My almighty ranking system

Chapter 7

Linsey had instantly teleported me back to my house. The familiar peeling wallpaper and the faint stench of mold greeted me like an old enemy. I stood there for a while, dazed. My body still tingled from the teleportation spell.

“Damn… she really threw me back without warning,” I muttered, rubbing my arms. The apartment was silent, except for the faint hum of the refrigerator that hadn’t died yet.

I slumped onto my worn couch, staring at the cracked ceiling. Everything that had happened signing that cursed contract, seeing people die in front of me, being treated like a living weapon felt unreal. But the mark glowing faintly on the back of my hand reminded me that it was all true.

A red sigil shaped like a broken crown pulsed under my skin.

I exhaled slowly. “Obedience, huh… well, at least she’s paying me enough to forget morality.”

I dragged myself up and opened the fridge. Half a bottle of water. Nothing else. The reminder of how poor I was before all this hit me again. That was going to change soon if I survived.

I walked to the bathroom mirror. My reflection had changed. The dark bags under my eyes had faded, my body looked leaner, my gaze sharper. But my eyes those still carried the same madness I’d seen in Linsey’s.

“I guess this is what power does,” I whispered to my reflection. “It eats you slowly.”

My phone vibrated on the table. Unknown number.

I hesitated, then answered. “Kyle Palmer speaking.”

“Mr. Palmer, this is Jasmine. Boss told me to check on you and make sure you’re still alive. You didn’t pass out or anything, right?”

Her tone was too casual for someone who’d watched a man get dragged into a portal to hell yesterday.

“I’m alive. Barely. What’s next?”

“Pack what little you have. A car will pick you up tomorrow morning. You’ll be transferred to the Arcane Ranker Academy.”

“Tomorrow? That’s fast.”

“Linsey doesn’t like wasting time. You’re her investment now, remember? Oh and don’t use your ability tonight. There are still agents keeping an eye on you.”

“Of course there are.” I hung up.

The words investment and ability echoed in my head. I didn’t know which one I hated more.

Night fell quickly. The city lights outside painted the walls with a pale yellow glow. I lay on my bed, unable to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the prisoners from the test chamber faces twisted in agony, eyes wide, begging for mercy that never came.

Was I really okay with this?

No. But I’d learned long ago that being “okay” wasn’t an option in this world. You either adapt or get crushed.

I sat up immediately. “Mutation?”

I froze. “Wait does that mean if I lose control, I could curse anyone bound to me?”

No answer. The system never explained beyond what it wanted.

I clenched my fists. The air around me felt heavier, colder. It was as if the system itself was watching me.

“Great,” I muttered, “I’m a walking time bomb.”

By morning, I’d barely slept. I stuffed the few belongings I had into a torn duffel bag: two shirts, a spare pair of pants, a cracked tablet, and the small photo of my parents not out of love, but to remind myself what kind of people I never wanted to become.

A black car waited outside the building, its surface reflecting the grey sky. The driver, a tall man in a dark uniform, didn’t speak a word as I climbed in.

“Destination: Arcane Ranker Academy?” he finally asked.

“Yeah.”

The car hummed softly as it left the slums behind. I watched the scenery change crumbling walls replaced by neon towers, people replaced by drones, silence replaced by the hum of wealth.

For a moment, I felt something close to nostalgia. Then I remembered: nostalgia doesn’t pay rent.

The academy came into view an hour later. Massive gates made of black steel towered above us, engraved with runes that pulsed faintly. Beyond them stretched rows of white buildings, training grounds, and towering statues of heroes from the past.

So this is the Arcane Ranker Academy.

A woman in a white coat greeted me at the gate. Her sharp eyes scanned a floating tablet.

“Kyle Palmer, age eighteen. Rank 1,569 overall. Skill classified. Sponsored by Linsey von Argon. You’ll be placed in the Combat Division, Section C.”

“Sounds like I’m joining a military camp,” I said dryly.

“You’re not far off.”

She motioned for me to follow. The campus was filled with students wearing different colored emblems on their jackets, symbolizing their divisions. Their eyes followed me as I walked curiosity, suspicion, some even fear.

My name had already spread.

We stopped in front of a tall dormitory building.

“This will be your room,” the woman said. “Orientation begins tomorrow morning. Don’t cause trouble.”

I nodded and entered. The room was better than my apartment, but barely one bed, one desk, one window overlooking the courtyard.

I dropped my bag and sat down. The quiet didn’t last long.

Knock. Knock.

I opened the door to find a boy about my age grinning widely. His rank badge flashed 9,432.

“Yo, new guy! I’m Leo. You must be the transfer Linsey sent, right? Damn, everyone’s talking about you already.”

“Are they?”

“Yeah, dude. Word is you’ve got an EX rank ability. That true?”

I stared at him. “Rumors spread fast.”

He laughed nervously. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to fight. Just curious. Anyway, there’s a welcome dinner tonight for new transfers. You should come. Helps to make friends before people start challenging you.”

“Friends,” I repeated the word like it was foreign.

“Yeah, friends.” He waved awkwardly and left.

When the door closed, I leaned against it and sighed.

“Friends… huh.”

“Meaningful bonds?” I almost laughed. “The system’s really got jokes now.”

But the message didn’t fade. It pulsed faintly, as if waiting for an answer.

I closed my eyes and whispered, “Fine. We’ll play your game.”

For the first time, the mark on my hand dimmed, as if acknowledging my resolve.

Tomorrow, I’d enter the academy not as the poor kid from the slums, but as the man carrying the Contract of Misfortune a weapon disguised as a human being.

And deep down, something told me that was exactly what the world needed to fear.