear Monster.
The Mysterious Mask also gripped his weapon tightly. Even though Lord Thunderstorm was being held back by the Monster, there were other heroes in B City!
As a hero, even when faced with certain death, one will never easily retreat!!!
With this belief in mind, the Underwear Monster was actually suppressed for a brief period of time.
Through teamwork, the heroes launched a fluid offensive.
But it's clear that even among Demon-level Monster, the Underwear Monster is relatively powerful.
After the Monster withstood the heroes' first wave of attacks, Monster continued to relentlessly attack them!
Click!
With a crisp crack, the Mysterious Mask felt his arm break!
Bang!
He collapsed helplessly to the ground, the Mysterious Mask clutching his arm in pain, while his leg was broken by the Monster's foot.
The selected civilians around them seemed to have also received the news that Gawain was temporarily unable to arrive, and this news made them excited.
"Something terrible has happened! A Dragon-level Monster has appeared in E City! Lord Gawain won't be able to come for the time being!"
"Does that mean we can only rely on these weak and useless heroes?"
"Stop spouting nonsense! The trash heroes you're talking about are the ones who are bleeding and fighting for us!"
"Ah, that's Mysterious Mask! His leg was broken by the Monster!"
"Go for it, heroes!"
"Come on!"
"Come on!!!"
"Unyielding King Kong!"
"Go for it, Mysterious Mask!!!"
The cheers that finally came to mind gradually brought clarity to the already blurred thoughts of the Mysterious Mask.
He struggled to prop himself up with his remaining arm, looking resentfully at the Monster had crushed his calf.
Even so, the guy in front of me still had fighting spirit.
The Underwear Monster, displeased, extended its tentacles and lifted the Mysterious Mask up.
"Oh my god, I hate that look you're giving me, you jerk!"
Men should all die, and the world should only be left with beautiful women!
Die!!!
With a roar, the Monster's fist slammed into the face of the Mysterious Mask.
Suddenly, the mask of the Mysterious Mask shattered.
"My mask!!!"
For the first time, the Mysterious Mask let out a terrifying scream, which drew the attention of all the citizens to his face.
Then...
Vomit!!!
Even those who managed to see the Mysterious Mask, including the Monster, uncontrollably vomited!
While vomiting, the Monster disgustedly tossed the Mysterious Mask far away, as if it were a wad of feces.
"What a disgusting face, what a disgusting face!!!"
How can there be such a disgusting person? They're almost more disgusting than me!
As he vomited, the Monster almost vomited up his own bile.
As for the surrounding citizens, they vomited and no longer offered any support to the heroes.
"How can such a disgusting guy be a hero?"
"And I used to be a fan of his!"
"I thought everyone wearing a mask was a handsome guy, but it turns out they're all old ugly bastards!"
"What a damn old bum, acting like a hero, disgusting!"
"Aaaaaah!!!"
"Vomit!!!"
"Get out of here, you ugly bastard!!!"
On the ground, the Mysterious Mask was already in enough pain as he lay there.
But...
The sounds coming from all around him only intensified his pain!
Just because someone is ugly, can they so easily forget the blood and tears they shed for them?
This is baffling... does it really depend on appearance?
The Mysterious Mask was neither clear about nor interested in these questions.
Surrounded by countless sounds of vomiting and cursing, he fled from there.
He didn't even know how he escaped.
Because logically speaking, even his leg was broken...
But he didn't remember any of that; all he knew was that he had to escape, he absolutely had to escape!
Because if we don't run away and hide quickly...
He felt an unparalleled killing intent towards those who had betrayed him!
No!
Absolutely not!
Even if I'm cursed, even if I'm hated, even if I'm despised...
Nothing was enough to make him change himself!
People are foolish, so should I become just as foolish as them?
People are superficial, so should I be just as superficial as them?
I just want to be a hero...
What does protecting them have to do with them?
I don't bother with anyone who says I'm not good enough!
As for me, I feel that's enough!
Shortly after, Gawain arrived in B City and took down the Underwear Monster.
In this battle, the Hero Association lost a C-class hero, Mysterious Mask.
But just a few days later...
A person named Sweet Mask joined the Hero Association.