[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained one Talent Trial Card.]
'Forget it. Although the talent points are a bit low, at least there is an Experience Card.'
King thought to himself as he put on his mask and summoned the Talent Fusion System interface.
'System, check the Talent Trial Card.'
King was full of anticipation, the Talent Trial Cards dropped from killing monsters so far had all been very powerful.
[Ding! S-Class Rank 14 Genos, Talent: Energy Detection, Skill: Spiral Incineration Cannon, Validity: 1 Week, Usage: 24 hours.]
'Another S-Class!' King's eyes lit up.
However, since he had killed a Dragon-level monster this time, it was reasonable for an S-Class Talent Trial Card to drop.
'Genos's talent is quite practical. It can quickly detect a monster's energy reaction, and his strength is not bad either.' King nodded in satisfaction.
In the later stages, Genos underwent several upgrades and could even withstand attacks from peak Dragon-level threats. However, the drawback was that due to the limitations of his modifications, it was difficult for him to exert power beyond the capabilities of his mechanical body.
'It's about time. I should go meet up with Saitama.'
Just as King was preparing to leave, his whole body suddenly shuddered as he felt an extremely powerful pressure rushing toward him.
"What is this?!"
King lifted his head with difficulty and saw a little girl glowing with green light floating in the air above, looking down at him with arrogant eyes.
"S-Class Rank 2, Tatsumaki!" King gulped.
Aside from the long-vanished Blast and the invincible Saitama, Tatsumaki was currently the strongest combat force in the Hero Association. She was definitely capable of instantly killing a Dragon-level monster.
"Have you seen King?" Tatsumaki's proud and disdainful voice came through.
Cold sweat streamed down King's forehead, but fortunately, he was wearing a mask at the time, so he wasn't recognized.
In the original story, Tatsumaki was extremely disdainful of King's title as the strongest man on Earth, and it was obvious that she had come with ill intent this time.
"Is it King-san? He went that way just now."
King forced himself to stay calm and randomly pointed in a direction.
Tatsumaki prepared to leave upon hearing this, but then stopped.
"Who are you? Why are you here? Did you see King kill the monster?" A look of suspicion appeared in Tatsumaki's eyes.
According to intelligence, a Dragon-level monster had appeared here. Even if King was here to intercept it, the mere aftershocks of the battle would be enough to instantly kill an ordinary person. Moreover, this man had been wearing a mask from beginning to end, which couldn't help but arouse suspicion.
"Yes, I saw it. King-san took out the monster in one move, it was terrifying." A look of adoration appeared in King's eyes.
Tatsumaki's expression turned ugly. "It's just a mere Dragon-level monster. If I had taken action, I wouldn't have let it cause any destruction at all. Damn King, he always rushes to hog the limelight."
"Haha, that goes without saying. Compared to King, you are the supreme combat force of the Hero Association, the light of hope for all humanity." King immediately began to butter her up, otherwise she would probably cause even more trouble.
"Oh? You know me?"
"Of course. S-Class Rank 2, Tornado of Terror! Who doesn't know you? The strongest hero of humanity. In our city, even newborn babies know your name. I traveled all this way to participate in the Hero Association's test because of you. If one day I could fight alongside you, that would be the greatest honor of my life."
King immediately put on the look of a fanboy and lavished praise upon her, to the point that even Tatsumaki felt a bit embarrassed.
"Ahem! Since that's the case, you should work hard. I still have to go find King. If you encounter trouble in the future, just use my name."
Tatsumaki was very satisfied, and she didn't give King any more trouble, using her psychic powers to speed off into the distance.
"Alright. Take care, love you! My idol!"
Once Tatsumaki's figure had completely disappeared, King finally breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
'As expected of the S-Class Rank 2 Hero, this pressure is so strong.' King felt lingering fear.
As his strength gradually increased, his perception of powerful individuals had become increasingly sensitive. Even when facing the Dragon-level monster earlier, he hadn't felt such a suffocating sensation.
He knew that the current Tatsumaki could probably kill him in a single round. Even Undying Body couldn't ignore everything. If he encountered those powerhouses whose strength was far greater than his, he would likely be crushed into dust by them in an instant, before he even had time to recover.
'It's about time, I need to go see Saitama.'
King adjusted his mask, ensured that no one could recognize his identity, and headed straight toward the Hero Association headquarters.
Meanwhile, inside the conference room at the Hero Association headquarters, the association's high-level officials were gathered together to discuss.
"So you're saying that this time the disaster was once again handled by King, is that right?"
"Yes, and this time, it was preliminarily judged to be a Dragon-level disaster. Fortunately, King-san was nearby. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
"I heard that Tatsumaki also appeared and headed in King's direction. They won't come into conflict, will they?"
"Yes, but it seems King-san has already left A-City."
"Geez, why is it that the more powerful the hero, the more they act like problem children."
The group of high-level officials felt somewhat helpless regarding Tatsumaki. She was the strongest combat force currently in the Hero Association, but she often didn't listen to commands and preferred to act on her own.
"Then let's move to the next agenda item regarding the 55th Hero Assessment Test, which is about to begin."
"The total number of people participating in the test this time is 11,684, an increase of about 20% compared to the last session."
"Oh?"
Everyone's faces clearly showed joy upon hearing the data, but at this moment, a deep voice rang out.
"Don't be happy too soon. Although the number of participants is high, the quality of the heroes is low, and in the end, it is still meaningless. Therefore, the testing process must be even stricter, this is being responsible for their lives."
"Also, I heard that the person you reported on last time has also signed up to participate?"
"Yes, it's Dark Mask who killed many monsters in M-City. His information is also on the registration form this time."
Sitch looked at King's file, a contemplative expression on his face. These eyes felt somewhat familiar.
—
"The sixth examination hall... this is it!"
After meeting up with Saitama, King passed through the dense crowd and finally found their designated examination hall.
"Those participating in the test, please form two lines and proceed with the test in order."
The staff member's voice spread through the surroundings via the loudspeaker.
King and Saitama lined up at the very back of the queue.
"Do your best!" Saitama's face showed an excited expression, and he gave King a thumbs up.
"That goes without saying. King smiled slightly.
He knew that for the two of them, who didn't have any outstanding battle records, the results of this test probably wouldn't be that ideal.