Part 2
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"Welcome to my live show today! Everybody say hey!!"
...This is the exam venue, right?
There's this guy who looks like a DJ you'd see at a nightclub or something, making all this hype talk... he called the examinees "listeners"!
Even if it were just his speech, but considering his appearance, hairstyle, clothing, and all, he hardly seems like a teacher... no, U.A. High is a school where heroes work as teachers. And because of that, I don't think there are things like suit requirements or school-like dress codes.
Still, I can't help but wonder about that outfit... does he always look like that, even when teaching? His energy is so high... and nobody's even responding to his calls.
Well, whatever. The content he's explaining is actually reasonable. I see, so it's a practical exam in a mock urban area where we fight virtual "villains."
We compete for the "points" gained by defeating them. In other words, the more we take down, the better. Simple and good.
Judging from the handout, they look like robots... but I wonder how strong they are. They say stopping or destroying them earns points, so I assume they're adjusted to be reasonably sturdy...
(...Well, I'll manage. I'm confident in my physical abilities.)
During the explanation, there was this serious-looking guy with glasses asking questions about the handout's content, and in the crossfire, another examinee got dissed... but it wasn't anything worth paying attention to, so I didn't really listen and don't remember.
However, I did listen to what was explained afterward. So there's a 0-pointer nuisance that doesn't give points even if defeated.
...I have a bad feeling about this. They say "if you find it, ignore it," but things like that often contain elements you can't ignore, right?
Then we were told about this school's motto... "Plus Ultra."
It apparently means "Further Beyond." I hear it's Napoleon's words. Yeah, I think it's a good phrase. Though I can't help but feel I would've preferred to hear it in a more serious atmosphere.
Well, maybe that teacher was speaking that way to ease the examinees' tension... though I can't deny the possibility that he's always like that.
But anyway... I'll find out about that later.
Once I pass this exam and get into U.A.
Well then, let's change into our gym clothes and head to this "exam venue."
☆☆☆
"High start—"
A bored voice echoed through the exam venue without any warning.
The examinees gathered at the starting point looked toward where the voice came from with expressions that seemed to say, "Huh?"
"What's wrong!? There's no countdown in real combat! Run, run, the die is cast—"
(Ah, I see, that's how it is.)
Before he could even finish, I kicked off the ground and started running. "Nice taste," I cursed inwardly.
It was clearly deliberate wording aimed at examinees who were probably stiff with tension.
But what he said made sense. If you're serious about becoming a hero, you never know when, where, or what kind of incident might occur, or what villains might run amok.
Well, I still think it's a bit much, but either way, I don't have time to think about that now. Cursing and reflecting can wait. I need to start hunting.
Fortunately or not, I found the virtual enemies immediately. Right after starting to run, I turned a corner and saw several of them running toward me.
Not only did I start running a beat faster than the other examinees, but, not to boast, thanks to these long and sturdy legs of mine, I closed the distance in an instant. Leaving behind the panicked masses who started late.
"Target acquired... KILL!"
...What a foul-mouthed robot.
What was the developer thinking with this... trying to mimic villains? How lazy.
Well, whatever, I muttered quietly while charging toward it and swinging back my fist.
It charged at me too, but... it's slow. Way too slow.
Before it could move to attack, I closed in and swung my fist straight at its head.
—CRASH!!
The slammed fist shattered the virtual enemy's face, crushed its neck, and even pulverized the torso parts beyond... completely destroying it. Naturally, all functions ceased, and it stopped moving.
So that's... 1 point.
"Whoa!? Sh-shattered in one hit..."
"No way, that's amazing! That thing's clearly metal... who is that girl!?"
Hearing those voices from behind, I didn't stop.
I ran past the enemy robot that had become scrap metal with parts scattered everywhere. Without stopping, I searched for the next target.
Maybe making such a loud noise was a good thing. This time, three of them came at me together. And all of them are 2 or 3 points.
(They seem sturdier than the last one, which makes sense given the higher points. Well, even so... it doesn't matter to me.)
"Energy charge... arm strength enhancement 200%."
Consciously activating my Quirk, I punched the first 2-pointer I encountered with all my might.
Despite being larger than the previous one, the virtual enemy robot was once again shattered into pieces and exploded.
Without pause, I closed in on one of the remaining two, grabbed its torso from below, and lifted it up.
Then, with all my strength, I slammed it into the other one.
"Raaaaah!!"
—CRUNCH!! ×2
The two robots, taking the full impact of their own weight plus the force with which I threw them, were destroyed beyond recognition, scattered into pieces. You couldn't even tell which part belonged to which. They were just a collection of scrap junk.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw several examinees looking even more shocked than during my earlier punch, but it's nothing worth worrying about, so I left them and quickly went to find the next target.
Hey, you all should move quickly too... or the enemies will be gone.
"But even the 3-pointer was pretty fragile... maybe I don't need my Quirk after all. I can break them with my raw strength... and I went through all the trouble of "charging" up so much."
It was a while later, while I was hunting relentlessly with a "see enemy, must destroy" mindset.
A shock like an earthquake and a roaring sound of something collapsing echoed... wondering what it was, I looked around and saw a huge moving shadow beyond the building in front of me.
Thinking "it can't be," I passed through a narrow alley, kicking and shattering a 1-pointer I passed along the way, and when I emerged on the other side, sure enough, there it was: the 0-point enemy mentioned in the handout... the "Zero Pointer."
No... it's way too big. It's as big as a building.
They said it would "rampage all over the exam venue," but with that size, it really does look cramped... it's destroying surrounding structures just by moving.