The Feeling of Spotlight

Adam opened his eyes, finally waking up. His head was spinning, body still aching like hell.

For a second, he just lay there, staring at the ceiling. His brain was still catching up.

Then—everything hit him at once.

The fight. The fact that he actually won.

And then… Lifeline.

The upcoming interview. The threat. The way he spat on him.

Adam let out a slow gasp, rubbing his face.

"I expected the Hero Association to be a little greedy, but this? This is something else."

Threatening him—just to save face?

It wasn't even shocking. He should've seen it coming.

At the end of the day, the Hero Association was a private company owned by a young billionaire. They didn't care about justice. They cared about business.

"Of course, the higher-ups would be shady."

But the thing was… it didn't change the fact that heroes still saved lives.

Did it really matter if the system was rigged? If some corporate scumbags were pulling the strings?

People were still alive today because of heroes.

"So what's a few shady things if the cause is the greater good?"

A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts.

Who's that… doctors? Maybe they're checking if I recovered well. I better tell them Lifeline did his work—I feel almost no pain, just a bit tired.

"Come in," Adam shouted, sitting up.

Three men in black suits entered the room, the Hero Association logo on their top pockets.

"We are Hero Association officers. We're here to take Adam Vance safely to the interview site."

Huh. Is this their way of making sure I don't run away? No—if anything, they'd be happier if I did. It'd give them a reason to justify why I was E-Class.

Adam rubbed his temples.

They're probably here to make sure I don't say anything bad. Well, I wasn't going to in the first place. The Hero Association is the backbone of multiple heroes' lavish lifestyles. Yeah, they're money-hungry, but they also pay Top heroes well…

The tallest man coughed, getting Adam's attention before continuing.

"You're scheduled for a live interview in two hours. Get ready."

"Two hours? At least let me rest! This is happening way too fast," Adam shouted back.

One of them scoffed. "The world has already been waiting for two days. Major brands have invested their money in this. Netflux has bought exclusive streaming rights. You can't just turn it down like that."

"What the hell? Why wasn't I told before?"

"Well, your contract gives the Hero Association the rights to sign events on your behalf."

Shit. I signed that contract without even reading anything…

Adam sighed, rubbing his face. "Do I have a choice?"

The man in the middle, said, crossing his arms. "Not really. You can cancel it, but the backlash would be insane, and you'll have to pay contract breach fees."

Adam looked down in disappointment as he got up. I don't even have enough money to afford a decent place—no way I'm paying a breach fee. I'll just go, give the interview… maybe this'll be the opportunity I need to become successful.

As Adam stood, one of the men stepped forward, handing him a fresh set of clothes—a black suit.

"Keep things positive. No going off-topic, no personal opinions, no criticizing the Hero Association. Understand?"

Adam exhaled. "Yeah, sure."

One of them smirked. "Good. A car is waiting downstairs. Don't be late."

With that, they left.

Adam stared at the suit in his hands, his grip tightening.

Let's get this over with.

A black SUV was waiting for him at the hospital entrance, but what shocked him more was the massive crowd gathered outside.

Why are they going crazy? I just defeated a B-Class villain. Heroes do stuff like this every day, and they never get this much attention… The internet surprises me more than anything in the world.

Officers from the Hero Association controlled the crowd as Adam made his way to the SUV.

They really spent a lot on this… even sending officers just for crowd control?

Adam stepped inside.

Inside, two officers sat in the back, and two were in the front. Adam made his way between them, squeezing into the middle seat.

This is scaring me now… He rubbed his palms nervously.

After a short 30-minute drive, the SUV stopped in front of a massive building. A large crowd stood a few meters from the parking area, checking every car that arrived.

"We're here," the driver announced.

All four officers stepped out first, making sure the media didn't get too close.

But as soon as Adam exited—

"It's Endure! He's here!"

Flashes. Voices. Shouting.

A storm of reporters and fans swarmed the SUV from all sides, quickly overwhelming the officers.

Some screamed his name. Others bombarded him with questions.

"Endure! Over here!"

"How does it feel to take down an B-Class villain?!"

"Do you think the Hero Association failed in ranking you?!"

"Are you going to S-Class?!"

The officers quickly used force, pushing through the crowd, escorting Adam into the large Global News Network building.

Inside, it was quieter—but no less overwhelming. Staff rushed around. Screens displayed headlines about him.

"The Sidekick Who Shook the World"

"Hero Rankings Under Controversy After E-Class Defeats B-Class Villain"

"The Viral Hero Endure Finally Breaks His Silence"

"Is Endure the Next S-Class?"

A producer greeted him with a fake smile. "Adam, right? This way."

He was led into a green room, handed a mic, and quickly briefed on the details. The host, an experienced journalist named Rebecca Stride, would be handling the interview.

A few makeup artists rushed in, quickly fixing his appearance before vanishing just as fast.

Never thought behind-the-scenes would be this chaotic…

"You ready?" Rebecca asked.

Adam adjusted his suit. His chest was tight. His fingers twitched.

"Yeah," he replied, trying to sound confident.

"Three… two… one… we're live!"

A red light blinked on the camera.

"We are live with Adam Vance, also known as Endure, the E-Class sidekick who shocked the world." Rebecca smiled, turning to him. "Adam, welcome."

"Thanks for having me," Adam replied, a bit stiff.

She wasted no time.

"Let's start with the big question. How did you—an E-Class hero—manage to defeat a B-Class villain in a one-on-one fight?"

Adam paused, thinking of the best answer.

"I just got lucky. That villain underestimated me."

Rebecca raised an eyebrow, clearly dissatisfied with the diplomatic response. "And your personal life? It's been a topic of mystery and discussion."

"I don't have anything special going on that I can talk about," Adam said, a bit embarrassed.

Rebecca, knowing the audience would get bored if she didn't push harder, flipped to the next page.

"There's been controversy over your ranking. Many believe the Hero Association failed in evaluating you. What do you say to that?"

Yup. This was the question they wanted to ask from the start. The controversy. The rating increase. I can see the smug look on her face—she's not even trying to hide it.

"Well, the Hero Association has fairly graded me. My recent victory isn't something I can replicate over and over again. But someday, I'll get to the level where I'm truly worthy of the praise."

Alright, Hero Association, you happy now? I gave you The best answer. Don't do anything to me…

Rebecca studied him before finally putting the paper aside. "After your fight, the world sees you as something more than just a sidekick. Some are even calling for an S-Class reassessment. If given the chance… would you take it?"

Adam leaned forward. "People say that because they saw something unexpected. like I said, one fight doesn't define a hero's true strength. The rankings exist for a reason."

Rebecca nodded in disappointment, and soon after, the interview wrapped up.

The cameras cut.

Adam collapsed onto his chair, exhausted. Interviews might be more draining than sparring…

One of the officers from earlier approached, gripping his shoulder. "You did well, kid."

Adam didn't react—just relieved it was over.

"Let's drop you off. Your payment will be deposited into your account by tomorrow."

The officer patted his back, and with that, Adam was ready to go to his home again.

Adam didn't have any good memories in that place, but nonetheless, the peace and calmness it provided was exactly what he desired right now.