City S, Whirlwind Dojo.
"Long time no see, brother."
Led by a dojo disciple, Bang, with his hands clasped behind his back, slowly walked into the reception room.
"I came over without notice. I hope I'm not disturbing your classes."
"It's fine. Today isn't an examination day."
Inside the reception room, an old man wearing a black martial arts uniform with a slender beard responded.
After Bang sat down opposite him, he picked up the teapot and poured a cup of hot tea for his brother, then continued asking.
"With your personality, you wouldn't come see me for no reason. Did something happen?"
"Yes, it's about my disciple."
"Disciple?"
Bomb showed a thoughtful expression.
Unlike himself, Bang had inherited the dojo passed down from the previous generation and was teaching disciples in City Z.
However, in his recollection, there had been some turmoil within the dojo recently.
A disciple named Garou took advantage of Bang and Lynn's absence to attack the ordinary disciples.
After that, Garou was expelled by Bang, and the ordinary disciples of the Flowing Water Dojo, traumatized by the assault, all submitted resignations and left the dojo.
The once-famous Flowing Water Dojo in City Z now, aside from its master Bang, only had the senior disciple Lynn and the junior disciple Charanko, who was lucky enough to avoid the incident.
"Is it Lynn who has a problem?"
"As expected of you brother, you guessed it."
"I'm not very familiar with Charanko, but I have met your senior disciple. His diligence is quite commendable."
It was just a shame his talent was a bit lacking. Even though he had closed part of the gap through hard work, he still couldn't compare to a true genius.
"Did Lynn take a wrong path for the sake of getting stronger? Or did he give up on himself, unable to accept his mediocrity?"
"Well... I'm not entirely sure about the specifics. If I had to say, it seems like he mutated."
"Mutated?"
"Yes. He suddenly got stronger, like Monsterfication, but there's no visible difference on the surface."
Bang took out his phone from his pocket, swiped a couple of times, and opened an internal group: "This is the news I received on my way to see you, big brother."
[Three hours ago, A-Class Hero Lynn single-handedly slew a Dragon-level Monster outside City L, taking 5 minutes and 17 seconds. ]
[After discussion by the Hero Association higher-ups, it was unanimously decided that Lynn is promoted to S-Class Hero effective immediately, ranked 14th. ]
"...I see. I understand now."
After reading the announcement, Bomb nodded slightly, understanding his younger brother's meaning.
"From the result, it certainly counts as a mutation."
"But this is news you received on the way here. What did you originally come to see me for?"
"I wanted to borrow the manual for your Whirlwind Iron Slash Fist."
"Also, for Lynn?"
"Hmm, since my physical condition couldn't support it, I thought I'd cultivate different fist techniques to increase my means of dealing with enemies. That was my initial idea for coming here."
"And now?"
"I'd like to ask you, Brother, to go to Z-City and demonstrate the Whirlwind Iron Slash Fist for Lynn in actual combat."
A martial artist is a very pure existence.
There's no need for excessive verbal communication; simply by facing off and fighting once, many things will be revealed.
However, as someone involved in the situation, Bang's concern for Lynn would cause him to subconsciously overlook some things.
Compared to himself, Bomb was more suitable to stand in this position.
And regarding this point, Bomb understood as well.
He drained the tea from his cup in one gulp and stood up.
"Give me one day. I need to make some preparations."
...
One day later, outside the Hero Association in A-City.
"Lynn! Why is this happening?!"
Handing the report card, he had just received to Lynn, Saitama's agitated voice was filled with resentment.
"The Hero Association's exam must be rigged, right?! Why am I a C-Class Hero?!"
"Because you scored zero on the written test."
"I know! But why does a hero exam even have a written test?! It's utterly ridiculous! A hero just needs to defeat Monsters, isn't that enough?!"
"Theoretically, that's true, but those are the rules set by the Association. You have to follow them."
Lynn examined the report card in his hand.
The Hero Association's exam was divided into two parts: a physical fitness test and a written test.
The former assessed one's ability to deal with Monsters, while the latter covered a wider range of topics.
Methods for evacuating crowds when a Monster appears, what to do when a Monster holds hostages, how to respond to various requests from fans, how to handle negative news about oneself online...
Considering the various situations a hero might encounter, the written test drafted by the Hero Association was extremely comprehensive. Lynn had also taken one two years ago.
For these types of subjective questions, most answers were generic. You could get a few points by writing a few sentences; the Hero Association wouldn't be too harsh.
"To be honest, scoring zero on this kind of test is a skill in itself. Saitama, how did you answer?"
"If I encounter a Monster, punch it. For fans, decide based on the situation. If there's negative news, curse back."
"I see. Now I understand."
Lynn tossed the report card into the trash.
"Saitama, this isn't your fault. It's a flaw in the hero selection rules, and you just had the bad luck to be standing right on that flaw this time."
"Right?! This selection process needs to be changed!"
"Do you need me to contact the higher-ups for you? I have some connections in the Association."
"Forget it. Let it be."
Saitama declined Lynn's offer.
Although the result wasn't what he expected, his goal of joining the Hero Association was achieved.
"Next, I just need to defeat Monsters to rank up. Going from C-Class to S-Class will be even more satisfying."
Lynn: "Remember to report to the Association after killing a Monster. Otherwise, someone else might take the credit."
"Is that so? What a hassle."
Saitama clasped his hands behind his head, suddenly feeling that joining the Association might not necessarily be a good thing.
Compared to working alone before, there were suddenly many more things to do after joining the Association.
"By the way, Lynn, what are you looking at? Seems like you've been reading it since yesterday."
"A cultivation method I got from a siscon."
"What's that? Sounds impressive."
Saitama leaned over to Lynn's side and took a couple of glances.
The book was composed of papers given by Tornado, each densely covered with writing.
After staring at the characters and the formulas recorded on them for a few seconds, Saitama silently averted his gaze.
"Lynn, what's for dinner tonight?"
"You decide. Consider it a celebration for you joining the Hero Association. Remember to prepare the ingredients."
"Oh... Then I need to think carefully."
Saitama fell into a difficult dilemma.
For him, deciding what to eat for dinner was more difficult than killing a Dragon-level Monster.
On the other hand, after spending nearly a day, Lynn finally fully comprehended the materials Tornado had given him.
As the strongest publicly known esper, the materials Tornado provided were extremely complex, recording various methods for developing psychic power, physical strength, and telekinesis.
Among these, what caught Lynn's attention the most was the Electric Shock Reinforcement Method, which Tornado had specifically marked with the word 'dangerous'.
By taking special drugs and using high-voltage electric currents to strengthen and reorganize cells, one could obtain powerful physical strength while simultaneously boosting the mind, ultimately achieving comprehensive enhancement.
Unlike other plans, the Electric Shock Reinforcement Method violated ethical morals and had a fatality rate as high as 96%.
Even Tornado, who provided this plan, stated that she had never used this method while training her own psychic abilities.
As for how Tornado knew about it without using it herself...
Recalling Tornado's past, Lynn had an idea.
This was likely one of the enhancement plans proposed by the psychic ability institution that had imprisoned Tornado during their research on psychic powers.
Perhaps because Tornado's existence was relatively precious, that psychic institution didn't use Tornado for experiments, but instead tested it on other espers.
The 96% mortality rate data was also obtained from those other espers.
"Maybe I can give it a try."
A thoughtful expression appeared on Lynn's face.
A 96% mortality rate seemed frightening, but that was relative to ordinary espers.
His physical fitness was high enough, and he possessed powerful regenerative abilities like Super-speed Regeneration, so he could definitely withstand it.
However, the current problem was that the plan Tornado provided only offered a concept similar to an outline.
The required electric current intensity during the process, as well as the drug formula for breaking down and reorganizing cells, were not recorded in it.
If he asked Tornado for information, he might have a chance to get some details, but Lynn wasn't that eager to court death.
"It seems I need to find a partner."
Recreating the Electric Shock Reinforcement Method wasn't particularly difficult; he just needed a scientist proficient in biology to help.
And in the original story, there happened to be someone who had appeared that met Lynn's requirements.
The founder of the House of Evolution, Dr. Ginos.
Single-handedly, he researched Clone technology and rejuvenation technology, even creating a Dragon-level Monster.
With such black technology at his disposal, recreating the Electric Shock Reinforcement Method based on the materials wouldn't be a difficult task.
However, the current problem was that Ginos was hiding very well.
The original story only mentioned that he was underground in an abandoned building. Finding him would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Recalling the original plot, Lynn looked to the side.
"Saitama, have there been any recent news about an increase in mosquitoes, or the appearance of new types of mosquitoes?"
"Not that I know of. At least, I don't remember any."
"Then it seems we'll have to wait a while longer."
"Wait a while longer?"
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
Lynn tucked the materials in his hand into his chest: "We're almost at the subway station. Have you decided what to eat for dinner?"
"No. It's such a hard choice."
Saitama sighed somewhat melancholically.
Was this the trouble of having money?
In the past, he would only rush to the discount supermarket to buy ingredients, then eat whatever was available.
But now that he had money, he had triggered a case of decision paralysis, unsure of what to choose to eat.
Ring ring~ Ring ring~
Just then, a cell phone ringtone suddenly sounded.
Saitama temporarily stopped thinking and watched as Lynn took out his phone from his chest.
"Master, what's the matter?"
"Uncle Bomb?"
"I'm in A-City right now. Please wait a moment."
After a few brief words, the call ended.
Lynn looked to the side: "Saitama, I need to return to the dojo for something. Can you give me a hand?"
...