The crowd begins to cheer in excitement for this year’s A-Rank champion. But Leo just sits there, not entirely satisfied with his victory.

Leo: Fight for someone else huh? heh.

He mumbles to himself before both Leo and Red are escorted off the field for medical treatment.

--- Chapter 130 ---

After they receive medical treatment, all the finalists are brought into the ring for the closing ceremony. All 32 line up, and in the front there is a small stage. On the stage is the proctor, the scientist from the fear test, the announcer, the boy who has been fixing the arena, and a middle-aged man that hasn’t been seen thus far.

Man: Hello, I am Audie Enger.

The falls into a low murmur.

Luna: Who’s that?

Red: Audie Enger is the branch manager of the Eastern Alliance branch of the Mage Association. He’s also ranked 12 on the SS+ mage rankings.

Luna: Oh wow, so this guy is a pretty big deal.

Red: Yup.

Audie: This year’s games were rather interesting, and you all fought well. We will be issuing all who make A-rank an official combat rating. Combat ratings are the addition of the following statistics; Strength, Endurance, Magic, Willpower, Problem-solving, Agility, and Luck. First, we will start with this year’s winner, Leonardo Magbit. You are hereby an A-Rank mage, capable of participating in A-Rank missions, and all perks listed with A-Rank at your guild’s discretion. You’re given the Combat Rating 203,417, bringing you the two-star status.

The crowd cheers for Leo. Every mage is also given a star ranking, which they get one star for every 100,000 in their combat rating.

Audie: Now, for the honorary A-Ranks. This year, there are eight spots available, and any one of the finalists can gain this. Our first honorary A-Rank is Red, with a combat rating of 173,637, giving you one-star status.

Red: Yes!

Audie: Our second is Levi, with a combat rating of 186,337, and one-star status. Third, we have Hiro, with a combat rating of 156,243 and one-star status.

Hiro gives a sigh of relief.

Audie: Fourth, we have Sugima, with a combat rating of 147,983, and one-star status. Fifth we have Cari, with a combat rating of 97,564 and zero-star status. Sixth, we have Geno, with a combat rating of 173,119 and one-star status. Seventh, Romeo with a combat rating of 43,789 and zero-star status.

Luna looks at the ground and sighs.

Audie: And lastly, our eighth spot goes to Luna, with a combat rating of 117,784 and one-star status.

Luna raises her head with shock and happiness. She looks to her left at Red and Hiro, and they both give her a thumbs up.

Audie: Now for explanations. Red, you showed incredible promise, swift decision-making, and above all else, your power seemed to grow each match. I will keep my eye out for your future endeavors.

Red genuinely smiles at the compliment.

Audie: Levi, your incredible skill in combat, along with adept knowledge of your arcana and Archaic magic landed you this spot. Hiro, your compassion for your opponent, and your incredible skill with the blade and visual techniques landed you this spot. Sugima, you have incredible knowledge about the art of combat, matching magic items to your arcana to boost your overall power, and your visual technique is refined and mastered. Cari, you were given this spot for your compassion, unbeatable resolve, and ability to pacify your enemy and render them unable to battle without injuring them. While your arcana is not combat-oriented, the fact you got so far in the tournament is inspirational and others without combat-oriented abilities can learn and look up to you. Geno, while you weren’t able to participate as much, you were given this spot for the round of combat you did participate in. You showed incredible mastery over your insignia and power, as well as mastery over the greatsword. Romeo, while you had the lowest combat rating of the passing, you were given this spot for your greater ability to pacify the enemy and make them willingly give up, despite its limiting factor of being ineffective against men. And Luna, you showed incredible resolve to move on in the tournament, even bringing yourself to a near-death state. While it was incredibly reckless, it’s that type of attitude that makes heroes.

The crowd cheers them all on.

Audie: Those who didn’t make A-rank, I wish you the best of luck next year. I thank everyone for coming today, have a good rest of your day. This concludes this year’s A-Rank Exams.