It was a unusually noisy and bustling day at the academy, though that was expected.
Today was graduation day-the moment every student's rank would finally be revealed.
Our protagonist, Evans, stood amid the bustling crowd in the vast hall alongside his friends. With his short brown hair, unremarkable brown eyes, and average height and build, he was the kind of person who could disappear into a crowd without drawing a second glance.
A calm smile rested on his face as he struggled to suppress the anxiety bubbling within him, eagerly awaiting the announcement.
''Damn this is incredible, guys! I can't wait to find out my rank"
Evans exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement. He grabbed the shoulder of the friend standing beside him and shook him only to realize his companion-known as Justin was quite the opposite of excited infact the boy looked kinda sweaty and stressed.
''Well I'm totally screwed over here. I mean imagine if I end up as an E-Rank. I'd probably spend the rest of my life carrying bags or doing other boring stuffs like that".
"Well, that's not much different from what you usually do at the academy,so I guess you'd actually be lucky".
Stella, who stood to Evans right, teased Justin with a smug grin stretching across her face.
"Well thanks for making me feel so much better", Justin replied sarcastic, glaring at Stella. Though he tried to hide it,beads of sweat still trickled down his face.
"Alright you two,calm down before the principal walks in. You both know how grumpy he gets", Evans finally interjected, putting an end to their pretty argument.
"Sure. Anything for you cutie", Stella replied flashing him a radiant smile.
Damn... the way she switched her attitude was so fast it was almost terrifying. Still, I can't deny I'm loving it. Just play it cool,Evans.
"Hey, that's not fair! What's that supposed to mean?" Justin asked, narrowing his eyes at Evans suspiciously.
"It's nothing.just relax".
Just as they were engrossed in their conversation,a rough, ogre-like voice echoed from behind Evans through the crowd, sending an uncomfortable chill down his spine.
"Evans,my favorite stubborn shrimp. How've you been?"
The speaker was a tall boy with a jet-black hair, piercing gray eyes, and a towering, muscular physique and he was non other than Evans torn and bully. His name was Raff, and the sinister smile stretched across his face only made him seem more intimidating alongside his boys.
Evans shot him a look of undisguised disgust before quickly composing himself,his expression settling into one of calm indifference.
Just relax Evan you have to deal with this dumbass quick.
"Listen, Raff. Today's the last day we'll ever have to see each other-thank God. So, do us both a favor and behave yourself".
Raff's expression darkened.
In a blur, he seized Evan by the collar and effortless hoisted him off the ground as though he weighed nothing. Evan's friends froze in place, their faces tense with frustration. None of them possessed the strength to intervene.
Raff locked eyes with Evan, a murderous glint burning within his cold gray gaze . A cruel smile slowly spread across his lips as he spoke in a low, deliberate voice.
"You know... unlike the others, you don't break so easily. In fact, your Feisty. You always try to fight back even when you know you're hopelessly outmatched".
His grin widened.
" In other words... you ignore reality and that only makes me want to break you even more".
Still suspended in the air, Evan clenched his fist. Ignoring the overwhelming difference in strength, he drew back his arm , preparing to drive his punch straight into Raff's face.
Before he could strike, a sharp , authoritative voice thundered across the hall.
"Enough! Everyone, settle down and keep your mouth shut!".
Silence instantly descended upon the hall.
Every student recognized that voice.
A short, stern-looking man who appeared to be in his fifties strode into the hall, dressed impeccably in a tailored black suit. Walking beside him was a tall, elegant woman carrying a clipboard against her chest.
"Damn... It's the principal and his pet assistant", Raff muttered with a click of his tongue.
Wearing a lazy, almost bored expression, Raff shifted his gaze towards the academy's principal and his assistant. Without a second thought, he released Evan, letting him fall carelessly to the floor.
The principal swept a lazy glance across the Sea of students gathered before the stage. His expression remained indifferent, yet the moment he opened his mouth, his clear commanding voice echoed throughout the entire hall.
"As all of you know, today marks your graduation".
He paused, allowing his words to sink in.
"Based on the assessment of your Sacred Energy conducted yesterday, each of you will receive the rank that best reflects your current potential. However..."
His gaze grew distant.
"... before we begin, it is important that you understand how all of this came to be-and why your generation must carry on the fight".
The hall fell silent.
"Over a thousand years ago, a catalysmic war erupted between the gods and the demon Lord's. That conflict would later become know as the Great Decider".
His voice carried a hint of solemnity.
"But that battle scarred the very fabric of the world.countless dimensional rifts were torn open, and from those rifts emerged monstrous creatures that hungered for nothing but human flesh".
Several students subconsciously swallowed.
"Unable to abandon their eternal war against the Demon Lord's, the gods bestowed a fragment of their Divine power upon humanity. That power became know as Sacred Energy, and those capable of wielding it came to be know as Sacred warriors",
The principal raised a finger.
"Not everyone was blessed with sacred energy. Some of those born without it were know as BREAKERS. Though incapable of wielding Divine power, their bodies possessed extraordinary physical strength and resilience allowing them to battle beasts through sheer might alone or with Sacred weapons".
He folded his hands behind his back.
"To measure a Warriors strength, a ranking system was established, beginning with E-Rank-the lowest-and ascending through D, C, B, A ,S and finally SS-Rank".
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"To this day, only two SS-Rank sacred Warriors exist in the entire world".
A wave of murmurs spread through the hall before quickly dying down.
The principal ignored them before looking up victoriously
"Now I want you to go out there and fight because in this cruel world you either STEP UP OR BE STEP ON DO YOU UNDERSTAND".
The students erupted in a triumphant scream in return.
"The rest of your training regarding Sacred warriors, Energy ,Breakers and the dimensional rifts will come with experience. For now..."
His voice rang through the hall once more
"... it's is time to announce your rankings and of course we will start off with the first Big three".
The young female assistant-Rose, stepped forward with a clipboard in hand. Adjusting her glasses, she looked towards the crowd before announcing,
"We will now reveal the academy's top three graduates, starting from third place".
A wave of anticipation swept through the hall.
"Third place... Elisabeth Agustin,B-Rank sacred Warrior. Please step forward".
A graceful young woman, no older than eighteen which was about the same age as Evan, emerged from the crowd. She possessed long, silky purple hair that matched mesmerizing violet eyes. Clad in elegant purple attire that perfectly complemented her figure, she walked towards the stage with a calm, confident steps.
A gentle smile adorned her face as she accepted the announcement.
"Well, thank you. I'm quite happy with third place".
Her soft voice carried a quiet elegance that immediately won over the audience.
Without dekay, Rose continued.
"Second place...Raff Rauter, B-Rank sacred Warrior"
"Classification ...Breaker".
The moment his name echoed through the hall,Raff strode onto the stage with an expression dark enough to frighten those nearby that's if there even dare look.
Stopping before the principal, he clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Why the hell should I be happy with some pathetic second place? It's infuriating".
The Principal slowly shifted his gaze towards him.
"Watch your tongue, Raff".
His calm but authoritative voice immediately silenced the hall.
Raff merely scoffed before folding his arms.
Watching from the crowd, Evan couldn't suppress the smile creeping on to his face.
"Serves you right... Though I never expected him to be a breaker".
He muttered the words under his breath. Rose glanced back at her clipboard before taking a deep breath.
"And finally... First place goes to the number one graduate Mister-"
Before she could finish speaking, someone calmly walked on to the stage.
The hall instantly fell silent.
The newcomer was a strikingly handsome young man of about eighteen. He wore a silver jacket over a simple shirt, matching jeans, and a pair of sapphir-blue earrings that shimmered beneath the Hall's lights. His vivid blue hair framed a face that seemed almost sculpted to perfection, while his silver-gray eyes carried an air of complete indifference, I mean the boy literally looked like a famous movie star.
The moment he appeared, whispers spread like wildfire.
"It's Arthur..."
"He's even more more handsome up close..."
"Of course he'd be first..."
Several girls couldn't help but blush as they admired him.
After all, Arthur Emirate wasn't only the academy's most gifted student. He was also the only graduate to awaken as an A-Rank Sacred warrior, making him a once-in-a-generation genius.
Rose frowned, clearly irritated.
"I don't recall calling you".
Arthur met her gaze without the slightest change in expression.
"You said, Number one'. That's me".
His calm, matter-of-fact reply only made him sound even more arrogant.
Rose's eye twitched.
Taking a slow breath to suppress her irritation, she looked back at her clipboard.
"First place... Arthur Emirate, A-RANK sacred warrior".
The announcement sent shockwaves through the hall.
Gasps and excited whispers erupted from every direction. An A-RANK graduate... It had been years since the academy had produced someone with such extraordinary potential.
"Now then... Let us continue".
One after another, the remaining students stepped forward as their ranks were announced.Most awakened as D-Ranks while a handful reached C-Rank.
Throughout the announcements, Evans waited patiently.
His name never came.
A strange sense of unease settled in his ches.
Finally, Rose looked down at her clipboard before lifting her gaze to meet his. Unlike before, her eyes were filled with sympathy.
She hesitated
"Evans Ashford..."
The hall fell silent.
"I'm truly sorry, but according to yesterday's assessment, you are currently unfit to become a sacred warrior".
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Rose swallowed before continuing.
"Your results was classified as a hidden Rank. Unfortunately... Your Sacred Energy has stabilized at a level even lower than E-Rank ".
Gasps echoed throughout the hall.
A hidden Rank was an extremely rare phenomenon in which an individuals true rank failed to appear during the initial assessment.
While it often seemed unfortunate at first, many who possessed Hidden Ranks eventually awakened tremendous reserves of Sacred Energy, some even reaching A-Rank or in extraordinary cases S-Rank.
But fate was never kind to everyone.
Some Hidden Ranks users awakened as ordinary E-Ranks.
Others...
Awakened with even less.
Evans belonged to that latter group.
For a moment, his mind went blank.
His lips trembled.
"W-wait..."
His voice cracked.
"Please... just wait."
He staggered forward, unable to believe what he had just heard.
"That... that's crap it can't be right".
His breathing became ragged.
"I trained...I gave everything I had..."
"And you're telling me... I'm not even worth E-Rank"
His desperate cry echoed through the silent hall.
"Please..."
His voice barely audible.
"Tell me this isn't true..."
Rose's expression softened.
"I'm sorry, Evans"
With those final words, she left.
Evans stood frozen.
"Why..."
"Why me?"
The words repeated endlessly inside his mind.
Like a curse.
Numbly, he turned towards the only people he trusted.
His friends
Or so he thought.
A mocking laugh reached his ears.
"Pathetic".
Justin sneered.
"I can't believe we wasted all that time pretending to be your friends just for you to end up being nothing ".
His smile twisted with contempt.
"Just a stray dog".
Evans froze.
Then Stella sighed dramatically.
"Thank goodness"
She folded her arms.
"I'm finally free from being miss nice around you. Honestly... you're completely worthless".
Each word struck harder than any blade.
"W-why...?".
He stared at them in disbelief.
"What did I ever do to deserve this?"
His knees finally gave out.
He collapsed onto the cold floor, his fist clenched so tightly that blood dripped.
Justin looked down at him without sympathy.
"It's simple".
"You were born weak and ended up useless to us".
He turned away.
"Forget we ever knew each other".
Without another glance, Justin and Stella disappeared into the crowd.
Then, as though nothing had happened, the principal's voice echoed through the hall once more.
"We will now begin the live combat examination for our top three graduates".
He gestured towards an enormous black door behind the stage.
"Elisabeth August...Raff Rauter and Arthur Emirate proceed through that door".
Without hesitation, the three strongest walked towards the Massive gate.
And just then Evans heard a quiet, sinister voice,
"Fight against the world ... against fate"
Immediately Evans stood and ran straight towards the black gate with pure determination and rage.
"I refuse to let it end like this!"he roared, his voice echoing throughout the hall.