Kenji immediately played along.
“Alright, no problem!” “Now it’s your turn, Kenji.” “Then I’ll show you what I’ve got.” “Um, Miss Lani,” Kenji cracked his knuckles and turned to the blonde bombshell beside him, who was practically drooling, “If I accidentally break it, I don’t have to pay for it, right?” Lani was taken aback, but the staff member next to her chuckled.
“Please rest assured, we have plenty of testing machines here.
Even if you break it, it doesn’t matter.” “That’s good.” Kenji nodded.
As he spoke, his eyes abruptly turned silver-white.
Azure spiritual flames, clad in a layer of lightning, materialized around his body.
Advanced Lightning Rush— “Lightning Release Chakra Mode”!
He took a half-step back, twisting his body.
A terrifying force erupted with the twist of his waist, and his lightning-wreathed right hand struck the machine’s leather pad in a blur!
Bang!
A powerful blast of air erupted, sending Lani’s skirt, the staff member’s white coat, and Bang’s beard flying backwards.
The expressions of the three people present didn’t change much, mainly because they were numbed by the static electricity.
The testing machine, which was claimed to be capable of withstanding a direct attack from a Demon-level monster, was now a pile of sparking metal junk embedded into the wall twenty meters away.
The staff member, who a moment ago thought Kenji was just talking big, twitched his mouth, wanting to cry.
Lani recovered her senses, her eyes sparkling.
An esper and a martial arts master.
Bringing in two powerhouses in one day—this was an absolute jackpot.
Bang’s thoughts were written plainly on his face.
This kid is an esper too?!
Taking him as a disciple just got even harder!
“Mr.
Kenji, perfect score…” The scoring official rigidly announced Kenji’s result.
Lani hurriedly led the two to continue their testing.
No matter what, she had to secure these two men today!
Kenji and Bang did not disappoint the Association.
Starting from the strength test, they shattered the records for every single assessment item one by one.
Jump rope, high jump, weightlifting, side-to-side jumps, the 1500-meter dash—one record after another breaking human limits was recorded.
Everyone watching this test was vibrating with excitement.
“An ace!
We’re finally going to have our own ace hero in City Z!” “That’s right!
And not just one, but two aces!” “I’ll report to headquarters immediately!” Realizing they had struck gold, the City Z branch of the Hero Association kicked into high gear, operating as efficiently as an engine running at full throttle.
Kenji and Bang, meanwhile, returned to the locker room to change into their own clothes before being invited by Lani to the reception room for tea.
At this point, the Hero Association had not yet implemented the written exam that would come later; finishing all the physical tests meant the assessment was complete.
According to Lani’s explanation, the Hero Association currently only had three ranks: A, B, and C.
The evaluation was primarily based on four aspects: monster extermination record, combat ability, social contribution, and public popularity.
Each aspect accounted for 25% of the score.
Evaluations were settled weekly, determining a hero’s rank and ranking within that tier.
In other words, just because you could fight didn’t necessarily mean you would be A-Class.
Kenji and Bang, who had joined halfway through, fell into the “invited” category.
Their formidable strength certainly gave them bonus points during the initial ranking.
However, the rest would depend on their subsequent hero activities, fan popularity, and other factors as they competed for positions against other heroes.
“Rankings and such don’t matter.
This man isn’t here to steal fame from the youngsters.” “I feel the same way.
But if you encounter a monster you can’t handle, you can contact me.” “Alright…” Seeing that neither of them cared much about ranks or rankings, Lani felt a bit discouraged, but she quickly cheered up.
“The results of this morning’s tests have been reported to headquarters.
The Association will need to discuss internally to determine your hero ranks and rankings.
You will likely be notified within three days.” “Then we’re done here, right?
My old back can finally get some rest.” Bang rubbed his lower back with a pained expression, then rolled his shoulders, looking completely exhausted.
“It’s almost lunchtime anyway.
Shall we find a place for a drink?” Watching the old man’s practiced performance, Kenji thought for a moment and nodded.
“How about we go to my place?
I’ll whip up some side dishes, and Master Bang can try my prized ’82 beer.” “Oh?
You can cook, Young Kenji?
Then i must definitely have a taste.” “But what the heck is ’82 beer?” “Just a silly meme~” “Is that so…” Lani: …
While they were talking, the two newly minted heroes had already walked out of the reception room, completely ignoring her.
From the looks of it, they had no intention of sticking around.
Upholding her professionalism, Lani quickly chased after them, escorting the two “ace” all the way to the entrance of the building and handing them her business card.
“Please contact me anytime if you need anything.
This is my number.” “Alrighty.” “Will do.” Having handed out two cards, Lani watched the backs of the old man and the young man sway as they disappeared around the corner.
She took a deep breath.
Under the gazes of a group of rough men, the beautiful blonde’s enthusiastic expression froze over, turning as cold as an iceberg.
She elegantly pushed up her burgundy glasses, turned around, and walked briskly back into the branch building.
She had to hurry and handle the grading affairs for Kenji and Bang.
…
On the way back, Kenji took Bang to a convenience store.
Watching him expertly pick out ingredients and fruits, the old man couldn’t help but sigh.
“There aren’t many young people nowadays who can calm down and cook for themselves.
You truly are multi-talented, Kenji.” “It’s mostly because my job isn’t that busy, and I’ve mastered a little bit of psychic power.
Those corporate slaves work hard enough during the day; how could they have the energy to spend on cooking?” Stepping out of the convenience store, Kenji turned all his bags of groceries into cards, instantly emptying his hands.
Bang: …
Watching the items in Kenji’s hands disappear into thin air, Bang’s mouth twitched.
“…Your psychic power is incredibly convenient.” Kenji nodded in strong agreement.
“Yeah, I think so too.” While the two were happily chatting nonsense, two dark figures suddenly bolted past the nearby alleyway.
Shouts echoed from the pursuit.
“Stop!
Don’t run!” Kenji raised an eyebrow.
His powerful perception immediately identified the pursuer.
A black-haired male, about 1.75 meters tall, wearing a worn-out blue tracksuit.
It was none other than Saitama.
And the target he was chasing, although humanoid and wearing a green jacket, had blue skin and gave off a strange aura that clearly indicated it was not an ordinary human.
Bang, whose five senses were equally sharp, also noticed the anomaly.
“Young Kenji, those two guys who just went past…” Exchanging a glance, the two quickly reached a consensus.
“Let’s follow them and see!” x2 …
A dead-end alley.
“Did you really think you could escape?” A cold, masculine voice came from above.
The blue-skinned Frog Man broke out in a sweat.
Unwilling to give up, he pointed at the silhouette standing against the sunlight and demanded, “You’re a relentless bastard!
Who are you?!” “Me?” Saitama stood on the edge of the four-story building’s roof, looking down imperiously.
“I’m just a guy who’s a hero for fun.” Sunlight spilled from behind him, making his face indistinguishable but casting a tremendously imposing silhouette.
With that, he bent his knees and leaped off!
After months of training, he still couldn’t fully adapt to the terrifying regimen he’d set for himself.
But undeniably, his trained body had grown much stronger than before.
A four-story drop…
Riiiip!
The harsh sound of tearing fabric rang out.
Saitama landed steadily, but simultaneously felt a chill run down his lower half.
Looking down, he saw that his already heavily patched sweatpants had snagged on something and torn wide open from the buttocks down, revealing pink boxer shorts and turning his pants into little more than rags.
Uh…
Saitama instinctively reached back to cover his butt.
His originally cool entrance had instantly turned incredibly awkward.
…
“Slap!” x2 On a higher rooftop, the two men witnessing this scene facepalmed simultaneously.
Kenji had originally been excited to introduce Saitama to Bang, but now…
“Young Kenji, do you know that guy down there?” “Don’t ask me.
If you ask, the answer is no!” “…” “Hahaha!” Seeing Saitama’s embarrassing state, the Frog Man, who had been nervous, burst into loud laughter.
“You call yourself a hero looking like that?!
Chasing me for three blocks, I thought you were someone special…
eh?” The Frog Man’s tough talk was cut short halfway.
Meeting Saitama’s serious gaze, his heart inexplicably trembled!
…
Bang!
Pow!
Whack!
“Ahhh…
Help!
Spare me, please…” After suffering an inhumane beating, the stolen audiovisual discs in the Frog Man’s pockets scattered all over the ground, covered in green monster slime.
“Well, even though I got them back, they’re ruined now.” Standing over the unconscious Frog Man, Saitama disgustedly flicked the slime off his hands and complained with a frown.
Suddenly, he furrowed his brows and calmly looked up at a certain spot.
“Who’s there?” “Nice fighting, young man.
Are you interested in learning what martial arts is?” “We meet again, Saitama.
You looked really cool when you jumped down, but your landing was a total disaster.” Saitama: …
Two figures lightly dropped from high above, not kicking up even a speck of dust upon landing.
“Oh, it’s you, Kenji!” Saitama realized who it was and immediately relaxed.
Although he didn’t know the lecherous-looking old man sizing him up, anyone hanging out with Officer Kenji couldn’t be a bad guy.
“I was passing by a video store and saw this guy stealing, so I chased him all the way here,” Saitama explained, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
“Sorry you had to see that.” “What’s there to be embarrassed about?” Kenji shook his head, retorting with a serious face.
“All I saw was a noble character.
You truly are the friend I recognized you to be!” As he spoke, he discreetly pocketed a brand new “Limiter Fragment.” Bang also smiled and nodded along.
“Having the courage to face a monster head-on is a rare quality indeed.
Are you a hero as well, young man?” “Haha, do you guys really think that highly of me?” Receiving validation from both of them, Saitama felt a bit embarrassed and replied, “To be precise, I’m currently training to become a hero.
I still have a long way to go!” “Is that so?
You’re quite humble!” Hearing Saitama’s words, Bang secretly nodded in approval, his impression of the young man going up by another two points.
However, why did he get the feeling that this kid, just like Kenji, had absolutely no interest in martial arts…
Thinking of this, the old man’s good mood sank, and he fell into emo mode.