Hero Exam

Luxu made it to the Hero Certification Exam Venue with time to spare. He walked inside the building that was numbered something that already left his memory and looked up at the first clock he saw.

"8:30 am. Good." He guessed correctly through the position of the sun and asking people from time to time.

Mostly just asking people.

There were already people sitting on chairs, arms crossed and contemplating. Luxu joined them and sat on a chair away from everyone else and was left to his thoughts. Introspection wouldn't do much for him as he didn't have much of a past to think about. It's depressing, but the redhead could only stare forward blankly and do nothing else.

The Nobody worked on magic through the night and the abilities that came with it. Spells were difficult to cast and they didn't work through pure word-of-mouth in the same vein that they worked in the games. Luxu believed that it required something more, but he was unaware of what that something was.

All he was capable of was forming blades of plasma from the palms of his hands and enhancing his already superhuman capabilities by taking hold of the stagnant magic within him. All he needed to do was make it flow.

While Luxu reminisced on memories that weren't even twenty four hours old, time passed. These early memories were precious because of how new an existence the Nobody is.

More and more potential heroes came in with expressions ranging from confident and cocky smiles to morose and stone-cold frowns.

Luxu hypothesized that some of them were taking the test for the first time and others were repeaters. He very much doubts there's a rule that states those who take the exam can't take it again and seeing these guys looking serious mean that they understand how difficult the exam must be.

At least, difficult to them. Luxu doesn't feel any sense of dread directed toward them because he already showed his capabilities.

He defeated a Tiger-Level monster and he defeated it handily at that. He might be able to take on a Demon-Level threat, so he should ace the physical portion of the tests.

It's the written part that concerns him a little. "What would it be about?" he murmured.

Most likely a test on how well a person thinks under pressure? Or maybe one of those typical tests to determine intelligence. The series itself probably stated what kind they were, but Luxu can't really recall accurately.

Now, it was soon time to begin.

The instructions were to first enter some sort of classroom and prepare to take a written test. The subject was justice. Luxu had some ideas as to what it pertained to, but this was his first time taking this sort of test.

All he can do is do his best.

Stepping into an assigned room, he chose the first empty chair he saw and sat in it. On his desk were two pencils, one of extra ones probably being there in case an accident happened with the first pencil.

"Still have to wait some more..."

"Psst, hey."

"Yes?" Luxu turned around and stared at the person trying to get his attention. It was a nondescript man he didn't recognize. Wait...

He narrowed his eyes and delved further into his memories.

"I can tell this is your first time taking this sort of test, so let's have a bit of small talk."

Nope, Luxu truly doesn't recognize this person in the slightest. Either he was somebody that didn't matter or he was someone that was never mentioned in the series. Despite that, the redhead has no reason to be rude.

"Okay then. What should we talk about?"

"Well, instead of calling it small talk, why don't I just give you some advice for this Justice Test?" Before Luxu could respond positively or negatively, the man continued. "You should just be honest. If you're taking this sort of test, then that means you want to be a hero, so let your honest intentions fly."

The man snickered.

"Honesty..." Luxu chewed on that thought until it was time for the test to begin. The man behind him didn't bother him anymore after that.

"Attention newcomers and repeat testers! You will have one hour to complete the exam and afterwards, you will head into the lockers and undress to your underwear to prepare for a physical examination. We will now begin the written portion of the tests. No cheating or you will be immediately disqualified and barred from taking the test for at least two examinations' worth of time! Any questions?"

Luxu's mouth was open, but then he froze. The nearly empty man felt like there was something he should be asking, yet he couldn't bring himself to figure out what his jumbled up thoughts were trying to create.

Being a Nobody is rough. He can't even fully understand himself. It's even rougher for him because this isn't even his body...yeah, this isn't his.

The redhead almost forgot about that. His hair shouldn't be red and his real name shouldn't be Luxu.

This can't be good for his long-term mental health, but there's really nothing he could do about it. He didn't have the heart to be depressed over this problem in the first place.

During Luxu's inopportune contemplation, the test papers were already handed out and five minutes passed before he picked up the pencil. The Nobody read the questions that demanded written responses.

'What do you do when you run into a monster? Explain your thought process.'

'What do you do when you run into a monster you cannot defeat? Explain your thought process.'

'When it comes to protecting lives or defeating monsters, what do you prioritize and why?'

'Do you have the ambition to climb the ranks of the hero association? If you do or do not, please explain why.'

'What does being a hero mean to you?'

These questions stumped Luxu for a while. They're very personal questions for those who know themselves and they also decide on how justice-oriented an individual may be, though this may not be the best way of determining that.

The tip of the redhead's lead touched the paper, but no words were being written. Luxu first felt that he was hesitating because he didn't know the language, but magic substituted the lack of knowledge and gave him exactly what he needed for the sake of communication.

It was convenient. He won't look this gift horse in the mouth.

The real problem that stumped him was that he had no idea how to answer these questions. When the thirty minutes passed, Luxu finally recalled what the man behind him said.

He just needs to be honest? Honesty. How can he be honest when he barely knows himself?

Alright, he can do that despite his issues. He's a Nobody without a heart, but it doesn't mean he has nothing. He isn't just nothing. There's something growing within him and it's that which will answer the questions.

'What do you do when you run into a monster? Explain your thought process.' Defeat the monster because he's a hero.

'What do you do when you run into a monster you cannot defeat? Explain your thought process.' Defeat the monster because he's a hero. Heroes are not supposed to lose.

'When it comes to protecting lives or defeating monsters, what do you prioritize and why?' Both. Heroes can save lives through defeating monsters, but lives themselves aren't just endangered by monsters.

'Do you have the ambition to climb the ranks of the hero association? If you do or do not, please explain why.' There's only the ambition to be a hero. That's why Luxu is here. If he had to be honest, he wanted to use his energy and fight. That is his deepest, swelling desire.

'What does being a hero mean to you?' A fighter, a winner, and a savior. A hero is a hero.

Luxu had a rude thought: this test was kinda stupid. There definitely had to be an easier way to test one's justice, but this was the method the Hero Association had?

The man shook his head and waited for the time to run out.

"Pencils down! We will now begin collecting the exams. Everyone, head to the locker rooms and undress yourselves down to your underwear. The physical portion will begin immediately per person once they are ready.

Luxu was glad this black coat came with boxers; otherwise, he wouldn't really know what to do.

The man followed some other prospective testers to the lockers and chose a locker for himself. If his clothes were to be stolen, he wouldn't be happy in the slightest...though, it's not like he can feel that much happiness himself.

The man remembered a saying from a time before he chose the name Luxu. A mask can become the real thing if it's worn long enough.

Luxu's false emotions and the nonexistent heart will eventually become real if he continues to masquerade as if he possesses both of them. The man nods to himself. This is a good reason to become a hero.

After getting undressed, the well-built and lean redhead marched out of the locker rooms alongside a group of guys that were chatting with each other. Luxu only paid a single ear to their conversation, but the words just flew out the other one.

He was fully focused on his own test. By the time it was his turn to perform physical exercises, he was completely ready to go.

Tests that graded his jumping power, his ability to lift weights, his running speed and endurance: all of these things were graded and calculated by the examiners. Luxu wondered if there was anyone who broke any records before realizing that they obviously did. There are some extremely powerful individuals that reside in S-Class. Abnormally powerful heroes even.

Luxu doesn't think of them as important though. They don't hold any critical information that will speed along the development of a heart.

This physical test was an examination that helped not only the examiners determine Luxu's strengths, but it helped Luxu determined his own strengths as well. Having a powerful jumping ability amused the Nobody a tad bit, though he did realize his own weight lifting skills were the weakest out of all the tests.

Even using magic to enhance his body only pushed everything up. Weight lifting still remained the weakest thing. Maybe if he learns some magic on manipulating gravity...

After the redhead finished the physical test, he head back to the locker room and got dressed.

"Just need to wait."

In that granted time, Luxu reviewed his strengths and weaknesses.

He's fast. The speed test ascertained his agility and swiftness through testing him on dashing and lateral jumps. He's also quick on his feet for running in general. He dare says he's faster than anyone in the whole venue.

On the other hand, his ability to purely lift things with his body is a weakness that was made very clear to him.

"This test was more helpful than I thought. If I ever hit a wall, then I can just go back to this event and remember my strengths and weaknesses." It will help with training if Luxu ever finds himself desperately needing it for some reason or another.

Only an hour was needed for the tests to be graded and handed out to everyone through letters. Staff members went through the locker rooms and classrooms where people tend to congregate and gave either good news or bad news.

If nothing else, Luxu did have to call them efficient and speedy.

Opening the letter, he checked his grade.

"An eighty-eight out of one hundred...that's fine." He got himself well within B-Class. That means he didn't have to worry about the issue of being in C-Class and having to record himself doing a heroic deed at least once a week.

It's more freeing being in B or higher. Luxu is satisfied with this conclusion.