“Hey, did you hear that Lava Man is taking the Hero Exam this year?”

The Hero Exam. People travel all over the world in hopes of becoming the figurines on kid’s desks. The amount of people that apply every year comes close to 50 thousand. Out of the 50 thousand, only one thousand will pass and fulfill their dream of being a hero.

“Pfft. Lava Man is just a second-rate talent. The scouts say in this pamphlet that Hypno Girl and Ghost King are the most promising ones this year!”

Even though a hero must pass the exam to be registered and recognized professionally, many people build a reputation for themselves before testing for different reasons. Some hope that a recognizable name will help their grade, while others simply want to save people from monsters and villains as early as possible.

“But still… these heroes sure emphasize appearance, don’t they?”

The two young men looked at the people passing them on the sidewalk. Some were wearing intricate costumes with flashy colors, while others natural appearance was unique enough to turn heads. The two had been talking for over an hour about themselves and the passing circus members.

“But of course! How can a hero, who is directly competing for the public’s affection, not have a unique and glamorous appearance?! I dare say that it’s the most important thing for a hero besides their strength!”

The young man that gave the questionable answer had dark hair and glasses. Slender in build, he was clearly a fan and not a participant.

“By the way, I’m also participating in the exam this year!”

Or so Forrest thought.

“Look, this is me!”

The energetic man pointed to a name on his pamphlet while holding it up for Reiner to see.

“Jarret Flemmingway?”

“That’s me! Even though they don’t have much info on me, I still called the Association and made sure to get my name on the pamphlet!”

“It says here that your ability is Super Deduction?”

“Hehehe! That’s right! I’m able to perfectly deduce any situation and find the right course of action!”

Forrest blinked. Is that even considered an ability?

“Anyway, what’s your name?”

“Forrest.”

“F… Forrest… For.. Found it!”

“Forrest. No last name, huh? It says here your ability is something called Blood Burning?”

“Yup. It’s not very impressive though.”

“It sounds more like a villain’s ability.”

That’s true. Ever since Forrest was young, he’s dreamed of being a hero. Despite this, his teachers always told him that he was not cut out for it. When he was in middle school, a villain organization even came to his door to recruit him. After firmly rejecting, they told him to watch his back. How childish.

“Anyway, we should get inside. The exam will begin in a few minutes.”

Forrest and Jarret walked toward the large building with revolving doors. Upon reaching the front, a crowd of Heroes were arguing. About 20 people, all dressed in outrageous and flamboyant costumes, had yet to enter the building. This is because a towering behemoth of a man dressed in an all red skinsuit with yellow highlights was blocking the entrance.

“Let us through!”

“The exams about to start! Just let us in!”

“Yeah! If you keep us out here, you’ll be late and fail too!”

They were correct. The Hero Association, while being slack with famous heroes, was incredibly strict on things such as tardiness. As a famous hero once said, “When fighting monsters, every minute counts! Every minute late is more casualties!”.

“What? You guys don’t know?” The man blocking the way flashed a taunting grin.

“I’m a professional hero! I passed last year. I’m Big Boss. The reason I’m blocking the path is because we have too many weak heroes, so I’m just trimming the fat!”

The crowd grit their teeth. Big Boss was a C Rank hero, and this meant that he has certified strength and experience. Forrest and Jarret watched onward from the back of the group.

“What is going on out here?”

A girl with silver short hair and a black dress descended from the sky. Jarret spoke out of reflex. The crowd stared on in excitement and awe.

“Snow Flash?! What is an A rank hero doing here?!”

The woman came to her footing directly in front of Big Boss.

“I’ve been assigned as a Judge for this year’s exam.”

The large man put on a much more pleasant smile than a few seconds ago as he prepared to speak.

“Snow Flash! It’s an honor to meet you. I was just telling these guys th-”

“I don’t care. Move aside and let everyone through.”

“Of course, ma’am! I was just messing around!”

The man left in an apologizing manner. Snow Flash looked over at the group.

“Get inside. The exam starts in two minutes.”

“Thanks!”

The group whispered among each other. Some were surprised to see such a change in attitude, while others were happy to see such a high-ranking hero. Some of the rougher ones talked about Snow Flash’s outfit. Eventually, the group entered another pair of large doors.

Forrest looked around. The room was enormous with thousands of people packed inside. At back of the room was a stage with a podium. Standing at the podium was a man in a black suit with his receding hair slicked back. To the sides of him were four chairs, each with a certified person in hero attire. Suddenly, the man spoke into the microphone.

“Hello all. Thank you for showing interest in contributing to our organization and protect the people of the world from the increasing threat of monsters and villains.”

Forrest rolled his eyes. At least 50% of the room didn’t care about protecting civilians. These were thugs off of the streets that are after the paycheck. After all, top heroes often top the Richest People Alive list every year. Even the lowest ranking- C rank heroes- make more than the average man. Considering the public love of heroes, many companies would often offer sponsorships to even low-ranking heroes.

“However, as you can see, there are many that covet the fame of fighting crime. Our count shows a total of four thousand applicants for this branch's exam. On average, our committee only allows twenty to pass a year. Of course, some years there are none that pass, and other years there are fifty. This all depends on the quality of applicants and potential that our judges see in them.”

The massive crowd whispered among the crowd. People were growing anxious at the lofty words by the assumed executive.

“My name is Shin Fornette. I am an executive from the Hero association that is watching over the exam. To my sides are professional heroes that the Association assigned as Judges for the exam. Starting from left to right is the following…”

“Night Attack.”

A man dressed in a black ninja outfit waved to the crowd. Even though his mouth was covered, people felt a kind smile beneath. This ninja was surprisingly outgoing.

“Flash Snow.”

Flash Snow looked forward and nodded with her arms crossed. Everyone felt the cold air radiating off of her. The crowd broke into a mini uproar at the pretty hero.

“Storm.”

A short man with spiked blue hair waved in a professional manner. While not as energetic as Night Attack, he was still surprisingly happy.

“And the one on the far left is Sting Ray.”

An old man was aged enough to be senile slowly raised his frail hand. Some snickers could be heard across the crowd.

“These four will be Judges in the Association. We remind you that the exam will have a combat, mental, and ability stage. The first one- combat stage- will test your ability to fight. The second stage will feature a test on common procedures and advanced hero knowledge. The third and final stage will be a direct evaluation of your ability. Using all three of these factors, our judges will determine those that pass and fail the exam.”

Forrest gripped his hand. He had traveled a long way from home to participate in this, and he was finally going to take the test. Jarret gripped his backpack in anticipation while he nervously sweated.

“The combat stage will now begin. For this test, you will simply have to be one of the last one hundred standing in this room. The doors have now locked you in here. Begin at my mark…”

“Go.”

Everyone blinked. They were unable to comprehend the words that had just been spoken. After a couple seconds, a shirtless man with a wolf mask on his face punched the man in front of him and knocked him out. This served as the trigger to begin the exam. Like dominoes falling in a line, people began fighting all over the room.