Despite the Iron-Blooded Orphan's sheer power and tankiness, Death Reaper still managed to whittle away at his overall power, weakening him to the point of exhaustion. While he wasn't able to stop anyone else aside from the Iron-Blooded Orphan, it didn't bother him at all. After all, his utmost priority was to stop the Iron-Blooded Orphan from getting his superhero license this year. That was what he was hired to do.
"Now that I think about it... where was that kid? That Midoriyama kid. Well, never mind that, I guess he ran away or something." Death Reaper said to himself.
Just a moment ago, Satoshi was too focused on the fight between the Iron-Blooded Orphan and the Death Reaper that he was the only one left behind. Death Reaper somehow resolved into stopping him from getting the Superhero License as well since it would make him more popular in his line of work. Imagine stopping the son of the famous number one and two superheroes? That would be a neat achievement to put up on his resume or something.
But he disappeared, and right in front of his face, even.
Apparently, Satoshi donned on his familiar, Invisibility Cloak, and rode on his Nailgun, whizzing past the Iron-Blooded Orphan and the Death Reaper unnoticed. "I don't have the time to worry about these two. Right now I need to pass the first round or else I'd have to wait another year before I could get my Superhero License."
While Satoshi could've easily risked falling behind a few seconds and knocking the Death Reaper unconscious. He didn't feel the need of helping Iron-Blooded Orphan even though he was striving just as much as everybody else to become a superhero. Besides, it's not like fighting in the Superhero License Exam is forbidden, so what Death Reaper did wasn't really illegal.
In fact, Death Reaper appears every year in the Superhero License Exam, stopping a few candidates here and there as he was hired to do so. He even has an official website where anyone could buy his services at an affordable price.
And if what he was doing is actually really underhanded, then why hasn't the SAO taken action about it? Needless to say, there was nothing else Satoshi could do here but leave and try to qualify for the second round.
"I wonder where Satoshi went... hmmm... " Midori muttered. One moment, he was right behind the start line, the next moment he was gone. It's as if he just disappeared into thin air, and there was no trace of him whatsoever anywhere.
"I don't know, but we can't think about him right now. There are pretty formidable participants this year." Hiroshi muttered, flinging himself ever-forward with flames that came out of his soles and palms.
The two of them increased their pace, watching in horror as the qualifying count being shown live started going up. It went faster than expected. In less than five seconds, twenty-five people already qualified for the second round.
"Faster!" Hiroshi gritted his teeth in frustration, firing an even stronger burst of flames from his soles and palms. As for Midori, he didn't feel the need to voice out his frustration since he had been doing his best right from the start.
The last fifty meters that led to the finish line were the very definition of chaos. With multiple supers firing off at each other without reprieve, trying to get in the way of everyone before they finally stepped foot on the finish line. Of course, there were some who aimed to finish right then and there, but those struggling behind didn't give them a chance as they so desperately tried to hinder them.
"Come on! We can do this!" Midori and Hiroshi said as the two of them rushed straight through, ignoring the pandemonium that ensued around them. There were other participants who tried to drag them down but with their superior agility and strength, they managed to pull through.
Furthermore, the top picks to qualify for the second round already made it through, that's why Hiroshi and Midori didn't really have a difficult time weaving their way through.
[Ninety-nine]
[One hundred]
[One hundred one]
The counter continued going up as Midori and Hiroshi finally finished. Fortunately, it was the top two hundred and not the top hundred. Had it been that way, one of them wouldn't have been able to qualify right then and there.
When they got there, the waiting room by the finish line was already almost filled with people. Of course, only two hundred or so people could fit in there after all, and once those participants qualified, the waiting area would be closed off and those who failed would be escorted out of the premises.
Every year, hundreds upon hundreds of dreams are crushed during the Superhero License Exam, and this year was no different.
"What the— " Midori instantly exclaimed as soon as they entered the waiting area.
"Geh- why? Is something wrong, Midori?" Hiroshi asked, concerned.
Midori couldn't help but salivate at the sight of free refreshments and drinks. Well, it wasn't that unusual for the Superhero License Exam to have that but this was the first time he get to experience it up close. "Are those really for free? Really?!" He excitedly asked Hiroshi, who nodded in response.
"Sweet!" Without further ado, Midori rushed towards the refreshments first, drank his fill, and began stuffing himself up with all the food he could get. And then, when no one was looking, he began stuffing some of the food in his bag. "Hehhehe," He muttered to himself.
"You shouldn't eat too much, you know, the second round is bound to start soon." Someone spoke from behind him.
"Wh— ah, Satoshi! You were here? I didn't see you so I thought you still haven't qualified." Midori took another bite of the sandwich he just got. He couldn't tell what was inside the sandwich but he ate it anyway.
"What do you mean? I was the first one here." Satoshi casually said, much to Midori's surprise.
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