So, to adjust the combat power in each city and be ready for disasters at any time, the Hero Association had to step in. They used incentives like salary bonuses to encourage A-class heroes to volunteer and transfer to cities lacking manpower, ensuring that every region had at least one A-class hero.
In the event of a major disaster, cities without S-class heroes could at least have A-class heroes hold the line, trying to buy time until S-class heroes arrived.
This approach was quite effective for Demon-level disasters, usually containing the destruction. However, for Dragon-level disasters, there was little that could be done.
In fact, the Hero Association severely lacked high-level combat power.
Returning our attention to the restaurant.
"No, Black Whirlwind Samurai, the one who paid your bill is... is..."
The waitress's voice was so excited it sounded like she could barely speak.
"Who is it?"
Qingshui looked at the hesitant waitress.
He couldn't be bothered to correct her on his title anymore.
"It's Sweet Mask!"
The waitress's answer was quiet and excited, as if she was afraid of being overheard.
Sweet Mask came looking for me?
No wonder it was so lively on the street outside. So, the superstar idol of this planet arrived.
"He seems to have rushed over when he heard there was a Demon-level monster here. Now that you've dealt with the monster, he's just promoting his new movie here. When he passed by earlier, he heard you were eating, so he didn't disturb you. Instead, he quietly paid your bill and asked me to give you this note!"
The waitress nervously pulled a crumpled note from her pocket.
Qingshui was a bit speechless at the waitress's attitude, but on second thought, it was normal.
Sweet Mask was a super popular idol whom almost all men envied and all women went crazy for. His popularity was far beyond that of those typical idols. To make a horizontal comparison, his fame was probably on par with global phenomena like Michael Jackson and Jackie Chan, but even more fanatical—he was a true national idol.
He opened the small note. It gave a location in an uninhabited area on the outskirts of City D, bordering Z-City.
Qingshui remembered that it was a grassland. A Dragon-level monster had appeared there once and was annihilated by Tatsumaki's descending meteor, which created a huge crater.
Prove to me that you have the ability to become an S-class hero. I'll be waiting for you here.
The last line of the note was signed with the name Sweet Mask.
Is that guy trying to pick a fight with me?
Otherwise, why go to an uninhabited area on the outskirts of the city, far from densely populated areas?
"Black Whirlwind Samurai, are you about to be promoted to S-class? Is this hero mission with Mr. Sweet Mask a test for your S-class promotion?"
"There's a bit of a gap, but after this trip, I should be able to get promoted to S-class."
Qingshui put away the note and replied to the waitress.
Before today, he had some confidence in passing Sweet Mask's test and reaching the Dragon-level threshold set by this A-class number one powerhouse. But after defeating Selfie Queen and secretly learning the Mind Domain ability, his normal combat power had increased by a small margin. He should be able to pass this test relatively easily now.
A few minutes later.
On the outskirts, in the uninhabited meteor crater.
Qingshui, dressed in Black Samurai Armor, slowly descended from the sky.
A handsome blue-haired man in a white suit jacket and slim-fit trousers heard the movement. He looked up, his bright eyes, even in the night sky, watching Qingshui with interest.
"You must be Black Whirlwind Samurai."
Sweet Mask put away his phone, slipped it into his pocket, and sized up Qingshui.
"I don't really like that hero name; it doesn't sound very good. I've already submitted an application to the Association to change it. You can just call me by my name."
Qingshui also examined Sweet Mask.
He had to admit, this guy was truly handsome.
In the world of anime and manga, there were many ways to depict a handsome man's high attractiveness, but no matter how high, there was always an upper limit, dependent on people's knowledge, imagination, and the artist's skill.
However, in the real, three-dimensional world, it was hard to imagine that such an incomparably handsome man could actually exist.
Reality was not built on imagination.
In terms of looks, even Sada, the well-known philandering scoundrel from the Sand Village, had a clear gap compared to Sweet Mask.
It seemed that this person, simply by standing there, symbolized the very word "beauty."
This was a person who abhorred ugliness and evil to the extreme, pursuing justice and beauty so intensely that it became pathological, almost turning him into a monster.
"I agree with you completely. As a hero, one must always, in every aspect, maintain an image of justice and beauty, and that includes your name. If you can satisfy me tonight, I will persuade the Association's higher-ups to help you change your hero name."
Sweet Mask looked at Qingshui, who had not yet put on his helmet, and seemed quite pleased.
Strength, appearance, and character—especially his attitude towards justice and evil—were all important indicators for him when evaluating a hero.
Qingshui's physical appearance, in Sweet Mask's eyes, wasn't perfect, but it was certainly excellent.
As for his strength, that was the main purpose of his visit tonight.
It was also his most important criterion for evaluation.
"So, you're here to fight me?"
Qingshui looked at Sweet Mask and pondered internally, If I ever open up another new world in the future and need to use my Transformation Jutsu, I'll just use Sweet Mask's face.
"I hope you don't misunderstand; this is merely an assessment, just like the test you took when you joined the Hero Association. It's to evaluate whether you meet my standards. After all, you've only fought a Dragon-level monster once so far, and most of the credit for that goes to King. I can't yet determine if you possess the strength to shoulder this responsibility.
However, before that, I have a piece of advice for you."
Sweet Mask took out his phone from his pocket again, looking at the popularity rankings on the Association's official website. "In the past two months, your hero popularity ranking has risen very quickly; you're almost in the top twenty. I can see that you have your ambitions, which is normal, just as I have my idol career. But there's one thing I must caution you about.
As a hero, whether you gain my approval tonight and become an S-Class hero, or remain an A-Class, or even a lower-ranked hero, you must not only embody strength, sharpness, and beauty, but also eliminate evil swiftly, spectacularly, decisively, and completely.
I noticed the news about you dealing with that Demon-level monster earlier today, and I also checked the Association's report. It took you a bit too long, but that's not the main issue. The key is that you don't need to leave monsters alive for a bit of personal gain.
As a hero, you shouldn't do that, because beautiful justice must not be defiled in the slightest. You must maintain an absolute zero-tolerance attitude towards evil. Only then can it be considered perfect justice."
Sweet Mask's white suit fluttered in the night breeze. Under the moonlight, his perfectly flawless face was filled with a strong sense of admonishment.
Sweet Mask felt he was putting a lot of effort into Qingshui, this newcomer.
Most heroes weren't worth such earnest, heartfelt advice from him.
Even if this conversation, which he considered sincere, seemed a bit condescending.
At the very least, Qingshui really disliked Sweet Mask's way of speaking.
He wanted to say, Who are you to tell me what to do? But considering Sweet Mask's polite demeanor, he retorted instead.
"I have my own considerations, and my own way of carrying out my justice. I don't need you to tell me how to do things, or to impose your idea of justice on me. If you want to fight, do it quickly."
"Excellent! Qingshui, maintain that sharp attitude, and then... prove it to me!"
Sweet Mask's expensive white suit fluttered. As his words fell, he burst forward, sprinting towards Qingshui, a punch aimed at Qingshui's face.
*"Bang!"*
A shiny black metal fist solidly blocked Sweet Mask's punch, creating a shockwave in the air.
The immense force caused the ground beneath their feet to crack into a spiderweb pattern.
"Nice power."
Sweet Mask's expression remained unchanged. He shifted his stance, and another punch, much heavier than the last, shot out.
However, Qingshui didn't directly clash with Sweet Mask's fist this time. Instead, he swiftly retreated, drawing his sword. Sharp sword energies, like a vast river, slashed towards Sweet Mask.
Sweet Mask let out a soft laugh, clenching his two bare fists. He used his fists to withstand Qingshui's sword energy, exploding forward, pushing off the ground, and charging towards Qingshui.
As the A-Class Rank 1 hero, Sweet Mask positioning himself as an S-Class hero's quality inspector meant he also possessed the combat capabilities of an S-Class hero. His overall strength was considered quite good among the S-Class heroes.
His power mainly came from his formidable physical abilities, comparable to a Dragon-level monster, his extremely refined combat skills, and his almost unkillable super self-healing ability.
In close-quarters combat, not even Puri-Puri Prisoner or Tanktop Master could compare to him!
*"Bang!"*
*"Bang!"*
*"Bang!"*
Sword energies were dispersed by his bare fists. Even the sharp blade of the black steel longsword was directly met by Sweet Mask's fists.
As for other magic, projectiles, and Ice Bombs, Sweet Mask either broke through them all with sheer force from his fists or rapidly dodged them.
Even with the Wind Release Chakra Mode active, Qingshui's speed was only slightly faster than Sweet Mask's, not enough to create much distance.
This guy was a complete and utter stats monster.
Although he didn't have many abilities and lacked diversity in offensive methods, Sweet Mask was exceptionally good in speed, strength, skill, and even physical defense.
While his self-healing speed wasn't as fast as Zombieman's, it was still enough to ignore ordinary injuries.
Even if he sustained a fatal injury, as long as he wasn't instantly killed and died on the spot, his speed and strength as a hero would only be slightly affected by the injury, and he would recover within a few seconds.
Unless there was a counter-ability, or an opponent with upper Dragon-level strength who could completely overwhelm him, Sweet Mask's power was sufficient to contend with most Dragon-level monsters.
To be precise, he could kill them.
With his self-healing ability, he could wear those monsters down to death. At worst, it would be a draw.
The two fought at high speed, flashing back and forth within the massive impact crater, leaving the ground shattered.
The surrounding cliffs were also shaved down several layers by Qingshui's sword energy.
"Separation Breathing: Second Form - Separation Dance."
Under the brilliant bright blue sword light, the black steel longsword, while retaining its past sharpness, gained a fluid, adaptable quality, making it seem utterly pervasive when facing weaknesses.
Sweet Mask used his forearm to block Qingshui's slash.
As blood splattered, a fist harder than hardened steel also heavily struck the Black Samurai Armor's chest plate.
*"Thud!"*
The two figures crossed paths.
Sweet Mask grinned excitedly, glancing at the rapidly healing wounds on his arms. He tossed his now tattered branded suit jacket to the ground, revealing his streamlined, muscular body beneath his long-sleeved shirt, his movements incredibly cool and stylish.
On the other side, Qingshui looked at a crack that had appeared on his Black Samurai Armor. He tried to distance himself from Sweet Mask again, raising his hand to unleash endless lightning and strong winds, which, along with missiles and Ice Bombs launched from the Black Samurai Armor, assailed Sweet Mask.
By this point in the fight, both sides had largely figured out each other's fighting styles and their own effective countermeasures.
Sweet Mask had high stats, incredibly strong close-quarters combat abilities, rapid regeneration, and almost infinite stamina. Its weaknesses lay in its limited offensive methods, relying solely on its speed for a degree of compensation.
Qingshui was even faster, possessed a wide attack range, and had diverse methods that included both offense and control. His close-range combat was sufficient to go toe-to-toe with Sweet Mask.
Of course, if it came down to a direct close-quarters brawl, Sweet Mask, with its superhuman healing abilities, would have the advantage, as it could wear Qingshui down indefinitely.
Therefore, the most suitable strategy for Qingshui was a hit-and-run approach. Even with Sweet Mask's high defense, Qingshui had sufficient defensive penetration after enhancing his Mind Domain. Even though the speed difference between them wasn't significant, various attacks, along with Chains of Krakkan, Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, Ice Bomb, and various restrictive and suppressive Talismans, could all be used to control Sweet Mask's movement.
On the surface, it seemed Sweet Mask could continue the fight indefinitely. While Qingshui's armor provided him with a good degree of resilience and stamina, Sweet Mask would ultimately win.
However, if Qingshui managed to temporarily restrain Sweet Mask, a single Sealing Jutsu could seal Sweet Mask away, giving Qingshui the victory.
If this were a true fight to the death, the outcome would be hard to predict.
Naturally, neither of them was fighting to that extent at the moment.
In fact, at this very moment, Sweet Mask had already acknowledged Qingshui's capability to be an S-class hero.
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