23 - Butterfly Effect [5]

For a second, while Professor Kenny was yet to speak, breaths hitched.

A quick assessment of the class and they seemed to be even more interested in the results than me and Eris.

"Grade. Excellent."

The vampire’s voice was no different from how it was when he announced the others.

Despite being the only Excellent grade in the entire list, he seemed unmoved by it.

The same, however, did not apply to my classmates.

Voices erupted into chats but no one dared to debate this grading.

I looked at Eris, and at the same time, she turned her face to me.

I smiled but she kept a flat face, giving me a nod first but keeping eye contact.

A second passed and her lips curled slightly. The reason for such a delayed reaction, I couldn’t tell.

The grades had gone, in ascending order, from Fail to Poor.

After Poor, came Fair and Good in that order and finally, at the peak was the Excellent Grade which only Eris and I had.

That was good for our credits, especially Eris who had suffered the same punishment with Wendy.

Speaking of Wendy, she was more than happy for me but looking at her, her facial features were far from what one would regard as happiness.

She was grumpy, shooting invisible lasers of anger at Eris whom she had caught making eye contact with me.

I sighed. At the same time, I knew it would be difficult for her to come to terms with the fact that me and Eris were merely cordial at this point.

At least for now, there was nothing to worry about. However, the system that I possessed was built to scatter this in the long run.

If I wanted to progress, I had to get closer to Eris and raise her bond value.

"As expected of Eris..."

"Looks like she’s giving Bran a run for his money for that top spot."

Opinions rose. Everybody had something to say but not particularly about me.

While I did well when it came to grades, I wasn’t at the top echelon where Bran, Eris and even Wendy were.

Just enough to get good commendations from the professor and that was it.

Along with the acknowledgment that came from our nod to each other, Eris and I experienced a sense of knowing.

We didn’t get the Excellent grade simply because we completed our tasks.

Our task was a retrieval mission with surmountable difficulty.

We were successful with it.

Between the two of us, and probably the professor who had done the grading, it was clear that we received the topmost grade because of the aftermath of our mission.

No other pair of cadets were attacked by unknown assailants — a group of variables that weren’t accounted for.

Things could have gone south from there if we hadn’t been able to handle it before the awakeners came to our rescue.

Who knows? Maybe if I hadn’t been granted Absolute Zero by the system, I might have been killed by the attackers.

This was perhaps a way of compensating the both of us.

Professor Kenivale dropped the papers on the podium stage and lifted his head.

"You two have done well. Earning yourself the Excellent grade is something you should be proud of but don’t let it get to your head."

A praise laced with a warning that could only come from a seasoned awakener with a vast sea of experiences.

"Thank you, Professor," I replied.

Eris followed almost immediately. "Thank you for your words of wisdom, Professor Kenivale. They are the most kind."

I cringed and recoiled, sneering at her from a distance.

’What a show off,’ I sneered in my heart.

"Have your seats."

We both sat down.

I tried to ignore the noisy chatters that went on about the grades Eris and I received, but I still overheard a few things.

Apparently, many didn’t believe that I did anything to deserve that grade.

I chuckled as I realized what the mindset behind this was.

Eris was one of the top two in class. Therefore, she must have done all the work and simply carried Link Remington along.

That was good. I loved it.

"So where was I..." Professor Kenny voiced out as he turned to what he had written on the board.

Just as I was about to start the class, a familiar sound rang in my head.

[Ding...]

[You have made a bold step towards a major scenario]

[You are about to step into the centre stage]

[Ding! You have received a reward]

My eyes widened and glimmered, bubbly with such an intensity that it was even hard for me to hold back.

About to take centre stage? I didn’t understand what that meant but it sounded serious.

Perhaps, too serious even.

Nevertheless, as expected, I was more fixated on the reward but I could check that right now in class without drawing unnecessary attention.

"Remington."

The sound of the vampire’s voice reaching my ears was almost similar to the cold blade of Eris pressing against my neck.

I was stunned, immediately pulled away from my fantastical thoughts and back into my seat in the classroom.

"Yes. Yes, sir."

I rose to my feet.

The vampire’s eyes narrowed as he looked me over, clicking his tongue.

"Tsk! A penny for your thoughts?"

I shook my head in defiance. "I wasn’t thinking of anything."

Kenny Alucard rubbed his chin. "Is that so?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

I nodded twice.

"It looked to me like you were lost for a second."

"I’m not, professor."

The vampire raised a finger. "Educate us briefly on Gates and their rankings."

He took two steps forward, coming out from behind the wooden podium in front of him.

"You don’t mind doing that now, do you?" Professor Kenivale asked, tilted his head and smiled.

His was a kind of twisted smile. It was scary.

I swallowed, feeling uncomfortable but if answering his question was my one ticket of escaping this unease, I had no choice but to answer him.

Fortunately, gates and their rankings were overemphasized in the original novel that even when reading with low levels of interest, one would still pick up the knowledge.

I coughed, ready to answer. "Gates are..."