The Emperor Engine's God-like Skill System

Sitting on the other side, the silver-fanged Bang looked at King with admiration and nodded.

"No wonder he's hailed as the strongest man."

what?

King looked up and his gaze met Bang's. He didn't know where Bang's admiration came from; he was just startled by Tatsumaki's sudden words.

"Haha, it must be because Mr. King isn't completely familiar with our Hero Association yet!"

Sickey, standing to the side, smiled and tried to smooth things over.

"I can guarantee that the Hero Association headquarters is absolutely safe!"

"Also, let's get our welcome party ready to begin!"

Sitch strode to the center of the hall, coughed a few times, and then began to deliver a lengthy speech.

The speech began by introducing the history and achievements of the Hero Association, but then it turned into a eulogy for King.

"Mr. King has averted numerous crises that nearly devastated human society..."

"Although Mr. King wasn't a member of our Hero Association at that time, we had already considered him one of us..."

"At our invitation, Mr. King has finally agreed to join our Hero Association!"

Listening to Sitch's effusive self-praise on stage, King just wanted to find a place to disappear into.

While it's true that the vaccine victims eliminated themselves, what about the other incidents?

King at that time was just lucky to have survived the monster attack!

Suddenly, a bunch of achievements that weren't even his own were attributed to him...

This left King somewhat bewildered.

"Now, let's invite Mr. King to stand up and say a few words!"

Just then, Sitch's unexpected call to King pulled him back to reality.

He never expected that he would have to speak, and King couldn't think of anything to say.

Now that things have come to this, King has no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

He stood up and saw the expectant looks from everyone present, and couldn't help but swallow.

King lowered his head slightly and noticed that even Tornado had turned her head slightly, looking at him curiously out of the corner of her eye.

"Ah, um..."

King finally spoke, but his mind was a complete mess.

In this serious setting, one should say something very formal and inspiring, but King had absolutely no idea what to say.

correct!

King suddenly remembered the inspirational words spoken by the characters in the games he used to play, words that had once made him feel excited.

Now may be the time to say these words!

Immediately, King recited all the cringeworthy lines he remembered from the game.

Before he knew it, King realized he had been talking non-stop for quite some time. Lost in his youthful exuberance, he had forgotten the time and quickly ended his speech.

"I'm sorry to have taken up so much of your time. That's all I have to say. Thank you everyone."

King nodded symbolically, then, recalling his earlier remarks, felt a deep sense of shame.

It's all over...

What nonsense have I just been spouting!

This time, I'm going to be completely unable to hold my head up among heroes!

Should we just admit it's just game dialogue...?

He looked around and saw that all the other heroes and the higher-ups of the Hero Association were staring at him with wide eyes and expressions of surprise.

Although King tried to maintain his composure and his expression remained unchanged, he actually felt his body getting hot and embarrassed, so he could only sit down awkwardly.

At that moment, a thunderous applause erupted, followed by cheers and shouts from others.

"That's fantastic, Mr. King!"

"Mr. King's words were truly enlightening. With such great power, it's no wonder that he also possesses the vision that only the strong have."

"As expected of Mr. King! What he said was truly inspiring!"

After hearing King's words, the other heroes applauded, and many even stood up to cheer for him.

Sweet Mask looked at King with great admiration, clapping and nodding involuntarily.

Sweet Mask is an extremely demanding person with very high standards for heroes. This is why he chose to remain at the top of Class A – he wants to raise the bar for becoming an S-class hero within the association. He also occasionally participates in hero evaluations within the association.

Because of this personality, Sweet Mask harbors resentment towards many of the current S-class heroes, resulting in strained relationships between them. Very few heroes can gain Sweet Mask's approval.

Chapter Sixteen: This girl is not one to give up.

At this moment, Sweet Mask, after hearing King's words, was full of affirmation for King.

huh?

what happened?

This is somewhat different from what I expected.

Hearing the praise from others, King felt quite surprised, but at least he had passed the test. He was even more ashamed to admit that his speech was entirely composed of game lines.

At that moment, Tornado turned her head slightly more towards King. Although King couldn't see Tornado's expression clearly, her tone of voice softened considerably.

"I didn't expect that King, who looks so big and burly, would have such good words."

King didn't know how to respond, so he could only nod in agreement.

After he finished speaking, the welcome banquet officially began.

The staff brought out a variety of high-end dishes and presented them to King and the other heroes.

King's mouth also opened slightly. This was the first time he had ever seen so many high-end dishes. Just smelling the aroma made his appetite instantly awakened.

Only now does King finally realize that joining the Hero Association was a good choice.

At least in terms of quality of life, it will definitely be a huge improvement over before.

"Cheers, everyone!"

Sitch raised his glass and downed it in one gulp, as did the other heroes.

King turned his head slightly and looked at a glass of wine that was already filled with wine placed on his table.

His thoughts began to race.

How to do?

To drink or not to drink?

I've never drunk alcohol before!

But if I'm a hero and I can't even drink alcohol, wouldn't that make me seem like a loser?

King, a seasoned homebody, spends most of his days eating snacks and drinking soda. He doesn't have a proper job, doesn't need to socialize or attend dinners, and has hardly ever touched alcohol.

"Welcome to the Hero Association, Mr. King!"

Just then, Bang, Atomic Samurai, and several other heroes stood up, each holding a glass of wine, to toast King.

King had no way to back down now, so he could only grit his teeth, raise his glass, and drink it down in one gulp, just like the others.

The rich liquid rushed into King's mouth, and King instantly felt an unbearable burning sensation, as if it were scorching his throat, making him feel extremely uncomfortable. All he wanted to do was gulp down water.

Why do some people like to drink alcohol?

It tastes awful!

Coke is definitely the best-tasting!

King was almost about to shout, but he had managed to control his expression and appear perfectly calm.

"Impressive drinking capacity! No wonder you're called Mr. King. This is quite strong liquor. Someone who has never drunk alcohol before definitely couldn't handle it! They would probably be drunk right after finishing one glass."

Bang nodded to King.

However, King didn't seem to feel anything special at the time, which suggests that although he had never drunk alcohol before, his alcohol tolerance might actually be quite good.

Upon hearing Bang's praise of King, Tornado felt a strange urge to challenge him.

She is a very proud person. Today, she overheard some other heroes comparing themselves to King, and even saying that King was above them. Tornado was a little unconvinced at the time.

However, she had also heard that King possessed overwhelming strength even when facing super-powerful monsters, and given King's title as the strongest human, Tatsumaki was unsure of King's true strength.

A significant portion of what Tornado said to King this morning stemmed from her competitive spirit.

However, at least in this morning's probing, I did not gain any advantage.

Even if King's fighting power might be above mine, I must find a field where I can defeat him!

"It's just alcohol! What's the big deal!"

Tornado picked up the glass and brought it to her lips, but after making that arrogant statement, she only took a small sip.

Because Tornado, like King, has never drunk alcohol.

Even a small bite was enough for Tornado to feel an unbearable burning sensation in her mouth, as if someone were rubbing her throat with sandpaper.

"It's still a bit difficult for me..."

"Cough cough cough... This drink tastes awful... cough cough cough..."

As Tornado gently pounded her chest, her eyes darted around, searching for a source of water to ease her discomfort.

"Hey, kid, don't drink alcohol! I'll go get you some drinks!"

Seeing Tornado's pained expression, King quickly said something.

Although the existence of all the heroes in the Hero Association is public knowledge, King recognized Tatsumaki at a glance when he saw her. However, Tatsumaki's age was not mentioned in the public information.

Tornado was already very petite, and with her youthful face, only the high-slit long dress she wore added a touch of maturity that didn't match her appearance. If she were to wear a dress, she would look like a complete little girl.