Welcome, Jack Hanma

"Come on, let's see who I can recruit."

Opening the list, Zuo Ci was surprised to find quite a few people on it. A rough count put it at thirty or forty at least.

He had thought there would be a dozen or so at most. He hadn't expected this many.

Still, that was a good thing. More people meant more options to choose from.

"Then let's see what their wishes are.

The first one is... save all of humanity? What a grand wish. Let's see who has such lofty ambitions... holy shit, Yellow Pelt!"

Zuo Ci opened the first person's information and immediately saw Yellow Pelt's signature hulking, golden figure. It gave him quite a fright.

To make sure he hadn't mistaken him for someone else, he took a couple of careful looks. Sure enough, it was the Emperor of Mankind.

"By the four-armed, eight-legged, thirty-two-dicked God-Emperor, you think way too highly of me. Can't help. Goodbye."

If it were a relatively ordinary world, Zuo Ci might have been able to save humanity with some effort.

But the cesspit that was Warhammer... give him a break. He would rather face that heap of crap, The Batman Who Laughs, in a showdown of bad jokes than touch this mess even once.

"Forget it. If the first one won't work, I'll try another. Let's see the second person.

Help me escape from prison. Oh, a prisoner. Let's see who it is... holy shit, Belial!"

He had just sent Yellow Pelt packing, and now a black-skinned one had shown up. Zuo Ci really couldn't take it anymore.

Belial, since Ultraman King locked you up, just serve your sentence properly. If you're bored, why not recite the Five Ultra Oaths?

Always thinking about breaking out. Won't you just get beaten up again once you escape? Seriously.

"It's fine. Once or twice is one thing, but surely it won't happen three or four times. The third one has to be normal.

Let's see... tell me jokes and make me happy.

This one looks fairly normal... no, I can't let my guard down so soon.

Ha, I knew it."

Seeing the name Nyarlathotep written there in plain sight, Zuo Ci smiled helplessly.

System, if you don't want me to recruit anyone, just say so. This crap isn't funny, okay?

Over the next while, Zuo Ci scrolled up and down, looking through almost everyone. Apart from wishes as outrageous as the ones above, there were people whose wishes weren't outrageous, but who wouldn't be much use if recruited.

Like this Ordinary Zombie, who wanted to eat brains.

By the time he reached the last few entries, Zuo Ci had already given up hope. He was just browsing to kill time.

But just like pulling in a gacha game, the less hope you had, the more likely you were to hit the pity guarantee.

"The wish is to make me stronger. How many get-stronger requests have I seen now? Wonder who it is this time... huh? Jack Hanma?"

The name immediately caught Zuo Ci's interest.

Jack Hanma, known as the man who abandoned tomorrow. He was a character created by Keisuke Itagaki, the freest manga artist on earth. His father was Yujiro Hanma, the strongest creature on earth, and his younger brother was the manga's protagonist, Baki Hanma.

Like his relatives, Jack Hanma was an absolute monster, and his obsession with strength was far more terrifying than either his brother's or his father's.

To become stronger, he had abandoned everything-even tomorrow itself. He trained thirty hours a day, deliberately overworking himself until his muscles broke down and his bones fractured. He took stimulants at hundreds or even thousands of times the lethal dose for an ordinary person, and even underwent bone-lengthening surgery with severe side effects.

Every bit of it was for the sake of becoming stronger. He was a remarkably single-minded and terrifying man.

"He's pretty good, and his wish isn't hard to fulfill. Should I go with him?"

Although Jack Hanma was a little extreme, he basically had no other flaws and was a decent person. His strength was also quite impressive.

He might not measure up to Batman in combat, but in Gotham's current version, he would definitely be top-tier. His strength was nothing to sneeze at.

"Right, I choose you, Jack Hanma!"

Having made his decision, Zuo Ci pressed the recruit button. A flash of white light followed, and an immensely tall "giant" appeared before him in an instant.

"Are you my boss?"

Standing 2.43 meters tall and weighing 201 kilograms, Jack Hanma looked at the surroundings that had suddenly changed before his eyes and quickly understood what had just happened.

Not long ago, after losing a fight against Izou Motobe, Jack Hanma had begun training even more excessively while searching for new ways to become stronger.

It was then that a voice had appeared in his mind without warning, asking whether he was willing to be recruited in exchange for having his wish to become stronger fulfilled.

He had agreed without the slightest hesitation. And now, it seemed that the deal had been struck.

"Welcome, Jack Hanma."

Looking at Jack Hanma, whose arrival had made the entire room look miniature, Zuo Ci nodded in satisfaction.

It hadn't seemed that impressive in the manga, but in reality, his build was truly staggering. At 1.8 meters, Zuo Ci was already tall by ordinary standards, but next to him, he barely reached above his waist.

To show his goodwill, Zuo Ci offered his hand. Jack Hanma didn't stand on ceremony, reaching out with a hand bigger than Zuo Ci's head and clasping his.

Creak...

Suddenly, a teeth-grating sound of something warping rang out. Veins bulged along Jack Hanma's arm, his muscles bunching. He was clearly applying force.

Holy shit, he's testing me right off the bat? Exactly what I'd expect from someone out of Baki.

Thank goodness I've kept my armor on. Otherwise, my hand would probably be twisted into a pretzel.

Although Zuo Ci had already enhanced his body, that level of strength would only put him on par with some dojo kid in Baki. He couldn't possibly compare to a monster like Jack.

Fortunately, he had never relied on his body.

Still, isn't he a little too strong...?

The smile on his face didn't change, but as he watched his armor's durability plummet, Zuo Ci's eyelid couldn't help twitching twice.

This armor was no flimsy thing. Even Deathstroke's custom gun couldn't break it in a single shot, yet now a handshake was almost enough to crush it. That was downright frightening.

Just as he began wondering whether he should get ready to change into a new suit of armor, Jack finally finished his test.

During that brief test, Jack Hanma had also noticed something strange about Zuo Ci's hand. It felt very wrong, as though he were squeezing an invisible steel gauntlet.

But he didn't think much of it. If someone could yank him straight out of his home and bring him here, a few oddities were perfectly normal.

"Welcome to Gotham, Jack Hanma. I know you must have plenty of questions. I'll explain everything to you in time.

Here, this is the welcome gift I prepared for you. I'm sure you'll like it?"

Shaking out his hand, Zuo Ci took a small cloth pouch from inside his clothes and tossed it to Jack Hanma.

The pouch looked extraordinarily tiny in Jack Hanma's hand. As he opened it, the little red pills inside came into view.

[Product name: Super Strongman Supplement RED

Price: $100,000 per bag

Effect: Red pills made from the Giant Heart. After consumption, they greatly increase physical strength for a short time, but also place an enormous strain on the body.

Warning: Once you take one, a pointy head will be the least of your problems.]

This stuff came from Ten Enemy War Chronicles, the new work by One-Punch Man's author, ONE. Both its effects and side effects were terrifying. Zuo Ci wasn't particularly keen to use it himself, but he was certain Jack Hanma wouldn't refuse.

"That's what it does. But I need to warn you: it's best to take only one at a time. Take too many at once, and you might drop dead.

Of course, I know you don't care about your own life when it comes to getting stronger, but use as little as you can. It's only for emergencies, after all, and the effect isn't permanent. Using it casually in your everyday life would be a huge waste."

After listening to Zuo Ci's explanation, Jack Hanma's scar-covered face broke into a thoroughly terrifying smile.

He had made the right choice after all.