I listened to the whole story, and one question surfaced. "By the way..."

"What is it?" she asked.

I looked at Nero, genuinely puzzled, and asked bluntly, "Why did you give me such a warning?"

Just as there was no relationship between Heero and me, my relationship with Nero was equally strained. This woman had strongly inherited the Iron-Blooded Lord's blood, and her personality reflected it. She was indifferent to everything.

"That—" Nero was cut off mid-sentence.

"Brother! I'm back!" Verita had returned.

It's been less than ten minutes, right? I stared at Verita in disbelief. She was oblivious to my mood or thoughts.

She just smiled brightly and held up the box in her hand. "I'm sorry! All the cookies were sold out, so I had to buy a carrot cake. It looked really delicious!"

Why a carrot cake? Surely they had apple, strawberry, or even grape cake. As I stared at the box, Nero walked away without a word.

"Huh? Are you done talking?" Verita asked.

"No," I replied.

"Then?"

I ignored Verita's questions and fixed my gaze on Nero's retreating back. What the hell is wrong with her?

"Oh, right. Have you decided which clan to join?" Verita asked.

"Clan? Ah, I received one recruitment offer," I replied.

"From where?"

"Beowulf. The examiner invited me personally," I said flatly.

"That is quite unusual," she noted.

"Really?"

"Yes. Unless you are a coveted talent, they usually don't make recruitment offers in the middle of a promotion test." Verita smiled slyly. "Doesn't this show how highly he values your skills? As expected of an examiner, he has discerning eyes."

"By the way, do I have to join a clan?" I asked.

"Not necessarily, but joining does come with many benefits."

"Then have you joined a clan?"

She shook her head. "No."

I glared at Verita.

"Thankfully, I've received many offers," Verita said calmly. "Unfortunately, I've been a bit busy."

"Is that so? Then what are the advantages of joining a clan?" If it helped me achieve my goals, then joining a clan wouldn't be a bad choice.

"Basically, it makes managing and selecting missions more convenient! You don't have to go through the hassle of searching for missions that match your level. The clan assigns suitable missions for you." She added, "Of course, they charge a small fee in the process."

"And?"

She went on, "You can also receive support from senior heroes. For example, if you are a C-class hero, a veteran hero from your clan will accompany you on a slightly dangerous mission."

Neither of them sounded particularly appealing.

Verita continued outlining other benefits. For example, one could learn from the clan's talented members, lease the clan's stored high-quality equipment, and access other shared resources.

Even after hearing all of this, my interest remained lukewarm.

At that moment, Verita recalled something. "Ah, and each clan is responsible for a specific territory."

"Territory?"

"Yes. Brother, you will have to decide after this promotion test. Do you want to operate without any affiliation, or would you prefer to register under a particular branch while carrying out your duties?"

"A designated territory..." I muttered.

I considered it for a moment. My next destination would be the Utgard concentration camp in the north. If so, perhaps there was a Hero Society branch operating near Utgard.

***

There was a huge indoor training ground at the Hero Society's headquarters. It was called a gymnasium and was large enough to accommodate 5,000 people. It was a multi-purpose facility, used not only for training but also for group drills and various events and ceremonies.

Naturally, such events were rare. On most days, the gymnasium carried a moderate level of noise from the heroes in training. Today, however, the facility was unusually crowded.

Ramon, a member of the C-class Corrupted clan, looked around with wide eyes. "No. Why are there so many people here today?"

Promotion matches often drew spectators, but the audience usually numbered only a few dozen. The crowd filling the gymnasium today reached into the hundreds.

Ramon had been a hero for ten years, yet the sight before him was entirely new. He couldn't hide his surprise.

"Most of the challengers in this promotion test are celebrities," the person beside him drawled.

"Is that so? By the way, don't there seem to be a lot of A-class clans? U-uhh! Look over there! It is Desert Scorpion!" Ramon exclaimed as he spotted the group clad in southern attire. They exuded a fierce aura that hardly resembled that of heroes. "And those people over there seem to be from Brotherhood. There's also Frostel and the Sky-Destroying Sword Group... No! Those giants are Goliath! There are no giants among the challengers this time, so why did they come?"

The person behind him yawned.

"Ah, really now?" Ramon looked exasperated. "Are you even listening? Brother!"

The unusually pale man beside him muttered in a low voice, "I'm not your brother, I am your boss. Of course I'm listening."

He had long gray hair, red eyes, and an aristocratic air, though nothing about him felt old-fashioned. A constant look of disinterest clung to him, and his attire was strangely shabby. His shirt was wrinkled, his sleeves were stained with dried broth, and his shoes were scuffed and misshapen. He seemed impossibly distant from the very idea of a hero. This was Lanfero, the clan leader of Corrupted.

He wanted everyone to call him Boss, but luck didn't favor him as not a single clan member granted that wish.

"What is so strange about it? Take a look at the faces of the challengers appearing this time." Lanfero chuckled, pulled out a stack of documents, and tossed them to his subordinate. "A genius alchemist, the next Archmage, and above all else, the Crimson Mace of the Seventy-Two Churches are here."

"Sister Razbet?" Ramon laughed. "She is beautiful. I think that nickname is wrong."

"Yes." Lanfero nodded. "All the idiots who have never gone on a mission with her say that."

The jab rendered Ramon speechless.

"Would you believe me if I say that she likes blood more than I do?" Lanfero asked.

Ramon shook his head. "Aish. That can't be."

Lanfero clicked his tongue. It was hard to believe this fellow was his subordinate. "In any case, such a bigshot like her would never spare a glance for a weak clan like ours. Forget it."

Ramon frowned. "Then who are you going to target? The mage?"

Lanfero rolled his eyes. "Idiot. Don't you know how picky mages are? From the start, they only want to use Hero Society as a tool. The hero status alone will grant them plenty of benefits. In addition, the one taking this test is practically confirmed to become the next Archmage of the Seven Colors. Most A-class clans will notice her, so how would we handle someone like that?"

Ramon pressed, "Then what about the alchemist or spear user?"

"The alchemist sent a golem he made as a stand-in and didn't show up. As for the spearman, I heard he is already committed to a specific clan," Lanfero answered.

"Uh... then who is left?"

Lanfero smiled. "The mercenary and the Golden Fairy."

Ramon burst out laughing. "Kuahaha! What Golden Fairy? That nickname is hilarious."

Lanfero couldn't help but smack his subordinate on the head.

Ramon gasped. "Why?"

"You should read the newspaper once in a while, especially news from the capital. Didn't I tell you to always pay attention?" Lanfero scolded him.

"U-ugh..."

"Forget it. Just pay attention. We need to see how they fight. If we want to recruit even one person—"

"Do you really think you can recruit one of them?" a mocking voice cut in.

A middle-aged man in robes approached them. His appearance, along with the wand in his hand, made it obvious that he was a mage.

Ramon's expression immediately turned bitter, as if he were chewing on bugs.

The mage looked at him and smiled slightly. "Lanfero, your subordinate really can't control his expressions."

"Don't concern yourself with him. Why are you so interested in another clan's affairs?"

"How could I not be?" The mage grinned. "The demise of a shabby clan is about to be sealed. After falling from A-class to C-class, you are finally facing disbandment. I believe this will be the most humiliating ending in the history of the Hero Society's clans."

Ramon's expression stiffened, and he chewed his lip. By contrast, Lanfero replied with a nonchalant expression, "Yes, yes. I understand. Now go away."

Lanfero's indifference twisted the mage's face with displeasure. Then he turned and walked away.

Ramon watched his retreating back and muttered, "He is really persistent. What is his problem with us? At a time like this, he should worry about himself."

"He must be after our territory," Lanfero pointed out.

"Eh? Who would want desolate, empty land?" Ramon asked. "It is near the camp, so nothing ever happens there. It is the worst place to earn achievements."

"If their assigned territory increases, it will help them rise to an A-class clan. Their subsidies will also increase," Lanfero explained.

"How materialistic," Ramon remarked.

Lanfero agreed. "Yes. We live in an era where even heroes have become materialistic."

Ramon settled back in his seat, looked at the stage, and asked, "Come to think of it, do you know which A-class heroes are participating?"

"They are coming out now."

Several heroes emerged from the direction Lanfero indicated.

Ramon stared at them in surprise. "Wait... is this real?"

"Yes." Lanfero sounded slightly surprised as well. "Gunslinger Baron and Doudon the Owl. In addition, Strong Sword Heero."

Apart from the first two, the last one was somewhat unexpected. Heero Badniker stood among the most famous and promising A-class heroes. Given his growth, it was almost guaranteed that he would reach S-class one day.

Lanfero touched his chin. It is surprising...

Heero ranked among the strongest A-class heroes and was usually very busy. Some people said that he was obsessed with achievements. His completed mission count dwarfed that of other A-class heroes, which made his appearance here all the more unusual.

A-class heroes were rare to begin with. Throughout history, their numbers had never exceeded 100. However, some places always desperately needed such elite forces, and the shortage of manpower never eased.

Serving as a challenger's opponent in the third promotion match was a required duty, but few heroes welcomed it. It was the sort of assignment everyone tried to pass along because no one wanted to do it. There wasn't even a salary, which made it little more than volunteer work.

Of course, the role wasn't without its benefits. By facing challengers in the promotion match, they could identify those with potential ahead of time.

However, Heero Badniker doesn't belong to any clan, right? Lanfero considered this briefly before recalling another name. Luan Badniker. Maybe he took that role to see how capable his brother is. Luan is unlucky.

Lanfero also knew that the relationship between the Badniker siblings was strained. The reason Heero applied for this promotion match likely had nothing to do with offering his younger brother an easy evaluation. If anything, the opposite seemed more plausible.

Ramon muttered, "Ah, the challengers this time are unlucky." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Why?"

"You are really asking? The examiners are all monsters this time. It isn't just Heero Badniker. Gunslinger and the Owl are quite strong among A-class heroes, aren't they?"

Lanfero chuckled. "I think it is the opposite."

"The opposite?"

"Yes. That is precisely why they only picked the strongest A-class heroes."

Ramon was confused.

Historically, no challenger had ever defeated an A-class hero. It was natural. In general, most participants in the promotion match were B-class or below, with the majority coming from C-class.

The gap between C-class and A-class was much greater than the difference between a soldier and knight captain. Even if they fought a hundred times, the lower-ranked challenger would lose every time. Therefore, victory or defeat wasn't the standard of evaluation for this promotion match.

However, the lineup of challengers in this promotion match was unusual. Calling them merely promising talents did not do them justice.

Will I actually witness the unprecedented event of a challenger defeating his opponent today? For the first time in ages, Lanfero watched the stage with a pounding heart. His original purpose of recruiting new talent slipped completely from his mind.