Chapter 144: Graduated from the Braveheart Knight Academy
The Braveheart Knight Academy’s third-year graduation ceremony was about to begin. I could see that only about half of the third-year students had passed the final exam. That meant the other half had failed and would have to retake the exam next year. I was grateful that my friends and I had made it through.
I sat among my friends, all of us side by side. Marius looked nervous, while Lyra, Freya, and Amelia seemed happy—though I had a feeling they were still thinking about what had happened yesterday. Julius and Termina sat together, while Luna sat with Erin and her team, including Hendrik. I could see traces of nervousness on their faces.
Finally, the ceremony began, and the headmistress, Arsene, stepped forward to give her opening speech.
"Greetings to the future knights of the Braveheart Kingdom. All of you here today have successfully completed your final exams. You have endured grueling trials, from conquering dungeons to facing the unexpected—battling not just one but two Demon Warlords... and emerging victorious. Be proud, for this is an outstanding achievement. This also signifies that the future of Braveheart’s knights shines brighter than ever."
Arsene’s voice carried passion and energy, her enthusiasm overflowing as she addressed us.
"For this year’s final exam, I will now reveal the contribution rankings based on dungeon conquests and the battle against the Demon Warlords."
With a wave of her hand, Arsene cast a spell that projected a floating list of names alongside their respective contribution points.
Out of the 80 third-year students, only 40 had passed the exam, having met the minimum requirement of 200,000 contribution points. Most of the successful students came from Class 3-A and 3-B, while my class, 3-C, barely had a quarter of its students passing.
Compared to previous years, this was the largest number of graduates in the academy’s history. A testament to the ever-rising standards required to pass.
Slowly, the rankings appeared, from 40th place upward. The lower ranks were filled with students from Class 3-C, but my name—and the names of my close friends—were nowhere in sight. That was to be expected. Our contribution points were far higher.
As the list climbed toward the mid-ranks, it included students who had made it to Floor 40 of the dungeon. I recognized several faces—people we had fought alongside against the dungeon bosses. Seeing their relieved and joyful expressions, I couldn’t help but smile.