After a long day of work and chaos, Henryduc and Rainy found themselves recovering in the quiet of Rainy's apartment. The assassination attempt on Henryduc—better known in the shadows as Knightmare—had left his place in ruins.
Only a few of his belongings survived the wreckage: a few sets of clothes, a pair of rugged shoes, his backpack filled with mysterious items, and a peculiar mini fridge with a built-in TV screen. Most precious of all, a soft white cotton blanket, marked at the center with a single silver Greek key symbol.
Henryduc sat on the couch, the blanket draped over his shoulders.
"You really have a thing for sleeping on couches, huh?" Rainy said, raising an eyebrow as she passed by.
"Shouldn't you be focusing?" Henryduc replied. "The exam's tomorrow. There's still a chance we don't get in."
Rainy turned and leaned against the wall. "What about you? You're all wrapped up like a burrito. Don't tell me you'rebeing serious right now?"
Henryduc scratched the side of his neck, giving a half-shrug.
"Nah, I'm good. I know what I'm doing. Sure, it's my first time doing something like this, but… it's exciting. Sucks that we had to quit our jobs for this shot at education—and becoming official heroes. Still, at least our boss never caught us moonlighting as vigilantes. Especially since we're underage."
Rainy gave him a tired look. "So, you gonna sleep or what? You look tired."
Henryduc gave a lazy nod. "You got that right."
Rainy stretched. "Can't wait to see what happens tomorrow. Let's get some rest."
She disappeared into her room while Henryduc curled up on the couch, staring at the ceiling as sleep took him.
The Next Day
They stood outside the towering exam building, eyes wide with anticipation.
Henryduc adjusted his backpack. "You ready, Rainy?"
Rainy flashed a confident thumbs-up.
They stepped into the building and were quickly separated—each heading to their assigned zones.
Inside the Testing Hall
Henryduc entered a crowded room buzzing with tension. He took a seat in the back, keeping a low profile.
Then a booming voice cut through the murmurs.
"WHAT'S UP, YEAHHH!"
A monitor burst to life.
The speaker was Hero Rank #32—NeoStreamer, clad in high-tech gear with glowing neon highlights and a mic always at the ready.
"Future heroes! Y'all ready to RUMBLE?! Welcome to your entrance exam. Here's the deal—multiple training zones, swarms of robotic enemies. Rack up points by defeating bots. Easy, right?"
NeoStreamer spun the mic before pointing at the screen.
"There is a twist! I won't tell you how much each bot is worth—but there's one you definitely wanna avoid. The ZERO POINT BOT. It's skyscraper-sized and ain't worth jack! Trust me, you don't wanna mess with it."
Henryduc narrowed his eyes. So that's the catch... but how strong are these robots, really?
Before he could ponder further, the doors opened. He was herded toward his battle zone.
Zone B: Countdown to Chaos
Massive mechanical gates loomed ahead like the jaws of a beast. Competitors around him were already flexing their powers—one launched fireballs, another floated with anti-gravity control, and one guy's elbows sparked with energy.
Henryduc stood quietly, hands in his pockets. No flashy powers. No grand display.
The gates slammed open.
"NO COUNTDOWNS IN REAL BATTLE, BABY!" NeoStreamer's voice echoed.
And the trial began.
A wave of hopeful heroes surged forward, unleashing their powers. Henryduc lagged behind, eyes darting around, watching explosions bloom like fireworks and bots crumble under powerful strikes.
Minutes passed. He had only scored five points.
This isn't good...
Collapse and Catalyst
As Henryduc dodged a collapsing wall, a scream tore through the chaos.
He turned.
Across the plaza, a monstrous silhouette rose above the wreckage—the Zero Point Bot had arrived. A towering metal titan with glowing yellow eyes and limbs that smashed down like meteors.
"Ugly as sin," Henryduc muttered.
The bot rampaged, tossing debris and chasing students. Most fled in terror.
All but one.
A girl lay pinned beneath a slab of concrete, eyes wide with pain and fear.
Without hesitation, Henryduc sprinted toward her.
He heaved the concrete off and scooped her into his arms.
"COWARDS!" he growled, watching others flee. "They just left her!"
He ducked into a nearby building, laying the girl down gently.
"You'll be fine here. Just hide and stay quiet."
Then he turned, stepped outside, and ran straight toward the titan.
He leapt high into the air, the wind whipping around him.
"Get ready for my first signature move... Machinehead," he muttered.
With precision and raw force, he launched into a devastating dropkick.
"BOLOGNA DROPKICK!"
His foot slammed into the robot's head.
BOOM.
The head exploded. The titan crumbled like a collapsing tower.
Henryduc was still airborne.
"So this is what it feels like to put in effort... and what a skyscraper view looks like."
As he fell, a glowing purple portal opened beneath him.
He dropped through—and landed safely back on the ground.
"Gotcha!" said the girl, holding the fading portal in her hand, the girl managed to recover fast as possible.
"Oh... didn't know the one I saved had portal powers." Henryduc said, brushing himself off.
The timer sounded. The exam was over.
He looked at the destruction, unsure if he'd done enough.
Hope Rainy made it in...
He walked with the girl toward the exit.
"So, what's your name? I make it a habit to know the people I save."
"The name's Khi. I'm a soccer player—Second Striker." She smiled.
Henryduc just says it bluntly. "Of course… a soccer player." In the Distance there was a Robot spying on them, so unusual and curious.