The Scumbag's Guide To Heroism novel Chapter 128

Chapter 128: 128 | Third Place, Seventh Place, and One Big Problem [PS BONUS]

We tore open the envelopes at the same time. Inside mine was a thin metallic disc that started glowing the moment it hit the air. I nearly dropped the thing, but managed to set it on the counter before it could project whatever hologram was stored inside.

"Is yours doing that?" Sloane asked, holding her own disc at arm’s length.

"Yeah. Diane?"

"Same here." She was already reaching for the disc with the confidence of someone who’d dealt with Hero tech before. "They’re projection discs. High-end ones, by the look of it."

The three discs activated simultaneously, filling the kitchen with golden light that resolved into three separate holographic displays. Each one showed the distinctive Halloran Academy seal, but that’s where the similarities ended.

My projection showed a figure I recognized immediately, even though I’d never seen him in person. Tall, impossibly broad-shouldered, with golden hair swept back and that trademark smile that had graced a thousand magazine covers.

Radiant. The number one Hero in the entire country was about to deliver my exam results.

"Holy shit," I breathed.

The hologram began to speak, and that famous voice filled the kitchen with warmth and authority that made my chest tight for reasons I couldn’t explain.

"Lukas Belmont," Radiant said, his smile somehow managing to be both reassuring and slightly sad. "Son of Vanguard and Reina Belmont, two Heroes I had the privilege of calling friends."

My breath caught. He knew my parents. Of course he did. They’d died in the same incident that had left him injured, though the public had never been told about his wounds.

"Your practical exam performance was exceptional," Radiant continued. "One hundred and seven villain points, placing you in the top fifteen percent of all applicants nationwide. But that’s not why I’m here."

The projection shifted, showing footage from the entrance exam. Me, moving through the simulated city with Spectral Reach constructs extending from my hands like golden threads. The quality was incredible, every detail captured in perfect clarity.

"During the practical assessment, you encountered another applicant in distress. Felicity Hardy, caught in a collapsing structure with no clear escape route. You could have continued toward your own objectives. Instead, you chose to help."

The footage showed me finding Felicity trapped under rubble, using my constructs to lift the debris while she tried to free herself. Then the building started coming down, and I’d grabbed her and carried her to safety, my body shielding hers from falling concrete.

"This action earned you sixty-three rescue points," Radiant said, his smile widening. "Points awarded not for defeating villains, but for embodying the true spirit of heroism. The willingness to put others before yourself, even when no one is watching."

Rescue points.

"Combined with your written examination scores, your total places you not just as accepted to Halloran Academy, but as the third-highest scoring applicant in this year’s entrance class."

Third highest. Out of fourteen hundred applicants.

"Welcome to Halloran Academy, Lukas. Your parents would be proud."

The projection faded, leaving the three of us standing in stunned silence.

Sloane broke it first. "Third place? You got third place?"

"Apparently." My voice sounded strange in my own ears. "What about yours?"

Her projection had shown Professor Steele, the Combat Operations instructor I remembered from the practical exam. Sloane had placed seventh overall, with the second-highest combat score in the entire applicant pool.

Diane’s projection was different. Not an acceptance, but a congratulatory message from the academy’s Public Relations department, acknowledging Fitzgerald Media Group’s continued partnership and expressing excitement about representing the children of two of their most valued associates.

"We both got in," Sloane said, her voice small with wonder.

"We both got in," I agreed.

HALLORAN ACADEMY

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