Just as expected, the moment Masata stepped forward, the earth monsters completely ignored the rest of Class 1-A. One by one, their stone-like gazes locked onto Igarashi Masata, fixing him as their sole target.
"So there is someone controlling them, huh?" Masata muttered to himself.
"It must be that North American Shorthair from earlier."
Seeing that the monsters showed no intention of advancing on their own, Masata tilted his head slightly.
"If you won't come to me—then I'll go to you."
He stared calmly at the twelve monsters surrounding him. Violent magma surged from his shoulders, quickly spreading and wrapping around both arms.
"Experience the eruption and destruction of magma!"
With a powerful step, Masata launched forward like a falling meteor.
"Spitfire!"
While flying through the air, his right arm continued to swell, expanding until it became a massive fist nearly the size of the monster itself.
The targeted earth beast didn't hesitate. It lifted its entire body and slammed downward, meeting Masata's fist head-on.
BOOM!
At the moment of impact, the difference in strength became immediately obvious. The earth monster couldn't withstand the overwhelming force and was forced backward again and again.
"Get out of my way!"
Masata roared as magma erupted from his shoulders once more. His explosive power surged to its peak, the crimson glow of his fist growing even brighter as it was engulfed by molten lava.
"How can the gap be this big?!"
Bakugo shouted in disbelief as he watched Masata effortlessly crush a monster. His frustration exploded. Ignoring everyone's warnings, Bakugo blasted himself upward with an explosion, positioning himself directly above another earth beast.
He clenched his left hand tightly around his right wrist. Veins bulged along his arm like writhing centipedes as he poured everything he had into the attack.
"Big Bang—Howitzer!!!"
Even without the support of his combat uniform, Bakugo unleashed his strongest move. The blinding explosion tore through the forest, flames lighting up the sky.
When the smoke finally cleared, the earth monster had been blown apart into several massive chunks, collapsing to the ground in pieces.
"Hmph!"
Bakugo shook his numb right hand with a triumphant grin and shot a provocative look at Masata.
But the moment he looked over—
He froze.
In that brief span of time, Masata had already eliminated two more monsters and was charging toward a third.
"Nice work, Bakugo! Keep it up and you might catch me!"
Masata even had time to glance back, flash a thumbs-up, and encourage him—before driving his burning fist straight through the monster in front of him.
"..."
The rest of the class watched Bakugo teeter on the edge of losing his sanity, utterly helpless.
"Bakugo always seems to get deflated when he's around Masata," Asui commented softly.
Everyone silently agreed.
It didn't take much longer. Masata completely wiped out the remaining monsters. To be honest, these creatures relied too heavily on their massive size and high defense. Their agility was terrible. Against most students, they were terrifying—but against someone like Masata, they stood no chance.
On the platform above, North American Shorthair stared wide-eyed. The shock in her expression hadn't faded at all.
Those twelve earth monsters were created from dense minerals—she knew exactly how tough they were. As a professional hero, seeing them obliterated so quickly by a high school student was honestly a blow to her confidence.
After that, Masata didn't intervene again.
Although the rest of the students were exhausted, they still pushed through wave after wave of attacks, slowly advancing forward.
One thing worth noting—Chacha's Quirk turned out to be unexpectedly effective against the earth beasts. Using her agile movements, she could toss them into the air the moment she made contact. Once airborne, their structure collapsed, shattering into fragments. This alone significantly reduced the pressure on the team.
Before anyone realized it, the sun had already dipped behind the mountains. Half the sky was dyed red by the evening glow.
"We're finally here!"
At the accommodation area, North American Shorthair stretched lazily and smiled at the battered, exhausted faces of Class 1-A.
Masata, of course, still looked relaxed—but his stomach was growling loudly. After all, he hadn't even eaten lunch.
Aizawa Shouta and Mandalay Cat walked out of the office and stood beside her, observing the students.
"I didn't expect you to defeat my native monsters more easily than I thought," North American Shorthair said with a grin.
"Especially you five."
She pointed at Bakugo, Midoriya, Iida, Chacha, and Masata.
"You were all outstanding! And Igarashi—honestly, your strength shocked me."
Her excitement was obvious.
"I really can't wait to see what you'll be like in three years."
As she spoke, she rushed over and enthusiastically "marked" them with her unique, overly physical greeting style. Honestly, it was hard to believe she was already past marriageable age—she behaved more like an overexcited girl than an adult hero.
Mineta probably would've loved it.
"By the way," Mineta asked suddenly, "who's that kid? Is he Mandalay Cat's child?"
He had been curious for a while. As far as he knew, this hero team didn't have any children.
"Oh! No, no—he's my nephew."
Mandalay Cat hurriedly clarified and waved the boy over.
"Come on, Yuuta. Get to know your brothers and sisters—we'll be spending the next week together."
Yuuta, however, showed absolutely no interest. He stood there coldly, refusing to move.
Midoriya grew curious. He walked over, bent down slightly, and extended his hand politely.
"Um, I'm Midoriya Izuku from Xiongying High School's Hero Course. Nice to meet—"
Before he could finish—
Yuuta suddenly swung his fist with a blank expression and struck Midoriya squarely in a very specific and critical location.
In an instant, Midoriya's eyes rolled back. He collapsed to the ground, curling up like a boiled shrimp, clutching himself in agony.
The surrounding boys all sucked in a sharp breath.
No one expected such a small child to strike so viciously—and with a single hit, no less.
Especially the boys.
An indescribable chill spread through their lower bodies.
And even more shocking—
As Mandalay Cat's nephew, Yuuta clearly harbored an intense hatred toward heroes.