Dressed as King? Facing vaccine addicts right from the start!

Page 77

Compared to Genos's tendency to overreact, Saitama appears much more pragmatic.

"Hey, King."

Saitama had somehow gotten close to Lin Mo, his signature bald head gleaming under the lights.

He ignored the energy fluctuations or martial arts insights, and simply scrutinized Lin Mo's face carefully.

After a long pause, he seemed to realize something, let out a long yawn, slumped back onto the sofa, and muttered to himself:

"What? I'm glad you're not constipated. You scared me. You looked even worse than when I missed the supermarket sale last time."

Lin Mo twitched the corner of his mouth, speechless at the bald man's analogy.

He shook his head, abandoning his intention to argue with Saitama, and instead answered Genos's question: "I've only dabbled in it, it's not much of a study, let alone anything significant."

This is not modesty.

To think that you can upgrade after reaching the [Martial Arts Ultimate] level, you must be incredibly powerful.

Genos wanted to ask for more details, but was interrupted by a voice.

"Ugh—I'm so bored. Is there anything good on TV?"

Bored out of his mind, Saitama rolled around on the sofa, finally found the remote control, and pressed the power button on the TV.

Noisy car commercials, celebrity gossip interviews, boring variety shows...

The images on the screen switched rapidly, and the light in the room flickered constantly.

Just as Saitama was about to lose interest again, a high-energy promotional video suddenly filled the entire screen, accompanied by rousing electronic rock music, instantly grabbing everyone's attention.

"—Blood-pumping action! Full power! Registration for the 5th National Fighting Game Tournament is now officially open!"

"Here, you will compete against top fighters from all over the country! Here, you will experience the purest passion for combat!"

In the center of the image, a line of large, gleaming golden characters gradually appears.

"The champion will take home... a cash prize of ten million yen!"

"You are the next King of Fighters!"

"One thousand... ten thousand!!!"

Saitama's eyes instantly turned into the money symbol "¥", and he sprang up from the sofa, rushing to the TV with lightning speed, his face almost touching the screen.

"Ten million..."

He murmured to himself, tears of dreams streaming down his face.

"Now I can eat high-class beef hot pot every day until I'm full... and the competition is the latest version of the fighting game I'm best at, 'The King of Fighters: The Ultimate'!"

He turned around abruptly, and his eyes, which had previously been dull and lifeless, were now burning with two raging flames.

He stared intently at the bewildered Lin Mo, his gaze so intense that Lin Mo felt a sense of pressure.

"Hey! King! Let's go! Let's go to the competition together!"

Before Lin Mo could react, Saitama pounced on him like a hungry wolf, grabbing his shoulders tightly and shaking him violently.

"It's you, right? You can definitely do it! Let's team up, and we'll split the prize money! No, no, no, you get 70% and I get 30%!"

"As long as I can eat top-quality beef hot pot for a month... no, even just half a month, I'll be happy!"

Fighting game tournament?

Lin Mo was a little dizzy from being shaken, but a flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in his mind.

This was like a pillow being delivered when he was sleepy.

He had just obtained the [Martial Arts Ultimate] and was worried about not having a suitable stage to show it off.

The huge prize of ten million and the resounding fame of the "King of Fighters" will inevitably attract countless folk masters, and may even hide some true martial arts experts.

This is a stage where you can fight to your heart's content without revealing your true identity.

He can hone his new strength here without any scruples and verify the power of [Martial Arts - Ultimate].

Saitama was still excitedly shaking him, envisioning the bright future of beef hot pot.

A glint of light flashed in Lin Mo's eyes; his plan had already taken shape.

He raised his hand and firmly pressed down on Saitama's still swaying shoulder.

"Okay, I'll go," Lin Mo agreed succinctly.

"Oh yeah!!!"

Saitama erupted in a thunderous cheer, excitedly waving his fists as if the ten million yen and a steaming hot pot of beef were already laid out before him.

"Since both the teacher and Mr. KING are going to participate in the competition, as their disciple, I should accompany them and be responsible for logistical support."

Before he finished speaking, his fingers were already flying across the computer screen.

On the screen, he found countless pieces of information, including the registration website and competition schedule for the "5th National Fighting Game Competition".

Chapter 105 Saitama vs. King: Who is stronger?

The following day, sunlight pierced through the clouds, gilding the metropolis with a brilliant golden hue.

The international convention and exhibition center, located in the heart of the city, is now displaying its bustling and vibrant atmosphere to the world in an unprecedented manner.

This is the venue for the 5th National Fighting Game Competition.

Under the huge spherical dome, crowds gathered from all directions.

At the entrance, a giant holographic projection tens of meters high hangs, where the most popular characters from the game "The King of Fighters: The Ultimate" take turns appearing and unleashing their gorgeous special moves.

The air was filled with the sweet aroma of hot dogs and popcorn, creating a lively atmosphere unique to the gaming event.

Wow! So many people!

Saitama tilted his smooth head back, somewhat stunned by the sight of the massive crowd before him.

He had imagined the competition to be a small event with a few dozen game consoles set up in a community activity center, but he never expected it to be as large as a concert.

“Teacher, please rest assured.” Genos stood beside him, his eyes rapidly scanning the surrounding environment while simultaneously pulling up a pre-planned route map on the virtual screen.

"I completed all the registration procedures for you and Mr. KING as soon as online registration opened."

"Our contestant numbers are A-777 and A-778. According to the competition schedule, our preliminary round will be held in arena number 3 in area C."

"From here, the estimated walking time is 7 minutes and 32 seconds. There will be two supply points along the way where you can buy drinks and snacks."

Unaffected by the noisy surroundings, Lin Mo calmly scanned the excited or nervous faces.

The vast majority of these faces are simply game enthusiasts, radiating the passion that gamers possess.

However, after comprehending [Martial Arts - Ultimate], Lin Mo's perception has become unusually sharp.

He could clearly sense that among the tens of thousands of ordinary auras, there were a few strands of completely different auras.

That wasn't the excitement of the players, but rather a restrained aura.

This stirred something within him, and a barely perceptible smile unconsciously curved the corners of his lips.

It seems I made the right choice coming here. This place is not only a holy land for gamers, but also a dueling arena for certain powerful individuals.

“Mr. KING, teacher,” Genos’s voice rang out again. He pointed to a huge booth not far away, where the rules of the competition were being played on a loop.

"The rules for this competition are somewhat unique."

"Oh? Are there any special rules? Isn't it just sitting there and fighting with a controller?"

Saitama's curiosity was piqued, and as he spoke, he took a step closer.

“Not entirely,” Genos explained. “To increase the entertainment value and professionalism of the competition, this year’s tournament has introduced two completely different competition modes for the first time, which contestants can choose freely when registering.”

"The first mode is the 'classic gamepad mode.' Players will use the official standard gamepads to compete, which tests their proficiency with the game characters."

“And the second one,” Genos’s tone became more serious as he pointed to a completely different scene in the promotional video:

A player wearing specially designed VR glasses moves his body in an open space, and his every move is perfectly synchronized with the game character.

"This is the 'fully immersive combat mode' that this competition is promoting."

“The contestants will wear specially designed VR glasses, and every action they take in reality, including punches, kicks, jumps, blocks, and even the techniques and speed of their power, will be accurately translated into the actions of the game character by the system at a 1:1 ratio.”

"You could say this isn't a game, it's a real battle."

Saitama became interested. "That's interesting. Help me choose the second mode, Genos."

Lin Mo's gaze also lingered on the screen of the combat mode, and he followed up by saying, "Like Saitama, I also chose combat mode."

Genos nodded and said, "I understand."

“It seems the champion of this competition is already decided between the teacher and Mr. KING…” Genos observed the two people beside him without showing any emotion.

However, soon, an idea that excited him greatly popped into his head.

"Teacher and Mr. King... who is stronger?! It seems this competition will tell us!"

The thought of witnessing the duel between these two top experts filled Genos with excitement.

This is absolutely a battle of the century! He must record all the battle data!

------

On the other side, at the entrance to Zone B.

A tall, muscular young man with black hair was leaning against the wall, looking rather bored.

He was dressed in a loose black martial arts uniform, his hands in his pockets, his eyes carrying a lazy and disdainful air that seemed out of place with the frenzied atmosphere around him.

He is Shuilong, the "genius of martial arts" and the successor of the "Mingti Fist".

"Tsk, what a noisy place." Shuilong picked at his ear, his gaze wandering aimlessly over the young girls coming and going.

To him, those so-called strong people were nothing more than that.

The reason I participated in this game competition was simply because I saw the advertisement on TV and thought it "might be interesting."

"Hello sir, are you here to visit or to participate in a competition?" A young woman in a work uniform approached politely and asked with a smile.

Shuilong lazily raised his eyelids, his gaze lingering on the girl's beautiful face for half a second before slowly answering, "Participate in the competition."

"Okay, would you like to choose 'Classic Controller Mode' or 'Full Immersive Gameplay Mode'?"