novelraw Chapter 83: Best Against the Best!
Chapter 83: Best Against the Best!
Daniel looked up at Blanca, ready to tell her to leave him alone. He was ready to reject her offer and walk away. However, before he could speak, a loud chime resonated on everyone’s Databand across platform Alpha.
It was Instructor Baldwin, and she sounded very serious.
"Attention, all Aspirants," Baldwin’s voice resonated through the ventilation shafts. "Report to the Gathering Hall immediately. We have a critical announcement regarding Phase Three."
Blanca pulled her hand back. She looked at the ceiling, then back at Daniel.
"Saved by the bell," she grinned. "We can talk later, Number One."
She turned and walked away, her heavy boots clanging on the metal floor.
Daniel watched her go, then he let out a long, deep breath. He stood up from the crate, adjusted his collar, then began to walk towards the hall.
"It’s about to go down," he said to himself. Daniel walked out of the maintenance area and headed toward the Gathering Hall, ready to hear what new hell the Academy had prepared for them.
Daniel walked through the metal corridors toward the Gathering Hall. He moved fast, trying to stay ahead of the crowd, but he wasn’t fast enough to outrun the giant woman who had waited outside and who is now following him.
Blanca Rourke caught up to him with long, heavy strides.
"You are stubborn, Number One," Blanca said, falling into step beside him. She grinned, looking down at him.
"I like that. Stubborn people survive longer."
Daniel kept his eyes on the path ahead.
"I told you, I work alone. My methods... they don’t work well with a team. I rely on stealth and speed. You are..."
He looked at her from head to toe. " You are loud."
"Loud is good," Blanca countered. "Loud scares them. Look, Phase Three isn’t going to be like the other phases from what I heard.
Baldwin said it’s going to challenge even god-like powers. You have the damage, sure. But can you hold a line against a hundred enemies at once?"
She patted the handle of her axe. "I can."
Daniel opened his mouth to refuse again. He wanted to tell her that he didn’t need a wall because he didn’t plan on getting hit.
However, before he could speak, they reached the massive double doors of the Gathering Hall. The doors were already open, and a sea of students was pouring inside.
Instructor Baldwin’s voice chimed over the speakers again, cutting off their conversation.
"All aspirants, take your places immediately. The briefing will begin in two minutes."
"Saved by the bell again," Daniel muttered.
Blanca laughed and slapped him on the back. It was a friendly gesture, but it nearly knocked the wind out of him.
"Think about it, Rivers. I won’t ask forever."
They walked into the hall together. It was a chaotic scene. The Gathering Hall was the largest room on Platform Alpha.
It was shaped like a giant bowl, with rows of seats rising up on all sides.
There were students here that Daniel didn’t recognize. They wore different variations of the grey uniform. Some had blue stripes on their shoulders, others had red or green.
"Who are they?" Daniel wondered. He stood near the back with Blanca. She towered over the crowd, acting like a natural lighthouse in the sea of heads.
The lights in the hall dimmed. Spotlights focused on the center stage.
Instructor Baldwin walked out. She looked serious. Her hands were clasped behind her back, and she scanned the room with a sharp gaze.
"Silence," she commanded. The noise died down instantly. Even the rowdiest students shut their mouths when Baldwin spoke.
"You are confused," Baldwin began. "You see faces you do not know. You see uniforms that are different from yours."
She gestured to the crowd.
"I don’t think we got to ever tell you there are other academies all over the world that started after us. Vanguard Academy has helped some of these academies start-up all over the world.
While you were fighting in the Aurora Vale, they were fighting in their own zones."
A murmur of shock ran through the hall. Daniel narrowed his eyes. It made sense. The world was big, and they needed an army, not just a platoon.
"We have consolidated all assessment groups here on Platform Alpha," Baldwin explained.
"Phase Three will be a joint operation. You will be fighting alongside them."
She pressed a button on her podium. The massive holographic screen above the stage flickered to life.
"To ensure fair seeding for Phase Three," Baldwin announced, "we have compiled a Unified Assessment Ranking. We have combined the data from all cohorts. We are pitting the best against the best."
Daniel felt a knot of tension in his stomach. He had been Rank 1 in his group, but now the pool was much bigger.
"Before we reveal the scores," Baldwin said, her voice turning grave, "you need to understand the scale. You need to know what ’good’ looks like."
Two numbers appeared on the screen.
50,000
120,000
"The highest cumulative score for a Vanguard aspirant in this stage, in the last five years was 50,000 points," Baldwin stated.
"That student has been deployed to planet Earth to a major city, to fight those ugly-ass aliens."
She pointed to the second number. "The all-time Academy record was set four years ago. It stands at 120,000 points.
That record belongs to a legend. It has never been broken."
The atmosphere in the hall changed completely. Everywhere was still.
The recruits realized the scale of the competition. 50,000 was the target for greatness, while 120,000 was a myth.
"Now," Baldwin said. "Let us see the rising stars." The screen changed. It started showing the top performers from the other academies.
A picture of a young man with sharp features and glowing blue eyes appeared.
Levi Manuel - Astralis Academy.
Score: 42,200
The crowd applauded. It was an impressive score, close to the five-year record.
Levi stood up in the crowd, waving confidently.
Then, another name appeared.
Zara Stark - Mountain Top Academy).
Score: 55,850
The hall erupted. She had broken the five-year record. A girl with short, blonde hair stood up. She looked fierce and proud. She had beaten the General’s score.
Daniel looked around. He saw Sansa Valtor and John Draven. They were looking at the screen with sinking hearts. Their scores, which had seemed so high before, were now dwarfed by these new elites. They were good, but they weren’t record-breakers.
Several other scores and top performers were called from other academies.
"And now," Baldwin said, "we have one final update." The list scrolled down. It went past the top ten. It went past the top fifty. It stopped near the bottom.
Name: Daniel Rivers.
Score: 18,950
A few people in the crowd snickered. It was a decent score, but compared to Zara and Levi, it looked pathetic. Blanca nudged him with her elbow.
"Hey, not bad for a start," she teased. "At least you’re on the board."
Daniel said nothing, he just kept his cool and watched the screen.