Chapter 4: Someone Actually Chose a C-Rank Hero?

The moment Vincent Fox stepped into the portal, the scenery around him instantly changed.

All around him swirled dazzling colors, bizarre and fantastical. It was like stepping into a dreamscape.

"Please select the hero you wish to bond with..."

As the prompt echoed, countless images of heroes appeared before Vincent, lined up for him to choose from.

He didn't even glance at the S-Rank, A-Rank, or B-Rank sections. His mind was already made up. He went straight to the C-Rank section and searched quickly.

Before long...

A strange-looking bald young man with a blank expression popped up.

Saitama!!

Heart pounding with excitement, Vincent immediately selected him.

In the next moment, the scene around him shifted again into a space of pure white.

And just like that, the caped bald devil himself, Saitama, was standing right in front of Vincent.

Vincent flinched at first, then steadied himself and looked up at Saitama with anticipation.

Saitama, for his part, seemed to be examining Vincent as well.

After a long silence...

Saitama finally spoke. "You're the first person to ever choose me, you know."

Vincent was stunned.

He hadn't expected Saitama to actually talk. Weren't they told that heroes didn't speak during the bonding process?

If the fit was right, it worked. If it wasn't, they just ignored you.

So what was going on here?

Before Vincent could respond, Saitama asked him a question.

"What do you want my power for?"

Vincent immediately realized how important this question was. His answer would decide whether he succeeded in bonding or not.

He paused to think carefully.

Saitama didn't rush him. He simply waited, expression calm.

After a long moment, a thought clicked in Vincent's mind, and he answered plainly, "I want to be a hero."

A simple answer. No dramatic speeches or touching declarations.

In the original One Punch Man story, Saitama was kind of a slacker. He wanted to be a hero purely because it interested him not because he wanted to save the world.

So Vincent was gambling.

He was betting that this answer would resonate with Saitama.

A tense silence followed his response.

Then, to Vincent's immense relief, Saitama grinned.

"Then make sure you become a proper hero. Don't tarnish the name."

As he spoke, Saitama turned into a stream of glowing light and merged into Vincent's body.

In that moment, a notification echoed in Vincent's mind:

"Congratulations! You have successfully bonded with the C-Rank hero 'Bald Cape Man' and obtained 'Saitama Physique!'"

"Saitama Physique: Through consistent training, you can grow infinitely stronger!"

Back in the central hall of the Hero's Sanctuary...

The homeroom teacher suddenly heard a burst of exclamations from the students.

"The portal lit up!"

"That guy Vincent did it! He actually succeeded!"

The teacher, who had just zoned out, snapped back to attention in surprise and delight, quickly looking toward the glowing archway.

But then...

The color wasn't purple for an A-Rank hero. Nor was it red for S-Rank, or green for B-Rank...

It was... gray.

"Wait, gray? What rank is that supposed to be?"

"Aren't the usual colors just purple, green, and red?"

"Yeah, I've never heard of gray before..."

The students whispered in confusion, curiosity on their faces.

The teacher's expression, however, turned grim.

He knew what gray meant.

Gray... was the color that appeared when you bonded with a C-Rank hero.

There had once been a student who bonded with the top C-Rank hero, Mumen Rider. That student had become the laughingstock of every school in the province...

Thinking of that, the teacher's face darkened even more.

He would've rather seen his student fail than become a school-wide joke.

"Eh? That glow… is that gray?"

"Whoa, it really is gray!"

"Didn't expect someone would actually pick a C-Rank hero, huh?"

"Which school is he from?"

"Looks like Third High, judging from the uniform."

"Haha! That kid's really doing Third High proud!"

"Third High is supposed to be a key school, and they produced this kind of 'talent'? I'm speechless…"

Nearby, a few teachers noticed the gray light and began gossiping.

Their tone was full of schadenfreude, clearly enjoying the show.

And since they hadn't bothered lowering their voices, their comments spread quickly in the open hall.

Many students turned to look, shocked.

"So gray means C-Rank? I learned something new today."

"Wait... Vincent chose a C-Rank hero?"

"Is he crazy? Even if he gets into college with that, it'll be some third-rate no-name school. What a waste!"

"Damn, I thought he got lucky and bonded with someone powerful. Turns out it's just a C-Rank? Pfft…"

"I'd rather fail than end up with a useless C-Rank hero."

"Even the principal's here now. Look at his face he looks pissed. Vincent's in trouble."