Chapter 201 Landmines!

'Bad idea! Bad idea!

As soon as he stepped foot into the field, Satoshi already activated one of the landmines. By the time he realized what was happening, he was already way up in the air, blown by the wind pressure caused by the landmines. As absurd as it may sound, the landmines were actually made to let off an intense amount of air pressure that would blow anyone away no matter the size. Fortunately, Satoshi's acceleration was an unhesitant forward and the air pressure propelled him forward as well.

That wasn't the end of it though since he'd have to land again and hit another landmine. Mustering all his focus into his trajectory, Satoshi tightened his core and braced himself for the next explosion.

Boom!

When he landed again, the air pressure from the explosion this time sent him upward a couple of feet. A moment passed, and that split of a second became a stretched-out experience where Satoshi saw everyone behind him, clamoring to get into the top fifty spots. While the explosion put him in a deadlock, it gave him time to breathe and rethink about his strategy.

As he was free-falling downwards, Satoshi decided to flip himself, facing downwards with his arms in front of him. He thought that maybe he'd break his arms because of his risky headfirst freefall... but then again, it's a little price to pay for first place.

With his downward force and the air pressure from the explosion— of course, with the right trajectory— he'd be able to propel himself right through the landmine field, crossing the finish line in an instant.

It was easy to say, but hard to accomplish. Still, Satoshi had no choice but to move forward and try it out. He's got nothing to lose... well, he has— a few expected broken bones, but it's worth it as long as he gets first place.

The descent seemed to stretch out time as he continued pummeling downwards. Before he hit the ground, he tucked himself into a crude shape of a cannonball with his arms landing directly on the ground. He felt his shoulders crack but the air pressure from the landmine sent him skittering forward instead of upwards, triggering a straight row of landmines which sent him accelerating even more.

When he crossed the finish line, he was still accelerating. Shutting his eyes, he wondered when he'd stop, thinking that he might bump into the walls of the stadium before coming to a halt. Aside from his dislocated shoulders, who knows what else would break if he hit himself?

That's when he remembered that he had already passed the finish line— which also meant that the rule about not using any superpower doesn't apply to him anymore. Without further ado, he called boh Ghast and Sera.

A portal appeared right in front of him which spat him upwards instead of forward. At the same time, Sera healed his dislocated shoulders, bruises, and everything else that needed to be healed. She even went as far as to reset his lungs back to normal. A moment ago, he was out of breath, but right now, it's as if he never ran the race in the first place with how rejuvenated he felt.

And what's more, the risks he took actually bore fruit and he was able to get first place.

Satoshi clenched his fist as he let out a celebratory 'yes' underneath his breath. He instinctively shut his eyes tight as beads of sweat streamed down his forehead. He half-dragged himself to the waiting area, immediately making his way to the refreshment section and drinking as much as he could to the point that he felt bloated. There was nothing more rewarding than finishing first and claiming food and drinks at an eat-all-you-can as the first person to arrive. And somehow, these two things happened to Satoshi back to back.

"Nice performance out there, young man," Fury was there again to greet him, his hands behind his back. "You really showed that you're worthy of the Midoriyama name, as expected of the duo's son."

"However! This is just the beginning, the starting line of your journey." Fury turned around, at the same time grabbing a sandwich and taking a huge bite off of it. "Once you receive your superhero license, you'd be allowed to use your superpower in public. That fact alone will be a huge responsibility on your shoulders, and I can't stress out the fact that a superpower is not an all-powerful weapon wielded by an individual. It has its shortcomings, and a misplaced usage of it, or wrong timing, can lead to a disaster, or someone's death."

"Keep that in mind,"

With a stern yet prideful expression on his face, Fury handed Satoshi a shawarma. Satoshi gratefully received it, slightly bowing down to thank Fury for the advice. He knew very well just how much responsibility a licensed superhero has since his mom and dad are the top two superheroes in Japan. If the worst-case scenario happens and you happen to be on the scene, you must at least be prepared to put your life on the line. That's how heavy the responsibility was for a superhero.

Just like now, with the recent appearance of Dungeon Spire, everyone was reliant on the superheroes once again as they explore it and try to clear it. There may be rewards and priceless treasures and artifacts inside the aforementioned dungeon, but that doesn't change the fact that the superheroes are risking their lives for the country.

"Now that I think about it— " Satoshi muttered to himself as he got an idea. "If I get my license today... does that mean I'm eligible to go to the exploration, right?"

A smile swept across his face, then it was replaced by a frown as he realized that his parents probably won't allow him because of the dangers that lurked within the dungeon. They weren't particularly new to dungeons so he was sure that they'd outrightly decline before he could even explain himself.

"Whatever the case, now that I passed the Superhero License Exam, I should focus on getting stronger," Satoshi said to himself, this time, summoning the White Lion in front of him.

He doesn't know just how long he had to wait for everyone so he decided to approach one of the workers in the SAO Headquarters Building and ask if there was a vacant training room nearby. The worker was a bit confused since Satoshi just finished the exam. 'Isn't he supposed to be tired?' The worker said to himself but regardless, he nodded and showed Satoshi the way.