"Genos, why is his testing area different from ours?"
Watching Yunze walk straight toward a round silver-grey building, Saitama couldn't help but ask with a blank expression.
"Sensei, that person was personally recommended by someone inside the Hero Association, the test is just a formality for him."
Genos explained matter-of-factly, though his words carried a faint hint of disdain.
Ever since witnessing the overwhelming fighting power of his master, Saitama, Genos had been firmly convinced that the bald young man before him was the only hero in the world truly worth following.
Everyone else was either an enemy or a bystander.
"Using the back door — truly despicable."
Sonic scoffed and flicked his nose, completely indifferent.
He had become faster. He had become stronger.
But the price was that he was gradually losing his human emotions.
Ordinary human feelings like jealousy, anger, fear, and sorrow — Sonic had long since stopped feeling any of them.
Outside of matters that were truly significant to him, he retained only the barest sliver of human awareness.
...
Meanwhile, in the Special Ability Testing Area — inside the silver-grey building.
"Mr. Yunze, we've been told you appear to be an esper with electrical abilities. Would you be willing to give us a demonstration?"
Inside a lab packed with high-tech equipment, a sharp-faced middle-aged man in black bowed respectfully, every instrument in the room fully activated.
Another esper with a special abilities had appeared — just like Tatsumaki and Fubuki. The Hero Association naturally wasn't going to miss the chance to collect first-hand data.
"Like this?"
Yunze raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. A terrifying surge of lightning elements instantly condensed into a concentrated thunderbolt, vaporizing every testing instrument in front of him.
"This..."
The middle-aged man in suit's jaw dropped, his eyes going wider than an ostrich's.
That machine was crafted by the 6th-ranked S-Class hero Metal Knight — a super-alloy testing unit designed specifically to measure S-Class heroes!
Even someone with over 1,000 tons of carrying capacity could only leave a fingerprint on it.
Metal Bat's strongest swing could barely make it wobble.
Even "The Strongest Man on Earth" King had commented on it.
Among all S-Class heroes, only him, Tatsumaki, and one other mysterious figure could easily destroy this machine.
"What is this junk you're testing me with? Does the Hero Association even have the budget to hire me a personal chef like this?"
Yunze glanced around dismissively and gave a casual wave of his hand, his expression laced with mild contempt.
That lightning strike just now — he had only used about 3 million volts, a level far, far below his true limit.
Something that couldn't even withstand a casual blow, and they dared call it the Hero Association's most powerful testing instrument?
Haruko clearly knew far too little about the world. He'd have to give her a proper education when he got back.
"Mr. Yunze, it seems our equipment may have experienced a small malfunction on our end. Please wait a moment — we'll contact the manufacturer right away."
The man in black grew increasingly respectful, chuckling nervously. A man who could casually destroy the strongest S-Class testing instrument — one of him was worth a thousand ordinary applicants.
He dialed Metal Knight's direct line.
"Mr. Metal Knight, are you certain the 'Strength Tester' you left at the Hero Association won't have any malfunctions or age-related issues?"
Static crackled on the other end, followed by a cold, mechanical voice.
"My creations do not malfunction."
Metal Knight's reply left no room for doubt — clearly someone with absolute confidence in his own work.
"But… your 'Strength Tester' was just destroyed in a single hit by a new hero candidate. If there was no malfunction, then his power level is…"
Even though Haruko had spoken highly of Yunze, the man in black still couldn't bring himself to believe that yet another hero who might be on par with Tatsumaki and King had appeared.
"My machines don't make mistakes. All data recorded by it is accurate. I'll send a robot to collect it shortly."
Metal Knight replied flatly and hung up.
The man in black stood frozen in place.
The message was clear enough — the machine was fine. Yunze genuinely possessed strength that even Metal Knight found worth noting.
The S-Class hero rankings were about to see a major shakeup.
...
"Are we done yet? I'm waiting to go back and have dinner with Haruko. She said she'd be off work around this time and my stomach's been growling for a while now..."
Yunze slouched in a chair, letting out a series of hungry groans.
"My apologies, Mr. Yunze — we've just confirmed with the manufacturer. All of your test data is fully valid. Congratulations — you have passed the Hero Association's assessment."
Just as Yunze was wallowing in hunger, the man in black stepped through the door with a respectful smile that stopped just short of a bow.
"That's it? What about all that equipment behind me?"
Yunze pointed at the large row of machines behind him, looking puzzled.
"The remaining tests are optional, Mr. Yunze. Based on your performance so far, the Hero Association has already decided to rank you as an S-Class hero."
The man in black said smoothly.
"So I'm already S-Class? That was easy."
Yunze shrugged to himself. The strength he had just displayed was only at the "Rising Star" level by One Piece standards — and that alone was enough to earn an S-Class title here. The Hero Association truly had no idea what it was dealing with.