Last Gun Alchemist

The loading icon on the holographic screen spun for a few more seconds before suddenly disappearing.

The entire display flashed blue.

Then, one by one, the names of every student began appearing from the very bottom of the rankings, climbing upward in ascending order.

The training ground immediately fell silent.

Every pair of eyes remained fixed on the floating screen.

Students whose names appeared near the bottom frowned almost instantly.

Some lowered their heads in disappointment.

Others simply sighed.

Many of them hadn’t performed poorly because they lacked ability.

Their Numbered Gems had been stolen.

Several students had managed to collect respectable amounts during the Practical Test, only to lose everything after being ambushed or overwhelmed by stronger opponents near the end.

Some had even watched four or five Numbered Gems disappear into someone else’s Space Bag before they were beaten badly enough to be carried away by the academy medics.

The frustration on those students’ faces was obvious.

Their friends noticed it.

Neutral students noticed it.

Even the very people who had stolen those gems quietly glanced in their direction before looking back at the ranking screen.

The names continued climbing upward.

Slowly.

Steadily.

And eventually...

The list reached the top five hundred.

The scrolling speed increased.

Students who managed to enter the rewarding positions brightened immediately, while those who had barely missed the cut could only sigh helplessly.

Finally...

Beep... Beep...

The ranking stopped.

The first-place position appeared.

Many students instinctively widened their eyes.

Professor Kent folded his hands behind his back.

”Unlike many of you, who spent most of your time searching for fights...”

His calm gaze swept across the crowd.

”There was one student who patiently searched for Numbered Gems while carefully choosing which opponents were worth robbing and which ones were worth avoiding.”

Several students immediately understood who he was talking about.

A gentle smile appeared on Selena’s face.

Kent nodded.

”Congratulations, Miss Selena Galehart.”

He raised one hand toward her.

”You ranked first in this first Practical Class Test.”

Applause immediately broke out.

Selena gracefully stepped forward and bowed.

”Thank you, Professor.”

Her voice remained gentle as always.

”Lady Selena!”

Her fangirls were the first to celebrate.

Members of House Galehart, along with several students who admired her, hurried toward her with bright smiles.

”Congratulations, Lady Selena!”

”You really did it!”

”You ranked first!”

Selena smiled elegantly at everyone surrounding her.

”Thank you.”

She slightly lowered her head.

”I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s support.”

The girls around her became even happier.

Not far away...

”Tsk.”

Sasha clicked her tongue loudly.

Her expression clearly showed her dissatisfaction.

”I just knew it.”

She folded her arms.

”If I had stolen her Numbered Gems, I’d be the one standing there.”

Beside her, Ravenor narrowed his eyes.

”At least you ranked second.”

Sasha immediately turned toward him.

”What exactly were you doing?”

She glared at him.

”You couldn’t even make it into the top five?”

Her tone sounded less like a step-sister and more like a mother scolding her disappointing son.

Ravenor didn’t react much.

”Does it matter?”

He looked back toward the ranking screen.

”Everyone from second to tenth receives the same number of points.”

His attention remained on the bold list displaying the top rankings.

Meanwhile, more conversations had already erupted throughout the training ground.

***

Top Ten – Practical Class Test

1st — Selena Galehart — 68 Numbered Gems

2nd — Sasha Burnwick — 42 Numbered Gems

3rd — Ezra Ashenlocke — 40 Numbered Gems

4th — Willow Derlis — 38 Numbered Gems

5th — Vera Ashenlocke — 37 Numbered Gems

6th — Diane Bergwyn — 33 Numbered Gems

7th — Ravenor Burnwick — 32 Numbered Gems

8th — Maxwell — 31 Numbered Gems

9th — Stella Aethelmont — 31 Numbered Gems

10th — Fatima Drakes — 27 Numbered Gems

***

”How did that Lowline gather that many Numbered Gems?”

Tristin’s voice carried obvious disbelief.

His face was still covered with fresh bandages, making his annoyed expression look even more amusing.

He pointed directly at Ezra’s name.

”Third place?”

His wrapped hand tightened slightly.

Professor Kent calmly glanced at him.

”It’s called searching, Your Highness.”

Silence.

Several students immediately pressed their lips together.

Others quickly looked away.

A few couldn’t hold it anymore, with small bursts of laughter escaping from different corners of the training ground.

Even Charles and Stella instinctively turned their faces away from looking at their brother.

Neither of them wanted Tristin to catch them laughing.

”H...”

Tristin was just about to protest.

Kent casually raised one hand.

”Prince Tristin Aethelmont.”

Kent’s tone remained calm.

”You still ranked within the top twenty.”

He glanced at the ranking again.

”Not within the top fifteen...”

He shrugged lightly.

”...but close enough.”

Then he looked directly at Tristin.

”Sometimes it’s healthy to accept a loss as a loss.”

Tristin slowly lowered his hand.

His jaw tightened beneath the bandages.

He didn’t reply.

The silence alone showed how unhappy he was.

Elsewhere, attention gradually shifted away from Tristin and toward another name.

Ezra Ashenlocke.

Many students quietly stared at him.

”So, the creator of the Phantom Rolls is actually that strong?”

”What if he simply got lucky finding Numbered Gems?”

The student beside him immediately frowned.

”Don’t be ridiculous.”

He pointed toward Ezra.

”Didn’t you notice the injuries on his forehead and cheek?”

”...”

”He obviously fought.”

Another student joined the conversation.

”If he only hid, why would he come back looking like that?”

Someone else quickly replied,

”Then what about Lady Selena?”

”She isn’t covered in injuries either.”

”That’s different.”

”She avoided battles she didn’t need and chose her opponents carefully.”

”So...”

The boy looked back at Ezra.

”...maybe he did both.”

More conversations followed.

Some students discussed the rankings.

Others compared the different noble families.

Several simply argued over which of the top ten students had performed the best.

Another name that surprised many people was Vera Ashenlocke.

Fifth place.

Even Nina looked slightly disappointed.

”If only I had found you.”

She held Vera’s forearm with both hands, looking genuinely upset.

”I would have given you some of my Numbered Gems.”

Vera looked down at Nina, then gently rubbed the girl’s hair.

”It doesn’t matter, Nina.”

Her expression remained as calm as always.

Although...

The truth was a little different.

Vera had indeed spent time searching for Numbered Gems.

But she had simply chosen not to fight every student she encountered.

Most of the students who recognized her immediately fled instead.

None of them wanted to challenge Vera Ashenlocke unless they absolutely had to.

Only two groups had been confident enough to attack her together.

But both battles ended exactly the same way.

Complete defeat.

Those groups became the only students whose Numbered Gems Vera personally stole during the entire Practical Test.

”If only I had a little more time...”

Vera quietly murmured.

Nina blinked.

”Hm?”

She tilted her head.

”What did you say?”

Vera calmly looked at her.

”Nothing.”

Nina remained confused.

However, among all the discussions taking place across the training ground, three names became the biggest surprises.

Maxwell.

Rank thirteen.

Cyrus Burnwick.

Rank eleven.

Both had far exceeded what many students expected.

But the greatest surprise of all spread mainly among the High-Status Noble students.

”The Ashenlockes...”

One noble slowly looked around.

”...every Ashenlocke student ranked within the top one hundred and fifty.”

The statement quickly spread.

More nobles began counting the rankings themselves.

”...He’s right.”

”Every single one.”

Logan Drakes looked genuinely amazed.

”I thought the Ashenlockes were the disgrace of we Duke families that always struggled in the overall academy rankings.”

”They were.”

Another noble quietly replied.

”But not anymore, apparently.”

On another side of the crowd, a female student whispered to her friends.

”Several Ashenlockes even ranked ahead of members from the other Duke Houses.”

Her friend nodded slowly.

”Is this...”

She looked toward Ezra, Vera, Veda, Henry, Nina, and the others.

”...the rise of House Ashenlocke?”

The discussion continued growing.

Professor Kent waited until the conversations naturally settled before speaking again.

”Alright, students.”

His voice spread clearly across the training ground.

”This concludes today’s class.”

Several students immediately relaxed.

”Your break shou...”

Kent suddenly stopped.

He blinked once.

”Oh.”

He looked genuinely thoughtful.

”I forgot.”

He checked the time.

”Your break is already over.”

Silence.

The realization slowly reached the students.

Many faces became lifeless.

Kent remained completely calm.

”I believe your final class begins in about one hour.”

He lightly rubbed his chin.

Prince Charles raised his hand.

”Professor Kent...”

He smiled politely despite looking exhausted.

”Couldn’t we at least rest for a little longer?”

Kent shrugged.

”Take that up with the professor teaching your next class.”

He waved both hands.

”Don’t ask me, Your Highness.”

Charles sighed helplessly.

Kent smiled.

”Alright.”

He flicked his wrist toward the academy.

”Shoo.”

Another wave.

”Shoo.”

The students immediately began leaving the training ground.

Some walked quietly.

Others complained under their breath.

”I’m heading straight to the cafeteria.”

”Same.”

”I’m starving.”

”Should we skip the last class?”

”You already know we can’t.”

”The injured students are the lucky ones.”

”They get to rest in the hospital.”

”I suddenly wish someone had broken my leg.”

”You’re insane.”

Professor Kent quietly watched the students leave.

His expression remained unreadable.

Standing beside him, Karla smiled helplessly.

”You know...”

Professor Kent suddenly spoke while he still kept watching the students gradually leave the training ground.

”Mr. Ezra Ashenlocke could have ranked first if he hadn’t shared his Numbered Gems with Mr. Cyrus Burnwick.”

His eyes briefly followed Ezra, who was quietly walking away with the same plain expression he always carried, showing no excitement despite finishing third in the rankings.

”Yes...”

Karla nodded thoughtfully.

”He was the only student, apart from Miss Vera Ashenlocke, who discovered the main area where you hid the largest number of Numbered Gems.”

She turned toward Kent with genuine curiosity.

”I’m still wondering... Why did you decide to hide so many Numbered Gems beneath those boulders?”

Kent smiled and gave a playful shrug.

”Because who, in their right mind, would willingly waste their energy lifting boulders during an examination?”

He chuckled lightly before continuing.

”Who would’ve guessed that after finding Numbered Gems beneath the very first boulder he checked, he would immediately realize there might be more hidden around the surrounding rocks and boulders?”

Kent shook his head with an amused smile.

”He practically stumbled into the area where I had hidden most of them.”

His eyes remained on Ezra’s departing figure.

”Even then, he still didn’t manage to find every single gem I placed there.”

He paused before glancing toward Vera, who was quietly walking together with Nina.

”As for Miss Vera... She was fortunate enough to discover one of the boulders that contained Numbered Gems. Unfortunately, she wandered too far away from the main section where I had concentrated most of the hidden stash.”

Karla quietly listened as Kent explained his observations.

Everything he mentioned matched what she had watched through the monitoring system during the Practical Test.

Every important decision.

Every battle.

Every route the students had chosen.

Professor Kent folded his hands behind his back, with a satisfing smile slowly appeared on his face.

”This academy year...”

He looked toward the students leaving in different directions.

”...is going to be filled with plenty of competition.”

His smile widened just a little.

”And surprises.”

With those final words, he turned and began walking away.

Karla remained where she was for another moment, silently watching his back before quickly following after him.

As Professor Kent walked, several students naturally came to mind.

Maxwell.

The hidden disciple of Andraver.

Ezra Ashenlocke.

The mysterious rising genius of House Ashenlocke.

The recognized geniuses born into each of Britannia’s great noble families.

The students who had already begun revealing their brilliance.

And...

Those who still stubbornly hid their true abilities beneath ordinary appearances.

He thought about the rivalry growing between the younger generations.

The hidden family conflicts, slowly beginning to surface.

The talents that would one day shake the kingdom.

Kent’s smile slowly deepened.

This first Practical Test had only confirmed what he already suspected.

The students admitted this year were unlike those from previous generations.

They possessed ambition.

Conviction.

Talent.

And more importantly...

They possessed the potential to collide with one another in ways that would shape the future of Britannia.

One hour later...

The academy grounds became lively once again.

The students, now having rested enough to continue their day, returned to the classrooms of the optional courses they had personally selected at the beginning of the semester.

Groups split apart as they headed toward different classes.

Ezra quietly followed a different path from most of the students.

His destination wasn’t mainly where the majority of the classrooms were.

Instead, he walked toward a more isolated section of the academy grounds, where only a handful of specialized courses took place.