"Congratulations for surviving your first month in the Academy."
Vanessa's voice echoed throughout the lecture room.
"I know we might have been strict with the expulsions and all, but you were all aware the moment you applied for this Academy."
She continued to walk around the podium. Silence ensued the entire lecture room, as each student's attention was solely fixed on Vanessa.
"After the initial one month screening process, the expulsion policy has been lifted for the time being."
The moment those words left her mouth, several murmurs from the students reverberated around the room.
"But-"
She paused.
And as soon as she did, the room fell silent once again.
"Just because the policy is lifted, doesn't mean you can all start to relax.
She spoke with a matter of fact tone.
"The real curriculum starts now. I expect all of you to continue improving yourselves."
Walking around, she paused and closed her eyes.
She then opened them and looked at each student in front of her.
"Here are the new rankings for the first semester."
She then clicked on the white circular device on the table.
A blue hologram materialized behind her.
Standing in front of the hologram, Vanessa continued.
"Just like I said at the start of the semester, the rest of the rankings are in the Astrea Academy app."
But unlike the first day of class, Brandon didn't need to do that anymore.
After all..
[Brandon Locke 1/1,943]
For the rest of the rankings...
[Raven Blackheart: 2/1,943]
[Reinhard Van: 3/1,943]
[Rachel Asami: 4/1,943]
[Amy Ashfield: 5/1,943]
[Claire Victoria: 7/1,943]
And unlike the first day, there were no complaints about the rankings.
All of the students seemed to understand the hierarchy.
Brandon Locke and Raven Blackheart had cemented their positions within the Academy.
Not even the Raven faction could deny Brandon Locke's efforts.
Each and everyone of the students who couldn't find their names on the screen were peering down on their phones.
Once again, Vanessa's voice rang, catching all of their attention.
"But that's not all. As of July 1, 2148..."
She paused.
The tension became evident as each student's gazes were solely fixed on her. The room was completely silent.
Then, Vanessa's voice echoed.
"Official Ranked Duels are now open for the first years."
Vanessa extended her hand and pressed the white circular device.
Click-
As soon as she did, the hologram behind her shifted into a different screen.
The screen seemed to display the details for the official rank duels.
Brandon squinted his eyes, focusing on the contents of the hologram.
[Official Rank Duels]
An opportunity for students who believe their rankings should be adjusted to prove
themselves.
[General Information]
[Eligibility and Agreement:]
- Students have the right to challenge any ranker, provided both parties mutually agree to the
duel.
[Application Submission:]
- Once an agreement is reached, both participants must fill out an application form and submit it to the General Hub.
[Approval Process:]
The application will be reviewed, and once approved, the duel will be scheduled.
[Duel Scheduling:]
- Approved duels will take place seven days after the application is submitted.
[Venue:]
- All official rank duels are held at the Virtual Astrea Colosseum, ensuring a proper and fair environment for the contestants.
[Conduct:]
-Participants must adhere to a code of conduct, maintaining respect and sportsmanship before, during, and after the duel.
Any form of cheating, sabotage, or unsportsmanlike behavior will result in immediate disqualification and potential disciplinary action.
As the students continued to read the contents written in the hologram, Vanessa spoke up.
"With that being said, I'd like to announce that electives and extracurriculars are now open
for application."
After her announcement, chatters echoed throughout the entire lecture room.
Each and every one of the students' excitement was evident.
After all, ranked duels were not just a way for students to climb the rankings.
It was also their chance to catch the eyes of the top guilds in the world.
A chance for them to be scouted and secure their future.
They didn't even have to win.
All they had to do was show their potential, a reason why they should be invested in.
However it wasn't the same for Brandon.
"Haa..."
He breathed out a heavy sigh.
It was unavoidable that he would become the top student.
But he would've liked it if he wasn't.
At the moment, he would've liked it if he didn't garner any attention, especially from the
guilds.
After all, he had an agreement with Jin to join the Primordials.
Guilds held no value to him, and if he would catch their attention-in which he most likely
will. Then it would become harder to operate once he actually joins the organization.
Raven, who sat beside him, looked at him in confusion.
"You don't seem too excited, Mr Ranked One."
"I could say the same about you, Mr Ranked Two."
Raven furrowed his brows at Brandon's statement.
"Feels like you're rubbing salt on my wound..."
"You started it."
"Pft..."
The two stifled a laugh at their exchange.
Rubbing his eyes, Raven spoke up.
"Brandon, why don't we have a Ranked Due-"
"Nope."
A flat out refusal.
"Why?"
"You can just take the ranking from me."
"Do I look like the type to actually care about rankings?"
Raven had a point.
Brandon pinched his chin, thoroughly scanning Raven's face.
"Hmm... Yeah, you do."
Raven frowned.
"No, I just want to see how large the gap is between us."
"We've already fought back then, and you lost."
"I never took that seriously."
"Sore loser."
|| ||
Breathing out a sigh, Raven eventually relented.
"Fine, but one day, I'll catch up to you."
"You will."
Raven's eyes widened.
It seemed like he didn't expect that kind of answer from Brandon.
Though, he most likely took it as sarcasm, but didn't press further.
Shrugging it off, Brandon shifted his gaze to the hologram.
He pursed his lips.
"What happened to Claire?"
Since Claire's rankings dropped down, it piqued Brandon's curiosity.
'Could it have been because of me?'
Of course, everyone's rankings dropped down ever since Brandon reached the top rank.
But for Claire's case, she dropped to a whole new level.
"That's not the case, right?'
He didn't know.
From beside him, Raven's voice reached his ears.
"Actually, during the Battle Royale, she didn't contribute much."
"Hm?"
"While we were getting ambushed, she mostly sat back and left me to do all the work."
Raven breathed out a sigh and continued.
"Not sure why. But the only time she actually acted was the first ambush. The next was when
we encountered you." Brandon pinched his chin, trying to digest everything Raven was saying.
"After that, I heard from Amy that her performance was stagnating."
"I see."
Several theories flooded Brandon's mind.
But in the end, he couldn't reach a conclusion.
He knew Claire's personality. She was often prideful in the earlier parts of the novel.
But from what Brandon knew, he had never tried to push Claire's buttons.
Breathing out a sigh, Brandon leaned back.
"Guess I'll have to talk to her later."
"Why do you have to do that?" "She's a friend."