Chapter 22 - Questioning And Hero License
The Next Day
New York City – Citizen Security Bureau.
"Mr. Evren."
The clean-shaven officer looked up from the tablet resting on his desk.
"You were given a seven-day window to report."
He glanced at the date before looking back at me.
"May I ask why you are late?"
"I had an accident."
That wasn’t a lie.
It simply omitted several details.
Like breaking into a hidden supervillain laboratory.
The officer nodded before typing something into his terminal.
The Citizen Security Bureau wasn’t the military, nor was it a Hero Association.
Its responsibilities mostly revolved around investigating incidents, protecting civilians, coordinating with Heroes during emergencies, and cleaning up the enormous messes left behind after supernatural battles.
Today, I was here because my face had appeared on surveillance footage during the attack on the fitness club.
A small holographic recording appeared between us.
The familiar image of the masked man blowing apart the gym’s entrance played silently.
"..."
Watching it from an outside perspective somehow made everything feel even more unreal.
The officer paused the footage.
"We also confirmed through Mr. Mater that you were a registered member of the fitness club."
"My membership happened to expire that same day."
"What unfortunate timing."
The officer almost smiled.
Then his eyes shifted toward the black glove covering my left hand.
"You also mentioned an accident."
Without saying anything, I removed the glove.
The room fell quiet.
The officer carefully examined my hand.
From his perspective, the wound looked almost professionally treated.
Normally, injuries like these left severe burns, ragged flesh, and obvious surgical scars.
Mine simply looked as though it had been healing for weeks.
He had no way of knowing that my Rejuvenation ability had done most of the work.
He finally leaned back.
"Can you describe everything that happened during the attack?"
"Of course."
There wasn’t much reason to lie.
He typed several more notes before asking another question.
"And your hand?"
"I injured it while hunting monsters."
"Tsk! Tsk!"
The officer clicked his tongue.
"You chose to hunt with no mentor?"
"I wanted to practice practical combat training."
"I would recommend you abandon any ideas related to hunting for now."
Ordinary citizens weren’t prohibited from entering hunting grounds.
Humanity simply couldn’t afford that luxury.
Anyone could legally purchase weapons and hunt monsters within designated areas.
Entire industries revolved around Newbie Heroes and civilian monster hunting.
The government merely established rules.
Weapons were only permitted inside approved hunting zones.
And Licensed Heroes could openly carry weapons anywhere.
Everyone else, they had to transport them according to strict regulations.
If a Rift suddenly opened in the middle of your neighborhood, the police wouldn’t arrive in thirty seconds.
Sometimes, the only person capable of protecting your family was you.
Eventually, the officer switched off his recorder.
"That will be all, Mr. Evren and if we require any additional information, we’ll contact you."
"I understand."
But that was not the end of my outing today, because there was another location I had to visit.
***
New York City — Heroes Association.
The headquarters of the Heroes Association towered over the surrounding streets.
And it had enough holographic billboards to make anyone’s eyes hurt.
A massive silver emblem depicting a shield wrapped in wings was mounted above the entrance.
Heroes constantly walked in and out of the building.
Some wore sleek combat suits bearing the logos of famous agencies.
Others were covered in dust and monster blood, likely returning from a rift.
A few even had reporters chasing after them with microphones.
"This scene is quite lively."
I stepped through the revolving doors.
The lobby alone was larger than most shopping malls.
Massive holographic displays listed newly discovered Rifts, emergency missions, bounty notices, and Hero rankings.
Large monitors continuously played footage of famous Heroes rescuing civilians or defeating monsters.
The entire building existed to remind visitors of one thing.
Heroes were celebrities.
Heroes were soldiers.
And Heroes were an industry itself.
Contrary to what most people imagined, becoming a Hero wasn’t especially difficult.
As long as someone awakened an Aspect and met the minimum physical and legal requirements, obtaining the lowest-tier Hero License wasn’t impossible.
Remaining a Hero, that was the difficult part.
The profession was brutally competitive.
The top ten percent lived an extremely luxurious lifestyle.
Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority barely earned enough to cover equipment repairs, medical bills, and retirement funds.
Some eventually quit altogether and found ordinary jobs even though the pay was less.
Ironically, those people often enjoyed more stable lives.
"Dreams are expensive."
The Heroes Association also required every licensed Hero to renew their license every three years.
It wasn’t simply paperwork.
Heroes had to repeatedly prove they remained physically and mentally fit to carry that responsibility.
Those who failed could lose their licenses.
Looking around the lobby, I noticed several booths belonging to different Hero Agencies.
This was recruitment season after all.
Large banners displayed some familiar names.
Eclipse Hero Agency.
Skyline Defenders.
Infinity Hero Corps.
Alongside them stood dozens of recruiters wearing expensive suits, quietly observing everyone entering the building.
Most of them weren’t interested in veteran Heroes.
They were watching the newbies.
Every year, countless high school graduates awakened impressive Aspects or displayed exceptional talent during.
Hero Agencies competed fiercely to recruit those promising youngsters before their rivals could.
Officially, they called it nurturing future talent.
Unofficially, it meant securing skilled employees at cheap cost before they became expensive.
"Capitalism survives everywhere huh..."
Fortunately...
Nobody spared me more than a passing glance.
To them, I was just another hopeful teenager.
I walked toward the reception desk.
The receptionist greeted me with a practiced smile.
"Good afternoon. How may I help you?"
"I’d like to apply for a new Hero License."
"Certainly."
She projected a holographic form between us.
"Citizen ID, please."
I placed my smartwatch against the scanner.
A pleasant chime sounded.
She quickly reviewed my information before nodding.
"Everything appears to be in order, please proceed to Training Facility Four. There are a few applicants ahead of you, so you’ll need to wait until your number is called."
"Thank you."
I followed the signs deeper into the building.
Training Facility Four resembled a miniature indoor arena.
Rows of seats surrounded an open combat platform reinforced with alloy flooring.
Several applicants were already waiting.
Most looked around my age.
A few appeared to be in their early to late twenties.
Not everyone awakened during high school as some discovered their Aspects years later.
Others only gathered the courage to pursue a Hero License after having a stable careers.
One by one, names were called.
Some applicants entered confidently.
Others emerged looking dejected.
A few celebrated quietly after passing.
Time passed surprisingly quickly.
Nearly an hour later...
A mechanical voice echoed through the waiting room.
[Applicant Number 184, Evren Sorin. Please proceed to the examination arena.]
I slowly stood.
"Here we go." I muttered, trying to motivate myself.
This wasn’t the Nexus Academy entrance examination.
This test was merely the first step.
Every journey had to begin somewhere.
And today, I would officially become a licensed Hero.