The air outside the Rift Zone was heavy with steam, sweat, and silence.
Warriors limped out in scattered clusters, still stunned from the battle. Medics rushed to attend to the wounded, while a crowd of officials and high-ranking Essence commanders waited beyond the checkpoint gates.
One of the female commanders, a sharp-eyed woman in a white coat, clapped her hands together. "Great job, everyone! You all took them down as a team! Coordination at its finest!"
A strange silence followed.
Everyone just… stared at her.
Blank stares. Side-eyes. Even a couple of raised brows.
"…What?" she asked, blinking.
Another official stepped forward, arms crossed. "What's with the weird looks?"
One of the S-Rank warriors finally spoke. "We didn't take them down… as a team."
The first official frowned. "Excuse me?"
Another S-Rank nodded, bruised but still walking. "No disrespect, ma'am. But we didn't land a single final hit. That boy—" he pointed, "—that D-Rank over there did it all by himself."
Everyone turned to look at Riku.
Still quiet. Still calm. Standing near the edge of the group with his hands in his jacket pockets like nothing happened.
The two officials exchanged glances, then looked at Riku. "Him? That D-Rank?"
"Yes," several warriors replied in unison.
"And he didn't just take them down," said a younger A-Rank, still holding his side. "He restored some of our energy too. Like a high-tier Support-Type. I feel better now than I did before the fight."
One of the officials walked over to Riku, arms behind her back, voice calm but curious. "Is that true? You took down two EX-Rank Beasts and helped restore your comrades' energy?"
Riku looked at her with a shrug. "Wasn't that big a deal. Just a little bit of my Essence work."
The officials froze.
Then:"Oh no, you don't," one said."'Little bit of Essence work'? Are you kidding?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Let me ask you something, Hayashi. If we upgraded your rank right now, what would you say you deserve?"
Riku rubbed the back of his neck. "Mm... maybe B? C-Rank at worst."
Everyone around him groaned or shouted in disbelief.
The officials nearly choked.
"C?! You just defeated two EX-Rank Beasts. Do you know how many people even survived those encounters in the past decade?!"
"You're being upgraded," the male official said sternly. "Effective immediately. Riku Hayashi, you're now an A-Rank Essence Warrior."
The announcement echoed through the crowd like thunder.
Even Riku blinked. "…Huh?"
The female official smirked. "And that's just until we get a full analysis on what you're truly capable of. You may be something far beyond even that."
Riku stood still, unsure what to say. For the first time in a long time, the crowd wasn't mocking him.
They were watching him with respect.
Some with awe.
Others with fear.
And somewhere deep inside him…
The AI Deity stirred.