"What? Is my opponent you?"
Kaito Ren was surprised. Was it really this coincidental? An intra-dorm battle right from the start?!
"No."
Asaka Hanako shook her head, revealing her cute canines.
"Then why were you so excited?"
Kaito Ren looked at Asaka Hanako, confused.
"Hee hee, I'm number 199! Our numbers are next to each other! Isn't that amazing?!"
Asaka Hanako held up her number, her eyes crescent-shaped.
Kaito Ren was stunned, then chuckled wryly. Women were certainly strange creatures.
Soon, all 998 students received their numbers. Twenty battle areas were marked on the field. These areas were simply circles drawn on the ground.
Those who stepped outside the circle or surrendered were eliminated; those who remained were the victors.
With a gong, the first official test began.
Saitama, number 18, was up first against number 980, a nearly two-meter-tall muscular man whose muscles seemed about to burst his shirt.
"Next, numbers 18 and 980, please prepare."
Kawana, with a whistle around her neck, held up a small red flag. Once the flag fell, the match would begin.
Saitama was eager to fight, despite the significant size difference. He showed no hesitation, his fighting spirit ignited.
But as Kawana was about to drop the flag, number 980 raised a white flag. Kawana was momentarily stunned but declared Saitama the victor.
"What?! Why surrender? Fight me! Don't be a coward!"
Saitama shouted at number 980 as he left. Although victorious, he felt unsatisfied. He really wanted a fight.
"Next time, next time we'll have a real fight!"
Kaito Ren patted Saitama on the shoulder.
"I hope so."
Saitama, hands in his pockets, put aside his disappointment.
Of the nineteen other simultaneous matches, thirteen were still ongoing, and six had already ended, but with a difference. In those six matches, the losers had been decisively defeated, rendered unconscious, and would likely be eliminated.
Kaito Ren's gaze was drawn to one of the six—a tall, slender individual with red hair. Specifically, he was drawn to the individual's blatant, predatory gaze towards Asaka Hanako.
Asaka Hanako, sensing the intense gaze, frowned slightly and instinctively hid behind Kaito Ren. Only when he could no longer see Asaka Hanako did the red-haired individual look away, glancing down at Kaito Ren with contempt.
"Teacher, that's Kato In, one of the top ten in the school. He's reportedly received an invitation from the Hero Association."
Saitama, noticing Kaito Ren's gaze, provided information.
"When did you start gathering intelligence?!"
Kaito Ren looked at Saitama, surprised. He'd always thought Saitama was reckless.
"I didn't. Genos told me."
Saitama scratched his head, pointing to Genos in the crowd.
"What are you doing here?!"
Kaito Ren raised an eyebrow at Genos.
"I heard there was a competition, and I had some free time."
Genos casually explained, but his gaze remained fixed on Kaito Ren. He wanted to study Kaito Ren's fighting style, which was the most skillful and coordinated he'd ever seen, something he lacked.
Kaito Ren looked at Genos and then at Saitama. If Saitama took Genos as a disciple, Genos would have to call Kaito Ren "Grandmaster." Three generations in one place!
Kaito Ren twitched his mouth; it felt strange.
"Next, number 200 versus number 799."
Kawana announced over the loudspeaker.
Kaito Ren went to the platform, only to find his opponent was…
Zombieman!
Kaito Ren facepalmed. Of all people, it had to be Zombieman. He was practically invincible; a drawn-out battle would result in Kaito Ren's defeat.
[You are participating in the Reserve Hero School elimination tournament. What do you do?]
[1: Surrender (Strength Enhancement Agent +30)]
[2: Fight with all your might (Constitution Enhancement Agent +20)]
[3: Win (Speed Enhancement Agent +30)]
Kaito Ren heard the system prompt while hesitating. Surrender was impossible. Fighting with all his might offered a smaller reward.
He chose option three. He realized that fighting with all his might and winning weren't the same thing. Winning didn't require defeating Zombieman; forcing him out of the ring would also work.
Kaito Ren smirked, looking at Zombieman with mischief.
"Let's see your true strength!"
Zombieman smiled, having anticipated this match for a long time.
"Then I won't hold back!"
Kaito Ren narrowed his eyes, focusing on Zombieman. He launched a surprise attack.
Observation Eye!
[Zombieman]
[Strength: Wolf-level Upper]
[Abilities: Unlimited Resurrection, Unlimited Regeneration]
Wolf-level Upper?!
Kaito Ren observed Zombieman while attacking. Seeing Zombieman's stats, he felt confident. Approaching within two meters, his expression sharpened, his aura intensifying.
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