Just as the murmurs began to rise again, thick with disbelief and theory-crafting about how Miranda could possibly be ranked third, Raphaeline raised a single hand.
Silence returned like a curtain dropping over a stage.
Her gaze sharpened, her tone clipped and precise, "Rank 2 – Lucian Arclight. Origin: Commoner District of East Arenthal."
The auditorium exploded once she finished speaking.
"Lucian WHO?!"
"Wait, what?!"
"Did she say commoner?!"
"Is that a joke?!"
Heads swiveled across the auditorium, students scanning the vast space for the boy in question. A ripple moved through the crowd as a figure slowly stood up, in the first row out from the center stage.
Lucian Arclight.
He stood with a simple grace, dressed in the same uniform as everyone else, but compared to the others around him, he had a certain aura of power around him.
Lucian had short black hair and green eyes, and he had an approachable expression on his face as he looked around, taking in the shock of everyone around him with a slight nod.
"Is that him?" Elara whispered, stunned. "He looks like… just some guy."
Albedo didn't reply. His eyes locked onto Lucian.
That was him. The Protagonist.
The boy who, in the original Novel, would rise from obscurity to become the King of the Golden Generation.
He was the secret disciple of Headmistress Raphaeline after being saved from Abyssal Worshippers who murdered his mother.
While Lucian didn't have any special cheats like a System or Old Grandpa Ring, he had something far stronger.
PLOT ARMOR!
Lucian had some of the most absurd plot armor Albedo had ever seen. First of all, he had lucked into some of the strongest techniques, weapons and got an absurdly overpowered gift.
Then, despite being outmatched in many of the most iconic battles in the Novel, Lucian would always break through in the nick of time, or a deus ex machina would somehow help him win.
Still, Lucian also worked extremely hard, constantly training and working to improve himself to gain his revenge.
Albedo wondered how his presence would affect Lucian, but as he had all of these thoughts, the noise in the auditorium continued to climb as everyone was completely confused and in disbelief.
"I don't believe it. A commoner ranked above the Princess?!"
"He must've cheated somehow! Or bribed someone!"
"There's no way a no-name like that beat out William Frost!"
"Maybe he's a bastard child?"
The rumors continued. Some people peddling the narrative Lucian was the bastard of someone influential, some saying he had a secret sponsor or someone helped him rig his exam.
But all of this discussion quickly stopped once Raphaeline flared her mana pressure sharply, like the snapping of a sword unsheathed an inch too far.
All of a sudden, everyone quickly shut their mouths and returned to their best behavior.
"I will not repeat myself," she said, her voice resounding with absolute authority, "Rank is not determined by birth, status, or wealth. It is determined solely by performance. In every field, combat, tactics, spirit, growth potential, and leadership."
The air itself seemed to buzz under her aura.
"If a commoner surpasses nobles, it is not shameful for nobles. It is shameful for the nobles who were surpassed."
Not a single whisper followed that. Even William Frost, still fuming in his seat, clenched his fists but said nothing, but he stared at Lucian with eyes that seemed like daggers.
Then, after a long pause, Raphaeline spoke again.
"Which brings us to Rank 1."
An eerie silence fell across the auditorium. Every ear strained. Every student leaned forward as they realized. Yes, that was still only rank 2.
Who on earth could rank 1 be then? Raphaeline quickly announced it.
"Albedo Neverwinter."
For a heartbeat, no one reacted. The name wasn't familiar to anyone in the room. Then, almost as one, hundreds of heads turned.
Albedo rose from his seat, standing proudly and overlooking everyone. All eyes were on him, even the eyes of the other students in Myth Class stared with curiosity, frustration, shock, and many more expressions.
Then, the entire room collectively lost it!
"WHO?!"
"Neverwinter?! I've never heard that family name before!"
"Wait, is he a noble? He has to be, right?!"
"No way, there's no noble family with that name."
Albedo didn't respond to the attention. He stood straight, coat draped over his shoulders like a mantle of silence. His eyes, cool, composed, scanned the room only once before settling on Raphaeline.
And for a second… her lips quirked, ever so slightly, into something like satisfaction. Satisfaction at his confidence.
Lucian also turned towards him as well, his eyes meeting Albedo across the space between them. There was no hostility or tension, Lucian was just curious and excited.
Still, for the rest of the student body, this was shocking.
Not one, but to commoners with no known background had ascended to the top 2 spots in the Entrance Examinations.
Over Miranda. Over William. Over all the Nobles.
It was absolutely unprecedented. Whilst there had been rare years where commoners claimed spots in the top 3, never before had the top 2 both been commoners.
And yet, the name Albedo Neverwinter now blazed at the top of the floating golden projection above the stage for all to see.
Raphaeline continued as though this was the most natural progression in the world.
"These are your top twenty. Your Myth Class. Remember them. Compete with them. Surpass them, if you can. But never forget that here, in Zephyr Academy, power respects effort. Not entitlement."
The lights in the hall began to brighten again, the enchanted constellations above fading back into full clarity as soft music began to play.
Raphaeline gave a final nod.
"You are dismissed. Upon exit, you'll be given a Mana-Watch which is tied to your student identity. All updates will be sent through this watch, so please take care of it. It also has an inbuilt map."
"Now, please head to your Homeroom. For the first day, you'll just be meeting with your homeroom teacher who will give you advice. Official classes begin tomorrow." Raphaeline said.
Then, just as suddenly as she had arrived, she turned and walked off the stage.
Everyone remained silent for a second until she left, and then the crowd erupted with chatter. Dozens of students looked towards Albedo and Lucian, some were even brazen enough to approach them, asking questions or passing judgements.
It took Albedo over 15 minutes to escape the crowd, and it was only because some of the professors finally took pity on him and escorted him out.
Finally in the hallway, Albedo and Elara exchanged a look.
"I guess this is where we part ways, huh?" she said, adjusting the strap of her bag over her shoulder.
Albedo nodded, his tone gentle, "You'll be fine, Elara. Just keep your head down and keep training like always."
She puffed up her cheeks, "Head down? Do you know how insulting that sounds after your grand debut, Rank One?"
Albedo gave her a rare smirk, "Fair point. Let's both survive the year."
They shared a quick fist bump, then split off. The classes were on different floors depending on the rank, and the Myth Class was naturally on the highest floor.
Albedo quickly took the elevator and once he exited it, it wasn't long before he arrived at the door labeled,
[ Freshman Myth Class – Homeroom ]
He could already hear voices inside, chattering away and he opened the door, stepping inside.
The room was semi-luxurious, with 20 seats all with noticeable space between each-other to make the student's comfortable. The desks were made from an enchanted fabric.
A large, enchanted blackboard shimmered behind the professor's podium, though no one stood there yet. All eyes turned to him the second he stepped through the door.
All 19 of them, staring at him curiously, scrutinizing his every move, looking for even a single moment of weakness to pounce.
Still, Albedo walked in without flinching, noticing certain things.
Just like in the Novel, Lucian sat next to Miranda, chatting away with her. It seems it didn't take long for the flirting to start, as Miranda was already blushing and brushing back her hair with grace, showing Lucian her good side.
When they noticed Albedo, they paused, and both smiled.
Lucian waved him over, "Welcome, Mr. Rank One!"
Miranda stood as well, offering a polite nod, "Albedo Neverwinter. You've certainly made quite the impression."
Albedo nodded back, "Miranda Starwind. Princess of the Human Empire. Likewise."
She blinked, surprised at his calm demeanor, then smiled faintly, "So you do know who I am. I was starting to think I'd gone completely unrecognized."
Lucian chuckled, "Well, seems like the top ranks are a little more grounded than people expected."
But just as Albedo was about to reply, a cold voice sliced through the conversation like frost through glass.
"Hmph. Commoners pretending they belong just because of a fluke in one exam."
The room turned toward the voice.
William was standing near one of the windows, his arms folded behind his back like a statue carved from ice. His expression was one of simmering disdain.
"Enjoy your moment in the sun, you two," he said, turning and locking eyes with Albedo and Lucian, "Because once the real training begins, those without proper upbringing, resources, and bloodlines will fall. That's just how it's always been."
A few of the nobles nodded quietly behind him, unsure whether to echo his words or not.
Lucian's smile didn't waver. "You're free to believe that, William."
But Albedo? He didn't even spare him a glance. From what he knew about William from reading the Novel, William would bother him regardless of if he was friendly to him or not.
It was engrained in his character, his disdain for commoners and hatred for those who did better than him.
In a scenario when he'd be treated like shit no matter what he did, why would Albedo be friendly to William?
In fact, Albedo didn't even spare him a glance, he walked past William as if he didn't even exist, not acknowledging the insult.
He didn't want to give William the dignity of reacting to his nonsense, and this only seemed to make William angrier, his jaw clenched as his fists shook with anger.
Meanwhile, Albedo was scanning the class for an open seat, and only found one, right beside Morgana.
When Albedo approached, she didn't move or react, she merely glanced at him once.
"You planning to sit here?" she asked, her tone flat but not hostile.
Albedo nodded and took the seat beside her, "Unless you've already claimed the airspace."
A blink. Then… was that a ghost of amusement on her lips?
"Interesting answer."
Aside from his presence pushing the irrelevant 20th place down, nothing much had changed from the Novel.
Veronica was scribbling notes like she always did, Dorian was already sleep with his feet on the desk, and Zeus was sizing up everyone.
~BANG!~
Then the door swung open with a gust of wind that stirred everyone's hair and a young woman walked inside.
She looked barely older than the students, perhaps in her early twenties, but the pressure she exuded was undeniable.
Kayle Belair.
She was tall, graceful, with white-gold hair tied into a tight braid, and wore a black and silver combat coat modified into the Academy colors. A silver brooch in the shape of a hawk adorned her left shoulder.
Her expression was calm but sharp. She didn't carry books. She carried a long spear strapped to her back and a badge on her chest that shimmered with a Star-Rank insignia.
Gasps echoed as everyone recognized who she was, but none of them spoke for risk of offending her.
Kayle reached the podium, rested both hands on the sides, and looked at each of them with piercing clarity.
"My name is Kayle Belair, daughter of the Belair Ducal House, but that doesn't matter."
She paused.
"In here, I am your Homeroom Teacher, and the only thing that matters is your progress."
No one dared speak.
"I don't care what your last name is. I don't care how rich you are. I don't care how impressive your entrance score was. From today forward, I will push each of you to your limit. I will break you down… and rebuild you stronger."
She took a breath, then smiled ever so slightly.
"Some of you might've been worried you'd receive a professor less talented than you. Thankfully, that's where I come in. Most of you know me as the youngest Star Ranked ever, at only 21. I trust that my talent is more than enough to satisfy you all."
"Remember this: The first three months of the Academic year is when the majority of students drop out, unable to stand the grueling work they need to put in. If you survive the first three months, you'll be worthy of being called students of Zephyr."
Morgana beside Albedo raised a brow, "Blunt. I like her already."
Albedo didn't respond, but inside, he was already analyzing. Kayle Belair in the Novel was a key figure who helped Lucian and his group train, all the while ascending to become the youngest Holy Rank ever, before Lucian caught up himself.
Kayle continued, "Today's class is all about techniques, and mastering them."
She said, and with that, the First Class of Albedo's Academy Life Began!