Chapter 25: Welcome To Aurelius Academy 2

The screen changed.

RANKINGS — POSITIONS 4 TO 400

A moment later, the first name appeared.

The ceremony began.

The rankings moved steadily down the screen, each announcement drawing a different reaction from the crowd.

Applicants who secured high positions celebrated quietly with their companions, while those whose balances were lower than expected stood frozen, struggling to accept the outcome.

Some had entered the simulation with grand ambitions and left with barely enough money to qualify. Others had surprised everyone by making clever investments, forming profitable alliances, or taking calculated risks at the right moment.

Morales watched the proceedings with mild interest.

He recognized a few faces, including applicants who had once behaved as though their family names guaranteed them success. Some had performed well. Others were nowhere near the positions they had expected.

When the rankings reached the upper thirties, Sophia’s name appeared.

RANK thirty-Two: SOPHIA LAURENT

Her final balance appeared beneath it, followed by the designation confirming her place among the top thirty applicants.

Sophia blinked.

Then she turned toward Morales, her eyes widening.

"I’m in the Prestige Class at the top even. I actually made it."

"You shouldn’t be surprised."

"I know how much I had, Morales. I didn’t expect to finish this high."

Chloe hugged her excitedly. "You deserve it!"

Sophia laughed, her earlier nervousness disappearing as the realization sank in. She had secured one of the twenty most coveted positions in the entire intake.

Then the rankings continued.

Chloe’s name appeared not long afterward, placing her among the top thirty as well.

She stared at the display, barely believing what she was seeing.

"Morales!" He turned just in time for her to grab his hand. "I made it too!"

"Of course you did."

"Don’t say it like you expected this!"

"I did expect it, I told you two the sex wasn’t waste of energy."

Chloe laughed with face flushed red and hit his arm lightly. Sophia joined them, and for a moment, the three of them forgot about the ceremony around them.

They had achieved what thousands of applicants had failed to do.

Both women were safely among the highest-ranked candidates.

And neither had any idea how deliberately Morales had arranged things to keep their positions competitive.

He was pleased with their results. More importantly, their success meant they would enter the academy with access to better opportunities and a stronger starting position.

His own ranking, however, was a different matter.

As the names continued to appear, he watched the screen carefully.

He knew what would happen if the system submitted his true balance. His name would rise to the very top, and every ambitious applicant in the hall would immediately want to know how someone who had arrived with so little could suddenly possess more money than the heirs of powerful families.

He didn’t want that, not so soon.

The people admitted into the Imperial Class would be meeting one another properly for the first time. They would compare family backgrounds, wealth, influence, and accomplishments.

If Morales entered the room as the richest applicant, he would become a subject of conversation before he had even taken his first class.

He preferred to observe people before they began observing him. ’System,’ he thought. ’Adjust my visible balance to match the girls’ results.’

[Ding!]

[Request received.]

[Adjusting recorded financial balance to match designated applicants.]

Morales kept his face relaxed.

Two seconds passed, then the digital display flickered.

The names and figures on the screen blurred for a fraction of a second before the rankings froze. A few applicants frowned. Someone near the front muttered that the system had malfunctioned.

The artificial intelligence responsible for announcing the results stopped mid-sentence.

A low electronic tone sounded.

Then the display refreshed, three names appeared together.

RANK 21 — MORALES BROWN

RANK 21 — CHLOE STERLING

RANK 21 — SOPHIA LAURENT

The hall fell silent.

For a moment, nobody seemed certain what they were looking at. Then the whispers began.

"Three people sharing the same rank?"

"That can’t be right."

"Where did the twenty-second and twenty-third positions go?"

"Did the system just make a mistake?"

"I thought the bastard poor kid’s name wasn’t going to be on this list."

"What the fuck is that poor shit kid name doing in that screen!"

Applicants leaned toward one another, trying to make sense of the result. Several looked up at the display, waiting for it to correct itself since they hated Morales because was poor.

Well it didn’t.

The three names remained side by side at position twenty-one, while the next visible ranking skipped ahead.

Morales felt dozens of eyes turning toward him.

He kept his expression neutral, although a small smile threatened to appear.

’I expected this, imagine the attention when I’ll be in top 3.’

He had wanted to avoid attention, yet the system had managed to place him at the centre of it in a matter of seconds.

Chloe looked at the screen, then at him.

"Morales, why are our names together?"

Sophia was equally confused. "And why is there no twenty-second or twenty-third place?"

"Looks like a technical problem," he replied calmly.

"You don’t seem worried."

"Would worrying fix it? I’m not the one who caused it am I?"

Neither woman answered, they knew he was hiding something but they were quick to brush the thoughts off.

They exchanged a look, then turned back toward the display. The confusion around them continued to grow, but Morales had already decided not to react.

The rankings would settle eventually.

And even if they didn’t, he could deal with the consequences when they arrived.

Across the hall, Mr. Blake cleared his throat.

The sound drew the applicants attention back to the platform.

"Well," he said, forcing a restrained smile, "it appears the ranking system has identified a few results that require clarification." His eyes moved briefly toward Morales.

The glance was quick, but Morales caught it. There was no warmth in Blake’s expression. If anything, the administrator seemed irritated that the display had produced an outcome he hadn’t anticipated.

Morales met his gaze without hesitation. He had never expected everyone at Aurelius Academy to welcome him. Men like Blake were likely to become obstacles sooner or later, especially if they believed Morales didn’t belong among the academy’s wealthiest applicants.

But if the chief examiner ever stepped out of line to block his path... Morales would dismantle him just as ruthlessly as he had broken Jayden Vance.

Blake turned back toward the crowd. "For now, we will proceed with the official conclusion of the admission examination. Any technical discrepancies will be reviewed by the relevant department."

A few applicants continued whispering, but no one challenged him.

Blake straightened his jacket and surveyed the four hundred candidates who had survived the academy’s selection process.

"You have competed, invested, negotiated, and made decisions under pressure. Some of you have demonstrated extraordinary promise. Others have discovered just how much they still need to learn."

He paused.

"Regardless of your ranking, you have all reached a point that thousands of other applicants could not."

His expression became more formal. "Your time as applicants is over."

The digital display behind him changed, revealing the academy’s crest in brilliant gold. "From this moment onward, you will be expected to uphold the standards of Aurelius Academy. Your privileges will depend on your class, but your future will depend on your choices and classes starts tomorrow, so go back home and get ready for your new day tomorrow."

Blake lifted his chin. "Welcome to Aurelius Academy."