Edgy Student and Snip'n'Clip were still groggy after being rescued. Their limbs twitched weakly as they tried to regain awareness, but it was clear it'd be a while before either of them was back on their feet.
"Keep an eye on them," Shinji said to Pointhead Man, his tone calm but commanding.
"Oh, uh... I will, but—" Before Pointhead Man could finish his sentence, Shinji vanished.
Gone, just like that.
Pointhead Man blinked, glancing around in confusion, then spotted him again. Shinji was now standing exactly where the monster had been just seconds ago.
"?!"
His eyes widened in disbelief. The Tiger-level monster was gone. More than gone, it had been decapitated, its massive head lying at Shinji's feet, separated cleanly from the body.
Yeah, Flying Thunder God was simply too fast.
Shinji had teleported directly to the mark he'd placed on Rose Hound's head and, in one fluid motion, slashed through its neck with the Scarlet Night Blade. There had been no resistance, no reaction from the monster.
One teleport, one clean strike, it was over.
[Alert! Host has defeated the Tiger-level monster "Rose Hound." Reward: 15 points!]
Apparently, this particular monster had been stronger than average. Shinji rembered the last Tiger-level opponent he took down had only rewarded 10 points. Rose Hound had been tougher, a solid 15 points' worth of threat.
That made sense. Tiger-level monsters weren't uniform. They had their own internal hierarchy, Low, Mid, High, and Peak Tiger. The gap between the lowest and highest could be as wide as the gap between two whole threat classes. Rose Hound was likely a Mid-Tiger at the very least.
(AN: Please bear with this cliché leveling system.)
With the fight over, Shinji casually warped back to Pointhead Man, still holding the severed head.
"They should be fine. Just a little dazed from when you slamd them." He gave a quick nod toward the unconscious duo, then disappeared again without waiting for a response.
Pointhead Man was left alone, stunned. He stared at the spot where Shinji had been just monts ago, still holding his warhamr like he didn't know what to do with it anymore.
Who the hell was that guy?
An A-Class hero?
Maybe... even S-Class?
He had just watched a Tiger-level monster get taken out in less than a second. The monster hadn't even had ti to roar. It was just alive one mont, and then its head was on the ground the next.
Sure, B-Class heroes were capable of defeating Tiger-level threats solo. That was why the rule of "1 Tiger = 5 B-Class" was only a general guideline. There were exceptions. Stronger heroes, smarter tactics. But to finish it that fast? Without even breaking a sweat?
That wasn't normal.
Even B-Class Rank 1, Blizzard of Hell, might not have made it look that effortless.
Pointhead Man didn't have the ti or energy to start guessing at Shinji's identity. His teammates were still unconscious. Once they ca to, they were probably going to bla him for the failed assault and the hamr blow that nearly got them eaten.
Well, ti for more work.
In the blink of an eye, Shinji returned to the Z-City Branch, still carrying Rose Hound's severed head. He had previously left a Flying Thunder God mark at this location, allowing him to warp back instantly.
Unexpectedly, the head in his hands suddenly spoke.
"Hold on a sec. Could you maybe... bring my body too?"
"Huh? You're not dead yet?" Shinji raised an eyebrow.
"My head can survive for a while even without the body, but... I won't last forever. I don't wanna die..." Rose Hound's voice was oddly sincere, filled with a genuine will to live.
"Fine. If you behave, I won't kill you." Without hesitation, Shinji teleported back to City Y, retrieved the rest of the monster's body, then instantly returned to the Z-City Branch again.
"Thanks," Rose Hound muttered with surprising gratitude.
Shinji casually handed over the monster, head reattached, to the review officer on duty. However, he would be surprising a lot more people.
The review officer's face instantly went pale. "Y-you brought a living monster in here?!"
"No worries, it's behaving. Look, here, shake hands." Shinji gripped the creature's paw like he was introducing a pet.
For the sake of survival, Rose Hound obediently lifted one front paw and shook Shinji's hand without protest.
"...I-I will believe in you..." Seeing this strange display of cooperation, the review officer hesitated, then sighed. She wasn't entirely convinced, though.
"Just to be safe, Mr. Shinji, I hope you'll personally escort this monster to the underground prison."
"It's fine, really," Rose Hound interjected helpfully. "My head just got chopped off a while ago. It hasn't healed yet. If soone taps on the skull, it might fall off again."
To demonstrate, the monster lightly flicked its own head with a paw. The head tilted alarmingly and had to be manually adjusted back into place.
"Ha... haha..."
The review officer's laugh was a bit dry and awkward, showing she wasn't quite reassured.
Eventually, she ordered the staff to separate the head and body again before hauling Rose Hound down to the underground holding facility, just in case.
---
With another Tiger-level threat taken down, Shinji's B-Class ranking had improved. He was no longer dead last. His rank had risen from 101 to 56.
It wasn't an astronomical leap, but in the competitive field of hero rankings, it was a major climb.
Most B-Class heroes weren't capable of defeating Tiger-level monsters solo. The benchmark usually required teams or backup. So for Shinji to handle one by himself, as a newcor, ant he'd already surpassed half the B-Class roster in terms of real contributions.
In contrast, Saitama's rank remained stagnant.
That was mostly his own doing, he almost never reported any of his monster takedowns. During the three years he fought monsters before joining the Association, not one was officially registered under his na. Most of those victories had accidentally been credited to King, who had passively climbed his way to S-Class Rank 7 thanks to sheer coincidence and an overwhelming aura.
Even now, after joining the Association, Saitama didn't bother chasing recognition. When he defeated Boros, the Association hadn't even realized it had happened.
Shinji, however, reported everything for his end.
He didn't ss around when it ca to claiming system rewards. He might joke, tease, or act casual, but when it ca to progress, he was all business. After all, just by moving up to B-Class, he'd received 10 points and the Flying Thunder God Technique, an S-Class space-ti ninjutsu.
Who knew what kind of bonus he might get when he reached A-Class? Or S-Class?
---
For now, Shinji didn't leave the Hero Association building. He remained in the lobby, checking the digital Hero Registry for ranking updates and recent activity.
Just then, he heard soone call out behind him.
"You must be that Shinji guy who just got promoted to B-Class, right? I heard you took down another Tiger-level today. That's insane, doesn't sound like a newbie at all."
"Yeah, and you even taught Tanktop Black Hole and Tanktop Tiger a lesson. That's so scary strength, man."
Shinji turned and saw two unfamiliar heroes approaching him.
"I'm Shinji," he replied calmly with a polite nod.
"Shinji, huh? That your real na? Guess you don't have a hero alias yet, but it makes sense; you're new." One of them stepped closer and lowered his voice slightly.
"Since we ran into you, here's a bit of advice. New B-Class heroes should always pay a visit to B-Class Rank 1, Blizzard of Hell. Otherwise... that woman might make things difficult."
===
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