I WAS The Rank–1 Hero-Chapter 99: Clear Warning [1]

After strolling for five minutes, I made my way inside the auditorium.

The students who were once gathered in front of the entrance were all gone—probably taking their seats inside. Slowly walking toward the entrance, I noticed that the number of guards here was fewer than outside.

I could hear loud chatter coming from inside the auditorium, but I didn't pay it any mind.

Once I stepped inside, I was astounded by what I saw before me.

The auditorium was undeniably grand. A massive ceiling overhead, lined with theater lights that illuminated the vast space below. Rows of red cushioned seats stretched out in a step-ladder arrangement, designed for the perfect view of the stage.

At the front, a podium stood tall, more than twenty microphones attached to it. The front row was packed with media personnel and news reporters, cameras and notepads in their hands.

Just a few rows behind them sat the faculty members. I spotted Miss Angelica there, engaged in conversation with one of our professors.

And behind the faculty, the students were seated in chronological order according to their academy year.

Just watching all those media and cameras, I gulped.

Neither I nor Ruby had any good memories with them. The way they twisted their questions always made me question my understanding of language.

But for some reason, the Hero Association never bothered to answer any of the media's questions. I still wonder why they did that.

Maybe because I was just a kid?

'That's because those Hero Association people know you suck at making excuses.'

One day, I swear, I will exorcise this ghost.

'I hope Ruby tackles all those questions.'

Putting those thoughts aside, I scanned the back row for any empty seats, but before I could do anything, my wristband vibrated.

I tapped on the screen and saw a notification from Anna:

<Anna Ashborn>

[Look to your right!]

Hmm. Right…?

I turned my head to the right as instructed, and there I saw Anna. She was seated in the third-last row. And she wasn't alone—Aria, Julius, and his friend group were also there.

Anna wore her usual smile, gesturing for me to sit beside her by lightly patting the cushion. But just by looking at her, I could tell she wasn't happy.

She was just like me—someone who didn't enjoy being in large circles.

And she knew that.

Yet, despite that, she was calling me.

I made my way toward her, and when she noticed me approaching, I saw her expression shift into a smug look.

My eye twitched.

I knew exactly what she was thinking right now.

'If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me.'

"Good morning, Zane," Anna greeted me, catching the attention of the rest.

Aria and Julius also followed, greeting me, but Julius's friends remained silent.

"Good morning," I greeted back before taking my seat.

I couldn't blame Julius's friends. Just like him, they were all high-class nobles, but unlike Julius, they didn't wish to spare even a moment of their time on a commoner.

My sister Elise once told me that, long before Ruby became the Headmistress, commoners were treated completely differently from nobles. At that time, no matter how outstanding your performance was at the academy, all the year-single rankers were nobles.

It was that bad.

Until Ruby came and changed the entire system.

That's how Elise, despite not being from a noble bloodline, was assigned Rank-3 in Year-03 due to her outstanding performance. She was the very first commoner to achieve a single-digit rank in Nova's history.

And that was why she was famous throughout the entire academy.

I sat quietly before one of the girls from Julius's group, a silver-haired one, raised a topic.

"I still find it hard to believe that our Headmistress is the current Rank-7."

Everyone's attention turned to her before they all joined in.

"Yeah, you're correct," another guy with cyan hair added. "Now we all know how she got the Headmistress position at such a young age."

"Pfft—true," the silver-haired girl sneered. "My father always wondered how a young girl with no background could get such a high position."

I wasn't angry at their comments. To be honest, it was rather uncommon for anyone without noble blood to get such a high position unless someone at the very top was backing them.

And in Ruby's case, it was probably the Hero Association—and more precisely, Markus Bloodstone, the President of the Hero Association.

He must have sent Ruby in the hopes of gaining control over Nova Academy, but his plan didn't work since Ruby opposed some of his demands. Because of that, he sent Glory, the former Rank-3 Hero, to knock some sense into Ruby.

But Glory got killed by me in the process.

Truly, I wonder what the Hero Association wants from Nova.

"But it's really cool, no?" Julius interrupted my thoughts. "That our Headmistress is a single ranker."

"True," Aria spoke this time. "My mother always speaks highly of Miss Pride."

"Oh! That reminds me." Julius turned to Aria and asked, "Is it true that your mother—Envy—was the one who trained Miss Pride?"

Aria's lips curled into a prideful smile. "Yes. And not only Miss Pride, even Sir Hope called my mother Master."

"Huh?!"

Everyone, including me, exclaimed in shock.

"Wait, you mean Rank-1 Hero Hope?" Anna asked, her eyes widening.

"That's seriously cool!" Julius added, clearly impressed.

While everyone else was surprised, my reaction was for a completely different reason.

'What was Master Envy thinking?!'

Wasn't that supposed to be confidential?

Then why would she—

Before I could process the whole conversation, Aria continued.

"Yes, but my mother only gave Sir Hope a few lessons in swordplay."

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

"Ah! That makes sense," the silver-haired girl said, placing a hand on her chin in thought.

"Oh, I remember now… House Frostheart is proficient in both Essence control and swordplay," Anna said.

In all five kingdoms, there were only a few noble houses that held proficiency in their respective swordplay and unique skills.

And among them, House Frostheart was an overachiever, mastering both swordplay and Essence control.

Not only that, but their current Head was none other than Envy herself. That alone raised their status far above the other noble houses.

As of today, House Frostheart was ranked among the top three most powerful houses in all five kingdoms.

'And I take pride in calling Envy my Master.'

Just as the conversation was about to go further, the chattering around us halted, and the camera flashes echoed continuously, grabbing my attention toward the source.

From the side of the stage, Ruby walked to the podium. The moment she appeared, her mere presence left everyone in awe.

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