Sorry, I could only write one chapter today. I have a doctor's appointment booked for this week, and hopefully, it's nothing serious, but I've got some bad news to share...
It's getting worse!!!
Y'all already know right that my right rotator cuff muscle is really hurt... badly... So I slept on my left side...
And now, my neck is hurting too. This is so fucked up š
Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and I'll try to sleep on my back this time.
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Tsuna stared at the hovering blue screen in front of him, feeling a slight ache building in his head.
He was completely at a loss on how to save the yellow octopus standing before him.
[Mission: Save Korosensei!]
[Reward: Healing Factor: Beginner Level]
[Description: Activate a small healing factor in your body, allowing you to recover from injuries much faster than a normal human!]
[Upon Failure: The Earth will be destroyed!]
[Accept the mission?]
[Yes/No]
"Shit..."
Tsuna's gaze lingered on the failure notes as it was the first time it appeared.
Unlike previous missions, where there was nothing of the sort that he often took as his death would be the consequence of failure, this one carried an explicit implicationāthe world would be destroyed if he didn't succeed.
"Does that mean I'm now strong enough that I'm rarely in life-threatening situations?"
Tsuna highly doubts that. But he put aside his doubt as the system wouldn't need to emphasize such a dire outcome unless he had grown beyond the point where personal danger was the main threat.
Now, the stakes were higherāmuch higher.
But despite his growing strength, Tsuna was lost on how to handle Korosensei's situation. The experiments that had transformed the octopus-like teacher were far beyond his understanding.
He might be smart, but advanced bioengineering was way out of his league.
"Hmm? Wait a minute..."
A sudden realization struck him.
He shifted his gaze toward Korosensei, who was in the middle of recounting his dark past as the Reaper. Tsuna's eyes narrowed in thought as he mumbled to himself, "Talking about clues... I think I just got one. But would it really be possible?"
A being in search of excitement for his unbeatable existence...
That certainly sounded like Saitama. Tsuna knew that Saitama still had his hair when he last visited that world.
But by now, he was probably already bald and completely invincible.
However, the next phraseātraveled far and wide until he met his destined onesādidn't quite match Saitama. That guy was a hero for fun and wasn't one to actively seek out anything beyond his city.
As Tsuna pondered the rest of the clue, he considered that the heart of such a being might be an invaluable ingredientāsomething he could use to craft a recipe that could shatter human limitations.
"The timeline doesn't add up..."
He mumbled, recalling that the time he spent in Saitama's world was well before the canon events.
Unless... time flowed differently there.
The thought hit him like a bolt of lightning. Tsuna's eyes widened as he brought a hand to his chin, deep in thought.
"If that's the case..."
Maybe it was time for another visit.
He suddenly remembered the reward from his first missionāa round-trip ticket to the world of One Punch Man!
"Then, let's accept the mission."
Tsuna murmured as he stared at the blue screen hovering in front of him.
With a decisive tap, he chose to accept, and the screen swiftly blurred out of view, signaling the start of his new mission.
"I've completed many commissions, and once the number got so high..." Korosensei's voice resonated through the grass field, "...I was then known as the Reaper or the God of Death."
A tense silence followed and everyone listened intently.
Tsuna couldn't help but notice how little they seemed to react to the staggering implication of Korosensei's words. The fact that their beloved teacher might have countless kills under his belt didn't seem to faze them.
"Oh?"
Tsuna raised an eyebrow in subtle surprise.
"It's either they've gotten too comfortable playing the role of assassins," he thought, "or they don't truly grasp the reality of death."
This scenario, where the students were so well-acquainted with the concept of assassination, led them to listen intently, more focused on understanding the creature they had come to respect as their teacher than on the darkness of his past.
"I knew certain organizations had their eyes on me, but I was confident in my skills, so I chose to ignore them..."
"...!"
Tsuna's eyes narrowed at the mention of those words.
His thoughts immediately flashed back to the organization that had caused turmoil in his previous life, a group that had been the source of his not-so-peaceful existence.
Silently, he mused, "An organization, huh? Now this has my attention..."
Unfortunately for Korosensei, by the time he realized that such an organization was targeting him, it was already too late.
He had already taken on an apprentice, someone to whom he had taught most of his assassination skills. What he didn't know was that this apprentice had been planted by the organization itself.
Korosensei, unknowingly, walked right into their trap.
His trusted apprentice turned on him, betraying him in the most unexpected way. The organization swiftly captured him, reducing the feared Reaper to nothing more than a guinea pig for their experiments.
"Korosensei..."
Rio mumbled with concern as the atmosphere turned heavy as Korosensei continued recounting his past, his voice calm and detached despite the gravity of his words.
The revelation that he had been used as a guinea pig in cruel experiments left everyone feeling uneasy and worried.
Kaede's heart ached as she processed Korosensei's story about meeting her sister, Aguri Yukimura in the laboratory.
"So, you're the man my sister spoke about?"Ā
A kind woman who treated him with compassion, a woman who woke him up as he rediscovered his humanity, forming a deep bond with her.
For a brief period, their lives had intertwined in a way that brought light to their darkest days. Yet, Kaede knew too well that such moments of happiness were fleeting.
Unfortunately, this short moment of joy was overshadowed by the grim reality that followed.
As time wore on, the experiments that had initially seemed promising had spiraled out of control.
The antimatter within Korosensei's body had become a volatile, ticking time bomb, threatening to annihilate the Earth within a year.
As expected, the experiment went horribly wrong.
One of the rats used as a guinea pig exploded, obliterating half of the moon. The catastrophic event forced the organization to confront the immense danger it had unleashed.
Korosensei was fully aware of what happened since it was his own body and planned his escape.
During his escape from the facility, disaster struck. A catastrophic accident ravaged the facility, leading to massive destruction and, tragically, causing fatal injuries to Aguri Yukimura.
Gasp!
A collective gasp rippled through the room as Korosensei's words sank in.
The story of Aguri Yukimura's tragic end left everyone deeply saddened.
Aguri, their beloved teacher who had genuinely cared for them, had been taken from them in such a heartbreaking manner. Each student looked down, their faces etched with sorrow and regret.
Kaede, still lying on the ground, felt tears streaming down her face. Nagisa gently patted her shoulder, his own expression a mixture of sadness and helplessness as he tried to offer comfort.
"..."
Tsuna remained silent.
While the tragic accident was regrettable, he was more focused on the critical question he needed to ask. He listened intently as Korosensei continued, "In her final moments, she asked me to teach her beloved students and guide them towards a brighter future..."
After finishing his story, Korosensei fell silent and slowly turned around, revealing his back that was wide open and full of openings.
However...
The others stood motionless, their thoughts drifting through memories of their time together. They recalled moments when they felt alive and their worries had turned into excitement for the future.
"..."
Tsuna sighed as he observed the scene.
He watched as the students were told to leave and walked away like robots, while Karasuma and Irina looked on with concern.
"Korosensei, would you like to grab dinner?"
"After all that?"
Korosensei, along with Karasuma and Irina, turned in surprise, blinking in confusion. Tsuna continued, "Don't worry about the payment; it's on me..."
Huh?
Wait a minute...
"N-Nani!"
Both Korosensei's and Karasuma's eyes widened in shock.
They looked at Tsuna as if he were insane.
It didn't seem to be a lie, but this guy? The one who always seemed to worship money actually offering a free meal!?
Their reaction left Tsuna a bit speechless.
He twitched his lips and asked, "So, are you interested or not?"