The day of the license exam has arrived
The Takoba National Stadium was mind-bogglingly massive.
A towering metal structure surrounded by multiple entrances, pumping streams of students in their various costumes and badges every second. Hundreds upon hundreds, from every corner of the country, gathered in a single arena on a single day. The noise was like the sound of the ocean just before a storm, loud but charged with something underneath.
When the students of Class 1-A stepped off the bus, all eyes turned to them before their feet even hit the ground.
Faint but heavy whispers surrounded them from every side. The word "U.A." echoed on the lips of people they did not know. Some looks carried faint admiration, while others carried something much sharper.
The students all stood in front of Aizawa, with the buses behind them.
In the back, Zoro was holding the box of his new suit. His face bore a silent yearning, the kind of anticipation that needed no words or declarations. For the first time since setting foot in this world, he had something fitting for the place he was about to enter.
Jiro crossed her arms and said in a quieter voice than usual, "I am so nervous."
"Me too," Mina replied. "I wonder what we will have to do in there."
Midoriya was looking around, mesmerized by the sheer scale of the arena and the number of faces.
Kirishima intertwined his fingers, standing next to Bakugo. "Let us see what we will face in this exam."
Bakugo said nothing.
On another side, Mineta stood with a pale face and a sweating forehead. "I wonder if I can even get the provisional license."
Aizawa took a step forward, his eyes scanning the row. "If you manage to pass this exam and obtain your provisional licenses..."
He paused.
"Then you fertilized eggs will become chicks. You will hatch to become semi-pros. Do your best."
The students all shouted, "Yes, we will become just that!"
Kirishima tried to break the suffocating tension, raising his hand high in a firm, mechanical motion. "Alright, guys! Do not let this pressure get to you. On the count of three, our usual cheer! One... two... three... Plus..."
"Ultra!!"
A roaring, overly enthusiastic voice interrupted Iida from behind. A massive student wearing a Shiketsu High hat suddenly rushed into the middle of their circle, throwing his arms wide to share their cheer with all his might.
"Plus Ultra!!"
Everyone was taken aback. Kirishima turned around to see what that was.
On another side, Zoro stood with his arms crossed, watching the scene with evaluating eyes that showed no surprise.
Then the massive student looked around and said, "Wait, where is that swordsman? I do not see him here! He is in your class, Class 1-A, right?"
A complete silence fell over the U.A. students.
Zoro stood looking at him with deadly coldness. "What does this moron want from me?"
Then Zoro moved forward in his direction.
Meanwhile, the Shiketsu High students stepped forward with pale faces toward the massive student. One of them shouted in an angry and embarrassed tone, "Inasa! What is wrong with you? Why are you crashing their ranks like this? You are embarrassing us!"
With a sudden, violent movement, the massive student bowed sharply forward until his forehead smashed into the concrete floor with a resounding thud.
"Please forgive my rude intrusion!!" the young man shouted, his forehead still glued to the ground. "I am Inasa Yoarashi from Shiketsu Academy! I just wanted to share your burning passion, but..."
Inasa lifted his head, blood trickling from his forehead, and moved forward until he was face to face with Zoro. He looked at him with a wild smile full of respect. "Oh, you are here! You swordsman, you have a terrifying aura and killing intent. I wanted to know the secret behind your strength!"
Zoro's expression did not change. He raised an eyebrow slightly and spoke in a dry, indifferent tone. "You are annoying. And you are bleeding on my shoes."
"What is wrong with this bloody idiot?!" Bakugo yelled, jumping a step forward. "Are you looking to die before the exam even starts?!"
Aizawa stepped forward with his tired walk, his eyes narrowing in focus as he looked at the young man. "Inasa Yoarashi."
Mina and Uraraka turned to him in surprise. "Do you know him, Mr. Aizawa?" Kirishima asked curiously.
Aizawa sighed deeply and put his hands in his pockets. "How could I not. He is the student who secured first place with the highest marks in the recommended students exam this year."
The students exchanged shocked looks. But Aizawa continued in an even colder tone. "However, for some unknown reason, he withdrew his application and refused to enroll in U.A. Academy."
Midoriya's eyes widened in sheer shock, and his gaze instinctively drifted toward Todoroki, who stood silently watching Inasa with a complex look.
"First in the recommendation exam?" Midoriya thought rapidly, his mind connecting the facts. "He outperformed Todoroki-kun in that same exam... Then he refused to join us to go to Shiketsu? That means... he could be stronger than Todoroki! A first-year student possessing a beastly power that makes Zoro react to him with such intensity!"
Inasa wiped the blood from his forehead with a broad smile, then turned toward Zoro. "I am really looking forward to competing with you all inside!" he said enthusiastically.
He then turned around to return to the group of Shiketsu students who were watching the scene in a suspicious silence. He left the Class 1-A students in a state of shock, while the eyes of Seiji Shishikura from Shiketsu followed Zoro with a sharp, focused gaze and clear hatred.
The stadium's microphone crackled to life. "The exam will begin shortly. Please proceed inside."
While everyone watched him walk away, Zoro remained standing in his place, his eyes fixed on the massive gates of the Takoba arena. He said quietly, "Let us see what happens."
Everyone moved behind Aizawa toward the entrance. But before they could pass, something blocked their path.
Aizawa stopped when he saw a woman with light green hair and a wide smile approaching him with confident steps.
"Aizawa! Let's get married!" the woman shouted with a laugh.
"No." Aizawa replied coldly without blinking an eye.
"Ms. Joke!" Midoriya cried out with genuine joy, his eyes widening. "The Pro Hero, the Smile Hero! I am a huge fan of her fighting style through laughter! I did not expect to see her here!"
Ms. Joke laughed with clear relief. "Wow, a cute little fan." Then she lowered her voice slightly and looked toward Aizawa. "But seriously, your students look different this year. Especially that boy." She motioned with her eyes toward Zoro. "His presence does not feel like a student. It feels like someone who has lived through a hundred battles."
Aizawa did not reply, but he glanced at Zoro and said to himself, "You will find out why soon enough."
Then Aizawa spoke in a flat, characteristically slow tone, "Since you are here, that means..."
"Yes, that is right!" Ms. Joke interrupted with a smile, turning back and calling out. "Come over here, everyone! It is U.A.!"
Like a bird's call summoning its flock, a group of students wearing uniforms different from U.A.'s approached from behind. Mixed faces, some carrying curiosity and others carrying quiet confidence.
Ms. Joke stood next to Aizawa and introduced her students warmly. "Ketsubutsu Academy, Class 2. Second-year students. They have a whole year of experience over you, but do not be afraid, they are nice."
The students exchanged glances. Second-year students.
Before they could process the information, the group began to mingle.
A girl with blonde twin braids walked straight toward Midoriya with confident steps, a look of genuine admiration in her eyes. "You are Izuku Midoriya from 1-A, right? I saw you at the sports festival. The way you fought Todoroki, I never expected a first-year student to act like that."
Midoriya blushed instantly. "Uh... thank you so much! You were there?"
"Everyone was there," she said simply. Then she added, leaning slightly toward him, "But just between us, the competition this year will be much harder than you imagine."
At the same time, a tall student with calm, narrow eyes stood silently in front of Todoroki. He said nothing. He just nodded slowly, as if acknowledging something without words. Todoroki looked at him with the same calmness and nodded back in the exact same way.
"The power of ice and fire at the same time," the student finally said. "We will see how you use it in the exam."
"Yes," Todoroki replied. "We will see."
Over by Bakugo, a student with narrow eyes and a smile exuding confidence approached. "Controlled explosions. I saw the recordings of your sports festival. Your method of releasing energy is interesting." He paused. "And I believe I have just the thing to stop it."
Bakugo glared at him with entirely cold red eyes. "Try it."
The student did not back down, but calmly turned his body and returned to his group.
As for Zoro, two people approached him. The first was a short-haired student with a clearly evaluative look. The second was a girl holding a small notebook, looking as though she wanted to write something down.
The student said simply, "The Three Swords. We heard about that after the recent incidents. Can you really use all three at the same time?"
Zoro looked at him. "Yes."
The student fell silent for a second. "Alright. I hope we do not meet in the first phase."
"I hope for the exact opposite," Zoro said with the same simplicity.
The student swallowed hard and retreated.
The girl holding the notebook looked at Zoro, then at his swords, then back at Zoro. She closed the notebook in silence and followed her classmate.
Aizawa interrupted the scene in his usual manner, with a single word in a tone that brokered no argument. "Enough. Do not waste time. Head inside."
The inner hall was completely different from what any of them had imagined.
One thousand five hundred and forty students in one place. That was what Midoriya read on the electronic screen above the entrance as he passed underneath it. The seats stretched to dimensions that made an individual feel like a drop in an ocean of dots. Groups clustered, looks intersected, and the noise piled up layer upon layer.
On the stage stood a man in a dark suit, his eyes carrying the fatigue that comes from repeating the same thing a hundred times. He did not look enthusiastic. He did not even look fully awake.
"Hello," he began in a flat voice. "I am Mera from the Hero Public Safety Commission. I will explain the mechanics of this exam to you."
He explained the phases in the tone of someone reading a grocery list. The first phase is competitive field combat. The second phase involves simulated rescue scenarios. The rules. The allowed equipment. The restricted areas.
The students listened with varying degrees of focus. Midoriya took notes. Bakugo remained silent with an unreadable face. Todoroki watched the screen. Zoro watched the people.
Then came the final clause.
"The passing rate for this exam," Mera said with the same tired tone. "Out of the one thousand five hundred and forty students in this room, only one hundred will pass the first phase."
Silence.
Then, uproar.
One hundred out of one thousand five hundred and forty. Less than seven percent.
Midoriya stood in place, his eyes calculating the number over and over. One hundred. Out of this entire hall. That meant most of the people in this place would go home without a license. It meant the odds against any single person were overwhelmingly crushing. It meant...
Bakugo clicked his tongue in silence. And for the first time since entering the arena, his red eyes narrowed slightly. One hundred seats. He wanted one of them. Just one.
Todoroki's face did not change, but his neck turned slightly toward Bakugo, then toward Zoro, as if measuring something in the air.
And Zoro raised the right corner of his lip barely an inch, saying with a faint smile, "This is starting to excite me even more."
Mera cleared his throat to regain everyone's attention, adding in a bored tone while waving a small ball and a circular target. "Regarding the passing condition for the first phase, each of you will be provided with three targets and six balls. You must attach the three targets to exposed areas of your bodies. The goal of the exam is to use the balls to hit the targets of other participants. Anyone whose three targets are hit is eliminated, and anyone who successfully eliminates two people advances immediately to the next phase."
"The exam will begin in two minutes," Mera announced as he gathered his papers. "Proceed to the starting points assigned to your academies."
Before anyone moved, Zoro stood firmly in his hero costume. The black fabric of the kimono draped quietly over his shoulders, and the wide sleeves fell perfectly into place. The deep crimson haramaki held the three swords tightly against his right hip, as though they were an extension of his body rather than an addition.
For the first time, Roronoa Zoro stood looking exactly as he always had.
He looked toward the massive gates that slowly began to open.
"It is time."
.
.
For Advanced Chapters:
Chapter 112: The Swordsman Who
Stopped the Chaos
Available now
Pat re on is one of the biggest way to help your author to write more and also to get advanced chapters;
Pat re on.com/AZTh
Apple users should subscribe through the website, not the app, because the app costs about five extra dollars due to Apple's fees. That's why I strongly recommend using the web version.