Cassian's words immediately stirred the crowd.
"Hahaha... Mr. Cassian doesn't miss. If he says it's over, then it's over."
"Come on, everyone. Let's go. This guy is done here."
"What a waste of a trip. I thought we were watching history, but he turned out to be another clown."
"He's still second on the rankings, though. If he's a clown, what are we supposed to be?"
"Please. We're from Crown City. We're naturally above people like that."
"That's right. A single house here is something people like him could never afford in their entire lives."
"Let's go. There's nothing left to watch."
"I thought a real dragon had appeared, but in the end, Braveon still crushed him."
"Disperse, disperse."
...
Plenty of people, eager to flatter Cassian, joined in mocking Aaron.
Some had already turned around to leave.
Cassian looked pleased with himself. He glanced at Blaze and the others with open ridicule, as if the outcome had already proved him right.
Nearby, Frost also lost interest.
"Let's go," he said to his friends. "It ends here."
He had just turned to leave when a cracked shout rang out from above the crowd.
"Holy shit!"
"It moved!"
"The name on the stele moved!"
The shout came from a man perched on a lamppost. His face was flushed red with excitement, and his voice nearly broke from the force of it.
The sound was not especially loud.
But it struck the crowd like thunder.
Everyone froze.
Those who had been about to leave stopped in place, as if their feet had been nailed to the ground.
One by one, they turned back toward the stele.
Aaron's name had disappeared from the eighth floor.
A moment later, it appeared on the ninth.
At the same time, the rankings changed.
Braveon's name dropped to second place.
And the new first place was clear to everyone.
Aaron.
BOOOOM!
The change hit the crowd like an explosion.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Thousands of people stared at the stele in stunned silence, their eyes fixed on the name now standing at the very top.
The entire square went quiet.
Quiet enough that even the smallest sound would have carried.
Cassian's eyes widened.
His jaw nearly dropped.
"No..."
His voice came out hoarse.
"That's impossible."
He stared at Aaron's name as if the stele itself had betrayed him.
"I don't believe it. He's just some poor nobody."
...
Then the silence broke.
A wave of shouts erupted across the square.
Some people were excited. Some were stunned. Some could not believe what they were seeing. Others had completely lost the ability to say anything except profanity.
The square exploded into noise.
"Holy shit! Holy shit!"
"He actually did it!"
"No way. No way!"
"The sky over Crown City is about to change!"
"Aaron... That name is going to spread through the whole city."
"Perfect exam score and first place on the rankings? What kind of monster is he?"
"I can't believe it. He really took Braveon's spot!"
"Am I dreaming? Is this actually happening?"
"Everything changed. Braveon's first place finally got taken!"
"Aaron!"
"Aaron!"
Cheers thundered across the square.
The boys and girls in the crowd raised their fists, eyes shining with admiration as they shouted his name again and again.
"Aaron!"
"Aaron!"
Their voices echoed through the entire plaza.
The news spread through Crown City almost immediately.
He had pushed Braveon down.
Aaron had taken first place.
...