Sitting in a large library. For the first time in a while, Lake was able to relax a little in a comfortable environment. There was air conditioners, clean equipment and even water dispensers for the men to use. Every student had also been given a phone which they could use for various aspects of the university.

Reclining a little on the bright-red couch, he was approached by another boy.

“What’s up, I’m Garvin. How you doin’?”

“I’m Lake.”

“Nice to meet you, Lake.”

“Likewise.”

Lake slowly leaned up a little, looking at Garvin.

“You seem different from all the others.”

“I could say the same for you.”

Garvin eventually took a seat beside him. In a seemingly relaxed posture, he leaned back, resting on the comfort of the couch. He wasn’t a particularly large, nor strong individual, however, unlike Lake, his person emanated charisma. It seems out of place in a world where men were treated so poorly.

“Where did you come from, Lake?”

“I recently crossed the border.”

“Ah. So you’re not from here. I’ve been in Centre I my entire life—although, I do make the most of it. It’s pretty comfortable.”

“Is that so.”

“Mhm. Now tell me about this crossing the border. Did you do it just to participate in the exam?”

“I didn’t know about the exam. It was just a lucky coincidence.”

“Ahaha, alright then. You’re an interesting guy.”

Suddenly, both the boys received notifications on their phones. It was a message directly from the school to every student.

-

Valor University

Welcome rats, to the most important race of your life.

We hope you’ve settled in, get a little to know your competition—all the good stuff. Now, our system has measured a variety of your attributes and have placed you accordingly in classes relative to your rank.

You can see them in the ATTRIBUTES app on the Home Screen of your phone.

Please make your way to the class assigned to you, and the professors will explain the rest.

#00000, you are in class A. Make your way to lecture hall A.

-

Garvin laughed a little.

“Hey Lake, what class are you in?”

“Class A.”

He smiled, patting Lake on the back.

“Haha, I knew I have a keen eye. Looks like we’re in the same class!”

Suddenly, another boy approached the two of them. They had a much more petite figure, and it was the boy that Lake had seen in the exam hall with him. Brushing away some of the hair in his eyes, he mumbled in a soft voice.

“U-um, what class are you guys in?”

Garvin quickly responded.

“I think we’d better get to know each other before asking for classes, isn’t that right?”

“Y-yeah…”

“What’s your name, little guy.”

“I’m Darren… Darren Rib.”

Garvin laughed.

“Nice to meet you. You don’t look like you’ve got a lot of meat on your ribs!”

Darren stared awkwardly at the two boys.

“Alright, alright, I guess I’ll tell you what class we’re in. Both Lake and I are in Class A, how about you?”

“O-oh, class A? I’m in class E.”

Garvin sighed.

“That’s too bad. I guess I’ll see you around. You can hang out with us later after class if you want?”

“T-that’d be nice. Thank you.”

Both Lake and Garvin got up from the couch.

“I guess we better get going, Lake.”

“Yeah.”

The two of them began following the stream of students heading to the lecture halls. As they passed lecture hall E and D, it was clear that the better the rank, the better quality the hall. There was a significant difference in the size, modernity and cleanliness of the different halls, but they were all at least of decent quality.

Eventually, they made it to lecture hall A and took a seat near the back of the theatre.

It was an extremely large hall with only 20 students. They had all spread themselves across the myriad of seats.

A professor walked in, taking the stand at the front.

“Hello everyone. Welcome to Valor University. This is Class A, so if you’re not from this class, please leave the theatre now.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Alright. I’ll begin by explaining some of the basics of the way this university is run. First of all, you will have already likely seen your new rankings on your phones. These can change at any moment, so make sure you’re always performing at your best.”

The professor lifted her hand. In that instant, a hologram appeared in front of each student.

“Your rank will directly impact your life at this school. The higher your rank, the better your food, accommodation and treatment. There will be plenty of special exams and challenges to try to break your spirit, so staying near the top is very important if you want to have any chance of making it to the end.”

There were some statistics and general information regarding the school on the holograms.

“If you do make it to the end without breaking apart or getting expelled, you will be sent to the butler training school for a short period of time before becoming an official butler for any royalty who wishes to have you. Your stay at this school will be very short, so make the most of it. This will be your only chance to get anything out of your worthless lives.”

Suddenly, all the holograms disappeared.

“Anyways, I will be running classes in here. Attendance is optional, but failing or missing tests will do a lot of damage to your rank. Make sure also to work on your fitness and other skills in the facilities we have at this university—everything will be tested, so ensure you’re in the best shape.”

The professor stretched her arms a little.

“Anyways, most facilities are accessed using your phone. Since you’re all class A students, you won’t have much to worry about for now. But don’t lose your rank.”

With that, the professor left the stage.

“The first class is in an hour. Feel free to do whatever for now.”