Chapter 155: Willpower Surpasses the Flesh
Generally speaking, unless a creature evolves some special organ, it is impossible to release energy.
So, it was completely normal that King couldn't unleash the Infernal Peerless Explosive Heat Wave Cannon.
But at this point, how could he accept failure?!
As Chang Wei's eyes widened in shock, King's life force suddenly exploded to an entirely new level.
It felt as if a previously flat line had abruptly shot straight up at a ninety-degree angle.
"Did he break through his limiter?"
Chang Wei observed carefully but found no new special organ forming inside King's body. And then—the miracle happened.
In King's hands, a scorching mass of plasma rapidly took shape. The dazzling blue glow filled him with excitement—he had done it. Moreover, he had this inexplicable feeling that from now on, he would always be able to unleash energy blasts.
But none of that mattered right now. What mattered most was finally being able to shout—
"CANNON—!!!"
A deep blue, radiant beam erupted from King's hands, instantly engulfing everything before him.
Evil Natural Water attempted to escape, trying to slip through any available crevice—but it was too late. The beam swallowed it whole.
Under this attack, carrying plasma at tens of thousands of degrees, Evil Natural Water was vaporized in an instant.
"I've grown even stronger!"
King was ecstatic. He felt as if he had gained some special ability—one that let him absorb experience points or the residual energy of monsters upon their death to grow stronger.
Otherwise, how else could he explain why both gaming and fighting monsters made him stronger?
"And I successfully unleashed the Infernal Peerless Explosive Heat Wave Cannon!"
Looking down at his own hands, King realized—he was now a man who could fire energy blasts!
This would make fighting monsters much easier. He could stay hidden, sniping them from a safe distance and gradually whittling down their health bars.
—
"Breaking the limiter… doesn't require experiencing life and death? Just an overwhelming will?"
Chang Wei gazed at King, deep in thought. This was a rare and valuable case study.
He wondered—if he pitted King against Fuhrer Ugly, would King be able to break through his limiter even further?
And yet, there was another person who possessed a powerful will.
The C-Class Rank 1 hero—Mumen Rider.
Though he had failed the Hero Association's Superhero Exam, he never abandoned his heroic ideals. He was a man of pure conviction.
However, he had never broken through his limiter.
Even when he fought the Deep Sea King, who was only at Demon-level strength in his Wet Sea King form, Mumen Rider had given his all—displaying an extreme performance in every aspect.
Yet, whether due to ONE's intentions or something unique about Mumen Rider himself, he had never managed to break through his limiter.
Could it be that breaking the limiter wasn't so simple after all?
Otherwise, considering Mumen Rider had faced death, had been on the verge of dying, and had thrown everything into that one desperate punch—he should have unlocked his limiter.
"I need to keep an eye on Mumen Rider… but if I inject him with Super Cells, will he even survive? Maybe Evolution Elixir would be a better choice."
Chang Wei made up his mind.
But before he could go looking for Mumen Rider in the future—he realized the man had already arrived.
"Even the threat of a Dragon-level disaster didn't scare him off?"
Chang Wei had noticed that, apart from a few select heroes, no C-Class or B-Class heroes from the Hero Association had come.
Ever since the TankTop Army disbanded, it was even less likely for any lower-ranked heroes to show up.
Dragon-level disasters in this timeline were nothing like the Monster Association's Dragon-level threats from the original storyline.
Especially after Chang Wei had livestreamed the Dark Matter Thieves' battle—a pre-Dragon-level disaster—many people had come to understand just how terrifying Dragon-level threats truly were.
Those with even a shred of self-awareness knew better than to throw their lives away.
So Chang Wei couldn't understand Mumen Rider.
He was weak.
Why had he come?
He served no purpose and would only need others to protect him.
But Mumen Rider wasn't thinking about being protected—he just wanted to do what a hero should do.
That was the difference between their perspectives.
In the world of One Punch Man, heroes were needed to fight monsters. From a young age, people were influenced by the idea of heroism—as was evident from Garou's childhood.
But a world that needs heroes… was a tragic one.
"If you're not afraid of death, then I'll grant your wish."
Without him noticing, Chang Wei injected Mumen Rider with Evolution Elixir.
Mumen Rider instinctively slapped the back of his neck.
"A mosquito?"
He thought something had bitten him, but he didn't pay it much mind.
Instead, he continued forward.
A hero never fears sacrifice.
And yet… was it just his imagination, or was his body feeling stronger?
Is this the power of my conviction?
Chang Wei, having slipped back to his original position unnoticed, carefully selected two opponents for Mumen Rider.
The ones that Garou would have originally killed—Royal Ripper and Bug God.
After being fed Super Monster Cells by Gyoro Gyoro, these two had grown from Demon-level to peak-Demon-level threats.
And Mumen Rider? He was merely a C-Class hero.
Pitting him against two peak-Demon-level monsters…
It was clear that Chang Wei had no intention of holding back.
If Mumen Rider couldn't break through his limiter, then he would simply die here.
After all, with his way of thinking, he was bound to get himself killed sooner or later.
Might as well let him die in a battle with a worthy backdrop.
Mumen Rider soon encountered Royal Ripper and Bug God—both subtly influenced by Chang Wei's control.
Even so, he allowed them to retain their independent thoughts.
"A hero, huh?"
Royal Ripper sneered at Mumen Rider.
"Heroes from the Hero League aren't easy to deal with. Be careful."
Bug God added.
They usually hunted isolated heroes, teaming up to take down Superheroes who strayed too far from their group.
And now, they had encountered another "isolated" hero.
"Monsters…"
Mumen Rider immediately assumed a fighting stance.
Because of Chang Wei's Hero League, he had never experienced the original timeline's battle with the Deep Sea King.
And so, in an instant, Bug God's fist sent him flying—smashing him through a wall.
"What the hell? This hero is so weak?"
Bug God and Royal Ripper were both confused.
Mumen Rider felt like every bone in his body had shattered. From head to toe, there wasn't a single part of him that didn't ache.
The gap between them was far too great.
Was this where he would die?
"I… can still… fight…"
Gritting his teeth, Mumen Rider forced himself to stand.
At that moment, his willpower surpassed his flesh.
"This guy… he didn't rely on the Evolution Elixir. He stood up on his own?"
Chang Wei had witnessed many miracles before.
Yet, even now, he couldn't believe it.
Big guy, your entire skeleton is shattered—how the hell are you standing?!