"The first ranker is none other than Arjun, with 200 points out of 200—100 points for physical and 100 points for the written exam,"
Escanor said in a calm, authoritative tone. "The second ranker is Karn, also with 200 points."
"I have an objection!" Karn said, stepping out of line and standing directly in front of Professor Escanor.
"Why is Arjun first and I am second when we both have the exact same points and the top score?"
"Why am I not first, or why isn't it a draw?"
Karn stared at Professor Escanor. In fact, all the students were looking at Professor Escanor, including Arjun.
They were all having the exact same thought as Karn—even Arjun wanted to know why he was ranked first when both of them had the same score.
Professor Escanor slowly exhaled and said, "Although you both achieved top scores in both the written and physical exams, Arjun's condition after the test was better than yours.
He could have easily kept running for another 20 laps, whereas you were out of breath."
"I have an objection!" Duren interjected, taking Karn's side. "Post-test body condition was never mentioned in the test rules! You cannot give Arjun first rank just because he was completely fine after running 20 laps.
The exam was to see who could run 20 laps, and he did just that. So how can you rank Arjun higher based on how an examinee looks after the exam is over? It should either be a draw or nothing!"
Professor Escanor watched the commotion unfold. Bheem was shouting arguments for why his brother deserved first rank—after all, it was logical that if two opponents are at the same level, the one who runs out of breath first is the one who would die first in battle.
Meanwhile, Duren argued that this was not a battlefield, but an exam, and it was never stated that staying in normal condition gave an examinee the upper hand.
"Besides, aren't you practically throwing away the hard work and the sheer willpower of students who ran their hearts out just to get first rank? Is this fair—"
"SILENCE!" Professor Escanor shouted in a booming voice.
"I am the examiner of this test! I determine the results, and I am declaring Arjun as the first ranker! I do not want teenagers arguing with me! IS THIS CLEAR?!"
He uttered his final words with overwhelming force, imbuing his voice with Prana to create an oppressive aura that instantly silenced all the students.
Although Arjun had agreed with Karn's logic and wouldn't have minded a draw—or even taking second rank—rankings were never his goal.
To him, rankings were just numbers; he only cared about learning. He was a person who put all his effort into acquiring knowledge, loving nothing more than understanding core concepts and mastering new skills.
He simply strove to be a great learner.
However, it was not the same for Karn.
Karn refused to settle for second best; he possessed the mindset of a high achiever. He believed that if God placed no limits on how grandly humans could dream, then no one should place limits on how much they can achieve.
His only desire was to be first, to stand at the absolute top—a true winner's mindset. He despised compromise: either he was first, or no one was. It was the spirit of an uncompromising warrior.
This entire ordeal planted a seed of hatred in Karn toward Arjun, as he felt Arjun was being favored by the professor simply because God had gifted him a superior physique.
Another consequence of that day was that Karn became friends with Duren, since Duren was the only person who had spoken up on his behalf.
Standing in front of Duren and Damon, Karn looked Duren in the eye and said, "Thank you."
This commotion made him realize who he should align with in the future—and who he needed to put in their place.
He muttered the last part with burning anger, casting a glance toward Arjun and his brothers, who were standing a few meters away talking in their own group.
Once the commotion calmed down, Professor Escanor announced the
remaining rankings:
1st Rank: Arjun
2nd Rank: Karn
3rd Rank: Ashwa
4th Rank: Nakul
5th Rank: Dharma
6th Rank: Vikir
7th Rank: Sahdev
8th Rank: Divya
9th Rank: Shukra
10th Rank: Sandh
...
56th Rank: Damon
...
71st Rank: Yuji
...
84th Rank: Duren
...
99th Rank: Bheem
Bheem sighed in relief. "Huff... I passed! I was so nervous when my name didn't show up in the top 98 rankings!"
Arjun teased Bheem, saying, "If you had focused more on the written exams instead of just eating and cooking, you wouldn't have had to be nervous."
Bheem laughed and replied, "Haha! Who cares if I'm not good at written exams? At least I'm good at the physical ones! Besides, don't you know the famous saying: 'A jack of all trades is a master of none'? So I prefer to master my physique instead of scattering my efforts in every direction."
Dharma corrected Bheem, saying, "Bheem, I believe you don't know the complete saying. It goes: 'A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.'"
Bheem chuckled.
Everyone was genuinely happy and enjoying the moment, unaware that their academy life was about to become an adventure they would never forget. Life is never easy for those who are destined to alter the fate of worlds.
After some time had passed, the students were instructed to leave the training arena and proceed to their assigned dormitories. Regular classes were set to begin the next day at 8:00 AM.
As everyone headed toward the massive building designated as the students' dorms, Nakul was about to step inside when he spotted the three brothers leaving through the academy's main gate, walking back toward Vajra City.
Seeing them leave, Nakul called out to them, "Heyyy! Bheem! Arjun! Dharma! Where are you going?"
Just as they were about to answer, laughter echoed from behind Nakul. It was Damon.
"Haha! Where else would they go other than their hut? Hahaha!"
Nakul was dumbfounded. He wanted to know why they were leaving the academy instead of entering the dorms.
Just as Nakul was about to ask Damon what he meant, Arjun called out to him and said...
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