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The test officially began.
First item: Written exam.
Genos, with his ultra-high precision processor, completed all the questions in just five minutes and scored a perfect mark.
Whether it was hero history, monster type analysis, or ethical dilemmas, the questions on the exam paper were as easy as drinking water for him.
Meanwhile, Saitama's exam room was silent.
He bit his pen, frowning at the questions on the paper.
"Question 1: Explain your understanding of the heroic spirit and its importance in society. (20 points)"
Saitama thought for a long time, then wrote down in the answer area: "Defeat the Weirdos."
"Question 2: When a city faces a major crisis, and your power might cause collateral damage, how will you weigh your choices? Please analyze with examples. (30 points)"
Saitama: "...Uh, just punch it away, right?"
In the end, he submitted an almost blank answer sheet.
It only had a few words and a doodle he drew when he was bored: "Weirdo blown up with one punch."
"Uh... Mr. KING," the assessment staff member carefully began, "this gentleman seems to be... somewhat... lacking in academic subjects..."
Lin Mo said without changing his expression, "A hero's strength should not be defined solely by paper and pen."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
The assessment staff members immediately felt a chill and repeatedly agreed, "You are right! We understand!"
Soon, the written exam results came out: a dismal single-digit score.
But with Lin Mo's previous "hint," the higher-ups directly ignored this score and immediately proceeded to the physical fitness test.
First up was Genos.
As he stepped into the testing arena, he immediately attracted the attention of all the examiners; clearly, they had all heard of Genos.
"Strength test, please attack the dynamometer."
Genos walked up to the huge dynamometer, took a deep breath, and unleashed a punch.
"Bang!" A loud sound.
The value on the dynamometer soared wildly, instantly breaking all previous records, and finally blacked out completely in a string of garbled code... In every subsequent test, Genos overwhelmingly broke the highest records that the Hero Association had held for several years, one by one.
Then, it was Saitama's turn.
"Heavy punch test, please use your full strength to attack the dynamometer!"
Saitama walked up to the massive dynamometer, made of special alloy and said to withstand the full force of an S-Class Hero's blow, and casually threw a punch.
"Boom!!!"
That latest model dynamometer, said to withstand the full force of a Dragon-level Monster's blow, instantly became covered in spiderweb-like cracks starting from the bullseye and turned into a pile of scrap metal.
"No... no..." The chief examiner wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said with a trembling voice, "Next item, 50-meter shuttle run."
"Oh." Saitama stood at the starting line and casually struck a pose.
"Ready—Go!"
With a "whoosh," he was gone.
Before the examiner could react, he was back at the starting point with another "whoosh."
"Finished," he clapped his hands.
The examiners looked down at the timer, which displayed a string of "0.00"...
"What... what exactly is going on?" A high-ranking official of the Association pointed at the file of examinee No. 71, Saitama, his face full of disbelief.
"Physical fitness test score, off the charts! Written exam score, 21 points, of which 20 points were sympathy points given because the examiner thought his name was written neatly enough!"
"Unprecedented! We have never seen such an extreme examinee!"
Another high-ranking official echoed, "His physical abilities are undoubtedly S-Class, but his mental evaluation..."
"Most importantly, he was personally brought by Mr. KING!" The suit-clad supervisor added from the side.
As the name "KING" was uttered, the conference room immediately fell silent again.
That's right, that was the crux of the matter.
How should a newcomer with such strength, and who also has a close relationship with The Strongest Man on Earth, be ranked?
Directly assign him S-Class?
This completely violated regulations.
The evaluation of an S-Class Hero, in addition to overwhelming strength, also required significant social contributions and undisputed achievements as support. It could not be decided solely by an internal test.
Assign him C-Class or B-Class?
Making someone who could destroy the strongest dynamometer with one punch deal with petty theft?
This was not only an insult to his own strength but also a silent provocation to his recommender, KING.
No one dared to incur KING's wrath.
"I propose an exceptional admission!" A thoughtful high-ranking official finally broke the silence.
"Given his unparalleled physical abilities and the indirect recommendation of Lord KING, an S-Class Hero, we can bypass C-Class and B-Class and directly designate him as an A-Class Hero!"
This proposal was immediately approved by everyone.
This was both an acknowledgment of Saitama's strength and a respect for KING's standing, as well as a perfect compromise.
"Then, what rank in A-Class? Directly giving him the first rank might cause dissatisfaction among other A-Class Heroes, especially 'Sweet Mask.'"
"Let's start from the last rank. The promotion and elimination speed of A-Class Heroes are very fast. With his strength, he will quickly climb up based on actual achievements. This can also silence others."
"Agreed!"
"Seconded!"
------
When Saitama and Genos were called to the hall, the results were announced publicly.
"Examinee No. 72, Genos! Overall score 99.5, both physical fitness and written exam were perfect scores!"
"Given your outstanding performance and great potential, the Hero Association Headquarters has decided to exceptionally recognize you directly as an S-Class Hero! Ranked 17th!"
Genos bowed expressionlessly, but a flicker of light passed through his golden electronic eyes.
He had done it; he was one step closer to finding the truth about power.
The high-ranking official paused, then continued to read:
"Examinee No. 71, Saitama! Physical fitness score... immeasurable, written exam score... pass. Overall evaluation... A-Class Hero, ranked 39th! Congratulations!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall erupted in an uproar.
"What? Teacher... he's A-Class?" Genos suddenly turned around, his eyes filled with incredulous fury.
"Who graded this!? I'll go burn him and his office right now!"
His palms were already turning red, and the power of his energy core was rapidly increasing.
"Hey, hey, calm down, Genos."
Saitama quickly held down his disciple, who was about to go berserk. He didn't want to be wanted as a terrorist on the first day for attacking a high-ranking Association official.
He himself didn't care; he was a hero out of hobby, completely indifferent to things like rank and ranking.
Saitama took the hero license and flipped through it with little interest. He was more concerned about another question:
"Um, roughly how much is an A-Class Hero's monthly salary?"
The high-ranking official was slightly stunned, then smiled and reported a number that made Saitama's eyes light up.
Looking at the satisfied Saitama, Lin Mo smiled slightly. It was unrealistic to make Saitama an S-Class Hero in one go; the Association staff would not agree.
A-Class could be said to be the best choice, as it would also give Saitama more exposure.