Chapter 94: The Final Rankings
Chapter 94: The Final Rankings
The examination hall had fallen completely silent.
Hundreds of students stood beneath the enormous crystal board, their gazes fixed upon the golden light swirling across its surface.
The final rankings were about to be revealed.
At the front of the hall, Professor Alaric stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression calm and composed.
Then—
The golden light condensed.
A name slowly emerged upon the crystal.
[1st Place — Aurelia Aurelmont]
[1,125 Points]
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then the hall erupted.
"Princess Aurelia!"
"She took first place!"
"1,125 points..."
"That’s incredible!"
Aurelia’s eyes widened slightly.
She had expected to rank near the top, but securing first place was still a pleasant surprise.
A radiant smile gradually spread across her face.
Andras glanced toward her.
So... Aurelia came first.
Not Elaria.
Because of me.
If Elaria had survived until the end, the ranking would have been completely different.
Andras had eliminated her moments before she could finish off the Obsidian Earth Bear.
That single decision had altered the outcome of the entire examination.
He turned toward Aurelia.
"Congratulations, Princess Aurelia."
Aurelia looked at him and smiled warmly.
"Thank you, Lord Andras."
Before either could say more, another voice joined them.
"Congratulations, Aurelia."
Seraphina Valebright offered the princess a graceful smile.
Aurelia returned the gesture.
"Thank you, Seraphina."
At that moment—
The crystal board flashed again.
The golden light shifted.
A second name appeared.
[2nd Place — Seraphina Valebright]
[1,075 Points]
Seraphina froze.
For a heartbeat, she simply stared at her name.
Then her sapphire eyes brightened.
Second place.
A genuine smile appeared on her face.
She had fought relentlessly throughout the examination, defeating multiple powerful monsters and proving the strength of her talent.
This result was a reward for that effort.
Aurelia turned toward her.
"Congratulations, Seraphina."
Andras gave her a small nod.
"Well done."
Seraphina smiled.
"Thank you."
The crystal board flickered once more.
A third name appeared.
[3rd Place — Andras Darkmoor]
[900 Points]
A brief silence followed.
Then—
"Third place?"
"Lord Andras?"
"I didn’t expect him to rank that high."
Seraphina’s expression changed.
She turned toward Andras, genuine surprise visible in her eyes.
"You..."
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"I didn’t know you were getting stronger this quickly."
Andras shrugged casually.
"Perhaps I’m training harder after losing to you in our duel."
Seraphina stared at him for a moment.
Then she let out a quiet laugh.
Aurelia also turned toward him.
"Congratulations, Lord Andras."
Andras nodded politely.
"Thank you, Princess."
Inside, however, he remained completely calm.
Third place.
Exactly as expected.
He had never intended to compete for first place.
There was no reason to waste his strength, expose his abilities, or attract unnecessary attention when all he needed was admission into Class A.
He had accomplished that objective with considerably less effort than the students who had spent the entire examination hunting monsters.
Nine hundred points was more than enough.
The crystal board changed again.
[4th Place — Lucian]
[875 Points]
Lucian blinked.
"Fourth?"
A smile soon appeared on his face.
It wasn’t first place...
But fourth was still an excellent result.
Beside him, Vespera immediately smiled.
"Congratulations, Lucian."
"Thank you, Vespera."
Andras glanced toward them.
The Saintess was already congratulating him with genuine happiness.
Lucian had clearly earned her respect.
The crystal board shifted once more.
The fifth name appeared.
[5th Place — Elaria Sylvanis]
[650 Points]
The atmosphere around Elaria changed.
She stared at the crystal board.
Her expression remained composed.
But there was no happiness in her emerald eyes.
Only disappointment.
Fifth place.
After everything she had done...
After defeating countless monsters...
After bringing the Obsidian Earth Bear to the brink of death...
She had still ended up fifth.
If Andras had not intervened, she would have claimed the Obsidian Earth Bear’s points and retained her position at the top.
Instead, she had lost the monster’s points and been eliminated before the examination ended. She had lost her survival points and half of her accumulated points because she had been killed by Andras.
Her fingers tightened slightly around her bow.
Then—
She felt someone’s gaze.
Elaria slowly turned her head.
Across the hall...
Andras was looking directly at her.
Their eyes met.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Andras’s violet eyes remained calm.
Then...
He smiled.
It wasn’t mocking.
It wasn’t particularly warm, either.
Just a faint, knowing smile.
Elaria’s expression hardened.
Her anger returned instantly.
That smile...
She knew exactly what it meant.
He had stolen her final kill.
He had eliminated her.
And now he was smiling at her while she stood in fifth place...
Below him.
Elaria looked away.
She had no intention of giving him the satisfaction of seeing her anger.
The rankings continued.
[6th Place — Noah]
[575 Points]
Noah quietly exhaled in relief.
Sixth place was far better than he had expected.
A moment later—
[7th Place — Vespera]
[550 Points]
Vespera blinked in surprise.
"Seventh..."
She hadn’t expected to rank so highly.
Lucian smiled.
"Congratulations."
Vespera returned the smile.
"Thank you."
The crystal board continued.
[8th Place — Ethan]
[525 Points]
[9th Place — Lena]
[500 Points]
Then—
The golden light gathered once more.
A familiar name appeared.
[10th Place — Lenore Noctis]
[450 Points]
Lenore froze.
Her crimson eyes widened slightly.
"Tenth...?"
She had made the top ten despite losing precious time during the examination.
A small smile almost appeared on her face.
Then she remembered.
Her gaze instinctively drifted toward Andras.
Their eyes met.
Lenore immediately looked away.
Her cheeks turned faintly red.
She stared at the crystal board with exaggerated concentration, pretending that Andras didn’t exist.
Andras raised an eyebrow.
So she’s still embarrassed.
He almost smiled.
Lenore, meanwhile, silently wished the ground would swallow her whole.
Professor Alaric waited until the students had settled before speaking.
"Those are the students who achieved the top ten positions."
A wave of excitement spread through the hall.
Some students looked proud.
Others looked disappointed.
For some, their entire future had just changed.
Professor Alaric raised one hand.
The crystal board expanded.
"To save time, the remaining rankings will be displayed in groups."
The golden text began appearing rapidly.
[11th–60th Place]
Dozens of names filled the enormous crystal board.
Students immediately began searching for their own names.
Some celebrated.
Others sighed in disappointment.
Andras casually scanned the list.
Then his eyes stopped.
[30th Place — Romeo Ravenhart]
Andras’s gaze lingered on the name for a moment.
Romeo...
So he managed to reach thirtieth.
Not particularly impressive.
But enough to enter Class A.
Andras looked away.
The rankings continued scrolling.
Soon, the next group appeared.
[61st–120th Place]
More names filled the crystal board.
Then—
[121st–180th Place]
Then—
[181st–240th Place]
And finally—
[241st–300th Place]
The remaining students watched anxiously as the final names appeared.
Some clenched their fists in celebration.
Others lowered their heads.
A few had survived until the very end of the examination...
Yet their scores had not been enough to place them in the higher classes.
Others had been eliminated by monster earlier but had accumulated enough points to secure respectable rankings.
The examination had rewarded more than simple survival.
Strength mattered.
Strategy mattered.
And sometimes...
A single decision could determine a student’s entire future.
Professor Alaric allowed the students several moments to absorb the results.
Then he spoke.
"These..."
His voice carried clearly throughout the hall.
"...are the final results of the Ambrose Academy entrance examination."
The hall fell silent.
"Your classes have now been determined according to your rankings."
The crystal board changed once more.
"Students ranked from first to sixtieth..."
"...will be assigned to Class A."
A wave of excitement erupted.
Several students smiled proudly.
Others exchanged excited glances.
Professor Alaric continued.
"Students ranked sixty-first to one hundred and twentieth..."
"...will be assigned to Class B."
"Students ranked one hundred and twenty-first to one hundred and eightieth..."
"...will be assigned to Class C."
"And those ranked one hundred and eighty-first to two hundred and fortieth..."
"...will be assigned to Class D."
He paused.
"The remaining students will be assigned to Class E."
The reactions were immediate.
Those who had secured Class A looked relieved.
Some clenched their fists in triumph.
Those who had fallen into the lower classes wore expressions of disappointment.
For some...
The result was better than expected.
For others...
It was a painful reminder that they still had a long way to climb.
Professor Alaric waited until the noise subsided.
"It is already evening."
"You have spent several hours inside the examination, and I imagine many of you are exhausted."
A few students chuckled quietly.
"Before you leave, there are a few matters regarding your accommodation that you need to know."
The crystal board displayed another set of information.
"Ambrose Academy has prepared three hundred rooms for the first-year students."
"You will be assigned a room corresponding to your student number."
"In other words, Student Number One will receive Room One."
"Student Number Two will receive Room Two."
"And so on."
A few students nodded.
"Your rooms have already been prepared."
"Inside, you will find your academy uniform, basic necessities, and your room key."
"You are free to rest for the remainder of the evening."
Professor Alaric’s expression softened slightly.
"Your academy studies will officially begin tomorrow."
He paused.
"So make good use of tonight."
"Eat."
"Rest."
"And recover."
His gaze swept across the exhausted students.
"You’ve earned it."
Several students smiled.
The tension that had filled the hall finally began to disappear.
The entrance examination was over.
Tomorrow...
Their academy life would officially begin.