One Punch Man: Heroics Start with Dual Kamui

[Item ① Details: Red tiger-striped mask worn by Obito on the Night of the Uchiha Massacre. No special effects, but extremely durable.]

[Cost: 1 point]

The first item didn't seem particularly impressive. Just an ordinary mask.

Shinji quickly moved on to the next few listings.

[Item ② Details: A Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Can be used as a backup eye or as a one-time consumable for Izanagi or Izanami.]

[Cost: 200 points]

[Item ③ Details: Flame Fan, also known as the Uchiha Fan. Forged from a piece of the Divine Tree. It can absorb attacks within its endurance limit and convert them into storm energy to rebound at the enemy.]

[Cost: 200 points]

[Item ④ Details: One of Uchiha Madara's Rinnegan eyes. With only one, you can use basic Rinnegan techniques. Collect both to unlock Madara's exclusive ocular powers.]

[Cost: 1000 points]

He scanned through the descriptions. No doubt, all three had great potential. But none of them were necessities at the moment, and the prices were steep.

Right now, it wasn't worth blowing that many points on a Sharingan or the Uchiha Fan. And the Rinnegan? Way out of reach for now.

...

Soon after, someone knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Shinji opened it to see Vaccine Man standing in the hallway.

"I was wandering around just now when some guy claiming to be from the 'Monster Association' approached me. Said he was one of their elites and invited me to join. What even is this Monster Association supposed to be?"

He looked at Shinji, clearly expecting an explanation.

"Monster Association, huh..." Shinji paused, his mind already working.

They were already targeting Vaccine Man? That could only mean they'd taken notice of his power.

And it made sense. Vaccine Man was easily on par with, if not stronger than, one of the Monster Association's executive-level monsters, [Gale Wind].

Shinji weighed his options. Should he tell Vaccine Man to reject the offer outright? Or should he go along and check the place out himself?

Didn't take long to make a decision.

He'd run into the Monster Association sooner or later anyway. Might as well use this as a chance to scout them out early. That kind of intel could be reported to the Hero Association, and it'd definitely count as a contribution.

He was currently ranked 5th in A-Class. To move up into the S-Class, he'd need more than just skill. He needed some big accomplishments.

Otherwise, with people like the three disciples of [Atomic Samurai] or [Sweet Mask] standing in the way, it'd be almost impossible. Their influence in the Hero Association was just too deep-rooted. No way they'd let an outsider like him rise without a fight.

"I'll go with you. Where's the guy who invited you?" Shinji asked straight out.

"He already left. Said he'd be back tomorrow and told me to think it over until then," Vaccine Man replied.

"Then we wait for him to show up tomorrow," Shinji said with a nod.

Right after that, he opened the Points Shop again.

[Alert! Host has redeemed: "Tiger Mask x1"]

[1 point deducted. Remaining points: 215]

A red tiger-striped mask appeared in Shinji's hand the moment he confirmed the purchase.

He turned it over a few times, tapping it lightly. As expected, the thing was solid, sturdy enough that it wouldn't break unless he really tried. And even then, it only cost 1 point. Barely anything.

He slid the mask onto his face.

Oddly enough, despite having only one eyehole, his field of vision didn't suffer. His uncovered eye could still see just fine, and his eye abilities were unaffected too.

"Not bad at all..." Shinji nodded, clearly pleased.

"That mask of yours actually looks kinda cool." Vaccine Man threw a glance his way, tone unusually casual.

"…Didn't think you had any fashion sense. Or are you just being polite for once?" Shinji replied with a smirk, caught off guard by the rare comment.

"No, that's just my honest opinion," Vaccine Man answered plainly.

Of course, Shinji had no plans to walk around wearing it all the time. The only reason he got it was for infiltration; he needed something to hide his identity when sneaking into the [Monster Association].

If he wanted to scout the place and collect intel, he couldn't risk being recognized. Any halfway-competent monster could pull up the Hero Association's database and match his face in seconds. He'd be exposed before setting foot inside.

After confirming everything was in order, he stored the mask back into the system's inventory. It vanished from his face instantly.

...

The Next Day

Vaccine Man led Shinji to the location where he was supposed to meet the mysterious monster from the day before.

"They're here..."

Shinji looked up at the sound of rushing air.

A winged silhouette was descending toward them, birdlike, with flames trailing behind it.

It looked... like a phoenix?

As it got closer, the shape became clearer. It was [Phoenix Man], a Demon-level monster, wearing his usual outlandishly absurd "Dumb Bird" costume.

"Yeah, that's him. Looks like a goofy ass bird, doesn't he?" Vaccine Man muttered with a slight shrug.

Phoenix Man landed smoothly in front of them, wings folding behind his back with a fiery rustle.

"You've made your decision? And… who's this?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at Shinji.

"He's my boss," Vaccine Man said flatly. "A monster far stronger than I am. He's interested in your Monster Association, so he came along."

It was exactly what Shinji had instructed him to say. Every word had been rehearsed.

At the moment, Shinji wore the red tiger-striped mask, concealing his identity. That was all he needed, just enough mystery to get invited inside. Once he was in, his real plan could begin.

Whether or not they eventually figured out he was human didn't concern him. Frankly, no one inside the [Monster Association] was capable of stopping him anyway.

"Is that so? Fine by me,"

Phoenix Man nodded without the slightest suspicion.

He didn't press Vaccine Man for details. From his perspective, recruiting a more powerful ally only made him look better. More monsters meant more strength for the Association, and more prestige for the one who brought them in.

Without delay, Phoenix Man turned and led them into the heart of the Monster Association's base. Not just into some common area either, he brought them straight to [Gyoro Gyoro], the Dragon-level monster that served as the strategist and mastermind behind the entire organization.

Once there, Phoenix Man stepped back without a word, leaving the rest to play out.

Gyoro Gyoro wasted no time.

"I only invited him. Who the hell are you?" the grotesque creature growled, its many veins pulsing beneath translucent flesh. "You reek of human energy. You're no monster. How dare you walk into the Monster Association's territory?"

Shinji didn't answer. He didn't even look particularly bothered.

Instead, he calmly took out his phone and began snapping a few discreet photos of the interior, hallways, architecture, strategic layouts. Enough to serve as solid intel for the Hero Association. With the evidence gathered, there was no reason to stick around.

He was planning to leave right away, with Vaccine Man in tow. But before he could take a step, the pattern of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan lit up in his eye, visible beneath the mask's single slit.

Gyoro Gyoro's massive eye widened in sudden alarm.

"You're… Shinji?!"

At that exact moment, 1500 meters beneath the surface, the real Gyoro Gyoro, Psykos, sat in her hidden chamber. As the realization struck her through the mental link, her fingers clenched reflexively.

The wine glass in her hand shattered.