With the Deep Sea King's head hitting the ground, Shinji received the corresponding reward points. But he didn't stop there. To prevent even the slightest chance of regeneration aided by the rain, he walked over calmly and ended it for good, blasting the Deep Sea King's head into pulp with a Rasengan.
"The strongest monster of the Seafolk has been defeated! As expected of Kamui, the 5th-ranked S-Class hero! He flawlessly handled that Dragon-level disaster before, so it's only natural this Demon-level one didn't even slow him down!" The host's voice was brimming with excitement as the drone feed showed Shinji standing victorious.
"Now then, Mr. Sweet Mask, what are your thoughts from a hero's perspective?"
The host quickly pivoted to their celebrity guest in hopes of capitalizing on his popularity.
"Apologies," Sweet Mask said with a smirk. "I only consider myself a hero in the moments I'm actively fighting evil. The rest of the time, I'm an actor and model. Today, I'm here as a singer to promote my new song."
"My apologies, then. Let's shift the conversation back to your music." The host gave a sheepish chuckle, clearly caught off guard.
Still, Sweet Mask wasn't done. "If I must comment... Kamui is undeniably strong. He defeats monsters with speed and elegance. If his character is just as admirable, that would be even better."
Though calmly stated, there was a pointed undertone in his words. He had originally hoped this crisis would reveal Kamui's true character. If the newcomer had chosen to retreat with the wounded, it would have shown the selflessness of a true hero. If he had fled alone, it would have said the opposite.
But in the end, Sweet Mask had underestimated Shinji's power and overestimated the Deep Sea King's threat. While Kamui had famously diverted a Dragon-level meteor, very few had witnessed the act. And with others like [Silver Fang], [Metal Knight], and Genos also on the scene that day, many still doubted the feat had been his alone.
"Mr. Sweet Mask speaks the truth," the host replied, regaining his composure with a polite chuckle.
But then something shifted. "Wait... it looks like something unexpected is happening."
The drone feed abruptly changed. More footage poured in from multiple coastal zones. Several drones were tracking a single figure moving like a blur. In every shot, Seafolk were being taken down in rapid succession.
"This... these are all scenes from different areas along J City's coast, right? And yet he's moving between them all this fast?"
The host's voice cracked in disbelief. His glasses nearly slid off his nose as he stared at the impossible footage.
The drone footage struggled to keep up with Shinji's astonishing speed. Within moments, the cameras lost track of him entirely. In under half an hour, he had completely wiped out all Seafolk scattered along J City's coastline.
This level of efficiency was only possible thanks to the numerous kunai he had pre-placed across the region. With the Flying Thunder God technique, he was able to teleport instantly between locations, responding to each battlefield in the blink of an eye.
The C-Class and B-Class heroes who had been fighting tooth and nail against the Seafolk soldiers were left speechless. They had barely managed to hold on, and suddenly, every enemy had been cut down before their eyes.
[Alert! Host has defeated a "Tiger-level" monster. Reward: 10 points!]
[Alert! Host has defeated a "Wolf-level" monster. Reward: 6 points!]
...
Aside from the Deep Sea King, most of the Seafolk had only been Tiger-level or Wolf-level monsters. Their numbers were also surprisingly limited. It was unclear whether the Seafolk race had always been this small or if the Deep Sea King had genuinely believed that a handful of subordinates could conquer the surface world.
As it turned out, the only S-Class hero the Deep Sea King could truly overpower was the current version of Puri-Puri Prisoner, hence why the latter was perpetually stuck at the very bottom of the S-Class rankings.
[Points: 200]
Opening his system panel, Shinji saw the final tally. The entire Seafolk crisis had earned him 200 points in total. It was a decent haul, though he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. If only there had been more of them.
While he stood surveying the aftermath, Genos finally arrived. But he was far too late.
All that greeted him were the remains of the Deep Sea King and several unconscious heroes strewn across the ground. Although his teacher was nowhere in sight, Genos had little doubt that this had been his doing.
As for Saitama... he was even later. He had run all the way from another part of City J but had gotten lost on the way, as usual. That was nothing new. With his hopeless sense of direction, Saitama was almost always the last to arrive whenever a major incident occurred.
...
Later, Shinji didn't even need to file a report with the Hero Association. Thanks to the comprehensive drone footage capturing his every move, all the credit was automatically awarded to him.
Still, because the crisis had only been classified as Demon-level, and unlike the meteor incident, it didn't bring the Association any real prestige or public goodwill, his rank remained unchanged: S-Class, Rank 5.
In truth, if the previous meteor disaster hadn't been such a rare and spectacular event, even a standard Dragon-level threat wouldn't have catapulted him straight to Rank 5 the way it had.
The clearest example of the Association's flawed ranking system was King. Despite taking credit for many of Saitama's achievements, including several Dragon-level threats, he had only ever held the S-Class Rank 7 position. In fact, he had recently been bumped down to Rank 8.
It all came back to the same issue: contribution.
Strength alone didn't determine a hero's rank. The Hero Association cared most about the benefits a hero could bring them, whether through public relations, increased funding, or influence. When Shinji had perfectly resolved the meteor threat, it brought a wave of public support and generous donations to the Association. Naturally, they had rewarded him with a significant promotion.
In contrast, the Seafolk invasion was just another routine Demon-level incident. It didn't cause much public uproar or lasting damage, nor did it enhance the Association's reputation or income. As a result, Shinji's rank remained unchanged.
"This time, Saitama and I didn't even get a chance to act. Master's speed was simply too overwhelming," Genos said with admiration, sitting in the living room of Shinji's home.
"I only have some abilities suited for that kind of situation. My actual speed isn't anything impressive," Shinji replied modestly.
In terms of raw speed, there was no comparison to Saitama, who could cross entire cities with a single leap. But ironically, Saitama's incredible speed often caused him to get lost.
"Master, you're being too humble," Genos said seriously.
Then his eyes flashed slightly. "I'm detecting a lifeform outside the door. Could it be a thief?"
"Unlikely. I'll check."
Just as Shinji reached for the doorknob, he spotted a strand of dark green hair poking up outside the window. The moment he saw it, he knew exactly who it was.
"Fubuki... what are you doing out there?"