The moment before the ranking tournaments every year is full of surprises!
Last year was the Ruins Incident,
and this year we've had Firm Man retire and Smile succumb to Fear.
Who knows what else we'll witness before the tournament begins?
Who would've thought that within just a few short weeks,
the top ten rankings would have such significant changes!
First, a dog comes out of nowhere,
then Nice commits suicide after being exposed!
That Lin Ling made his rankings and not even two days later, Moon's death made the news!
The Commission has not yet publicized
Moon dies in attack on deserted island, police working with Treeman Corporation to find the murderer
results of the investigation into Moon's death.
We're wondering, Mr. Shand, if you're willing to share any updates with us?
I hope everyone can remain reasonable and calm.
Don't listen to or spread rumors.
We've already reached an agreement with Lin Ling.
Treeman Corporation will uphold justice and work together with him to find the truth.
We will seek justice for Moon.
We are currently outside the Commission.
Today, Dragon Boy will receive the Commission's arbitration,
which will determine his eligibility to compete in the tournament.
There are a large number of Dragon Boy supporters gathered here right now.
Though he defeated Hero Smile, who was consumed by Fear,
Dragon Boy's overly violent and cruel methods have been controversial.
According to sources, the hero referred to as The Commoner, Lin Ling,
is now officially working with Treeman Corporation.
This has also caused a dramatic turnaround in Treeman's previous fraud scandals.
Dragon Boy passes arbitration, enters ranking tournament at rank 3
I'm very pleased to see that Dragon Boy has passed the Commission's arbitration
and will be competing in this year's tournament as the rank 3 hero.
The ten hero candidates for this year's tournament has already been finalized!
Who will succeed the current X?
Or will we witness the miracle of X's fourth consecutive championship?
We'll have to wait and see!
No way! Dragon Boy actually got pardoned?
The recent heart-stopping hero fight in the city has Dragon Boy's actions garnering attention and controversy
Who isn't terrified at the mention of Fear these days?
I heard that Hero Smile had already lost all humanity and had gone completely berserk!
Forget it. I only believe in X anyway.
With him here, I have nothing to worry about.
Tsk. Women...
All right, stop the gossip.
Tomorrow is day one of the tournament.
Our traffic is going to spike past all our records!
Look alive! We have to finish configuring the servers and network infrastructure tonight!
Every tournament is an overtime hellscape...
Can I order takeout first?
Could you get me an Americano? With two shots of espresso on the side.
It's time to clock out!
Why does he get to leave when he wants?!
Huh? Who was it that just left?
That's correct.
Our goal is to take down X to keep him from becoming a god.
Then doesn't the Commission's tournament give him just the right stage to perform on?
You're so innocent and cute.
But once you get in there, you'll see how each company and each hero
will resort to the dirtiest tricks in the book to get to the top.
All right, relax. I'm not expecting much from you.
I will stop him!
Oh? Really?
How do you plan on defeating him?
Tell me.
I will assassinate him in advance.
Ahu Recommends! Yummy dog food!
Eat this and you'll grow to be just as strong as Ahu!
It's not my fault he was careless and exposed his real identity in front of me.
Oh, no! I've been discovered!
Hello.
We meet again.
"One does not visit a temple without purpose."
Once you're tired from the running, you can come tell me why you're here.
Don't you know... that dogs need to go out for walks every day?
You've been following me since I got off work.
That's a little too much of a coincidence for just your regular walk.
You must actually be afraid of becoming a demon, aren't you?
I don't know what you're saying.
Forfeit the tournament! Before you become a public enemy!
That's why you came here?
And what if I refuse?
Then I will expose your real identity to the public.
Oh? I thought you had already exposed me.
Then how do they...
know I'm here?
Why are the Commission's people mixed in with those guys?
You're asking me?
I thought they came with you.
It's not possible. I haven't mentioned your identity to anyone.
It appears our intel was correct.
We've finally discovered X's real identity.
As expected of old Rock. There's no piece of information you can't obtain.
If you knew where he worked,
you might not be sitting here playing video games.
Stop right there. His identity is top-secret information right now.
But to call us here the night before the tournament begins...
The Commission must be very concerned.
It's because we can't afford to take any more risks.
He hid his identity from the very beginning.
He refused to join any hero agencies
and distanced himself from the Commission system.
He was obviously trying to place himself above everything.
Maybe his intentions were good...
But human nature is forever greedy and lacks self-restraint.
We have to eliminate the risk tonight, even if that means making sacrifices.
That building's about to fall apart! Is he insane?
Aren't those heroes in the Commission? They're ranked...
Ranked 15th.
Let's put you up for a recommended livestream. Drop a like, pull some traffic...
They can actually keep up with you? {9:08}
Interesting.
He's your nemesis.
It's a shame that he was so close to squeezing into the top 10.
All this just to stop you from participating tomorrow?
Are they all insane?! {10:27}
Now you know who the real demons are.
No Entry
New Mission: Kill X
I'll be right there.
Where are we?
Come.
I'll treat you to a drink.
The Commission strictly bans heroes from fierce combat before tournaments.
The hero agencies behind these heroes are being too brazen.
You're a dog, but you're quite the birdbrain.
Did you forget?
Some of those guys that just broke into my house were sent by the Commission.
You mean that the Commission and hero agencies are colluding with one another?
Of course. The Commission can only control heroes by controlling the hero agencies.
Yumai Road Bureau Chief Xiaoyu
The explosions made my keyboard go flying! I looked out the window and saw the vending machine get blown into a heap of junk metal, and a group of people were fighting in the smoke. A chubby guy wearing a mask was pinned down and getting clobbered. The Commission Police even sent their planes. My ears are gonna go deaf from the noise!
Dragon King Meaningless
I was just picking up food from outside, and got jump-scared! My hot pot's spilled all over my bike basket! When that vending machine blew up, I thought I was done for.
That's why agencies and the Commission
are two forces that both cooperate and keep each other in check.
Mango Tree-tree
I was counting sheep and when I got to 250 sheep, the explosion almost blew me right out of my bed! Is that group of people fighting by the intersection CGI?
As for heroes, they're just chess pieces that these two forces manipulate together.
Looking on the bright side, as long as you have value,
They can forge even a dog into a hero.
I won't be manipulated so easily!
With your capabilities?
That's a little too unconvincing.
Also, when you lied to the camera,
you'd already lost the initiative.
That's because I had to protect Xin Ya.
The Commission was originally established to protect everyone, too.
Where are you going?
I'm going...
for another drink, of course!
You're still drinking?
They've already caught up?!
It looks like I won't be able to keep hiding this time.
Oh, well.
It's time to uncover the truth.
You just said... the truth?
What truth?
What is this place?
Didn't you want to know the truth?
Then come and take a look.
The story of the world's first evil dragon...
As the first hero before the establishment of the Commission,
he once had everyone's trust.
Endless, uncountable Trust.
At last, he became a "god" who was revered by many.
He began to reshape the world according to his inner justice.
Until one day...
he killed a hero who defied his will.
And then another, and another...
He killed more and more heroes.
In an instant, people's Trust in him...
turned into Fear.
The dragon slayer ultimately became the evil dragon.
This is that which the Commission forbids discussion on—the truth.
Isn't this the history of the great evil Zero who was defeated by a band of heroes
backed by people's trust?
The Commission colluded to change history.
All to bury Zero in the memories of the people.
But there will always be people who want to lift the seal on history.
This person is...?
A zealous worshipper of Zero.
A child who once wished to be able to reshape the world with Zero.
He witnessed Zero's demise and the establishment of the hero world.
Look! E-Soul delivered a final blow to Zero using Lightning Slash!
1 Year Before Commission
Downfall Incident
At last, the great evil Zero who plunged the world into fear
has been defeated at the hands of our heroes united!
This monument honors friends, family, and heroes who've lost their lives in Downfall.
1 year before Commission
Heroes Memorial Monument
Let us forever remember this lesson—
unrestrained Trust becomes a catalyst for disaster.
Inaugural Year of the Commission
Establishment of the Commission
The Hero Affairs Commission is officially established!
This is a day worth commemorating.
We will now welcome a whole new era of heroes!
The Commission has announced that all of the Commission's ranked heroes will move into Hero Tower,
Commission Year 2
The First Hero Tournament
with higher-ranked heroes residing on higher floors.
In the future, the Commission will also host a tournament
every two years for the top 10 heroes!
Commission Year 8
Establishment of DOS
DOS' hero once again wins top hero.
People question whether any could shake DOS's hero empire!
Commission Year 19
Establishment of various hero agencies
New hero agencies are springing up rapidly
and are directly challenging older agencies like DOS and MG.
The golden age of heroes has come!
FOMO is rising with unstoppable momentum!
Commission Year 19
Rise of FOMO
People have found a shortcut to becoming a hero overnight!
This is a new era of all people becoming heroes!
The Commission spend night and day worrying that I'll become the next Zero,
but they never discovered...
that Zero never perished.
Just as Fear never disappeared, it, alongside Trust,
became a power that could trigger a domino effect,
sending us into each other's worlds.
I originally thought that my own hero path began with that coin.
But in reality, the seeds of cause and effect were planted long ago. {19.20}
Apologies. That might be a bit laborious for a dog to understand.
But, either way,
we are actually all chess pieces manipulated by fate.
This is a world where people's belief creates heroes,
and the one hero that gains the most belief is acclaimed as X.
Now, let us welcome this year's ten strongest and most popular heroes
as they take the stage!
Lin Ling!
E-Soul!
Lucky Cyan!
Loli!
Little Johnny!
Ghostblade!
Dragon Boy!
Queen!
Ahu!
Then what are you going to do from here on?
Well, that's obvious... Defy fate.
Clocking out on time!