Chapter 12: Award Ceremony!

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Award Ceremony!

Daniel wiped the water from the corner of his mouth, his face filled with emotion.

"I was nearly exhausted to death in there! Is the eighth wave even meant for humans? One hundred Iron-Skinned Bears! I practically wore my arms out before I managed to take them all down."

As he spoke, he looked at Nathaniel, curiosity and competitiveness flickering in his eyes.

"Brother Nathan, how many waves did you clear? Judging by how spotless you are, it must have been much easier for you than it was for me. So, did you get an A-Rank rating?"

Nathaniel glanced at Daniel’s sweat-soaked uniform and smiled casually.

"Cleared them all."

"Pfft!"

The last mouthful of water Daniel had just swallowed shot straight out of his mouth.

He coughed violently several times, then stared at Nathaniel with wide eyes.

"Cough, cough... Brother Nathan, stop messing with me!"

Daniel waved his hand in disbelief.

"I know you’re strong. I knew something was different about you when that phenomenon appeared during your awakening. But the school record was only twelve waves!"

He turned his head toward the enormous leaderboard to check for himself.

The cheeky smile on his face froze instantly.

At the top of the screen, a golden record shone brightly.

[First Place: Nathaniel Beaumont]

[Waves Cleared: 15]

[Final Rating: SSS]

Daniel’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

He looked at the dazzling SSS rating, then stiffly turned toward Nathaniel, before looking back at the screen.

His throat moved several times, but he couldn’t produce a complete sentence.

He had spent an hour and a half fighting desperately to clear eight waves and earn a B-Rank rating. He’d considered that a respectable achievement.

Yet Nathaniel...

Not only had he cleared the entire dungeon, but he had also obtained the legendary SSS rating.

"Br... Brother Nathan..."

Daniel felt as though his entire understanding of the world had shattered into pieces.

"SSS-Rank? Are you even human?"

Nathaniel simply smiled and took another sip of water.

Daniel stared at him for a few more seconds.

Then he shook his head.

Forget it.

Comparing himself to this monster was probably bad for his mental health.

...

Time passed second by second.

Exactly two hours and eight minutes after the dungeon had opened, the teleportation platform in the center of the gymnasium lit up for what appeared to be the final time.

The light was exceptionally bright, accompanied by a strong stench of blood.

A figure slowly emerged from the radiance.

It was Caleb Rowan.

The confident young man who had entered the dungeon with his head held high now looked as though he’d crawled through a battlefield.

His Thunder Sword dripped with black blood. His once-neat school uniform had been torn in several places, and wounds covered his body.

Yet he showed no sign of embarrassment.

Instead, he raised his chin and looked around proudly.

"Hoo... hoo..."

He panted heavily, but an increasingly triumphant smile spread across his face.

He immediately checked his settlement panel.

[Waves Cleared: 12]

[Final Rating: A]

[Rewards: Silver-Grade Thunder Gauntlets, Silver-Grade Gale Necklace, General Skill Book: Parry]

Caleb clenched his fists.

He could feel the power surging through his body.

He remembered the school record clearly. A student from the previous batch with the Hidden Class Bloodthirsty Warrior had cleared twelve waves in two hours and thirty-eight minutes.

And Caleb had also reached the twelfth wave.

But he had done it in only two hours and eight minutes.

Thirty minutes faster!

I broke the record!

I’m the number one student in Westmere No. 1 Academy!

Caleb nearly laughed out loud.

He straightened his back, ready to enjoy the cheers and admiration of the crowd.

Then he spotted Nathaniel sitting leisurely in the rest area.

Nathaniel held half a bottle of water and looked completely relaxed.

What annoyed Caleb most was Nathaniel’s appearance.

His school uniform was as neat as ever. Not a wrinkle could be seen, and his white sneakers were so clean that they looked as though they had never touched the ground.

Seeing this, Caleb immediately reached a conclusion.

He must have given up early.

A sneer appeared on his face.

Caleb dragged his Thunder Sword along the ground and strode toward Nathaniel.

"Young Master Beaumont, you came out pretty early."

He looked Nathaniel up and down, his eyes filled with mockery.

His voice was deliberately loud enough for the surrounding students to hear.

"I was enjoying the battles so much that I accidentally cleared twelve waves and broke the school record."

He paused, then raised his chin provocatively.

"Looking at how clean you are, I suppose you decided to come out early and take a rest?"

Caleb stared directly into Nathaniel’s eyes.

He wanted to see embarrassment.

Jealousy.

Frustration.

Anything that would prove Nathaniel couldn’t stand seeing him succeed.

But Nathaniel said nothing.

He simply looked at Caleb with the same calm expression one might wear while watching a street performer.

That response irritated Caleb even more.

Then he noticed something strange.

The atmosphere around them was completely abnormal.

Too quiet.

Far too quiet.

If he had just broken the school record, shouldn’t there have been applause? Cheers? At least a few expressions of astonishment?

Instead, the thousands of people in the gymnasium were staring at him with complicated expressions.

There was no admiration in their eyes.

No awe.

Only something Caleb couldn’t quite understand.

Pity?

And, from a few people, the unmistakable look reserved for someone who had made a fool of himself.

Caleb’s heart skipped a beat.

"What is going on?"

An unpleasant feeling began to grow inside him.

He slowly raised his head and followed everyone’s gaze toward the enormous leaderboard.

The first name he noticed was his own.

[Second Place: Caleb Rowan]

[Waves Cleared: 12]

[Final Rating: A]

"Second place?"

Caleb’s pupils contracted.

His voice rose sharply.

"I’m second? How is that possible? Who could possibly have cleared more waves than me?"

His gaze trembled as he moved it upward.

Then he saw the name at the very top.

It shone like the sun, surrounded by golden light.

And beside it was the rating that represented the highest possible achievement.

[First Place: Nathaniel Beaumont]

[Waves Cleared: 15]

[Final Rating: SSS]

BOOM!

Caleb felt as though a bomb had exploded inside his head.

The triumphant smile on his face shattered.

Disbelief replaced it, followed by a creeping sense of panic.

"Fifteen waves..."

His lips trembled.

"SSS-Rank..."

Every word seemed to scrape its way out of his throat.

"How is this possible? Is there really an SSS-Rank in this world?"

He had fought desperately, endured injuries, and risked his life to earn an A-Rank evaluation.

He had believed that breaking the school record would make him the center of attention.

Yet Nathaniel had surpassed him so completely that the difference between them seemed almost laughable.

His A-Rank achievement, which had felt glorious only moments earlier, now looked insignificant beside Nathaniel’s SSS rating.

Caleb stood motionless, his Thunder Sword still dripping with black blood.

For the first time that day, he had nothing to say.

...

At that moment, the principal, who had remained silent throughout the commotion, suddenly straightened his collar and strode onto the high platform.

He clutched the results sheet in his hand. His face was flushed with excitement, and even his usually steady movements carried a hint of urgency.

He picked up the microphone and took a deep breath.

"Quiet, everyone!"

The microphone screeched briefly, bringing the stunned audience back to their senses.

The principal’s eyes swept across the gymnasium before settling on Caleb and Nathaniel.

His voice trembled slightly with excitement.

"Since all the students have completed the Initial Dungeon, we will now begin the award ceremony!"