In the end, Fang Li never found out whether Sweet Mask lived or died. The Hero Association seemed worried that he might try to finish the job, so they never told him.
That said, the Association's executives did issue him a stern warning. After all, he had gone far too far. The wound he'd inflicted had been potentially fatal. Both of them belonged to the same Association and were Heroes, yet their duel had left one side's fate hanging between life and death.
If the Hero Association hadn't witnessed the duel from start to finish, then if something like this had happened elsewhere, nobody would have found it strange if Fang Li had been arrested and thrown in prison.
Naturally, the Hero Association couldn't let the matter pass without a warning. Fang Li, however, dismissed it with a sneer.
"If he wasn't planning to hold back, why should I?"
That was the real reason he'd struck with near-lethal force. Disliking Sweet Mask was only part of it. More importantly, the jab Sweet Mask had thrown at the very start of the duel had carried killing intent.
Having already judged Fang Li to be some kind of evil existence, the famous idol might not have intended to kill him outright, but his obsession had undeniably given rise to murderous thoughts.
It was a killing intent directed toward what he considered evil. And Fang Li had not only been labeled evil for no reason, but had also become the target of that killing intent.
That was why, in that instant, Fang Li had unleashed his strongest killing move without the slightest hesitation.
'Extreme Death: Seven Nights.'
Sylvia had noticed this as well, which was why she hadn't criticized him for striking so heavily. In other words, Sweet Mask had brought it on himself.
As a result, while the Hero Association issued a warning, there wasn't much they could actually do to Fang Li. It wasn't just because Sylvia stood behind him. It was also because his strength was extraordinary enough to become one of the Association's pillars.
With that in mind, after the warning, the Hero Association still made a decision.
"Hero Fang Li, in recognition of your exceptional combat ability and outstanding performance during the Hero qualification examination, the committee has unanimously decided to approve your promotion to S-Class Hero."
And so, Fang Li finally received the S-Class evaluation he wanted. Sylvia likewise obtained an S-Class evaluation. Together, they officially completed Main Quest 1.
Of course, becoming S-Class Heroes was only the beginning. Since they were newcomers with no contributions or achievements yet, their rankings naturally started at the bottom.
More precisely, because Sylvia's participation as an Association advisor had brought enormous public support to the Hero Association, she was ranked slightly above Fang Li. Before their arrival, there had been sixteen S-Class Heroes. Now there were eighteen.
Sylvia was ranked 17th in S-Class. Fang Li was ranked 18th, the very last place. If they wanted to earn the bonus rewards for Main Quest 1, they would still need to accumulate achievements and contributions.
Afterward, the Hero Association notified all active S-Class Heroes about the matter. Particular emphasis was placed on Fang Li's feat of defeating A-Class Rank 1 Sweet Mask with a single slash. A few heroes couldn't be contacted, but those who received the news all reacted differently.
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"Ha? Why are you telling me this? I'm busy!" This was the response of a curly-haired loli riding a fighter jet on her way to Antarctica to deal with a Dragon-level disaster.
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"Sounds like quite the remarkable youngster." This came from an elderly martial arts master, likely over seventy years old, who was teaching disciples in his dojo.
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"He almost killed Sweet Mask with one slash? Hahaha! Now that's interesting! I've got to meet him someday!" This was the reaction of a samurai polishing his beloved sword.
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"Why have I never heard of someone that strong before?" A child carrying a school backpack and sucking on a lollipop while repairing machinery asked this question.
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"Fang Li, huh? I should gather some information on him..." This came from a scientist hidden within a dark room, operating precision equipment.
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"..." A scar-faced man sitting at home and watching television offered no verbal reaction at all.
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"No matter how strong he is, I can't die anyway. He won't be a threat to me." This was the response of a zombie-like man who was currently tracking a wanted criminal.
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"A swordsman? Doesn't use muscles?" A massively muscular black man looked confused.
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"No one could even see his attack? I'd like to witness that for myself." This came from a knight-like man with long hair, a cape, and a longsword at his waist, looking every bit like a handsome noble from the Middle Ages.
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"Perhaps he's another man blessed by the power of the tank top." A burly man wearing a tank top spoke in a powerful voice.
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"Tch. Just don't mess with me. Otherwise I'll beat him up too." This was the response of a complete delinquent with a pompadour hairstyle and a metal bat in hand.
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"Fang Li? Fang-chan? Li-chan? Which one should I call him? If he's cute, maybe we can get along really well..." This came from a prisoner sitting inside a jail cell.
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These were the reactions of the S-Class Heroes. Clearly, every single one of them had a unique personality, giving the Hero Association endless headaches.
But whatever quirks they had wasn't Fang Li's concern for the moment. What interested him more was his title.
After advancing to S-Class, his title of 'Hero (A-Class)' had become 'Hero (S-Class)'. After thinking about it briefly, Fang Li decided to equip it.
The title provided the same basic bonus as 'Guardian Knight', an increase of thirty points to all attributes. However, against enemies aligned with evil, the additional bonus exceeded even Guardian Knight's weapon-triggered effect by ten points.
More importantly, it came with a second effect: no matter how severely injured he became, he could continue fighting at full combat effectiveness.
In a world filled with disasters threatening humanity and constant danger, this title was clearly more useful. In any case, switching titles only required a thought. He could equip it now and change it later whenever necessary.
Besides the title granted by the Main God's Dimension, there was another title he needed to receive.
"A Hero Name?" Fang Li blinked in surprise.
Sylvia explained, "Every Hero has their own title. We do too. That's called a Hero Name. Normally, Heroes earn one after being active for a while, based on their characteristics. But the committee gave me the privilege of choosing my own, so I used the title I had back in the Academy City War Festival."
That title was, 'Sigrdrifa'.
And apparently, Sylvia intended to help Fang Li decide on his Hero Name as well. Fang Li hesitated for a moment before answering, "In that case, I'll use the title Master gave me."
Namely, 'One-Way Rakshasa'.
And thus, Fang Li and Sylvia finally established themselves in this world and officially began their activities.
(End Of This Chapter)
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