[Pinnacle Academy, The Presentation Hall - Main Stage]
After what felt like an eternity of being pestered by Jan and Camila, the hour of the ceremony finally arrived.
The third years were perched in the nosebleed section, a dizzying height even for seasoned concert-goers.
Below them, the second years occupied the middle tier, where I could see a few extras shooting us glares.
I guess not everyone was thrilled to see soone like sharing a stage with three future heroes.
The first years were packed into the lower section, right below the stage itself. I spotted my classmates from 1-A.
Bazz and Lyra sat together, just like they were supposed to in the original story.
While trying to spot any more notable students, I accidentally made eye contact with Louise, and a shiver ran down my spine.
The guy was giving a look that could curdle milk.
Unfortunately for , I'd gotten caught up in sothing I shouldn't have.
The presentation hall wasn't just filled with students. There were plenty of other notable figures in attendance.
A few assistants from Yuka's guild were here to see Jan receive an award and then imdiately pass it on to their guild leader.
I even spotted Fredrick Bronze, dressed casually, probably here to record Valencia's award in Gerrard's absence.
Personally, I'd rather be anywhere else but here.
I had no desire for recognition or praise; I'd much rather be sleeping through class.
But here I was, stuck in the spotlight next to Jan, Camila, and Valencia.
After what felt like forever, the sound of clacking boots echoed through the hall.
Amara, the Vice President of the International Heroes Association, stepped onto the podium, ready to address the crowd of students, dia, and guild mbers.
"...It's finally ti," Amara muttered under her breath.
She signaled towards the assistants to begin the ceremony and induction. The five assistants moved seamlessly, following the one-shot practice we had backstage just half an hour ago.
Four of them carried a dal each, one for each of us. But there was a catch to these dals.
In my novel, Jan, as the main character, was always at the center of trouble. To show readers that he'd done a good job, there'd be a recurring the of ceremonies and awards.
But for occasions like these, where one receives a dal, there'd be significant benefits.
Obviously, the exact rewards were kept under wraps, but depending on the dal, sothing great awaited, regardless of the tier.
Usually, in a raid or a battle acknowledged by your country or the world, there'd be a process to determine whether the event was worthy of a proper Ceremonial Induction.
For the France incident to have been worthy of notice, it would have to have been the first incident of its kind or one that had the potential to endanger more than just a city.
Lucky for Jan, the demonic human outbreak was the first of its kind, known only to top-secret agencies.
So for each dal given, there'd be a hidden contribution score to show how much a person had done for the incident.
And in most cases, if the contribution was near equal, each participant would be eligible for the sa dal.
It just all depends on the scenario of the situation. The more dangerous the scenario is, the higher chance you'd get at receiving a higher-rated dal.
Now for the dals themselves, there are four colors/tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. I'm sure you can guess which one is the most valuable, right?
Hopefully, in the future, I'd score a Platinum dal. Not only would I receive discounts on anything I wanted across the world, but I'd also get a lifeti pass to Golden Horizon's Auctions.
And that's not all.
Earning a Platinum dal would grant a property worth a million dollars and 100 grand in cash.
Just thinking about those rewards made envy Jan a little.
***
"Good morning, everyone. As you know, I am Amara Navarro, the Vice President of the International Heroes Association, and your host for today's ceremony."
Amara greeted the crowd with a bright smile, her gaze sweeping across the eager faces before her.
Everyone fell silent, their attention focused solely on her.
"Today, it is with great honour and recognition that we acknowledge these four students for their bravery and unwavering efforts during a ti of chaos and panic. Each individual on this stage gave one hundred percent to protect countless civilians from an attack that was deed a higher-level threat, far above their own capabilities.
Regardless of the danger, they fought for what they believed in, and the outco resulted in their victory..."
A ripple of murmurs and whispers broke out amongst the crowd.
"—A monster that's a level above us as third years? Ridiculous."
"—If I was in their situation, I'd easily stomp that monster with my own hands."
"—This might just be another cover-up to avoid the topic of those mysterious towers."
Amara looked out over the audience, unfazed by the sceptics.
There was no footage of the fight, so all they could do was take the Vice President's words at face value.
"I will now introduce and induct these very students as role models of what an aspiring hero truly is. Each one of them will receive a new type of dal, engraved with their na, called 'The dal of Aspiration.'"
Amara gestured to the assistants, who promptly stepped onto the stage and lined up in a specific order.
The Head Assistant, tasked with presenting the dals to Amara, stood at the front, with the other four assistants lined up behind him.
Amara then stepped off the podium and approached the Head Assistant, positioning herself across from the line of five.
She bowed respectfully in a gesture of thanks.
Tapping the side of her ear, Amara caused the microphone to emit a brief feedback squeal, ensuring it was functioning properly.
"Let introduce to you the four students deserving of these dals!" she declared, beaming at the audience. She bowed once more before turning back to the assistants.
The mont of truth had arrived.
It was ti to reveal who had contributed the most during the incident.
_____________
Authors Notes:
- The seating arrangent was in this order: Jan, Camila, Valencia, Rel
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