Chapter 11: Examination

The morning sun's rays weakly penetrated Toji's small room, illuminating its disorder. Old comics and biology books covered every corner, while clothes lay scattered everywhere, creating a picture of a chaotic lifestyle. Dust danced in the sunlight, and the air carried the scent of forgotten coffee.

With the first rays of the sun, the boy himself woke up. Opening his eyes, he stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, dispelling drowsiness. Stretching and rubbing his eyes, he calmly got up, carefully avoiding the scattered items on the floor, and made his way to the bathroom.

A few minutes passed, and Toji was already ordering breakfast delivery from the nearest diner.

"Damn... I've become too lazy," he chuckled, sitting in the chair.

After the incident where he saved the daughter of an influential Japanese family, he suddenly gained great popularity. Everyone talked about his deed. The family also generously rewarded him - ten million yen and a promise to fulfill any of his requests.

For a few days, Toji struggled with what to ask for, but realizing he lacked nothing, decided to leave this opportunity for later. After that, numerous orders started coming in, mainly for protection missions, and he got lost in his work.

Sitting and scrolling through the praising comments on one of his old posts, he chuckled quietly. Social media was a strange but intriguing thing that he sometimes got lost in.

"Heh-heh-heh, I'm becoming too arrogant. Although, who cares, certainly not Kon, who raised the price of my services."

And then the phone rang, showing the mediator's number on the screen. Without much thought, the boy answered.

"Hello," Kon's voice came from the other end of the line, breaking through the morning silence. "Are you ready for today, Toji?"

"And what should I be ready for?" Toji yawned, his voice sounding irritated and sleepy. "It's not particularly difficult to take down a couple of people, you know that yourself."

A knock on the door interrupted his lazy morning. Toji got up from the chair, his steps slow and careless as he headed towards the door.

"Have you completely forgotten what day it is today?" Kon asked displeasedly. "Let me remind you, it's already March twenty-fifth!"

Looking through the peephole, Toji saw a man in a familiar delivery uniform and slowly opened the door. His gaze was indifferent, and the corners of his lips lifted in a lazy smile.

"And so what?" he asked, dismissing the deliveryman's greeting. "Don't drag it out, I still have to go to the gym in an hour."

Taking the food packets, Toji headed to the small kitchen, where the smell of spices and fried meat was noticeable. He put them on the table, where a half-drunk cup of coffee was already standing.

"Today is the entrance exam for the Hero Academy," Kon sighed heavily. "You have only a few hours until it starts."

"What Hero Academy?" Toji narrowed his eyes, surprise and skepticism mingling in his gaze. "Why should I go there?"

"Idiot, didn't you yourself say once that you wouldn't mind becoming a hero if everyone praised you like that?" Kon snapped irritably.

Toji tilted his head thoughtfully to the left, his silence lasting for several seconds. "Oh, yeah, I think there was something like that," he thought.

"So, you have three hours to make it to the UA Academy exam, it's the closest one to you. Call me back when you finish eating, I'll give you more details."

Enjoying the scent of the kebabs, Toji happily dug into his food. Thoughts about the future circled his mind for a couple of minutes, but quickly gave way to enjoying the moment. Chewing and savoring the taste of meat became his main focus.

"Hello, I don't mind having a little fun at this academy," Toji began, putting the phone to his ear. "I need information about the exam, preferably with answers to the tests and everything that will be on it."

"You do realize that this information will cost you a pretty penny, right?" Kon calmly asked.

"I don't care, if I can buy it, then why not."

"Ha-ha, then listen..."

***

Racing on my motorcycle, I zoomed along the roads until I found myself in front of the UA Academy. The academy building, towering before me, impressed with its scale and architectural grandeur. Massive walls and tall towers, like guardians, rose into the sky, while the modern design with elements of futurism gave it a special charm. Green lawns and neatly trimmed bushes adorned the entrance.

I parked my motorcycle in the parking lot and leisurely walked along the path to the entrance. There were only teenagers around, nervous and somewhat petty. All of them, in one way or another, turned towards me, which irritated me.

At the entrance, I was greeted and asked to fill out a form. After providing my information, I headed to a large auditorium where people were already gathering.

And then, when everyone had gathered, I was almost deafened by the voice of the examiner. The guy called himself Present Mic and began to explain the purpose of the practical exam.

"I'll remember you..." I thought, frowning and rubbing my ears.

In general, it all came down to the fact that we had to enter the arena, where there would be several types of robots. These killer cyborgs needed to be destroyed within the allotted time. Each one was worth one to three points.

Someone mentioned that there were more enemies, and yes, indeed, there were four on the form, although Mic only showed three. It turned out that besides the others, there was another "boss", for whom, to my surprise, no points were given.

"And why is he even needed? To identify idiots who can't read and listen?" flashed through my mind as I yawned.

After that, we proceeded to the written test, for which I had prepared to the best of my ability. I managed to memorize only half of the answers, and the rest I randomly guessed, but that should have been enough.

After that, we were directed towards our arenas. I got "C", and seeing a small city in front of me, I couldn't help but whistle.

"How much did they invest in this, it's scary to even imagine..."

There were still about a dozen people around, excitedly discussing the upcoming exam among themselves. Soon, the doors opened, and I rushed inside.

Following my intuition, I found the first three-point robot, which was instantly destroyed.

The second target had already been considerably battered by another participant. But that didn't stop me. When that girl slipped, I took advantage of the moment and delivered the decisive blow. The robot crashed to the ground with a crash, and I gained another three points.

"Hey, that was my robot!" the girl protested, running up to it.

"It was yours, now it's mine," I replied coldly, moving on to the next target.

I swiftly moved around the arena, not giving myself a minute to rest. Nevertheless, I made sure to restrain myself so as not to arouse any unnecessary questions. Apparently, the academy was supervised by a genius creature who could figure out who I was.

I quickly surveyed the arena, finding my next target. A standalone robot, outside the main battlefield, caught my attention.

Silently creeping up to the robot, I took advantage of the element of surprise. It continued its patrol, unaware of my presence. Making a sudden lunge, I struck a vulnerable spot on the robot's head. The blow was precise and strong, severing the robot's head from its body. Its metallic body fell to the ground, sparks flying from its severed neck.

After that, I swiftly moved on to the next robot. It was stuck amidst the debris of the arena decorations, struggling helplessly to free itself. Approaching closer, I assessed the robot's position and forcefully broke through its armor. The robot twitched and momentarily revived, but then finally froze, its eyes dimming.

I darted around the arena, destroying every opponent I saw. For me, it was more like a game, where I had to score as many points as possible to take first place. Quite fun, to be honest.

The next robot, also almost finished off by other participants, became my final victim. Utilizing my speed and agility, I dodged attacks and found weak spots in its defense, causing them to fall quickly.

"Can't you find your own robot!?" someone shouted in annoyance as I delivered the final blow.

"Sorry, didn't notice you," I smirked in response.

The ground suddenly shook beneath my feet.

A huge boss robot, towering above the arena, slowly rose from under the ground. Its metallic body reflected the light, giving the impression of invincibility. Despite scoring zero points for its destruction, I felt the urge to test my strength against this enormous opponent.

Panic ensued, and the future "heroes" ran off, heels flashing.

The robot continued its slow approach until I found myself right in front of it. Gathering all my strength, I delivered a powerful low kick to one of its knees. The metal dented under the force of the blow, and the robot, losing its balance, crashed to the ground with a loud thud.

"Well, hello there," I grinned, approaching its head.

I grabbed a large iron beam lying nearby. With a swing, I pierced one of the robot's eyes with it. It burst with a sound, and sparks flew out. The boss was defeated.

"Too easy... couldn't they make it stronger?" I muttered, surveying the colossus.

***

Dear readers,

I have to inform you of some unpleasant news: I have fallen ill and have not been able to release chapters regularly. However, I want to assure you that I am now on the road to recovery and am once again ready to continue sharing my work with you.

I will do my best to minimize interruptions and continue to delight you with new parts of the story.

That said, if you're eager to see another chapter right today, please feel free to support me with your comments and if you want to be especially generous, don't skimp on the stones. Your support is very important to me and motivates me to keep creating.

Thank you for your understanding and support.