This move for dealing with giant insect monsters wasn't Josen's own creation. Tatsumaki had used it back in A City.
Now that he had copied it, it really did work well.
Most importantly, disposing of the body took up hardly any space. All he had to do was find somewhere to bury the little box left behind.
In an instant, the monster cube took shape. The 170,000-Year Cicada Larva was eliminated.
It would never get back up.
His Stand Ability caught the monster's dissipating soul, and a purple card bearing the image of a shrieking insect monster fell into Josen's hand.
[Fantasy Card: 170,000-Year Cicada Larva] [Card type: Character card (monster)] [Rarity: SR] [Description: A member of the monstrous insect family. A gigantic insect monster. Disaster level: Demon.] [Effect 1: Super Suck] [Any prey struck by its mouthparts will instantly be broken down and sucked dry.] [Effect 2: Overgrowth] [Any food consumed will become nutrients, allowing its body to eventually grow without limit.]
"It's this huge and it's still only a larva. The insects in this world really do get ridiculous when they turn into monsters."
Thinking of Elder Centipede and Centipede Sage, who would appear later, each more absurdly enormous than the last, Josen felt he still had a long road ahead. He casually dismantled the 170,000-Year Cicada Larva's purple card for stat boosts.
[Constitution +10, +10, +10...]
"Huh?"
This time, the pleasurable sensation of his stats increasing was rather brief, fading after just a few breaths.
Josen recalled that after obtaining the complete set of spider superpowers, his physique had reached a new level. Ordinary N-rank stat cards no longer worked on him.
Now it seemed that even Demon-level monsters offered only limited improvements when used as enhancement materials.
Good grief. Looks like I'll have to grind even harder.
Inside the shelter.
Thanks to the various layers of armor and protective devices installed outside, the deafening crashes of the monster's attacks were reduced to faint vibrations.
The people trapped in the shelter stared at the ceiling as it shook from time to time, their emotions rising and falling along with it.
After an unknown amount of time, the faint rumbling outside gradually died away. A bored young man with black hair sitting in a corner suddenly looked up. "Huh? Did the noise outside stop?"
Hearing this, others soon noticed the same thing.
"I think it did!"
"Yeah, I haven't felt any shaking for a while!"
"Does that mean the monster's been defeated?"
"..."
As everyone discussed it, the overhead speakers began broadcasting, as though answering their questions.
"Breaking news: The suspected Demon-level threat that appeared in Z City has been eliminated by A-Class Rank 30, Super Police. Peace has now been restored to Z City. We thank our hero for his contribution!"
"Breaking news..."
The Hero Association's announcement rang out across Z City, while promotional footage appeared on the large screens installed in each shelter.
On-screen, Josen wore a smart, crisp police uniform with his shirt sleeves rolled up. Blue flames blazed around his fists as they struck a ferocious-looking lizard monster in a blur.
Then the scene changed, and the monsters Josen had defeated appeared one after another, including the crane monster from A City that Tatsumaki had actually killed.
Although most of the footage had clearly come from ordinary roadside surveillance cameras, post-production restoration brought every detail of the battles into sharp focus. Paired with top-notch music and editing, it felt like a blood-pumping action blockbuster.
"Ooh! Is he a new hero? He's so cool!"
"He can control lightning! Another hero with superpowers!"
"He's so strong! He can beat monsters with his bare hands!"
"Well, duh! He debuted as an A-Class hero. Of course he's strong!"
"Did he beat that giant insect outside to death like that too?"
Hiss-
With the hiss of an airlock, the shelter doors swung open.
Overjoyed to see daylight again, some people ran toward the exit, shouting excitedly, while others raised their phones to record the heroic footage of Josen pummeling the lizard monster.
As investors would put it, Josen's popularity was rapidly converting into returns. Most of the rescued citizens spontaneously became his fans.
Everyone around him had rushed off, but the black-haired young man who had originally been the most eager to leave was now in no hurry.
Watching the hero information labeled "Super Police Josen" appear on-screen, he slowly stood and stretched. "So it was Josen. Nice work."
Suddenly, his expression changed, and he clutched his stomach.
"Uh-oh! I can't hold it much longer. I need to find a bathroom, fast."
With that, he shot past the crowd and raced out of the shelter ahead of everyone else.
"Whoa! What a gust!"
"Who just shoved me? How rude!"
A gap opened in the packed crowd, and the black-haired young man sped through it.
Up in the sky, Josen heard the Hero Association's broadcast too.
"So they finally settled on Super Police as my official hero name?" After considering it for a moment, Josen accepted it. "Well, it's better than that edgy Wild Thunder name they had before. At the very least, it sounds better than Caped Baldy. Huh..."
A figure sprinting below caught his attention: a familiar old tracksuit and a speed far beyond that of an ordinary person.
"Isn't that Saitama?"
He was just about to go down and say hello when the man plunged into a relatively intact public restroom among the ruins.
"Uh..."
Josen immediately withdrew all the Psychic Power he had spread through the area, afraid he might pick up some information with a smell attached.
He hadn't seen Saitama in a few days and had been thinking of inviting him for a meal, but now he abandoned the idea.
"Maybe next time."
After all, as far as that guy was concerned, they had eaten hot pot together only yesterday.
But as it turned out, some things simply couldn't be escaped.
"Jo-sen-I'm, right, over, here~"
Josen had just turned to fly away when his body stiffened.
Has this bastard even trained himself to use the bathroom that fast?
"Fancy running into you here..."
Josen landed and inspected Saitama's hands from a distance.
Yep, perfectly clean.
Which means he didn't wash them.
Josen silently took another two steps back. "So, why were you in the shelter?"
"Well, that's a long story..."
Saitama paused, looking a little sheepish.
There was no way he would admit that people had held him back in the shelter, leaving him unable to get out and fight the monster.
Especially not to Josen, who knew he was working toward becoming a hero. That would be far too embarrassing.
"Then let's skip that." Remembering the "Limiter Fragments" in his card collection, which he had already cleared out once, Josen made up his mind and extended an invitation. "I'm planning to have a barbecue on my balcony tonight. Want to join me?"
"Huh, a barbecue?" Saitama looked tempted and scratched his head. "But didn't we just have hot pot yesterday...?"
Catching a newly formed "Limiter Fragment" with a precise application of Psychic Power, Josen kept his expression unchanged. "It's my treat today. Just tell me if you're coming."
"Sure, sure!"
Josen pointed toward the restroom. "Then go wash your hands."
"Ah, you caught me... I was just in too much of a hurry. I'm usually very hygienic!"
Saitama's expression stiffened.
"But is washing your hands really that important?"
Before you continue