On the edge of a cliff, a black-haired man with muscular built was sitting. He donned in bandit attire – black pants, leather belt, boots, brown shirt, and dark-green cloak. As the soft wind blew his shoulder-length hair, his blue eyes gazed at the misty abyss before him. He was deep in thought, showed by his solemn look.
An orange ball bounced down and landed near his sitting place. He smiled and tilted his head to see a little girl was standing behind him. She had long brown hair and matching color dress, raccoon ears protruding from her head and a fluffy tail. It appeared that she was a demi-human. Her tea-red eyes fixed on the figure of the sitting man bore hesitance. The man rose from his place and handed the ball to the girl.
"Lord Suiryu," called the little girl as the man patted her head.
One Punch Man belongs to One.
Rising of The Shield Hero belongs to Aneko Yusagi.
I own neither of them.
| A New Day in Another World |
It was a nice morning in City O. However, people had just recovered from the terror that ravaged the area. No one injured, but remains of monsters littered the streets. It was thanks to the heroes, the people could continue their activities.
As the disposal team from the Neo-Hero Association cleaned the remnants, some heroes were guarding the place while some others went on with their patrol or doing their business. Among them were a giant sumo-wrestler in loincloth and a martial artist in kung fu gear, chatting amicably amid the damage caused by the battle.
"Kid, that was really awesome." The sumo-wrestler exclaimed as he walked side by side with the martial artist. "As expected from a Super Fight Champion, you can beat ten demon-level monsters in a row without breaking sweat. Hahahaha…"
"Raiden-sensei, you're flattering me." The man replied as he let out a small chuckle while rubbing his cheek.
"Anyway, Suiryu. Where are you going after this?" asked Raiden.
"Mister McCoy has summoned me. I'll go back to the HQ." Suiryu replied as he took out his phone to check the appointment.
"Heh…? A promotion? Good luck, kid." Raiden patted Suiryu's back. "I also need to go back. Well… You can visit me anytime if you like. See you."
"See you, Raiden-sensei." Suiryu waved his hand.
As the giant man bid his farewell, the martial artist also took his leave. He still had some time to take a rest, so he headed to his apartment in City C. But before that, he wanted to pay a visit to a man he acquainted with.
Suiryu's debut as a member of Neo-Hero Association had just been started. But as he joined, he had stacked so many achievements.
As one among many public figures on the planet, his popularity had overshadowed heroes from the old Hero Association. Even in the last poll, Amai Mask was placed far below him. Despite that, his ideal as a hero didn't wane. He had dedicated himself to become a hero. And he would never forget the one who showed him the path of a true hero.
"Sensei, what would you like for dinner?" asked a certain blonde cyborg to his bald master.
"Hmm… Actually I want hot-pot, but…" Caped Baldy replied as his dopey face directed at signs along the shopping district they were in. "We don't have vegetables and meat. But we still have tofu. I guess miso would be okay."
"Understood." The cyborg nodded as he scribbled down a list on his notebook.
A moment later, two certain ninjas came out of nowhere and dropped in front of the master and disciple. The first one showed hostility by pointing his sword while grinning from ear to ear. The other one put a solemn expression while crossing his arms.
"Finally! Found you, Saitama!" The black-haired ninja exclaimed with overflowing excitement.
"Just ignore him, Saitama. Anyway, thanks for the sword. But still. You need to learn how to counter a jutsu." The other ninja said calmly.
The cyborg's eyes glowed bright yellow as the cannons around his arms opened. Being a good disciple, he wouldn't let any disturbance hinder his master.
"Sonic! Flash! State your purpose! Right now, Sensei is busy. You are just wasting Sensei's precious time. Else, I will eliminate you!"
"Oi, Genos. Calm down." Saitama put his hand on his disciple's shoulder. "They're just want to see me. It's no big deal."
The cannons on Genos' arms closed in response. However, Sonic kept pointing his blade at Saitama while Flash only stared at them. Passersby on the street just wondered about the event as they walked. Perhaps the four men who were facing each other were weirdos. The tense situation turned into a staring contest. Because they were in casual cloths, people weren't aware that three of them were pro heroes.
'What you'll gonna do, Saitama! I've harnessed my new move to kill you!' thought Sonic as his heart throbbed in excitement.
'I hope he won't cause some trouble this time,' mused Saitama as he looked at grinning Sonic.
Genos' sensor suddenly picked up a weird pattern of bio-signature. It wasn't a monster. It belonged to human. As the energy source came closer, the four heard some squeals and hysterical screams.
"AAAAWW! It's Suiryu!"
"Suiryu-sama!"
"Please, let's have a photograph!"
"Ahaha… Sorry, ladies. I'm in rush." Suiryu ran from the crowd of fan-girls as he brought a big plastic bag.
The martial artist then bumped onto the ninjas. "Oh, sorry girls, I didn't mean to crash yo– …"
The ninjas turned their heads and glared dagger at Suiryu. The Super Fight champion really mistook Sonic and Flash as women since they had very lean body and silky hair. Saitama and Genos only stared at them quietly. The man was surely in trouble the moment he made contact with the pesky ninjas.
'Suiryu. Although he has just joined the Neo-Hero Association a month ago, his monster kill had reached 189 demon-level and 3 dragon-level. Not to mention countless tiger-level during his patrol. He often travels from city to city just to kill monsters. No wonder his popularity sky-rocketed.' Genos mused as he looked at the confused martial artist.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were…" The martial artist paused. "Hey, you're Flashy Flash, right?"
"Suiryu. What are you doing here?" Flash's expression softened a little bit as he let loose his hand from his ninjato hilt.
At least Flash was not someone who would attack a hero he knew. Suiryu's fame somewhat prevented Flash from doing harm. But the case went different for Sonic who never had any interest in any hero except Saitama, or anyone who could rival him. People who stood in his way would die… if Sonic killed them.
"I don't know who the hell you are." Sonic got agitated as he held his ninjato backhandedly. "But anyway, I'll kill you!"
Without hesitation, Sonic moved into blur and swung his blade to slash Suiryu. In the background, Saitama was staring blankly at the unfolding event. Meanwhile, Genos looked at the ensuing fight while analyzing the possible result. However, the martial artist managed to catch the blade with his free hand, surprising both Sonic and Flash.
"I see. You're quite fast." The martial artist smiled as his hand was still grabbing the blade. "But attacking a stranger is dangerous, you know."
Suiryu yanked Sonic's ninjato and crushed it in his hand. The ninja who knew the difference in power backed off. Flash decided to watch the battle like what Saitama and Genos were doing. Suiryu's feat impressed the cyborg.
'Damn. He took my weapon. He's strong.' Sonic mused as cold sweat dripped down his face. 'If I got hit, it will end up so bad.'
"The nerve you disturb my duel with with Saitama!" Sonic hissed as he prepared a stance for his next strike.
"Wait, what!? Did you say Saitama!?" Suiryu widened his eyes as he looked around frantically while still holding Sonic's crushed blade. "Where is he now!?"
"Oi. I'm here," said Saitama.
Suiryu tilted his head to find the hero who had saved his life was standing beside his disciple. The martial artist couldn't be happier to find the man he was searching for. He came to the Hero Association housing complex on the former City A just to see Saitama. And as a form of gratitude, he brought a present for the baldy. A gift that Saitama almost impossible to refuse.
"Ah, Saitama. I'm looking for you." The martial artist spoke as his smile widened. "And hello, Demon Cyborg."
"Suiryu. Why do you want to see Sensei?" uttered Genos.
"Have we ever met before?" asked the confused baldy.
Genos leaned closer to Saitama and whispered, "Sensei, he is Suiryu. The champion of Super Fight. Recently, he has become a hero."
Saitama put a thoughtful look for a moment. As his neurons in his brain were working, Sonic and Flash were waiting impatiently. They knew that it would be just like last time. They had come into conclusion that Saitama could not remember people's name. It would need more than two encounters to etch just a simple name into his memory. And it should be impressive or else, the name would vaporize.
"Oh. You're the one from that martial arts tournament who like to insult hero. And hey… You get a short cut. You also get your teeth back. Cool."
"Uh. Y-yes… It's me." Suiryu's smile became awkward.
Suiryu was a little bit shocked to hear that the impression Saitama had about him was that part. He realized that his old view about heroes was his past mistake. But that was also the reason that lashed him to become a hero.
"So, what's up?" asked the baldy.
"Uh. Actually, I just want to thank you." Suiryu said as he bowed.
"Okay," replied the baldy, with his ever present bland face.
"And please, this is not much. But I want you to take it." Suiryu handed the bag to Saitama.
When Saitama took the bag and peeked at the content, his face suddenly filled with determination. Genos who had scanned the bag's content also mimicked his master's expression as his eyes glowed brighter. 'Premium meat! Five kilograms…!' thought Saitama. 'Awesome! This is what we need!'
Saitama's serious face somewhat sent chills towards Sonic and Flash. His sudden change of expression felt like a dangerous vibe for the ninjas. His seriousness also accelerated his neurons' work to access all information available about Suiryu.
"Suiryu," Saitama spoke with his Serious Tone as he looked at Suiryu's eyes. "If you want to become my disciple, you can ask me anytime. My door is always open for you."
Suiryu chuckled in response. Indeed, he wanted to study under Caped Baldy. But his intention of giving Saitama was none other than a form of gratitude and respect towards him. Saitama was the figure who inspired Suiryu for striving to become a hero.
"Very well. I'll consider it." The martial artist replied as he smiled.
'So, Suiryu is planning to become Sensei's disciple.' Genos mused as he nodded. 'I guess this will be my chance to take him as my competitor.'
"Genos, we'll make yakiniku," Saitama ordered his disciple as he held the plastic bag tighter out of joy.
"Understood." Genos nodded. "Thank you very much, Suiryu!"
"HEY! Don't ignore me!" Sonic yelled. "Our fight hasn't been settled yet!"
Saitama, Genos and Suiryu only squinted their eyes in confusion. Flash only shrugged his shoulders in response. The situation really made Sonic burned in rage. At this point, he would kill everyone in the vicinity. He leaped to unleash his signature move. His first target was Suiryu.
"Wind Blade Kick!" Sonic roared as he turned into blur while flipping and used the momentum to trust a forward kick towards the martial artist.
However, Suiryu's advanced skill of [Void Fist] allowed him to read Sonic's move. When the ninja's foot aimed at his face, he tilted his head slightly and raised his right elbow. He intended to target Sonic's stomach, but the ninja was too fast that his elbow hit Sonic's "something in between" instead.
{DEAR AUDIENCE, WE ARE SO SORRY. DUE TO TECHNICAL ERROR, WE SHOULD TAKE A MOMENTARY HALT…}
The pain was so unbearable that Sonic's eyes rolled back. He fell to the ground while his mouth was foaming. The numbness from under his abdomen even rendered all other nervous system to shutdown. Sonic was knocked out cold. Suiryu panicked and tried to wake him up to no avail. Flash only averted his gaze out of disgust while Saitama and Genos only gave inattentive stare.
"Oi… Are you okay!? Oi…!" Suiryu shook the fainted ninja.
"Suiryu, just leave him there," said Flash coldly. "He can take care of himself."
"But he needs medical treatment!" Suiryu argued.
"Rest assured, Suiryu," said Saitama. "Slash, you're his friend, right? Bring him to my house."
"It's Flash. Do you know any doctor?" Flash raised his brow.
"Sensei, are you sure?" asked Genos.
"Don't worry. I'll let Forte take care of him." Saitama gave an assuring response.
"Very well. Lead the way, Saitama." Flash said as he slung his fellow shinobi on his shoulder.
Little did Flash know that Saitama only dumped the responsibility to his neighbor. If the ninja knew who was this Forte, he would rather left Sonic on that street simply because Class A heroes were a bunch of nobodies in Flash's eyes.
"So Suiryu, wanna drop by at my place?" asked the baldy. "We'll have a party with King."
"Thank you very much for the offer, Saitama." Suiryu replied politely. "But right now, I have an appointment. I'm so sorry for troubling you. Please, take care of the man."
"Okay."
The Super Fight champion bowed reverently and bid his farewell. As Suiryu left, Genos pondered about the lesson he could draw from the event.
'… I think Suiryu is a kind and responsible man. And he is strong too. But compared to Sensei, Sensei's power is the resemblance of justice. An unparalleled justice which destroys all evil. And his mercy knows no bound, even towards his enemy! What a noble deed and benevolence! Sensei… No matter how hard it is, I will follow your path!'
"Oi, Genos! What are you doing?" Saitama called his disciple who was standing still. "Let's go!"
"Yes, Sensei." The disciple replied as he dashed to catch up with his master, and the guests.
After he took some rest at his abode and beat some monsters along the way, Suiryu arrived at the HQ around 20 minutes before the schedule. A bespectacled lady who was McCoy's secretary escorted the martial artist to the Director's room.
For that meeting, instead of wearing his kung fu suit, he chose to wear his second preference – blue jeans, white T-shirt under brown hooded vest, combat shoes, and fingerless gloves. Far from formal but it was the most comfortable outfit for both fighting and traveling.
The secretary opened the door for Suiryu and let him had a seat on the sofa. There, he found that the place was standard, just like a room for a boss of a company. Work desk, chairs, furniture, an aquarium, two bookshelves, curtain, all of them were ordinary. Perhaps McCoy himself wanted it that way to hide some amazing technologies people might never know. When he leaned on the sofa, the secretary came back.
"Oh yeah. You are free to browse the book. Take your time, Mister Suiryu."
"Thanks." Suiryu replied as he smiled.
Suiryu rose from the sofa and looked at the collection. As he had thought, most of the books were about management, business, disasters, and… monsters. There was no magazine. Nothing interesting at all. When he nearly retreated to the sofa, he saw an antique book with red cover in the lowest rack. He decided to take it and to his surprise, it was some sort of storybook. And an antique one.
'Tales of Four Heroes…? What's this?' thought Suiryu as he read the title.
The martial artist opened the book and greeted by yellowish paper, just like most old book. He looked at the first page and found that it was some kind of novel. And the next pages were filled with old fashioned illustrations.
'As the wave of calamity comes, four heroes were summoned…' Suiryu smiled as he scanned the pages while enjoying the story.
'Each of them was granted a weapon. There were sword, spear, bow, and… shield?' Suiryu raised his brows.
Being a moviegoer, he knew that shield was for protection, rather than for attacking. He had watched so many colossal movies about ancient wars and of course, shield was not a weapon. Unless, the soldier was so strong that his bash could kill an enemy or the shield was bladed.
'Hmm… A princess? She looks more like a harlot I think.' The champion smirked as he looked at a picture of a woman.
Suiryu kept opening the next pages until he found a blank one. The next, it was also blank. Suddenly, the book flipped the pages on its own and shined golden light. The light was so bright that he got blinded as it consumed him. The next moment, he was vanish.
A moment later, McCoy opened the door of his office to find no one. He checked around and still, no one.
'She said he's come. Well… Is she pulling a prank?' The eye-patched director mused about his secretary as he checked his phone in annoyance. 'Prank? Wait… Oh, NOOO… Today's my birthday!'
And the appointment that day never happened.
"Ouch…"
"The summoning is successful!"
The martial artist was dropped on the floor. He felt as if his body was just trampled by Gouketsu for the second time. As he looked around him, there was some shining symbol on the floor. Something he saw only in movies, related to magic rituals. He also saw five persons in robe as he tried to stand up. They appeared to be some priests.
'Where am I? What happened?'
What he remembered was just he opened a book in McCoy's room, looked at its content, and a bright light sucked him. He didn't have any idea about what was going on.
Beside Suiryu, there were three boys. Two wore casual attire and another one in school uniform. Their faces showed confusion. And the weird thing was they brought weapons. 'Sword, bow, spear…?' Suiryu wondered as he steadied himself. 'Is this, a kind of movie casting? And why it feels like I'm being kidnapped? Wait… Why I also feel… What the hell is this?!'
The martial artist widened his eyes as he looked at his right arm. There was something attached onto it. To his shock, it was some sort of metal shield with a green gem on it.
"O~ Four Saint Heroes, please… Save our world!" The leader of the robed men pleaded like there was no tomorrow.
'Man… am I dreaming? This is quite too much!'
'I see… So, this world is being ravaged by monsters, huh? Just like my world.' Suiryu mused as he followed the priest and the fellow heroes. 'What a sad story. I'll try my best to help them I guess. After all, I'm a hero, no matter where I am. Though, why the other heroes are really irritating? Talking about payment in advance and threatening a client is totally not cool. Was it because they're still green?'
At first, Suiryu couldn't believe what had just happened. The notion of being summoned into another world was too unrealistic. It was troubling to know that he got nicked by this country to participate in a war to eradicate monsters. However, when he heard the story and looked at the priest's eyes, he was certain that the man was not lying. His honest plea reminded Suiryu to the time when he screamed in desperation for help, only to be answered by Saitama who came to save him. As a hero, he was touched by the honesty. And he didn't want to let people suffer due to monsters. 'You cannot live an enjoyable life if there are monsters,' mused Suiryu as he followed the priest and the heroes.
Along the way through some long corridors, Suiryu only looked at the surroundings in awe. In his world, this kind of stone wall and chambers was nonexistent. As far as he knew, countless world wars and natural disasters which followed wiped nearly all human, together with their cultural heritages.
After the establishment of the unified country on the single continent, with what was left and any resources they could gather, the remnant of the humans thrived once again. And they started to forget what had happened on their planet since there was nearly no trace of civilizations of the past, save its lore and meager record. Any fantasy story, film, and game about the past was only a fiction, based on historical records which was left. Of course when Suiryu got the chance to see and touch what he could only see in films about ancient civilization, he was amazed.
When the men passed a flight of stairs in the castle's tower, Suiryu peeked over a window and found a magnificent scenery to behold. He saw many buildings which could be described as ancient looking. 'Wow…! So beautiful and… Peaceful,' thought Suiryu.
"Surprised?" asked the black-haired boy with the sword.
"Of course!" Suiryu smiled. "There's no way a movie lover like me won't be amazed."
"Haven't you played some games before? I bet you never." The bow-boy smirked.
"Well, I'm not really interested in games." Suiryu replied as he took some steps.
Suiryu indeed only played games when he was still in elementary school. After that, together with his younger sister, he trained under his grandfather to learn the [Void Fist] techniques and focus on winning Super Fight tournaments.
The last time he played game was when some girls invited him to an exhibition where he tried the newly developed VR fighting game. In the end, he lost to an unidentified player who used a female koala. Despite losing, he still got the fun.
Other than the female koala, there was also a player who used wolf character. The wolf could nearly beat him. Until this day, he was still wondering about the player behind the wolf and the koala. If only he knew who they were. Thinking about those animals made the martial artist wonder about the monster from this so called Wave of Calamity.
"And by the way, when and where these monsters will appear?" inquired Suiryu.
"Milord, Shield Hero… About that, His Majesty would like to explain later." The priest answered reverently as he opened a door to a courtyard.
"Mkay." Suiryu nodded.
The summoned heroes passed the courtyard afterward and entered the part which appeared to be the main corridor to the throne room. Through the colorful glass panes, afternoon sunlight illuminated the corridor. Some minutes later, two guards in full armor opened an ornate double door for them. Their action was too natural if it was a film. That was why Suiryu realized that he was not in his world anymore. And the name Melromarc was also too foreign.
When the door opened, they saw a large chamber. Some noblemen and noblewomen had assembled at the right side of the room. The security was also tight since there were around 20 armored guards, equipped with trident. The heroes walked on the red carpet until they were in front of a figure whom they could tell that he was the ruler of the country, sitting on his throne.
The king himself scanned the figure of each hero as they walked. The sword, spear, and bow wielders were as he had just expected. But the shield wielder… In his thought, it was the worst. It made him clenched his his fist out of wrath.
'Damn, that shield wielder!' The king cursed internally. 'That disgusting body! He must be a savage barbarian! JUST DIE AND GO TO HELL!'
That was the only thing in the king's mind the moment his eyes laid on the figure of Suiryu. For a moment, his expression also contorted due to his disgust. He managed to hide it afterwards, but his eyes couldn't. The hatred on his eyes didn't go unnoticed by Suiryu. He knitted his brows in response when he glanced at the ruler.
'He hates me? Why?' The martial artist mused as he walked casually, together with the boys.
The summoned heroes stopped some meters away in front of the king. All of them stood confidently as if there was nothing to worry about. However, Suiryu tried to straighten himself in anticipation of bad things since every time he made eye contact with the king, he felt an anger directed at him.
'Oh, old man… Did I do something wrong?' thought Suiryu as he looked at the king.
"So, you are the Four Saint Heroes," spoke the crowned old man. "I am the king of Melromarc, Aultcray Melromarc the 32nd."
'Okay.' Suiryu made a mental note about the king who seemed to give a glare every time Suiryu leered at him. The martial artist had expected some predicament when Aultcray glared at him. 'Well, I think I'll just play along with it.'
"Heroes, now I would like to know your name," the king ordered as he waved his hand in a commanding manner.
"Ren Amaki." The brunette swordsman introduced himself. "Sixteen year old. High-schooler."
"I am Motoyasu Kitamura." The blonde-ponytailed spearman said as he showed so much confidence on his face. "Twenty-one year old. I'm a university student."
"I'm next. Itsuki Kawasumi." The baby-faced bow-boy spoke. "Sixteen year old. High school student."
'Sixteen huh? Hope Puri Puri Prisoner won't never find him!' Suiryu laughed internally at the fact that the boy was older than he looked. The champion glanced for a moment at his fellow hero as he waited his turn.
"Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki, right?" Aultcray nodded.
'I see... He ignores me, huh? Very good.' Suiryu smiled bitterly at the reality. 'Actually what makes you hate me, Aultcray?'
The king himself at the moment looked at Suiryu with a hint of disdain. However, he needed to dig a little bit about the martial artist since this shield hero was much different than the others.
"And Shield Hero, introduce yourself!" Aultcray said as he rolled his eyes.
'Heh? Introduce myself while you are ignoring me? Actually what's in your head?!' Suiryu mused while thinking about how he should deal with this situation. Maybe he should change his background a little bit since he was aware that Aultcray's dominion had turned into enemy's territory. After all, telling a foe about real identity will just bring disaster.
"Suiryu. Twenty-three year old. I'm a mercenary."
Basically, he was not lying since pro hero and mercenary worked in a quite same principle. Back in his world, the term mercenary itself was associated with some people who worked under private security companies. Sometimes, they were hired to kill monster and did hero jobs. But mostly, they worked as guards at important facilities or guarding VIPs. As far as he knew, there were some pro heroes from mercenary background. The most notable were Death Gatling and One Shotter.
As expected, Suiryu's choice of false background made the noblemen murmured. And Aultcray couldn't hide his shock. It seemed that the shield hero would become an eyesore. Judging by his physique, Suiryu was not the type who could be killed easily. That was true since the champion survived torture session from Gouketsu and Bakuzan in a row.
"So, you have some fighting experience, eh? Interesting." Aultcray remarked dryly as he smirked out of jealousy.
In response, the fellow saint heroes stared at Suiryu with bulging eyes. At first, they thought that the good-looking shield-guy was either an actor or an athlete. But when they heard his introduction, images of a handsome cold-blooded killer from movies filled their minds which made them shudder. They need to keep their distance from this kind of guy. And the thing which could ease their mind in the moment was Aultcray's speech.
"As you have been informed before, the situation in Melromarc is very grim. Our country... and the rest of the world is on the verge of ruin."
The king started his monologue as the four summoned heroes were listening. Basically, it was the thing said by the priest with more detailed info like how the the kingdom repelled the first wave and the truth behind the Dragon Hourglass. Suiryu was somewhat interested by the fact that the monster became stronger for each new wave. That would mean a challenging fight. And when he heard that many people fell victim, his determination as a hero lit up. His muscles twitched in response as the image of Saitama's fluttering cape came back in his mind. But the problem was, for how long he should deal with this wave? Moreover, was it possible for him to go back to his world? In the end, they were just random people who got employed without their consent.
"Hmm… Then, you want us to work without any reward?" The bow-boy asked in a dissing tone as he crossed his arms. "What a nice idea!"
"Right. How egoistical!" The spear-guy concurred. "You pull us into your own problem that isn't related to us."
Suiryu actually agreed with their idea. Snatched from Neo Hero Association into another world to deal with unknown threat was not really nice. But the way the boys expressed their disapproval was really annoying.
"Fret not, Heroes!" Aultcray assured. "You will be rewarded handsomely."
The sword, spear, and bow wielders expression lit up. However, the martial artist was suspicious since he was the only one among the four who got a rather hostile welcome. Beside that, the man near the king who appeared to be the prime minister always put a sly smile. Those signs were enough to conclude that something fishy was going on.
"Okay, I'm in. That's good I guess." Motoyasu nodded in agreement.
"We'll cooperate as far as you don't betray us." Ren said as he crossed his arms. "And don't ever think you can order us around like we're your subordinate!"
"That's right." Itsuki concurred as he put his childish smile. "Don't underestimate us."
Seeing that, Suiryu tried really hard to suppress his snort. These kids are really cheap. Really really cheap! When he was still in the summoning room, he could hear the boys threatened the head priest because they thought he kidnapped them. And they said that no matter how the king explained, it wouldn't change their mind. But now? They had fallen into the king's trap.
Suiryu now realized a lesson from Bakuzan. Wealth, fame, women, and freedom… Those things might lead people into greed. As his eyes directed at the ornaments and the noblemen around them, he saw the tricky-looking minister opened his mouth.
"Incredible! In that case, Saint Heroes, we would like you to check your status." The minister hunched his back a little.
"Status?" Suiryu muttered as he frowned.
"You didn't recognize it? You should've realized it when you arrived." Ren said as he stared at something in front of him. "Can you see a small icon on your bottom right of your peripheral sight?"
Suiryu found the icon. He actually knew that his vision was obstructed by a tiny thing when he looked around. But he ignored it since he thought that perhaps it was just because he got tired due to the summoning. The champion then focused his vision and a holographic display appeared in front of him.
SUIRYU
Age: 23
Hero of Shield
Level 1 | Max HP: 2780 | Max MP: 72 | Max SP: 965
Status:
Attack: 386 | Magic: 12 | Physical Resistance: 353 | Magical Resistance: 23 | Speed: 491
Skill:
[Void Fist]
Void Sky Dragon Fist | Void Shivering Tiger Fist | Void Ascension Phoenix Fist
Elemental Resistances:
Wind: 19 | Thunder: 24 | Light: 31 | Dark: 17
Equipment:
Neo Hero Association Communicator | Suiryu's Standard Gear 2#
'What the hell is this!?'
Suiryu was totally surprised to see that something which appeared in game had merged in reality. Back in his world, the VR system which lately had been integrated for the combat simulator in Neo Hero Association looked primitive compared to this system. Probably only Metal Knight and Child Emperor who possessed this advanced version of technology.
Another thing which made him surprised was the ability of his stats to discern his martial art skill set. He nearly couldn't believe that. His preference in fighting game which only needed the players to pull out the maximum combo of strike didn't help him since this kind of stat system only existed in RPG. The numbers and the information available about him as the player puzzled him. Perhaps he should put a try later.
While Suiryu was immersed in the menu system while thinking about what it could do, the other heroes were rambling about the possibility of partying up. The martial artist didn't really care about that since he preferred solo than going with companions. Defeating monster with a group proved effective, but the experience he got was small and it would become less thrilling.
"Unfortunately, you may not do that, Saint Heroes." The minister gave a warning.
"Oh. How so?" inquired Itsuki.
"According to legend, the weapons you possess cancels each other. Working in proximity might hinder your progress." The minister's explanation only got incredulous stare from Itsuki and Ren.
A notification window suddenly popped on Suiryu's vision. The content was just like the explanation from the minister. Unlike the other heroes who gave concerned look, his expression brightened up since he really wanted to test until how far he could go in this new world.
"So, does it mean that we will go alone?" Suiryu asked as he smiled.
"Rest assured, Heroes. We will ready the best companions to help you in your quest. Soon, the night is falling. Rest well and replenish your strength, Heroes. Your journey starts tomorrow." Aultcray closed his speech as a lady came to guide the heroes, out from the room.
'Ah… What a bummer! So, we will go with an entourage? Well, whatever… Finally time for a break. See ya, Aultcray…' Suiryu left the audience, showing his back to the angry king who gnashed his teeth.
After a dinner that night, the heroes took their leisure time to chat. All of them put content smile. Even Suiryu should admit that the food was amazing. The cuisine made by palace cooks could only be matched by those in some high class restaurants in City M. Places where the customers were S-class heroes.
At the moment, he decided to listen to the conversation of the boys. It seemed that the three shared a common hobby: gaming. As he settled comfortably on a couch while familiarizing himself with the menu system and read some instructions, a new revelation struck them. They were not from the same world!
A sense of awkwardness washed over the three conversing heroes upon seeing that they didn't have a talk with the oldest among them. To break that, the sword hero decided to approach the martial artist.
Ren felt that Suiryu was not a man who would take some mission to kill people like what he saw in some FPS games he played. Mercenary was not always like that. He assumed that Suiryu was just an ordinary civilian who joined some private military contractor, went into combat training, working as a bodyguard, guarding mansion while brandishing standard automatic rifle, and earned 2,000 dollars per hour for his shift. So, there was nothing to fear from this kind of guy, right?
"So, Suiryu-san. Actually where do you come from?" asked Ren sheepishly. "Judging by your look, I thought you're from Italy."
A big question mark appeared on Suiryu's head. The name Italy was sounded more like a food rather than a country. It makes sense since his world only had one country.
"Yeah. You're just keeping quiet. Come on, share us your story, dude!" Motoyasu the spear-guy patted Suiryu's shoulder.
And this guy somewhat put Suiryu at ease. The blonde with ponytail was a typical easygoing person whom Suiryu would find in night clubs. However, that couldn't change the fact that he was a complete stranger among them.
The champion only let out a nervous chuckle. "Actually I don't know what you're talking about, guys. Especially about this Italy."
"Seriously!? Are you living in a rock!?" Itsuki blurted out.
An impulsive kid. Along his training days back in dojo, this kind of kid won't last than a month. His late grandfather – master Suicho – will surely kick this kind of disciple out from his dojo.
Other than that behavior, when Suiryu looked at Itsuki's eyes, he sensed something he could describe as inferiority. Just perfect. As a summoned hero, hopefully this bow-boy could learn to patch up those holes.
"Man, you don't know Italy!" Motoyasu nearly yelled. "It's famous for mafia and spaghetti!"
Then came the terms Suiryu knew their common definition. But he still didn't have any idea about Italy at all. It made him really feel like a dumb.
"Mafia? Do you mean criminal syndicate?" Suiryu scratched the back of his head. "And spaghetti. I've ever had before. It's among my favorite cuisine."
"You must be a moron, huh!?" Ren was on the verge of boiling. "If you don't know where the hell it is, it's in Europe!"
Despite the totally irritating comment from Ren, Suiryu only let it slid. He knew that the swordsman was rather arrogant. Opposing a brat would only made him looked childish. Beside that at last, the last term rang a bell on his mind. He racked his brain and remembered the history lesson he got when he was in middle school.
"Europe… Ah, Europe!" Suiryu raised his index finger. "Back in my place, that region is not exist anymore."
The three were shocked. There was no way that big continent which sustained humanity vanished.
"What do you mean by not exist!?" Motoyasu frowned.
"It got wiped out around a millennium ago in an ultra large scale war." The martial artist said the fact nonchalantly. "And some centuries of continued catastrophe sank it under the sea."
"Bullshit! Are you saying that you live in a post-apocalyptic world!?" Itsuki glared at Suiryu. "Don't make me laugh, old man! You should see a psychiatrist!"
Again, with the impulsive behavior. If he was not patient enough, the ill remark would really moved his hands to strangle the kid, to his demise for sure.
"Hahaha…!" Motoyasu laughed as he slapped Suiryu's back. "Your joke is really cool, dude!"
Motoyasu was indeed the type of easygoing guy Suiryu could befriend. The spear-guy's eyes also told Suiryu that they had many things in common. Especially something related to girls. Yet the champion didn't press the matter yet since he wanted to see more from these kids.
"It seems so. But if you don't believe what I said, it's okay." Suiryu only smiled.
He would choose to keep silent rather than bragging about his world. After all, they were still green.
However, Ren was deep in thought. His world had almost plunged into World War III for many times. Suiryu's statement made him pondered about the possibility of the outcome if a huge war ever broke. Moreover, his earth was also facing rapid environmental change. Suiryu's story was quite plausible if the disputes between countries owning nuclear weapon kept going on until they push the button. Some grim images from an old time anime and games crossed his mind. People took shelter in some futuristic cities with artificial environment for some centuries, while waiting for earth to stabilize itself. That pictures gave him chills but also poked his curiosity about Suiryu's earth.
"I think that's not really unrealistic. Though I still doubt it, can you explain more about your world, Suiryu-san?" Ren inquired as he cupped his his chin.
"I think the more I explain it, the more you won't believe it." The martial artist replied as he crossed his legs. "But to sum it up, there's a single united country on a single continent."
"Come on! Stop your nonsense!" Itsuki retorted as he smirked smugly. "There's no way our world will end up like that."
"I think it's because your world never experiences such kind of situation, Itsuki." Ren argued back. "For many times, my world was nearly pushed into the brim of World War III!"
"Okay, okay. You got your point." The bow-boy raised his hands. "I think everybody's world can end up like that or even uglier."
"Well~… Not that I care…" Motoyasu said with a shrug.
From the conversation, Suiryu could grasp their personalities. Among them, it seemed that Motoyasu would be the one who could get along with him. Maybe he would form a "carefree person club" with the spearman.
The sword boy then continued his question to Suiryu. For a moment, he stared at the champion's figure and widened his eyes in surprise. From earlier that day, Ren only saw that the martial artist was simply had a strong built. But he didn't think that Suiryu was that beefy. The martial artist in response was totally flustered when he saw the swordsman's face. Ren's look was like a little boy who was seeing his favorite hero in TV.
"Hey, what's wrong?" asked the martial artist.
"Um… S-Suiryu-san…" Ren stuttered as he pointed his finger towards the champion's body. "H-how do you get t-those...?"
Obviously, he got that muscle from training. Nothing more, nothing less. No drugs, no genetic enhancement, and of course no magic. All was the result of diligent training, combined with his ability as a prodigy. Even his grandfather praised him while his sister teased him for having such nice built.
"Oh. Do you mean this?" The champion patted his stomach. "Training of course."
"Wow, I just realize you have those abs, dude," Motoyasu said as he smirked. "Many girls must be attached to you, right? Back then, even a scrawny boy like me have many girls."
That's it! That was the topic Suiryu had waited the most. Motoyasu was really honest about this thing. Time for the champion to share his experience.
"True. Believe it or not, I date two girls every time I go out." Suiryu's smile turned into a smug smirk as he winked. "I bet you also do the same, right Motoyasu-kun?"
Motoyasu laughed really hard as he slapped Suiryu's back once again. "Suiryu-senpai, I think I should really learn from you, hahahaha….! After all, girls are the sugar of our life… hahahaha!"
"I agree. So, how many have you hit?"
The other boys cringed in response. In their thought, Suiryu and Motoyasu were just a pair of disgusting womanizer. Ren and Itsuki couldn't imagine how far these kind of people had degraded social norm.
"Ugh… Casanova meets Casanova." Ren facepalmed as the laughter of Suiryu and Motoyasu filled the room. "I think I'll just leave them."
"Yeah. You're right." Itsuki nodded as he shuddered. "I'd rather become a loner than a Don Juan. Yikes."
The Casanovas talked out about their love adventure until they were satisfied. The spear-dude then changed the topic to something related to occupation.
"You said that you're a mercenary. So, you must be really experienced in shooting?" Motoyasu held his spear in a manner of a soldier aiming a rifle.
The champion was not really sure how he should answer Motoyasu. Either he made another lie or he replied honestly and said that he was a martial artist. Yet, probably there was still a way in the middle.
"Well… Not really," said Suiryu as he rolled his eyes.
"Heh?" Motoyasu surprised. "Seriously? So how do you do your job if you don't wield gun?"
"I'm specialized in hand to hand combat." Suiryu shrugged his shoulders.
"Hand to hand combat? Are you a martial artist?" Ren decided to chime in when he heard the Casanovas talked another thing than twisted romance.
'Ugh… I'm not really good at lying…' Suiryu sighed internally. And he should admit that the sword-brat was rather perceptive.
"Martial art? Is it kung fu, taekwondo, karate, or... something else?" The irksome bow-boy asked with a slight interest in his tone.
'And this one… Human's psychology is complex, huh? No wonder people spend much money just to study that major.' The martial artist mused as he thought about some college girls he had dated.
"Hmm..." Suiryu hummed in uncertainty while rubbing his chin as he looked at the three. "Is it that important?"
'... Depending on your answer, we can turn against you…! What a pain...' Suiryu let out another huff in his thought as he remembered Itsuki's hostile response towards the head priest. These kids are really hard to deal with. Suiryu was good with girls, but with boys... It always ended up in a fight although he always came out as the winner.
Asking his martial art style was not a big deal actually. But lads who insulted him as they like and suddenly got chummy just because he had what they didn't have was the most annoying thing he ever found after he got sucked into this world.
"It means that you can block and counter an attack from melee weapon." Motoyasu stated excitedly as he raised his spear. "Why don't you show us how you do it!? Ora!"
The ponytailed-blonde suddenly rammed his weapon at Suiryu. A totally dangerous act of a foolish beginner! Despite putting interest on Motoyasu, Suiryu actually knew that the spear-guy was a man who lived in a peaceful world. His eyes were the eyes of a person who sought comfort. Far from someone who could be called a fighter, let alone a hero.
Although the martial artist never took any special course about weapon, at least Suicho taught him and his sister about some ethics related to it. The spearman should really take a training before he went out in the wild. An absentminded person like Motoyasu would just end up killing civilian. Fortunately, the one who was in front of him was Suiryu, world renowned Super Fight champion. As the spear's blade made its way above his left shoulder, Suiryu pinched the blade. The boys showed shocked expression while the champion frowned in a slight anger. Motoyasu's act this time ticked him off.
"Motoyasu…" Suiryu called with a very low tone as his fingers dug on the spear's blade. "Do you know how sharp this blade is?"
"S-s-senpai… I-I… I'm s-so sorry." Motoyasu stuttered as he looked at Suiryu's frowning face. "I-I didn't mean to–"
"You may kill a civilian with this! Man… You really don't know at all how to use that thing, huh?" The martial artist let loose his grip on the spearhead and pinched his bridge while shaking his head as annoyance replaced his anger.
Suiryu really wanted to scold Motoyasu. His feeling at the moment was just like when he found out about how shallow Saitama grasped the idea of martial art. But he didn't had the heart to do that since the spear-guy was his first ally in this bizarre world. He didn't want to risk that. The night would become longer than he expected. Perhaps he would give some lecturing for his fellow Casanova.
'Yare yare... I guess my day as a hero in this world won't be as fun as my day, back home. So many annoying things...' Suiryu thought to himself as he let out a very long sigh while Ren and Itsuki blinked in bewilderment. Motoyasu himself trembled out of fear that Suiryu got angry.
Author's Note
Yo, my dear readers.
After some thinking, I come up with this idea because I love both One Punch Man and Rising of The Shield Hero. But Naofumi cannot satisfy my taste, so I send the most potential character to replace him, Suiryu.
Why Suiryu?
Because I think he is cool. I guess his Pillar_men-like physique, harem lord trait and of course his ability as a martial artist will turn Melromarc upside down… XD
If anyone of you find OOC-ness and mistake in my story, please PM me.
Then, what about Garou?
Well… It's because I've flung him to deal with some annoying ghouls in Tokyo. So, don't forget to check out my other story.
Hope you like my story. See you. :-)