dkrc Chapter 2066 "Saitama" regains human emotions, a world like heaven for Kazuma Sato.
Chapter 2066 "Saitama" regains human emotions, a world like heaven for Kazuma Sato.
Chapter 2066 "Saitama" regains human emotions, a world like heaven for Kazuma Sato.
One-Punch Man world, Z City, no man's land, Saitama's apartment.
The room was as simple as ever, even shabby. Even though he had joined the chat group and become a hero, no longer needing to worry about wealth, Saitama's life remained unchanged.
He sat cross-legged on the bare tatami mat, with a chat group screen floating in front of him that only he could see.
The screen displayed two options: [Reward Option 1: Power Ascension] and [Reward Option 2: Mind Completion].
Saitama didn't hesitate much and spoke directly:
"Chat group, claim option two."
"Ding! Group member [Bald Cape Hero] has selected the reward [Mental Recovery]. Do you wish to claim it?"
When the chat group notification sounded, Saitama nodded in agreement.
"Yes."
As soon as he finished speaking, a wave that seemed to directly affect the depths of his soul descended from the darkness and enveloped Saitama.
Saitama felt a slight tremor in his body, as if a tiny crack had appeared in some kind of "shell" that was deeply rooted in his soul and so thick that he had become accustomed to it.
Then, the changes began.
At first, it's a hazy sense of awakening, like someone who has been in a half-dream, half-awake state for a long time suddenly realizing clearly that they are "waking up".
The sluggishness and blockage that had enveloped emotional responses began to fade at an extremely slow pace.
A strong sense of curiosity and novelty, so intense that it felt somewhat unfamiliar to him, welled up within him.
"Ok?"
Saitama blinked and subconsciously looked around his simple room.
The stains on the walls, the model of the tatami mats, the dust motes dancing in the beam of light streaming in from the window—these scenes, which I've seen countless times, now seem to have been "recolored" anew, carrying a strange vividness.
He even unconsciously reached out and waved his hand in the beam of light, watching the dust dance between his fingers. A sense of "Oh, so that's how it moves" naturally emerged, accompanied by a feeling of "interesting".
I haven't felt this way in a long time, not even three years ago when I was just an ordinary person. I guess I was only interested in this kind of thing when I was a child.
Then, the floodgates of memory seemed to be opened by this sense of novelty, and countless fragments of the past surged up automatically, carrying with them new emotional colors.
He remembered the half-price potato chips he missed yesterday.
Previously, it was just a bland "Oh, that's all," tinged with a slight sense of loss.
But at this moment, an incredibly clear, even exaggerated, sense of regret suddenly gripped him:
"Ugh! What a waste! I should have just used the 'serious round trip' method!"
The emotion was so intense that he couldn't help but clench his fist at the air, his eyes filled with obvious resentment.
He recalled his time with Genos.
For some unknown reason, Saitama felt a surge of suppressed amusement and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.
This natural smile was something he hadn't seen in a long time and was now unfamiliar with.
He recalled how King's face would turn red when he lost a game, and a feeling of nostalgia and amusement welled up inside him. He never expected that he would actually break down over something like that back then.
He even thought of Boros.
That all-out battle, that dazzling Star-Shattering Roaring Cannon, that "serious punch" he threw.
Although the gap was still huge, I was somewhat excited at the time.
Looking back now, he felt a little regretful that he had fought Boros earlier, and not now; otherwise, he probably could have made Boros happier during the fight.
Keep the battle at a similar level, thus giving him a real fight.
The feeling of emptiness persists.
That desert, named "Invincible," remains vast and boundless.
But at this moment, on the desert, all sorts of emotions are like sweet rain that suddenly falls after a long drought.
Annoyance, smile, relief, anticipation.
They may not yet be systematic, and their intensity may not reach the level of ordinary people, but for Saitama, this is already a "noise" in the emotional world.
Every emotion carries a distinct warmth, no longer appearing suppressed.
He sat there, stunned, for a long while.
His expression was no longer simply blank or indifferent, but changed rapidly. His eyebrows would occasionally furrow slightly as he recalled the regrets in his memories, and the corners of his mouth would twitch gently as he thought of certain scenes.
He could even feel his breathing rhythm, which seemed to change slightly and imperceptibly with the fluctuations of these emotions.
"call"
He let out a long breath, then looked at his palm, clenched it, and then relaxed it.
The power remains the same, and the "fact" of being able to solve any problem with a single punch remains unchanged.
But an indescribable sense of fulfillment quietly grew within me.
On a spiritual level, it's as if a world that has long lacked color has suddenly been splashed with paint, though faint, it is undeniably present.
"So that's what the feelings were like back then."
He muttered to himself, his tone somewhat dazed.
For Saitama, who broke his limiter three years ago and has become more indifferent every day, normal human emotions are a thing of the past.
Even though we're only close now, it's undoubtedly much better than the previous time when our feelings had faded so much.
He stood up, his movements seeming a little more "deliberate" than usual, as if he were re-experiencing the act of "walking" itself.
Walking to the window, looking at the street and the azure sky outside, the wind blew on his face, bringing a slight chill, but Saitama had a smile on his face.
"But I think I'm starting to feel something in my stomach."
He touched his stomach, where he felt a familiar signal that he needed to eat, but this time, it was accompanied by a strong craving for food. He subconsciously began to think:
"What should we have for dinner? Ramen? Or should we try the new bento boxes from the convenience store?"
"Is Genos coming back for dinner tonight?"
"Should we buy some groceries and have him cook?"
Are there any supermarkets offering discounts at this time?
"."
Saitama was completely absorbed in thought, and as his mind was restored, a large part of the thick ice shell that isolated his emotions was suddenly knocked open.
The long-suppressed emotions did not return like a gentle stream as one might imagine, but rather seemed to have been released from some kind of "flow limiter," beginning to surge again with a slightly weaker but still "vigorous" momentum than that of ordinary people.
Chat group.
Kazuma the Headless Dog: "Hahahaha, this world is truly delightful."
Kazuma the Head-Dog: "There are a lot of zombies here."
Kazuma Sato made a cheerful sound in the chat group.
In fact, he was indeed very happy.
While Huo Linfei and others were fighting fiercely against the evil god's clone, Sato Kazuma, along with his "irreplaceable" teammates, was also carrying out a mission in the world of "Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress".
Well, for him it's a task, since points are everywhere.
Kabane is great! Who says Kabane is no good? Kabane is fantastic!
Although they are stronger than zombies and have tougher skin, each one is worth at least one point.
Kazuma Sato is really short on points!
He's terrified of being poor!
Well, strictly speaking, he wasn't really so poor that he couldn't afford to eat.
In the original Axel, although making money was not easy, with the help of monsters with low intelligence and the occasional "revenue generation" by his teammates, it was still possible to make a living.
If we don't include the city walls, streets, and various public facilities that have to be compensated from time to time.
But can that be called living? That's called survival! It's the struggle of the lowest-class adventurers!
He longed for a leisurely, luxurious, and carefree life; a life where he could sleep until he naturally woke up, only to be greeted by a succubus coughing; a life of sumptuous breakfasts, and every lunch and dinner prepared by the young master chef himself, featuring luminous dishes made with special ingredients.
The desserts served after the meal were made by the top chefs from the world of Erina Nakiri, and the drinks had to be the juice of those mutated fruits from the world of Hakugen, which contained spiritual energy and could make people feel like they were floating on air with just one sip.
With nothing to do, one can either lie on a sofa made of top-tier monster hides from another world and play a full-dive game like SAO or Yggdrasil, or take a stroll through the private manor with beautiful maids, and enjoy exclusive hot springs and massage services in the evening.
Every one of these dreams is inseparable from the points accumulated in the chat group!
Points! And more points!
"But points are hard to earn!"
As Kazuma swiftly pierced the heart of yet another Kabane, he mentally ranted about his original world.
In his world, if he saw powerful monsters like dragons or demon executives, wouldn't he run away and wait to be eaten?
Weak monsters, like giant frogs and blue slugs, can be defeated, but they are either well hidden or scattered, so killing them all day won't yield many materials or enough points to exchange for them. The efficiency is outrageously low.
Furthermore, they also have to be wary of other adventurers stealing their monsters, or of Aqua and her group causing even bigger trouble that requires them to pay compensation.
This place is nothing like Kabane, it's practically paradise!
First of all, its strength is just right; it's tougher than a regular zombie, but as docile as a chick compared to a monster.
Once you locate the heart accurately, one shot will be enough to finish it off.
Although he had to control his strength to avoid breaking it, it was no problem for him.
Secondly, there are so many that he doesn't need to search all over the mountains and fields.
These creatures are excessively sensitive to sound and the presence of living people. As long as you make a noise, or just stand here like this, they will come to you in droves.
There are at least tens of thousands of people in a single post town. Even if you kill them all in this one, there will always be another one!
The country beneath our feet has been overrun with activity, and overseas it has also been completely overrun, with Kabane so numerous as to be countless.
This means a large source of points.
As long as he has the strength, and as long as his teammates don't destroy the map, he can keep farming!
Finally, and most importantly, there is no psychological burden.
These Kabane are no longer human; they are monsters, the source of the disaster.
Eliminating them is equivalent to saving lives, purifying the world, and earning points; where else can you find such a win-win situation that brings both fame and fortune?
"Haha, more, yes, that's it, all of them come to me."
While Kazuma was happily harvesting, he was already making plans in his mind.
Once this city is cleared out, I should have at least five or six thousand points, right? Where to next?
Plan your route and try to get as many points as possible within the time limit!
"Huihui, over there, there's a large group over there. Use the lowest power of explosive magic, aim carefully, don't blow them all up, leave some corpses."
"Aqua, just use your divine power to dispel their mobility, don't use large-scale purification! That costs money! It costs money!"
“Darkness! You...you can just lie there, you've attracted a lot of attention, don't come back next time.”
Kazuma's mouth was dry from giving directions, but his smile grew wider and wider.
Although the process was a bit frustrating, seeing the numbers constantly changing in the points column made all the hard work worthwhile.
An ordinary group owner: "."
An ordinary group owner said, "Your style is completely different from Huo Linfei's group."
An ordinary group admin: "So how many points have you collected so far? Ten thousand? One hundred thousand? Or one million?"
An ordinary group admin: "It doesn't feel like so much time has passed, it shouldn't have gotten to this point, right?"
Su Yunqing knew that the number of Kabane was huge, but it was still a bit exaggerated for Kazuma and the others to have accumulated a million points in such a short time.
An ordinary group admin: "Speaking of which, where are the others? Why haven't I seen them say anything?"
She remembered that it wasn't just Kazuma's team that went to the Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress world; Umaru, Kaito Kuroba, Hachiman Hikigaya, and the others were also there.
Human Head Dog and True: "Hehe, about 100,000."
Kazuma: "The others? Oh, Umaru, it seems she went to participate in the plot."
Kazuma: "Those two popular guys, Hachiman and Yukinoshita, disappeared somewhere for some 'two-person world' as soon as they came down."
Kazuma: "Kaito Kuroba is also farming points like me, but he's a bit pretentious."
Kazuma Sato then uploaded a copy of his memory.
[Ding! Group member "Head-Dog and True" uploaded a memory copy.]
In the memory copy, Kaito Kuroba, dressed in a spotless white suit, gracefully glides across a rooftop; below, dozens of Kabane wander aimlessly like headless flies, only to have their legs severed by suddenly appearing playing cards, or be disoriented by smoke bombs, before being pierced through the heart by flying needles.
The entire process was fluid and even had a certain artistic quality, which contrasted sharply with Kazuma Sato's art style.
Finally, Kaito Kuroba, perhaps noticing Kazuma Sato's gaze, tipped his hat to him and gave him a dashing smile.
Kazuma: "He clearly possesses first-order level spatial abilities, which could easily kill them, yet he resorts to such methods."
Kazuma the Head-Dog: "Nobody's watching, yet you're still trying to look cool!"
Kazuma Sato remarked, but the jealousy in his words was unmistakable.
Clearly, Kaito Kuroba's coolness made him a little uncomfortable.
The Magician Under the Moonlight: "I just ran out of spiritual energy and used some ordinary methods while I was recovering."
The Magician Under the Moonlight: "Don't talk like I did this on purpose."
Kaito Kuroba said helplessly after seeing Kazuma Sato's words.
His spiritual power is also limited, and he cannot use spatial abilities indefinitely. During the time when his spiritual power is recovering, in order to obtain more points, he can only use his original methods.
Kazuma and the human-headed dog: "So you didn't do it on purpose?"
The Magician Under the Moonlight: "No, I did it on purpose. Didn't you see I was paying homage to you?"