Witch Special

Normally speaking, with the strength that Saitama had previously demonstrated that was completely beyond the standard, even if he was not rated S-level for various reasons, he would never be rated as the lowest level, C-level.

What does C-rank correspond to? It's a wolf-level monster, or what's known as a "dangerous element." Even an ant you step on on the side of a road in Saitama might be a wolf-level monster. After all, some ants can bite.

C-Class heroes are the lowest rank, just slightly stronger than regular humans. Their primary job is to punish thieves and hooligans. Whenever a strange creature appears, their greatest value is actually directing the evacuation of the masses. No one even expects C-Class heroes to buy time for the evacuation of ordinary people. After all, they are so weak that they barely even serve as cannon fodder.

Even a warrior like Hammer could be rated S-rank. In Lin Zhenxi's opinion, S-rank shouldn't be difficult to achieve, at least not for Saitama. So when she saw Saitama was rated C-rank, and even at the bottom of the C-rank, she was completely confused.

Also, what kind of a name is "Bald Cape Man"? Whoever came up with it must be looking for a fight. Lin Zhenxi originally thought the hero name "Wild Hammer" was already unpleasant enough, but now it seems like the Hero Association is actually overdoing it.

Lin Zhenxi's confusion about why Saitama was given such a low score continued until the supervisor brought Saitama's written test paper. Looking at the crappy handwriting Saitama wrote during the written test and the scarlet crosses next to each question, Lin Zhenxi finally understood what the problem was with this guy.

To become a registered hero, one must bravely stand up and fight monsters whenever they appear, even if the monsters are far more powerful than oneself. Therefore, being a registered hero is a very dangerous profession, and long-term success requires exceptional skills. However, the most fundamental principle of a registered hero is to protect humanity from monsters, and this is the most basic bottom line when evaluating heroes. Only by upholding this bottom line of "protecting humanity" can all other things follow.

This was a process-based thing. As long as you did your best to show your willingness to protect humanity during the written test, you would generally get a good score. If you also had a little understanding of tactical command, getting a perfect score wouldn't be surprising.

Even the creator of the question probably didn't expect someone as stubborn as Saitama to take the Registered Hero exam. [Suddenly, a monster threat appears. Five civilians are behind you. What do you do?] A typical person's answer would be "Protect the civilians and retreat" or "Block the monsters to buy time for them to evacuate." This is also the correct answer, but Saitama's answer is "Punch the monster."

Well, the reality is that Saitama punches the monster and the monster disappears, and the crisis is naturally resolved. But the standard answer is not like this. Saitama's answer is not only ugly, but also has nothing to do with the correct answer. He won't even get a grade!

The written exam tested a registered hero's tactical proficiency and personal awareness, so the questions were simple yet tactful. However, none of the "dangers" mentioned on the exam struck Saitama as a threat. He resolved any situation with a single punch, so his exam was almost entirely filled with "punch the monster that gets in the way," "punch the collapsing building," "punch the collapsing mountain," and "punch the raging flood." These were all outrageous answers that, while true, would have been marked red crosses by the examiner. In short, aside from his opening oath to protect humanity, Saitama didn't score a single point on the entire exam.

No wonder Saitama is at the bottom of Class C. His written test score is not even passing. If the Hero Association had not given him the green light considering his strong strength and not wanting him to be buried, he would not have passed the assessment at all.

Allowing him to pass was already a special approval, so of course he couldn't be given a high ranking, so it was only natural that he was ranked 399th in the C-Class, the bottom of the bottom. Anyway, the ranking can be moved up, and I believe that with Saitama's strength, as long as he shows more activeness, he should be able to stand out soon.

After all, Hayashi Maki was a potential VIP of the Hero Association. As long as they could please her and open their wallets, the Z City Hero Association's performance this year would likely soar. So, after noticing Hayashi Maki's particular interest in the exceptionally powerful "Bald Cape Man," the uniformed freak couldn't help but offer a few thoughts on Saitama, hoping to dispel Hayashi's concerns about Saitama's disappointing performance.

"No matter what, the heroes' top priority is to protect the safety of citizens. So when encountering monster attacks, protecting civilians takes priority over eliminating the monsters. If civilians die in an attack, even if the monsters are eliminated in the end, the operation will be a failure. Even if we don't punish the heroes for this, after all, they are fighting the monsters with all their might. As people sitting in the rear, we have no right to say anything about them, but we won't commend their actions either. They are heroes only when they protect civilians. If they only defeat the monsters but fail to protect civilians, then they are just warriors fighting monsters."

"From Saitama's test paper, we see a maniac who knows only to wield his fists and unleash his violence. He is indeed strong, perhaps even unrivaled in the entire world, but without a heart that protects civilians, he is ultimately not a hero. We have included him in the hero team because of his fighting ability, but we cannot directly grant him too much honor and power based on his fighting ability. If he wants to become a hero respected by the association and known by the public, he must show more faith in saving people in times of crisis, rather than just blindly swinging his fists."

"After all, in many cases, waving fists alone cannot solve the problem."

After saying this, the uniformed freak pushed his glasses and turned away. Although Saitama's level rating was not high, his combat power was indeed exceptional. He still needed to report the special situation that had occurred here to his superiors. He was a newcomer who needed special attention and guidance.

Lin Zhenxi folded the copy of Saitama's written test paper a few times, pinched it on the tip of her finger, lit a cold blue fire and burned it to ashes, then went downstairs and prepared to find Saitama to ask him what he thought.

As for what the uniformed freak said earlier, because of a different perspective, Hayashi Maki found it both hilarious and pathetic. Saitama had been an anonymous hero for three years. Three years. No fame, no salary or allowances, barely surviving on unemployment benefits, living in the lowest-rent apartment far from the city, snatching discounted bento boxes from supermarkets far from home, rarely even having meat. He had no more than four sets of clothes at home, and his hero uniform was patched and darned. But even under such difficult circumstances, Saitama's heart to be a hero and help others remained undimmed. Compared to the glamorous, so-called popular heroes promoted by the Hero Association on their promotional posters, Saitama clearly more embodies the identity and definition of a "hero."

If people like this are questioned about their ability to be heroes, then there will be no one worthy of being a hero. The "justice" that Saitama upholds is the most appropriate interpretation of the word "hero".

Saitama clearly wrote the most correct answer for him, but because of others' misunderstanding, it became "irresponsible for the lives of citizens". No matter how Hayashi Maki thought about it, she felt it was unfair for him.

So now Lin Zhenxi was a little unsure about Saitama's feelings. He had come here excitedly to register a hero, but ended up only getting a ridiculous ranking of 399th in C-rank, the last of the last. With a result like that, anyone would be unhappy, right?

If it were someone else, they would be unhappy, but if Saitama was in a bad mood, something bad would happen.

Lin Zhenxi found Saitama standing on the side of the road in a daze at the gate of the Hero Association. His bald head reflected the sunlight, shining like a second sun.

Lin Zhenxi walked to Saitama's side, nudged his arm with his elbow, and asked, "Uncle, why do you look so unhappy? I saw that you passed the test, didn't you?"

"Ah, it's Xiaolin..." Saitama responded blankly, and then his mood became visibly depressed.

"Yes, I passed."

"It's good to pass, isn't it? Even if your ranking is low, you can still move up. With your strength, reaching S-rank shouldn't be a piece of cake." Lin Zhenxi said, and then produced a booklet issued by the Hero Association promoting the registration of heroes. She found the page about promotion channels, pointed to the dazzling array of promotion options and said, "Look, just defeat monsters to improve your rating, or protect civilians during disasters. These are all piece of cake for you, uncle."

There are actually many other provisions, such as conducting scientific research and expanding the scope of human activities. Almost anything that is beneficial to humanity is acceptable. However, Saitama seems to be good at nothing except fighting, so his development channels are relatively narrow.

"But, I can't change my hero name! The test paper only asked me to describe my characteristics in as few words as possible, but it didn't say that that would be my future hero name! 'Bald Cape Man'... hehehe." Saitama was completely autistic.

Well, it seems Saitama's unhappiness wasn't due to his low ranking, but rather to the fact that he accidentally filled in an awkward hero name. This was his own fault, though; there was a special reminder on the test paper, but Saitama apparently didn't notice.

Isn't it because he's dissatisfied with the test results, but just doesn't like his hero name? Lin Zhenxi guessed Saitama's tone and breathed a sigh of relief.

If it's just a small matter, a hot pot meal will solve it. If one meal doesn't work, then two meals will do. Saitama is also very easy to understand. As long as he's full, he forgets all his worries.