[Quest: Ace the throwing test cleared +5SP]

[Through special actions you have earned the Trait: Rascal +4SP +1EVO]

[Skill: Throw(1) has been derived from Trait: Rascal]

[Through special actions Skill: OverDrive+++(2) has Evolved into Skill: Overload(4+)]

[Rank Quest: Rank 4 Clear +10SP]

I screwed up with overexerting myself for just that one throw. During the test, I fully intended to constantly take the 19th place for all of them through the usage of HG. However, a quest popped up when Aizawa scolded me for not taking things seriously, telling me to ace the final test, Therefore I used OverLoad which has the effect of making me stronger through burning my stamina.

To be exact after upgrading the Skill threefold it was capable of increasing my physical strength up to a maximal of five times were I to consume all my stamina. During the quest, I activated it to its full strength by sacrificing all my stamina to multiply my physical strength by six times. As you might expect the result was rather mind-boggling, though I fainted right afterward.

It seems the Skill evolved after I used it at 100% power. That was nice, no need to use any EVO points on doing so anymore then. Also, the effect has grown stronger from evolving, making me capable of increasing my strength by 1000% or ten times were I to use this skill... For one attack only. Yeah, this Skill is not very good. One might even say it was trash-like, but beggars can't be choosers.

Note to self: evolving a skill makes it stronger in effects.

Opening my eyes I was once more greeted by a white ceiling. Maybe I should be worried I was getting used to this room. Only the second time I have been here, but twice in short orders is more than enough to get me familiar with the place. Waking up in an unfamiliar place plays tricks within your mind, but to be honest; waking up in the room of a stranger is already an intimate feeling. Twice over and you will be left feeling unbearably intimate.

Mental hallucinations are scary indeed.

Therefore with that excuse, I had no hesitation in rubbing my eyes while asking out loud;

"How long was I out for?"

"Just two hours. A very impressive time considering how badly you overused your quirk." The answer came from a voice weighted by age.

With a glance, I saw the response came from the grandma whose quirk quickened the healing process of bodies by kissing their wounds. Fascinating stuff really. I never did catch her name, though I think her hero name was Recovery Girl or something according to my loopy memory of the BNHA manga. Shouldn't that name have an expiry date? The woman was far over sixty from looks alone. Then again maybe they didn't expect heroes to last that long without either retiring or dying. Heh.

"…Can I leave yet?"

Her face was stern as she stared at me. I stared back. Backing down on communication is something I personally dislike, and I do love things such as free speech and other topics of controversial nature. With me unwilling to back down, a few seconds passed by in awkwardness. Not that I minded them. Soon enough her face turned back to merely mellow. Still strict, yet much nicer than the previous expression which was intimidating in nature.

"Yes, you may leave." I heard the 'but' from a mile away, "But please go back to your dorm room and rest for the day. You will recover and join the class back tomorrow. Oh, and here."

She gave me a bottle of… something. I assume it was medicinal in nature by default considering the condition and timing which she gave it to me. Or maybe it was an aphrodisiac and she was telling me to confess my love for Midnight. That would be fine and dandy as well.

"Take it with you, and drink it if you have a headache while resting for the day." Aww, no love potion.

"Thank you." I bowed slightly to her, before leaving the room. Goodbye medical room, you shan't be missed.

Nevertheless, I proceeded to move onwards to my dorm room.

The walk took me a minute or so. The entire school was very close to its dormitory for some reason. I suppose it should be expected for a gigantic institution like UA to have such conveniences available. Wonder how much influence and sway they have in the society though. Probably a crazy amount considering how flamboyant the entrance exam was.

There is probably nothing affecting me SF cannot heal. The effect of that particular Skill towards overworking is utterly oppressive. It can make my recovery speed the fastest it could be bar actual physical regeneration.

However, there is nothing wrong with taking it easy and just sleeping all day long. All work and no fun makes for a very boring life. And yes I consider sleeping to be a fun activity. Sometimes there are things about myself I am extremely curious at yet is unable to know, and things I know about my own identity yet couldn't care less about. I don't exactly care about knowledge on my favorite off-brand author no thank you.

I let out a small sigh the moment I was back within the confines of my room. Not exactly a place I was comfortable in yet but it does feel like a dorm room. Orderly as all hell which is somewhat refreshing compared to how messy my no-plan current life is. Enough space for a walking room too which is nice to have.

I leaned back and gave some thoughts about my current life. Not exactly what first comes to mind when one talks about Isekai. Nevertheless, this is a good chance to power me up and get prepared for the more powerful worlds. I dunno how I am supposed to last in worlds like Bleach or Dragon Ball but even the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Think that was Chinese idiom or something.

Once again I have to admit knowing so little about my own identity is a tiny bit disconcerting. Sometimes I could get large vague information like 'I was a slacker' or 'a Highschool dropout' and other times specific opinions on small matters likes 'Romcom series are great' or 'Bland anime protagonist sucks' and yet there was no in-between. No main meat of information among the vague or way-too-specific knowledge.

Ah well, I suppose this is my life now.


My second day at U.A. I somehow managed to faint during the first day, so I missed Aizawa's introduction as to where everything was. When I woke up I was in no form to do stuff and had to rest according to Recovery Girl. That was why I arrived at school early today, to familiarize myself with the school areas.

I could just use SF to brute force the knowledge into my head, but I realized maybe constantly relying on that one Skill is not the healthiest thing to do. Therefore I went out of my way and explore the school to familiarize myself the same way a normal peasant would. Oh, the disgrace.

Of course, happenstance made it so that I had an interesting meeting during my exploration.

"Oh, ain't it the freshman who aced the throwing tests before fainting while standing."

A female voice. I looked towards the source and saw a girl in UA's school uniform. Her tie shown she is a third year within the school. The lone female in UA's 'Big Three' of the senior group, known as Nejire. I remember her hero costume looking like a devil.

"…What's with that ridiculous title?"

"Yer tale really blew up 'round the school y' know."

Wow, I could tell she has a thick accent from the anime but hearing them face-to-face is a strange experience indeed. Also how big did the event blow up that even someone in the senior year knows of my exploit after only one day?

"So that's why people have been looking funny at me lately." I let out a sigh. A few glances were coming towards me from other students at the dorm, but I thought it was because my clothes were dirty from falling to the ground during the test. Maybe they were thinking about sticking that weird title on me. How insufferable.

"T'was probably in admiration if you ask me." She pointed towards her mouth. There was a large smile painted on those soft luscious lips. Now that she put it that way, I could begin to appreciate it the overly flamboyant title a little bit. But even then…

"Still, would you like to be known for acing the throwing test before fainting while standing?"

"Ahaha, nope. I'd die out of embarrassment."

This person.

"I really want to punch you in the face right now."

"Hyah~ Ya said that without hesitation. Un, un. Kouhai like ya hafta be around, otherwise, the school would be too boring."

"Agreed. But I think U.A. is the last place to run out of eccentric people."

"True 'nuff."

"…"

"…"

An awkward silence surrounded the two of us. I was not good at making conversation with others and it seems Nejire herself is still somewhat unfamiliar with me as well so the flow ended with those two words of her.

Usually, this would be the point where I end the conversation and leave, but my Senior managed to strike another line before I was capable of doing so.

"So… Which one of them is accurate?" She said.

Ah, I know you want to keep the conversation going, but did you need to go there, Nejire-senpai? That rabbit hole is a very impractical and full of mysterious paths. Couldn't you have talked about the weather or literally anything else instead of that?

Dread begins to creep within my mind and soul. My shadow flickered to the beat of my heart. No matter how I wish it wasn't so, there is no stopping it. I have to face the monstrosity that is adolescences' tendency to overemphasize everything.

"What kinds of rumors exist anyway?"

"Well…" She went ahead and told me about it. There are three factions within the discussion. The first was tame. They think nothing of the rumors. The [Neutrals]. The second type thinks I am Aizawa's secret son, and the score was falsified. The [Pessimist]. The third was the [Satanist] who thinks I am the devil itself whose sealing has been unleashed and they will try their best to seal me back by any means necessary.

W.T.F. I know I got the score 6-6-6 twice on the test for the hell of it, but how many of these guys have the infamous 8-grader syndrome for the school community to have that kind of rumors in just a day? No, how did they know my test result anyway? Is there an [Satanist] in class 1-A already?!

"The rumor mills around here work very quickly, and their access to all kinds of info is rather terrifying."

Those kinds of small talks went on for another minute or two before went ahead and minded our own business. Now that I think about it, maybe making most of my test scores evil or unlucky numbers wasn't the best of ideas. Ah well, can't change and take back what I already threw now that others picked it up.

I entered my classroom and took my seat. Thanks to my seating at the back I didn't suffer during class, but outside of them, I felt people glancing or outright staring at me constantly. The lessons were somewhat similar to the ones I had on my original earth but was all-around more advanced. According to my feelings on them anyway considering my lost memory and stuff. Of course, I had since learned the studying materials via SF beforehand so there was no problem on that aspect. During the lunch break, I quietly left the classroom to buy a loaf of bread with the allowance the school staff gave me, before eating it and returning to class straight afterward. I am not exactly a social creature you see.

Hour passes and the school bell rang, signaling everyone the end of school for the day. There is no after-school activity like clubs or student councils in U.A. Training areas are free-for-all though, long as you get permission from the school via asking a teacher.

As I stood up from my seat I saw a classmate walking closer with his gaze set straight towards my own. If I'm not wrong he should be Kirishima, the rock mutation-type quirk user. A guy who wants to be truly manly and not the empty trash can that rang loud, like he was in middle school. Or maybe I should call it all bark and no bite. That saying seems to be more popular in general.

He stopped at a distance large enough for me to not complain about him entering my comfort zone, which translates to 'more than one arm's reach'. He held his hand out, seemingly wanting a handshake.

"I'm Kirishima. Nice to meet you."

I raised an eyebrow, before accepting his handshake after making sure there was no pranking trick or the likes on his hands. Did he lose at truth or dare or something? I didn't remember him being the sociable type.

"Kuzuno. No last name." Seeing his face I could point out so many emotions coming and going. I clarified for both his and my peace of mind. "Don't mind it, I don't even know them."

That wasn't a lie. Thanks to Ranker's memory erasure I know crapsack about my history till I go back to Earth again. My original Earth anyway according to the System. That sure was a big mess up on her part if her words rang true. Of course, there is the chance that she is lying and this is all just some tricks on her parts and my imagination making the rest up. But if so then I am certainly fine with it. Life wasn't so bad right around now. I get three meals a day from the dorm and everything.

I dunno how bad exactly my life was, but from the vague information existing there was no doubt to the fact I was a pretty bad loser back before this whole Ranker business. Considering I got into UA here maybe it would be better to forget about my past entirely and focus on this current life of mine. However, that was not an option considering my lingering attachments towards my past identity. I was a person who loved myself very much according to these memories of mine, even if I was a loser during those times.

Ah, have to clear my mind from dark thoughts. These days the easiest way to do so would be to abuse HG and train like crazy. A good option considering how it boosts my capability even if somewhat bad on my mental health for the long run. In fact, I have attained 60SP thanks to those acts and now was lost on how to spend those points. So some mental problems for the sake of 60SP and a body reaching peak human performance beyond my age. Not a bad trade in my personal opinion.

Therefore all that said and done I decided to visit the gym and once again do my 'Limit Break, Rest, Limit Break' ritual. It was starting to grow on me at this point. Once again it was not the worst thing ever. Have you seen how my pecs are lately? It was starting to reach a lean bodybuilder level, and I have only been training for a week until now. Such crazy improvement speed is an impossible feat to attain for an average human.

On my way towards the gym, I met an unfamiliar student who asked me a strange question. Not like 'do you hear those voices' kind of freaky but strange of a more sophisticated nature. The types you hear from polite acquaintances or even connected strangers like people from the same school.

"Kuzuno-kun are those rumors about you true?"

I have told Nejire all about those topics back in the morning and was tired of repeating them, so instead in my brilliance decided to approach this matter differently. Right now I have the power to either ignore this matter or to fan the flames. Flushing it clean entirely was something I am incapable of considering the wonders of teenager minds. Therefore I chose the next best option.

"If there's smoke then there has to be a fire nearby."

I affirmed there are some truths among all the lies. There are other options to fan the flame, but I went with the more neutral option, neither confirming nor denying anything. This should help the rumor grow stranger and stranger. What can I say; I am fully chaotic neutral in terms of DnD alignment.

[Idiot]

I know I am one, but mind clarifying how I messed up this time around?

[The guy asking you the question was in the third year.]

And?

[Idiot]


*Mirio PoV*

When I saw a first-year on the gym my first thought was somewhere along the lines of 'Ah, what an enthusiastic freshman'. It is rare for a freshman to come into the training gym so early in their school year. Around these times they should be barely introduced to how things work within the school. Rare for a new student to have the initiative to train even more considering how they have to adapt to the new environment.

I watched as he inspected the gym and its equipment. It seems like he has no problem navigating through all the training machines as if he was since familiarized with them. Maybe he was from a hero prep school or the likes, as once again it was rare for freshmen to know how most of these equipment functions.

His gaze reached towards me, and he made a seemingly troubled look for some reason. I wonder if he knew me. My fame began to grow at an outrageous pace these days. Sheesh, can't believe how many people compare me to top-class Pros already. I am nowhere near their level yet in my humble opinion.

Nevertheless, I was getting off-topic. The freshman opened his mouth and told me a strange thing.

"Please don't take it to heart if I ignore you for the next two hours."

I thought it was a strange request but I nodded anyway. Few things still faze me these days after seeing how bizarre of a quirk the likes of Nejire has. However, I managed to learn why he asked me the request soon afterward.

Moments after the freshman spoke his eyes turned empty and his expression emotionless like a robot. More than anything his movement felt mechanical. It was as if I was watching the scene of an AI robot training rather than a human. My brows furrowed at this inexplicable scene.

Soon enough I made a smile in understanding though. The freshman must be good at self-hypnosis, maybe even having a quirk based around that. Therefore I thought nothing more of it until an hour has passed. I was taking it a bit slow today since this is the first day of school, but this freshman had none of that slow buildup.

He was full of sweat from doing exercises on a level way too strict for his body. I tried to stop him, but as he said he ignored me entirely. At this point, I was thinking of using force to carry him away till another hour passes as the boy indirectly said this effect will stop in two hours, but thankfully another solution came in the form of my two best friends approaching me.

"See, told ya he'd be here," Nejire said, earning a scoff from our quiet friend.

"Ah, perfect timing. Tamaki, have you eaten any octopus or the likes today?" The friend raises an eyebrow but nodded anyway. "Then please help me restrain this freshman."

I told them the current situation. Tamaki nodded again, this time a bit more seriously. For an unsociable person, Tamaki was reliable when push came to shove. He transformed his arm to octopus' legs and captured the freshman with them. It was troublesome but we managed to somehow move while carrying him.

"…Did I go crazy or something?"

Somehow the freshman awakened from his self-induced trance and muttered the question, as we were going towards the health office so we could put him to rest there. I decided to be honest In this case.

"Somewhat, yes. We're going to the health office now."

"I… See…"

He seems to fall asleep again right afterward. Not that I blame him, considering how tired he must be from all those training. Soon enough we reached the health office, met Miss Chiyo and got him to a bed. From her expression, it seems this wasn't the first time the boy got himself overworked.

Poor sap, to have gotten on Miss Chiyo's bad side from overworking himself. This wouldn't be the first time it has happened. I was the same in the past as well; to the point, my mind felt familiar with the sensation of waking up at the health office till it was like a second home to me. Now such things rarely happen to me anymore though, but I don't doubt there are others like I was in the past, this freshman being a prime example.

Rather than worried, I felt a sense of respect for the young freshman. These kinds of students who constantly test their limits will be the one to reach the top, that much was my belief. After all, I was proof of how hard work can change your future.

Nevertheless, I told Miss Chiyo what happened, and she called his homeroom teacher, Aizawa-sensei about it. Soon the man arrived here. For some reason, principal Nezu also appeared along with Aizawa-sensei. That was when the boy has shown signs of waking up.


I woke up to the sight of a white ceiling. Hello again old friend. How wonderful it is to meet you again. This is, what, the third time I have woken up in this room. Maybe I should consider not using Hundred Gauntlets to abuse myself anymore. Start small and all that rather than jumping the gun and use this hardcore method of constant limit break. However not using HG at all was not an option. Such a good skill, if I were not to utilize it properly I would shame all seven generations of my ancestors and seven generations of my descendants.

Getting back on track though, Aizawa was staring at me with an annoyed look set on his face. Looking around I also found Principal Nezu and Recovery Girl with the big three alongside them. Wonder what happened for these six people to gather here in front of me.

Right, let us try to get things sorted properly here. I used SF to train beyond my limit like usual after a coincidental meeting with Mirio and woke up to see myself being restrained by Tamaki the last member of the big three, before fainting after I confirmed I went crazy.

…Did I attack the freaking Big Three during my self-hypnosis mode? Cause I can't see another reason as to why the principal would personally come here himself. If the big three just dragged me here since they were worried about my training then there would be no reason for the principal to visit as well. I must have done something eventful for the man to personally meet me.

"Hello there, Kuzuno-kun." The principal spoke. "Do you know as to why you are here?"

"…Because I went berserk?" His eyes never left me, causing me to… Ugh, I usually look a people's eyebrows when they stare at me, but the principal doesn't have eyebrows because he is a mouse, causing me to panic a little bit inside my head.

"..Your self-hypnosis, can you try to use it right now?"

"I could, but I don't think I should. Nor do I think it is appropriate."

"And what do you think will happen to you now that you are held responsible for it?"

Ah crap, from those words of his it seems I caused trouble during my training. High chance the incident in the current case was me retaliating on the big three when Mirio was worried about me or something. That is not only a bit embarrassing but also means I am a danger to others when I use SF. That must be why the principal wanted to handle things personally.

"…Juvie, or suspension."

"And which would you prefer?"

"I still intend to be a Hero." Like hell I would stay at a Juvenile camp when I have this power.

"Suspension is your choice then. Don't worry, I'll just write it off that you got injured and has to rest for the week."

I sighed, before looking at the big three.

"… Sorry."

Tamaki opened his mouth "You think you—"Now now, let's not bother a recovering patient, shall we?" Said the principal, probably trying to keep the peace. He shooed everyone out, before leaving after another person entered the room. It was the plain-looking lie-detector man.

"He'll guide you to your destination." The headmaster said as he left. Oh crap. This might not end well. Nezu went away after wishing me luck, which I consider a little strange before Lie-detector and I went towards… not the dorm, probably a place more secure. Hopefully not an isolation room.

"Is the destination something beyond my paygrade?"

"No, It's a place where you can train all you want."

"What?"

The man continued to walk until we reached a… gym?

"This is the old gym. We don't use it anymore, but you will live here for the next week. Water and electricity still work. I'll bring you nutritional food three times every day."

He looked at me for a moment before going out and locking the door.

He said 'old' but this stuff still seems rather decent. Though I wonder why they would send me to a gym. The simplest answer would be that they wanted me to train and not slack off during this break of mine.

After a dozen seconds, I realized this was probably a test. A test to see whether I would rely on the Self-Hypnosis aspect of HG again, If I use HG again to train straight away they would probably have expulsed me or done something similar. Maybe something less severe though considering how I probably earned the interest of Nezumi and the rest by this point in time.

…So I'm supposed to show my diligence by working out here without using HG. Fair enough.

[Quest: Training Montage: No Cheating]

Cool.


*Aizawa PoV*

"…Headmaster, why did you..?"

"Why I tricked him into thinking he went berserk?"

Not the way I would have put it, but it is the question I wanted to ask. There was no need to do such an act considering it would decrease his trust upon us were he to see through the scheme. As for the morality of fooling a young student... Well, even I have done worse deeds than that.

"When we first saw him, I thought he was a follower of All for One, as he seems to have multiple quirks. Healing, Super Intelligence, Self-Hypnosis, Spatial Storage, Temporary burst of Power. No quirk can be that flexible. But when I heard your Quirk was unable to stop his, my line of thoughts changed."

Certainly, my Quirk can even stop All-Might's One for All. The only types I can't remove are mutation-type, and even then it still works to some extent. Yet I wasn't able to stop Kuzuno from using his quirk even when I stared at the brat during the ball-throwing test. That tale spread around throughout the school even though it happened just yesterday. Freaking eight-grader syndrome.

"But couldn't he have used said self-hypnosis to trick himself to enter U.A.?"

If the brat managed to use self-hypnosis then it shouldn't be too farfetched to assume the brat managed to creatively use his quirk to create a fake-amnesia state so he could infiltrate into the school.

"That might be a possibility, which is why we will watch over him for the next week, to see whether he can be trusted or not."

So a wait-and-see approach. That was not an unreasonable ask, and if things were to go wrong then we would be capable of handling him without too much noise.

"However, were he to notice our deception..."

"Then we honestly apologize and tell him what it is all about. It would be troublesome, but nothing that cannot be fixed. Especially if it was a misunderstanding on our part borne from caution."

Short and simple with no loose end. A nice plan indeed. Now hopefully there would be no screw left unscrewed with this plan.


I drew out a small sigh. Surely I could not have messed up so badly as to have fought the Big Three during my lacking moments. However then why would Principal Nezu lie to me?

...Nah, must be just my numbskull idiotic part doing its work against me. I can't see a reason for the freaking Principal of UA to trick and unjustly punish me by accusing me of acts I did not do.

'Might as well then,'

Thus I spent the next week training. For some reason, I didn't get lazy at all which was notably strange. From the glimpse of memories there is around, I should be a lazy slacker rather than a physical training maniac.

[That's the passive effect of your Traits.]

Care to explain? Not all of us are mind readers here.

[All Traits gives you a small passive boost towards life skills. For example, Trait Planeswalker makes you more attuned to traveling and encountering new situations, while Limitless makes it so that you can do something for as long as you want.]

Ah, I see. Any chance of me seeing the statistic?

…Hello?

Fine. Be like that.

Like so I trained for the following week. It was a grueling process without any excitement. There was no epic song playing during the process, and it did feel like a week has passed by rather than a few minutes like shown in movies, so it was a pathetic excuse for a training montage. For shame to whichever deity that created this whole sequence out. For shame.

Constant training, training and more training. My Trait: Limitless was entirely willing to help me out in this situation. Though the whole sequence tired me out I somehow prevailed and kept repeating my training method. Soon enough though the entire week period has ended.

'A whole week... This has been rough.'

As I opened my eyes, a few blue screens blossomed into view.

[Quest: Bear With It completed +15 SP]

[Through special actions you have earned Trait: Loner +5SP +EVO]

[Skill: Unknown Hero(2) has been derived from Trait: Loner]

Unknown Hero. A troublesome skill if I ever knew one. This skill makes my presence stronger, so strong to the point others will subconsciously remove my existence from their brain in self-preservation. It is an extremely badass and unique form of stealth skill. Thanks to the skill I instantly gained some large muscle as well. Seems like there are extra side effects

Status, please.

[?

Rank 5

SP: 60

EVO: 3

[Planeswalker]: [Dimensional Travel(2+)][Hundred Gauntlet++++(4+)] [Dimensional Storage++(1)]

[Limitless]: [OverLoad(4+)]

[Underdog]: [Triumph(EX)]

[Rascal]: [Throw(1+)]

[Loner]: [Unknown Hero(2)]

[Turtorial Quest: Evolve a Dimensional Skill]

[Rank Quest: Reach Rank 6]

[Limit Quest 4: have four Rank(4) or Rank(4+) Skills.]

There doesn't seem many Skills to upgrade there are plenty of SP and Evo points. First thing first please upgrade and evolve Unknown Hero2.

[2-4-8SP and 1EVO have been spent. Please choose UH's Evolution result.]

[Unknown Phantom(4)] [Unknown Legend(4+)]

I chose the first option. The second seems to only make the troublesome effect stronger, while UP changes it into a true stealth skill. At least that was my interpretation from the name of these two Skills. If there is an evolution result which either covers the weakness or increases the power then I would choose the first in an instant. Less weakness means the skill has more utilization which is what you want in real life where things don't always go according to plan.

[Unknown Hero(2) has evolved into Unknown Phantom(4)]

After choosing the option my muscles seemingly evaporated. Or rather it would be better to claim they were compressed. After a few tests, I realized not only did my explosive strength increase thanks to the compression, but my dexterity and plain flexibility went through the roof.

Smaller hitbox, sneaking utility along with strength and agility up? A great passive skill if you ask me.

Though the school staff probably saw my muscles increasing and then compresses through the camera they use to view me. Let's hope they don't dig too deep into this case because I have no means to explain what just occurred. Maybe I could lie to them, but I don't exactly feel like doing so, nor do I think I could convince them.

Now that a whole week has passed, I wonder if I can join the Hero vs Villain team practice. Or am I just waiting for the Noumu to appear so I can defeat them?

Probably yeah. Afterward, I should probably use my Dimensional Travel Skills and go see a new world. Parting with these nice people would be somewhat saddening, but there are horizons I have yet to explore and there is no way I would drop them for anything so early in the journey.

Nevertheless, I have 46SP left, and one Skill I want to put into the spotlight.

OverLoad. The Rank4+ skill which evolved from OverDrive2+. The Skill itself makes me stronger by sacrificing stamina, currently at a 10:1 ratio. The problem is this Skill effect only activates for a single attack. That's right; I can sacrifice all my stamina to make one of my attacks multiplicatively eleven times stronger for a single moment before fainting. Utterly useless I tell you. But that is right now. In the future when this Skill is upgraded its value will undoubtedly be much higher. In the end, I decided the Skill is worth investing in.

[4-8-16 SP, OverLoad(4+) has been upgraded into OverLoad+++(4+)]

And now it makes me up to twenty-six times stronger if I used all my stamina. Sadly I am two points short of fully maxing the Skill so I now have 22SP left. Hmm... Might as well finish the Tutorial quest then.

[3SP and 1EVO spent to upgrade and evolve DS++(1) Please choose its evolution result.]

[Dimensional Spiker(2)] [Dimensional Ejector(2)]

The first seems to be a close-range technique while the second is a Gate of Babylon-esque Skill. My instinct as a Fate fan screamed for me to take the second one.

[Skill: Dimensional Storage(1) has evolved into Skill: Dimensional Ejector(2)]

[Tutorial Quest: Evolve a dimensional Skill Clear +Skill: Teleport(2)]

I see...

As expected it was a simple Skill with usage as I anticipated. It consists of opening a portal and ejecting an object from my Dimensional Storage at high velocity. The speed depends on the Skill Rank and Upgrades along with the weight and aerodynamics of the ejected object.

On the other hand, there was a reward from the Tutorial Quest. Teleport as you might expect is simply a Skill that lets me teleport to any place I want with the requirement of knowing the specific coordinate of the area I wish to teleport to clearly. Another busted Skill has appeared.

Right now though I want to focus on finally having 4 Rank(4) Skill so I can clear the Limit Quest 4. Right now I already have three with HG, OverLoad and Unknown Phantom so evolving another Rank2 or Rank 2+ Skill will earn my passage unto Rank 6 Skills. And you can easily guess which Skill I will gladly Evolve.

[2-4-8SP and 1EVO has been spent to Evolve DE. Please choose its evolution result.]

[Dimensional Shooter(4+)] [Dimensional Retractor(4)]

The first seems like a simple upgrade for the effect of Dimensional Ejector but what is up with the second option? Does that mean I can eject an object such as a hook tied to a chain, hook the ejected object to something and retract it back towards me? It sounds awesome yet very impractical.

In the end, I decided to just choose the first option in the honor of the work phrase KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid.

[Dimensional Ejector(2) has evolved into Dimensional Shooter(4+)]

[Limit Quest 4: Clear]

[Limit Quest 6: Have 6 Rank(6) or Rank(6+) Skill]

Now there are only 1SP left and I can't Evolve anything with that measly amount. 60 into 1 in a few seconds. There really is a need to gain an efficient way of attaining SP. Maybe there are repeatable quests I could take. System, you have anything like that?

[Negative]

Well, that sounds like an utter pile of bullshit to me. Probably something above my paygrade again. For someone supposed to help and guide me, the System hides way too much stuff for my liking. Though in a way one could say there is a need to prove my worth and get her to trust me more before she divulges critical information.

[It is within my protocol to deny any question you should not know the answer to. Emotion has no part in my decision]

So you clearly just admitted to hiding things for me. Well not like I can choke them out from your mouth anyway, considering I have no leverage against you in any way. Or rather making an enemy out of my current allies would be a very bad idea in the first place. The only reason I even contemplated such an option was because of my constant fear of being betrayed.

I am not kidding. The risk of being betrayed is one of my biggest fear. Pistanthrophobia, more simply known as the fear of trust. I won't say I have it, nothing that dramatic. Just very fucking close.

[As I have said before emotions have no part on my decision. I shall stay impartial and follow my protocols no matter what happens, which consists of guiding you through the Ranker Journey.]

A temporary guide is it. Well, this matter can be catered for later. As the saying goes ignorance is sometimes a blessing. There is no need to hurry and sprint for the truth. Better to just put things together piece by piece and see the resulting picture in its entirety.

Switching from this bleak topic though, the door leading to the outside world had since been unlocked and I am free to join back into classes. Or rather, I am obligated to do so considering how I did end up gaining something akin to scholarship in UA.

I have only been here for one day and I messed up big enough to get a full-week suspension already, but still a scholarship student nonetheless. It is part of my duty to go into class and learn whatever I can from these lessons.

Therefore I activated Unknown Phantom before moving outside the old gym, heading towards Class 1-A. Nobody even seems to notice me walking through the school grounds until I deactivated it after reaching the class, which is nice. Being constantly stared at cause constant turn-based mental damage for loners, with the damage increasing the more turn said loner was stared for.

I entered the class.

Ouch. The stark difference of attention I get while Unknown Phantom is active and inactive is rather unnerving actually. Everyone turned their heads towards me the moment I disabled UP. Do these students all have a sixth sense or something? Because clearly most of them couldn't see me through their line of sight before their attention snapped right towards me.

"Ah, you're finally back." Said Aizawa who sat by the teacher's desk with a smirk plastered on his face. That smile does not sit well with me. Bakugou has an expression fiercer than usual, and everyone else seems rather determined as well. Everyone stood and got out of class without saying a word, leaving me confused as I followed them.

I wanted to ask why nobody said anything, but this tense atmosphere they're creating is making it rather hard. My curiosity has been poked by these actions from my classmates so I obediently followed them who in turn were following Aizawa like little chicks following the mother hen.

Soon enough we all reached another town replica, like the one used in the UA entrance test. Just a bit smaller in scale though.

"Consider this as a stack of homework you missed." He pointed at a tall building. "Everyone will go into that building. I'll give you all 10 minutes to prepare." I moved to Aizawa's orders before he stopped me in my tracks. "Everyone except you, Kuzuno."

Missed homework, determined classmates, and Aizawa's blunt tactics.

"…I'm gonna have to face em all, aren't I?"

"You have 9 minutes left until you have to start. Show us your growth."

The hell!? I'm supposed to either pass or defeat everyone else without failing at all? I don't even know if I can win against Todoroki alone!

…Yet somehow it doesn't look like he is joking.

Tch.

"Fine, just let me take a few baseballs first."

"Oh? Do you think you will have time to prepare baseballs at an actual battle?"

"No, but I do carry rocks and rubbles that I like around. You want me to use them instead?"

He shut his mouth at that. With enough power even a rock to the head or torso is lethal.

With a confident smile, I took two dozen baseballs from a rack and took them into DS+

Soon enough I stood at the entrance of the tall building. My time limit to go up is twenty minutes. I have to defeat them within less than a minute each. Or maybe sneaking past them is an option? …Actually, with UP I think passing them will be easy as pie, right?

[Quest: Defeat Them All]

Well to hell with you too system.

HG: I defeated them all by constantly using OverLoad at the right timing

With those statements within my mind, I could feel my mind getting clearer. Hundred Gauntlets is an effective ability with very high utility value. Not only can it increase the effectiveness of my training it can also increase my general effectiveness in completing whatever task I wish to clear for a temporary amount of time. I am sure there will be a penalty later for using this skill in such a manner, but for the next twenty minutes, I am confident none of the class 1-A students can beat me in mental capability. At this point, it was a matter of tactics, whether they can buy enough time for me to lose this temporal burst of tactical capability from using HG.

…Let's do this.

The first to come and go was one Denki Kaminari, defeated by Dimensional Shooter4+ ejecting a constant barrage of baseball. He managed to evade a few but the rest hit him like a truck, leaving him knocked out before he even did anything. Strange, I thought he would be along with some other students rather than alone. He has a very strong yet predictable quirk so he needs the support of others to bring out his full power. Plus his personality also fits into the type who loves teamwork. Wonder why he came at me alone. Ah well, right now is blitz time so I have no room to worry about others.

Continuing was Tail Kung Fu along with Froggy, a good pair if you ask me. A heavy hitter with space denial and a crowd control harasser. However, while my strength was on a comparable level to them previously, I am five times stronger right now, and that was without counting HG which also increased my overall strength. I have reached strength impossible for normal humans without quirk-usage.

HG: I managed to grasp Froppy's tongue by an impressive display of reflex

Grabbing her slick tongue I pulled it and punched her in the cheek while sacrificing 8% of my stamina to triple my strength for the attack. With that Froppy was knocked unconscious and I still had enough time to react at the attack heading towards me. I pulled a backflip to evade a tail whip attack before instantly lowering my balance point, quickly shooting forward from the ground to throw a counter in the form of a punch to his chin with Overload: 8% again.

Seventeen left.

Acid girl and Multi-Arm. Neither had long-range options except Acid girl having acids she could throw towards me. However, the attack was meaningless against me who currently has reflex faster than what should be humanly possible. Boy did I punish them for having no reliable long-range option. Knocked Multi-Arm down with boulders used as projectiles to shoot from DS4+ and afterward Acid girl with baseball. The reason I used different projectiles for the two was because one is a tank while the other is more of an agility build, rather than any form of holding back against females.

I am the type to preach for gender equality you see. Full blown equality for everyone is another matter entirely though. It would be stupid to consider some random snot-nosed brat as an equal to a four-year hardworking college graduate. You should judge people, just not by superficial means like gender or race.

Fifteen left.

Bakugou rushed at me. I readied myself to evade the attack yet was stopped by someone grabbing me from behind. Must be Invisible Girl using her quirk. In an instant, I turned around, used OverLoad: 12% and elbowed the seemingly empty air. My elbow made contact with something hard, most likely her skull. Confirming the hit connected I turned my entire attention towards Explody Mcsplody since invisible Girl has since let go of my body, probably knocked unconscious. Using simple legs trick I managed to get into his guard. Using OverLoad at 16% charge I threw a punch towards his guts. Balkugou fell to his knees while choking out gastric fluids. Nothing surprising considering I just rushed towards him at speed comparable to Usain Bolt's sprint punched him with peak human strength multiplied five times.

This was not the worst plan ever, but their execution was off. I did not expect for Bakugou to actually cooperate with someone though. He was smart indeed, but at the same time very arrogant so seeing him working together with others was a rare sight. But nevertheless-

Thirteen.

I took the initiative and attacked the enemies first this time around. Can't play around as much when three enemies could surround you. Tape-man barely managed to evade the sneak attack from my throw with Overload 12%, but the thrown baseball knocked another student behind him instead. Said student has a quirk which controls animals, and therefore now that he fainted his insect went all over the place. Punched Tape-man while he was distracted by said insects. The last of this group left was Navel Shot. He went down with insects surrounding his body. Knocking him unconscious was probably considered mercy for him at that point, what with his elitist and elegant attitude not handling insects well.

This was horrible.

Ten.

Earjack, Creation girl, Gravity girl. Yaoyorozu has a machine gun flying in the air via Uraraka while Jiro made the room rumble through her quirk. Now that my foothold was shaking around I decided to prioritize and instantly rushed towards Yaoyorozu who held a dangerous weapon and slammed her to the floor. None of her bullets managed more than grazing cuts thanks to the wish-granting HG, not to mention they were rubber bullets anyway.

Still, a machine gun? Really?

After done with Yaoyorozu my next target was Jiro who was making me dizzy with her heartbeat sound amplified through her quirk. A few baseball throws via Dimensional Shooter4+ Jiro soon went down. Uraraka was harmless and helpless, so much to the point I almost felt bad knocking her unconscious with an OverLoad-powered punch. Almost.

Seven left.

Sugar Berserker and Kirishima the Stoner. These two were both stronger than I am in their own rights, but neither of them had any long-range option. I shot rocks against these two instead of baseballs since their body could take it, and average baseball throws would have barely affected them. They almost made it to me while I backpedaled along with throwing rocks towards them. It was actually a bit scary. Double tank, not to be underestimated.

Nevertheless, Five.

Birdie, Sonic, Deku. The shadow was quickly overwhelmed by a dozen rock throw before retreating. I kicked the other two out with my leg, not risking with hand-to-hand at all. I had to take my time here being extra careful since both Midoriya and Iida are volatile hit-and-run type just like me when I use OverLoad. Thank god for the increased reflex and awareness from HG.

When a battle between glass cannons occurs obviously the one with the better reflex would win. Of course, that is excluding the possibility of feints and whiffs, but none of us were skilled enough to mix proper feints with real attacks yet.

Finale was Mineta and Todoroki… A powerhouse and a harasser, this was actually a hard finisher. Don't think I can do this again if Mineta didn't slip with HG usage. This battle was a tough one if nothing else. I called out GG when I defeated Todoroki with a 16% Overload charged punch.

[Quest: Defeat Them All Clear. +10SP +EVO]

Coolie. I looked at the timer.

Time: 24 minutes and 18 seconds.

…I hate this test already.

All the students including myself went out of the building. The mood was somewhat saddening. It was their victory indeed but said the victory was a hollow one. I eventually did manage to beat them all under twenty-five minutes, even if I were to lose according to the rules. That has to be demoralizing for them no matter what perspective you look from.

"As you can see here, there is a reason he was treated differently than you all in certain aspects. The class will end early today. You may leave as you will."

Said Aizawa with a small smirk on his face. That was rare coming from him. It must be refreshing to see his annoying students getting beaten up. It seems he is a man of culture as well, as he supported me in my quest to assert dominance by creating the test which just played out. Well, either that or he hated me enough to go out of his way so he could see me getting beaten up by the rest of my classmates working together. Is this your way of shunning me, your most sparkling student, Aizawa?!

Ah well, enough playing around for now.

"As expected…"

[What is it?]

"I suppose knowing my path is the proper way to put it."

While muttering the phrase under my breath I walked out from my classroom. At this point, I intended to hang out in the town. Since I have been locked within the gym for a whole week I managed to gain some appreciation for freedom of space, smiling at even the random gust of winds. You will truly appreciate having something the moment you regain them after once losing them.

"Oh, speak of the devil and it shall appear indeed."

I heard those words coming out from one Itsuka Kendo. She stood along the hallways with Monoma Keito beside her. The two are notable students from the neighbor class 1-B. Tendo was the big-sister-like class president of 1-B while Monoma seems to distaste everyone within class 1-A for whatever reason. Having patience is not my virtue. There is no need for me to deal with the annoying Monoma Keito considering his disdain against everyone in Class 1-A I included.

Therefore lowered my head while trying to leave quietly without gaining their attention.

I wonder why Monoma seems to begrudgingly despise everyone in my current temporary class. My best guess would be because he was not put into 1-A himself. After all, 1-A is the class for the top students within UA. Or at least it seems to be. Far as I remembered Itsuka Kendo scored within the top 10 on the entrance test rankings, yet she was put into class 1-B for whatever reason.

Maybe the principal and his staff considered the synergy between the student's abilities and personalities with one another to decide the class allocation. Or maybe they decided to put her there to make sure Kendo became the class leader considering her personality. Hmm, something to mull over during my spare time. Or maybe I could directly ask Aizawa or the other staff how exactly class placement works.

"Hey, over here!"

Kendo waved towards my general direction. Ah, I went within their line of sight. Not exactly good news when I am actively trying to get away from the two. Wait, active?

Forgot I have the passive-active skill Unknown Phantom4 which can be used to lessen my presence from the senses of others. I hurriedly activated UP and scurried away. Has to go away quickly or Monoma might start some trouble against me in his hatred against 1-A students. Hopefully, they won't even see me at all and just leave me alone to my business.

"Kuzuno, I'm calling for you!"

Sigh. Guess there are limitations to even the strongest of Skill. If I had to guess then maybe she managed to see though UP4 because she saw me before I even activated the Skill. Though I do wonder why Kendo would call for me. For one I do not want to deal with Monoma, but on the other hand, ignoring Kendo would be rude and I am curious as to what she has to say.

In the end, I decided to walk towards their direction. Monoma has a hateful personality but he is still somewhat bearable unlike third-rate cliché villains appearing in B movies.

"Good afternoon, Kendo-san. Anything I could do for you?"

She gave me a strange gaze at those words of mine. Far as my knowledge goes those words of greeting were very plain, and should not evoke such a response. Maybe some cultural differences between this world and my old one?

"Oh, I just realized it but how did you know my name, not only now but also during the entrance exam? I don't think I have ever given my name out to you."

Right, thinking back I called her Kendo when thanking her for saving me. Big mistake on my part. However, I am a pathological liar who specializes in improvised lies. There is no need to worry about a mess-up this small. Lying now means I should also think of a claim to back up my words though. I did think up of some easy excuse but was hesitating because lying now will mean I need to get my story straight afterward in the future.

Ah well, not like I will be here for long so why not lie anyway. Long as they are not discovered lies are very effective tools of communication and manipulation. One would need to be truthful to create a healthy long-term relationship but short-terms are a different matter entirely. In fact, being too truthful is also a problem on its own. That is why the word 'polite' exists.

"Ah, gathering data is a simple hobby of mine. I love learning from my peers as well. For example, the friend beside you should be Monoma, who has a copy quirk correct?" I smiled at the two. "I remember some students who caught my eyes when inspecting the other heroes-in-training. The two of you were some of them."

The two has seemingly disbelieving looks on their face.

"Where do you get all this information from then? I doubt you know our name through eavesdropping." Monoma asked.

"Hmm? Oh, I and the staffs here have a somewhat special relationship. It is all a rather convoluted story so I won't bother with the details, but I managed to remember some people of note from those data."

Technically none of those words were lies. I do have a special relationship with the school staff, or rather with this entire world considering everything here was known as mere fictions to me in the past. And inspecting these students was the truth as well as I did so while reading through the manga. However, with words alone, I managed to vaguely interconnect the two facts together and lead them towards a false conclusion.

Feast your sight upon this mastery of lies I have attained. I am the type that likes to meld truth and lies together rather than constantly piling lies up like a mountain. Sometimes doing so is rather hard though, considering I am a pathological liar.

"Oh, sounds interesting. By the way, I wanted to say thanks to you. Never did thank you for saving me during the entrance test."

I furrowed my brows. Far as I could remember she was the one who saved me when during my entrance to this world when I was falling from the sky because of Dimension Travel. Afterward, I did help her by destroying a robot that snuck up behind her, but the reason she didn't notice said robot was partially my fault as well, as she was putting her entire effort into saving me and ignored her surroundings.

"From my perspective, you were the one who saved me." I shrugged, "But who am I to reject the goodwill of others. You're welcome."

She smiled. Looking at her again she is actually quite the beauty. A kind and beautiful schoolmate who treats you nicely. That kindness sounds like something boys will mistake for affectionate feelings. I feel pity for her male friends whose hearts would break thanks to their misunderstanding. And yes they will assume so, that much I assure you. She is clearly a cruel death trap.

"Hey, is there anybody else of note?"

My eyes went to the source of those words. It was Monoma Keito who asked me the question, a somewhat annoyed look set on his face. Wonder why he would ask such a question. Nevertheless, other notable heroes-in-training within class 1-B…

"Nope." I shook my head. "And I don't mean to insult you guys at class 1-B or anything. There are only three people of note even within class 1-A. Though that doesn't mean everyone else is weak. There are some students within 1-B whom I consider to have terrifying potential, even more so than many at Class 1-A. In the first place, a person of interest simply means someone with conditions more complex than others, rather than stronger."

Monoma opened his mouth again, but I interrupted him with some words of my own.

"Oh, and if you are curious, the three interesting ones in my class are Todoroki Shouto, Bakugou Katsuki, and Midoriya Izuku."

"…Why those three?"

"Midoriya simply has high future potential with his quirk which he cannot control yet, Todoroki has an extremely strong quirk he won't control and Bakugo is just like you."

"Me? And that buffoon? Something must be wrong with your eyes." He scoffed.

I nodded in response with a smile on my face. The type of brash affection, or in other words a TsunDere. That was the label I would put on both Bakugou and Monoma. There was no need for him to know that however, so I better distract him with my more reserved opinion of him and Bakugou.

"Yep, exactly alike. Brash attitude, solid quirks… and high insight when one delves a tiny bit deeper."

Those words seem to shock Monoma for whatever reason. Was there a need to be that shocked from a simple compliment? I wonder if he has some kind of inferiority problem going on. That would explain his seemingly unfounded hatred against class 1-A. Nevertheless, as we are strangers it is inappropriate for the likes of me to invade his privacy.

Now, this is about time we part considering I have a business to attend but… Ah well, why not have some interesting interactions rolling before commencing my plan. I have a feeling it won't end well, but I have to do it considering my nature.

"Hey, Monoma-san, Kendo-san." I started, "Metaphorical question. What if you were suddenly to become worthless? To be nothing but one of the billions rather than one of a kind within a planet spanning hundreds of billions kilometer wide. To lose memories which make you who you were. To have nothing to your name except yourself. To have lost all the bonds you made throughout your life."

The two looked at me with a strange gaze. This must have seemed like it came from nowhere within their perspective. Surprisingly enough Monoma was the one to answer my question first. He looked at me with a stern look as he opened his mouth.

"There is no way that kind of thing could occur in real life."

"Which is why it was a metaphorical question rather than a literal one."

I know it was an unreasonable question, but please try to tackle it anyway. Consider this the small wish of an acquaintance or something. This plan of mine will most likely either kill me or ostracize me anyway so I wanted to get some second opinion on what I should do before this all ends.

As expected the two looks bewildered by my inquiry. They made eye contact with one another. Honestly, it would be surprising if they weren't bewildered. The question itself came from the left field. However, it seems the two were more than willing to answer looking at their expression.

"If you lost everything… Then shouldn't you protect what you currently have?"

That was Monoma's response.

"If you lost something, then that means you should create new ones. Losing something doesn't mean you can't recreate it again."

And that was Kendo's response.

To protect and to create. That was the answer given by these two schoolmates of mine. They were good answers, reasonable ones with logic implemented within them. At the same time, they also stated those thoughts of theirs with an inquiring tone. And as they did answer my question, I suppose it is only fair for me to entertain their curiosity as well.

"If the only thing someone has is themselves, then one must follow their own cause and never stray away from it no matter what."

Self-justification. That was my own answer. To grasp at straws and not lose one's own dream.

"…That is incredibly selfish."

"It is, but such is appropriate for the desperate, is it not?"

My answer was neither here nor there. Maybe someday in the future, I could respond less flippantly, but this current state of mine does not allow such commitment. This plan of mine was made so that the status quo would change so that I could start to have something 'genuine' within this life filled with meaningless stuff. Therefore my plan did not change.

A pity.

"Thanks." I sent a two-finger salute towards the two. "Well, see you two some other times. Got something to do after this."

I started to walk away, before stopping in the next moment. Forgot something important.

"By the way Monoma, there is another interesting student around. His name is Hitoshi Shinso."

Saying those last words I walked away from the two, moving towards the school gate, UP once again activated the moment I was out from Kendo and Monoma's sight. Navigating through the school soon I passed the school entrance gate. The whole thing was locked but one leap above the wall fixed the problem, which was a joke considering my current physical fitness level. Since UP was activated there would likely be some leeway before Aizawa and the rest realize I escaped from the school.

HG: I encountered Hero-Killer Stain while walking around the town searching for him.

As a person bounded within the society, how important do you think 'truthfulness' is?

For me, the answer was a bit on the complicated side, yet I would delve into the topic without any hesitance, unlike most others who would stumble when asked such a question. As a pathological liar, I understood the value of truthfulness more than the common populace. It is utterly priceless, both in the sense, it is so precious no material worth could compare to it, yet at the same so emotionally meaningless it is of no worth at all.

Using truth is akin to min-maxing your character stats in games. A blunt person who speaks out their mind and goes all-in betting others would accept your opinion without getting too offended or freak out. On the other hand, lies are more balanced builds, as they have a skill called being polite. Therefore to me who lived a life full of lies, extremities are something to be avoided. They are dangerous and volatile, uncontrollable.

However, following society's definition truthfulness is often interconnected with righteousness. And the allure of being righteous is not so easily denied. To be correct. To be just. That sense of pride and fulfillment one gains when they are doing something they perceive as good. There is no denying that facet of humanity no matter who you are.

So many times people have tried to do the right thing, with the motive of merely being right rather than anything of meaning like care for others or something more sacred. Because let us be honest what part of wish-fulfillment is exactly sacred huh?

And I am not different from any of them. The pitfall of being correct has fooled me countless times in the past, and I idly wondered if this struggle is merely another that will be added to the list of my failures.

…However there is no option for the desperate. For the liar who wishes for something 'genuine' more than anything, creating more bonds formed though lies would be nothing but self-torture. A form of hallucination to pretend he has attained what he could never actually reach in reality.

Right. This is not some self-masturbatory power-trip.

This is the tale of a boy who needs to grow up and accept reality, and his struggle against it.

My steps quickened. It has been a few minutes yet no encounter of note has happened. I have to hurry or the school staff might just catch me before my business is over and done with. Now is the time for blitz. I do not know how competent the school staff is and I have no intention of knowing long as things were to go my way. To meet Stain and defeat him before the school staff catches up with me. That would be the ideal progression.

HG: I encountered Hero-Killer Stain while walking around.

Still nothing.

HG: I encountered Hero-Killer Stain while walking around.

Nothing.

I continued to abuse HG without end. My goal as I have put it before was to meet Stain and beat him into submission. However, things did not go well as minutes changed into hours and yet nothing happened. In fact, I have now arrived at another town away from Musutafu, all the way just from walking.

At this point going back to the school was probably going to take me an hour even by riding the train or the likes. And considering I have no proof of identity of any kind using public transportation might prove to be a challenge.

Therefore calling Aizawa with the phone he gave me early on before the school started would probably be my best bet to return into UA. Maybe my act this time was a bit hasty. I am starting to regret my bold choice as I often do. Even after all this time this humble liar never learned his lesson.

Apologizing and making an excuse for escaping from school towards the staff will be extremely troublesome. Convincing them I did this without any particular reason would be near impossible considering they are already suspicious about me. And yes they are suspicious, that is my explanation as to why they let me train for a whole week under their supervision (cameras galore) and the fight against everyone else in class 1-A was probably a test to see my full might as well.

Hmm… I can't think up of a good way to make them misunderstand these actions of mine. Fully lying against them is not an option considering they have a lie-detector on their side. Telling the truth and saying I was hunting for the Hero-Killer will make them see me like a petulant child and they will probably punish me real bad and strictly monitor me, meaning my actions will be restricted.

Maybe I should just teleport to another world already. Ah, I truly screwed up bad this time around.

Being initiative was never my strong point. I liked to play passive and follow wherever the wind may blow. Doing things this aggressively blows me out of my water and boy is it working against me really quickly. Now I am left in a troublesome place and have to make a decision which was unneeded if this whole scheme of thing was left alone. Just had to open the Pandora's box did I not?

Nevertheless, I whisked out the phone deep within my pockets and pressed the speed dial button. Guess this is the time for a pick-me-up. This useless search has gone for hours and I have no intention of continuing it anymore. Suppose my HG is not quite the omnipotent skill I painted it out to be.

"Oh, what is this? Someone from UA out here?"

That voice did not come from the oldie flip phone Aizawa provided me, considering how it is still loading the call. The raspy voice came from directly behind me. As in there is someone who just snuck up right behind me and spoke those words right beside my ears.

Huh.

HG: Tell me I did not just encounter Hero-Killer Stain.

"Don't worry; you did not just encounter the infamous Hero-Killer. I'm just a random old man passing by."

Funny joke Mr. Stain. Now time to find a way to escape from this encounter with death. I did plan to meet Stain but not in this kind of uncontrollable situations. I planned to sneak and ambush him while he is not on guard. Right now he is not only very on guard but also ready to maim me.

Calm down Kuzuno, the first thing you have to do is to buy time. Hopefully, Aizawa and the rest will come to the saving. Your current position is so disadvantageous your chance of survival is almost laughable. But laughable means is it not zero, and you must grab onto that non-zero probability of survival. Otherwise, you will be truly hopeless.

"Care to tell why you're hunting chumps like me instead of proper heroes?"

Those were my words of engagement. Hopefully, he will take the bait and response in a general villain-like manner. If small talk fails then this will turn into a straightforward battle and I might not survive that. This is the first true crisis I have faced and failing here would mean the end of this adventure. That I simply cannot allow.

"Tch. Thinking only of your own hides even if it means others would get hurt instead… Typical pretentious heroes."

A small success if you were to ask me. Managed to stall my impending doom by a matter of a few seconds is no laughing matter, especially when one thinks of what one can do within those few seconds. Usually not much according to most people, but most people do not have an extraordinary system following them around do they?

HG: I mule kicked Hero-Killer's nether region in my panic

After doing that I ran away as fast as feet could go. However, I was no naïve enough that doing so will let me escape from the Hero-Killer. Therefore…

HG: The Hero-Killer followed right behind me.

One might wonder why I went out of my way to make sure he was right behind me again by using HG, and if so their answer would come in the form of gigantic rubble right from my Dimensional Storage, appearing right above me. And for extra measures…

HG: The Hero-Killer will get crushed under the large rubble I summoned.

I rushed forwards before looking backward, just right in time to see the sight of Stain getting crushed by the gigantic rock I summoned. He quickly dropped to all four, the large boulder sitting right above his back forming a great lock considering the bastard won't be able to put power into any of his four limbs unless he bends them along the ground, but that would not only make him look like a frog but also will be very painful so I could easily prevent it if he were to even try doing that option.

I decided to take his sword into my DS for safety reasons anyway though. Well, that and the fact I require a good weapon and Stain's sword certainly fits the bill considering how nasty it looks.

Huh. Enemy capture confirmed. To be honest this was over far quicker than what I initially thought this whole thing would take. Well, finding him took me hours so not that part, but this encounter ended so quickly I couldn't help but squint at this nonsensical occurrence.

Looking back towards the dangling flip phone which was still calling Aizawa, the old thing seems to have finally connected to its destination considering how it finally stopped its constant repeating tone. Most likely Aizawa or another of the school staffs are on the other side of the phone right now. There was a rough grumble coming from the other side though, so I assume it was Aizawa himself rather than anyone else. He was probably having a headache because of yours truly considering my missing state.

"Aizawa-san, are you there?"

"Kid, where the hell are you?"

"Oh please do not bother making an excuse that you don't have any form of tracker on me. More importantly, I need you to send a pick-me-up to my current location right about now. I have captured a vigilante and have no idea on how to handle the following procedures properly."

"What are you—Sigh… Wait for a second while I confirm with the rest."

Aizawa interrupted his own words after hearing mine properly. Guess they do have a tracker somewhere around me. Maybe it was on the phone, maybe they have something on my school suit or maybe someone is watching over me through some kind of clairvoyance quirk. And maybe Pluto is not a mentally disabled being enslaved by Mickey. Who cares honestly.

I closed the slip phone of my own accord. Well, this was not exactly how I imagined the whole Hero-Killer hunting trip would go. This should have been a much safer and cleaner story where I managed to ambush Stain properly and knock him unconscious with one rubble throw. Right now the man is still struggling under the gigantic rubble he was put under still fully conscious.

Whatever happens, happens I suppose. Or rather to quote William Shakespeare himself, all's well that ends well. Things went off the rails a tiny bit but no need to bother with the small things anymore now that the whole thing is done and over with. Now all left to be done is wait for Aizawa to capture the Hero-Killer properly and I could earn the forgiveness of the UA staff.

Thinking back the reason for hunting Stain was to prove my worth to the UA staff themselves. Considering the one-week observation and the fight against everyone within class 1-A, I have no doubt the school staff was expecting something out of me. They were testing my worth, and hopefully defeating Stain would be enough to prove I am capable of whatever they are planning for me. Most likely they intend to recruit me to defeat One for All, which I have no problem with.

Just watching Stain constantly trying to get up and fail in doing so was getting boring though, so me being me I decided to once again strike up a conversation. A stupid idea I know but boredom does stupid things to people so who could blame me? Or rather who cares if people blamed me anyway, that's more their problem than mine.

"Hey, any reason why you decided to attack me out of nowhere?"

Stain merely grunted without answering. Ah, this is hopeless. The man is too focused on trying to raise himself from the ground to even bother hearing my words. Guess there will be no conversation to fill the lull then. What a sad day for humanity when a boy gets ignored when trying to converse with a man.

"Do you think you can escape from this situation?"

No response.

"Is living for an ideology really that fun?"

Those words, on the other hand, made Stain pause for some reason. Guess I managed to catch him with the bait. Good. I was getting bored with the suffocating atmosphere surrounding us two up till now. It would do well if he could entertain me within the short amount of time we have left before Aizawa and the rest comes in and bust up this man.

"It's not fun and games, it is my duty." He said. "Though someone like you wouldn't understand that."

"Would not understand, rather than cannot understand, is it. You really have a good grasp on your ideology do you not?"

The man raised an eyebrow at those words of mine. To others, those words must have been unreasonable considering they are without context. Rather, were they something that could be explained merely with some context?

Even that was a question I do not know the answer to. Whether those words could truly be justified however was a question needless to be asked. Because to me, the answer would be assuredly 'justified'.

"To me, ideology equals selfishness."

"To stand by what you think no matter what, there is no form of selfishness clearer and more stubborn than that."

"Therefore it should be clear that the most selfish of ideology would be the strongest is it not?"

"That is my ideology. To be the most selfish man in the entire world, and flourish the most."

Throughout my explanation, the Hero-Killer kept quiet while gazing at me like looking at an utter lunatic. Right, to him or most anyone else my nonsensical words must have sounded like utter rubbish. They were the result of cultivated selfishness that grew deep within my psyche, something inexplicable to most other people. However, it seems Stain had enough of my opinion the moment those words were uttered, as he grunted deeply.

"…You're a sociopath."

"And I am a sociopath who defeated you. Does that not mean my ideology is more fitting within this world, as it lets me survive longer than yours did?"

Afterward, silence enveloped the surrounding environment. I considered the ensuing silence as a victory. A pleased smile graced my lips. This would be the first time such an overwhelming amount of pleasure came since the moment my memory has been wiped. Satisfaction welled up from this once in a blue moon event where I could speak my mind out.

[Through special actions you have earned the Trait: Egocentric +6SP +1EVO]

[Skill: One's Own Justice(EX) has been derived from Trait: Egocentric]

[Rank Quest: Rank 6 Clear +15SP]

Another EX rank Skill. This should be the second one after Triumph. Same as last time no information came to me on how I am supposed to use this Skill. What are these EX rank Skills supposed to be anyway? I can neither upgrade nor evolve them with my SP and EVO according to the System when I tried to upgrade TriumphEX in the past. Their usage was unknown to me as well so there is no good way to utilize them. For now, let's just act like it does not exist at all.

Nevertheless is it not about time for Aizawa and friends to come?

"…You really are a piece of work, brat."

Oh, speak of the devil and they shall appear indeed. Aizawa has finally come to the rescue. It seems like there are Ectoplasm and Midnight around as well. I would consider that way overkill considering there is nothing to take care except for the Hero-Killer who is already incapacitated.

They sure are quick though, considering it has only been a few minutes since the phone call I made. Mm, mm. Such efficiency is only fitting for something of UA caliber. It makes me proud to be one of them, even if only temporarily.

Now that I think about it wonder how much longer will I stay here before moving on to another world. The cooldown period of Dimensional Teleport2 will soon lift and considering there is not much to do within UA this early in the year it might be smart to teleport into another world sooner rather than later.

Also, why am I feeling so… Sleepy…

Ah crap, Midnight's quirk.

…Why though?


[Through special actions you have earned the Trait: Vigilante +7SP +1EVO]

[Skill: Seek(2) has been derived from Trait: Vigilante]


"Kuzuno, why did you escape from the school grounds?"

"Oh come on, an interrogation? And what's up with these handcuffs?"

I shook my arms, making some extra noises from the metal cuffs for emphasis. I have woken up from my sleep just a few seconds back, still somewhat lethargic actually. Right now we are all within a small gray room probably meant for interrogation like what they are practicing on me.

Aizawa's eyes darkened.

"I will repeat the question. Why did you escape from the school grounds?"

I flinched at his gaze.

"...I just wanted to catch the Hero-Killer and send him to you guys."

"And what possessed you to think doing so would be a good idea?"

I took a deep breath. The current condition has rolled far beyond my imagination. Guess they are mad I managed to escape from under their purview. Considering the situation I might as well put all the chips on the table.

"Because All for One is interested in using Hero-Killer."

As I said those words you could hear a pin drop within the silence.

"What are you-"

"let's not fool around here. We both know who I meant by All for One."

"...And why could you not just tell us so before doing something this reckless?"

"Are you kidding me? Your reaction to my escape was bad enough as is. If I were to reveal all my information straight away then I'd probably be locked at an isolation room or something already. I could not trust you guys the same way you could not trust me. And don't even bother trying to deny it when your first reaction to my missing state was to kidnap me back here."

He clicked his tongue.

"That was because of your reckless action. Were we to go through this entire process while properly communicating with one another then this mess would never have happened."

"Bull is what I would call that speech you just made. You don't get to blame me from being initiative. Now mind letting me go? I am tired of my first true battle with another sapient."

"No."

"...Excuse me?"

"A simple warning first. We will watch your every action from now on, to the smallest detail. Try anything like this again and we will lock you even tighter." Aizawa then proceeded to sigh. "As this is your first offense however we will give you a pardon. That is the decision made by Principal Nezu himself. Be thankful to him."

I tilted my head.

"That... is more reasonable an offer than I would have thought."

He scoffed.

"What, you think we would lock you up without listening to your words? Still, I believe you should have been strictly punished for this act of yours. Be thankful for Principal Nezu's pardon, otherwise, you would be in a heap of trouble right about now."

"And my knowledge of All for One?"

"…We will have to discuss that with those in the known later. For now though I'll treat it that you didn't say anything."

"Right. Small information first. All for One is training someone called Shigaraki. He has a fake severed hand covering his face all the time. Can't miss him. I have no idea as to why One for All is raising him up though."

"…And how do you know that?"

"I know a lot of things I really shouldn't."

Aizawa lets out a fed-up sigh before moving behind me, unlocking the cuffs locking my hands. Not that I couldn't break them with OverLoad4+ but his help is appreciated nonetheless. Honestly, maybe I should have broken them though. Not only would it have looked extremely cool but it would also piss off Aizawa and the rest a lot.

If you haven't caught my drift yet I was intentionally goading Aizawa to get mad at me during the conversation that just occurred. My intention was for justification, so I could leave this world with grudge and hatred towards them rather than missing them.

And yes I fully planned to leave right about now. The next two arcs will be an invasion and school tournament arc. The second is too far away while the first is too risky to be participated considering how volatile OverLoad4= is.

Or at least that was my plan before Nezu decided to give me a pardon. 'Considering the current situation maybe I can be a bit more honest towards these people.' That was my current line of thought. For a liar like me, the thought of being able to be honest towards others makes me feels giddy. As expected the allure of truth is not so easily denied.


AN: Refurbishing the story.