— — — — — —

"Energy Shield!"

"Railgun!"

"Lightning Cannon!"

"Maximum Gauge Incineration Cannon!"

"High Voltage Fist!"

"Blink!"

Over a hundred kilometers away, back at the former House of Evolution base, Renzo brought the newly upgraded Genos here for a full-scale test of his performance and abilities.

This time, the upgrades weren't just about materials or hardware.

Renzo had also integrated some tech inspired by the magic engineering from the Fairy Tail world—he engraved magical runes onto Genos's mechanical body and even installed a prototype mana conversion module.

This new device could convert nuclear fusion energy into magic power, allowing Genos to cast pre-installed spells. On top of that, he was outfitted with a bunch of lightning-based techniques for high-speed attacks and devastating single-target damage.

The addition of "Blink" alone dramatically improved his mobility and survivability in combat.

In short, this upgrade didn't just make Genos stronger—it took his power to a whole new level. Easily more than ten times stronger than before.

"Sensei! This new body and these new abilities… they're amazing!" Genos exclaimed after the testing wrapped up, his voice filled with excitement and gratitude.

He was a simple man, really. His respect and thankfulness for Renzo had reached an all-time high.

"That's good to hear," Renzo smiled, patting his shoulder. "Now use that power to protect more innocent people and take down even more monsters."

"Understood!"

— — —

Two Days Later – Hero Association HQ

At Hero Association Headquarters, Busho respectfully addressed Renzo.

"Creator X, we've finished reviewing the mission logs you submitted regarding Mr. Saitama's defeat of the Dragon-level monster, Carnage Kabuto, as well as his monster-slaying records from the past month. Everything checks out."

He paused and bowed slightly. "Also, please allow me to apologize. Due to our oversight, we missed quite a few of Mr. Saitama's achievements. On behalf of the Hero Association, I sincerely apologize to him."

"Even just his feats in the past month alone are more than enough to qualify for S-Class consideration."

"I heard he's been acting as a hero on his own for three years now. Honestly, I can't imagine how many accomplishments we've missed. Again, we're deeply sorry."

Saitama just gave a sheepish smile and waved his hand. "No big deal, really! I became a hero just for fun anyway. Not that serious."

Then, his tone suddenly shifted. "By the way, what rank did I get? You guys pay salaries, right? How much will I be making each month?"

He rubbed his hands together awkwardly, clearly trying to hide his excitement.

Busho blinked. That flip was fast.

Didn't he just say he wasn't that concerned?

Something about this guy felt… off.

Seeing this, Renzo quickly jumped in to explain. "This guy's been flat broke for years. He's been running around killing monsters and helping people nonstop, but with no income at all. He's basically been surviving on clearance-sale groceries."

"He has to calculate every penny he spends, and when he runs out of money, he takes odd jobs just to get by. It's been rough—so I hope you can understand."

Busho was visibly moved. A true hero…

To think someone this powerful was living in poverty just so he could keep saving others…

Busho gave Saitama a solemn nod. "I apologize again. That really shouldn't have happened."

"As for your ranking," he continued, "after internal discussions and evaluations from several S- and A-Class heroes, we've unanimously agreed that Mr. Saitama fully deserves the rank of S-Class, #17."

By the way, this new system of hero ranking—based on recorded achievements and peer reviews—was something Renzo had recently proposed, and it passed with wide approval.

Thanks to his state-of-the-art satellite surveillance system, nearly all hero activity could now be accurately logged. That eliminated most of the issues with missed records or overlooked feats.

Saitama, in fact, was the first direct beneficiary of this reform.

As a side note, because of his role in the House of Evolution incident, Renzo himself had been bumped up to S-Class, Rank #10. And that was only because his contribution count hadn't caught up yet. If the rankings were based on strength alone, he could easily sit at #2.

After all, even Tornado of Terror—currently ranked S-Class #2—had been defeated by Renzo without much trouble.

"Oh?" Saitama's eyes lit up. "S-Class?"

"That's right," Busho confirmed. "I know it's a bit of an understatement considering your ability to one-shot Dragon-level monsters, but this is the highest rank we can assign for now. Keep it up, and you'll climb even higher."

"Oh, and the monthly base salary for S-Class Rank 17 is ten million yen. I hope that's satisfactory."

Knowing Saitama's financial situation, Busho added that last part a little extra gently.

Truthfully, most heroes—even just B-Class ones—weren't exactly struggling for money. Some were outright rich.

Only someone like Saitama could somehow be this absurdly strong and totally broke.

Then again, if it weren't for Renzo's new surveillance system logging everything in detail, the Association probably still wouldn't have noticed all that Saitama had done.

"Huh?"

Saitama's eyes lit up like cash registers. You could practically hear the cha-ching sound. He nearly drooled. "A base salary of 10 million a month? I'm rich! Hahaha!"

"No more surviving on bargain-bin veggies! I can finally afford some premium beef again! Hahaha!"

Thank god the room was soundproof and only Renzo and Busho were there. If anyone else had seen Saitama like this, they'd never let him live it down.

"Wait a sec," Saitama suddenly blinked. "What's my hero name?"

"Uh…"Busho tried to hold back a laugh. "Well, someone did suggest naming you 'The Caped Baldy.'"

"Pfffftt!!"

Renzo couldn't help it—he doubled over the table, laughing so hard he was in tears. "Hahahaha!!"

Saitama still couldn't shake off that name, huh? Someone actually brought it up again!

He really wanted to meet the genius who came up with it—what a naming prodigy. Not even Namikaze Minato could compete with that.

"…Hah?!"

Saitama's face immediately darkened, a vein popping on his forehead. "What kind of garbage name is that?! Could it be any worse? You guys got a problem with bald people or something?!"

He was dead serious. If they went with that name, how was he supposed to show his face in public? Renzo alone would roast him for the rest of his life!

"Aha… yeah… totally agree!" Busho wiped cold sweat from his brow and laughed nervously. "We, uh, scrapped that name. Bit too… casual, yeah."

"After much thought and discussion, we decided to register your hero name as—'One Punch Man!'"

"Because, well… you literally end every fight with one punch. Doesn't matter how strong the monster is—boom, done. We figured it suited you perfectly. What do you think?"

They'd racked their brains for that one. It was unanimous: simple, powerful, and cool.

"Oh?" Saitama and Renzo both blinked, caught off guard.

Renzo was especially surprised—They actually nailed it this time? The Hero Association really went and gave him the title One Punch Man. Now that was something.

"One Punch Man…" Saitama rubbed his chin with a big grin. "Not bad. It's got a nice ring to it, and honestly, it fits me perfectly. So far, no one's managed to take a second hit!"

"Yup! Let's go with that! Thanks a lot—I really like this name! Hehe!"

Finally, a proper name.

None of that Bald Cape nonsense.

"Hehe, glad you like it. I'll get your file updated right away!" Busho said with obvious relief, standing up with a polite smile. "Well then, if there's nothing else, I'll get back to work."

"Sounds good." Renzo stood up too, nodding. "Thanks for all your help, Busho. If anything comes up or you guys run into trouble, just have Red Queen get in touch with me."

"We'll be heading out now. See you around."

He gave Saitama a quick nod, and the two of them headed for the door.

Busho quickly followed, saying goodbye. "Let me walk you out!"

"No need. You've got enough on your plate." Renzo waved him off. "Get back to your work. We'll see ourselves out."

Soon, Renzo and Saitama exited the Hero Association building.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!

Suddenly, loud alarm sirens blared from inside the facility.

"Warning! Warning! A meteor over 300 meters in diameter has been detected veering off its predicted course and is now on a collision path with Earth!"

"Impact zone: Z-City! Disaster Level: Dragon!"

"Warning! Warning…!"

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