The next day, sunrise academy, 8:00 AM.
A notification had been sent to the students the previous night, instructing them to gather in the academy's grand underground plaza.
It was a massive hall, illuminated by brilliant white lights
The exact location was even sent based on each person's room, all the students who had passed were directed to their own room, which would be their room for the duration of their stay at the academy.
Thus, a massive crowd of students gathered, thousands of them.
Deebt stood alone, Sam, Milly, and Heri weren't there.
Each of them was somewhere else.
'Did they pass?'
Deebt thought of them for a moment.
A large stage stood in the center of the plaza, surrounded by students on all sides.
There were no supervisors or guards, the stage had been empty since the students began gathering.
"Why did they tell us to come here?"
"Don't you know?"
"This happens every year for the successful ones."
Everyone was talking loudly, asking questions and making inquiries.
They even started forming groups, Deebt didn't react to anyone who approached him.
Whether they were male or female.
He was annoyed by some females, but he ignored them completely.
Deebt was handsome after all, and his cold demeanor made him even more attractive.
The students continued to arrive and gather, although they numbered in the thousands, they could not overcome the sheer vastness of the place.
Deebt looked at the stage.
With steps exuding dignity, a man climbed its wooden stairs.
He had an elegant appearance, neatly styled hair, and dark brown eyes.
A cold, overbearing aura surrounded him, one that everyone could feel.
He approached the center of the stage, and a circular microphone appeared before him, adjusted to his height.
"Hello everyone, please remain completely silent."
As soon as the man said this, everyone fell silent.
"I am the vice principal, my name is Sebat Tanim."
"You may all know me by my nickname, the 'Drought'."
The commotion erupted throughout the venue once again. Everyone knew who 'The Drought' was, a human catastrophe to his enemies.
While everyone knew him by his title, his face had never appeared clearly in any of the photos of him circulating around the world.
Ranked 19th globally, it was no easy feat to be among the world's elite.
'The Drought' was known for his ruthlessness toward his enemies, so much so that mothers would use his name to frighten their mischievous children.
Many felt both fear and respect toward this man.
"Alright, be quiet. Today will be your first day here, your only day of rest for the next nine months."
"You'll get a break every three months right after the continental exams."
His tone was a mix of calm and coldness.
"This year's results were better, with the pass rate increasing by about 19.83%. This is good news for us and for all of you, it means that humanity has evolved further and produced children capable of protecting the world and conquering the 'Gates of the Horizon'."
"Two years from now, you will graduate and become pillars of humanity… Conquerors."
"You can then join the Pillars, whether it be Twilight, Horizon, or even other Pillars around the world."
"Alright, let's get back to today's topic."
"Every year, this award ceremony is held on the first day after passing the entrance exam. This rule hasn't changed since the academy's inception, with prizes being presented to the top three students each year."
"The prize for first place is one million lines, second place is one hundred thousand lines, and third place is ten thousand lines. As for the rest, they all receive one thousand lines, these are the graduation prizes."
"You might be wondering why each of them gets a million or thousands of lines while we only get a thousand? It's simple, their performance on all the exams was exceptional. You'll see this as soon as they step onto the stage when we call their names. Each of them is a true talent or a fierce fighter who achieved incredible results through their own hard work."
"You have no right to object."
"You can only envy them, hate them, despise them. You can get angry and give your all in the three continental tests. Otherwise, you have no right to speak."
"We will now call the third place winner, a girl of exceptional talent, Lunar Eclipse. Her performance perfectly matched her knowledge, and her fighting was strategic, whether against the monsters or the proctor of the fourth test. Her answer in the final test was clever and cunning. Sky Oviedo, please come to the stage to receive your prize."
A girl with thick, wavy orange hair and mesmerizing blue eyes climbed the stairs, freckles dotted her cheeks, giving her a charming appearance.
She didn't look like an ordinary girl, especially with the daggers hanging from her waist.
The girl reached the vice principal's side, bowed her head slightly, and greeted him with a bright smile.
There were three bags beside him.
The vice principal picked up a small black leather bag, thirty centimeters long and twenty centimeters wide.
He then handed it to her calmly, she took it, and a clear hint of happiness appeared in her eyes, radiating a sense of pride and accomplishment.
"You can stand there."
The vice principal gestured for her to stand behind him, a meter and a half away.
"Second place goes to a young man who put up a fierce fight against the monsters, fought bravely, and performed exceptionally well on the fifth test. His effort was great, and his talent was even greater, the talent of the Daytime. Hol Hagerolivi, come up to receive your prize."
As soon as the second place finisher's surname was mentioned, a slight commotion arose among the students, but they quickly fell silent under the vice principal's gaze.
A boy with short black hair and dark brown eyes ringed by dark circles stepped forward.
He stood about two meters tall, with a slender, well proportioned build, and was wearing a stylish suit.
The boy stepped forward and approached the vice principal, bowing respectfully and offering his greetings.
The vice principal took the second bag, but it was different from the first, it had a thin red line running down the middle, encircling the bag completely.
A faint smile appeared on his face, in the vice principal's eyes, this boy was like an open book.
Whether it was him or the girl, they were both straightforward and easy to read.
The vice principal asked him to stand next to the girl.
"First place, and the most exceptional of all. I do not know where to begin or how to conclude, this student is a true genius."
"An utterly extreme answer in the fifth exam, one that left us marvelling at such a terrifying mindset."
"In his fight against the proctor, he displayed intense cunning, even his answer in the fifth exam was no coincidence, it was a part of it. He sacrificed his sword just to wound the proctor and create an opening for a real attack. As a result… the proctor sustained a genuine injury. A precedent like this has rarely been set by students, whether in this academy or any other."
"His battle against a Depth level beast and two Eye level beasts, and his truly intelligent utilization of open space."
From a distance, the vice principal could see how captivated and astonished the students were, even fear and respect were evident on some of their faces.
"His effort was completely out of sync with his talent, since he had only begun training in the last three months, a talent rare among humans... It is Night."
Chaos erupted, and whispers among the students began to intensify.
The vice principal silenced them once again.
Deebt looked at the stage, he knew he was number one, as he had been informed through the notification sent to him the previous night.
Deebt felt a slight irritation, but his feelings were not reflected in his expression.
'This man is selling my papers to stoke the students' desire.'
The vice principal wanted to motivate the students to perform better, so he presented the information on the three top students.
In his view, this was excessive, they could have simply handed out the awards.
'If I'd known this, I would have shown my lowest potential, but unfortunately, I didn't know my lowest potential correctly.' thought Deebt.
"Deebt Jacks, please come forward to receive your award."