Chapter 5 - The Tests Begin!

"Alright, it's time for the Rank Up Test. Remember, we will all compete against the other classes for the grand prize! Let's get fired up! First up is exams. We'll get the boring stuff out of the way. You will have thirty minutes per written exam." Ms. Veronica said. Afterward, everyone's bracelet brought up a cybernetic screen with the test on it. Zefer looked up since he felt his bracelet vibrate. "And begin!" Ms. Veronica stated, and a large timer digital time appeared on the board in front of them, which started to count down from thirty minutes.

Zefer looked at the first question.

What is a Mana Pool?

"A Mana Pool is what allows humans to use Magic. The deeper the Mana Pool, the higher tier spells they can use." Zefer put his answer down.

How many Spell Tiers are there?

"Ten." Zefer put in.

What are the highest and lowest Spell tiers?

"The Highest is called 10th Tier, and the lowest is called 1st Tier." Zefer put down.

What is Mana Control?

"The ability to cultivate Mana through the body and have it come out from various points of the body. In a way, it is an extension of one's body." Zefer put down.

The questions were pretty simple, and before he knew it, he was done with the first test before the timer was up, then came the second written test, and he repeated the same progress. At the end of it, he had his head down without a care in the world. Due to this, people just figured he was too stupid or gave up. The truth was that Zefer knew all the answers and completed each test efficiently.

He thought about just not taking the test but figured if he didn't, he would end up being scolded, so he didn't want that. Lately, he had only put no effort into schoolwork, so his grades were dropping, and people thought he was stupid or simply gave up. Even so, he already knew all the material and knew how to answer each question. This would ultimately lead to him getting a higher grade than usual. Still, he purposefully chose wrong answers to minimize his grades.

This was not to draw too much attention to him. As long as he passed, even if it was barely, he wouldn't have to retake the test like before, nor would he be scolded for failing. Doing something like this usually requires a lot of effort and concentration. Still, for Zefer, it was as easy as breathing.

Once all of the written tests were completed, it was time for the second part of the Rank Up Test, which was Mock Battle. This was everyone's favorite part of the Rank-Up test because they could show off all of their training and hard work. Not only that, but this also factored heavily on if they Ranked Up or not. To add, this also allowed people to gauge each other's strengths and weaknesses. So if they had a grudge against someone or mainly wanted to befriend someone, they could. The final thing was that many of the boys wanted to impress the girls.

Why?

Simply because a woman would want to be with a man who could protect them and their family. This also applied vice-versa since men always enjoyed a strong woman. Although, that type of man was few and in between.

Everyone was to report to the gymnasium. The gym was a reasonably large building. It rivaled the size of the school. The entire student body was in the gym and grouped up based on their class; however, they were seperated by year. The first years were on the left side of the gym, while the second years took the center and the third years took the right side.

A number one, two, or three could be seen on the collar of their uniforms to indicate what year they were. Although it was dull and ill fashioned.

In the first years, there were a total of ten classes. These ten classes would battle against other first-year courses. Five battles would take place between two different classes. The class that lost all of its students would be knocked out, and the winning class would move up.

It was a tournament. The final class of each year would receive the grand prize. The highest-ranking course out of the entire school would get the bigger bonus that Ms. Veronica talked about, a Magic Weapon or Item.

There were thirty teachers; this included Ms. Veronica and Micheal. They were all standing on a stage in front of the student body. This included the principal. The principal was giving the speech before the second part of the Rank Up Test.

The principal was a stocky man, broad shoulders and tall. He did have gray hair from his old age, but other than that, a few wrinkles, the old man looked healthy. Far too fit for someone his age.

"Today, we will begin our quarterly Rank Up Test to see just how far you kids have come. We will be watching and judging you through the match. That said, you are not allowed to use any Spells above Tier 3. We are not out to kill one another. You may use whatever martial art you possess, though."

"Any Magic Weapons or and Magic Items you have are allowed as well. The match ends when the opponent gives up, becomes incapacitated, or a ref calls the match. With that said, remember to keep your eyes on the prize and do your best! For Peccatrum! For Humanity!" The principal exclaimed. He had an authoritative and bolstering voice that riled everyone up. Everyone except for Zefer that was.

Zefer hated this man, he hated these people, he hated this school and this city. He hated all of it. Just because he wasn't gifted with a good Mana Pool, just because he had no talent in martial arts... he was shunned and treated like trash. Even if he was smart and got good grades, if he couldn't fight, then he was considered garbage.

"I just wish it would all burn to the ground," Zefer muttered to himself but was unheard. Unknowingly, a power was swelling within him. It was feasting on his hatred, and yet he didn't even know. This power would change Zefer completely, for better or worse, well who knew?

The tournament began, and Zefer's class was going through the ranks. He was set to fight last since no one wanted to have him go in first and mess things up. Ruth was one of the strongest kids in his class. He was tearing everyone down, and when he was beaten, Alex stepped up.

He was the second strongest but wasn't affiliated with Ruth. Alex was cold towards everyone and only kept to himself, so he had no friends, but people respected him because he was strong. No one ever got past these two.

Ruth specialized in Wind Magic and Boxing, whereas Alex specialized in Fire Magic and Fencing. The natural enemy to Wind Magic was actually Earth Magic. Still, since Ruth knew how to box, it didn't matter much if someone brought out his weakness. Similarly, Water Magic was strong against Fire Magic. Still, Alex was a first-rate fencer trained by the world champion fencer known as Alexander Richardson, his father. So, no one could beat these two.

The problem was that the winner would be forced to continue fighting even if they won. Since it was a knock-out match. As long as the winner did not personally leave the ring, they would still be allowed to fight. Fortunately, those knocked out could come back in once their class won and moved up in the tournament.

Their class made it into the finals, thanks to Alex and Ruth. Yet, both of them were starting to tire. They had been fighting nonstop, and even if they disliked one another, they knew their limits. Now it was time for the rest of the class to fight. No one was as strong as these two, so the students from each class began knocking each other out.

Eventually, it came down to Zefer, Alex, and Ruth against five other class students. Alex and Ruth still needed time to recover, forcing Zefer onto the field. Everyone knew Zefer, known as Zero, and everyone knew he couldn't fight.

"Ha, Zero! This will be easy. Let's get this over with!" A female student said, snickering at Zefer with lighting crackling in the palm of her hands. No one seemed to encourage Zefer or cheer him on. If anything, they just told him to last as long as he could and take as much of a beating to buy Alex and Ruth time. This attitude disgusted him, but he didn't show it. He had a facade on, a mask showing he didn't really care. The match was told to begin, and the female student threw out an arc of Lighting at Zefer.