Chapitre 21: 021 - Hero License Exam
(This chapter is unedited)
•••••
Hero License Exam
•••••
The Counselor stood atop a high-rise. His black cloak swirled from the intense wind hitting him. Contrary to his aloof and crazy personality, The Counselor's eyes were sharp and cold.
His gaze traveled far, eventually landing on a spacious arena situated in the middle of a field. With his brows furrowed, he concentrated on his arm. Golden lightning crackled. It danced around his body before settling on the top of his head.
Feeling the power coursing through his veins, he grinned.
"Don't disappoint me... Blast."
•••••
National Dagoba Arena
Outside the venue for the hero license exam, a wide white bus was parked in front. Students from different schools curiously stared at it. Some were awed at being in the same exam with the students inside, and some were envious of how they always stand in the limelight.
But nevertheless, they all kept their opinions to themselves as the doors of the bus opened. Focusing their eyes on the first person to come out, they saw a scraggy man with a white scarf descending from the bus.
With his golden goggles glinting from the sunlight, Shota Aizawa, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-A looked at them with a tired gaze. He placed a hand in his mouth and yawned before calling out.
"Were here."
Hearing his words, the silhouettes inside the bus stirred. They could see them panicking briefly before a single shadow stood up from his seat. Instantly, the silhouettes paused before watching the figure walking through the door.
As the students watch in amazement, a hand full of bandages stretched out and gripped the side of the door. Putting a hand above his head to cover the sunlight, a mop of blonde hair greeted them.
'Blast!'
In an instant, they recognized the owner of the blonde-haired student. With his blazer unbuttoned, Katsuki Bakugo swaggered out of the bus, his black briefcase laid on his back.
His crimson eyes narrowed at them as if he was looking at a bunch of sheep warily eyeing a wolf, he grinned.
"What's wrong? You're looking at me as if I stole your lunch." He laughed at their scared expressions. "At least try and make me sweat, otherwise, my trip here would be wasted."
He nodded to Aizawa who was flirting(?) with a heroine and walked for the door, not even bothering to give a second glance at his competition. Aizawa threw him an annoyed glare before pushing the face of the annoying heroine away.
"Jeez! Your students are so scary, Eraser!"
Miss. Joke, a young woman with sea-green hair joked. She kept jabbing Aizawa's side while asking if he wanted to get married. Class 1-A stared at their interaction with bewildered looks before looking at Bakugo's back.
"Why does Bakugo look so tense?"
Mina voiced out. She noticed how grim Bakugo looked when he glanced at the examinees. Is he scared perhaps? Finding her thoughts funny, she turned around to her classmates, only to find them already heading to the venue.
"Hey, wait for me!"
After students from different schools greeted each other, not even bothering to hide their competitiveness, they entered the Dagoba Arena with their hearts thumping in excitement.
Today, they will finally take their first step at becoming a hero!
Unaware that it might be their last.
•••••
"Um... well then, let's do that provisional license thing.." A blonde man who looked like he couldn't wait to take a nap said, with his dead-fish eyes, he spoke from the podium. "I'm Mera from the Heroes Public Safety Commission."
"The kind of sleep I like is non-REM sleep... Nice to meet you." He bowed his head slightly. "I've been so busy lately that I haven't gotten much sleep... We're too short-staffed..."
"I'm so sleepy!"
The man gave off the impression of a basic society slave.
"With that conviction, I will give you the orientation."
Putting a hand to his face, he cleared his throat.
"About the content of the provisional license thing... Frankly, all 1,450 examinees here will have to win through a free for all exercise!"
Viktor's eyelids twitched. Straining his neck, he could see a lot of students gathered around him. He suddenly felt cold sweat. 'Seriously? Can I beat all of them without using my Quirk?'
But then he remembered his hero name.
'Hm, of course, I can!'
An aura of confidence surrounded him, making the participants beside him shiver.
'I am The Invincible Hero: Blast!'
While Viktor was busy thinking about how to survive fully knowing that he will be their number 1 target, the slav- the host continued.
"Our society is currently said to be saturated with heroes, and ever since Stain was arrested, many have shown doubts about the current state of heroes."
"-"Heroes should not seek compensation. It must be a title given to those who have sacrificed all of themselves."
Viktor remembered the Hero Killer's words. He had to admit that the guy made a point. But that was all. Without the power to back your opinions, they will only stay like that.
Opinions.
'What an ambitious fool. If you want to change the system, then you need to have the power to do so. You can't do shit even if you murder a dozen heroes to prove a point.'
Viktor remembered all the clowns patrolling the street. Wherever he looked, he could always see some idiot wearing a costume standing in the spotlight.
'Heroes nowadays are just a commodity. No matter where you go, there will always be people who call themselves 'Heroes'. As long as you wear a cape and spandex, you can prattle all you want, saying you're an agent of justice or some other heroic bullshit. In the end, it all bottles down to power.'
He remembered All Might. Despite being the same as the people who call themselves 'Heroes', All Might stood above the rest. Why? Because he had the power to do so.
If the one who said those words were All Might rather than Stain, then there might've been some change. But overall, society cannot be toppled over mere words.
"Society is like a flock of sheep. Unless you're a shepherd, you cannot convince them to move."
A wicked laugh escaped his lips.
"Unless you're a wolf."
At this point, the students who were beside him already took their distance. They all warily stared at Viktor, as if he was some delusional psychopath.
While Viktor dwells on his narcissistic thoughts, the man continued.
"Well, as a private citizen, no matter the motivation, to tell someone risking their lives to save others not to seek reward is... It's the ruthless story of these modern times..."
"But anyway, whether it's for compensation or loyalty and courage... the result of many heroes working hard together to help people and defeat villains is that right now, the time from when an incident begins to when it is resolved is so short that it'd make you sick."
"you all are about to receive your provisional licenses and finally throw yourselves into those rapids."
"Those who can't keep up with that speed will frankly have it tough."
Hearing the man ramble on and on about society and other superfluous bullshit, Viktor calmly summarized his words.
'So, talentless kids who only joined because they were brainwashed will not reach the top. ONLY talented brainwashed kids can. Isn't that just life? The strong eat the weak, and the weak eat the weaker.'
"Accordingly, what you'll be tested on is speed!"
'Oh. He was talking about speed.'
The ginormous screen behind the man chimed. The words 'Number to Pass 1st Test: 100 people were written for all to see.
"The first hundred to fulfill the requirements will pass."
Viktor's smile formed a straight line. 'Isn't that what I just thought off? Test of speed? What's next, Test of Quirks?'
With only 1% of the participants passing, the students clamored. They all became nervous about what's going to happen, with the exception of Viktor who was busy staring at attractive girls.
"Well, a lot's happened out there in the world, and you know, about luck and everything... So anyway, here are the requirements." He pulled an orange ball and a circular metal plate. "The examinee will put three of these targets on his or her body. They can go anywhere as long as it's an exposed area. You can't put them on the soles of your feet or in your armpits."
"You will also have six of these balls. The targets are made to only light up if they're hit by these balls, and if all three of your targets light up, then you're out."
"The person who lights up your third target will have it count as their defeat. You get through this round by defeating two people. That's it for the rules." He explained simply.
Viktor pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Wait, wouldn't I be fucked then? Can I actually breeze through this?' He felt endangered somehow, noticing how some of the examinees began staring at him like he's their prey.
"Okay then... After we open, we'll pass out the target and balls, and then we'll start one minute after we've gotten everyone."
The ceiling rumbled, slowly it opened up, revealing the big blue sky above before falling on the ground. What greeted them was a huge expanse of land, along with multiple different areas.
"I believe you all have terrain that you like and dislike. Use your Quirks well and do your best."
"Oh."
A gasp escaped Viktor's lips. He looked around the examinees for a second before using his cloak to cover him. Eventually, he arrived behind his classmate Momo Yaoyorozu.
"Hey."
Hearing a low voice calling out to her, Momo turned around. She tilted her head curiously before asking.
"Do I know you?"
She couldn't recognize Viktor who was wrapped like a burrito.
"It's me."
"Who?"
"Me."
Momo frowned. She turned around to face him properly before saying. "I won't know who you are if you keep saying me. Please introduce yourself first before speaking to someone."
Viktor deadpanned at her. He grabbed the hem of his cape before draping it over her head.
"Wah!?"
Startled, she tried to back away, but a firm gripped stopped her. Looking at the man's face, she recognized him.
"Bakugo? What are you doing?"
"I need your help."
"My help? But the exam is about to start..."
"Please. I'll owe you one."
Momo bit her lips before looking into Viktor's serious eyes. In the end, she reluctantly relented. Pulling her hand out of his grasp, she asked.
"Fine. What can I help you with?"
"Can you make me a pipe?"
"Eh?"
"Make it durable, and also longer, like a sniper's barrel."
Hearing him say that he wanted a sniper's barrel, she frowned. She looked at his honest face before she asked.
"What do you need it for?"
"It's a long story. Can you make it for me?"
Momo looked at him doubtfully before her skin shined. Pulling out the long metal pipe she created, she gave it to Viktor.
"Here. I need to go, the exam is about to start."
Viktor took the pipe with a satisfied smile before nodding at her. He took something from his pocket before putting it in her hand. When Momo looked at it, she noticed it was some sort of transceiver shaped like a golden star.
"If you need help, don't hesitate to call me." He reminded before letting her go.
Once his cape was removed from her head, she could see the rest of the examinees were already far away. Her classmates weren't that far from her so she immediately ran towards them.
After grouping up with her classmates, she noticed the suspicious stares she received. With a bewildered look, she asked.
"Is something the matter?"
While running, Mina, the love expert, smirked widely.
"You can team up with your boyfriend you know~? We wouldn't mind~."
Although not everyone heard it, some of them turned their heads at Momo. Their eyes were wide as saucers.
"W-Wha?! Were not like that!"
Feeling embarrassed, she waved her hand frantically.
"I-I assure you it is just a misunderstanding. He merely asked for my aid. That's all!"
She was about to retort but faced with her classmate's dubious smiles, she blushed embarrassedly.
"Heh, sure, sure, whatever you say~."
As they ran and teased each other, they didn't notice how a few of the participants were staring in their direction.
•••••
Meanwhile, back in the starting area, Viktor stood imperiously.
With his red cape billowing from the wind, a pitch-black bodysuit covered his form. Silver gauntlets clinked together as they pulsed with a red glow. Like flowing lava, they circulated around his gauntlets, dyeing them with a burning haze.
Cocking his head sideways, Viktor calmly dodged a fast projectile heading straight for the back of his neck. As a professional hitman, Viktor placed all of his 'targets' on his vulnerable spots--Neck, heart, and head-- to evade them instinctively. Although it looked weird having a circular disc on the top of his head, he still managed to look cool despite it.
"3- no, 40?"
Turning around, a crowd of rambling students stood a few meters away from him. Like a mob in a fish market, they all argued with each other on who will take him out.
Looking at this scene, a villainous smile appeared on his face.
"Now would you look at this..."
Steam came pouring out from his gauntlets, it engulfed his figure in a cloud of smoke. As the examinees stared at what he was about to do, the sound of something scraping the ground echoed. The white figure flickered before a gunshot banged across their eardrums.
Before they could understand what happened, one of their classmates who had a mutant Quirk fell to the ground. A golden star was nailed on his forehead.
"Wah!"
Viktor didn't give them a chance to react as he hurled against them. With his metal pipe raised to the sky, his smile widened at their frightened faces. Every swing of his pipe, a wave of hot air followed. Like a samurai slaying his enemies, Viktor danced in the midst of chaos. His silver gauntlets continued pumping steam, shrouding the surroundings while a few cries of help resounded.
"M-Monster...!"
"I surrender- Guhk!"
"Ah! My leg!"
Under the livid faces of their teachers, Viktor mercilessly crushed them to the ground, not even bothering to take their targets. Grabbing one by the head, he slammed it into another while casually picking them by the neck and throwing them in the air.
Miss. Joke, who was seeing Blast's blatant disregard for his future colleagues, faltered.
"Y-Your students are very lively this year, Eraser!"
She could already see the tense relationship he will have in the future. Even if ten years pass, they will always remember how he thrashed them on their license exam.
Aizawa furrowed his brows and replied.
"Let him be. I'm sure he has it handled."
"I'm not talking about whether he might kill them or not! I'm talking about how this will affect his career! Jeez, not everyone is an anti-social unmarried sleepy head like you, Eraser."
Aizawa suddenly regretted sitting beside this woman. Sighing to himself, he directed his gaze at his student.
'What is he looking at?'
He could see him staring at the ceiling with a serious expression. Raising his head, Aizawa's eyes grew wide. He grabbed the heroine bothersome heroine and ducked.
BANG!
A bullet hole was shot through their seats.
"An attack?" Miss. Joke stopped joking around and stared at where Aizawa was looking. "Who is that?"
Standing above the arena, with his cane pointed at Viktor, The Counselor's dark cloak fluttered.
"Surprise attack."
BOOM!
The entire venue shook as a huge explosion demolished the entrances. Other heroes stood from their seats, glaring at the Villain. Some of them, who felt that there was something off, called for assistance.
"This is ShadowKnight, one of our exam venues has been attac-"
His voice was interrupted by another loud explosion. But unlike the first one, this one resounded from the receiver.
"Emergency! The Might Tower is under attack! We are currently unable to provide backup!"
The hero's pupils shook. He stared at his phone before confirming the man's words.
"U-Under attack? Might Tower is?"
"Yes! I'm very sorry but you have to take care on your end! We'll send reinforcements immediately after we deal with this one!"
"G-Got it!"
As the man ended the call, he was startled when he heard another wave of explosions. He frantically searched where the explosion came from before his eyes landed on the two figures beneath the arena.
Two swords moved in unison.
Boom!
The piercing sound of clashing metal echoed throughout the arena. Both of their weapons bounced off from the impact and the resulting shockwave pushed them from each other.
A man wearing a dark cloak and noble suit.
Clang!
A man wearing a red cape and black bodysuit.
He recognized the latter.
'Wait, isn't he that kid? What was his name again?'
Red energy coursed through his arms. Like a broken river, they intersected to his chest before breaking off to other parts of his body. His whole costume was emitting a fiery haze. His soles dug through the ground before he blasted off. In a split second, he arrived at the villain, his fist brimming with heat.
'Blast!'
Clang! Clang!
Their weapons danced in a dizzying whirl. Unlike Blast's menacing appearance, his opponent looked like he was on a stroll. With his gallant figure and attractive face, the man with the cloak drew his cane.
One was draped in red, intent setting the world ablaze.
The other was draped in gold, his lightning fascinating the audience with his brilliance.
"What the hell?"
Aizawa's face contorted. Looking at his face, Ms. Joke could see his eyes turning red.
"What's wrong?"
She quickly asked, seeing that Blast was about to lose in a battle of strength.
"My Quirk... It's not working on him."
"Huh?"
BOOM!
A sudden explosion drew their attention. Looking at the ground below, their breaths halted.
"The Invincible Hero: Blast..."
Laying inside a crater, Blast's eyes were rolled over. His costume was torn to shreds as some pieces of his flesh were punctured by a rectangular object. His gauntlets were destroyed, revealing a gruesome pair of hands that were burnt to the bone.
The Counselor's cane was stained with blood.
Wiping the blood off his face, he let out a ragged sigh.
"What a presumptuous name."
The heroes awakened from their stupor and they all simultaneously jumped over.
The Counselor greeted the descending heroes with wide arms.
"Shall we dance?"
•••••
Viktor Blaze Stats
Strength - B (S)
Power - S (Weakened)
Agility - B (A)
Speed - A
Style - S
Condition - (Weakened, Injured, Comatose)
•••••
— Un nouveau chapitre arrive bientôt — Écrire un avis
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone