"All 100 slots have been filled! The first exam is officially over!"
As Iida and Aoyama returned to the lounge, Murayama Ryo's voice echoed through the broadcast system. The first round of the provisional license examination had officially ended.
What followed was the so-called final assessment.
"Muscang-senpai was eliminated?!"
Back at Shiketsu High, Yelan Inasa looked around in shock. The "Meat Warehouse" senior he admired so much had been knocked out.
"That guy always rushes in without thinking! He must've run into Igarashi Masata! Inasa, don't follow his example!"
A student with extremely thick hair covering most of his face spoke angrily. In his view, if their academy hadn't passed so many people, they would have been completely overshadowed by UA.
After more than half an hour of rest, Murayama Ryo's voice sounded again.
"Candidates who passed, please focus on the main screen."
The large display in the lounge lit up.
It showed footage of the examination site.
Everyone stared intently.
"Is it… another free-for-all?" Kirishima asked in confusion.
But the Hero Public Safety Commission would never design something so simple.
If the second round were just another brawl, it would be meaningless.
Suddenly—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of massive explosions erupted on the screen.
Hills collapsed.
Buildings crumbled.
Entire neighborhoods were reduced to rubble.
In just moments, the once magnificent testing ground became a wasteland.
"…That's insane."
Everyone was stunned.
The construction costs of these facilities were enormous. Because of confidentiality, everything had been built in a very short time, making it even more expensive.
These weren't empty shells, either.
They had furniture, streets, living quarters—everything built to match a real city.
Even in a society filled with construction-related Quirks, destroying something like this was shocking.
Masata couldn't help thinking about the giant robots from the entrance exam and sports festival. According to Yaoyorozu, each one cost over a hundred million yen.
Was that exaggerated—or did the government really invest that much into hero training?
Just as everyone wondered why the area had been destroyed, Murayama Ryo explained.
"Next is the final round of the exam. As bystanders, you will conduct a rescue operation in this disaster zone."
"Bystanders?" Kaminari muttered blankly.
Yaoyorozu sighed.
"They represent ordinary civilians who happen to be on the scene," she explained patiently.
"These are basics from class… but you probably weren't listening."
"Oh… like USJ, just on a bigger scale," Midoriya said.
Yaoyorozu nodded.
During their disaster-relief classes at USJ, they had already learned similar content. Even after the villain attack, those lessons continued, since rescue training carried very high credit value.
"From now on," Murayama Ryo continued, "you will act as licensed heroes. We will carefully evaluate your rescue operations in the disaster zone."
The camera zoomed in on the ruins.
"Wait… there are people inside?!" someone shouted.
"That's dangerous!"
On the screen, civilians were moving through the wreckage.
Many were elderly or children.
Their clothes were torn.
Some even had bloodstains.
"These are professionally trained disaster-response actors," Murayama Ryo explained.
"They are specialists from HELP-US Company—HUC for short."
With the rise of heroes, many new professions had emerged. Disaster-response actors like these underwent strict training, and their salaries were extremely high.
"They are now positioned throughout the test site as victims. Your task is to rescue them."
"We will evaluate your performance. Candidates who meet the required score will pass."
"The second round begins in ten minutes. Please prepare."
With that, the broadcast ended.
The lounge fell silent.
"It's… really hard to save people."
Masata frowned deeply.
This second round was his worst nightmare.
In combat, he was unstoppable.
With his destructive Quirk, he could dominate any battlefield—even All For One had been beaten by him.
But rescue?
His power was practically useless.
Could he melt collapsed buildings with magma?
Of course not.
That would only cause secondary disasters.
Worse, he had never paid much attention in rescue classes. He usually listened casually and relied on instinct during tests.
That might fool ordinary teachers, but it wouldn't fool professional HUC evaluators.
He had barely participated in real rescue work before.
Honestly, he had zero talent in this area.
"I'll just… brute-force clear debris. That should be enough, right?"
At least physical labor was his specialty.
He never lacked strength.
"Hey! Why are there kids in there?! Are they working to support their families already?!"
Kaminari suddenly shouted as if he had discovered a shocking secret.
"That's way too dangerous!" Kirishima agreed seriously.
Masata was speechless.
Did these two not know about makeup and acting?
With a bit of disguise, anyone could look younger.
Not to mention, there were plenty of strange Quirks in this world. A shrinking body wasn't unusual at all.
If these two walked down the street alone, they'd probably get scammed in five minutes.
"Ah—by the way, Igarashi Masata, please come backstage."
Suddenly, the broadcast turned on again.
Murayama Ryo's voice echoed through the room.
...
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