The 5% Reject: Rise of the Powerless Hero"

Chapter 7: The Pen is Mightier

The iron gates of the National Hero Academy didn't just open; they hissed, releasing a pressurized steam that felt like the breath of a sleeping beast. Thousands of applicants shuffled into a massive, sterile hall. The air was thick with the scent of ozone and nervous sweat.

Jack sat at a cold, metallic desk. To his left, a boy was nervously sparking static electricity from his fingertips. To his right, a girl was levitating her pen three inches off the desk.

"Silence," a voice boomed.

A hologram materialized at the front of the room. It was a pro-hero known as The Archivist. "Power without intellect is just a disaster waiting to happen," he said coldly. "Ten questions. One hour. If you fail to score at least 70%, you won't even see the combat arena. Begin."

Jack flipped the paper. Most students expected math or history. Instead, the questions were tactical nightmares.

Question 4: If a 'Class-A' Fire-type Villain is positioned in a tunnel with a high oxygen concentration, what is the safest non-elemental way to neutralize them without causing a backdraft?

Jack’s pen blurred across the page. He didn't have a water quirk to put out the fire, so he had to think like a Reject. Decrease the pressure, use a vacuum-seal tactic, or force a controlled oxygen depletion.

Question 9: A Speed-type Hero is chasing a suspect with 'Kinetic Absorption.' How can the hero stop the suspect without making them stronger?

Jack smiled. This was his world. He knew all about kinetic energy because of his Lightning Speed debt. Use a friction-based trap or a non-impact entanglement. Don't hit them; trip them.

Beside him, Flame was sweating, his face turning a bright shade of red as he struggled to understand the physics of his own power. Hana, however, looked calm, her pen moving with rhythmic grace.

[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]

[ SUB-QUEST: ACADEMIC DOMINANCE ]

[ OBJECTIVE: SCORE 100% ON THE KNOWLEDGE TEST ]

[ REWARD: +1 INTELLIGENCE, +50 EXP ]

Jack felt a sharp sting in his temples. The System was pushing his brain now, just like it had pushed his muscles for a decade. He saw the flaws in the questions—the hidden traps that the Academy used to weed out those who only relied on their quirks.

When the timer hit zero, Jack laid his pen down. His hand didn't shake.

"Papers up," The Archivist commanded. "Results will be streamed to your personal devices in ten minutes. If your screen turns red, leave the campus immediately."

The hall became a sea of glowing screens. One by one, red lights began to pop up like bloodstains in the crowd. Cries of frustration echoed through the hall.

Hana checked her device. 90%. A near-perfect score. She looked over at Jack with a look of pity. "It's okay, Jack. You can always try a trade school—"

She stopped. Jack’s screen wasn't red. It was a brilliant, pulsing gold.

[ SCORE: 10/10 (100%) ]

[ RANK: 1st PLACE (Tied) ]

"Impossible," Flame hissed from two rows back, staring at Jack's score. "He doesn't even have a Spark! How can a Reject know more about Heroics than us?"

Jack stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder. The screen in his mind flickered.

[ SUB-QUEST COMPLETE ]

[ INTELLIGENCE INCREASED TO 15 ]

[ MAIN QUEST UPDATED: PROCEED TO COMBAT ARENA 7 ]

"The test wasn't about quirks, Hana," Jack said as he walked past her. "It was about understanding how the world works. Now, let's see if the robots are as easy to read as the paper."