My almighty ranking system

Chapter 8

The academy’s clock tower struck six as the morning mist crawled across the marble courtyard. From the dorm window, I could see students already gathering in neat lines, their uniforms crisp, their ranks glowing faintly above their wrists. Everyone moved with purpose everyone except me.

I leaned on the sill and muttered, “First day and I already feel like a misfit.”

“Observation mode? So you’re watching me again,” I whispered. “Figures.”

The dorm room smelled of new paint and disinfectant. I’d unpacked the bare minimum just the essentials and a few bottles of water. No decorations. No memories. I didn’t need reminders of where I’d come from.

A knock came at the door.

“Open up, new guy!” Leo’s familiar voice. He barged in before I answered, grinning as usual. “You ready for orientation?”

I shrugged. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

He eyed me for a moment. “You don’t look nervous.”

“Should I be?”

Leo chuckled awkwardly. “Well, the first orientation is… intense. The top instructors like testing new transfers.”

I caught his reflection in the window his grin faded slightly when he thought I wasn’t looking. So that was his warning.

“Good,” I said, grabbing my jacket. “I like tests.”

The assembly hall was enormous, filled with hundreds of students sitting in ranked sections. The higher your number, the closer you sat to the front. My rank 1569 put me near the center. The air buzzed with chatter and energy. Screens above the stage displayed the academy’s motto: “Power Defines Existence.”

I couldn’t help but smirk. “Subtle.”

A tall instructor with silver hair stepped onto the stage. His presence silenced the room instantly.

“Welcome, new rankers. I am Instructor Vale. You stand in the greatest academy on this continent. Remember that your worth is not measured by bloodline or wealth, but by your rank.”

That was half true. I’d seen what people did for numbers.

Vale continued, “Each of you has been invited because you possess potential or connections. Some of you will rise. Most will fall.”

He paused, scanning the crowd. For a moment, his gaze landed on me. My chest tightened.

So even an instructor couldn’t read me. Linsey’s seal really worked.

After the speech, groups were assigned. Leo ended up in Combat Division C like me, along with three others two girls and one tall, silent guy with a scar down his jaw.

The taller guy introduced himself first. “Rylan. Rank 2,304. Don’t get in my way.”

The dark haired girl beside him folded her arms. “Elara. Rank 2,786. I don’t talk much.”

The last girl smiled politely. “I’m Mira. Rank 10,208. Healing Division trainee.”

The name hit me like a faint echo. Mira. Not the same one I’d met before different face, same name. Still, it stirred something.

I nodded. “Kyle. Rank 1,569.”

That number drew quick glances. Rylan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Impressive. For now.”

I didn’t reply. No point feeding his ego.

We were led to a training ground ringed by crystal towers. Energy fields shimmered faintly, marking the boundary. Instructor Vale appeared again, arms crossed.

“Your first test is simple: survive.”

The ground split open as automated golems rose, their metal limbs clanking. Some students gasped. Leo cursed softly. I just sighed.

So this is orientation.

The golems’ eyes flared red.

“Here we go,” I muttered.

Rylan charged first, summoning a massive claymore wreathed in fire. His swings sent molten sparks flying. Elara followed, daggers flashing in quick arcs. Leo covered them with mid range blasts.

I stayed back, analyzing patterns. Ten minutes wasn’t long, but it was enough to observe.

Mira knelt behind a barrier, chanting softly as green light spread over the others’ wounds. She was efficient her energy control precise.

Then one of the golems turned toward her. “Figures.”

I stepped forward, extending my hand.

The air twisted faintly. The golem’s next step hit a crack, its leg folding inward. It crashed into two others, triggering a small explosion. Students shouted in confusion.

I deactivated the skill quickly before anyone noticed. The scene looked like an accident just as intended.

Vale’s gaze flicked toward the smoke, then to me. He didn’t say a word, but his smirk told me he’d noticed something.

So the instructors aren’t blind after all.

Ten minutes later, the golems shut down. The field dissolved. Out of the hundred students, barely half were still standing.

Vale clapped once. “Congratulations. You’ve survived your first test. Consider yourselves part of this academy… for now.”

He turned to leave, then glanced back. “Oh, and one more thing. Those of you who think luck saved you remember that luck runs out.”

My mark pulsed faintly at his words, like it was laughing.

By afternoon, exhaustion hit everyone. We were dismissed to our dorms. Leo collapsed onto his bed the moment we got back.

“Man, that was insane! Did you see that thing explode? I swear the ground just ”

“Golems don’t trip,” I interrupted, sitting by the window.

He frowned. “Then how ”

“Maybe you just imagined it.”

I could feel his suspicion, but he dropped it. Smart move.

A small improvement. Enough to draw more attention later.

As night fell, I wandered outside to the courtyard. The air was cool, carrying the scent of rain. The academy lights flickered across the polished stone paths.

I stared up at the towering statues of the “First Rankers.” Heroes, they called them. People who’d shaped the system that enslaved everyone else.

I clenched my fists. “You built this world, and now I’ll tear it apart.”

The mark on my hand pulsed in answer.

For the first time since I’d arrived, I felt something sharp inside me determination, not just anger. The academy wasn’t a prison. It was a ladder. And I was going to climb it, even if I had to curse every step.

When I returned to my room, a sealed envelope lay on my desk. No sender’s name just the academy crest stamped in red wax.

I broke it open.

> “To Kyle Palmer,

You are hereby invited to a private evaluation hosted by the Academy Council tomorrow evening. Attendance is mandatory. Failure to appear will result in rank deduction and disciplinary action.

Headmaster Drayke.”

A private evaluation on the first day. Typical.

Leo snored softly in the next bed, unaware of the storm coming.

I folded the letter carefully and slipped it into my pocket.

“Looks like the real invitation starts tomorrow.”

The mark on my hand glowed faintly in agreement.