novelraw Chapter 86 : Chapter 86
Chapter 86 : Chapter 86
Chapter 86 : Results
Salvatore Argento - Overall Rank 3rd
Sal felt as if the weight of the whole world had settled on his shoulders and then vanished.
He could finally breathe.
A laugh of relief burst out from deep within his chest.
"Ha..."
"Sal-!"
"Wow! Salvatore!"
The entire Silver Cohort cheered and began chanting his name.
The sight of over a hundred people shouting his name and congratulating him was a scene Sal had never imagined.
With a smile filling his face, he finally turned toward Divinity.
He had to shout for her to hear him, but he trusted that she would.
"Worst case, you keep your spot!"
Just as Divinity was about to answer, her eyes went wide as she looked at the screen.
Around them, only the Silver Cohort was cheering.
Sal thought it was because Divinity had maintained her ranking, but what awaited him was a completely unexpected shock.
Erica Clifton - Overall Rank 2nd
In the Gold Cohort, no one reacted to the fact that she had been pushed down to second place.
No, even if there had been a reaction, it would not have been able to overcome the storm-like cheers erupting from the Silver Cohort.
Everyone knew what name would appear next, and Barry already had his rune activated.
Sal looked back at Divinity again.
In that moment, he was certain.
Divinity really hadn't looked into the future for today.
Sal had never seen her look so surprised.
"Good job, Divinity!"
Sal shouted, but Divinity still wore a dazed expression.
Then, the moment she finally saw the screen, she realized the reality.
Divinity Khan - Overall Rank 1st
It was only after Quest called for attention for several minutes that the cheers filling the auditorium began to slowly subside.
Barry's fireworks also stopped immediately the moment he made eye contact with Quest.
Being an illusionist, he stood there blankly with his hands stuffed deep in his pockets, as if he had done nothing.
The current of tension flowing through the audience gradually settled, but laughter and excited chatter still ceased among the students.
Opinions were divided on which cohort was the strongest based on the new ranking system.
There was talk that Erica was being treated almost like a loner within the Gold Cohort.
This was because not even her own teammates were speaking to her.
Quest raised his hand and lowered it, signaling for everyone to take their seats and be quiet.
"Well, the ending was truly heated! I send my congratulations to everyone whose ranking rose today. As I mentioned before announcing the results, this ranking was evaluated based on the consistent attitude and performance you showed in each class over the past month. Those whose rankings dropped, please do not be too discouraged. You can raise your rank by continuing to work hard and showing what a hero is."
Only when the word 'hero' was mentioned did all the excited chatter finally stop.
"The goal we pursue is exactly this. To lead the world in a better direction and end the war with the monsters that have threatened humanity for decades. One year from now, many of you will be returning from your first external field expedition. The current second-year students have been training with professional groups outside the academy for the past three weeks, learning firsthand how the structure of reality works through actual combat in the real world beyond the barrier. Do not forget why you are here. We are training you so that you can finish your preparations to go out into the outside world."
The tension that had subsided was filling the surroundings again with a different meaning.
"This tournament was designed to reveal your strengths and weaknesses, and it was an opportunity to show how important teamwork is. You must have experienced firsthand that a strong team can easily collapse if leadership is weak, and that an outstanding individual can lead weak comrades. The majority of the Silver Cohort likely felt the power of good gear, and the Gold Cohort saw the terrifying power held by perfect strategy. The Purple Cohort saw how the overwhelming destructive power of one person changes the battlefield, and the Orange Cohort likely witnessed how dramatically a single healer can turn the tide of battle. All of these are very important lessons for you. I hope you will participate in the inter-cohort competition that will be held in a few months and learn even more. Also, once the third-year students return from their guild internships soon, their showcase is scheduled to be held."
Everyone's eyes shone at the mention of the third-year seniors' showcase.
"All of you worked really hard preparing for this event. So, we intend to reward that effort. Classes tomorrow will be completely postponed. This is a measure to give you time to recover sufficiently. Regardless of what wild activities you might engage in tonight. And tomorrow afternoon, a networking event with guild scouters and visiting professors from outside is prepared. It will be an opportunity to design your career path while interacting with them. Find classes that fit your goals, and build connections in advance with people who can help you on that journey. And the top-ranking students classified as Savior Class candidates will be invited to a separate gathering to be held at the Skylounge. On behalf of myself, Quest, and all the faculty of Quest Academy, I send my sincere congratulations to all of you for wonderfully completing this tournament. Please enjoy today to your heart's content!"
The students clapped once more and began to scatter from their teams to find their friends.
Even though the surroundings became chaotic as everyone moved at once, Sal remained seated as if he still couldn't believe it.
When he turned his head, he saw that Divinity's eyes had turned stark white.
He wondered what the use was of looking into the future now that the rankings were already out, but Sal did not go out of his way to disturb her concentration.
Both teams were talking to each other with excited voices about how surprised they were by the results.
However, they were praising and admiring each other, saying they fully deserved it.
Blanid smiled at Sal and asked.
"How is it? Does it feel real? You're overall 3rd now!"
Barry nodded at those words and leaned back in his chair, making room so Blanid could be seen better.
"At this rate, shouldn't you spare us some Q-Credits?"
That was his only comment.
"Here she comes."
Divinity's voice held a hint of laughter, but there was vigilance in it as well.
Sal shifted his gaze toward the stairs on the right where she was looking.
"Ah..."
Erica had her arms crossed over her chest again a few steps down.
She was on the tall side, but that was where the similarities with Neuro ended.
Her appearance consisted only of sharp blue eyes, brown hair tied back, and the achromatic uniform that most students wore.
Just as Sal was about to say something, Erica raised her hand to stop him.
Her gaze was fixed on Divinity.
"How did you do it?"
Divinity sighed instead of answering.
But that did not relieve the building tension.
A few students nearby stopped walking and began to watch the scene, but it didn't seem like anything major would happen.
Erica took one step closer and looked at Divinity as if observing her, tilting her head ever so slightly to the right.
"You were fourth in this tournament. Normally, your rank should have dropped. Even if there was a bonus for a team made of the last picks, your match content didn't meet the criteria for a rank increase. So I'll ask again. How did you do it?"
Barry nudged Sal's side with his elbow.
"I thought you had zero social skills, but that is on a different level."
He laughed at his own joke.
Sal wanted to laugh too, but for some reason, he could feel anxiety growing.
Divinity looked at Erica with an expressionless face, then pointed toward the stage.
"You heard the Headmaster. Those who realized the value of a hero were rewarded. Sal, Barry, and I moved to prevent a disaster, and thanks to that, we saved many people. We worked with the Doom Society and your father. On top of that, we made a tournament training group for our teammates. Erica, what did you do during that time?"
Sal's eyes went wide at the sharp accusatory tone in Divinity's voice.
He didn't know what she had seen in the future, but acting this directly toward someone she met for the first time was unlike Divinity.
Even Barry, who would normally have lightened the mood, kept his mouth shut without saying a word.
Erica uncrossed her arms and glared at Divinity.
"I was a perfect student. 1st in every class, 1st in the cohort, and nearly 1st in the tournament... In terms of average score, you barely beat me thanks to your gear."
She pointed at Sal with her hand but didn't even give him a glance.
She was staring only at Divinity.
"You aren't 1st in any of your classes. So you don't deserve the top rank."
Divinity stood up from her seat, took a step toward Erica, and let a smile hover over her lips.
"If you don't like it, take it up with Headmaster Quest."
Erica did not back down.
"Admit it. You don't deserve the top rank."
Divinity snorted as if mocking her and looked down at Erica with eyes mixed with pity.
"If you want to be acknowledged that much, why don't you use your ability to make me say it with my own mouth? Isn't that how you got everything you wanted anyway?"
Divinity turned her head and pointed at the Gold Cohort.
"It doesn't look like there are many kids encouraging you. Is it perhaps because you only used them as stepping stones? The way you won the run on the first day. I saw it all, Erica. You don't have the right to talk about qualifications to others."
Sal thought Erica would explode or attack Divinity right then and there.
But contrary to his expectation, Erica tilted her head slightly and looked at Divinity calmly.
"Inducing an argument is useless. I produced excellent results across the evaluation criteria, and you grabbed an opportunity that came by chance with your ability. Whether that was preventing a disaster or whatever, what's important is academic performance. By my standards, you aren't the top rank."
Divinity's eyes turned white, and she pointed her finger at Erica.
"Is that so? In my eyes... you can't become a Savior. Is this enough provocation?"
Erica's eyes narrowed thinly.
And after a short silence, she uncrossed her arms, turned around, and began to walk up the stairs.
Everyone watched her back, unable to say a word.
Not knowing what reaction was appropriate.
Divinity gritted her teeth, glared at Erica's retreating figure, and muttered.
"Truly the worst. She's a total psycho."