Chapter 55: Chapter 55: The Entrance Ceremony

Chapter 55: The Entrance Ceremony

The grand auditorium of the Vanguard Academy was massive. Over two thousand first-year students stood in neat rows across the polished marble floor.

Draven stood near the front of the crowd with Aegon, Reina, and Estella. His Entrance Exam scores had placed him firmly in Rank Four.

Aegon took Rank One, Reina took Rank Two, and Estella took Rank Three.

Draven had calculated the scores perfectly.

He needed premium resources to accelerate his growth, and he needed to stay in the Top Class to keep a close eye on his squad.

He would hide his true lethality, but he would no longer hide his competence.

He looked at the glowing blue interface floating in his vision.

[Ding! Weekly Sign-in Available!] [Would you like to Sign-in? Yes / No]

’Yes,’ Draven thought calmly.

[Sign-in Successful!]

[Reward: B-Rank Passive Skill: Mana Concealment]

[Effect: Allows the Host to perfectly mask their true mana capacity and selectively limit output readings. Grants absolute immunity to scanning skills from anyone below the Grandmaster tier.]

Draven closed the screen. A cool wave of energy washed over his core.

His rapidly expanding mana pool instantly hid itself behind a fabricated wall.

He could now display the exact aura of a highly talented Rank Four prodigy while keeping the terrifying, bottomless abyss of his true power completely hidden.

SCREECH!

A sharp feedback noise echoed from the massive speakers above the stage. The entire student body instantly went dead silent.

Headmaster Vane walked to the center podium. He was an older man with a heavily scarred face and an intimidating, suffocating presence. He wore a dark military coat draped over his broad shoulders.

A random student standing right behind Draven leaned over and whispered to his friend.

"That is Headmaster Vane," the student whispered in awe.

"My older brother saw him fight in the Wildlands. They call him the Mad Wolf. He once tore a mutated troll’s jaw open with his bare hands."

Vane gripped the edges of the podium and glared down at the freshmen.

"The Entrance Ceremony was delayed by four days," Headmaster Vane stated. His voice was grim and uncompromising.

"You all know why. The city outside these walls was burning. Desperate Cultists attacked our streets. It was thanks to the brave students and the efficient efforts of the Hunter Police and the Vanguard Knights, we were able to calm the situation."

The students held their breath.

"I will not lie to you like you are children," Vane continued loudly.

"Neville Hennessey was kidnapped. He was taken directly from our medical ward. We are currently living in dangerous times. The Vanguard does not need pampered students right now. We need soldiers. We need raw strength."

He pointed a thick, calloused finger at the crowd.

"If you are weak, you will die out there. That is why we are changing the way this Academy operates. We are instituting the Vanguard Merit Ranking System. To explain the rules, I give the floor to your Student Council President."

Headmaster Vane stepped back into the shadows of the stage.

A young woman walked up to the microphone. She possessed piercing silver eyes and an aura of absolute authority.

She wore the pristine white and gold uniform of the Student Council. She was Sharika, the daughter of the Bastion Commander.

She was an aloof role model for the entire Academy, radiating the exact same imposing leadership as her military father.

Sharika tapped the microphone once.

"Listen closely, freshmen," Sharika commanded cleanly.

"Equality is a myth on the battlefield. From this day forward, your resources, your food, and your living conditions will be strictly determined by your Rank."

She snapped her fingers. A massive holographic pyramid projected behind her.

"Your starting ranks have been assigned based on your Entrance Exam scores," Sharika explained.

"The Top Ten get private luxury villas and unlimited potions. Ranks eleven to one hundred get private rooms and premium food. If you are ranked five hundred or below, you get cramped bunks and basic nutrient paste. If you want better treatment, you must fight for it."

The crowd erupted into anxious murmurs.

"Quiet!" Sharika barked.

The students flinched instantly.

"This is how you climb," Sharika pointed at the holographic ladder.

"You can formally challenge anyone up to twenty ranks above you. If you win, you steal their rank. They drop down to yours. But challenges are not free. The challenger must wager their own Academy Credits. If the defender wins, they keep their rank and take your money."

A student in the front row raised his hand nervously.

"President Sharika! What if someone refuses a challenge?"

"You cannot hide," Sharika answered coldly.

"If challenged, you can refuse exactly three times. But on the fourth challenge, you are forced to accept. If you fail to show up, you forfeit your rank."

She swept her sharp gaze across the massive room.

"And do not try to gang up on the elites," Sharika added.

"A defender can only be challenged by one person at a time. If multiple people want to fight the same student, you must sort it out among yourselves in the arena first. Only the last man standing gets the right to issue the formal challenge."

Sharika stepped back from the podium. The rules were brutal. They were perfectly designed to breed ruthless competition among the noble families of Bastion Seven.

Headmaster Vane stepped back up to the microphone.

"Now," Vane announced.

"Because of his outstanding performance in the Entrance Exams, and his recent actions in the city, the position of Rank One goes to your Freshman Representative."

Vane looked directly into the crowd.

"Aegon Logcheville. Come to the stage."

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.

The applause started small but quickly grew into a deafening roar. The students remembered Aegon holding the line in the burning streets.

Aegon walked up the stairs. His posture was straight. His crimson eyes carried the heavy confidence of a true warlord.

He stopped at the podium. Aegon looked out at the two thousand students and fully embraced his Logcheville arrogance.

"I am Rank One," Aegon declared. His voice boomed across the auditorium.

He leaned into the microphone.

"I have the best room. I have the best resources. I am sitting at the absolute peak of this class."

Aegon gripped the edges of the podium, glaring down at the strongest prospects in the crowd.

"If you think you deserve this spot more than I do, then come and take it," Aegon challenged brutally.

"Stop whining about fairness. Stop acting like cowards. Get stronger. Train until your bones break. And when you think you are finally ready, challenge me."

Aegon stood tall. His fiery aura flared wildly around him.

"But bring your credits and your pride," Aegon warned.

"Because I will break both."

He turned around and walked off the stage.

The auditorium exploded into a frenzy of shouts and cheers. Aegon had just challenged the entire class. The blood of every ambitious student in the room was boiling.

Down in the crowd, Draven simply smirked. He watched his pawn perfectly rally the entire Vanguard Academy.

The game had officially begun.