The monthly hero rankings were finally out.
Ning sat in his living room, staring at the official list on his TV as it was announced and listed for all to see. The rankings had been released at exactly 8 in the morning, so it wasn’t just him who was glued to the TV, waiting for its arrival.
And this month’s ranking had quite the shake-up.
Waveshot, who was ranked 22 before, was suddenly gone from the upper half of the ranking, now sohow showing up in the low 80s.
At the sa ti, Ning’s presence had caused another big noise.
Frostveil was still rank 1 in the city. Her ice powers and consistent performance kept her at the top.
Lightspeed held rank 2, unchanged from last month.
Vanisher had dropped to rank 4, overtaken by Bloodborn, who now sat at rank 3.
Ning stared at Vanisher’s na for a mont. He wondered if he was responsible for that drop. The minotaur had been involved in the Forgath incident, which might have affected public perception of him.
Rankings didn’t change imdiately. Last month’s ranking had so effect on the next month’s rankings, and the fans didn’t so easily leave a hero to go support another hero.
If not for that, Vanisher might’ve dropped even more.
Ning waited for his own na to show up, which it did after a while.
Blackfang - Rank 36.
’36...’ Ning thought to himself with a hint of awe. He was surprised it was quite high. There was a smaller number next to 36 off to the side that said 89.
In the city rankings, he was 36th. Overall, in the entire country, he was ranked in the top 90.
Three videos played in a loop whenever they talked about him. The recording of him defeating Talia, the clips of him following Forgath’s limo, and the scene of him saving the bus before it hit the water.
So channels also played the clip of him picking trash, calling him a helpful mber of the community.
His phone rang around the sa ti, the caller ID revealing that it was Blake.
"Did you see it?" Blake’s voice was excited. "Rank 36! In your first month!"
"I saw," Ning said.
"Sir Valen, do you understand how incredible this is? You started with no prior ranking. Most heroes take years to break into the top 50. You did it in less than a month."
"Do I not sound excited? Because I am definitely excited," Ning said with a hint of a chuckle.
"Oh, you should. Because it’s exceptional. More than that, did you see your Conjora Hero Ranking? You’re 89," he said.
"Right, I saw," Ning said. "Remind again how that works. Do fans not hold as much sway there?"
"Not as much," Blake explained. "It’s based on your perceived contribution to the country. The algorithm they use for it is kept secret, so we can’t really ga the system."
"Is 89 good then?" Ning asked.
"I would say it’s better than good. If it were just an overall popularity contest like the city rankings are, you would end up sowhere in the 150s, I think. So this is much better."
"I see," Ning said. "Right! When are we leaving? Afternoon, right?"
"Yes," Blake said. "But co by the agency first. We’re having a small celebration in your na, and you should be here for that."
Ning thought for a mont and nodded. "I’ll be there in 2 hours."
The agency hall was decorated with balloons and a banner that read "Congratulations Blackfang!" A table in the corner held bottles of champagne and glasses, with more than a few people standing around, smiling wide.
Blake was already pouring drinks when Ning arrived. A few other agents from the office were there as well, all smiling and offering congratulations.
"To Blackfang," the president said, raising his glass. "The fastest-rising hero in the city."
Everyone clinked glasses and drank, so calling for Ning to make a speech.
Ning took a sip and grinned, deciding to make a small speech.
"I was ranked 89 in the Conjora Hero Ranking. I’m told that amounts to a little over 60 thousand Jorans as a bonus for this month," he said. "So, to bleed you all dry, I’ll try to reach the top 10 next ti."
His playful speech got the people in the room laughing out loud. Truthfully, Ning couldn’t bleed them dry at all. The agency had so many avenues of earning money, and all of it was thanks to Ning. What Ning got paid was just their estimation of what he was worth with his current ranking.
It wouldn’t be long before sponsorship opportunities rolled around for Ning. At that point, the agency would be paid as much as Ning did.
After so ti, Ning left the party with Blake, heading toward the airport.
A couple of days ago, the President of Conjora had requested Ning’s presence in the capital. Blake had learned that it was more than just him who was going to show up there. So, they had decided to visit the place, but they couldn’t leave before the ranking ca out.
As a result, the president had requested that they leave the very day the ranking ca out.
Ning had his costu and his docunts ready, and the rest of it was already prepared by Blake. So all Ning had left to do was leave. They arrived at the airport an hour before noon, and just an hour later, they were on their way to Gargan City, the capital of Conjora.
The flight to Gargan City took just 2 hours. Ning spent most of it staring out the window, watching the landscape shift from coastal cities to inland plains. They passed over a vast desert before arriving above fertile land that started as farmland before morphing into a massive cityscape within minutes.
Blake hardly tried to look out the window. He was busy on his phone, doing multiple dealings that Ning wasn’t even aware of.
He only stopped when the plane landed and they arrived at Gargan City.
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