"It seems my uncle really wants me to get into U.A."
Yaoyorozu Chihiro tilted his head up at a forty-five-degree angle, staring at the sky with a helpless expression.
"Tread… step…"
Heavy, disciplined footsteps approached in steady rhythm. Chihiro turned toward the sound and saw more than a dozen burly men in uniform marching forward with their chins held high.
Every one of them had a hardened face, marked with scars of varying depth. As they walked, they carried a chilling aura of iron and blood—like prowling tigers fresh from the battlefield.
They're like soldiers, Chihiro thought instinctively.
"Chihiro," his uncle's voice rang out from behind the group before anyone even reached him. "The enrollment exam is almost here. I can't help you much anymore, so I found a few friends to sharpen your real combat experience."
Without giving Chihiro any chance to respond, his uncle continued bluntly,"Go on. Polish yourself up, my troublesome kid."
One of the burly men licked his lips and laughed."Old man, just a scrawny kid like this—why bring so many brothers? I'm more than enough."
As he spoke, the man took a step forward and waved his hand casually at the others behind him, signaling them to stay back. Then, like a tiger released from its cage, he lunged straight at Chihiro.
"So," he grinned, "how many rounds do you think this young master will last?"
"A dozen at most," someone in the back replied. "After all, he is the second young master of the Yaoyorozu family. I heard he's got some skills."
"Yeah. Otherwise, the old man wouldn't have invited all of us just to train this kid."
The dozen men behind them chatted idly, eyes filled with anticipation as they watched the two figures about to collide.
Behind them stood the head of the Yaoyorozu household—a middle-aged man in a tailored suit, his hair slightly graying at the temples. He watched the veterans with a faint smile, shook his head subtly, and thought to himself:
Chihiro may lack real combat experience, but underestimating him will come at a heavy price.
"Master," the butler murmured softly beside him, "why not invite a few professional heroes to guide the young master? With the Yaoyorozu family's resources—"
"There's no need," the man interrupted calmly. "Let U.A.'s teachers handle that. They're top-tier professional heroes. Their guidance will be more than sufficient."
As the burly man charged toward him, Chihiro's thoughts raced.
In this world, soldiers occupied an awkward position. Quirks were everything. Those with powerful quirks entered special forces, while most ordinary soldiers either lacked quirks entirely or possessed weak ones, serving mainly in support roles.
A flicker of hidden excitement flashed through the charging man's eyes.
A career soldier by birth, he knew better than anyone never to underestimate an opponent. Even against a half-grown teenager, he maintained absolute caution. The moment he lunged, he was already at full power.
His Quirk was unusual. Among his comrades, everyone knew its fundamentals—but outsiders often paid dearly for their ignorance. That was precisely why the others had allowed him to take the first move alone.
Unfortunately for him, he was facing Yaoyorozu Chihiro.
The instant the man pounced, the Smart Chip activated silently.
[D-Class Quirk — Amplified Voice: Temporarily magnifies sound output severalfold.]
Sound-based… from the mouth, Chihiro assessed instantly. But if it were truly powerful, it wouldn't be rated D-Class.
His left foot pressed into the ground, forming a stable pivot.
In the next instant, his right leg snapped out like a whip.
The burly man's elbow slammed forward at the same time—boom!—the collision sending a shockwave through the grass beneath them.
"Well damn," the man laughed, teeth bared. "Fast reactions."
Without hesitation, his entire body pressed in closer, clearly intending to engage in close combat.
But his mouth was slightly open.
To a careful observer, faint currents of air could already be seen swirling deep inside his throat.
"You lose—"
A roar like dozens of people shouting at once was about to erupt.
But suddenly—
The sound cut off completely.
The dozen veterans in the distance, who had already covered their ears in anticipation, froze and stared at one another in confusion.
"…Why did it stop?"
The burly man's greatest weapon was his Amplified Voice. Though not a high-tier Quirk, its sudden release was enough to rupture eardrums and plunge opponents into instant disorientation. Paired with a set of ruthless military strikes, victory usually came as easily as taking something from a pocket.
But this time—
Something had gone terribly wrong.