Anomaly of Fate
Chapter 63: Ranks and Revelations

Chapter 63: Ranks and Revelations

The intercom announcement echoed through the airship, carrying a simple yet firm directive:

"All first-year students were to gather in the main hall once more."

Despite the late hour, the hall was already filled with students by the time Velren arrived. Unlike their previous assembly before the exam, there was no neat organization or rigid formation this time. The exhaustion of the past ordeal had settled into the student body, leaving them scattered across the hall. Some stood in small groups, murmuring in hushed yet eager voices about the exam’s conclusion, speculating over their final rankings or debating over certain encounters in the field. Others, visibly drained from both the physical and mental toll, simply lingered in quiet corners, waiting for the process to be over so they could return to their quarters and rest.

Velren found himself among the latter. His exhaustion was finally catching up to him, dragging down his limbs with a sluggish weight. He leaned against the back wall, arms crossed, allowing himself a moment to simply exist in the lull of the murmuring hall. Whatever was about to happen, he doubted it would change much for him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps, followed by a familiar voice.

"Hey, Velren."

Turning his head slightly, Velren found Kael making his way toward him. The ever-composed assistant looked only mildly worn out from the past events, though there was a certain tiredness in his eyes. Velren greeted him with a nod.

Kael stopped a short distance away, glancing briefly at the rest of the hall before settling his gaze back on Velren.

"So, how do you think you do?"

Velren let out a slow breath, pushing away the creeping haze of fatigue.

"I don’t know. At the very least, I wasn’t eliminated until the very end. So I guess that has to mean something."

Kael let out a quiet hum, his expression was thoughtful.

"You lasted through the entire exam. That alone puts you ahead of a good number of participants. Surviving until the end is one thing, but whether or not you left an impression... that’s another matter entirely."

"Left an impression, huh?"

Now that he think about it...

Velren shifted slightly, recalling something that had been nagging at him since the exam’s conclusion.

"By the way, what was up with that sudden postponement back then? You were an assistant, weren’t you? Did they tell you anything?"

Kael’s expression barely shifted, but there was a brief pause before he replied.

"I don’t know the full details. All I was told was that the exam had to be postponed due to ’unforeseen circumstances.’ As an assistant, I was ordered to help relocate students in the field and ensure no one was left behind before we were called back. They emphasized containment—keeping everyone within the designated zones until further notice."

He tilted his head slightly, frowning.

"It was odd. Normally, if it was just something like an external interference, they would’ve at least given us some kind of debrief. But this time, nothing. Just orders."

Velren nodded slowly. So even Kael, someone directly assisting academy officials, had been kept in the dark. Whatever happened out there—whatever Cloaky was—the academy had no intention of letting the students, or even their own personnel, know the full truth.

That only made him more certain.

They were hiding it.

And for now, he was one of the few who knew something was being hidden at all.

A sharp clang rang out from the front of the hall, snapping Velren from his thoughts. The scattered murmurs among the students began to die down as all eyes instinctively turned toward the stage. Commander Aldric had arrived.

The man carried his usual commanding presence. Though he said nothing at first, the sheer weight of his presence alone was enough to silence the remaining whispers.

Then, after a brief pause, he spoke.

"As you are all aware, the Dominion Clash exam has now officially concluded." His deep voice carried effortlessly through the hall.

"Originally, the evaluation was to be based on two results—one measuring the overall class ranking, and the other focusing on individual performance."

At this, a few students exchanged glances, some in curiosity, others in mild concern. Velren merely remained leaning against the wall, arms crossed as he listened.

"However," Aldric continued, "due to unforeseen circumstances that led to the premature termination of the exam, the class ranking system has been rendered ineffective. As such, we will only be announcing the results of individual performance."

A mixture of reactions rippled through the crowd. Some students whispered among themselves, while others—particularly those confident in their abilities—straightened up in anticipation.

"Those who rank among the top students in individual performance will receive certain privileges moving forward," Aldric went on.

"This includes priority access to advanced combat training sessions, additional resources from the academy’s restricted archives, and increased eligibility for exclusive assignments that can further your progression."

At that, a hushed excitement filled the air. Gaining priority access to training and resources wasn’t just a simple reward—it was a direct path to strengthening one’s future prospects within the academy. For many, this could be the first step toward standing out among their peers.

Velren, however, remained largely indifferent. He had never been the type to actively chase after rankings or titles. But even he couldn’t deny that some of those benefits... could be useful.

Commander Aldric let the murmurs settle before continuing. "For now, we will only be announcing the top five performers. The full rankings will be made available once we return to the academy."

A hush fell over the hall, tension thickening in the air. While many already had guesses about who would make it to the top, hearing the names officially declared carried a different weight altogether.

The commander glanced at the list in his hand before calling out the first name.

"5th place: Raine Ashford."

Velren blinked, momentarily caught off guard. He had only encountered her once during the exam, and their battle had, fortunately for him, ended in a tie—by her action, no less. That was without him even facing her phoenix. Just from that alone, he could tell her strength was noteworthy. If she had made it into the top five, then she must have made quite the impact throughout the exam.

"4th place: Mikhail von Edevane."

Velren exhaled through his nose. Despite Mikhail’s cocky and arrogant attitude, Velren had seen firsthand how the guy fought against Cloaky. His skill was definitely not something to underestimate. And besides, Mikhail was one of the few students who, like Velren, had remained standing until the very end of the exam. That alone spoke volumes.

"3rd place: Solanne Valtheris."

’Well, as expected of the princess herself.’

Velren mused. Solanne’s skill had never been in doubt, but more than that, she too had endured until the final moments of the exam. The fact that she placed third, however, meant that there were still two others ranked higher than her.

By process of elimination—and by what he had seen with his own two eyes—Velren had a pretty good guess as to who one of them was.

"2nd place: Eterna Lys."

And he had guessed correctly. As her partner, he had seen how Eterna handled herself, how sharp her instincts and quick thinking were throughout the exam. It made sense that she would be ranked this high.

Which left only one name remaining.

"1st place: Alistair Von Rhaegis."

’Huh... would you look at that?’

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.