Chapter 80: The Final Result of the Competition.
The crowd saw Joshua and his friends leave, and immediately burst into applause and shouts. They had wanted Aiden and his friends to win from the start, and Aiden, who had shown incredible strength, had made them even more excited.
"Yeah, that's it, kid! You are the best!"
"That punch was awesome!"
"Yeah, run, you little brats! This is what you get for trying to fight an injured kid!"
"Julian!"
"Julian!"
"Julian!"
"Julian!"
"Julian!"
The crowd chanted Aiden's name over and over as he sat calmly on a rock, his expression cold and unreadable.
Hannah arrived beside him and immediately began to heal his arm, which was not yet fully healed. After healing with his arm, she moved on to his ribs, and sweat began to form on her forehead.
She was a Stage 1 mana cultivator, and healing such severe injuries was taking a great toll on her.
But she gritted her teeth and continued without pause. She didn't like fighting and only wanted to help people, so her determination in these situations was far stronger than most others'.
After a few moments, Aiden's arm and ribs were completely healed. He stood up and nodded at Hannah, who was now drenched in sweat. Angela also finished healing Jeremy, and the twins took him away to tend to him further.
Isaac looked at Aiden and said quietly, "Thank you." He was expressing gratitude for showing Jeremy kindness. Mason also bowed, and the three of them left.
Olivia then looked at Aiden and said, "We are leaving. We have to hunt monsters, or else we will end up in last place."
Aiden nodded toward her as she left. Henry looked at Victoria and Nathan and said, "Let's go. The competition is not over." Nathan followed him, while Victoria turned to Aiden and said, "Be careful." Then she left with her team.
Aaron, who had now sided with Aiden, had nowhere else to return, so he stayed by Aiden's side. Angela then looked at Aiden and said, "We will also be taking our leave." Aiden nodded in acknowledgment.
Angela, Hannah, and Peter then left to continue their hunt. Now, only Ashley, Aiden, Bryan, and Aaron remained. A few meters away from them lay the Wyvern, unable to move.
Aiden hadn't cut its ear because it was far too big to carry, and everyone had already seen him defeat it, so his points were effectively confirmed. Aiden and his team didn't move from their spot, knowing that they had already won the contest.
Three hours passed before all the teams returned to the stadium. Every other team had entered except Aiden's team. Suddenly, the tunnel doors opened, and Aiden and his team entered.
The crowd erupted into cheers. They were impressed not just by Aiden's strength, but by his bravery.
After a few moments, the crowd quieted as the man in the black coat with white hair appeared, hovering above the stadium. He was there to announce the results of the first contest.
He clapped his hands to get everyone's attention and said in a loud voice, "The first competition has ended, and everyone has seen all the teams and their battles. Now I will announce the final results of the competition and the rankings of each team."
"At number ten," he continued, "is the team from the Healing Department, led by Angela Fray. They earned 67 points."
The crowd didn't criticize them but cheered instead.
"Don't be disheartened that you are last," someone called out. "You are last in the competition, but in our hearts, you have already won." The crowd encouraged them warmly.
The announcer went on, "At ninth spot is the team from the Light Department, led by Noah Huxley, with 70 points." The crowd began to boo, and Noah frowned slightly.
"At the eighth spot is the team from the Illusionary Department, led by Jeremy Jeager, with 73 points." The crowd remained silent.
Jeremy's team had been lower because, for most of the competition, he was dazed and didn't fight or kill any monsters. Isaac and Mason protected him while handling the monsters themselves.
The announcer continued, "At seventh spot is the team from the Lightning Department, led by Joshua Draconia, with 75 points." They only had two members because Aiden had already defeated Liam, leaving him unable to fight further. The crowd booed again.
"At sixth spot is the team from the Puppeteer Department, led by Kyle Hawthrone, with 78 points." The crowd also booed them.
"At fifth spot is the team from the Earth Department, led by Henry Gorgon, with 82 points." The crowd cheered loudly for them.
"Fourth spot goes to the team from the Parasitic Department, led by Olivia Azirph, with 85 points." The crowd erupted into wild cheers.
The announcer's voice continued, "Now, the top three of the competition. At the third spot is the team from the Wind Department, led by Jack Kensington, with 95 points." The crowd clapped in approval.
"At second spot is the team from the Fire Department, led by Logan Pavlov, with 110 points." They had avoided the battle between the top students, allowing them more time to hunt monsters, which helped them accumulate more points. The crowd applauded in recognition.
"Now, the first spot that everyone has been waiting for," the announcer said, his voice rising.
"The team that won the first competition, the team that surprised everyone, and their leader who bravely fought a Wyvern all alone—the team that dominated the whole competition: the team from the Water Department, led by Julian Cross, with 150 points."
The crowd exploded into cheers, chanting Aiden's name over and over again. Aiden and his team had won with a huge margin, and many had witnessed his unmatched strength.
Everyone now knew that Aiden was the strongest first-year student in the academy.
On the balcony beside William's, Edward Draconia had a dark expression on his face. He now viewed Aiden as a far greater threat than before.
Aiden had defeated a Wyvern nearly equal in strength to a Stage 2 mana cultivator and had forced every other student, including Joshua and Christian, the geniuses of the Draconia Family, to retreat.
Edward whispered to the man beside him, "The moment that child leaves the academy, kill him immediately."
The man in the black suit nodded. "Yes, my lord."
The competition ended, and William stood up, announcing loudly, "The first competition of the exam has ended. The second competition will start tomorrow."
With that, all the teams went to their rooms to rest, and the crowd left the stadium. Aiden was the only one left standing, walking alone toward the forest.
He reached the place where he had defeated the Wyvern. Its massive body lay helpless on the ground, its limbs destroyed. It saw Aiden approaching and began to tremble in fear. Aiden slowly walked to its face and raised his hand.
The Wyvern closed its eyes as if accepting death, but then it felt a warm sensation across its damaged eye. It opened its left eye and saw Aiden placing his hand over it. His hand glowed with healing mana.
The Wyvern did not move an inch, fearing Aiden. Fifteen minutes later, its damaged eye was completely healed. Aiden then moved to its wings, climbing onto its large body, and began to mend the destroyed wings.
After an hour, the Wyvern's wings were fully restored. Its legs were also healed. It stood up and slowly backed away, its fear growing. It didn't understand why Aiden, the person who had harmed him, was now healing him. The creature growled, still wary.
Aiden spoke softly, "Don't be afraid. I didn't want to hurt you, but I had to. Please forgive me."
It was the first time in a year that he had spoken any kind words to another being. The Wyvern remained on guard, growling quietly, until Aiden suddenly vanished before it could see what had happened.
He appeared again directly in front of the Wyvern, placing his hand on its face as he said. "Don't be afraid. If I had any bad intentions, I would have already done it instead of healing you."
The Wyvern, intelligent and cautious, realized it had been used as bait to lure Aiden into its trap. It could not detect how fast he had moved. Aiden had used the enhanced version of Blitz, a Stage 2 mana spell, to appear before it undetected.
Hearing Aiden's words, the Wyvern stopped growling. Aiden placed his hand on its face again and caressed it gently. "Forgive me," he whispered. The Wyvern paused, then nodded, seemingly understanding everything Aiden had said.
Aiden said softly, "I will leave now." He vanished once again, unseen by the Wyvern. It stood for a few moments, then rose into the air and slowly flew back toward its cave, its limbs fully healed but its fear of Aiden remaining.
Aiden watched it go, the cold, determined expression returning to his face. His victory, his mercy, and his presence had left a mark on everyone who had witnessed it, and the forest was quiet, knowing the first contest had ended—but Aiden's journey was only beginning.
Author's Note: Aiden shows kindness to the Wyvern as his path towards revenge continues. Stay tuned for more chapters.