Davis looked just as serious. That was when Valen finally noticed something odd. That student's ranking hadn't moved at all—neither up nor down. Every score landed with scary accuracy, perfectly matching the requirement for tenth place. Valen announced the final top 20 rankings. The list was almost exactly what everyone expected. Adrian remained an unsurpassable existence at Blue Star Military Academy, sitting firmly in first place. Second place, however, shocked everyone. Tobias had been pushed down by Thora, a freshman who had only enrolled a month ago and came from the so-called weakest Combat Institute. Third place ended in an unusual tie. Tobias dropped one rank and shared the spot with Roxen.Roxen had fixed his earlier shortcomings, and now the two had identical scores in every category. That marked the first time the academy had ever seen a tie in the top three. Tobias looked unhappy. Though he appeared cold and detached on the outside, he was proud to the core. Being surpassed by a freshman and then tied with Roxen was enough to ruin his mood. Aside from the shift at tenth place, the rest of the rankings simply slid down in order. Meanwhile, Ryan made it into the top 15, and Tristan squeezed into the top 20. Shirley and Luke both had major weaknesses in certain areas, so they didn't reach the top 20. Still, their strong specialties pushed them into the top 50. Everything turned out just as Thora had expected. Ryan and Tristan were close in strength, but beating upperclassmen would take more time. Shirley and Luke's skills were unbalanced. Without the effectiveness of their recent training, they might not have even reached the top 50. But that was only their first full evaluation. Once the rankings were released, the way people looked at Thora changed. There was clear respect in their eyes now. The first month's comprehensive ranking test officially ended. Fresh faces made it onto the board, which made the teachers more than satisfied. As Davis left, he paused and gave Thora one more look. Valen walked over with Jeremy. He had planned to speak to Adrian first, but Adrian had already left, so he headed straight for Thora instead. "Well done." Thora snapped into a sharp salute. "Thank you, sir." Valen nodded in return, saluted back, and left with Jeremy. As Jeremy turned away, he smiled at Thora. She tugged her lips slightly in response, though her expression stayed flat.Before leaving, Valen exchanged a look with Lance. Neither said a word. Lance kept a faint smile, casually playing with a student ID whose access rights had already been changed. Soon after, he left as well. Thora was about to leave when several people surrounded her. William had just stepped forward when Roth quickly followed. None of them expected the research division experts to reach her first. One of the experts rubbed his hands eagerly. "Thora, would you be interested in visiting the Academy Research Division? We have top-tier research teams and academic staff. We can create the most suitable and perfect physical evaluation and training plan specifically for you. Would you consider it?" Several experts in white lab coats and glasses crowded around her, trying hard to persuade her, as if they'd just found a rare specimen.Thora's smile stiffened slightly. She knew the Research Division was one of the academy's most confidential departments, second only to the data archives, and represented the highest level of academic authority. The world's leading researchers tied to Blue Star Military Academy all worked there, serving the academy alone. Still, the way their eyes shone made her feel like premium meat being stared at by hungry wolves. "Sure. If I have time, I'll stop by," Thora replied tactfully. The experts reminded her a few more times before leaving, clearly satisfied. As soon as they were gone, Roth and William rushed forward. Their behavior made the nearby deans look away in secondhand embarrassment. Thora frowned slightly. Even though she didn't understand their rush, she still stepped forward and saluted politely. "Greetings, Mr. Angus, Mr. Lambert." They immediately dropped their tense stances, straightened up, and put on friendly smiles. William was just about to praise her when Thora's next sentence completely crushed him.