Ranked S-Class

The next day arrived.

Bai Ye and Saitama both got up early.

They had agreed to head to the Hero Certification Exam venue that morning.

The Hero Association's Z branch and the exam venue were in different locations, so anyone taking the exam had to come to this dedicated testing site.

Naturally, Bai Ye and Saitama walked there. Saitama couldn't be bothered to fly, and Bai Ye didn't want to show off Dual Kamui or the Flying Thunder God Technique in front of him.

On the way, Bai Ye explained the exam rules to Saitama. "The Hero Certification Exam has two parts: a written test and a physical test. The maximum score is 100, and if you pass the cutoff of 70, you can become a professional hero."

"So basically, I just need 70 points, right?"

Saitama nodded.

"That's enough to pass, but the higher your score, the better. Professional heroes are divided into ranks too: C-Class, B-Class, A-Class, and S-Class. S-Class is the highest, and C-Class is the lowest."

Bai Ye explained, "For example, if you score 100 on this exam, you can become an S-Class Hero right away. Compared to a C-Class Hero who scored 70, you'll definitely attract more attention and become famous immediately."

"Oh, okay. I'll try to get a higher score, then."

Saitama looked completely casual, as though he didn't think getting a high score would be difficult.

Although he had no particular interest in being a C-Class or S-Class Hero, he had come here hoping to become better known.

According to Bai Ye, the higher the rank he received in the initial exam, the better, so he planned to aim for a high score.

"There's not much to say about the physical test, but the written test deserves some attention."

Bai Ye cautioned him, "Let me give you a sample question first. Say you encounter a monster stronger than you on a busy street. What do you think you should do?"

The written questions changed with each exam, so this didn't count as helping Saitama cheat at all.

Then again, the Hero Association's written questions really were simple. Even if the questions changed, they were basically all the same type.

Genos had also said that getting full marks on the written test was perfectly normal. Only Saitama could manage to score just 21 on a test like that...

Of those points, only one was for his "sense of justice." The other 20 were probably a guaranteed minimum. After all, an answer like "just cut it down" couldn't be called completely wrong.

"Just cut it down."

Saitama answered decisively, wearing an innocently clueless smile.

"..."

Bai Ye fell silent at once. Sure enough, that's exactly how Saitama would answer.

"Well? Is that the right answer?"

Saitama asked with considerable confidence.

After all, for him personally, it really was the perfect answer.

"Wrong."

Bai Ye shook his head.

"Huh? Then what's the right answer?"

Saitama immediately looked confused.

"Put it this way: you might be very strong, Saitama, but you have to consider that this exam is for the general public. Not everyone can be strong, right?"

Bai Ye patiently explained, "So you need to think about this question from a weak person's perspective."

"A weak person's perspective..."

That stumped Saitama a little.

Still, he hadn't always been this strong. He had been bullied as a student, back when he was weak.

It was precisely because he had been weak that he later wanted to grow stronger.

Then he went bald and became invincible...

Recalling his former, weaker self, Saitama carefully considered how to answer the question.

"From a weak person's perspective, I should try to hold that powerful monster off as long as possible to buy the ordinary people nearby time to evacuate, right?"

Saitama sounded uncertain, and his face had shifted into a "serious art style," showing that he was giving the question some real thought.

"Now you've got it."

Bai Ye nodded.

"Oh, so it's still pretty simple. I just have to think in a more roundabout way."

Saitama returned to his clueless expression. "Fine. As long as I can get a high score, I'll answer the questions in that roundabout way."

"That works. You should be pretty much set, then."

Bai Ye said.

Saitama was guaranteed to get full marks on the physical test. All that remained was to see how he performed on the written portion.

Hero Certification Exam Special Venue No. 6 was the testing site for Z City.

By now, Saitama had entered the exam venue.

There were plenty of other people around him taking the Hero Certification Exam that day, dressed in all sorts of bizarre outfits.

Since Bai Ye was already listed on the Hero Roster, he was allowed to watch the exam from the stands, though he certainly wasn't permitted to interfere.

The written portion came first. There were only a few questions, and Saitama took them very seriously.

Thanks to Bai Ye's advance warning, he answered every question with the roundabout mindset of a weak person, rather than thinking about ending everything with one punch.

As long as he thought that way, the questions in the written portion were practically free points.

Once the written portion ended, the physical test began...

"Next event! Side-to-side jumps for 30 seconds!"

"Begin!"

At that moment, Saitama's face shifted into its serious art style again as he began jumping from side to side.

They weren't Serious Series side-to-side jumps, but even so, he produced multiple afterimages. His speed left the other examinees lined up behind him gaping.

"Next event, the 1,500-meter run!"

"Next event, weightlifting!"

"Next event, standing vertical jump!"

Saitama passed every event with ease.

In the 1,500-meter run, he broke the venue's record outright. In weightlifting, he reached the maximum weight the bar could withstand. In the standing vertical jump, his head punched straight through the ceiling.

And Saitama treated the whole thing like a game. Not a single event could make him get serious.

Everyone else there was drenched in sweat by then. Their own performances felt embarrassing by comparison, and some even wanted to give up on the exam altogether.

Bai Ye was the only person there whose expression remained calm throughout.

After the exam ended, Bai Ye and Saitama met up in the waiting room.

Saitama had worn only his underwear during the physical test, but he had now put his clothes back on.

"Looks like we can collect our results here in an hour. Let's wait here for a bit."

Saitama said.

"How did it feel?"

Bai Ye asked.

"Too easy. I was only a little unsure about the written test, but that should be fine too."

Saitama looked both relaxed and confident.

An hour later.

Saitama received his score sheet.

"Oh! 100 points. That should be full marks, right?"

Saitama exclaimed as he looked at the score sheet in his hands.

It also read, [Mr. Saitama, following the Hero Association examination, you have been certified as an S-Class Hero. We look forward to your future hero activities.]

[Ding! The host has helped Saitama attain an S-Class Hero ranking. Rewards received: 10 points, Body Flicker Technique!]

Put simply, Bai Ye was the MVP of this placement match, while Saitama got carried to victory!