Chapter 513 511: Both Slapped in the Face!

The written exam consisted of twenty-one questions.

Twenty of them were multiple choice.

Only the last question required writing: an essay of at least 500 words on your motivation for becoming a hero.

Fenric's response was perfectly crafted.

He wrote about devoting himself to defeating monsters and protecting humanity — but more importantly, he emphasized loyalty and obedience to the orders of the Hero Association.

When he finished, Fenric didn't rush to submit it. He calmly waited for the official end of the exam period before handing in his paper like everyone else.

Saitama, seated a few rows away, sat motionless for most of the time — blank expression, vacant eyes. Fenric couldn't even tell if the bald man had written anything at all.

…

An Hour Later – The Lounge

The results were being tallied surprisingly fast. Within an hour, the Association promised to post the outcomes.

Most candidates stayed in the lounge to wait nervously.

"Ah, finally done!" Saitama stretched and yawned. "Now we just wait for the results."

He looked fairly confident. In his mind, there was no way he could've scored badly.

Then his thoughts drifted to that young man from the physical exam — Mundo.

"That guy was really something. Haven't met many people who could surprise me since I became invincible… maybe he'll end up as a colleague. Hope he's got a decent personality."

As Saitama mused, heavy metallic footsteps echoed behind him.

He turned and saw his apprentice, Genos, striding over.

"Oh! Genos, you're done too?"

Genos nodded. "Yes. I spent a little extra time during the physical tests."

Saitama tilted his head. "Eh? You needed to test your physical ability? Shouldn't they just read your stats straight from your system? Forget it—how'd it go?"

Genos replied in his usual serious tone, "Written and physical tests were trivial. The questions were simplistic."

Saitama laughed. "Yeah, too easy, right?"

Genos continued his calm analysis. "The written exam seemed straightforward. Scoring a full mark shouldn't be a problem. The physical test results, too — both you and I should pass without difficulty."

Saitama nodded, agreeing absentmindedly.

Then, suddenly, his eyes flicked toward the other end of the room.

Genos noticed the shift. "Teacher, did you see someone you know?"

"Ah, not exactly," Saitama said casually. "But that guy's really good. He should score high."

Genos followed his gaze — and saw Fenric sitting quietly in the corner, calm and composed. His sensors began scanning automatically.

"Physically human… but given the teacher's reaction, he must be exceptionally strong," Genos murmured.

Saitama nodded. "Yeah. He's strong. Probably the strongest human I've seen — aside from me, of course."

Even so, Saitama felt no interest in fighting him. It was simple: no matter how strong the other man was, a serious punch would end the match.

…

An hour later, the broadcast speakers crackled to life:

"Attention all candidates. The hero examination results are now available. Please proceed to the reception window to collect your evaluation report."

The lounge instantly erupted with noise. Candidates rushed to the window, grabbing their envelopes before tearing them open. Some cheered. Others cursed, cried, or stormed off.

Saitama and Genos, as usual, remained unhurried. They picked up their envelopes and returned to their corner.

Genos opened his first.

"Full score," he said evenly. "Evaluation: S-rank Hero."

Saitama blinked. "S-rank? What's that supposed to mean?"

He truly didn't know. Otaku or not, he'd never read the Association's ranking system.

Even if he had, it wouldn't have mattered to him.

"Rankings are meaningless anyway," Saitama said. "It's just letters."

Genos ignored that, his expression as flat as ever. "What about you, teacher? How did you score?"

Saitama grinned and opened his envelope. Inside, a circular letter peeked out from the top of the page.

"Ha! Looks like an S to me!" he said proudly. "Guess I did fine too."

"That's normal," Genos said approvingly. "It's only right that the teacher's grade would match or surpass mine. The letter does look bigger than my 'S' — impressive, teacher!"

Saitama beamed, pleased despite himself.

But then Genos asked curiously, "By the way, teacher — what did they ask you during the interview?"

"Interview?" Saitama blinked. "What interview?"

"Yes," Genos said. "They asked me about the destruction of the House of Evolution. I confirmed we were responsible. That was all."

Saitama's brow twitched. Wait… the main person who destroyed that place was me! Why didn't they interview me?

Genos tilted his head. "Teacher, did you not have an interview?"

Then, after a pause, he nodded thoughtfully. "Ah, I understand. Someone of your level probably doesn't need an interview."

Before Saitama could respond, Genos noticed something off — his teacher's face had gone dark.

"Teacher…?"

Saitama finally pulled the paper all the way out — and froze.

Then, with the stiffest smile imaginable, he said through clenched teeth,

"Heh… seventy-one points. C-rank."

Genos blinked. "...You thought the 'C' was an 'S', didn't you?"

"Analyze your size!" Saitama snapped, face red. "The point is — I only got C-rank!"

Genos frowned. "Impossible. There must be an error. I'll go file a complaint with the supervisor—"

"No, don't!" Saitama sighed, slumping in his seat. "It's embarrassing enough already. C-rank's fine. I can still call myself a hero, right?"

He tried to sound nonchalant, but the flush on his bald head betrayed him. His apprentice had earned a perfect S-rank — and the master had scraped by with a C. It was humiliating, even for someone who claimed not to care.

…

Meanwhile – Fenric's Corner

Fenric opened his envelope, glanced at his score — and frowned.

96 points. Evaluation: B-rank, No. 24.

His expression darkened instantly.

A B-rank? Are they blind?

He'd expected at least S-rank. Even A-rank would've been tolerable. But B?

This was the man who'd faced gods, ghosts, and cosmic horrors — and some bureaucrat had just stamped "B-rank" on him.

What a joke. The mighty Shura, reduced to a middle-tier rating? This "Hero Association" has shit for brains.

He stared at the report blankly, unamused. Around him, though, others reacted very differently.

Mohican and Pineapple ran up, faces full of admiration.

"Mundo-san! Incredible!" Mohican said. "First-time examinee and you already hit B-rank!"

Pineapple nodded eagerly. "Exactly! And ranked 24th too! That's practically elite among B-ranks."

Fenric frowned. "It's just B-rank. My goal was S."

Hearing that, Mohican's smile stiffened. He quickly tried to explain.

"Mundo-san, even for someone who scores full marks, getting S-rank is nearly impossible. The Association's current system barely promotes new heroes to A-rank anymore."

"Oh?" Fenric raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"Because S-rank is reserved for the top of the top," Mohican said seriously. "Every S-rank hero holds immense authority. The Association won't hand that title to anyone easily. I heard this year's evaluation was set under extremely strict standards by upper management. Getting high scores alone isn't enough."

Fenric thought back to the anime's timeline — in that story, Genos had been immediately promoted to S-rank after the exam.

"So," he asked, "there's no way for someone to be promoted directly to S-rank through testing?"

"It's almost impossible," Mohican admitted. "Unless every senior official in the Association agrees to a special exception."

Pineapple chimed in optimistically. "Still, with your strength, Mundo-san, just keep defeating more monsters. In a few years, you'll definitely rise to S-rank!"

Fenric's mouth twitched.

"A few years?"

He barely had a few months in this world.