One of them was held in Yukino's hand, while the others, together with the illusory figures controlled by Takanashi Rikka, began attacking Yukino.
Clang—
As their blades collided, even with ten times Rikka's strength, Rikka-chan could only match Yukino Yukinoshita in raw power. But there were too many weapons, and their angles were too tricky. Two of them struck Yukino directly on the shoulders.
"Mm, that hurts."
Though she had deliberately avoided vital areas, getting hit head-on by weapons like these was still quite stimulating.
"Whew. There really aren't many shortcuts to this. I can only practice first and get a feel for it."
She first lowered the difficulty, fighting a single autonomous weapon controlled by Rikka-chan.
Because the weapon's attacks were completely unpredictable and followed imagination alone, while its power was equivalent to a swing with ten times Rikka's strength, one moment of carelessness could genuinely leave her seriously wounded.
But effort brought rewards. Under such intense pressure, Yukino's training efficiency had nearly reached its limit. To keep herself from being struck, she had to devote every ounce of her focus, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
Crack, clang, clang—
Whenever the weapon came at her, Yukino gritted her teeth and swung her weapon to block.
The blade attacking her simply floated in the air, shifting through every possible angle as though a true master of martial arts were controlling it.
Several minutes later...
Buzz—
She slashed at the weapon in front of her, then pressed down with her arm along the motion. Yukino successfully knocked it off course and sent it crashing to the floor.
"Ah... I can't take any more."
Stopping her training, she collapsed to her knees, gritting her teeth as she waited for her body to recover.
Combat was the best partner for gaining experience. A plain one-on-one duel without any tricks was the most terrifying kind, but also the most effective.
That was why people still feared bayonet charges even in an age of guns and artillery. A gleaming blade was truly terrifying. Once you charged forward and saw that thing thrusting toward you, your instinct was to run.
Yukino now... was merely forcing herself to endure the pain and build up her willpower.
Fortunately, she was exceptionally good at enduring. Even when the pain became unbearable, she never showed the slightest weakness. She would cry when it hurt too much, but that could never break her resolve.
"Not long ago, I could lift 160 kilograms. Now... it should be close to 220, right?"
She had never tested it, but Yukino could estimate her true strength by moving heavy objects.
What was even more terrifying was that increased strength had to come with coordination. When someone possessed the strength to lift twenty tons, it meant they would not simply crush themselves beneath an object of similar weight. A weak body could never withstand such absurd pressure.
"Come to think of it, my flexibility is ridiculously strong now."
Yukino was certain this was the softest body she had ever had... How soft was it? She could basically bend backward, pass her head beneath her legs, then twist herself back upright.
Of course, she would never do something like that for no reason.
Anyway, after taking first place in the sit-and-reach test, she had understood that this body was incredibly flexible.
The downside was probably that her chest did not look like a girl's.
Yukino closed her eyes and rested for a while. Once her injuries had recovered by nearly half, she resumed training.
Slashing, dodging, running with weights... Compared to when she had only practiced brute-force punches and kicks at the start, her training now covered almost everything.
She even practiced butterfly knives, daggers, throwing weapons, and the like.
In the end, with nothing better to do, she even tried training in escape techniques. For example, she would have herself completely restrained with handcuffs and rope, then escape through skill alone without outside help.
Since many of these things were still in the exploratory stage, her efficiency was not particularly high. She planned to spend some money on professional books and look up videos from experts online so she could study them properly.
The Naming Convention
The break after the U.A. Sports Festival lasted only two days. Most of the injured students had recovered during that time. Everyone wanted to use this brief opportunity to relax, so people like Su Lin, who trained and worked themselves to the bone, were actually rare.
Early in the morning, he arrived in the classroom and lazily lay down on his desk for a short nap. By the time he woke up, almost everyone in class had arrived.
"It really is different when there's TV coverage. So many people talked to me on the way here."
"Me too, me too. People kept staring at me. It was kind of embarrassing."
"Hey, Su Lin-chan, you got first place. Tons of people must have hit on you, right?"
"Hm?" Seeing Tsuyu Asui lying on her desk just like him, Su Lin yawned. "It was fine. I ran here."
Just then, Shota Aizawa, who had already removed his bandages, entered through the door.
"Good morning. Today's U.A. Information Studies class is a little special... You'll be considering your respective aliases, otherwise known as your Hero Names."
"Hero Names?"
Everyone in the class immediately grew excited.
"Well, this is related to the recruitment applications we mentioned before. The recruitment applications sent to you first-years by hero agencies this time represent the Pro Heroes' personal interest in your future prospects. If that interest weakens before you graduate, it's common for them to withdraw their applications unilaterally. So... I don't need to say more, do I?"
Those words immediately made everyone nervous.
"So the applications will directly become pressure on us, right?" Torhu Hagakure hurriedly asked.
"Right. And then... these are the application results compiled by the school."
Shota Aizawa pressed the remote in his hand, and the specific figures immediately appeared on the blackboard.
"As expected... I have the most."
Looking at the 4,800 applications far ahead at the top, Su Lin sighed without surprise.
Todoroki, in second place, had over 3,000. Katsuki Bakugo, in third place, did not even have 1,000, while Tokoyami and the others had pitifully few.
"Now that you know the exact numbers, it's time to decide on your Hero Names. Although your Hero Names are only provisional for now, if anyone dares to choose one carelessly..."
"I'll show them what hell is!"
Before Shota Aizawa could finish, the doors were flung open with a bang. Midnight swayed her voluptuous hips, thrust out her prehistoric-level chest, rested both hands behind her head, and strutted in with outrageous seductiveness.
"Whoa, Midnight!"
Everyone's faces reddened involuntarily as they stared at her in delighted surprise.
"Well, that's how it is. Midnight will judge everyone's naming sense." Shota Aizawa yawned, picked up his sleeping bag, and comfortably crawled inside.
Sheets of blank paper were handed out. Su Lin had only just picked his up when Midnight called out, "Time's almost up. Anyone who has already decided can start announcing theirs."
Thus, Yuga Aoyama was the first to step up. With great pride, he announced his name. "Shining Hero, translated as: I Can't Stop Twinkling."
"Remove the 'I' and shorten it to 'Can't Stop Twinkling.' It rolls off the tongue better." Midnight smiled as she helped revise it.
"Is that really okay?" The students below stared in disbelief.
Next up was Mina Ashido. Her Hero Name was Alien Queen.
It was rejected for absolutely no reason.
Then came Tsuyu-chan.
"This is what I decided on when I was little. Rainy Season Hero: Froppy."
Next, Kirishima chose Sturdy Hero: Red Riot, as a tribute to Crimson Riot. Kyoka Jiro chose Earphone Jack Hero: Earphone Jack. Mezo Shoji chose Tentacle Hero: Tentacole. Sero chose Tape Hero: Tape Man, and so on.
As for Shoto Todoroki, he directly used his real name, Shoto.
Until...
"Explosion King!" Katsuki Bakugo viciously read out his Hero Name.
"I advise you not to use a name like that," Midnight coldly warned.
"Why?" Bakugo shot back irritably.
"How about Explosion Boy instead?" Kirishima could not help laughing.
"Shut up, bird's nest hair!"
Amid the laughter, Su Lin's expression turned solemn. Slowly raising his hand, he said, "Bakugo, I have a name that's extremely imposing and definitely suits you. Want to hear it?"
"Huh?" Bakugo looked over. Seeing how serious he was, he asked, "What name?"
"Durian King!"
"Hahaha!" The entire class burst out laughing.
"Bakugo really does suit that name."
"He looks like a durian. The name fits the person!"
After that, everyone came up with a name one after another. In the end, only Su Lin remained.
"Then..."
He stepped onto the podium and showed everyone what was written on his paper.
"Infinite Possibility, Fleeting Shadow!"
"Why did you choose that name?" Midnight asked curiously from beside him.
"It's related to my Quirk. Infinite possibilities... It may be a little boastful, but I don't know what kind of avatars might appear in the future."
Fleeting Shadow was easy enough to understand too. The avatars appeared and vanished like shadows that passed in an instant. Yet no one could have imagined that Su Lin's words held another meaning.
"To this world, I truly am a fleeting phantom. Which of you knows that I didn't even exist in this world a few months ago?"
Indeed... That fact was a little horrifying once one thought about it.
The system had deceived the entire world. The person before your eyes had existed for less than half a year, yet your mind automatically filled in evidence of their past existence.
No one noticed anything wrong. There was someone who had been forcibly inserted into this world.
Once the naming was over, the sky outside had darkened as though a torrential downpour was about to begin.
Shota Aizawa picked up a stack of documents. "Since everyone has decided on their Hero Names, our focus will return to the Work-Study Program. It will last one week. As for the locations, I'll send the list to those who received applications, and you can choose from it yourselves. As for those who did not receive applications, the school has commissioned forty agencies around the country to take you in. You can choose one from among them."
How Misunderstandings Begin
The list was passed to Su Lin. It was filled with the names of those who had invited him. He gave it a brief scan before quickly making his decision.
"Hosui City."
The Hero Killer incident!
Stain, who continuously hunted down "fake" heroes in the name of correcting society, had committed crimes in Hosui City time and time again. Tenya Iida's older brother, Ingenium, had been seriously injured in Stain's latest hunt and was currently hospitalized.
Two days ago, Iida had asked for leave and gone home early precisely to visit his brother. At the same time, he had become filled with hatred for Stain and intended to avenge his brother.
"Setting everything else aside, Stain himself is highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Combined with his blood-curdling ability, he's defeated who knows how many heroes with powerful Quirks. He's perfect as a training opponent."
After making his decision, Su Lin directly ruled out ninety-nine percent of the invitations on the list.
His gaze moved over the remaining words and quickly landed on a familiar name: Endeavor.
"Pfft, goodbye."
Who knew what the hell this guy was planning? Shouldn't he only be looking for his son, Shoto Todoroki? Why was he dragging me into this? Don't tell me he has some terrifying Quirk marriage idea.
It felt like someone like Endeavor might seek out a powerful spouse for Shoto Todoroki to produce even stronger descendants. More terrifyingly, he might even be looking for a match for Su Lin himself.
That guy's obsession with surpassing All Might ran incredibly deep. He was capable of anything for that goal, so Su Lin felt it was better to stay away from him.
"Then there's only one choice."
There was nothing else to consider. He chose the Pro Hero: Manual.
He would go to the same place as Tenya Iida, then face the Hero Killer together with him.
After everyone handed in their forms, it was soon time to eat.
Su Lin first went to an empty rooftop and summoned Sister Doma, letting her pass the time there. Then he transformed into Yukino and headed to the school cafeteria.
She felt around in her pocket. It was completely empty.
"I'm broke again."
How exactly had all her money disappeared? It felt like she had barely spent any at all.
Her gaze swept around, and Yukino's eyes naturally settled on Midoriya.
"Midoriya."
Before you continue