"Where were you, Squad Leader!? We were all looking for you everywhere!"
Mia came to greet me the moment I stepped back into the arena. After which, I felt the noise around increase as the crowd’s stares were directed my way. I pretended to be completely oblivious to the stares in order to maintain my ’mysterious’ persona.
Outside of that, there was something else that I was curious about.
’How exactly are they going to grade us?’
I had already handed back my camera and my phone. Although Leon had taken the data transmitter, I had still downloaded it on my phone. The real question was whether we’d get the same points or if there was more to it.
Nevertheless, this was rather concerning.
’I did contain the anomaly and brought the mirror with me, but with no anomaly inside, it’s just an empty mirror. I only brought it with me since that’s the medium where the anomaly came from. There might be something inside if I look for it.’
"Quiet for a moment."
The Vice-Director’s tired and lethargic voice reverberated across the surroundings, entering the ears of everyone present as the noise died down.
All eyes fell on him.
"Firstly, I’d like to congratulate all those who are here. After an arduous trial, you have all managed to make it back alive and display your skills to the entire world."
The entire stadium erupted in applause.
Clap! Clap—
Whistles followed alongside cheers.
Most surprisingly, I also heard cheers headed in Ariel’s and the others’ way.
"You were amazing! You fucking put those bastards in their place!"
"I love you, Ariel!!"
"Ariel...! Joanna! Min!"
Hearing the chants, I couldn’t help but look at the others in surprise. I knew that they had done something, but I didn’t expect the crowd to like them so much. But then again, alongside the cheers were a lot of boos for them.
Primarily from the fans of the teams that they took cover for.
"Unfortunately, just like any Congress, there’s been a lot of casualties. For that, I’d like to offer my deepest condolences. This is unfortunately how our line of work operates. Losses are inevitable, and the only thing we can do is try to mitigate them."
The noise died as the Vice-Director lowered his head.
For just a few seconds, the place remained quiet.
Until—
"With that all said, we can now go to the ranking announcement. We’ll be transparent the entire time and show everyone the process."
Raising his head, the Vice-Director raised his head as the rankings appeared for everyone to see on the boards.
—— [Guild Ranking] ——
⌈1⌉ — Helios Vanguard [Points: 75] + 1315
⌈2⌉ — Obsidian Bastion [Points: 73] + 817
⌈3⌉ — Eclipse Sovereign [Points: 71]
⌈4⌉ — Crimson Oath [Points: 68]
⌈5⌉ — Argent Vangard [Points: 62]
⌈6⌉ — Melson Sanders [Points: 62]
⌈7⌉ — Arithmus [Points: 61]
⌈8⌉ — Evening Sun [Points: 60]
⌈9⌉ — Severed Stars [Points: 60]
.
.
—— [Guild Ranking] ——
It was the same way as it had been before we had left for Point Z.
"Let’s start with Helios Vanguard."
The Vice-Director began to narrate as several videos and clips of the teams belonging to Helios Vanguard appeared. Of which, I caught several of Leon as another one of the screens focused on him as he waved his hand and smiled.
"Leon!"
"Leon...! Leon!"
The crowd erupted into a massive wave of applause.
"There was a minor complication at the start due to Leon’s sudden disappearance from the feed. During that period, we lost track of him and were unable to accurately assess the number of points he earned. Even so, his team alone managed to accumulate a total of 315 points in his absence."
Everyone erupted, shouting, ’Helios Vanguard!’, ’Helios Vanguard!’. The cheers were so loud that I felt troubled by all the noise.
Thankfully, it didn’t last long as the Vice-Director spoke once more.
"The score is determined based on several factors. These include the number of members remaining, the findings they’ve secured, their level of exploration within Point Z, anomaly documentation, situational awareness, and most importantly, the extent to which they were able to uncover information related to the task."
Explaining calmly, the Vice-Director turned his attention towards Leon.
My heart sank slightly.
"...And when taking all of that into account, and based on what Leon has managed to hand over to us, we’ve decided to award the Helios Vanguard Guild an additional thousand points."
BOOOOM—
The place erupted.
This time, louder than ever before.
The noise swelled until it felt like the entire place was shaking. Cheers erupted from every direction, voices rising as people shouted Leon’s name over and over.
Standing at the center, he raised his hand and waved, acknowledging the crowd. The light from above caught on his golden hair, making it glisten as he stood there, almost radiant in their eyes.
The chants only grew louder as he basked in them.
"MVP!"
"MVP! MVP!"
"MVP!"
Staring at him as he basked in the cheers, I suddenly felt his gaze flicker in my direction as his smile grew. I kept my face the same as he smiled at me, but I really felt like shit.
’I don’t even know who I dislike more. Him or the rat...’
"Enough."
With the Vice-Director speaking again, the noise quieted down. However, the fervor continued to linger in the air as he went on to announce the rankings of the next team.
"Next up is Obsidian Bastion."
Many held their breath in that moment as the focus shifted to the figure standing at the center of the arena.
They remained completely still, not a single muscle moving, yet their presence alone felt imposing enough to command the entire space.
"Unlike the other teams, they were one of the few Guilds that suffered almost no losses. Under Liora’s command, they were able to organize themselves effectively and remain focused on the task at hand. Unfortunately, their progress was hindered by a lack of favorable conditions, and with Liora’s attention seemingly divided, they were only able to accumulate a total of 817 points."
There was the collective sound of sighs coming from the crowd as the cheers weren’t as loud as those of the Helios Vanguard Guild.
"Please don’t be discouraged. There can still be points awarded for the MVP award. It’s not over yet." As the Vice-Director encouraged, he went on to announce the points of the next few Guilds.
"Next up, Eclipse Sovereign Guild..."
The announcement carried on for the next few minutes, each new announcement carrying loud cheers. Despite this, none of the teams managed to even come close to the Helios Vanguard Guild as their dominance became increasingly clear, with the ’MVP’ chants for Leon growing increasingly louder.
Soon, it became our turn as I looked at the new table.
——[Guild Ranking]——
⌈1⌉ — Helios Vanguard [Points: 75] +1390
⌈2⌉ — Eclipse Sovereign [Points: 71] +880
⌈3⌉ — Obsidian Bastion [Points: 73] +860
⌈4⌉ — Crimson Oath [Points: 68] +810
⌈5⌉ — Arithmus [Points: 61] +760
⌈6⌉ — Melson Sanders [Points: 62] +735
⌈7⌉ — Argent Vanguard [Points: 62] +710
⌈8⌉ — Evening Sun [Points: 60] +650
.
.
——[Guild Ranking]——
’This is going to be tough.’
As things stood, I didn’t have much confidence that we’d be able to rank much higher. Although Ariel and the others had done something, I didn’t think it’d be enough. Furthermore, with Kyle’s disappearance...
"Next up, the Severed Stars Guild."
All of a sudden, all noise died as all attention fell on us.
I felt the hair on my body prickle under the numerous gazes, but I kept my expression straight as the Vice-Director’s voice drifted in the air once more.
"...An interesting group."
Huh?