Free Web NovelChapter 18: The Sixty-Ninth Rank
The moment Silas crossed the gates, the world around him shifted.
A vast landscape unfolded before his eyes, so immense that it felt less like an academy and more like a city. At the very centre, far in the distance, stood an ancient castle of dark stone, its towering spires piercing the sky like frozen lances. Time seemed to cling to its weathered walls.
From his spot, he could see countless banners fluttering from its battlements. Despite the academy’s advanced technology, the fortress carried an undeniable aura of history and authority, as though it had witnessed two centuries of battles and generations of powerful Enhancers rise and fall within its halls.
Surrounding the castle stretched a breathtaking blend of old and new. Massive buildings of glass, steel, and strange blue alloys rose toward the heavens, their sleek surfaces reflecting blue sunlight in dazzling patterns. Some resembled research facilities, others training complexes or dormitory places.
Skybridges connected distant structures high above the ground. The contrast between the ancient fortress and the modern architecture should have felt unnatural, yet somehow the two styles complemented each other perfectly.
What truly captured Silas’ attention, however, were the countless floating platforms suspended throughout the sky. Some were small circular arenas large enough for a duel, while others were enormous enough to hold entire buildings.
Students could be seen moving between them, some riding strange vehicles while others crossed the gaps through abilities alone. Looking higher, Silas noticed that the floating structures extended far beyond what he had initially seen, disappearing into the distant clouds.
Beneath the towering buildings and floating arenas lay vast stretches of greenery. Gardens larger than entire city blocks spread across the academy grounds, filled with exotic plants, crystal-clear lakes, and carefully maintained forests. Winding pathways crossed the landscape in every direction, leading toward secluded courtyards, training zones, and hidden pavilions.
And beyond all of it stretched even more land. For the first time since becoming an Enhancer, Silas found himself genuinely speechless.
Frontier Academy was not merely a place of learning. It was a haven built for Enhancers. And it was situated inside what Silas suspected to be a pocket world, one of those he had heard in the fantasy-rich stories back at the orphanage.
For a brief moment, Silas remembered the orphanage. The dusty windows. The leaking roof. The stories he used to hear about great Enhancers sounded like fairy tales, but right now he was living inside one of them, himself.
Back when he selected the academy in the big aircraft, Frontier Academy had seemed as distant as another world. And when he attended the admission test, he thought it was going to be worse than the orphanage. But now he stood inside it, and what he saw was something he liked.
The sight filled him with a strange sense of accomplishment. At the same time, he finally understood why every teacher who passed through the gates had vanished instantly afterwards.
"Wow! I’ve never seen anything like this before."
Darius’ voice broke the silence. He wasn’t the only one stunned. Everyone wore similar expressions of awe. Even the G-Enhancers looked surprised, though they recovered their composure faster than the rest.
"This way, please."
The teacher who had escorted them inside cleared his throat. Judging by his expression, he had witnessed this reaction countless times before. His words snapped everyone out of their daze, and the group followed him deeper into the academy.
Their destination was a large garden equipped with rows of seats and a spacious stage. It had clearly been prepared for an orientation ceremony.
Soon enough, everyone settled down. Excited conversations erupted throughout the crowd while students exchanged introductions and speculated about what would come next.
Silas remained silent, observing everything around him with quiet curiosity. Several minutes later, teachers began appearing around the gathering. Then an elderly Enhancer stepped onto the stage. He looked not much older, not much different from Ramus.
"Ahem."
The old man merely cleared his throat. Yet somehow his voice carried across the entire garden. Instantly, conversations died down as every student turned toward him.
"Welcome to Frontier Academy. From this day onward, you are officially students of the Academy’s Two Hundred and Thirty-Fourth Class. Congratulations."
The words were simple, yet they carried surprising weight. Even Silas felt a spark of excitement.
"I am Carlos, the Academy Dean. It is my honour to welcome all of you, the future of humanity and our hope for a better tomorrow."
Carlos proceeded to explain how the admission test would be evaluated. Most of the information was already familiar to Silas. Individual performance, contributions during battles, monster kills, leadership, and overcoming challenges would all factor into the final ranking.
"Your admission test was designed to give you a cold glimpse of reality. Some of you may think we went too far. Years from now, however, you will realise that the world beyond the safe havens is far crueller."
’A warning beforehand would’ve been nice.’
Silas suppressed a snort.
Carlos eventually moved on to the topic everyone truly cared about: rankings. Resources such as Mana Crystals, equipment, and educational opportunities would be distributed according to performance. Students with higher rankings would gain access to more classes, specialised instructors, and additional privileges.
The top three would even receive personal shuttlecraft.
’I can’t tell how valuable these perks are, but I’ll judge later.’
Silas suspected his ranking would be high, though he wasn’t sure how high.
"The benefits will scale according to your standing, top three, top ten, top twenty-five, top fifty, top one hundred, top two hundred, and finally everyone else."
Carlos paused before adding:
"And make no mistake, these advantages will shape your immediate future, especially when it comes to dealing with Cracks and Bubbles."
’Cracks and Bubbles? Who came up with those names?’
Silas wisely kept that thought to himself.
"Power comes at a price," Carlos continued. "Cracks are the price humanity pays for every new Enhancer born. Each Awakening weakens the protective dome surrounding our safe havens, creating openings through which monsters can enter." freёwebnovel.com
The revelation caught Silas completely off guard. He had always assumed the admission test existed solely to evaluate students.
"In reality, your test was not merely an assessment. It was your contribution toward solving a problem created by your own existence."
Silas rolled his eyes. He still disliked the concept, but he had to admit it was fairer than he had imagined. It also explained why every team had faced the same type of monsters. Those creatures had emerged through the Cracks created during Enhancement Day.
"If Cracks are how the world threatens humanity," Carlos continued, "then Bubbles are how it helps us survive."
The dean shifted to a new topic. Bubbles, according to him, were pocket worlds similar to the one housing Frontier Academy. They typically appeared around forty days after Enhancement Day.
No one knew exactly how they formed. Some believed they were caused by the massive disturbances in mana generated by newly awakened Enhancers.
"Bubbles exist in different grades. Entry is not voluntary. Gaia chooses who may enter. Inside, you will encounter monsters, obstacles, and trials. Those who secure a Bubble’s core allow it to merge with our safe haven, further expanding the safe area we have."
Carlos spent several more minutes discussing Bubbles. The more Silas listened, the more he doubted first-year students would be thrown into such dangerous environments anytime soon.
Then Carlos explained why they needed to understand all this.
"When Bubbles appear, many experienced Enhancers will be summoned inside. During that period, the monsters roaming our safe havens and attacking our Mana mines must still be dealt with. That responsibility falls upon younger Enhancers."
Silas hoped that meant fighting Stone Frogs rather than anything worse. The dean then moved on to another subject.
"From this point onward, isolation will only hinder your growth. We have shown you the dangers of trusting blindly, but distrusting everyone is even more dangerous."
Carlos swept his gaze across the students.
"You survived the admission test. Stop behaving like lone wolves. Lone wolves die faster than those who hunt in packs."
He spoke at length about teams and cooperation, encouraging students to form groups and train together during the coming weeks. Silas found the logic somewhat contradictory after everything the academy had just put them through.
’Truly an eccentric place.’
Glancing toward Darius, he decided to leave the problem for later. If anyone could help him choose reliable teammates, it would probably be his friend.
Finally, Carlos reached the moment everyone had been waiting for.
"Your rankings will be delivered to your watches shortly. Before that, however, there is something worth mentioning."
The dean smiled.
"This year, three students possess the privilege of hearing Gaia’s whispers."
The crowd exploded.
"What?!"
"Three Lisan Al-Gaia in the same year?!"
"That’s ridiculous!"
Silas immediately understood why Carlos had saved the revelation for the end. Had he announced it earlier, the three would have spent the entire ceremony attracting attention, envy, and resentment.
’So there are two others.’
He wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or concerned. Carlos concluded his speech shortly afterwards. And yet, no one left. Every student stared at their wristwatch, waiting.
Silas quietly scanned the crowd, wondering who the other two Lisan Al-Gaia might be. Before he could form any guesses, his watch vibrated, and a small hologram appeared on top of it.
A number materialised before his eyes, his ranking.
"Wow! I got tenth place!"
Darius nearly jumped from his seat.
"That’s amazing! What about you? Top five?"
"Sixty-nine."
"What?!!"
Darius froze and gave Darius a weird look, as if he was telling his friend it wasn’t the right time to throw such silly jokes. Then, when Silas kept the stern look on his face, Darius leaned closer to confirm what he had heard.
The number hovering above Silas’ watch was unmistakable. A big 69 was floating on top of the watch.
"There has to be a mistake..."
He stared at the ranking in disbelief.
"Let me talk to a teacher. Something’s definitely wrong."
"Hey, Darius! You made it here too?"
A voice interrupted them.
Silas turned to see a young man approaching.
"Montar."
A mixture of surprise and awkwardness appeared on Darius’ face. A flash of nervousness washed over his face, a reaction that didn’t escape Silas’ keen eyes.
"What a coincidence."
"It really is." Montar smiled. "Why are you sitting here instead of with us? Leopard is gathering the G-Enhancers. He’s ranked first this year, and he’s a Lisan Al-Gaia."
Without waiting for a response, Montar grabbed Darius and began leading him away. Silas watched them leave, feeling increasingly confused.
"A G-Enhancer..."
Memories of his earlier conversations with Darius resurfaced.
’Is this what he meant by coming from a normal family?’
For the first time, a small seed of doubt developed in Silas’ heart. Then he lowered his gaze toward his ranking once more.
’I did most of the planning. I killed the Dark Hunters.
So why am I only sixty-ninth?’
