Chương 67: Bracelet

Ch 67 - Bracelet Hiroto, Reika, and Haruta stared at the Assessment Specialist in disbelief. Evan had to mimic their shock, even as he clenched his fists at his sides and fought back a grin. Finally!

"An S-rank, you say?" Haruta asked. The specialist nodded.

"Hiroto's mana reserve is still showing gradual growth. Right now, it's hovering between A-rank and S-rank, but I'm confident he'll soon possess the mana reserve of a true S-rank. However, considering he remained an F-rank for so long, I strongly recommend specialized training and guidance. He may initially struggle to keep pace with his peers because he lacks practical experience, but if this growth continues, there's little doubt he'll eventually join the ranks of S-rank Awakeners."

It was an overwhelmingly positive result, but Evan doubted Reika or Haruta saw it that way. Reika, in particular, looked stunned, her expression frozen as though the news had struck her like a physical blow. Ha! That's what you get for being such a bully! Look at you now! The brother you've looked down on for so long ended up with a higher rank than you! Evan could barely stop himself from grinning.

"I see. That's wonderful to hear," Haruta replied. Was she genuinely happy, or was she putting her acting skills to use? Or was Evan letting his own bias against Hiroto's parents cloud his judgment? He wasn't sure. Turning to Hiroto, he realized the boy hadn't moved an inch. If anyone was taking the news the hardest, it was him. Still dazed, the group left the assessment room and paused briefly in the reception area before heading outside.

Through the glass doors, they could see a crowd of reporters waiting just beyond the building's entrance, undoubtedly eager to learn the new rank of the boy whom the public had long branded as Thunder Wolf's failure of a son. Evan should be able to avoid the interview, right? He wasn't a member of the Konoe family, after all.

"Chin up, Hiroto. We're about to face the reporters," Haruta said. Hiroto pressed his lips together as a complicated expression crossed his face.

"If you don't want to speak, that's alright. Leave the talking to Mother." As the three Konoes headed toward the exit, Evan deliberately slowed his pace. Maybe this was the perfect chance to slip away with his stealth ability and meet them back at the car. Hiroto caught him before he could disappear. Their eyes met, and Hiroto gave him such a pleading look that Evan could only sigh in defeat and follow the three of them outside.

As they approached the press area, they were met by a sea of reporters gathered like piranhas sensing blood in the water. The moment the Konoes came into view, a barrage of voices erupted as journalists fought to have their questions heard first.

"Mrs. Konoe! How did Hiroto's reassessment go?"

"Can you tell us anything about the results?"

"Will you reveal Hiroto's provisional rank?"

"Mr. Hiroto! Are you satisfied with the outcome?"

"Can you at least tell us whether your rank has changed?"

"Mrs. Konoe, why does Hiroto look so overwhelmed?"

"One comment, please! Just one hint!" Evan squinted as countless camera flashes exploded around them. Hoping to stay out of sight, he subtly shifted behind Hiroto and Haruta, using Reika, who stood slightly behind them, as an extra shield. She shot him an irritated glare, but he pretended not to notice.

"It is with great happiness that I announce that my son, Hiroto, has received a new rank," Haruta said with a bright smile, while Hiroto kept his head lowered, refusing to face the sea of cameras and eager reporters. Her announcement only sent the reporters into an even greater frenzy.

"What rank did he receive?"

"Mrs. Konoe, can you tell us his provisional rank?"

"It has to be higher than F-rank, right?"

"Did he reach D-rank? C-rank? B-rank?"

"Wait... don't tell me he made A-rank?" Haruta's smile widened.

"According to the specialist, my son is on track to become an S-rank." For a single heartbeat, the entire press area fell silent. Then all hell broke loose.

"S-rank?!"

"Did she just say S-rank?"

"An F-rank jumped straight to S-rank?"

"Mrs. Konoe, how is something like this even possible?"

"Could there have been an error with the machine?"

"Are you saying his previous evaluation was completely wrong?"

"Did you and Thunder Wolf deliberately conceal his true rank all this time?"

"Oh, please don't say such outrageous things," Haruta replied.

"How could we possibly break the law? This is nothing short of a miracle. Even we never imagined our dear Hiroto possessed such extraordinary talent." The interview dragged on, with Haruta fielding question after question. Hiroto remained silent beside her, rigid as a statue. As the minutes passed, Evan began inching toward an escape, caring little about whether Hiroto approved. Before he could make his move, however, Reika cleared her throat into her fist, catching Haruta's attention.

"Ah, I think that's all the questions I'll be answering today. If you have any further inquiries, please direct them to our Media Relations Team," Haruta said. The torturous interview finally ended, and the four of them climbed back into the same black cars for the ride to the academy. News of Hiroto's reassessment raced through Nova Terra, reaching the academy before the next school day had even begun. By the time classes started, Evan noticed heads turning toward Hiroto in every corridor and classroom.

The dismissive glances and contemptuous sneers he had endured for years were gone, replaced by curious looks, stunned expressions, whispered speculation, and more than a few admiring stares. Hiroto only lowered his head further, his shoulders drawing inward beneath the attention. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Some students wasted no time trying to win his favor. During history class, the teacher instructed everyone to form groups for their latest assignment.

Normally, Hiroto and Evan would pair together by default, and whenever larger groups were required, they'd be left awkwardly scanning the room while everyone else formed their groups. Today was an entirely different story.

"Hey, Hiroto, want to team up?" one boy asked eagerly.

"I'm really good at history. I can help you out. Actually, if you're too busy, I can even do the whole assignment myself."

"Oh, please. You're useless," a girl scoffed, nudging him aside with her shoulder.

"Team up with me instead, Hiroto. I'm ranked third in the class."

"Third? And you're bragging about it?" The two began bickering. Evan groaned as he watched them argue. Meanwhile, Hiroto fidgeted with his fingers, looking as though he'd rather have the floor open up and swallow him whole.

"Um... sorry, but I'll team up with Evan," Hiroto said quietly. Both students turned toward Evan, who was sitting at the next table, and gave him looks of pure disgust, as if he'd tracked mud across their freshly polished shoes. Wow. Was I always this unpopular, or is my curse making me even more punchable? Evan grinned at them. Their scowls deepened, but after a few tense seconds, they reluctantly backed off.

"Look at you," Evan said, resting his cheek on one hand.

"A rising star."

"Don't say that," Hiroto muttered.

"They don't care about me. They only care about my rank."

"But those two weren't exactly bad catches," Evan said.

"That girl's the daughter of a rising mining executive, and that guy's the second son of a major entertainment company. You sure you want to settle for little old me?" Hiroto shook his head.

"Enough, Evan. Unlike them, you actually wanted to be my friend instead of caring about my status." The words struck Evan right in the heart. That wasn't true at all. He had only approached Hiroto because he knew the guy would one day become an S-rank. If anything, he was worse than those two. At least they were honest about what they wanted.... Well, not that he was ever going to admit that. His conscience had its limits.

Evan and Hiroto continued with their usual classes and training, though Hiroto's schedule grew busier as the instructors took a greater interest in him. After recognizing his potential, they started giving him more demanding lessons alongside his regular coursework. Despite his packed schedule, he never missed the weekend training sessions with Reid, showing up every Saturday and Sunday without fail.

Watching Hiroto endure those grueling workouts with the same stubborn determination Reid demanded, Evan silently wiped away a tear. It was official. Reid had successfully corrupted them both into training fanatics. Another week passed without anything particularly interesting happening. Then, at last, Yeon-ah finished the Artifact she had promised Reid. When Reid handed the bracelet to him, Evan examined it closely.

It was a slim band about a finger's width, its brushed silver surface etched with a faint pattern of overlapping scales. At first glance, it looked like nothing more than an elegant piece of jewelry, but as Evan poured mana into it, blue veins flickered beneath the metal, revealing the Dragon Heart Scale sealed within.

"Do you like it?" Reid asked.

"It looks really nice." Evan ran his fingers across the bracelet, feeling the cool metal beneath his touch.

"That's great. Besides the barrier Yeon-ah built into it, I added a little something myself. Since you don't seem capable of staying out of trouble, and I doubt I'll always be around to bail you out, I figured I'd make it so the bracelet could heal you too."

"You can do that?" Evan frowned. His mind raced through everything he remembered from Chronicles of a Demon Hunter. The series spanned thousands of chapters, packed with an absurd mountain of lore. While he had somehow managed to wrap his head around rituals and glyphs, he wasn't a genius who could memorize every page, nor did he have the convenient ability to reread it whenever he wanted like the protagonists in those stories. Could it be a special glyph?

Reid hadn't asked Yeon-ah to make any special adjustments during the Artifact's creation, so whatever he'd done must have happened afterward. Evan knew several methods of creating healing Artifacts, but they all required modifying the crafting process itself. This bracelet, however, had already been completed by Yeon-ah. Then what was it? A blessing from the First Light? The idea seemed unlikely.

The First Light was known for ignoring the affairs of mortals, rarely, if ever, intervening no matter how fervently people prayed. Had He made an exception for Reid? No... that couldn't be right. If the First Light had truly blessed it, the bracelet would've become a Sacred Relic, not merely an Artifact. Whatever Reid had done, it had to be something else.

"Yeah, but don't rely on it to do everything," Reid said with a chuckle.

"According to Yeon-ah, the bracelet absorbs ambient mana over time. You should get about three uses a day before it needs to recharge. It'll also activate automatically if you take a potentially fatal blow. As for its healing capabilities, it can close deep wounds and punctures, but it can't regrow a missing limb." Evan nodded, but another thought suddenly occurred to him.

"Wait, this Artifact's registered, right? I don't want us getting into trouble over this. Has she filed all the necessary paperwork?"

"Don't worry. Do you really think I'd forget something that important? I handled all the paperwork myself. The Artifact is officially registered under your name now."

"That's good. So, what rank is it? And what's it called?"

"It's an S-rank Artifact. As for the name… Yeon-ah decided to call it the Dragonheart Aegis Bracelet." It was a bit of a mouthful, but it was descriptive enough. Evan couldn't really complain. It was an S-rank Artifact, after all, and calling it something like the Barrier and Healing Bracelet would've been far lamer. With this new gift, Evan felt much safer than before.

He knew it was only a matter of time before his next catastrophic stroke of bad luck struck again, so having equipment like this would undoubtedly come in handy someday. Though hopefully, that day wouldn't come anytime soon. As the semester drew to a close, the academy began preparing for the final exams. Evan's cohort would be taking their first-semester Awakener exam inside the Tower, where they'd be tested in real combat situations.

The moment Evan heard they would be entering the Tower, he eagerly dug through his belongings, making sure he had everything he'd need for the trip. As a reader, he was familiar with the Tower. It had appeared countless times in the stories he'd read, usually as some impossible challenge for protagonists to conquer. Now he was finally going to step inside it himself. Here in Nova Terra, though, the Tower was simply part of everyday life.

Humanity had conquered it long ago, leaving little of the mystery and danger that had made it so exciting in fiction. The academy transported the students to the Tower by bus, and soon they gathered before its entrance. Standing so close to it, Evan found the Tower even more overwhelming. Its peak disappeared somewhere beyond the clouds. He eventually gave up trying to find it, figuring a crick in his neck wasn't worth it.

They arrived on Floor 70 through the Transfer Hall, where Edgar Scheerbart, the Guild Master of Eternal Flame, was waiting to greet them. Edgar had pale blond hair streaked with silver and a face marked by age, though neither had dulled his sharp blue eyes. Unlike the intimidating figure Evan had pictured a Guild Master to be, Edgar wore a simple black button-up shirt and matching pants, his relaxed demeanor belying his position.

"Well then, welcome to the Tower. Some of you have been here before, while others haven't," Edgar said.

"But don't get too excited. You're here for an exam, not a sightseeing trip. I'm sure you've already heard, but you'll be heading to Floor 71 for your final exam. I won't waste time explaining what you'll find there. You've already received the academy's briefing on the environment and the monsters you might encounter." He scanned the crowd.

"Your goal is simple: hunt as many monsters as you can. The stronger the monsters you defeat, the higher your score will be. Naturally, we'll also take your rank and abilities into account. We aren't expecting an E-rank student to defeat a drake." A few students shifted uneasily at the mention of such a powerful monster.

"Rest assured. My guild members will be keeping a close eye on all of you, so none of you should die. However, remember that being rescued will still cost you points. Don't charge into danger recklessly just because you think we'll save you every time. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" the students replied. The students filed back into the Transfer Hall and were sent to Floor 71. Unlike Floor 70, which was essentially a normal city inhabited by humans, the world waiting beyond the transfer point was completely different. True to its name, the Meteorite Plains were pocked with enormous craters, each one left behind by a fallen meteorite. Beneath a dark sky studded with countless stars, the vast terrain stretched beyond the horizon, its surface littered with fragments of celestial rock.

"Alright," Brooks said as he stood before them.

"You all know which group you belong to. Remember, you have four days to hunt, and on the fifth day, you will return to this outpost. Avoid unnecessary risks and think carefully before acting." As he spoke, Evan noticed the instructor's gaze linger on him and Hiroto a moment longer than on the others.

"I wish you all luck." The groups dispersed, officially beginning their first-semester Awakener final exam.