CHAPTER 68: EX 68. TOP CONTRIBUTORS

Back in the grand selection arena, the surviving cadets were gathered within a vast ceremonial hall. High-arched ceilings soared above them, and bright crystalline lights lined the polished walls, illuminating the space with a dignified glow. At the front stood a large, raised stage, elegant but imposing, meant for moments of true significance. And today was one of those moments.

Despite the weight of the event, the atmosphere buzzed with a strange, quiet joy, the kind that only came from surviving something harrowing together. The cadets exchanged looks and hushed whispers, the ghost of relief still resting on their shoulders. Out of the 4,567 cadets who had entered the arena, only a few had perished, James and his group, to be exact but no one shed tears for them.

Their deaths, as brutal as they were, felt... justified.

It was a cold truth, but one they had all accepted. They had caused the chain of events that nearly ended the Selection. In the Federation, actions had consequences, and in a world forged by war and trial, mercy wasn’t always afforded.

Then, without warning, a powerful presence swept across the hall like a sudden gust of wind.

Vanguard Rebecca Sky stepped onto the stage.

The murmuring stopped at once.

Not a single cadet dared to speak. Their bodies remembered the crushing weight of her aura from that moment she descended to face the demon. None wished to feel it again.

But beyond the fear was something deeper, reverence. Not the hollow admiration given to those in power, but a rooted, almost sacred respect. The kind born from witnessing someone stand between you and death itself.

All around the hall, cadets had different thoughts.

"She’s incredible."

"One day, I want to be that strong."

"How does someone become like her?"

"...I wonder if she has a partner..."

They varied in tone, but they were united in awe.

Standing beneath the stage’s lights, Rebecca swept her sharp blue gaze over them, her arms folded behind her back. She caught the quiet order and stillness of the room and allowed the corner of her lips to curve upward, just slightly.

Then she spoke, her voice calm, clear, and commanding.

"We will now begin the Selections Ranking Ceremony."

The words struck like a bell tolling across a battlefield. Every cadet straightened. The time had come.

****

Rebecca’s voice rang out with a clarity that silenced even the quietest of whispers.

"As you are all aware," she began, her tone brisk and authoritative, "the final rankings will be determined by two primary factors: the duration of your survival within the arena... and the number of beasts and cadets you eliminated."

Murmurs began to rise again, but she wasn’t finished.

"Additionally," she continued, her gaze hardening slightly, "if you were eliminated by another cadet and had your points taken, your final score will be reduced to zero."

At that moment, a collective wave of dread swept through a portion of the crowd. Faces paled. Bodies stiffened. Some clenched their fists, while others bit back curses. Several cadets had taken to reckless ambushes, backstabs, and rushed fights during the Selection, assuming it was just another glorified brawl. And now... they were realizing the cost.

It took visible effort for many to restrain their frustration. Some looked to the ground, others cast furious glares at those who had eliminated them. But no one spoke. No one dared.

Rebecca, unfazed, went on.

"However, those who were eliminated by trial beasts will not be scored the same. Your performance up until the moment of elimination will be taken into account."

That gave some minor consolation to a few, but not enough to ease the sting.

"Furthermore," Rebecca said, her voice growing sharper, "those who were eliminated by cadets will be ranked in a separate bracket, based solely on the time of their elimination. The earlier you were removed, the lower your placement."

A groan rippled silently through the hall. There was no sympathy. No mercy. Just cold, calculated order.

Then Rebecca added the final blow.

"Lastly, and most importantly," she paused for effect, letting the tension rise, "your contributions during the demon attack will also be evaluated. These will be added to your subtotal score, with heavier weight given to actions that directly saved lives or thwarted the demon’s objective."

Now every cadet in the hall was fully alert.

The mention of the demon shifted the atmosphere from tension to solemnity.

The stakes were higher than they realized.

Rebecca took one final step forward and raised her hand.

"Since everything is now clear..." she said, "...let us begin."

With a flash of radiant blue light, a massive floating list manifested in the center of the hall, holographic and shimmering, stretching vertically toward the ceiling like a pillar of truth.

Rows of names began to appear.

And in that moment, the entire hall held its breath.

As the glowing list expanded mid-air, every pair of eyes in the hall turned upward. A tense silence gripped the crowd, broken only by scattered voices of disbelief, relief, or rising frustration.

"I don’t believe I got zero points... now I have to join a defense base," someone groaned loudly from the back.

Another voice nearby snorted. "Look at the bright side. At least you didn’t rank last despite the zero."

"You fucking bastard, what’s the difference?!" the first cadet snapped back, drawing a few dry chuckles from those nearby who shared his misfortune.

Across the vast room, cadets wore every emotion imaginable, some elated, others devastated. A few burst into laughter, while others sat in stunned silence, unable to accept their rank. Years of training, and it all came down to this moment.

The shimmering list of names continued to scroll, and reality set in.

Only the top 500 cadets would be selected for the Federation’s prestigious Attack Branch.

It was one of the harshest filters in Selection history, and it showed. Even the 500th name bore zero points, spared only by the fact that they’d been eliminated in the final hours.

But above all the chaos and noise, five blurred names glowed brighter than the rest. Their rankings were untouched. Their scores spoke of battles survived, foes defeated, and actions taken in the heat of crisis.

They didn’t just earn their place.

They dared the system to move them.

Rebecca Sky stepped forward again, the quiet strength in her voice cutting cleanly through the scattered noise.

"As stated earlier," she said calmly, "one final criterion has been added to your ranks, your contributions during the demon incursion."

Murmurs echoed once more, cadets glancing at each other, wondering who among them had done enough to be considered.

Rebecca let the silence settle before continuing, her voice steady and sharp.

"Those who contributed significantly to repelling or delaying the demon, protecting others, or aiding in the evacuation, were awarded based on the impact of their actions."

Then, she raised her hand slightly, and her eyes narrowed.

"Now, I would like to call forward... the top contributors."

And with that, the hall fell utterly silent again, everyone waiting, hearts thudding, wondering which names would be spoken... and who would rise above as true pillars of their generation.