Taking into account that he had delivered the finishing blow to a Twisted monster, even if it was with Victor's help, Azrael had assumed he'd be ranked somewhere near the top.
However, the end result surprised him greatly. A leaderboard displayed the top 10 Chosen who had earned the most points. Just beneath them was his name. He had placed 17th with 14 points. Tenth place had 22, and first staggering 50.
"These ones were either trained to be killing machines from birth, or they had help from gifted items… or both," he muttered, his eyes darkening.
It wasn't that he really cared to be in the top—this might have even been preferable since his name wasn't going to spread unnecessarily. He just regretted not being high enough for the special rewards the ones who did best were going to get.
He could easily imagine rewards being given from first to tenth place… but 17th? That seemed unlikely.
As soon as he was done observing the results, a loud ringing sound pierced his ears and made him flinch.
"The hell?" he groaned, wincing. The sound dug into his skull.
'Is this the noise the device makes when someone calls me?' he cursed. It was the first time anyone had bothered, so he'd need time to get used to it.
Since only one person in the world had his contact info, it was obvious who it was.
Taking a deep breath, he accepted the call.
A hologram image of Seyra appeared. She was clad in crimson armor. Her hair messy and a bit of sweat was evident on her, yet her fierce expression didn't seem to falter.
"Pupil, I've received the results of the elimination ceremony," she said, the cries of inhuman battle echoing faintly in the background.
'So this really wasn't a mandatory lesson... just an elimination test,' he thought, swallowing hard.
"Yes… sadly, I didn't manage to live up to your expectations. I didn't even make the top ten."
A menacing glint appeared in her crimson eyes, her lips curling into a thin smile.
"What are you talking about? 17th place in the Moon Breakers is revolutionary—not to mention that you didn't have any items that could have aided you."
Azrael's eyes narrowed. 'She is praising me?' This was quite honestly the first time he had been praised in his life—not to mention that it had come from her, the last person he thought the words would come from.
Still, Azrael wasn't one for flattery. He didn't care for empty words. Shaking his head, he replied,
"No. It's not good at all. It only shows the vast gap I still have to cross in my pursuit of power."
"Hmm~" Seyra's humming was almost drowned out by the numerous cries that seemed to have gotten closer.
"If that's how you want to see it, so be it. Still, the fact remains—you did well. It's only natural I reward you. A Blessed Rank item should be sufficient, I suppose? Speak your desire."
'Yes!' he shouted inwardly while keeping a stoic face.
"A weapon-type item… a scythe, if possible."
His teacher nodded. "Sure. You'll get it soon," she assured him.
"Oh, and one more thing," she added, almost casually.
"Since you seem so eager to grow stronger, I suggest you do it quickly. With the year nearly over, it's almost certain that in January, a meeting will be held. One that pits the best students from the Moon Breakers against those from the Elite school. It goes without saying—if you perform well, you'll be rewarded. By both me and the military school."
Azrael's eyes narrowed briefly at the idea of fighting the heirs of the great clans.
"I'll be ready for them," he declared coldly.
"I sure hope so." With that, Seyra ended the call.
"Good. A weapon of the Blessed Rank… I can't wait," he sighed, genuinely pleased that he had bothered to fight against the Twisted monster. In the end, it had been more than worth it.
Rushing, he headed for the next lesson. This one was also mandatory.
The classroom was vast, as expected—it had to accommodate every Chosen in the school, so there were thousands of seats. The ones in the back were elevated, while those in the front were lowered, offering everyone a clear view of the instructor and the large whiteboard behind him.
After scanning the place for a brief second, he caught wind of Victor—and sadly, Troy. It seemed that the wealthy Chosen had managed to survive the elimination test.
'Well, it seems the pleasure of killing him will be mine eventually,' Azrael thought, finding a seat in the middle, away from the others. Too close to the front and he'd seem like a teacher's pet. Too far back and he wouldn't hear well.
Soon all the Chosen entered and seated themselves.
The old man who was to be their instructor stood and began.
"Hello, Chosen. I am Champion Frederick," he greeted warmly. "As you can see, unlike your other instructors, I haven't altered or hidden my status. You may use [Inspect] to confirm my achievements."
Azrael's eyes narrowed as he did just that.
Ascension Level: [Champion]
Purity Rank: [Cleansed]
'Even if he is old, he has reached a respectable amount of power…' he analyzed, eyes growing darker.
'If I factor in how devouring Purity and Corruption works… if I could kill him, I'd gain 100 points—enough to push me to the next Purity Rank.'
However, the idea quickly left his mind. Killing a Champion was impossible at the moment. This old man had not cleared one Rift, but two. The difference in power was too vast to be crossed over.
"There's one reason I'm showing you my power so openly," Frederick continued after the Chosen had finished inspecting him.
"That is because I want to be sure that when we have our lessons, you take them to heart—and what better way to do so than being taught by one that is much mightier than all of you combined?"
The man scoffed.
"Some of you may wonder why theory lessons are mandatory? Well, the truth is, many of you often forget one thing: when you challenge a Rift, the monsters aren't the only threat. The whole environment will try to kill you. Acid rain, flesh-eating plants, toxic air, illusions, and many more things."
He paused.
"Now, some of you might doubt my words, but you will be thanking me once you challenge a Rift yourselves."
With that, Champion Frederick began the lecture, ensuring everyone understood the basics. He reviewed how the Purity and Corruption rankings worked, followed by Ascension and Danger levels.
"I'm sure most of you already know how items function," he continued, "but to recap: there are four main types: Weapon, Armor, Equippable and Mundane, each ranked according to their Purity."
The man sighed, "Weapons and armor are obvious enough. Equipables are items you wear or attach to yourself that provide a constant boost. And Mundanes... well, they're seemingly ordinary objects with special properties. Things like potions, enchanted food, a glider that lets you fly, or even a cup with a never-ending supply of water. Simple stuff—until you realize how useful it really is."
Azrael already knew most of it, but he listened carefully to ensure there were no gaps in his understanding.
"And lastly…" the man grinned,
"We come to the thing young Chosen get most excited about: Remembrances."
At the mention of the word, many of the Chosen leaned forward, ears perked with interest. Azrael was no exception.
Whispers ran through the room — even the elites seemed excited.
For Remembrances were much rarer than any Skill or Item.