By revealing his Flame Talent, Vincent Fox had two goals in mind.
First, it fit the role he wanted to play. In this world, ranged supernatural talents are nicknamed "mages" or "spellcasters." If Vincent presented himself as a mage, he could hang back in group fights and lob fireballs, disguising his true strength. Any fool who tried to close in on him would quickly learn that his Saitama Physique had far more tricks up its sleeve.
Second, it made the school take him even more seriously. Just look at Coach Terry Yan's face right now…
"By the way," Yan said suddenly, "a testing team is coming tomorrow. Make sure you show what you can do."
"Who are they?" Vincent asked.
"A team sent to evaluate all the freshmen who survived Zone 2," Yan explained. "They measure how much power you gained, then issue an official ranking. The higher your rating, the more perks you get."
Vincent perked up. "What kind of perks?"
Yan smiled. "Usually a cash stipend each month. But for a promising talent like you, there are special privileges like a one-time immunity waiver."
"Immunity waiver?"
Yan nodded. "If you ever break the law short of wanton murder or causing public mayhem you can invoke this once to avoid criminal prosecution. You can even use it to clear someone else's single offense."
Vincent was stunned. Criminal immunity on demand? Even once, that was outrageous. He guessed public opinion must hated the idea but the nation needed strong heroes, so they'd gone to great lengths to court them.
"So there's no such thing as a free lunch," Vincent pressed. "If I cash in such a privilege, the state will expect something in return, right?"
"Right," Yan said with a wry grin. "After you use it, you'll be conscripted into a special government division. No problem in peacetime but when the country faces a crisis, you must answer the call, or the Enforcement Squad composed of top-tier heroes will come after you."
Vincent nodded, unsurprised. That quid pro quo made sense.
They'd reached the dorm gate.
"You go on up," Yan said, "Get some rest. I'll head back."
"Thanks for the explanation, Coach," Vincent said, then slipped inside.
Yan watched until Vincent's figure disappeared, then turned and hurried back to the principal's office to share the news of Vincent's Flame Talent. As expected, the principal grew even more excited and even more determined to keep Vincent at Godslayer Academy.
Back in his room, Vincent's roommates swarmed him, eager to curry favor for future help. He managed a few polite replies before escaping to the privacy of his bed still wondering if he could persuade Yan to get him a single room.
Poor "mage wannabe" still hadn't called the girl waiting for his number until well past midnight.
The next morning at nine, all the freshmen gathered again on the sports field to review their Zone 2 expedition. The principal praised Vincent Fox and Autumn Summer then handed the floor over to the awaiting evaluation team.