In the Sand Village, the clones are everywhere, and the Arkham game begins

Chapter 471 Promotion to S-Class Hero

At least, this is an opponent whose strength is indeed on par with his own.

The fact that the opponent could fight me to this extent means that they do indeed possess strength comparable to a Dragon-level monster.

"boom!"

Sweet Mask shattered the massive blast of lightning in front of him with a single punch and looked up at Shimizu.

"That's enough for now. You've passed. Congratulations on officially becoming a top expert in the hero industry."

Sweet Mask shook off his tattered clothes and faced Shimizu.

If this keeps going, all the clothes will be ruined, which wouldn't be very pretty.

"Next time you speak, don't act so arrogantly, or you won't have it so easy. You might lose badly."

Shimizu sheathed the black steel longsword in his hand into his pouch and looked at Sweet Mask.

With his current strength, if he continues to fight Sweet Mask like this, he could fight for a very long time without risking his life.

Neither of them can do anything to the other.

However, Shimizu's strength is still improving, and it's the kind of improvement that's progressing in a precise direction; the speed at which she's getting stronger is definitely not slow.

If they were to face off again, he would likely win, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

"Is that so? But what I said was all true, wasn't it? I've said my piece, and you've passed the test. I hope you won't let this beautiful justice be tarnished in the future."

Sweet Mask chuckled, then stomped heavily on the ground with one foot, leaping into the air. After several leaps, he jumped out of the now drastically altered giant meteorite crater and got into the luxury car that had been parked outside overnight.

First, she changed her clothes in the car, and then took out a pen and a form from the storage compartment in front of the passenger seat.

"Slightly faster than me, but not by much, so I'd give it a passing grade. Excellent skills, a wide range of techniques, and rich combat experience, so I'd give it an outstanding rating in that aspect. As for attack power and destructive power... I'd barely consider it good, considering it was able to break through my defenses multiple times."

Physical appearance... while not perfect, it's still quite outstanding. Personality... attitude towards justice... well, aside from strength, while not entirely satisfactory, it's much better than those incompetent officials, or even dangerous individuals masquerading as heroes.

Overall, it looks decent and meets the standards of a high-quality S-tier hero.

Sweet Mask quickly filled out the self-made hero analysis form, nodded slightly, and then took out a new phone from the front storage compartment of the car.

The previous one broke during the battle.

"Moshi Moshi, is that Sweet Mask?"

"Yes, Kuro... Shimizu has gained my approval and can be promoted to S-rank."

Sweet Mask, holding his phone, looked out the car window at the Black Knight armor taking off and returning to D City, and continued:

"There's another matter. He requested that the hero's name, Black Whirlwind Warrior, be changed. I heard that he has already submitted the application to the association's higher-ups?"

"Yes, Mr. Sitch thinks that if changing the hero's name can increase the hero's motivation, we can try changing it, but there must be requirements on the hero's level, and it cannot be changed multiple times."

Mr. Courtes, who was in charge of human resources, believed that this was a waste of resources and a pointless act that should be ignored.

On the other end of the phone, an association cadre with stubble on his chin spoke in a deep voice to Sweet Mask.

His name is Bu Jing, and he is Sitch's assistant. He is also responsible for contacting several important heroes when the higher-ups are not around.

"Tell the higher-ups that I support his decision to change the hero's name. In addition, we can use the internet to guide the public to participate in this hero name change, for example, by having the public vote to select a few suitable names and then letting that person make the decision."

"I will convey your request."

Bu Jing nodded in response.

"Also, inform the publicity department to focus more attention on him. His abilities and overall conditions are quite good, so he deserves to be promoted. His popularity should be good, which can improve the image and recognition of the association's heroes among the public to a certain extent."

Sweet Mask was driving while talking on the phone, which was held between his ear and ear.

"It seems you think highly of him."

"It's alright. The main thing is that there are many S-class heroes in the association who don't meet my requirements, but he is one of the more suitable ones."

Sweet Mask casually remarked.

There are too many abnormal people among the S-class heroes.

Among the few characters with relatively good personalities, Tornado refuses to cooperate, King is a low-key otaku, Flashy Flash is a loner, Bang is indifferent to fame and fortune, Atomic Samurai is single-mindedly pursuing swordsmanship, and Child Emperor has to go to cram school every day...

We can't exactly have Pig God and Sexy Prisoner shoot promotional posters, can we?
The former is sensational, but not too offensive, and actually fits well with food endorsements. The latter can no longer be considered sensational; it's pure mental pollution.

Shimizu already has excellent publicity potential, and given his ability to guide and generate buzz, he shouldn't resist.

"clear."

Even if Shimizu has other excellent qualities, the fact that Sweet Mask considers her to have sufficient promotional value means that Shimizu's strength has definitely reached a point where Sweet Mask can take notice of her.

It's at least not much worse than Sweet Mask; it's at least in the same league.

The next day, at six o'clock in the morning.

The Hero Association's Press and Publicity Department held a press conference to announce that Black Whirlwind Samurai, formerly an A-class hero, has been promoted to the seventeenth S-class hero of the Hero Association due to his significant contributions and powerful abilities in several recent major disasters.

"Master! Lord Black Whirlwind Warrior has been promoted to S-rank!"

In the dojo of the Flowing Water Rock Smashing Fist, Charanko held the remote control and shouted at Bang in the bedroom.

"It's happening faster than I expected, but that's a good thing. With outstanding young people constantly emerging, the burden on my old bones can be lightened a bit."

Bangu, holding a cup of tea, slowly walked out of the bedroom. Watching the promotional video that Shimizu had filmed overnight in the D City Association district playing on the living room TV, he said with a smile.

At the same time, in downtown D City, the ornately decorated seppuku kendo hall was bustling with activity.

This swordsmanship school is endorsed by Black Whirlwind Samurai, who is also its honorary instructor.

Although he was an honorary instructor, he had also given two open classes here. In his luxurious office on the second floor, Fukichi, with one hand on his palm, watched the students who came to register and felt that he had hit the jackpot.

That 100 million was totally worth it!

As a member of the Sword Saint Association and a renowned swordsmanship master of his time, his teaching fees are extremely high, to the point that ordinary people cannot afford them. Even the middle class has to grit their teeth to afford them.

The trial course, which is only one month long, costs 200,000 to 300,000 yen. After that, there are introductory courses, formal courses, and advanced courses. The introductory course is the same price as the trial course, but lasts longer. The formal and advanced courses are even more expensive.

If Shimizu were only a B-rank hero, it would certainly have some positive impact, but the 100 million wouldn't be much of a profit. However, after Shimizu became an A-rank hero, the 100 million would be well worth it, especially given Shimizu's current high popularity.

Since Shimizu became an S-class hero, hundreds of D City residents have come to register today alone.

The opportunity to receive instruction from an S-class hero is not something that can be bought with money.

With everyone signing up for the trial course, half of that 100 million can be earned back today alone.

Not to mention, as the news spreads and the association between Shimizu and the Basaragi Kendo School grows, more students from the surrounding cities will flock here.

"Is this the fame and fortune that an S-class hero can bring? Kamikaze, no wonder you wanted to join the Hero Association and become that Atomic Samurai. You must really enjoy this life of being admired by thousands and having wealth at your fingertips, right?"

Fukuchiriki's fingers caressed the hilt of the Tiger Soul Sword as he watched the promotional video for Shimizu playing at the Hero Association press conference on the public advertising screen on the building across the street, his eyes gleaming.

He was moved.

If becoming an S-class hero brings a lot of fame, how much wealth can that bring to my seppuku kendo school?

The spokesperson and honorary instructor are S-class heroes, but how can they compare to the benefits he himself would gain from becoming an S-class hero?
"That guy forced me to use 70% of my strength when we fought last time. In the promotional video, his high-tech suit has been upgraded again. Yesterday, he even dealt with a Demon-level monster threat. Maybe his strength is now no less than mine."

I wonder how long it would take me, with my abilities, to become an S-class hero if I joined the Hero Association.

I'm still hesitating about seppuku.

As a fellow member of the Sword Saint Association, Fukiri, though resentful of the others, knew in his heart that Atomic Samurai, the current youngest member of the Sword Saint Association, was already far stronger than him.

His concern was what would happen if he joined the Hero Association and his ranking couldn't match Atomic Samurai's? Wouldn't that be admitting that he was inferior to Atomic Samurai?

The problem is that Atomic Samurai is already ranked quite high among S-class heroes, at fourth place. The person ranked ahead of him is Bang, a martial arts master of the time, who is even more senior than Abikiri.

When Bang Gu was a renowned figure in the martial arts world, Fuchiki was just a young man who had just started his career.

Atomic Samurai is hard to surpass, and Bang is even harder to surpass.

And there must be a process from joining the association to becoming an S-class hero, right?
Even Kamikaze's three disciples are in the Hero Association, and they are already among the top three A-rank heroes. Before I become an S-rank hero, won't I be overshadowed by Kamikaze's three disciples?
As for whether he can become an S-class hero, that's not a concern for Abdominal Slayer.

"Let's forget about it. S-class heroes have fewer restrictions, but they are still limited after all. I don't need to have another Hero Association above me. Let's see if we can renew Shimizu-kun's contract and sign him as a spokesperson for a longer period of time, and at the same time expand the scale of cooperation."

The seppuku kendo school only signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with Shimizu.

Besides Bang and Fukuchiriki, many other S-class heroes from the Hero Association, including Atomic Samurai, Child Emperor, Superalloy Darkshine, and Metal Bat, also noticed that there was now another peer of the same rank in the Hero Association.

Including a middle-aged girl watching TV at home.

"What?! That guy got promoted to S-rank too? Why didn't they tell me first? What? The person in charge of S-rank hero promotions is that pretty boy Sweet Mask? Why not me? I'm not happy!"

Tornado sat on the sofa, holding her phone, venting her anger at the association's higher-ups on the other end of the line.

"Then... how about you and Sweet Mask jointly be in charge of the future S-class hero evaluations?"

"I can't believe it," said Koster, the senior executive in charge of personnel at the association, with a sigh.

"Forget it, don't leave those troublesome things to me. But the people you choose should be useful. Don't just promote anyone to S-rank casually, otherwise they won't be able to solve the problem and will only cause me more trouble."

Tornado watched as Fubuki walked in from outside with her bag slung over her shoulder, and continued talking on the phone.

"Miss Tornado, please rest assured. The Association is extremely strict in its selection of S-class heroes, with absolute requirements for their battle record. In fact, last night, Mr. Sweet Mask personally sparred with Mr. Shimizu and uploaded a comprehensive evaluation report. According to Mr. Sweet Mask's evaluation of Mr. Shimizu, his overall ability should be considered quite good among S-class heroes. If you need it, I can send you this internal report."

At the Hero Association headquarters, Coster pulled up the evaluation form uploaded by Sweet Mask and spoke to Tornado on the other end of the phone.

He felt that Tornado might have some issues with the Black Whirlwind Warrior who was about to change his hero name.

Coster suddenly remembered the gossip his colleague Macoy from the operations department had shared yesterday.

Could he be telling the truth?

Fubuki, the B-rank No. 1 Hell, is Tatsumaki's younger sister and is now pursuing Black Whirlwind Samurai.

That's truly surprising news.

Hmm... I wonder if these two would mind if the association used this news for publicity, to generate traffic, and to increase popularity.

We also need to take Tornado's attitude into account. Judging from her appearance, she seems to be a sister-complex person, so she probably won't agree.

It seems that it's best to quietly hire someone to contact certain media outlets. As long as the association doesn't get involved directly, the tornado won't be able to blame them.

On the other end of the phone.

"You guys figure it out yourselves. Just do what you're supposed to do."

Tornado hung up the phone in annoyance.

"Was my sister just discussing Mr. Shimizu's matter with a high-ranking member of the association?"

"I'm being very careful," Fubuki said cautiously.

“Fubuki, I admit that guy might actually be quite capable, managing to reach the S-class rank, but you need to be careful when dating men. You're still young and easily deceived.”

Tornado crossed her arms, floated up from the sofa, and spoke earnestly to her sister.

"Ah, ah? Sister, I've already explained. I just wanted to bring Mr. Shimizu into the Fubuki Group. His strength, knowledge, and abilities can be a great help to me!"

(End of this chapter)