Chapter 109: The Respect-Inspiring King
"Oh, King killed the Giant! King killed the Giant!"
"The Giant is dead! We're saved! We're saved!"
The surviving civilians were overjoyed to the point of tears. They had once thought they were doomed, but at the moment of despair, King stepped forward. With a single punch, he killed the Monster. King was simply their savior, the light of hope.
However, King paid no mind to the cheers of the civilians. He was still immersed in the grief and bewilderment caused by the System's dormancy.
"Hey, King, you don't need to blame yourself. This disaster has nothing to do with you. Our heroes' duty is to eliminate Monsters and protect civilians. You've already done a great job."
Silverfang walked up to King, hands clasped behind his back. He stood shoulder to shoulder with King, gazing at the ruins before them. Just tens of minutes ago, City B had been a bustling metropolis, but now only rubble and broken walls remained, a truly lamentable sight.
"Huh? Blame myself? What are you talking about?"
King looked at the comforting Silverfang in confusion, utterly bewildered. *Who was blaming themselves? He was merely saddened by the System's dormancy, which had instantly returned him to his days as a battle-obsessed idler.*
Silverfang's gaze was profound. He slowly said, "Many things in this world are unavoidable. Disasters are even more so. Earthquakes, floods, and other natural calamities have devoured many lives. None of us can stop them. All we can do is rescue more survivors."
King became even more bewildered. He stared at Silverfang, who was acting like a wise old man, thinking, *What is this old man talking about? I don't understand a single word.*
"No one predicted the Giant would appear, nor did anyone predict the Giant's destructive power would be so immense. The destruction of City B and City D is no one's fault. One can only say that it was heaven's will. We heroes can only do our best in the face of disaster. No one can guarantee to save absolutely everyone. No, not a single hero can save everyone."
Silverfang began his sermon, stating earnestly, "The establishment of our Hero Association is precisely to eliminate Monsters. However, only after Monsters appear will our heroes fulfill their duty to eliminate them. Therefore, before Monsters are eliminated, it's inevitable that cities will be destroyed and civilians will be injured. These are unavoidable facts. All we can do is quickly determine the Monsters' locations and then eliminate them, minimizing civilian losses."
*Hey, hey, who are you lecturing? Don't tell me you're trying to educate me? My goodness, I'm just a hero by sheer luck! I couldn't care less about this 'hero's duty' you're talking about!*
King stared at the lecturing Silverfang with a black line on his forehead. *This man, after getting old, just talks endlessly!*
After speaking his piece, Silverfang looked deeply at King and said, "King, you can think of it this way: if you hadn't eliminated the Giant in time, then not only City B and City D would have been destroyed, but cities like City A and City E might also have been destroyed by the Giant. It is precisely because you eliminated the Giant that you saved more people."
"Uh..."
King stared wide-eyed at Silverfang. *Old man, you're mistaken. I never felt heartache over the destruction of City B and City D. I was just feeling down because my own System had gone into dormancy.*
However, he couldn't tell anyone about the System. *How frustrating!*
Silverfang looked with satisfaction at the "suddenly enlightened" King. After all, he was young. Though his strength was bewildering, he hadn't experienced many things. *This old man has eaten more salt than he has eaten rice.* Perhaps he couldn't teach him martial arts, but imparting some life wisdom was certainly not a problem.
"Sigh, our thoughts aren't on the same wavelength."
King turned, preparing to leave.
"Wait a moment." Silverfang smilingly stopped King, saying, "King, aren't you interested in visiting this old man's dojo?"
His intention to take a disciple had not yet died out.
"Visit the dojo?"
King froze and looked at Silverfang. Only then did he remember that Bang had opened a dojo in Z City. His heart stirred. Now that he had lost the System's protection, coupled with his unique constitution that attracted Monsters, if he wandered around alone, he might very well encounter a Monster. It might be better to stay at Silverfang's dojo for a while. Perhaps in a few days, the System would repair its loopholes and recover.
"Okay, I happen to have some free time. I'll come and bother you for a while. Just don't find me troublesome."
He agreed immediately, treating Bang's dojo as a temporary refuge.
"No problem. My dojo doesn't have much else, just plenty of empty rooms. Right now, it's just Charanko and me, so it's quite deserted. If you come, it will add some liveliness. And, staying for a long time is no problem at all."
Silverfang looked at King with a beaming smile, his gaze so intense and eager that King felt a shiver run down his spine, as if being stared at by a hungry wolf.
King shivered, then quietly increased the distance between them.
"Hey, King!"
Hellish Blizzard shouted King's name loudly from afar.
"Huh? What's up?"
King turned to look at Hellish Blizzard, Tatsumaki's younger sister. *This one is always such a troublesome presence. I hate trouble.*
Hellish Blizzard pointed at King and said solemnly, "King, have you forgotten the challenge I issued to you just now?"
"A challenge?"
King's heart skipped a beat. If it were just a moment ago, he wouldn't have cared at all. With the System by his side, dealing with Hellish Blizzard would have been a piece of cake. But now, with the System having entered dormancy to repair its loopholes, he was just an otaku utterly powerless. How could he possibly handle Hellish Blizzard's challenge?
"You don't seem to take it to heart, hehe. I know I can't beat you now, but..." Hellish Blizzard's phoenix eyes flashed fiercely, "One day, I will defeat you and climb to the number one spot on the hero rankings."
"Hehe, as long as you don't fight me now, you can do whatever you want."
King's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled back down, and he let out a sigh of relief.
Not long after, rescue aircraft dispatched by the Hero Association and the government landed nearby. Under the guidance of government officials, the surviving civilians boarded the transport planes one after another in an orderly fashion.
"The civilians are safe, let's go!"
King and the others were heroes. The aircraft they boarded was a special plane provided by the Hero Association.
After Hellish Blizzard and the others boarded, King followed closely, climbing aboard. However, he didn't know if it was due to nervousness or if he hadn't quite recovered his wits from the "disaster" of the System's dormancy, but he accidentally stepped on empty air. He stumbled and fell.
The Strongest Man fell when boarding the aircraft?
Can you believe it?
King's face was awkward. He thought he would be met with shocked gazes from Silverfang and the others. However, when he met Silverfang and the others' eyes, he was surprised to find that they were full of reverence.
"What is this situation?"
Silverfang looked solemnly at the flustered King who had just stood up. *Was it because he felt excessively guilty for not being able to save City B that he lost his composure? King, for this love for the people alone, the title of the Strongest Man is truly not unfounded.*
Hellish Blizzard looked at King deeply, her heart shaken. King's appearance completely subverted her impression of strong people. *Aren't the strong supposed to be high above, looking down on all under heaven? Why would King be so concerned about the lives of ordinary people, even losing his composure in front of everyone? Or perhaps, only a strong person like King deserves the title of 'the strongest.'*
Under the inexplicably reverent gazes of Silverfang and the others, King, with a bewildered expression, re-boarded the aircraft, heading towards Z City.
Heh heh heh...
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(end of chapter)u can see advance ch at my p@treon