The receptionist took a few steps forward, heels clicking softly against the polished floor as she moved past the recruits. She reached the edge of the desk and tapped two fingers lightly against the surface.
A blue holographic display immediately flickered to life above the table.
Several transparent symbols rotated slowly in the air while rows of rank icons formed beneath them.
A few recruits leaned forward instinctively.
One of them blinked twice while staring at the projection.
"What the hell is this tech?" he asked quietly. As his voice slipped out before he could stop himself.
A few recruits beside him snorted quietly.
The receptionist lifted her eyes toward him.
Her expression stayed composed.
"Right," she said. "This technology is not available to the public."
She turned slightly and gestured toward the hologram beside her.
"HeroCorp receives support from several private organizations and corporate partners. Such as Knight Industries, Winchester Enterprises, and multiple defense contractors exchange technology, research data, and classified systems with us regularly. So most of what you see here never leaves corporate development."
One recruit slowly lowered the tablet he had been typing on.
Another stared harder at the hologram as numbers and symbols shifted across its surface.
The receptionist looked back toward the group.
The recruit gave a slow nod while continuing to stare at the hologram.
Another recruit near him whispered under his breath.
"Damn…"
Then she straightened slightly. Then after a second she continued, folding her hands neatly behind her back.
"Let's not drift off topic."
Her tone sharpened just enough to pull everyone's attention back toward her immediately.
"Now let's get serious, shall we."
Several recruits nodded almost at once.
One guy near the back swallowed nervously and rubbed both palms against the sides of his uniform pants.
"It's finally starting," he muttered quietly to the recruit beside him.
Another recruit quickly opened a small tablet and started writing notes as fast as he could.
A young man with messy spiky hair suddenly raised his hand.
The movement was awkward and too fast, his elbow jerking upward before he realized the entire group was staring at him now.
He cleared his throat.
"Is there a higher rank beyond SSS?"
One woman near the front looked at him like he had asked something stupid.
Someone near the front whispered quietly.
"That's actually a good question."
The receptionist didn't react right away.
She simply studied the young man for a second before answering.
"That is a good question."
She shifted her weight onto one leg and folded one arm loosely across her stomach while the other remained near the hologram controls.
"But no."
Her voice stayed calm and direct.
"SSS is the highest rank someone can officially receive inside HeroCorp."
The hologram shifted slightly beside her, displaying a glowing SSS symbol near the top of the projection.
She tilted her head toward the recruits.
"Some countries use ranking systems similar to ours. Others completely reject the system altogether."
Her fingers moved slightly through the hologram interface.
"And even here, several states do not officially recognize HeroCorp rankings."
A few recruits exchanged glances.
One recruit near the front frowned slightly.
"Sounds messy and complicated."
"It is messy," the receptionist replied immediately.
She looked back toward the hologram.
"But power structures usually are."
The room quieted again.
"That rank," she continued, pointing toward the glowing SSS symbol, "is exclusive."
She raised one finger slowly.
"There is only one SSS position inside this company."
The nervous shifting around the room slowly stopped.
Even the recruits writing notes lowered their tablets slightly.
"It is reserved for the single strongest hero operating under HeroCorp authority."
Her voice lowered just a little.
"Someone who has repeatedly proven they operate on a level nobody else here can consistently match."
A recruit near the center of the group straightened unconsciously.
Another crossed his arms tighter while listening.
"Other organizations may allow multiple SSS heroes," the receptionist continued, "We don't do that here."
She shrugged lightly.
A faint smirk touched the corner of her mouth.
Then her eyes drifted toward the hallway to the sounds of footsteps approaching as he appeared moving with grace.
Her chin lifted slightly.
"That SSS position we spoke about? It currently belongs to Black Mentis as you all know. Unless somehow none of you pay attention to the news. I assume all of you already know the name."
Almost every recruit turned immediately toward the corridor.
A few leaned sideways trying to catch a glimpse of him even though he didn't pay any attention to them.
The receptionist lazily pointed two fingers down the hallway.
"Speak of the silver devil."
One recruit blinked.
"That's actually him?"
"No way," another muttered quietly.
A girl near the front slowly folded her arms while staring toward the empty corridor.
"He looks way scarier in person than on TV."
Another recruit rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"I thought heroes at that level would look more normal."
A short laugh escaped someone near the back.
"Normal? Did you not feel that pressure when he stepped into the hallway?"
Several recruits nodded immediately.
The receptionist clapped once.
The sharp sound pulled everyone's attention back toward her.
"Alrighty."
She reached down and straightened a stack of papers on the desk even though the edges were already perfectly aligned.
"Next rank below SSS."
She raised two fingers slowly.
"Is the rank of SS."
Her eyes moved carefully across the recruits again, making sure every single one of them was paying attention now.
"That," the receptionist said while pointing toward the glowing SS symbol in the hologram, "is the second highest position overall."
She tapped the edge of the desk twice with her fingertips while the holographic ranking chart shifted slightly above the surface.
"The same rule applies here."
Her eyes moved across the recruits carefully.
"There is only one hero who holds that rank."
A recruit near the middle shifted his weight from one foot to the other and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"So it is exclusive too?"
The receptionist gave a small nod.
"Yes."
She folded one arm across her waist while the other remained near the hologram controls.
"The hero occupying the SS position is considered the second strongest active member within HeroCorp."
Her tone became more serious.
"They possess multiple exceptional abilities, extremely high survival rates in the field, and combat records most heroes cannot even compare to."
Several recruits exchanged glances quietly.
One recruit lowered his tablet a little more while listening.
The receptionist lifted her shoulders slightly.
"If SSS is untouchable, then SS is the closest anyone else gets."
A woman with bright blue hair slowly raised her hand halfway.
Her head tilted slightly to one side before she spoke.
"And after that comes the S Rankers, right?"
The receptionist snapped her fingers once and pointed toward her immediately.
"Correct."
The blue-haired woman gave a small satisfied nod and relaxed her shoulders again.
The receptionist raised three fingers.
"After that, we have Rank S."
The hologram shifted again as several glowing markers appeared beneath SS.
She stepped to the side of the desk while speaking, giving the recruits a clearer view of the ranking structure floating in the air.
"Those positions range from third place to tenth place overall."
She flattened her hand toward the display.
"This is still considered elite territory."
Her eyes moved across the group again, watching their reactions carefully.
"So to simplify it for all of you, heroes ranked from S Three through S Ten are classified as S Rankers."
Several recruits shifted uncomfortably after hearing the small number.
One young man quietly muttered under his breath.
"So there are only eight of them…"
Another recruit beside him scratched his cheek thoughtfully.
"I guess Rank One and Rank Two work as leaders or something."
The receptionist nodded once.
"You are absolutely right."
She pointed briefly toward the hologram again.
"Rank S currently consists of eight heroes in total."
Then she added calmly,
"Although that will eventually change under the company's next expansion project."
That immediately caught the group's attention again.
The receptionist continued before anyone could interrupt.
"Every one of those heroes is extremely dangerous in combat."
Her voice slowed slightly.
"And every single one of them has years of field experience."
The room stayed quiet.
One recruit scratched the back of his neck while staring up at the hologram.
Another leaned forward slightly with growing interest.
The receptionist folded her arms loosely.
"These are the heroes civilians recognize most often. They represent the public face of HeroCorp."
She paused briefly.
"They also hold their own operational authority."
A recruit near the front raised his hand slightly.
"Do they work together as an actual team?"
The receptionist narrowed her eyes slightly while considering the question.
"They do."
She lifted one finger.
"Rank One acts as the overall leader."
A second finger followed.
"Rank Two functions as the vice leader."
Then she opened her hand toward the group.
"The remaining members fill different positions depending on their abilities and specialties."
"Tanks."
"Healers."
"Close combat specialists."
"Recon."
"Support."
A recruit near the back quietly murmured to the person beside him,
"So basically a raid squad."
The receptionist gave a small shrug.
"If that comparison helps you understand the structure, then yes."
She leaned both hands against the desk again.
"And eventually," she continued, scanning the room slowly, "some of you will meet them personally once you reach higher operational levels."
Several recruits straightened almost instantly.
One of them whispered under his breath,
"…holy shit."
A muscular recruit standing near the back shifted his stance and folded his arms tightly across his chest.
"What about everyone below S Rank?"
His voice carried more confidence than the others.
"If those top positions are already filled, then how does anyone move up?"
The receptionist turned her head toward him slowly.
One eyebrow lifted slightly.
She pushed herself upright from the desk.
"As I mentioned earlier, do not focus too much on that right now."
She stepped away from the hologram and began walking slowly in front of the group again.
Her heels tapped lightly against the polished floor while several recruits followed her movement with their eyes.
"HeroCorp is preparing a major expansion project."
She clasped her hands behind her back while walking.
"We are expanding nationally first."
Then she looked back toward the recruits.
"After that, HeroCorp plans to move operations into parts of Europe."
A few recruits looked visibly surprised hearing that.
"When that expansion happens," she continued, "some of the exclusivity surrounding higher ranks will begin to loosen."
She stopped near the center of the group and raised one finger.
"In the next two years, Rank S alone is expected to open dozens of additional positions."
The room immediately became louder with quiet reactions.
One recruit blinked rapidly.
"Dozens?"
The receptionist nodded once.
"Current projections estimate roughly fifty S Rank positions once the expansion is complete."
Several recruits straightened immediately after hearing the number.
Another recruit whispered quietly,
"Fifty…?"
The receptionist continued calmly.
"That expansion means new heroes."
She raised another finger.
"New promotion exams."
Another finger followed.
"And new advancement opportunities."
Her eyes moved carefully across the group.
"For some of you, it means there may actually be a path upward inside this company."
The tension in the room shifted almost immediately.
Nervousness mixed with excitement now.
One recruit clenched his tablet tighter.
Another sat up straighter without even realizing it.
The receptionist turned and walked back behind the desk.
The hologram reflected softly across her face as she rested both palms against the polished surface again.
"Now then," she said calmly.
"Let us move to the next classification."
The hologram shifted once more.
Large glowing letters appeared beneath the S Rank category.
"Which is Rank A."