Leaving the outdoor stadium, everyone's nerves finally relaxed a bit.
"Chairman Aomori's aura is so strong. I didn't even dare to breathe; I almost suffocated."
"Yeah, my legs wouldn't stop shaking."
"It's no wonder the Chairman is angry. Some people really are ridiculous; I don't know what they were thinking."
"The moment a Monster appears, it means casualties. Saving people is like fighting a fire; time really is of the essence."
"..."
In the crowd, Mumen kept his lips pressed tight, saying nothing. After returning to the tent, he crawled directly into his sleeping bag while still wearing his uniform. Glasses did the same. However, Mumen's armored uniform was far more uncomfortable than the other's tracksuit.
"I think, when Chairman Aomori's parents were in danger, he must have desperately hoped a hero would show up in time."
"Yeah. But what's done is done; there's no point in dwelling on it now. In the future, we must make sure to save people in danger in time!"
"Right!"
After a brief chat, they stopped talking. There wasn't much time left before the six o'clock assembly, and they needed to squeeze in as much sleep as possible.
However, after such an ordeal, falling back to sleep was easier said than done.
At 5:45 AM, Mumen rose with a yawn. Next to him, Glasses also had dark circles under his eyes, looking exhausted. The two exchanged a glance and both laughed helplessly.
"Let's go to the assembly."
"Yeah."
The sky was just beginning to turn grey. By the time they returned to the stadium, many people were already there. At six o'clock sharp, Instructor Locust appeared on time.
After counting the heads and finding no one missing, he nodded with satisfaction. "A hero must, of course, have good physical stamina. Otherwise, you'll collapse from exhaustion after saving only a few people. Therefore, starting today, we will have morning exercise every day. The first task is a long-distance run."
"See that small hill over there? Our finish line is set there. The time limit is one hour. Those who fail to meet the standard will have their points deducted. Time starts now!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, many scrambled to start running. Mumen wanted to follow suit, but was pulled back by Glasses.
"That hill is a very obvious landmark; I noticed it earlier. According to the map scale, it's definitely over ten kilometers from here. One hour isn't exactly generous, but if we pace ourselves correctly, it's definitely doable."
"Oh, so we run slowly?" Mumen understood his meaning; sprinting too fast at the start would lead to burnout.
"Exactly!"
Thus, the two controlled their breathing and stride rhythm, moving at a steady pace, ignoring the many people who overtook them.
The road to the hill was not entirely smooth; most of it was overgrown with weeds, with very few actual paths cleared. Most people followed a straight line, while some took alternative routes.
"Glasses, which way should we go?" On such matters, Mumen had begun to rely on Glasses.
"Hmm. Following the path others took requires less thought, but it goes through a forest. It's heavily fogged in there, and I'm afraid there might be something strange about it. In my opinion, it's better to take a detour and go around the side," Glasses pushed up his glasses, musing.
"Alright, I'll follow your lead."
The two bypassed the forest and traveled across the grassy side-fields. As they ran further, the terrain became increasingly complex. They not only had to maintain their breathing rhythm but also keep a constant eye on the ground, which doubled their energy consumption.
Glasses' stamina wasn't great. By the time they were three-quarters of the way there, he was panting like a bull. He bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for air. "Senpai... I can't... go on. I misjudged how tough the route would be. There isn't enough time left for me to reach the finish. You still have a chance. Don't worry about me, just go!"
"What are you saying? As a hero, how can I abandon my comrade? No matter what, I'll fight alongside you to the end!"
Mumen crouched down directly in front of him. "Get on. I'll carry you."
"It's no use! Like this, both of us will just lose points."
"Stop talking and get on! I'm the senior here, so I make the calls!"
"Senpai..." Glasses' eyes welled with tears, but he eventually lay across Mumen's broad back.
Mumen grit his teeth and stood up, shouting with all his might, "How can we give up so easily before the final moment?!"
He jogged forward with Glasses on his back, his speed not slowing down a bit.
At the top of the hill, Instructor Locust had arrived ahead of time via helicopter and was quietly waiting for the heroes.
Since Drive Knight was entirely mechanical, exercise was useless for him, so he had been granted special permission by Aomori to be absent; he had vanished the moment the run began.
Therefore, the first to reach the top was the show-off Suiryu.
"It's only natural. I can't beat those monsters, but among this crowd, I'm confident I can take first place." Suiryu flicked his bangs, not even out of breath.
Next were Amai Mask and Zeburou; they were only a minute or two behind Suiryu, belonging to the same top tier.
Twelve kilometers in less than ten minutes... they really are monsters, Instructor Locust thought to himself, astonished. Conventional training programs had already lost their effect on them. No wonder Chairman Aomori gave those instructions; his Excellency had long foreseen this.
Then, after another ten minutes or so, the second tier arrived. Lightning Max, the three swordsmen of the Iaian group, Spring Mustachio, Golden Ball, and others. Altogether, there were about a hundred of them, the backbone of the Hero Association.
As the one-hour deadline drew closer, more and more people reached the summit.
"Believe in the Tanktop! Tanktop victory!" Tanktop Master led the Tanktop Army and a large group of followers to the finish line.
The massive Pig God walked up the hill step by step, several people draped over his back.
"Thank you!" Those people had run too fast at the start, lost their strength halfway through, and almost got lost in the dense fog of the forest. Luckily, they ran into Pig God.
"Mmph." Pig God shook his head, sat on the grass, pulled out a Bag of Potato Chips, and began eating on his own.
Child Emperor followed closely behind Pig God to the top. "This level of exercise is way over the limit for me. I'm going to apply for special treatment too," Child Emperor said crossly, rubbing his numb calves.
A few more minutes passed.
"Waaaah! Don't come over here!" A large group of heroes, pale as ghosts as if they had encountered a terrifying beast, came screaming up the hill.
Tanktop Master and the others thought something was wrong and stood ready for a fight, only to glimpse a stark-naked pervert behind them. He had his arms wide open, a look of pure joy on his face, chasing them like a fallen angel.
"Don't run so fast! Didn't you say you were out of strength? Stop and feel my burning love!"
"You damn pervert! Who would stop for that?!"
"..." Tanktop Master and the others felt a collective headache and sat back down.
"That's about it." With one minute left on the clock, Instructor Locust looked at his watch, ready to announce the end.
"Wait, someone's coming up," said Suiryu, who was sitting cross-legged on a thick tree branch.
"Hmm?"
In the final ten seconds, Mumen and Glasses, supporting each other, reached the top of the hill and collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.
"We... we made it!" Mumen raised his right hand.
"Yeah!" Glasses nodded heavily.
At that moment, the rising sun leaped out from behind the mountains, casting its warm, golden glow over the crowd on the hilltop.