"My God!"
The exclamation tore through the silence. A student dropped to their knees, eyes bulging as they stared at the ten million points glowing on the holographic screen before them. In the economy of the Academy, points were power, resources, and status. With such an amount, anyone could become a King or Queen in the academy overnight. It wasn't just a high score; it was an economy-breaking number.
'How can she deal that much damage?' Hitachi looked at Mirabella, a slight frown marring his usually impassive face. He calculated the health pools of a Level 150 boss. To get ten million points meant she didn't just kill it; she obliterated it multiple times over, which was the only explanation, because there is no way a single fighter can give such a damage.
'There must be something...'
Curiosity got the better of him. His crimson eyes glowed brightly, the pupils slitting vertically as he activated his Lineage Skill. He attempted to pierce through her physical form to scan the source of her energy.
But he didn't see veins or spirit energy circuits.
To his shock, deep within the void of her spiritual presence, two giant, piercing golden eyes snapped open and stared back at him. They were ancient, sovereign, and terrifying.
"Ah!"
He hissed in a low voice, recoiling physically. He clamped a hand over his head as a migraine split his skull.
'What the hell was that?! Those eyes? What has such eyes?!' He thought, his heart racing. He stared at Mirabella in disbelief, sweat forming on his brow. The backlash had nearly blinded him.
A slow, dangerous smile crept onto his face.
'Hehehe... She is interesting.'
{Host! Detection detected and Neutralized.}
Mirabella stared at the screen, and raised an eyebrow as the system notification pinged in her mind. She moved her gaze around the students, her eyes scanning for the source of the intrusion, but Hitachi had already composed himself. Not seeing anything strange, she returned her attention to the board.
'Who was it?' She thought, staring at the screen as the next ranking appeared.
[Team 3: Austin Draconian]
[Outer Region: 5,000 points.
Inner Region: 5,000 points.
Core Region: 10,000 X 3 = 30,000.
Damage Dealt: 10,000 (Converted: 1,000 points).
Mission Accomplishment: 0 points.
Total Points: 0 X 10 (Victory Multiplier) = 0.
Total Points Gained: 31,000 points.]
Everyone stared at the third team and wasn't even impressed; they simply shook their heads. For an "Invincible Five" member, barely breaking 30k was underwhelming.
Austin, on the other hand, was gritting his teeth in rage, his knuckles white. The monster he fought in the Core Region had Physical Immunity, a hard counter to his Warrior class.
'Ah! This is cheating!!' He thought, feeling the injustice of the system.
[Team 4: Aurelia Draconian]
[Outer Region: 5,000 points.
Inner Region: 1,000 points.
Core Region: 6,000 X 3 = 18,000.
Damage Dealt: 0 (Converted: 0 points).
Mission Accomplishment: 0 points.
Total Points: 0 X 10 (Victory Multiplier) = 0.
Total Points Gained: 18,000 points.]
Stellar stood in the crowd, staring at her best friend, whose angry gaze was fixed on Mirabella like a laser. Aurelia had been eliminated before she could even step onto the bridge properly.
'Just you wait!' Stellar thought, sharing her friend's indignation.
If Mirabella hadn't ruthlessly eliminated her, Aurelia would have at least dealt damage and climbed the ranks.
[Team 5: Rose Korana]
[Outer Region: 5,000 points.
Inner Region: 5,000 points.
Core Region: 10,000 X 3 = 30,000.
Damage Dealt: 100,000 (Converted: 10,000 points).
Mission Accomplishment: 0 points.
Total Points: 0 X 10 (Victory Multiplier) = 0.
Total Points Gained: 41,000 points.]
Rose lowered her gaze to the ground, shoulders hunched. She did not dare look up at the Elders. As the heiress of the Korana family and one of the strongest mages in the Dragon Empire, 41,000 points was a humiliation. She couldn't even get a hundred thousand points to prove her worth.
'I am such a disappointment!' She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. 'I must improve! I must be better.'
[Team 6: Grace Gabriel]
[Outer Region: 3,000 points.
Inner Region: 500 points.
Core Region: 3,500 X 3 = 10,500.
Damage Dealt: 1,000 (Converted: 100 points).
Mission Accomplishment: 0 points.
Total Points: 0 X 10 (Victory Multiplier) = 0.
Total Points Gained: 10,600 points.]
"So sorry guys," Grace said in a low voice, staring at her feet. She felt the weight of leadership heavy on her shoulders; she had led them into a slaughter.
"Hahahaha! Don't get yourself worked up!" Phillip said with a beaming smile, slapping her on the back. "Ten thousand points is already enough! We can share two thousand each!" He added. For students of their background, 2,000 points was a fortune that could buy decent gear or skill scrolls.
"Yes, Leader... And for your help getting us to the core region, you should have the remaining 600 points," Ken said with a slow, respectful nod of his head.
"What? We can still share the 600 points, you four will need them."
The other two ladies in the group shook their heads immediately.
"No... If you weren't close to Mirabella, we won't be able to enter the core region... Thanks to that connection, we gain the times three benefit. So the 600 points is our thank you," the oldest lady in their group, Janet, a swordswoman, said with a genuine smile.
Beside her, Nina nodded her head in agreement. They knew how the world worked; connections were as valuable as gold.
"Janet, Nina. Thank you." Grace nodded at the two, touched by their loyalty, and turned to the two guys. "Thank you too."
"Hahahaha! It's nothing," Phillip said with a smile.
Mirabella moved her gaze down the list. The points kept getting smaller, dropping into the low thousands, but the ninth entry surprised her.
[Team 9: Precious Cuban]
[Outer Region: 5,000 points.
Inner Region: 1,000 points.
Core Region: 6,000 X 3 = 18,000.
Damage Dealt: 5,000 (Converted: 500 points).
Mission Accomplishment: 0 points.
Total Points: 0 X 10 (Victory Multiplier) = 0.
Total Points Gained: 18,500 points.]
'If I remember correctly, this is the team Austin almost wiped out. To think the leader made it to the core region and even dealt some damage... This Precious isn't weak,' Mirabella thought, making a mental note of the name. Resilience was a rare trait.
[Team 10: Carl Manchester]
[Outer Region: 5,000 points.
Inner Region: 2,000 points.
Core Region: 7,000 X 3 = 21,000.
Damage Dealt: 100,000 (Converted: 10,000 points).
Mission Accomplishment: 0 points.
Total Points: 0 X 10 (Victory Multiplier) = 0.
Total Points Gained: 31,000 points.]
Mirabella turned to Carl. He was staring at her with a sad look, clearly feeling inadequate compared to her ten million. She slowly nodded her head, a silent message reassuring him not to worry.
'It's understandable...' she analyzed.
Carl was playing a different game. He still held all the Monster Cards obtained during their one-month hunting trip—at least five thousand of them. Currently, he was still a Level 29 player. But once he got his hands on the Awakening Stones and consumed all those cards, his growth would be explosive.
'He will surely pass Lv60... Maybe, he might even become a God Level player,' she mused.
Her estimation wasn't baseless. One thousand of those cards were Boss Cards, rare drops that provided immense stat boosts. The remaining four thousand were normal monster cards. It was a hoard of power waiting to be unlocked.
She turned her head to Cupcake, who was sitting contentedly in Elizabeth's arms, and smiled.