After hearing the system's warning, Shinji immediately recalled that the Hero Association really did enforce such a rule. Due to the sheer number of C-Class heroes and their typically low combat capability, the Association routinely purged inactive ones to maintain order. Even with that, there were still close to four hundred active C-Class heroes.
In the world of One Punch Man, humans weren't the only intelligent beings. Monsters existed too, and they came in all forms. Some were once humans who mutated from extreme stress, bad habits, or strange genetics. Others were animals transformed by pollution or experiments. Then there were underground dwellers, the Sea Folk, bizarre alien lifeforms, and others too strange to categorize.
In short, monsters posed a massive threat to humanity and often left destruction in their wake. In response, heroes rose up to fight back. Long ago, there were no professional heroes, just individuals acting on their own. That all changed the day Saitama saved a boy with a double chin. That child turned out to be the grandson of a wealthy man named Agoni. Out of gratitude, Agoni invested a massive fortune to establish the Hero Association, and with that, the era of professional heroes began.
Now Shinji was officially one of them, even if he was starting at the very bottom as a C-Class hero.
The Association itself divided heroes into four ranks: C-Class, B-Class, A-Class, and the elite S-Class. Monsters were categorized differently, based on threat levels from lowest to highest: Wolf, Tiger, Demon, Dragon, and God.
Just as Shinji stepped into the lobby of the Z-City branch, a staff member in a suit greeted him with a friendly smile.
"Oh, Shinji, you're here early."
Shinji didn't recognize the man, but since the other seemed to know him, he gave a polite nod and returned the smile.
"Looks like you're about to be removed from the registry," the man said, sounding genuinely concerned. "Today's your sixth day since registration. If you don't perform a heroic act by tomorrow, they'll take you off the list."
"Thanks for the reminder, man. I'll take care of it," Shinji replied calmly.
"Good. I was worried you might've forgotten," the man added. Then, remembering something, he leaned in slightly. "By the way, even though heroes mostly deal with monsters, as a C-Class, your main job is stopping low-level criminals. Don't go out hunting monsters just yet. It's too risky for your rank."
"Oh… Umu."
Shinji didn't argue. He knew the guy was just trying to be helpful.
"All right then, I'll get back to work. If you need anything, don't hesitate to find me."
With that, the staff member turned and began walking away. But after just a few steps, he suddenly slowed down and frowned.
"Wait... when did I ever meet this Shinji?"
He stood there for a second, scratching his head in confusion.
"Eh, whatever. Probably just sleep-deprived and mixing people up."
With so many C-Class heroes coming and going, it wasn't unusual to forget a face. Most of them didn't last long anyway.
===
In the main hall of the Z-City branch, Shinji stood in front of a massive digital screen displaying the official Hero Registry. It listed all active professional heroes, showing their ranks, names, portraits, and basic info.
The registry was also available on the Association's website so the public could keep track of heroes and report misconduct. If a registered hero stepped out of line or did anything questionable, the Hero Association would investigate and take action as needed.
At the very top of the list were the S-Class heroes:
Blast Tornado of Terror Silver Fang
Shinji's gaze flicked over the elite rankings without much interest. He scrolled past until he reached the bottom, where his own name sat, dead last in the entire Hero Association. The absolute lowest-ranked C-Class hero.
It wasn't shocking. He hadn't completed a single heroic activity yet and was already on the verge of being delisted. Of course, they'd shove his name to the bottom to make it easier to cut him out. Still, looking at it with his own eyes felt... kind of humiliating.
"Huh? Did I see that right? You're that guy at the very bottom of the Hero Registry?"
A mocking voice rang out from behind him.
Shinji turned slightly and caught sight of a muscular man in a yellow vest with tiger stripes. Tanktop Tiger. If he remembered correctly, this guy was ranked sixth in the C-Class and a member of the so-called Tank Topper Army.
Once he recognized who it was, Shinji's shoulders eased up a bit. This guy was all about putting on a show, a loudmouth with a trashy personality to match. Not someone worth wasting effort on. But Tanktop Tiger didn't handle silence well. Seeing Shinji look at him without saying a word only made him more annoyed.
"What's wrong? Too ashamed to respond?" he jeered, stepping closer with a sneer. "I didn't expect to meet the bottom-ranked hero in person. Honestly, I'm amazed you even had the guts to show up and stare at your rank like that."
At first, the other heroes nearby didn't react. But once Tanktop Tiger started his usual routine, a few of them chuckled along.
"There he goes again, bullying newbies. That guy's a real piece of work."
"Yeah, he always targets the newcomers. No one ever puts him in his place."
"Careful what you say. The Tank topper Army's got numbers, and their leader, Tanktop Black Hole, is S-Class. Not someone you want to mess with."
Some still had a shred of reason, but none dared speak out directly. The Tanktop Army had a wide presence, and even if this guy wasn't strong enough to back it up, the people above him were.
Tanktop Tiger himself wasn't weak either. For a C-Class hero, being ranked sixth meant he was stronger than most of the people in this building.
Shinji didn't care about any of that. He had already seen what he needed to, and now he was ready to move on to more important things.
The fact that Shinji continued to ignore him made Tanktop Tiger fume.
"Hey! You, rookie! I'm talking to you!" he barked, stomping forward. "Are you seriously ignoring me, Tanktop Tiger, C-Class rank six?"
Freaking generic bully. What a child.
With a scowl, he reached out and slapped Shinji's shoulder, not hard enough to count as an attack but firm enough to send a message. Physical intimidation wasn't exactly encouraged inside Hero Association facilities, but it wasn't punished either, unless it turned into a full fight.
But something unexpected happened. His hand didn't connect. It passed right through Shinji.
Caught completely off guard, Tanktop Tiger staggered forward, barely managing to stop himself from falling flat on his face.
"You?!..."
He looked up, eyes wide, ready to yell, but stopped cold.
Shinji's eyes had changed. His pupils were now blood-red, swirling with the ominous pattern of the Sharingan. The cold gaze pierced straight through him, making his heart lurch in panic. Cold sweat gathered on his forehead.
It was just a look. Just a single look, but it was enough to completely rattle him. His voice caught in his throat.
And the worst part...
His hand had actually passed through Shinji's body.