The next morning...
Valhalla Academy buzzed with more excitement than Noah had ever seen.
Students crowded the central plaza before sunrise.
Some stood on benches.
Others climbed the surrounding stone walls just to get a better view.
"...What’s going on?"
Noah asked as he approached with Eric and Luna.
Eric grinned.
"You really don’t know?"
"No."
Sophia sighed.
"You spent too much time inside the Tower."
Damien crossed his arms.
"They’re releasing the updated rankings."
At the center of the plaza stood a massive black crystal nearly fifteen meters tall.
Ancient runes shimmered beneath its polished surface.
It was known throughout the academy as...
The Valor Monument.
Every student’s achievements, combat record, missions, classroom performance, and Tower results were recorded within it.
For first-years...
It was everything.
Students whispered excitedly.
"I heard Ethan climbed into the Top Ten."
"No way."
"What about Laura Esteria?"
"She doesn’t count."
"Why not?"
"She’s... different."
Nobody elaborated.
Noah noticed Laura standing alone near the edge of the crowd.
Just like yesterday.
Quiet.
Watching.
A loud bell echoed throughout the academy.
DONG!
The plaza instantly fell silent.
Headmaster Aldric stepped onto the stone platform.
His silver hair swayed gently in the morning breeze.
Without raising his voice...
Everyone heard him clearly.
"Congratulations."
"You have survived your first Tower expedition."
"Some returned stronger."
"Some returned wiser."
"Some..."
His gaze swept across the crowd.
"...Did not return at all."
The excitement diminished.
Students lowered their heads.
Even the loudest among them became silent.
After a brief moment...
The Headmaster raised one hand.
The black crystal came alive.
Golden names appeared one after another.
The ranking began from the bottom.
First-Year Rankings
100...
99...
98...
...
The names slowly climbed.
Students cheered whenever friends appeared.
Others groaned.
Eric scratched his head.
"I’m probably somewhere in the forties."
Sophia smiled.
"I’d guess around thirty."
Luna shrugged.
"I honestly don’t care."
"You will when you lose cafeteria privileges."
"...Wait."
"What?"
"Lower ranks eat later."
Luna’s eyes widened.
"...That’s unfair."
Eric burst into laughter.
The rankings continued.
20th Place
Damien Ashcroft.
Students applauded respectfully.
Damien didn’t react.
"...Only twentieth?"
Eric muttered.
"He was tenth before the expedition."
Sophia replied quietly.
"A lot changed inside the Tower."
15th Place
Sophia Winters.
She blinked.
"...Higher than I expected."
Eric gave her a thumbs-up.
11th Place
Eric Holloway.
"...WHAT?"
Eric nearly fell over.
"No way!"
"I made the Top Eleven?!"
Luna smirked.
"You’ll never stop talking about this."
"I absolutely won’t."
The plaza grew quieter.
Only the Top Ten remained.
10th Place
Luna Hart.
"...Huh."
She looked genuinely surprised.
Eric laughed.
"Congratulations."
She shrugged.
"I guess lunch will taste better now."
One by one...
The remaining names appeared.
9th
...
8th
...
7th
...
Students erupted into cheers with every announcement.
Noah hadn’t appeared yet.
His heartbeat slowly increased.
"...Could they have forgotten me?"
Eric elbowed him.
"I doubt it."
Finally...
The crystal reached the Top Five.
5th Place
Noah Blackwood.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then...
The entire plaza exploded.
"WHO?!"
"Blackwood?"
"Isn’t he the F-Rank?"
"How did he jump that high?!"
"Impossible!"
"No way!"
Dozens of eyes immediately turned toward Noah.
Some curious.
Some shocked.
Others...
Suspicious.
Noah himself stood frozen.
"...Fifth?"
Even he hadn’t expected that.
High above...
Laura quietly smiled.
"...You deserve higher."
She whispered so softly that no one heard.
The rankings continued.
4th Place
Cedric Vale.
A handsome blond swordsman stepped forward.
He glanced toward Noah.
His expression remained calm.
But there was unmistakable interest in his eyes.
"So..."
He murmured.
"You’re Blackwood."
3rd Place
Aurelia Voss.
The academy’s genius mage.
She adjusted her glasses before giving Noah a brief, curious glance.
Nothing more.
2nd Place
Laura Esteria.
No applause.
No cheers.
Only respectful silence.
Laura accepted the result without the slightest change in expression.
Everyone stared at the crystal.
Only one name remained.
Golden light surged through the monument.
The letters slowly formed.
1st Place
???
The name flickered.
Distorted.
As if the crystal itself couldn’t decide what to display.
Students frowned.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
"...What’s happening?"
"I’ve never seen that before."
Even the professors exchanged confused looks.
For three long seconds...
The crystal refused to reveal the name.
Then...
The golden letters settled.
1st Place
Cain Draven
A tall young man stepped out from the crowd.
Jet-black hair.
Sharp silver eyes.
An academy uniform worn with effortless confidence.
He wasn’t smiling.
He wasn’t arrogant.
He simply looked... composed.
The crowd erupted into applause.
"The Monster of the First Years..."
"So he kept first place."
"Of course he did."
"I heard he cleared three elite bosses alone."
Cain ignored the applause.
His gaze drifted through the crowd.
Past dozens of students.
Until...
It stopped on Noah.
The two locked eyes for only a moment.
Cain gave a faint nod.
A silent acknowledgment.
Then he turned and walked away without saying a word.
Eric exhaled.
"...That guy’s scary."
Damien watched Cain disappear into the distance.
"...No."
He said quietly.
"He’s dangerous."
Far away...
On the roof of the administration building...
The Headmaster watched the rankings conclude.
An elderly professor approached him.
"Fifth place..."
"He rose faster than we predicted."
The Headmaster’s eyes remained fixed on Noah.
"...Yes."
"But this is only the beginning."
The old professor followed his gaze.
"Should we prepare?"
The Headmaster answered after a long silence.
"...No."
"Let the world discover Noah Blackwood..."
"...one step at a time."
The academy plaza slowly emptied.
Groups of students excitedly discussed the rankings as they made their way toward the lecture halls.
"...Fifth place..."
"I still can’t believe it."
"Blackwood came out of nowhere."
"I heard he fought an elite monster."
"No, I heard he defeated a floor boss."
"The rumors keep getting crazier."
Noah sighed.
"...This is going to be a headache."
Eric laughed.
"You wanted people to ignore you?"
"I preferred that."
"Too late."
As they walked through the academy...
More students began recognizing Noah.
Some nodded respectfully.
Others whispered behind his back.
A few openly stared.
Noah wasn’t used to the attention.
Before they reached the First-Year building...
Someone blocked their path.
"Blackwood."
Noah stopped.
Standing before him was the blond swordsman from the rankings.
Cedric Vale.
Fourth Place.
He carried a simple longsword at his waist.
Nothing flashy.
His posture alone revealed years of disciplined training.
Eric immediately leaned toward Noah.
"...This won’t end quietly."
Cedric looked directly into Noah’s eyes.
"I’ve been looking for you."
"You found me."
"I did."
His expression remained calm.
"I’d like a duel."
The surrounding students instantly stopped walking.
"...Did he just challenge him?"
"Cedric?"
"Fourth versus Fifth?"
"This should be good."
Within moments...
A crowd began forming.
Noah frowned.
"A duel?"
Cedric nodded.
"The rankings are based on many factors."
"I prefer certainty."
"I want to know how strong you really are."
Noah thought for a moment.
Then shook his head.
"I’m not interested."
The crowd fell silent.
Even Cedric blinked.
"You... refuse?"
"Yes."
"I just got back from the Tower."
"I’m exhausted."
"I haven’t even eaten breakfast."
Eric raised a hand.
"...Fair point."
Cedric remained silent.
He hadn’t expected that answer.
After a few seconds...
A faint smile appeared.
"...You’re practical."
"I try to be."
"I respect that."
He stepped aside.
"When you’re ready..."
"My offer stands."
Just as Noah was about to leave...
A slow clap echoed across the courtyard.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
Everyone turned.
A tall student with untidy dark-blue hair walked toward the crowd.
His academy jacket hung loosely over one shoulder.
A lazy grin rested on his face.
Unlike Cedric...
Everything about him felt relaxed.
Too relaxed.
"Refusing a duel?"
He chuckled.
"How boring."
Cedric frowned.
"...Victor."
"So you remember me."
Victor stretched lazily.
"I thought Fourth Place would’ve forgotten someone like me."
Several students immediately backed away.
"...It’s Victor Kane."
"Second-year."
"Why is he here?"
"I heard he got suspended for destroying a training arena."
Victor ignored everyone.
Instead...
He looked at Noah.
"So."
"You’re the famous rookie."
Noah met his gaze.
"I suppose."
Victor grinned wider.
"You’ve got guts."
"Or maybe..."
"...you’re just lucky."
Eric whispered,
"I don’t like this guy."
Neither did Noah.
There was something unsettling about Victor.
Not murderous.
Not hostile.
Simply...
Unpredictable.
Victor reached into his pocket.
He tossed something toward Noah.
Instinctively...
Noah caught it.
It was a small bronze token.
One side bore the academy’s crest.
The other...
A pair of crossed swords.
Victor shoved his hands into his pockets.
"When you stop hiding..."
"Come find me."
"I’ll show you what a real academy duel looks like."
Without waiting for an answer...
He walked away.
Whistling casually.
Cedric watched him disappear.
"...Ignore him."
"He enjoys provoking people."
Noah looked down at the bronze token.
"What is this?"
Cedric answered.
"A Duel Invitation."
"If you accept..."
"The arena reserves a match automatically."
Noah frowned.
"...Sounds troublesome."
"It usually is."
The crowd slowly dispersed.
Classes were about to begin.
Students hurried toward their respective buildings.
Noah slipped the token into his pocket.
"I have no intention of using this."
Eric laughed.
"Watch him challenge you again."
"I hope not."
As they entered the academy building...
A familiar announcement echoed through every corridor.
Attention all First-Year Students.
Combat Theory will begin in ten minutes.
Attendance is mandatory.
Eric groaned dramatically.
"We survived the Tower..."
"...only to die in class."
Luna smirked.
"Professor Ingrid might actually make that happen."
Sophia laughed softly.
"You should’ve studied more."
The five of them walked down the long corridor together.
For the first time since entering the Tower...
It truly felt like they were students again.
At least...
For now.
High above the academy...
Hidden among the clouds...
A lone figure stood atop the highest watchtower.
Wrapped in a dark cloak.
Face concealed beneath a hood.
The figure held a worn parchment.
On it...
Several names had already been crossed out.
One name remained untouched.
Noah Blackwood.
The cloaked figure quietly traced the name with a gloved finger.
"...So."
"The Seventh has finally appeared."
The parchment folded itself shut.
The figure stepped backward.
And vanished without a sound.