Ranking

The tension was palpable as they awaited the results. Some recruits fidgeted with their uniforms, adjusting their clothes, while others stood rigidly at attention.

The air was thick with anticipation while waiting for the captain to speak.

The captain scanned the room, making eye contact with each recruit before beginning his speech.

"Before announcing your rankings, I want to remind you that your rank is not set in stone."

He said, his eyes sweeping across the room once more before continuing, "There will be more opportunities to change it in the future, based on your performance and progress. So don't be discouraged if you don't get the ranking you were hoping for today."

Kayden stood at the back, his expression thoughtful. He had been training hard, but not because of the sparring since he hadn't considered a result other than first place.

Now that he thought about it, he didn't even know what the benefits of being first in the ranking were.

The captain began announcing the rankings, starting from the lowest. As he mentioned each name, Kayden watched the reactions of the other recruits.

Some of them looked stoic as if they had already resigned themselves to their fate. Others looked visibly disappointed, their shoulders slumped and face downcast. And still, others looked relieved, as if they had dodged a bullet.

"Seventh place, Will."

Kayden raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Although he knew Will's rank was going to be low, he didn't imagine it would be that bad.

'He's certainly been the worst off today. I'm sure he'll be training like a madman in the next few days.'

Naturally, Will had been stunned since the captain spoke. His expression was both frustration and anger as he tried to control himself.

Considering that Will barely looked fourteen, Kayden knew that this setback had struck a severe blow against him.

Depending on how he reacted to this, it could end up being either beneficial or disastrous.

Ignoring Will's mood, the captain continued, "Sixth place, Josh."

He nodded with a full look of resolution in his eyes.

"Fifth place, Nick."

"Hmph" He snorted as if warning the others that he wasn't going to stop there.

"Fourth place, Lucas."

"Yes, sir."

He said, still with an unreadable expression.

"Now, the top three. In the third place, Charles."

The old man smiled kindly.

'Although Charles always looked gentle, Kayden couldn't forget his utter obsession when he asked the sergeant several times about lifespan.'

"Second place, Audrey."

Her face remained unperturbed as usual.

Finally, the captain called out Kayden's name. "In the first place, Kayden."

There were murmurs of surprise and admiration from some recruits. Kayden felt a twinge of pride, but he didn't show it. He knew there was still a long way to go before he could call himself a true cultivator.

The girl called Claire timidly asked, "Sir, how were the ranks decided among those who had the same victories?"

"Depending on the rank of the opponents they lost to," He began, "However, the first four places are an exception, and they were decided according to the annotations submitted by Sergeant Lee."

Although this didn't explain why Josh was behind Nick since the first one lost to Kayden, it was probably due to Nick fighting two of the white badges and winning one.

'Those annotations have to be about our speed unlocking the nodes,' Reasoned Kayden.

"I will see you tomorrow at the same time at the entrance of the main building to explain the basics about Trials and also the number of points given according to your rank."

After finishing with the announcement, the captain slightly encouraged the ones with bad ranks while warning the ones with good ranks not to get complacent.

"As I said before, your rank is not set in stone. You all have the potential to improve and move up in the rankings. I look forward to seeing your progress in the coming weeks."

With that, the captain dismissed the recruits, and they began to file out of the hall. Kayden hung back for a moment, watching the others leave while he reflected.

'There are some really strange people among this group. I should be cautious until I know what their objectives are.'

Even if this might be exaggerated and there was no need for suspicion, prevention was better than cure.

Moreover, he wasn't wrong. Audrey, Charles, Lucas, and Nick were too peculiar, and they all seemed to have a mysterious past.

First, there was Audrey. She had a talent for both cultivation and combat, especially with the rapier from what Kayden had seen. She also had a continuous stoic expression and didn't interact with others.

And for Charles, the combination of his obsession with the lifespan and his stunning skill with the spear, along with his gentle behavior, was chilling in Kayden's opinion.

Lucas, in contrast, had a permanent emotionless expression and resembled a robot created for battle when he fought. Added to this was his strong accent and rough English, making Kayden wonder what secrets his past was hiding.

Nick was extremely unsettling too. His way of fighting was brutal, and it made him look like a barbarian. Kayden wondered what kind of life he had lived to become so ruthless.

As he was thinking, the captain approached him, jolting Kayden from his thoughts. "Congratulations, recruit Kayden. Keep up the good work, don't lose your focus and your effort will be rewarded."

"I will, sir." Kayden nodded, thanking him without saying much.

The captain slightly smiled and said, "You're dismissed. See you tomorrow for the talk."

Kayden nodded again and left the room.

As he headed back to his dormitory, Kayden couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation when thinking about the talk about the Trials.

He knew that the Trials were going to be a daunting challenge, but he was ready for it. He was determined to succeed and prove himself as a true cultivator.

***

Kayden walked into his room, preparing to cultivate when he opened the window curtains and gasped.

He gazed up at what could only be Yggdrasil, The World Tree. An enormous log of incomprehensible dimensions stretching towards the heavens. Despite its distance, he could feel the weight of its ancient presence.

The trunk was adorned with intricate grooves and patterns etched over countless years, lending it an air of timeless majesty.

The crown and branches of the tree were a riot of color, each leaf glowing with an otherworldly light that pulsed and flickered like a living thing.

Kayden felt his breath catch in his throat at the sheer vitality of it all. It was as if the tree was a gateway to some other realm, a world of magic and wonder beyond his wildest dreams.