Bab 24: Ranking Exam [2]
Thousands of years had passed, and humanity had become accustomed to the new universal energies and the emergence of different races.
As the world faced numerous challenges, the human race reached a turning point.
Amidst internal conflicts, attacks from mana beasts, and assaults by aggressive races seeking to conquer Earth, humanity began to show signs of decay.
In order to rebuild from the ground up, the Empire and World Association began seriously focusing their attention on cultivating its human resources.
And, as one part of this shift in policy, a certain academy was established.
The goal of this academy is to gather various awakened from all over the human domain and foster them into heroes capable of defending humans against the unknown.
[Eternal Lumina of Mythos Academy]
One of the most distinctive features of this academy is that it doesn't consider an applicant's background when selecting who they enroll.
The cadets chosen through the academy's custom selection criteria have a wide variety of characteristics.
But one thing remains the same for all: they are the best out of the best among billions of others.
The purpose behind all of this is probably to create the necessary foundation for them to take part in the imminent war that could break out at any time and defend humanity.
And those who are deemed unqualified are doomed to the fate of expulsion without the slightest bit of mercy from the academy.
Cadets won't be able to survive at this academy by simply being able to pass the regular exams efficiently.
They have to pass the special exams too if they want to live another day as a cadet in this academy.
Each school year is divided up into ten different classes, ranging from Class 1-S to Class 3-C.
At the time of enrollment, each class is assigned a different number of cadets; 70 cadets in Class 1-S, and 216 cadets in Class 3-C, for a total of 1,594 cadets overall.
All that being said, there are other aspects of this academy that make it so dramatically different from other academy that are spread throughout the human domain.
Starting off with the basic, this academy is established by the mutual agreement of the Empire and World Association for the nurturing of the best heroes capable of defending the human domain.
For this, every year both the Empire and the World Association send the funds to keep the academy functioning, but also because of some policy agreed by both parties, the academy is free of outside influence.
Making it easier for the academy to control the academy according to their free will.
But they can't amend anything they like as they please and give advantage to someone they like because of the mana contract between all the three parties, the academy, the Empire and the World Association.
... The academy is established to be fair to all.
.
.
Cadets are prohibited from leaving 'Lumina Island,' where the academy is located, and forced to live within the dormitories provided by the academy.
Well, cadets can leave, but only if they get permission from the academy for it.
That being said, the academy boasts an immensely large campus, fully equipped with all sorts of facilities to support its cadets with anything they could ever want or need during their time there.
There's also a large-scale commercial establishment within the academy grounds for the exclusive use of cadets called 'The Anŕķ Mall' that has everything the cadets might ever need, varying from cafes and casinos to barbershops and karaoke parlors.
And, even if there happens to be something that the mall doesn't sell; cadets can always purchase by going over to the different malls outside the academy building and into the city that surrounds it.
In the city, hundreds of thousands of people live, and one can find everything they get in the outside world.
From a small chocolate bar to the runic weapons, one can get them all on this island.
Furthermore, cadets are provided with a form of money called 'private points', which they can use to make these purchases throughout their time at the academy.
***
'Ah, I wish I were just a cloud, floating along, going wherever the breeze takes me.'
Shion thought, plopping down on the couch with a tired sigh.
Since the moment he entered the academy, the constant attention he received had been exhausting—more so than battling stronger opponents.
'As I said before, life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.'
Alaric had told me this while I was training in the Lost Land with him, but who would have thought that just being here could be so tiring?
"Sigh... What a hassle," I muttered, letting myself drown in my thoughts before the ranking exam started.
The ranking exam was divided into two phases: First and Second.
In the First phase, cadets demonstrated their magical abilities in a sparring match against a second-year cadet, supervised by a few selected instructors. And the second phase consisted of a written exam.
One's performance in this exam would determine their rank until the end of the first semester.
Clank!
The door to the room swung open.
"Young master, they've called your name. It's your turn to take the test," a loud yet reverent voice resonated through the room. It was a voice I knew well, one I could easily recognize.
I turned to face the person who had spoken, and there stood a middle-aged man in his 40s, bowing deeply before me.
He was Nanami, my attendant for the day, provided by the academy. Despite his age, he had a lean, muscular physique, with medium-length black hair and a well-groomed beard.
He was dressed in a traditional black butler's suit, the formal attire adding to his composed and professional demeanor.
Every cadet, upon being accepted by the academy, was assigned a butler for a week, starting with and immediately after the ranking exam.
After the ranks were decided, the top 100 rankers could keep their personal attendants, while the others would have theirs retracted.
This practice was designed to give cadets a taste of how competent the butlers were, motivating them to climb the ranks.
"Okay, I'm coming," I replied, snapping out of my mindless thoughts.
Slowly, I got up from the couch and made my way toward the door where Nanami waited.
"Lead the way."
Nanami soon stood from bowing and turned around and began walking ahead.
The echo of my footsteps rang in my ears as I closely followed Nanami from behind.
The corridor was vast vast. Large windows lit up the corridors with white curtains draped around them giving off a medieval period vibe.
"...We're here, young master."
Before any longer, I found myself standing in front of a large door with golden words engraved.
[Ranking Exam Hall]
"Enter..."
Hadiah
-- Hadiah diterima Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone