Chapter 514 512: Expenditure Warriors Attack!

Ding!"Congratulations. You have completed Task 1: Participate in the Hero Assessment and become a registered hero of the Hero Association."

"Note: You may issue a command at any time to return to the Samsara Space, or remain in this world to continue your missions."

"..."

The system prompt echoed in Fenric's mind. He remained calm, then turned toward Mohican and Pineapple.

"Do you know if there's a faster way to get promoted to S-rank?" he asked evenly.

Becoming a hero was part of his mission. But the higher the rank, the better his final evaluation would be. And Fenric never settled for anything less than perfection.

The two heroes thought for a long moment before both shook their heads.

"These days, the Hero Association's promotion standards are getting stricter," Mohican explained. "If you want to reach S-rank, unless you get a special internal recommendation, the only path is to earn enough achievements by killing monsters—and that takes time."

Pineapple nodded quickly. "Exactly! It's not like before. Back when the Association was just founded, there wasn't even a formal assessment."

That caught Fenric's attention. His eyes flickered.

"Before? So it was easier to become a hero back then?"

"Yes," Mohican replied. "I still remember—when the Hero Association was first established, that was the easiest time to become a hero. As long as you were strong enough, you could be directly registered as an S-rank hero. Many of today's top heroes entered that way. The Association was founded three years ago."

At that, Fenric's mind clicked into place.

He remembered the original One Punch Man plot perfectly.

The Hero Association had been founded by a wealthy magnate named Agoni, three years before the main story began.

The trigger? A double-chinned boy saved from a monster attack by an unknown man—Saitama, back when he still had hair and was just a regular person.

To honor the man who saved his grandson, Agoni invested heavily in creating the Hero Association.

From there, the organization expanded rapidly, powered by public funding and fame.

Realization flashed in Fenric's eyes.

He had originally been planning to travel back three years for a separate purpose… but now, the timing aligned perfectly.

If I go back to the Association's founding era… I can enter during the early phase. No tests, no bureaucracy—just power recognition.

Time travel was difficult for most Samsaras.

But for Fenric, it was child's play.

Before entering the One Punch Man world, he had returned to his base and retrieved Skynet Loli, his AI assistant, specifically for such operations.

…

"Mundo-san," Pineapple said nervously, noticing Fenric's distant expression. "Don't be discouraged. Being ranked 24th among B-ranks is already incredible!"

Fenric blinked, realizing he'd been staring off. He smiled faintly.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "You two have helped me a lot."

Both Mohican and Pineapple smiled, relieved.

Suddenly, a voice rang from the speakers above:

"All candidates who passed the examination, please proceed to Lecture Hall 3. A briefing session will now be held for the new heroes."

Fenric raised an eyebrow.

Mohican immediately whispered, "Mundo-san, don't be reckless during the meeting. The person addressing us will definitely be a senior hero from the Association!"

Fenric nodded. "Understood."

In his mind, he already recalled this part of the plot—

the "orientation scene," where a certain obnoxious B-rank hero tried to lecture Saitama and Genos, only to be utterly ignored.

…

Following Mohican's lead, Fenric entered Lecture Hall 3.

The room was spacious but mostly empty. Including himself, only nine people were present.

Among them, he spotted Genos, the cyborg apprentice, and Saitama, the infamous bald demon king.

Nine passers—out of thousands who had taken the test at City Z's center.

A tiny fraction.

But Fenric frowned slightly. Something felt off.

In the original story, only two passed here: Genos and Saitama.

So who are these extra seven?

He didn't need to think hard. He already knew the answer.

Samsaras.

Other Samsaras, like him.

Fenric smiled faintly, hiding his thoughts as he found a seat.

Across the room, Saitama noticed him and blinked in surprise.

"Ah—it's that guy." he said quietly.

Genos turned his head. "Teacher, is he the strong one you mentioned?"

"Yeah," Saitama replied with an easy grin. "No surprise he passed. I wonder what his score was, though."

The two whispered to each other casually.

Meanwhile, the other Samsaras ignored them, clearly not recognizing the pair as threats. Instead, their attention focused on Fenric, whispering and speculating about which district of Samsara he might belong to.

Fenric noticed their gazes but found it amusing.

They're ignoring the real monster in the room… and they're focused on me? Fine. Let them.

After all, in the Samsara Space, his name—Shura, was enough to make people tremble.

…

A few minutes later, the door creaked open.

A thin man with a pointed nose and sharp cheekbones strutted in, stepping onto the podium with practiced arrogance.

"First of all," he said loudly, "congratulations to those of you who passed the test and officially qualified as heroes. Though…"—his eyes flicked toward Saitama—"…some of you only barely passed."

A flicker of disdain crossed his face before he continued,

"Please don't waste your good luck. Work hard to improve yourselves."

Fenric didn't even bother to listen.

He already knew this man from the plot—nothing more than a joke character, one of the lowest B-ranks trying to act superior. Not worth his time.

His mind was already elsewhere—reviewing plans for his next move.

…

Meanwhile, a few seats away, Saitama and Genos were whispering again.

"Teacher," Genos asked suddenly, "do you think I could defeat him… if I challenged that man?"

Saitama looked puzzled. "Eh? You mean Mundo?"

Genos nodded seriously.

Saitama rubbed his chin. He didn't want to crush his student's confidence—but honesty won out.

"…You'll lose," he said bluntly.

"...I see."

Genos' expression tightened, his eyes glowing faintly as he stared at Fenric with renewed caution.

(Note: Were's only 1 rank away from Top 5 lmao.)