Chapter 6: Let Me Quiz You
"A few million Yen a month?"
To Saitama, who lived in poverty, that was a sum of money he usually didn't even dare to dream about.
If he could get that kind of salary, he could eat Premium A5 Beef until he burst, and during the supermarket's special sales days, he could sweep the shelves like a typhoon!
For the sake of Premium Beef, I'm going all in!
Wearing his battle suit, Saitama leaped into the air with a massive bound, flying toward the Hero Association.
Seeing Saitama so impatient, Kenji shook his head helplessly. He activated his psychokinesis and levitated into the air to follow.
Just then, the phone in his pocket rang again. Kenji checked the caller ID. It was the Hero Association again.
Another monster disaster?
That's strange. Usually, they don't call me for anything below Dragon-level, and at this point in the timeline, there shouldn't be any other Dragon-level threats.
With a hint of confusion, Kenji answered the call.
The moment it connected, Sitch's panicked voice came through, accompanied by background noises of things crashing to the ground.
"Mr. King! Do you have a moment right now? Please, we need you to come to the Hero Association Headquarters urgently! There is a critical matter that requires your intervention!"
"Understood."
Kenji gave a brief reply and hung up. He had a pretty good guess as to what this was about.
Perfect. I can handle Saitama's job application and deal with that 'appointment' with Tatsumaki at the same time.
Thinking this, Kenji immediately sped up to catch up with Saitama, who was still furiously jumping ahead.
"Saitama, you're going the wrong way. If you want to apply for the high-ranking hero positions, you need to go to the Headquarters in City A. Follow me."
Saitama scratched his head mid-air, barely hearing King over the roar of the wind.
"O-Okay!"
Seeing Kenji flying freely through the sky, Saitama, who had to keep jumping off the ground, suddenly felt a pang of envy.
Damn it. I really want to learn how to fly. Too bad humans can't fly.
Wait! I got it!
Saitama's usually simple, doodle-like face suddenly became sharp and angular. He assumed a serious posture. Every muscle in his body erupted with power as vast as a galaxy.
[Serious Series: Serious Air-Walking]
Saitama leaped into the air again. But this time, his legs began to kick the empty void at a frequency almost invisible to the naked eye. A violent hurricane whipped up beneath him.
By relying on sheer, brute force and kicking speed that defied physics, he was literally compressing the air until it became solid enough to step on.
His legs became wreathed in flames from the friction. Saitama began to sprint through the sky, stepping on air, his speed not losing out to Kenji's full-speed flight in the slightest.
Kenji looked down and saw this.
?????
Bro, that is actually ridiculous.
But remembering that this was the logic-defying Caped Baldy, Kenji just accepted it.
Whatever. You can't argue logic with a cheat code.
Although Kenji could technically do something similar with his Eight Gates physique, he definitely couldn't sustain "air-walking" for long periods like Saitama. He'd probably have to land and recharge every ten seconds or so.
Halfway there, Kenji suddenly thought of a problem.
The Hero Association's rules were quite rigid. Even with the endorsement of the "Strongest Man on Earth," Saitama still had to pass the entrance exam.
The physical test was a non-issue. The problem was the Written Exam. In the original story, Saitama barely scraped by with a passing grade.
Kenji recalled the exam content from his memories. They were mostly simple questions of ethics and justice—things any normal person could answer to get at least 40 out of 50 points.
But given that Saitama's brain circuitry had simplified along with his overwhelming power, his terrible score was understandable.
To prevent a disaster, Kenji decided to prep him with some sample questions.
"Saitama, to pass the Hero Association assessment, you also need to take a written exam. I'm going to ask you a few simple questions. Try to answer them."
Saitama, while maintaining his high-speed air-kicking, gave an "OK" hand sign.
Kenji thought for a moment and threw out the first question.
"Question 1: A monster appears nearby. Civilians have not yet been evacuated, and the situation is dangerous. What is your specific course of action?"
Saitama's eyes went deadpan. He gave his answer without hesitation.
"Just punch the monster until it explodes. Done."
Kenji: "......"
I knew it!
Because he was too strong, his thought process had become a straight line. Nothing was simpler than solving a problem with one punch.
Holding onto a sliver of hope, Kenji asked the second question.
"Question 2: What is the most important factor in becoming a hero?"
Saitama: "Having the strength to kill a monster in one punch."
"Question 3: What is your original intention and dream for becoming a hero? Why do you want to be one? And what do you want to do after becoming one?"
Saitama: "It's a hobby. Being a hero is just to get a bigger paycheck. After becoming one? Fight monsters, I guess."
Kenji: "......"
You're going to fail so hard!
Kenji face-palmed. This guy had practically devolved into a single-celled organism. Every solution was "punch it." If a punch didn't work, well, that scenario didn't exist.
Kenji decided to give him a hint.
"Saitama, sometimes we need to change our perspective. Imagine if the monster was stronger than you, and you were weak. How would you answer these questions then?"
Change perspective...
Saitama suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia. He thought back to the time when he still had hair—when he was weak but burned with passion.
Back then, he got beaten up constantly, but he always held onto his burning desire for justice and strength.
I see. Look at it from the perspective of a weak person.
If I think back to who I used to be... these questions seem to have different answers.
A flicker of life returned to Saitama's dead fish eyes. He muttered to himself:
"If those are the kinds of questions they ask, I think I know what to write now."
He didn't need to overthink standard answers. He just needed to recall his original sincerity and heart. That would be the best answer sheet.
Seeing that Saitama finally looked like he had engaged his brain, Kenji relaxed a little.
With this, he shouldn't write any catastrophic answers.
Location: Hero Association Headquarters
Chaos reigned.
Countless objects were wrapped in a green glow, floating and swirling in mid-air. The room looked like a hurricane had passed through it—indoors.
The staff members watched in terror, huddled in corners. Sitch, the team leader, was drenched in cold sweat, but he forced himself to speak.
"Tatsumaki! Mr. King has already agreed to come to Headquarters! Please, calm down first! Can you put the furniture down?"
At that moment, Tatsumaki was floating near the ceiling, her green curly hair dancing wildly in the psychic storm. She looked down at the people below with a face full of displeasure.