CHAPTER 89: BOTTOM OF THE RANKINGS

Chapter 89: Bottom of the Rankings

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The first day of the new month began with the faint sound of bells echoing across the academy grounds. Students filed into the classrooms with mixed energy— some with calm faces, others buzzing with expectation. In Class 1-D, though, the mood was restless before the homeroom teacher even stepped in. Everyone knew what the beginning of the month meant: point distribution.

For many students, the points were more important than their actual grades. Points dictated meals, shopping, comfort, even access to certain privileges on campus. If the class performed well, points flowed freely. If they performed poorly, they starved.

Arios sat at his desk near the center row, tablet already resting in front of him. Lucy slumped into the seat beside him with heavy steps, her expression already gloomy. Liza arrived last of the three, calm as usual, sliding her chair back with her typical disinterested air.

The chatter around them was louder than normal.

"Maybe we’ll finally recover some points this month."

"I heard Class 1-B’s numbers went through the roof."

"If we don’t climb soon, we’re screwed."

The door opened, and Mrs. Sarah stepped in.

"Quiet down," she said, her voice clipped but not angry. The class obeyed quickly. She walked to the front of the room, set her bag down, and faced the students.

"As you all know, today is the start of the new month. Bring out your school-issued tablets and check your individual points."

Dozens of students tapped their tablets at once. The quiet hum of digital screens filled the air.

Lucy peeked at hers and groaned loudly. "Zero. Still zero!" She leaned toward Arios immediately, glaring at her screen. "Why do I still have nothing?!"

Arios glanced at his own. "Seven hundred forty."

Liza tilted hers toward them. "Three hundred ninety."

Lucy nearly banged her head against the desk. "How is it fair that I’ve been stuck at zero for another month?!"

Liza smirked faintly. "Because you spent all your points. Don’t whine at me."

Around the room, similar voices rose.

"What the hell? My balance didn’t move!"

"Same here. No additions at all?"

"They froze us out?!"

Mrs. Sarah folded her arms and waited for the noise to die down. When it finally quieted, she spoke evenly.

"As you can see, none of you received any point additions this month. This is not a mistake. It is a deliberate punishment from the academy administration."

Shock rippled through the class.

"Punishment?"

"For what?"

"We didn’t even fail a test this month!"

Mrs. Sarah’s eyes swept over the room. "You may recall the duel between Arios Pureheart and Nathan from last month. During that event, many of you— nobles and commoners alike— acted in a manner unbecoming of academy students. You spat insults, cursed at each other, and disrupted the atmosphere. The academy holds equality among all students as a core principle. Your behavior insulted that value."

The room erupted again.

"That’s ridiculous!"

"It was just shouting!"

"Everyone yells during duels!"

Mrs. Sarah raised her hand, and the noise dimmed again.

"The administration sees it differently. To them, your class has failed to uphold the academy’s standard of equality. As punishment, no individual points have been awarded. Furthermore, your class points have been severely penalized."

She tapped her own tablet and projected the class standings on the wall.

Class Rankings – Current Points

* Class 1-A: 1550

* Class 1-B: 890

* Class 1-C: 350

* Class 1-D: 76

A stunned silence filled the room.

Lucy blinked at the number. "...Seventy-six? That’s... that’s all we have?"

A boy in the back stood up in disbelief. "That’s less than what we started with!"

Liza leaned back in her chair, unimpressed. "So, bottom of the barrel. Not surprising."

Whispers surged again, louder and more bitter this time.

"We’re dead last."

"Even Class C left us in the dust."

"This is insane. How are we supposed to rise to Class A with seventy-six points for the whole class?"

Someone slammed his fist against his desk. "This is exactly why we’re going nowhere! Everyone’s too busy bickering instead of working together."

A girl snapped back at him. "Don’t act like you weren’t one of the loudest during that duel!"

"That’s not the point!" He barked.

The argument snowballed. Nobles accused commoners, commoners blamed nobles, and others complained about reckless spending from last month.

Mrs. Sarah let it run for a while, then cut through it with her sharp voice. "Enough. The numbers are final. Complaining will not change them. Your class has seventy-six points. If you want next month to be different, then behave differently."

With that, she dismissed the meeting and left the room, her heels clicking against the floor.

As soon as she left, the class broke into chaotic conversations.

"Seventy-six points won’t even cover half the stuff we need to reach Class A!"

"We’ll have to live off the free section of the market again..."

"The cafeteria’s cheap menu is going to kill me."

"I spent all my savings last month. I’ve got nothing left."

Lucy slumped onto the desk dramatically. "No points, no good food, no shopping... I can’t survive like this."

Liza crossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand. "Maybe you should’ve saved your points instead of buying cake every other day."

"It was worth it!" Lucy shot back immediately, then groaned louder.

Arios wasn’t surprised. From his knowledge of the anime, he knew that Class 1-D would finish last and receive no individual points. That was why he had preserved his own points. He couldn’t, however, do anything about Lucy’s situation, as she had already been at zero points before they even met.

Among the class, Arios was second only to Elisa Ravenscroft, who had 830 individual points.

Arios was just quiet. He was thinking of what to do about Amelia, taking mental notes through his thought process.

Amelia, he thought. I won’t let anything happen to you.

The class punishment wasn’t just about the duel. It was about sending a message: the academy wouldn’t tolerate division. If Class 1-D kept splitting itself, they’d never climb the ranks.

Many people understood this, especially Kyousuke, the class genius. After the midterm duels, he had taken the spotlight due to his impenetrable defense. He simply let the noise swirl around them, with everyone else whining at his side, some smirking at the chaos, and the rest of the class drowning in complaints.

The month had barely started, and already Class 1-D was at the very bottom.