Chapter 130: The Awards (1)
Lucian woke to the sound of his tablet buzzing on the nightstand.
He reached over without opening his eyes.
He tapped the tablet. A news headline glowed at the top of the screen.
American Apex Academy defeats Elysian Lumière Academy in third-place match. Sarah Mitchell dominates with S-Rank Seismic Impact.
Lucian tossed the tablet back on the nightstand and stared at the ceiling.
He closed his eyes and pulled up his system.
Defeat Wei Chen — Complete.
Reward: 5,000 SC, Sword Intent Comprehension Shard, Access to Sword Arts in the system shop.
ICL Chain Quest — Ultimate Objective — Complete.
Rewards: Vial of Arcane Ascension, +20,000 System Credits, Key to D-Rank Dungeon.
Hidden Quest — Complete.
113,500 / 100,000 SC.
A new notification pulsed quietly beneath the rewards.
System migration to Model 2.0 begins. Estimated completion: 7 days. Certain system functions may fluctuate during migration period.
Remaining system credits: 13,500 SC.
Lucian opened his eyes and exhaled slowly.
Finally. A sword intent comprehension shard. This might be the key to evolving his sword intent to the next level.
As for the Vial of Arcane Ascension — he’d take it after the award ceremony. No sense risking an evolution in a hotel room before a public event. The vial evolved any ability by one full tier.
The evening came faster than expected.
Lucian and Clara arrived at the party venue in a chauffeured vehicle — the Palazzo Dominus, a reconstructed Roman palace that had been converted into one of the most prestigious event spaces in post-Cataclysm Europe. The interior was a cathedral of luxury.
They were directed to their seats by a white-gloved attendant. The European All-Star Academy’s section was near the front — a long curved table lined with chairs, already half-full.
Every academy had its own section, arranged in a wide semicircle facing the main stage. Lucian spotted the Chinese Vanguard Institute’s table — Wei Chen sat at the center, bandaged but upright, chatting calmly with Liang Feng and Shen Yu. Bao Lei sat at the edge, arms crossed, pointedly not looking in Lucian’s direction.
Other academies filled the room — American Apex Academy’s table was loud and energetic. Dozens of other academies from every continent filled the remaining space.
And it wasn’t just students. Teachers filled the rows behind the academy tables.
Beyond the teachers, the real power sat in the elevated private boxes overlooking the floor — government officials, military leaders, clan representatives, wealthy donors.
The venue was packed — easily three thousand people — but the Palazzo Dominus could have held twice that without feeling crowded. The acoustics were enhanced with subtle mana-tech, ensuring every word spoken from the stage would reach every ear clearly.
A young man climbed the stage. He carried a small voice amplifier — a sleek mana-tech device that projected sound without distortion.
He tapped it twice. The hum of conversation died.
"Hello, hello, hello!" He grinned. "Can I get your attention, everyone?"
A few last murmurs faded.
"Alright. You are all welcome to this, the 67th International Champions League Gala and Award Ceremony. My name is Adrian Voss, and I’ll be your host for the evening."
Scattered applause.
"Now, I know what you’re thinking — another speech, another podium, another guy in a suit telling you how special you are." He paused. "And you’re right. But here’s the difference: this year, you actually were special."
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
"Let me paint the picture for those who might have missed it. Forty-eight academies. Over two thousand of the finest young awakened minds on the planet. Six days of competition that saw records broken, abilities revealed that shouldn’t statistically exist, and a finals match that will be studied in combat academies for the next decade."
He looked toward the EASA table.
"A team from the United Kingdom — a team that, I might remind everyone, was not considered a favorite entering this finals — just defeated the three-time reigning champion. The Chinese Vanguard Institute. A team so dominant that they hadn’t lost a single match in three consecutive ICL tournaments."
He let that sink in.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the post-Cataclysm era has produced many extraordinary individuals. But what we witnessed this week wasn’t just extraordinary. It was historic."
More applause.
"So before we get to the awards, I want to say this: to every fighter who stepped onto that stage, whether you won or lost — you represent the best hope this species has. The Cataclysm took our old world. You are the ones building the new one."
He raised his glass.
"To the future."
The crowd raised their own glasses. A collective murmur of "To the future" rippled through the Palazzo.
Adrian set his glass down and clapped his hands.
"Now. Enough sentiment. Let’s give these warriors what they came for."
The applause returned, energized.
"Now for the award ceremony. After careful analysis and examination by the IAR judging panel, the Department of Education, the World Government’s Ability Assessment Bureau, and independent combat analysts, your rewards have been selected to suit each recipient’s demonstrated strengths and potential. These are not random gifts. Each one is designed to accelerate the specific growth path each fighter has shown."
He touched the amplifier. A massive projection screen materialized behind him — floating light construct powered by mana-tech.
"First up — Best Individual Fighter Award."
The screen showed Wei Chen’s face. The crowd from the Chinese section erupted.
"This one isn’t close. Wei Chen of Chinese Vanguard Institute delivered what our analysts have called the single most dominant individual performance in ICL history. Four matches. Twelve eliminations. Zero times pushed to his absolute limit — until the finals, where he faced an opponent who forced him to unveil his true strength. A makeshift fused sword art, pushed to its absolute limit, against a fighter who shouldn’t have been able to challenge him at all. What a wonderful performance."
Applause thundered through the hall. Wei Chen stood, nodded to the crowd with practiced composure, and accepted a small ornate box from an attendant.
Adrian opened the box on stage, displaying a sealed jade vial.
"The award: Heavenly Sword Comprehension Tea. A single brew grants twelve hours of tripled sword intent comprehension speed. For a swordsman of Wei Chen’s caliber, this could mean the difference between mastering his more sword arts in a year... or in a month."
Murmurs of envy rippled through the sword users in the audience.
"Our runner up — Lucian Grimaud of European All-Star Academy."
Lucian stood. The applause from the EASA section was deafening. He accepted a small pendant from the attendant — a thin silver chain with a teardrop-shaped blue crystal.
"The award: A-Rank Mana Heart Protection Pendant. Passively reduces mana consumption of all techniques by eight percent. Subtle, but for a fighter who burns through mana as fast as Mr. Grimaud does, this effectively grants him an additional eight percent total capacity in prolonged combat. Every edge matters at the highest level."
Lucian sat back down.
"Next — Best Young Player Award."
The screen split into two faces.
"This award goes to fighters under the age of nineteen. And it goes to Lucian Grimaud of European All-Star Academy. A seventeen-year-old. What a phenomenon. A seventeen-year-old who eliminated the tournament’s best individual fighter and co-delivered the finishing blow on the champion’s crystal. The youngest recipient of this award in twenty-three years."
Lucian stood again. More applause. Another box.
"The award: the ’Rising Star’ IAR designation. This grants priority access to dungeon raids, missions, and resources across all member academies worldwide for four years. In practical terms, Mr. Grimaud can walk into any dungeon on any continent and request priority slotting. He can access restricted mission boards. He can request academy resources normally reserved for instructors. It is, in essence, a key that opens every door the IAR controls."
Lucian sat. The weight of that reward wasn’t lost on him. Priority access to dungeons meant faster growth. Faster growth meant reaching the hidden quest’s requirements sooner.