Arthur's ranking was 165, above the ranking of the second test. He didn't know the mechanism for how their final ranking was decided, but he expected Rayxin to be involved. After all, he was the one supervising the second test.
As for the first ranker, it was a name that Arthur didn't recognize. Rae was the third ranker and Trevor was the tenth. Jonah didn't hold into the first ranker and was instead ranked ninth.
There was also the fact that Rae was a battle maniac and Trevor had made an alliance, making Arthur wonder if it had something with their leap in rankings.
There were a lot of discontented opinions from some students who were replaced by those of lower ranking than them. However, Henrick shot them down by stating that a lot of factors were involved in deciding the final ranking.
First was the written exam. Then came the ranking of the Chains of Fortune. Then came their performance in the second test as well as final ranking. The last factor was the interviews that all of the students went through.
It seems that even though Rae and Trevor finished the second test after him, their ranking was influenced by their writing exam and their ranking on the Chains of Fortune. Arthur managed to rank 20 ranks higher than the second test, so he figured his written exam was just average.
"None of you shall be abandoned," Henrick said as parting words. "All of you are going to be nurtured to be some of the greatest awakeners in the world. Please let your teachers handle your enrollment." He disappeared afterward with Jared Voyla.
The students felt their bodies be enveloped with mana before they disappeared. When Arthur opened his eyes again, he was in standing in the middle of several buildings.
"Students, you have been assigned to the Daybreak Dorms." A teacher standing on top of a platform in the yard began explaining. "For the Explorers department, there are the two dorms: Daybreak and Nightfall. Each of you will be living separately and taking classes separately. There are many competitions between the two dorms that reward benefits in resources and opportunities.
"You will now be given a bracelet with a number on it. These numbers are your current ranking. The higher your ranking is, the more training resources you are given. The ranking changes based on your merits, grades, and battle points."
"What are merits and battle points?" A student asked.
"Merits are achievements in your minor fields. As for battle points, they are awarded based on how you perform during dungeon raids and team battles."
"Are there other ways to rank higher?" A brute and gigantic looking asked.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Yes," The teacher paused. "Through official duels. If you win against someone of a higher rank, their battle points will be reduced and yours would increase. You won't be replacing their ranking, but you will rank higher."
The crowd's atmosphere shifted as tension rose. However, the young male teacher was unconcerned and continued.
"You can duel someone once a week only and you can't turn down a duel for four consecutive weeks."
'So, we need to fight once a month if someone kept challenging us.' Arthur worried for Jonah. After all, his strength didn't suit his ranking.
The reason that Arthur had agreed to help Jonah, to begin with, was the potential he offered. The ability to make a doppelganger was helpful in Arthur's quest to find out about the academy. If he can be at the same time in two places, he would be provided with an alibi.
When Arthur realized that Jonah can be ranked first, his plan further developed. Jonah was one of the higher rankers and this meant he would get to interact with the strongest and most influential characters.
These factors combined made Jonah valuable for Arthur. However, the deciding factor was the loyalty he showed when Rayxin tested him.
"Grab your room keys from the reception. You'll find everything you need in your room. Classes start tomorrow so check your schedule, dismissed."
There were a hundred students gathered around the platform so it didn't take a lot of time for Arthur to spot the giant human named Oliver. As soon as he saw Arthur, Oliver ran over.
"Brother Alexie! We're in the same dorm!" Oliver was almost shedding tears of happiness. Arthur looked at him with suspicion.
"Why are you so happy?"
"What?" Oliver looked shocked. "Isn't it because we're together?"
"Yeah, but Nera isn't with us. You shouldn't be this happy." Arthur squinted his eyes as he looked up and down at Oliver. "Did Reinhold threaten you?"
"I-I have no idea what you're talking about." Oliver wiped the sweat gathering on his brows as waved his hand.
Arthur sighed and didn't say anything. He turned and looked around to spot Jonah surrounded by a few of their classmates, looking troubled. Their eyes met and Jonah looked like he wanted to rush over as well but Arthur shook his head and glared at him.
"Let's go to our room," Arthur said to Oliver and he followed after.
Ellen wasn't assigned to his dorm but Emma was with him. She was surrounded by female students who were fawning over her. Arthur didn't want to give her more trouble so he didn't go over.
"Everyone, please wait!" A familiar voice called over and Arthur turned his head to see Yurirl on the platform. He was accompanied by a girl wearing gauntlets that each had a different mana core and a guy with glasses.
The students turned and they grew noisy as soon as they recognized the Divine Swordsman. It was his final year at the academy so it was rare for him to be here.
"I welcome you to Daybreak, the dormitory that you'll spend the rest of your years at. I'm Yurirl of The Sword, you might have heard of me before."
"Doesn't he have a last name?" Oliver muttered next to him. Arthur also found it weird that no one called him by his last name even in the media. There have been no mentions of it at all.
Divine Swordsman and Yurirl of the Swords were the titles he was usually addressed by. Arthur had already searched him online when he was compared to Yurirl after clearing the tower. There have been no mentions of his last name and the top guild in the world kept tight lips about the subject.
"I'm the leader of Daybreak. That's why I ask every one of you," He scanned the faces of the students. "To avoid doing anything foolish that would get us in trouble. The Dorm with the highest points at the end of the year gets good benefits the year after."
After that, Yurirl explained a few matters they need to be aware of like curfews, rules, and where they need to go in case of emergencies. He wrapped it up quickly and asked the students to follow the girl next to him, who introduced herself as Jenny Lilso.
She guided them with a blank expression and simply gestured at the reception where they would receive their keys. Freshmen occupied the east wing of the dorms while the south and north were occupied by the second and third year.
As for the west wing, Arthur heard it was for training. He took his card from the reception and headed toward the second floor in the east wing. He placed his card on the door and it was unlocked allowing Arthur to get inside.
This room was bigger than the one he was given earlier and it had a separate office for Arthur to study at. On the bed, Arthur found a black box that had several items inside.
One of them was the bracelet that he picked up and studied. He slipped his hand into it and it adjusted its size to fit Arthur's hand.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Please provide the student's number and name."
A voice asked him from the bracelet and Arthur was confused. He looked into the box and found an ID of him with the student's number on it.
Then came a brief silence and then a hologram appeared in front of him. It was like a crystal-clear screen that had several items like his classes, his Arts, his Students Points, and also a community where he can log in and talk to other students.
Arthur found a physical copy of the guideline and a digital one. He closed the bracelet and sat the box aside as he went toward the balcony.
He stood by the rails and looked left and right. After half an hour of waiting, he saw a cat hopping across the balconies and heading his way.
"Did you find anything?" Arthur asked after he allowed Reece inside. In his cat form, Reece nodded and jumped on the bed.
"I've gathered the list of missing students," Reece said. Arthur nodded as he took out a notebook from his subspace. He didn't trust to have this information at any other places.
After he was done, he went to his schedule and found that there was a welcoming party for freshmen today. He took out some clothes and put them on to prepare. As he was about to eat, a knock came on the door.
Arthur looked through the hole and saw nothing. As soon as he opened it, a hand grabbed his collar and pulled him.
"Don't think you've run away from me just because we're in different dorms," Trevor whispered in his face and glanced downward.
Arthur was holding the dagger to his throat. Trevor's hand trembled as he glared at Arthur. Looking at him coldly, Arthur retracted his dagger and slapped Trevor's hand away.
"Listen, kid." Arthur spat each word slowly. "I have no business with you. However, if you wish to make me an enemy, I won't be holding back."
Trevor was fuming in rage as Arthur finished his words. He clenched his fists tightly before breathing out and calming down. He then gave a smug smile.
"I looked into you. A son of a whore and a disgraced bastard. Even your father doesn't recognize you, I bet he's too embarrassed to even acknowledge you as his son. You think you can challenge me, you son of a…"
Before Trevor could finish his words, Arthur grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the wall behind him. Arthur glared in his eyes as Trevor wheezed.
"Say that again." Arthur threatened. "Try to say that again." Trevor's mana began to run wild when Arthur snapped back to his senses. He threw Trevor to the side as he heard people rushing their way due to the earlier sound.