"Unbelievable!"
Snakebite Snek rubbed his eyes several times, thinking he was seeing things. But the ranking list still showed the same results. He pinched his arm—yep, the pain told him this wasn't a dream.
Back then… those two rookies he'd generously given advice to… now… now they were both S-Class?
Genos, that greenhorn kid, used to be S-Class Rank 16—there was no way he could break into the top ten. And yet, somehow, he'd rocketed straight up to Rank 6! That speed of advancement was absolutely rocket-level!
But what truly made everyone's eyeballs nearly pop out was that blinding name.
S-Class Rank 2: Saitama!
You've got to be kidding!
This was the first time they'd ever seen a "shared second place" ranking. Was this bald weakling actually on par with Tatsumaki?
It wasn't just Snek—every A-Class hero in the room felt a suffocating frustration.
Metal Bat and Puri-Puri Prisoner dropping into A-Class meant that unless those two got promoted again, none of them had much hope. And now, the "good-for-nothing" bald guy that the media had roasted a few days ago had suddenly shot to the top, becoming the Association's most dazzling, unstoppable, eye-searing rookie!
The A-Class heroes started shouting, looking ready to demand answers and justice.
"The Association's rankings are never wrong. By the way, we've posted a lot of new missions—you can check if any suit you."
A staff member walked over calmly. The mission board indeed had many new postings, but most were… reconstruction work for the Z-City branch? What happened there yesterday?
If they knew Tatsumaki had been defeated by Saitama, one could only imagine their reactions.
——
In a solemn, spacious conference room…
Saitama sat in flip-flops, a plain T-shirt, and shorts, chewing gum, his eyelids drooping from lack of sleep.
"Congratulations, Saitama, on becoming one of the S-Class heroes. We are truly pleased to welcome you."
The balding, slightly chubby elder stepped forward with a warm smile to shake Saitama's hand. The other two Association executives also smiled politely.
Just earlier, Tatsumaki had woken up in the recovery pod. The three executives had personally questioned her about Saitama, and from her dim, downcast expression, she'd tacitly confirmed the outcome of their battle.
"A monster stronger than Tatsumaki."
That was the unanimous conclusion of the executives. And because of that, they'd broken precedent, vaulting Saitama from C-Class Rank 233 straight into S-Class Rank 2—an unprecedented leap in Association history!
It looked like Rank 2… but in their hearts, Saitama was already the Association's ace—its true triumph card.
Of course, they still wanted to see if his strength held up over time. If it didn't, they believed it wouldn't be long before he dropped back down.
"Oh, that's it?"
Saitama blankly shook hands with them. It felt like he'd come in early only to answer a bunch of random questions—why he became a hero, what he thought about hero work, whether he had any ideas for the Association's future.
His answer was the same as when he'd gotten his C-Class license:
"I was interested, so I thought I'd try being a hero."
And now—what the hell?
Before, the interviewers had barely looked at him, slapping him with a C-Class license. But now, the top three executives had flipped their attitude completely, treating him with almost scary enthusiasm and handing him an S-Class license… ranked S2, no less.
"My ranking's pretty high now. Does that mean I won't have to do hero work every week anymore?"
Saitama asked, scratching his head about something that had puzzled him for a while.
"Of course. S-Class is the Association's reserve combat force. Unlike A, B, or C-Class, you don't need to run around constantly—you just need to step in when the Association needs you."
The tall, thin executive quickly explained.
"Oh. Then… does that mean my salary will go up a lot?"
When it came to money, Saitama's eyes lit up.
He had no choice—he was so broke that he lived like a monk, racing for supermarket sales on Saturdays, living rent-free in an abandoned area, wearing a suit gifted by a kind store owner… even agonizing over whether to put one or two eggs on his raw egg over rice.
A truly tragic life—
"Absolutely. As S-Class Rank 2, you'll receive a monthly stipend of one million yen. You won't have to perform regular hero work. You'll also get a private office, a furnished apartment—which we've already prepared—and a company vehicle, if you need one…"
"…"
The salted fish had already started drooling, eyes shining. "Of course I want it! Who wouldn't?! Being S-Class is awesome!!"
Soon, everything the Association promised was in Saitama's hands, and he could finally move out of the abandoned district.
But as soon as he arrived at his new place, he saw someone waiting downstairs—which caught him off guard.
——
The sun was scorching today, the heat unbearable. The rich lady I'm waiting for still hasn't shown up. My dream is to buy a bubble tea from the shop across the street. Even though the foreman promises me an extra braised egg "tomorrow" every day, I'm starting to doubt his word.
(End of Chapter)
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