"Saitama?"
"Oh? You know me? Looks like I'm somewhat famous after all."
Saitama's eyes lit up, and a delighted smile appeared on his face.
At this point, Saitama had yet to meet Genos, much less join the Hero Association. He was simply an unknown hero acting on his own out of personal interest.
"I might be the only one who knows about you. Do you want to join the Hero Association when you have time?"
Wu Di coaxed him patiently, but before Saitama could answer, a massive shadow engulfed him.
"Oh no!"
Wu Di's heart sank when he saw Super Mouse actually launch a sneak attack on Saitama.
With a bang, Super Mouse's body turned directly into a cloud of blood mist. Saitama's single punch left not even scraps behind.
"My Talent Points!"
Wu Di felt as though his heart were bleeding. The trial card's duration had also expired, making this trip a complete waste.
"The Hero Association's benefits are pretty good. When you have time, go take the association's test."
Wu Di shook his head helplessly. Still, it was not a bad idea to bring Saitama into the Hero Association early. After all, KING's current status and strength had only come from stealing Saitama's accomplishments.
"You have to take a test to become a hero?"
Saitama tilted his head in confusion.
"Yeah. Otherwise, if you just become a hero with nothing but passion, no one will ever know about you."
"I see. That explains it. I've killed so many monsters; logically, I should at least have something like a fan club by now."
Saitama suddenly understood. He often saw heroes being reported on television and regularly spotted figures of other heroes in stores, which made him deeply envious.
"What's your name?"
"My name is... Wu Di. Like you, I work as a hero out of personal interest."
Wu Di paused, deciding to meet Saitama under his new identity. KING was simply too famous, and until he was truly strong enough to stand on his own, he did not want to reveal who he really was.
"So that's how it is. I didn't expect you to be an amateur hero too. In that case, let's go get certified by the Hero Association together."
Saitama was overjoyed. There was actually someone else in this world who treated being a hero as a hobby just like he did. His opinion of Wu Di immediately rose, and he promptly extended an invitation.
"Sure. I live in City M. There's a Hero Association ranking test in a couple of days, so I'll let you know then."
Although he had wasted a trial card on this trip, being able to befriend Saitama made it all worthwhile.
The two exchanged phone numbers and parted ways happily.
"Monster Association, just wait. One day, I'll wipe every last one of you out openly and honorably as a hero."
A cold glint flashed in Wu Di's eyes. To him, the Monster Association was only the beginning. Far more terrifying enemies, such as God, awaited him later.
"Ding~ Congratulations, host, for assisting in the defeat of a Peak Demon-level monster. Reward: 500 Talent Points. You have obtained one trial card."
"Great! I didn't expect that to earn a reward too."
Wu Di was ecstatic. He had always thought rewards could only be obtained by killing monsters alone. He had not expected assists to count as well. That would make earning Talent Points much easier in the future.
"As expected of the Monster Association. Even a casually deployed monster is at Peak Demon-level."
Wu Di now realized just how powerful the Monster Association was. He possessed multiple S-Class Talents; if it had been another lower-ranked S-Class Hero, they might not even have been Super Mouse's match.
"What kind of trial card is it this time?"
Wu Di opened the trial card eagerly. He did not ask for much, as long as it was not Sexy Prisoner again. Other than his mask, he was currently wearing only a pair of briefs, desperately protecting the last of his dignity.
"Ding~ You have obtained one B-Class Rank 1 Fubuki Talent Skill trial card. Duration: thirty minutes. Valid for one week."
"Fubuki Talent: Psychic Powers (wind control). Skill: Hell Storm. Talent growth: 50%."
"Fantastic! It's Fubuki's Psychic Powers!"
Wu Di's eyes shone brightly. Fubuki and Tatsumaki were famously known as the Hero Association's sister duo.
Although Fubuki's Psychic Powers were inherently below her older sister Tatsumaki's, their power was still not to be underestimated.
"Talent growth of fifty percent?"
Wu Di sharply noticed that this trial card seemed somewhat different. Sexy Prisoner's Talent Skill had measured combat power by the degree of exposure, but Fubuki's Talent actually came with a certain amount of Talent growth.
"Tch, how stingy. If you're giving it to me, why not give me full points? Just fifty percent—who are you looking down on?"
Wu Di muttered in dissatisfaction. After all, Fubuki's performance in the original story had not been especially impressive. Compared to other heroes, she had even seemed somewhat burdensome. Still, her mature figure had made her quite popular.
"Based on the ranking system, Fubuki can currently exert roughly ten percent of her Talent Skill's power."
For once, the Talent System actually retorted to Wu Di, and he immediately understood.
"No wonder her strength is so much weaker than Tatsumaki's, even though they both use Psychic Powers!"
Wu Di was now quite eager to try the trial card in his hand. Fubuki's strength had always hovered between Demon-level Monsters and Dragon-level monsters.
Her combat power relied entirely on wind-controlling Psychic Powers. The trial card came with fifty percent built in, making it five times stronger than Fubuki herself. At that level, it was probably enough to contend with a Dragon-level monster.
"This trip's haul wasn't bad. Time to go home!"
Wu Di happily returned home, took off his mask, and stared at the face in the mirror, marked by three terrifying scars.
"Just wait. Before long, I'll appear before the world with my head held high as the true Strongest on Earth!"
Two days later, Wu Di packed his things, put on his mask, and set off for the Hero Association headquarters in City A.
Since he had already spoken with Saitama over the phone, the two decided to meet directly in City A.
"The weather is really nice today."
Wu Di leisurely pedaled his bicycle toward downtown City A, but the rumbling sounds coming from the city caught his attention.
Above City A, a blue humanoid monster gathered dozens of energy spheres in its hands and bombarded the city's buildings madly, causing massive explosions everywhere.
"Run! It's a monster!"
"Damn it, isn't the Hero Association headquarters in City A? What the hell are they doing? Heroes! Where are the heroes?!"
Buzz, buzz, buzz—alarms blared continuously from the Hero Association headquarters, leaving Jace and the others frantic.
"Have the heroes been notified?"
"Flashy Flash and Smile Man have already been notified and sent over. We're still confirming the monster's threat level."
"I hope it's not too late."
Jace frowned deeply. City A housed the Hero Association headquarters. If the monster caused widespread destruction here, it would severely damage the association's reputation.
Unfortunately, they did not know that A-Class Rank 19 Max Flash and A-Class Rank 27 Smile Man had already collapsed unconscious amid the ruins.
Before you continue