10: The Ranking System

Evelyn's heart skipped a beat as Mr. Zim called her name. Doubt lingered in her mind, and she lacked confidence in her ability to pass the test.

While other students took their turns, she grappled with an internal conflict, striving to control her mana and transform it into spiritual energy. However, every time she did this, she seems to hit a roadblock.

Her thoughts were running wild, and an unusual pressure was weighing upon her heart. It felt as though her lungs were tightening with each passing second. What if she turned out like her mother? What if she were to be disqualified despite her mother's efforts to secure her a spot? Would Elvis be disappointed in her?

One would never guess the inner struggle Evelyn was experiencing by looking at her stoic face. Summoning her courage, she took deep breaths and stepped forward to stand before the immense crystal orb. She felt a sort of suction force as if the orb was drawing her in, but it was just her imagination running wild.

Closing her eyes, she entered a meditative state and extended her hand to touch the transparent orb. Activating her mana control, she channeled her spiritual energy into the orb. From the center of the orb, a golden-red colour radiated outward, astonishing the crowd. Unlike the green extensions seen on other students, hers were a completely different hue.

"Is she special? Could she be a high-level ability user?" The crowd whispered with curiosity.

Yet, as always happened within her mana core, the color extension on the orb stopped three-tenths of the way towards the circumference. The orb flickered uncontrollably before retracting back toward the center. It shrank to one-tenth of its original size before coming to a sudden stop.

This unprecedented phenomenon puzzled everyone at the academy. Still, they eagerly awaited the presumed display of her magical ability on her other open palm. To their surprise, a tiny flicker of flame, about 6 centimeters in height, ignited briefly before vanishing.

That was it. The crowd's hopes of witnessing a unique and powerful display of magical ability were crushed. Once again, the crowd erupted - not in whispers this time, but in loud shouts and jeers. They spoke ill of Evelyn, mocking and scorning her.

"I thought the golden colour meant she was special. Turns out she's just a disappointment, a piece of crap," someone from the crowd sneered.

"What a jinx. She will surely be disqualified. Does she even deserve to be a student at this prestigious academy?" Another voice chimed in.

Hearing these hurtful remarks, Evelyn's heart ached, and she felt as though a dagger had pierced her heart. With tears welling up in her eyes, she turned around and walked back to her group. She struggled to hold back the tears, never wanting to seem vulnerable in front of anyone, but they betrayed her and streamed down her cheeks.

She couldn't believe it. She had always been adept at bottling up her emotions and internalizing her struggles. It was a first for her; she couldn't remember the last time she had cried. Usually, she would bear the weight within herself for hours or days before it dissipated. Sometimes, instead of sharing her burdens, she would confide in her amulet to find solace.

"What did you expect?" A boy from her group, who had displayed an extraordinary affinity for earth magic, taunted. "All beauties are the same—damsels in distress, waiting for a hero to save them. Always weak!" He laughed with other students nearby.

"One more word from you, Derek, and you will face strict punishment," Mr. Zim warned. "Students are not allowed to belittle or mock their peers. That's one of the rules I mentioned."

Evelyn's heart ached even more from the pain inflicted upon her, she raised her head and looked at Elvis. As she had expected, he kept his head bowed, seemingly filled with both embarrassment and disappointment. She returned to her previous spot and wiped away her tears with her hand.

Unexpectedly, the icy girl who was her new roommate approached Evelyn and patted her on the shoulders.

"Don't feel bad. You can always improve," she said with her ever-frigid voice.

The tests continued for the rest of the students in their group. After the second test concluded, they proceeded to the final examination. They were relieved that no one in their group had been labeled as a witch or a demon.

However, there appeared to be an anomaly in Evelyn's core. Unlike the round and brightly golden cores of others, hers was more like a hemisphere - dark golden and not perfectly round. This raised suspicions among the group, but Mr. Zim dismissed them, suggesting that it might explain why her flame was so tiny.

They gathered near the ranking machine, which was stationed nearby, to collect their IDs and check their rankings.

In Humaldor, human mages are divided into seven main ranks.

° Beginner Mage.

° Intermediate Mage.

° Expert Mage.

° Master Mage.

° Grandmaster Mage.

° Lord Mage, and

° Overlord Mage.

Beyond these main ranks, there were two exceptionally rare ranks.

° Supreme (Demi-God) Mage and,

° Divine (God) Mage.

Only three powerful Supreme Mages existed in all of Zitherland: the Supreme Human, the Supreme Devil, and the Supreme Witch. No one had ever reached the divine level yet, but it was included in the rankings to account for naturally occurring divine beings.

Here at the academy, the ranking system differs slightly. Students were still classified according to the seven levels, but a sub-ranking system was introduced, ranging from 1-star Mage to 9-star Mage. This new system replaced the first three levels of the main ranks.

The beginner level has three sub-ranks: 1-star, 2-star, and 3-star mages.

The intermediate level also includes three sub-ranks: 4-star, 5-star, and 6-star mages.

The expert level consisted of the final three sub-ranks: 7-star, 8-star, and 9-star mages.

For example, a student with a 5-star rank was considered an intermediate level mage.

Griff Zeccamon, Dorcas' cousin, holds the rank of Master Mage and is a level four mage. While Mr. Timbeley, the headmaster who is Lord Mage, holds a level six mage rank, which is only two ranks away from the rank of Supreme Mage. However, these achievements were not easily earned. Advancing through the ranks became progressively harder, and the power one gained increased exponentially.

If it took an expert two years to become a master, it could take approximately 4-5 years to reach the grandmaster and even longer to attain the rank of lord. That is why older mages with greying hair are often found at higher levels such as Grandmaster, Lord, and Overlord.

Reaching the supreme level was unheard of since the last three Supremes, who were blessed by the universe as the epitome of power and responsible for protecting the realms of Zitherland.

As the aspiring students received their IDs and watch from the machine, they hurriedly checked their rankings. With their new rankings in hand, they departed for their dormitories. Some people were happy with their results, while others felt dejected. However, no one was as crestfallen as Evelyn, who saw a bold 1-star displayed on her watch. It was not what she had expected. If only she were allowed to use her amulet.

Zoya, her icy roommate whom she had only learned the name of during the test, ranked highest in their group as a 5-star mage. Steve, the guy she met in the library, was ranked as a 4-star mage, along with two others - Cedric, Elvis' roommate, and Derek, the boy who had mocked Evelyn earlier. Elvis was ranked as a 3-star mage, along with eight others. Evelyn, on the other hand, received a solitary 1-star rank in the group, while the rest had 2-star ranks.

Feeling frustrated, Evelyn made her way back to her room, unwilling to face the other students in their group, especially Elvis.

—— — ——

In an area of the Grand Hall, as the rest of the crowd watched the aspiring students being tested. A woman frowned as she watched Evelyn cry, who had only managed to produce a small flicker of flame in the testing area.

She became angry with the people who were mocking her daughter. Her eyes flashed with a fit of cold, intense anger. This was the first time she had seen Evelyn in such a state in 16 years.

A man standing by her side noticed her sour state and nudged her gently.

"Dorcas, I understand how you feel right now. You are the only one who can relate to her pain, but you must behave appropriately in this situation. Don't you think she would be even more heartbroken if she knew that you had witnessed her during her test?" It was Griff, the one who had helped Dorcas bring them safely to the academy.

"Didn't you tell me that you saw her unleash a brightly burning flame in that transporter? Why can't she do the same thing here as well? Even with the amplifying effect of that mystical orb," Dorcas questioned, her voice cracking.

"Yeah, I saw her produce a huge flame. You can ask Elvis if you doubt me. I have a feeling that she is somewhat different. Something is off about her, and you should try to find out what it is as soon as possible," advised Griff.

"She is certainly different. I will see what I can do," Dorcas replied, making her way to Elvis's dormitory. She didn't want to visit Evelyn today because she might be in a bad mood.

'I need to figure out why she seems so peculiar and distinct from everyone else. Although I am not a mage. I can sense that she is entirely different,' she pondered as she made her way towards the main academy quarters.