"Are you okay?" Lexon, the true culprit behind this, acted as if he knew nothing. He crouched down and looked at Sweet Mask, whose head was currently wedged into the dented steel, with a friendly expression.
"You bastard..." Words hissed out from within the mangled metal as Sweet Mask ground his teeth.
Sweet Mask used all his strength to yank his head free.
He was at the peak of A-Class, standing at the threshold of S-Class, with power that truly rivaled the latter.
With his immense strength and regenerative abilities, the injuries he sustained from being slammed into the ground healed almost instantly.
"I'm going to—"
Before Sweet Mask could finish his threat, there was another loud 'thud', and his head was once again driven deep into the floor.
"Wouldn't it be better to be friendly?" Lexon's Wood Clone stood up and dusted off his hands, speaking in an innocent tone.
As expected, a clone was still a clone.
It perfectly inherited the original's mischievous streak.
"Mr. Lexon..." Guqi stood there dazed, his voice hesitant.
He didn't dare speak up for Sweet Mask, fearing his own head might be pressed into the ground next.
"Do you believe me now?" the Wood Clone asked Guqi.
"Yes," the receptionist girl and Guqi nodded in unison.
Being able to treat Sweet Mask—who possessed the actual strength of an S-Class hero—in such a manner made them believe that "Lexon" was powerful to the extreme.
'If he becomes an S-Class hero... his rank probably won't be low at all...' Guqi thought.
"Mr. Lexon... the Association will record your achievements, and we will soon arrange a promotion exam for you," Guqi said.
The merit of defeating two Dragon-level monsters was enough to elevate any hero straight to S-Class.
"I'll skip the promotion exam for now. I want to stay at my current rank until I feel like moving up," Lexon declined.
He still needed to stay in this world to sign in; he couldn't finish the main quest so quickly.
"Ah..." Guqi let out a cry of surprise.
He couldn't understand the man's reasoning. With that strength and contribution, he could easily rise to S-Class...
That rank represented a massive monthly salary, various privileges, and immense fame...
Despite his confusion, Guqi ultimately nodded and chose to respect Lexon's decision. "Very well, we will simply record your achievements for now."
"That'll do," Lexon replied.
"You bastard!!!" Just as they finished talking, Sweet Mask broke free once more, his voice echoing with endless rage.
In the next instant, the Wood Clone appeared beside Sweet Mask as if he had teleported. With a mocking whisper, he said, "If you keep getting this angry, your true face is going to be exposed..."
Hearing those words, Sweet Mask's heart skipped a beat. It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him; his distorted expression froze, and the veins bulging on his face gradually receded.
Clearly, shock had overridden his anger.
'Why... how does he know...?'
Sweet Mask's pupils dilated as he stared incredulously at the face that was just as handsome as his own.
What Lexon meant by his "true face" was the fact that Sweet Mask was originally quite hideous. His hatred for his own ugliness had formed a curse, causing a monster transformation that allowed him to look handsome, gain great power, and possess a life force strong enough to recover even if his body were torn in half.
"So, watch yourself," Lexon patted Sweet Mask on the shoulder and smiled.
He didn't have much ill will toward this arrogant hero. At the very least, the guy had legitimate goals and a strong will, even if he was a bit too obsessive and overconfident.
Of course, the reason he hadn't killed him was that the man's behavior hadn't crossed the line yet.
Furthermore, unless necessary, a Wood Clone wouldn't take it upon itself to kill a significant character in the plot without orders from the original.
"You..." Sweet Mask's voice was significantly quieter now.
He didn't understand how the other man knew his secret, but he desperately didn't want it exposed.
As for the thought of silencing him...
Sweet Mask didn't actually have that intent.
He was arrogant, but his character wasn't completely rotten.
Lexon was also a hero—a super-strong one who could resolve two Dragon-level crises.
Moreover, he was self-aware enough to know that he had been utterly defeated in their brief confrontation.
How could he silence someone when their strength wasn't even close?
Thus, Sweet Mask dismissed such thoughts.
All he wanted now was to avoid this irritating guy as much as possible.
"I have things to do. I'm leaving." The disheveled Sweet Mask left only those words before slinking away.
Avoiding contact was the best way to steer clear of trouble.
"Take care, Sweet Mask," Guqi called out as he saw him off.
At this moment, he was actually quite curious about what Lexon had said to Sweet Mask to make that proud man—who held great influence in both the Association and the public—back down and ignore the multiple attacks...
But he didn't dare ask Lexon.
A lowered voice meant the conversation wasn't meant for others.
Asking would only be asking for trouble.
"That's that, then." Having settled the credit issue, the Wood Clone prepared to dispel the jutsu and return his memories to the original body.
"Wait, wait, wait, Mr. Lexon!"
Seeing the Wood Clone about to leave, Guqi hurriedly stopped him.
"Yes?" Lexon looked back at Guqi.
"It's about your hero name, Mr. Lexon..." Guqi said.
A hero name...
Lexon knew that every hero had a unique title that would be published in the hero directory and used in communication.
Between heroes, addressing each other by their hero titles was standard protocol.
"So? What's my hero name?" Lexon asked with interest.
He was curious to see what the Hero Association would come up with for him.
"Well, Mr. Lexon, the Association usually picks a title based on a hero's traits or fighting style. But since we aren't very clear on your traits or how you fight... we haven't reached a final decision yet..."
"Is that so?" Lexon rubbed his chin, responding casually.
"So we were hoping—"
"I like using this." Before Guqi could finish, Lexon precisely manipulated his chakra to materialize his Nichirin Sword and spoke with a smile.
"Ah... I see," Guqi nodded.
"Alright, I'm heading out."
"Okay," Guqi replied.
In the next instant, there was a sharp 'poof'.
The lobby was suddenly filled with white smoke.
"What?" Guqi cried out in alarm.
But the smoke vanished quickly.
What met Guqi's eyes... was nothing but a block of wood.
'What's going on?'
Guqi was bewildered.
'Did Mr. Lexon turn into a block of wood?'
The thought crossed his mind.
'A ninja's clone technique...?'
As a veteran staff member of the Hero Association, Guqi realized what had happened after a moment's thought.
He had seen ninjas before.
But... wait!
'A clone technique... meaning... the one who just crushed Sweet Mask... was only a clone?!!'
Guqi suddenly felt it was unbelievable.
If even a clone possessed such strength... then how strong was the original?
...
'So my hero title is "Mist Swordsman"...'
Lexon sat in his room, looking at his title at the top of the B-Class list in the hero directory.
'They probably asked Tornado about the mist part...'
'However, even though I showed them a Nichirin blade, the title is related to a sword...'
'In their eyes... are swords and blades really the same thing?'
Lexon found it incomprehensible.
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