Chapter 34: House of Evolution (Bonus)

"Then, Master Shinji, would you like to hear my story now?" Genos asked, his expression serious and full of purpose.

"Sure, but keep it short," Shinji emphasized the words like a warning flare.

He knew what would happen otherwise. Genos had a habit of turning a simple question into a ten-thousand-word epic monologue. Even Saitama wouldn't sit through that kind of speech, and Shinji definitely had no intention of doing so either.

To put it simply, before becoming a cyborg, Genos survived a tragedy. A mind-controlled cyborg tore through his town and slaughtered his entire family. He alone lived. Crushed by his powerlessness, he eventually met Dr. Kuseno and begged him for a new body, one strong enough to take revenge on that rogue cyborg and cleanse the world of evil.

Just as Genos began gearing up for his full dramatic retelling, Shinji cut him off with a sharp look, forcing the cyborg to condense his story into a single sentence.

"I want to eliminate all evil. That's why I want to become as powerful as you, Master Shinji."

This time, he actually kept it short.

"That's a noble goal," Shinji replied. "As for becoming like me... well, all I can say is do your best."

"I will work hard!" Genos nodded solemnly, fists clenched with conviction.

"First things first," Shinji said, shifting the topic. "Have you registered with the Hero Association yet?"

"Not yet." Genos shook his head, then blinked in surprise. "Wait... does that mean you already have? You must be an S-class hero, right?"

"Nope. I'm just a B-class hero." Shinji corrected him with zero hesitation.

"…That doesn't make any sense." Genos stared at him like he'd just declared the sky was green.

"It's not that deep. I'm in B-class," Shinji said simply. "Saitama, though, he's currently ranked 15th in S-class."

He spoke with a straight face, but Genos looked like his entire worldview had been flipped upside down. He whipped out his phone, immediately opening the Hero Association's official site and scrolling through the rankings.

Sure enough, there was Saitama at S-class, rank 15. But what truly left Genos dumbfounded was what came next. He kept scrolling down through A-class, nothing. No mention of Shinji at all. Then finally, in the B-class list, he spotted it: Hero Codename [Kamui], real name Shinji, currently ranked 4th.

The attached photo erased all doubt; it was unmistakably him.

"This has to be some kind of mistake," Genos said, baffled. "With your strength, Master Shinji, there's no way you should be stuck in B-class. If you've been mistreated, I'd be more than willing to speak to the Hero Association on your behalf."

"It's not about unfair treatment. It was my own choice," Shinji said with a small shrug. "Really, it's nothing to get worked up about. I will climb higher."

"…Alright then." Genos respected that. If his master didn't want to climb the ranks, then that was that.

"In that case, I'll go register with the Hero Association myself."

With that, Genos stood up, ready to head out and officially join the hero world.

He had never thought much of the Hero Association before. For Genos, justice was always a personal mission, something he pursued on his own, without needing titles or organizations. But knowing that Master Shinji was also registered as a hero changed his view. If someone like Shinji saw value in being part of the Association, then maybe it wasn't as superficial as Genos had assumed.

…

That very same day, Genos headed straight to the Hero Certification Exam Center in Z-City to take the test.

As expected, he crushed both the written and physical portions without breaking a sweat. And just like that, the Hero Association added a new face to its S-class roster, right behind Saitama.

S-Class, Rank 18.

[Alert! Your disciple Genos has achieved S-Class Rank 18. Growth Reward: 20 Points!]

At the exact moment Genos was assigned his rank, Shinji received a fresh reward from the system. Based on how the notification was worded, it seemed he'd earn system points every time Genos advanced in rank. So if Genos climbed from 18th to 17th, Shinji would get another reward, and so on.

Later that day, after attending a brief orientation seminar, Genos returned home.

"Master Shinji, I've officially completed my Hero Registry process," he reported, sitting upright and poised like a student in front of a strict teacher.

"Mhm. With your abilities, I assume they placed you in S-Class?" Shinji asked with casual indifference.

"Yes…" Genos nodded, though inwardly he was even more puzzled than before.

The exam had been far too easy. Simple, really. With Shinji's strength, he should've been placed in the S-Class without question. Why wasn't he? Could it be that the Hero Association wasn't as transparent or fair as it claimed to be?

Genos didn't press the issue, since Shinji had clearly been avoiding it. But in the back of his mind, a quiet suspicion began to take root. He made a note to be extra careful when dealing with the Association from now on.

"Well done," Shinji said, nodding. "Since you've chosen to follow me, this means it'll be easier for you to fight alongside us."

That was how he framed it, anyway, but really, Shinji was just covering up his hands-off approach. He still had no plans to teach Genos anything. He wasn't about to start assigning goals or encouraging him to chase higher ranks either. He'd already committed to free-range mentorship, and he wasn't about to change that now.

"Indeed. It seems joining the Hero Association was the right choice," Genos said firmly, nodding with conviction.

…

The House of Evolution stood hidden deep within the mountains.

From the outside, it looked like a tall, quiet building, but that was just a decoy. The real House of Evolution was buried beneath it, in a massive underground laboratory few had ever seen.

This facility had been founded by a man named Dr. Genus, a once-renowned scientist whose genius earned him worldwide acclaim in his youth. He made countless contributions to society, but over time, the applause faded. People praised his intelligence but rejected his ideals.

Dr. Genus believed that the human race was weak and primitive. In his eyes, humans were little more than clever animals, flawed by nature and destined to stagnate. The only one he saw as truly evolved was himself. At just fifteen, he wrote out a detailed plan to reshape the world and guide humanity into a new era through artificial evolution.

By the time he entered his seventies and sensed death approaching, he decided to speed things up. He halted his own aging and created an army of clones, each as brilliant and driven as he was. With them, he began a series of brutal experiments. They started with animals, then progressed to humans. Mosquito Girl had been one of the outcomes of this research.

He named the place the House of Evolution. It wasn't just a lab; it was the foundation of his dream to force humanity forward through controlled transformation.

Inside the dimly lit lab, filled with glowing tubes and strange biological specimens suspended in liquid, voices echoed.

"Mosquito Girl was defeated?" one of the clones asked.

"She was just a trial run," Dr. Genus replied calmly. "Without her blood absorption ability, she's no different from a fragile bug."

"No… she was defeated while she was in the middle of absorbing blood. And she lost completely."

"…What?"

The clone didn't speak further. Instead, he walked to the control panel and brought up footage on a giant monitor.

"This is part of the surveillance video. Please watch."

The screen lit up with the image of Mosquito Girl being obliterated by a massive energy orb, her body flung back before disintegrating completely.

"She lost to a monster?" Dr. Genus said, leaning in.

He was not only surprised by her defeat but also by how swiftly and decisively she was eliminated. However, what happened afterward fascinated him even more.

"Wait. It's not over yet," the clone said as he skipped forward in the footage.

Suddenly, another figure appeared. Shinji. He moved with impossible speed, faster than the camera could fully capture. Without hesitation, he slapped Vaccine Man so hard that the monster was stunned. Moments later, Vaccine Man dropped to his knees like a scolded pet, showing no resistance at all.

"That thing… didn't even try to fight back?" Dr. Genus's eyes lit up with excitement.

And then he smiled.

"His speed… completely beyond human limits. That level of control over his body suggests a degree of evolution I've never seen."

He placed his hands behind his back and stared at the screen.

"This one… might be the perfect specimen. I want to study him. Thoroughly."