Honestly, Shinji could've taken out the Potato Monster in a much simpler way. His left eye's long-range Kamui could've shredded the thing from a distance without even breaking a sweat. It would've been clean, fast, and far more convenient.
But that method had a downside. With so many people watching from afar, someone might have mistakenly thought Mumen Rider was the one who finished the monster off. If the Association credited the wrong person, Shinji might still be disqualified for inactivity.
It wasn't about fame or recognition for him. He just needed the Association to acknowledge that he'd done anything before his deadline expired.
So he had no choice but to make sure his actions were clearly visible. He had to beat the monster in a way that people couldn't miss.
Even then, it didn't exactly go as planned.
"What... what just happened? That monster just disappeared!"
"Yeah! It vanished into thin air! I thought I was seeing things."
"No, I saw it too! It looked like it got sucked into that guy's eye!"
"I caught a glimpse... but it was so fast, I couldn't see clearly."
At least a few of them had noticed what he did. It didn't matter if most didn't understand it. As long as some people could testify that he'd made the monster disappear, the Hero Association would log it as an official hero activity.
"You... are you a pro hero too?"
Mumen Rider walked up to him, his expression still stunned.
He clearly hadn't grasped what happened, only that the monster had vanished and Shinji was standing where it used to be.
"Yeah. I know you. You're Mumen Rider, right? C-Class Rank 1," Shinji replied with a casual smile.
"I'm also a C-Class hero, but I'm your opposite. I'm ranked dead last."
The man in front of him looked exactly like he did in the anime: helmet, body armor, green gear, the whole deal.
"You're... ranked last? Seriously?" Mumen Rider looked visibly confused.
Even though he hadn't seen the full extent of what happened, he knew for sure that Shinji had taken care of the threat with ease. Someone who could defeat a monster in a blink shouldn't be sitting at the bottom of the rankings. That kind of strength belonged to a B-Class hero at the very least.
"I only just joined. This was my first hero activity," Shinji explained with a shrug. "Until now, I hadn't done anything, so the system stuck me at the bottom."
Mumen Rider nodded as it started to make sense. "Ah, so that's why. Well, I don't think you'll be stuck down there for long."
Then he gave Shinji a sincere nod. "The monster's been handled. I'll head back to my patrol."
Without another word, he jogged off to retrieve his poor, mangled bike.
Shinji watched him go, and despite how brief their interaction was, he found himself respecting Mumen Rider. Unlike Tanktop Tiger, Mumen Rider didn't throw his weight around. The guy had guts and was sincere.
After that, Shinji also turned to leave the area.
Nobody around noticed anything unusual about him. Not the way he walked, not the expression on his face. But the truth was, he was hurting. His head throbbed, and sharp pain stabbed at his eyes in intervals.
Using Kamui twice in quick succession had definitely taken a toll on him.
As soon as he got to a quieter spot, he brought up the system panel.
He'd gone from zero to twenty points in one go. Finally, he had something to work with.
Without wasting a moment, Shinji opened the points shop and began spending.
[Alert! The host has exchanged "Physique ×10." 10 points deducted. Remaining points: 10]
[Alert! The host has exchanged "Hashirama Cells ×1." 10 points deducted. Remaining points: 0]
[Current Physique: 20]
While physique covered strength, speed, and endurance, it was the Hashirama Cells that intrigued Shinji the most.
Those cells didn't just boost his body across the board and enhance his spiritual resilience, improve regeneration, and even help restore ocular power and mental energy. With just one unit, his stamina and eye strain would begin to recover on their own. He wouldn't need to worry about going blind from overusing the Mangekyo Sharingan, as long as he didn't constantly push it back-to-back.
That said, a single unit of Hashirama Cells wasn't a miracle cure. The effects were subtle for now. Energy and vision would recover, but gradually. Still, it was enough to take the edge off, and since he didn't plan on jumping into another fight right away, the slow pace wouldn't be a problem.
Honestly, getting that kind of power for just 10 points was insane.
Back in the Naruto world, Madara had to rip flesh from Hashirama himself and cultivate it for years before it could be used to rebuild Obito's body. Shinji basically bought a shortcut through the system.
Of course, if he wanted the same level of regeneration Madara gave Obito, he'd need a much larger supply—probably dozens, maybe even hundreds of points' worth.
The takeaway was clear: he needed more points. A lot more.
After that, Shinji returned to the Z-City Hero Association branch to file a report and make sure the monster subjugation was officially logged.
In the Hero Association, rankings were determined by accumulated contribution points, but the exact formula was never disclosed. Every activity had to go through formal review.
Just defeating a monster wasn't enough. Heroes had to submit reports, and in most cases, civilian witness confirmation was required to validate the event.
It reminded him of that infamous Saitama-King situation.
Saitama would destroy monsters in one punch and walk away without saying a word. King, meanwhile, just happened to be around when it happened. Since civilians had seen King in the area, and he had an old scar from a monster attack, people mistakenly assumed he was the one who beat those monsters.
And since Saitama never bothered to report anything or correct anyone, the credit always went to King. That's how the guy with zero combat ability ended up as an S-Class hero.
Shinji wasn't about to let that happen to him.
He submitted his report. Now it was up to the staff to verify the account. Luckily, Mumen Rider walked in at the perfect time.
"You're here too? Filing your report? Want me to be your witness?"
Spotting Shinji at the front desk, Mumen Rider approached with his usual earnest energy.
"That would be helpful. I do need a witness."
Shinji gave him a grateful nod.
Mumen Rider immediately turned to the staff and gave a full account, confirming that Shinji had defeated the Potato Monster. Since a civilian had already phoned in a report earlier, the Association had enough testimony to wrap up the verification without delay.
[Alert! The host has completed their first hero activity and resolved the removal crisis. Reward: 10 points]