Dusan Sinclair Rubeus cleared his throat and spoke in his deep, loud, booming voice that echoed inside X's ears, causing him to hear it multiple times over. Was this some kind of theatric applied by the Tower Master, who was famous for his ability to turn anything into fun and games?
'It is a courtesy to announce the top ten, although only eight are selected to participate in the next round. In tenth place, we have Valoric, who has killed 13 demons without a party, and gained 13 points.'
A tall boy with a hairstyle similar to Brik's which covered his eyes and contrasted with his fair skin, who was on the other side of the mob of contestants raised his hands in joy. Only after noticing that the others were staring at him did he realize that he was tenth in the competition, and could not participate in the next round. There was no way for him to conceal his disappointment, so he covered his face with his hands to ensure that others didn't gaze at him.
The Tower Master kept speaking in his neutral booming voice, which no longer reverberated in X's ears. He did not seem to be affected by the kid's disappointment, which was to be expected. He had been experiencing the exact same events for at least a couple of decades.
'In ninth place, we have Thane, who has killed 14 demons.'
He pointed to a guy with a staff. He stood still and did not move, undoubtedly not wanting to become an embarrassment like Valoric. His staff, however, revealed his hidden excitement, since it glowed with a bright golden light. He seemed to hiding from someone, as if he was sure that the moment the person he was hiding from would look at him, his life would be over. X was pondering over whom the unfortunate boy had angered, ruling out possibilities. It could not be the Tower Master, could it?
'At eighth place, we have Darren from the Riversword House, Lord of Nevice, with 18 points.'
The kid with the sword was shocked, like he could not believe that he had scored so low. It was evident from his facial expressions, since he stood there dumbfounded, staring at Dusan Sinclair Rubeus with an open mouth. It was the perfect opportunity to tease the overconfident kid who thought he was the center of the universe, so that was exactly what someone did. Next to him, the fat guy snickered, trying to hold back his laughter, constantly mocking him by mentioning his low score.
'At least I managed to make it into the top 8. What about you? I am ready to bet a thousand gold coins that you will not be on the list. What was your name, fat boy?'
'In seventh place, we have Goofy, with 19 demon kills'
The fat guy raised his hands to indicate that it was him, and tried bowing, but tripped on a slightly raised stone on the floor and fell. He got up and held a hand out to Darren, waiting for his thousand gold coins. Such a nice day to scam a snotty noble, even if nobility had been banned for the past couple of generations.
'At sixth place, we have Elara, who has killed 17 demons.'
The girl with the bow beamed with joy and bowed before the Tower Master, and unlike Goofy, actually managed to do it properly. Dusan Sinclair Rubeus nodded his head in satisfaction as he moved his hand to tell the other winners that this was how they were supposed to react.
'In fifth place, we have One Fist Rose, who has killed 20 demons.'
The girl with the bandage raised her left hand, which was bandaged. Her other hand was coated with demon blood. Wasn't her right hand the one that was bandaged? X felt very anxious. He did not remember how many demons he killed, but he did remember his twelfth kill. He started biting his nails with anticipation.
'In fourth place, we have Spear Master Javier, who has killed 21 demons.'
A guy raised his spear in the air, and as he did, a pure white aura blasted out of the spear. He then bowed to the academy Headmaster. X started to sweat, the anxiety he managed to escape from so far finally getting him in its clutches. His body shivered, and his head started to hurt. Only three more places were left, and he did not even know how many demons he had killed. That icy woman might know, but she was keeping quiet. If he did not get into the academy, he would have to stay back and train for another year.
' In third place, we have...'
Everybody waited with bated breaths. They were all curious to know who had reached the top three. These people had the highest chance of enrolling in the Academy and were the face of the hunters of their generations, the peak of strength for everyone their age. Dusan Sinclair Rubeus took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and shouted out the name so loud, it echoed through the entire city alongside X's head.
'X, with 22 demon kills.'
X couldn't believe it. He had reached the second round and obtained third place. He almost jumped up and down in joy, then looked around and realized that there were more than a hundred people there. His body started to heat up on its own as if it sensed the excitement, but his social anxiety replaced the normal anxiety he had felt moments before. There was something else, a pain in his head as if someone stuck there was banging on a door. Someone who knew how to act in these circumstances. X took a deep breath and opened the door. And lost control over his body immediately.
X watched as his own right arm was raised, the one that was holding the hatchet. His hand shivering, and it was not all exhaustion, and all around him, people gasped. X felt odd as well as if everything around him was suddenly brighter. Then he realized that he was glowing golden and that there was a light pink glow in his eyes. His head turned around to look at everyone, and X could see his reflection in the eyes of the onlookers. He looked strong and regal, an ancient light hidden amongst men. He looked like an actual knight, the ones from the story books. He looked absolutely unlike everything he was. He looked powerful.
Dusan Sinclair Rubeus had to shake himself and tap on his head to focus on the task at hand and quit staring at X. He breathed heavily, his magic amplifying the sound, and then cleared his throat loudly as if to indicate that there were still two more people waiting, two more spots to be filled. Everybody looked away from X, and at the old Headmaster, and X was happy that he was no longer the center of attention, as he regained control over his body, and stopped glowing. Everyone wanted to know. Who were the two students who had achieved the highest positions?
'Second place has been secured by... Brik Ossibus, with 23 demon kills.'
His voice boomed even louder when he screamed out Brik's name. Everybody looked at Brik, including X, but Brik remained neutral. X had never seen him like this before. If it was the old Brik, his friend, the Brik he knew, he would be jumping up and down in joy, just like X himself. But they both had changed and now there was more than a dead person between them. He was glaring at Thane, the person who got ninth place. X thought that maybe this guy had angered Brik. He somehow managed to escape his wrath by getting ninth place. But the anger was not just something light, it was misdirected. Thane was temporarily receiving only a small part of the hidden wrath that was meant to be piercing X's heart by now.
'The first place, the person with the most kills in the entire competition. Everybody, give a round of applause for... w..wait a minute. You have gained, twe... twenty-six kills. Direct selection. Direct selection. Aq For... Aqua has joined the academy as a student directly after the first round. A monumental achievement, and a historical moment in the history of the Academy. You are the second person to join the school directly, after the Dragon Knight. Aqua, as the Headmaster of the institution, I formally congratulate you.'
At that moment, everybody forgot the other winners, about the glowing kid and the one with an unchanging, emotionless face. They all looked at Aqua. Before the announcement, most people who had a gist of this year's roster of participants knew that Aqua would be the winner since her other competitors had achieved the other positions. But direct selection. That was something else, something they all did not expect. It deserved all the respect they could muster, and more.
The claps from the audience and fellow contestants were so loud, so disjointed, that it was causing a headache for the people in the city. The Tower Master also joined in, forgetting that he had cast noise amplification magic on himself. Bells were rung loudly as if the person in charge of it wanted to be a part of this applauding army. And in the center of this, stood Aqua, puzzled, unsure if they were really clapping for her.
The appreciation continued for a couple of minutes, and then Aqua was shown her way to the Academy dorms. After that, most of the contestants who were not part of the top eight left. But as the ninth place, Thane was about to leave, Brik placed his hand on the former's shoulder with a polite smile. But the smile, which was completely out of position on Brik's face, contorted with barely restrained rage, gave everyone standing there creeps.
'Where do you think you're going? You are part of the top eight since Aqua is not there.'
The guy quivered and shook his hand, trying to escape, but Briks grip was too strong. The muscular kid turned his head and glanced at X. His face immediately changed, and all semblance of benevolence in it was gone, the smile washed away by his wrath. Luckily, a booming voice gave out an order.
'Brik, leave him. I am going to explain the rules of the next round. It is going to be a competition, with the top four in the contest getting to enter the Academy. Since Aqua is not a part of the contest, Brik is first. And he goes up against the last place, Thane.'
The Tower Master nodded at Brik before continuing.
'Serves you right for spreading rumors and causing problems in the contest. The second place, X goes up against the second-last place, Darren. The third place, Javier goes up against Goofy, and Rose is up against Elara. You shall not use real weapons, but wooden weapons provided by the Academy can be used.'
No weapons. X could not use a wooden hatchet, since it would just burn up while he attacks. After explaining, Dusan Sinclair Rubeus teleported everyone out of the Academy. X immediately left for the Great Boar Inn, the place where he had been staying for a while, unable to stand beside Brik for even a moment without bringing up Uncle Ken. When he reached the inn, the thin, lanky inn owner stood up and walked towards him, and X thought he was a larvae. X gripped his hatchet before realizing who it was and letting go. Not his fault since they both look so similar.
'So...how did it go?'
'Third place. I am selected for the second round.'
'Wow. Congratulations. We must have a party.'
He spoke out barely audible, unable to handle the news. After taking a deep breath and controlling himself, he repeated the announcement to everyone present in the hall with a loud scream.
'My boy here passed the first round of the Royal Academy exam. He even got third place. All drinks on me.'
Everyone roared, and X spent the entire evening up to midnight sitting at the corner, so that no one talked to him. A competition, huh? Hopefully, he wouldn't have to fight against Brik.