"Salmon," I whispered.
Then I left.
I hope I never see her again.
…
I continued walking down the street, trying to focus on the road.
But suddenly… I heard two soft voices echoing from one of the corners.
Two middle-aged women stood near a closed shop, speaking in hushed tones.
"I hope my son passes the exam today, he practiced so much last night…"
said the first as she clenched her hands.
The second nodded sympathetically:
"And mine too… he woke up early from anxiety, I hope he doesn't disappoint me."
I stopped.
The words froze in my mind… Exam?
I raised my eyebrows and felt something heavy drop in my stomach.
"...System?"
The voice appeared in my head, calm, without any mercy.
[Countdown to the Hero Academy Entrance Exam: 00:30:00]
"...Thirty minutes?"
I swallowed hard, then stared at the road ahead of me.
"Damn it…"
I cursed internally.
Then I ran.
I could see nothing but the compass and the countdown timer in my mind.
My feet pounded against the ground, my breath was ragged, every muscle in my body screaming,
but I didn't have the luxury to stop.
The roads started narrowing, the buildings grew denser,
and the sounds of the dead city suddenly came back to life.
Cars rushed on either side, bikes moved here and there,
the sidewalks were filled with human shadows—some selling, some shouting, some running like me…
But I had no time to look at them.
I approached a wide intersection.
Even though the distance looked close, it felt impossibly far when I saw the massive crowd.
Sirens… noise… tires…
Everything was moving at a crazy pace.
I stopped for a second… half a second.
Then I dashed.
Jumping over barriers, dodging cars, crawling between people, as if the ground itself was pushing me away from my goal.
Shove....
"Hey, you bastard! Watch where you're going!"
{I'm really sorry,}"tuna salmon....."
"Watch where you're walking, kid!"
{I'm sorry!}..."salmon...."I tried to apologize but what came out of my mouth was a salmon
"Hey! You son of a b****!"
{I'm sorry!}".....salmon.."
I kept pushing people aside roughly, trying to make it in time before it was too late.
And the moment I nearly reached the middle of the road…
A loud horn tore through the sky!
The sound of grinding metal, and a gust of wind slapping me from the side.
I turned instinctively…
And I saw it.
A black car, speeding insanely toward me, its tires screaming across the asphalt,
the driver slamming the brakes hard.
My eyes widened.
Time stopped.
The noise vanished.
All that remained… was me, and that metallic beast tearing through the air toward me.
My body moved before I could think.
I pushed my foot hard against the ground, and leapt to the left, but the car was too close… closer than I expected.
In a fraction of a second, I raised my right hand and struck the edge of the car's front bumper at just the right angle.
And I used it as a launching point.
My foot lifted into the air, followed by my body soaring upward, a full spin in midair, a quick somersault.
The wind slapped my face as I passed over the car's metal roof, then landed behind it,
one knee touching the ground, my heart about to explode out of my chest.
"Thanks, Mom."
I couldn't help but thank my mother for forcing me to learn gymnastics.
BOOM!!
The car crashed into a nearby electric pole.
The sound of shattered metal echoed in every direction. Glass scattered, smoke rose.
I gathered my breath with difficulty.
"I made it…"
But the joy didn't last.
The car door burst open violently.
A huge, bald man, wearing an open shirt and chewing gum with furious breath, stormed out yelling:
"You idiot!! Are you insane? You nearly got yourself killed and wrecked my car!"
He started running toward me, his fist raised like he was going to smash my face.
I quickly raised my hands:
{I'm sorry!! I'm so, so sorry!! I had to make it to the exam, I swear!!}..."tuna salmon..."
But I didn't wait for his response.
I turned… and ran.
And ran…
And ran even more.
...
"Not today… not now… I don't want to die… or fail."
.....Twenty minutes later.....
[You have arrived on time. Rewards will be distributed automatically.]
"Finally," I said, panting.
End of the Chapter
Note: This sign {} is what the hero wants to talk about, but because he is unable to speak, words like tuna and salmon come out.
Picture of the academy in the comments