The courtyard of Astra Dominion Academy was louder than usual that morning.
Students from every dormitory had gathered around the enormous holographic board standing at the center of the plaza. The screen was still dark, but everyone knew what was about to appear on it.
The first official academy rankings.
At Astra Dominion Academy, rankings were not just numbers. They determined everything—training privileges, access to special equipment, private instructors, and most importantly, reputation among other students.
For many of them, this list would decide their future.
Kai pushed his way through the crowd with excitement shining in his eyes.
"Come on, hurry!" he said as he pulled Leo forward. "The rankings are about to be announced."
Behind them, Ryu walked with a confident smile, his hands in his pockets.
Milan followed quietly, already analyzing the system in his mind.
"I read about this last night," Milan said calmly. "The academy ranking system doesn't depend only on power."
Kai looked back at him. "Then what else?"
"Combat efficiency, reaction speed, intelligence during training, and potential growth," Milan replied.
Ryu chuckled.
"Well, then I'm definitely in the top 200."
Kai laughed loudly.
"You're dreaming."
Leo remained silent as he looked at the large screen floating above the courtyard. Hundreds of students stood around them, whispering nervously and making predictions about their ranks.
Some students were confident.
Others looked worried.
A sudden mechanical voice echoed across the courtyard.
"Attention students. Astra Dominion Academy initial ranking announcement will now begin."
The holographic screen flickered to life.
Rows of names began appearing one after another.
The ranking started from the bottom.
Students watched carefully as the numbers slowly climbed upward.
Ranks in the five hundreds appeared first.
Then the four hundreds.
Many students sighed in relief just to see their names on the list.
Kai crossed his arms impatiently.
"This is taking forever."
Ryu laughed.
"Relax. We'll appear soon."
The rankings continued.
Three hundred.
Then two hundred.
Milan suddenly leaned forward.
"Wait."
Kai squinted at the screen.
Then he smiled.
"Hey! Milan!"
The screen displayed:
Rank 298 – Milan
Milan blinked once.
"That's… acceptable."
Kai slapped him on the shoulder.
"Acceptable? That's good!"
The list continued moving.
Soon another familiar name appeared.
Rank 260 – Kai
Kai jumped slightly.
"Yes!"
He raised both hands proudly.
"Top 300!"
Ryu laughed loudly.
"You're celebrating too early."
A few moments later, the screen displayed another name.
Rank 210 – Ryu
Ryu nodded confidently.
"Not bad."
Kai rolled his eyes.
"Okay yeah… that's actually pretty good."
Milan adjusted his glasses and looked around.
"Leo hasn't appeared yet."
Kai frowned.
"That's weird."
Many students believed Leo would appear near the bottom because he had shown almost no mana during the awakening tests.
But the rankings continued climbing.
Rank 150.
Rank 120.
Rank 100.
Still no sign of Leo.
Kai blinked in confusion.
"Did the system skip him?"
Ryu scratched his head.
"That doesn't make sense."
Students around them also began whispering.
"Where's that guy Leo?"
"I thought he was weak."
"Maybe he's below rank 500."
The rankings moved higher.
Rank 80.
Rank 60.
Rank 50.
Now the crowd became louder. Students in the top fifty were considered elite among the first years.
Kai leaned closer to the screen.
"Still nothing…"
Milan frowned thoughtfully.
"That's strange."
The numbers continued rising.
Rank 40.
Rank 30.
Rank 20.
Then suddenly the screen displayed a new name.
The courtyard fell silent.
Rank 12 – Leo
For a moment no one reacted.
Then whispers exploded everywhere.
"Leo?!"
"Who is that?"
"Isn't he the one with no awakening?"
"That has to be a mistake!"
Kai turned slowly toward Leo.
"Rank twelve…"
His mouth slowly opened.
"HOW?"
Ryu stared at the screen again.
"That's impossible."
Milan adjusted his glasses again, clearly confused.
"The system analyzes all training data…"
He looked at Leo carefully.
"You must have scored extremely high in combat efficiency."
Leo looked at the screen calmly.
"I just did the test."
Kai grabbed his head dramatically.
"You 'just did the test' and ended up in the top fifteen?!"
Students nearby were staring at Leo now.
Some looked shocked.
Others looked suspicious.
One tall student whispered angrily.
"That ranking must be wrong."
But the system continued displaying the remaining ranks.
Rank 10.
Rank 8.
Rank 5.
The tension grew stronger.
Finally the top position appeared.
Rank 1 – Luna
Many students turned their heads immediately.
Luna stood quietly near the edge of the courtyard.
Her silver hair moved gently in the morning wind.
Her violet eyes glowed faintly as she looked at the ranking screen.
No surprise appeared on her face.
She had expected this result.
Students around her began whispering with admiration.
"That's the girl who scored highest in the entrance test."
"She's incredibly strong."
Kai leaned closer to Leo.
"That girl is terrifying."
Ryu nodded.
"She's definitely on another level."
As if sensing their conversation, Luna slowly turned her head.
Her glowing violet eyes scanned the courtyard.
Then they stopped.
Directly on Leo.
For a brief moment, their gazes met across the crowded plaza.
Leo remained calm.
But Luna's lips curved into a faint smile.
Because she could see something others could not.
Even from this distance, she could sense the strange silence surrounding Leo's presence.
It felt like staring into an endless night sky.
Peaceful.
But hiding something enormous beneath its darkness.
She whispered quietly to herself.
"You're interesting, Leo."
Meanwhile, in the observation room high above the academy, several instructors were watching the same ranking list.
Instructor Kael crossed his arms as Leo's name appeared.
"Rank twelve."
Instructor Mira nodded slowly.
"The system detected his combat precision."
Roland sighed quietly.
"That boy will attract attention now."
Kael stared at the screen for a moment longer.
"And attention is dangerous."
Back in the courtyard, students were still talking about the unexpected ranking.
Kai shook his head.
"I still don't believe it."
Ryu laughed.
"You're just jealous."
Milan looked thoughtful.
"This academy is full of talented people…"
Then he looked directly at Leo.
"But I think the most dangerous one might be standing right here."
Leo simply looked back at the sky.
Far above the academy, the clouds drifted slowly across the blue horizon.
But deep inside the cracks of reality itself, something ancient had already begun to stir.
Somewhere in the distant wilderness, a powerful creature slowly opened its glowing eyes.
It had felt something unusual.
A faint ripple of divine energy spreading through the world.
The creature growled softly.
Because after centuries of silence…
Something had finally appeared on Earth again.
Something powerful enough to shake the balance of the entire world.