Thank you, Branden Eugley, for joining the memberships.
I'm truly grateful.
Bonus (1/1)
...
Chapter 57: Hellish Blizzard's Recruitment.
.....
"Recently, a newly rising hero known as the 'Crimson Rider' has been extremely active in Z-City. In just three weeks, he has single-handedly handled dozens of monster incidents ranging from Wolf-level to Tiger-level.Due to his outstanding performance, the Hero Association has officially promoted him to B-Class, currently ranked 84th.
Amai Mask, how do you view this promising newcomer?"
The camera turned to Amai Mask, who crossed his arms with a faint frown.
"If you ask me," he said coolly, "although this junior is gaining momentum, he pays little attention to maintaining his image in battle. He often ends up covered in blood, frightening children and women alike. That, for a hero, is negligence."
"Heroes must present elegance before the public. There must not be even the slightest stain."
The host hurriedly wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Ah… haha, as expected, Amai Mask's standards are as strict as ever! But that also shows your expectations for this newcomer. Now, let's move on to a commercial break."
"Click—"
Before the ad could even play, the TV was abruptly turned off.
Using telekinesis, Fubuki tossed the remote back onto the table and scoffed.
"As if anyone fights like that obsessive maniac. Just kill the monster and be done with it."
A black-haired girl with dyed streaks rushed into the office.
"Lady Fubuki! I've gathered the information you requested!"
"Thank you, Lily. Go take a break."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The documents floated from the assistant's hands into Fubuki's grasp. On the cover page was Kihara's registration photo from when he joined the association.
Fubuki—B-Class Rank 1, also known as Hellish Blizzard—was the younger sister of the S-Class hero Tatsumaki.
Having lived her entire life overshadowed by her overwhelmingly talented sister, she had developed an almost obsessive fixation on being Number One.
In terms of ability, she was more than capable of advancing to A-Class and ranking around sixth place.
But she chose not to.
Better to be the king of chickens than the tail of a phoenix.
So she remained in B-Class, firmly holding the top spot while building her own faction—the Fubuki Group—to secure her position.
Within the group, members worked together, sharing both missions and credit equally. This created strong unity and was one of the key reasons she could maintain her rank.
However, toward B-Class heroes who refused to join, the group's attitude was far from friendly. They often spoke condescendingly and weren't above suppressing potential threats.
And now—
Kihara, with his rapid rise, had become exactly that.
A threat.
That was why she had sent Lily early in the morning to gather his information.
She intended to recruit him.
Based on video footage circulating online, Kihara's combat ability was strong enough to enter A-Class—but not enough to truly shine there.
If he stayed in B-Class, especially within the Fubuki Group, his good looks alone could earn him massive popularity, fame, and wealth.
But Fubuki worried about one thing.
What if he had the same mindset as her?
What if he wanted to become B-Class Rank 1?
She had to confirm his intentions before he challenged her position.
If he simply aimed for A-Class, then they had no conflict.
But if he intended to take her throne.
She would show him exactly what strength in numbers meant.
After locating his address, Fubuki immediately called out:
"Lily, prepare the car. And bring Eyelashes and Mountain Ape. We're going to visit that newcomer."
"Yes, Lady Fubuki!"
After three weeks of intense combat, Kihara's battle level finally dinged up to Level 6.
As usual, the reward was an enhancement to his physical attributes and swordsmanship.
Interestingly, the system's strengthening seemed to bypass the "locked body condition" debuff.
Which meant—
No need to take Eirin Yagokoro's medicine anymore!
That alone made him extremely happy.
In this world, monsters were basically his best experience farm.
At his current level, relying only on acceleration mode and the Phantom Sword, he could handle Tiger-level monsters solo.
Anything beyond that—Demon, Dragon, or God level—was still out of reach.
If he transformed into Faiz, he could fight Demon-level monsters.
For anything stronger… he'd have to rely on Gensokyo Divine Invocation.
He had already tested the cost of using that ability in this world.
After comparing options, the most cost-effective one turned out to be the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
Borrowing Sakuya Izayoi's time-stop?
→ Just do her laundry for half a month.
Using Patchouli Knowledge's magic?
→ Bring her a rare book from another world.
Borrowing Remilia Scarlet or Flandre Scarlet's power?
→ Donate blood five times.
…Honestly, not bad deals.
Just as Kihara decided to take the day off and maybe tease the lazy, sofa-bound Minami Yume.
Ding dong.
The doorbell rang.
"That's rare," Yume muttered. "You actually have visitors?"
"Yume, did you order takeout?"
"I didn't."
Suspicious, Kihara opened the door and immediately saw a black luxury car parked outside.
A mature woman in a white fur coat stepped out, her gaze hidden behind sunglasses but clearly locked onto him.
Without hesitation, he slammed the door shut.
"…This doesn't look good."
Ding dong— ding dong—
The bell rang repeatedly.
Yume sat up, frowning.
"You sure this isn't some ex-lover coming to confront you?"
Kihara sighed.
Honestly, all he wanted was to quietly help Yume uncover the truth about her sister, then take her back to Gensokyo.
As for Fubuki and Tatsumaki.
He had zero interest.
One was too domineering and a massive tsundere. The other… well, personality issues aside, she was way too strong.
There was no way he could handle her.
What, bring her back just to bully his other girlfriends?
Hard pass.
"Let's just send her away."
Kihara stepped outside and faced Fubuki, whose eyes were already filled with irritation.
"So, Hellish Blizzard. What do you want?"
"You recognize me? Good. That makes things easier."
She smiled slightly.
"Crimson Rider—how about joining the Fubuki Group?"
…Oh?
A sudden idea flashed through Kihara's mind.
A perfect way to refuse.
"Sure, I'll join," he said seriously. "But I have one condition."
Fubuki's eyes lit up.
"Name it. I'll fulfill it."
"Introduce your sister to me as my girlfriend."
Before she could respond.
A voice colder than a Siberian blizzard descended from above:
"You've got guts, brat. Daring to set your sights on me… how do you want to die?"
From the sky, Tatsumaki slowly descended.
Her emerald eyes gleamed with terrifying killing intent.
.....
Thank you for reading.