Ship no.3 had finally arrived at the docks of Zelore Island. All the students who were previously unconscious had woken up. A robot from their ship escorted them to a large building on the island.
The inside of the building was just as luxurious as the cruise ships–before the Phantom Nest. Every first-year occupied the lobby area conversing amongst each other while waiting for further instructions. Ken parted from Tai and Stark and regrouped with his Dorm friends; Hanako, Katherine, Koko, Lydia, Drew, and Rufus.
“How did you guys go with the Phantom Nest?” asked Ken. -40XP-
“It sucked. I felt useless because I had no spell in my arsenal to combat the phantoms. I ended up with 20XP.” said Drew. -20XP-
“My situation is the same as muscle brains,” said Rufus, referring to Drew. -20XP-
“It was quite the surprise. I got caught up in helping others, so I couldn't figure out the culprit,” said Lydia. -20XP-
“I only got 10XP. Those Phantoms were nightmare material. Thanks to Katherine and Hanako, I was able to regain my soul before the task ended.” Koko sighed. -10XP-
“It was bothersome,” Katherine muttered. -40XP-
“I-I’m just happy K-Katherine solved ours quickly…” said Hanako. -20XP-
“Well, I did have help. So I can't take all the credit.”
“Looks like it was rough for everyone, and that was the first take. They must have a lot in store for us,” said Ken
In front of everyone stood a large stage. From behind the curtains of the stage, Jess made herself present in front of everyone. Seeing her appear on stage, everyone began to simmer down, waiting for her to speak.
“Welcome First Years to Zelore Island. A private island belonging to the Headmaster. The traditional spot where all Ranking Exams are conducted. I, Jess Albero, will be one of the three supervisors for this year's Ranking Exams.” With her little introduction done, she stepped to the side.
From behind the curtains, a man made his appearance. The person in particular is Ian Eltora, the first examiner from the Entrance Exam.
“I, Ian Eltora, will also be a supervisor for this year's Ranking Exam.” With his short introduction, he stepped to the side.
The final supervisor made her appearance. Sophia Papilionem, the second examiner from the Entrance Exam. Unlike Ian who carried a gloomy look, Sophia carried a beaming smile.
“I, Sophia Papilimem will be your final supervisor for this year's Ranking Exam. I'm rooting for all of you to do your best. We are here to answer any of your questions at any time. So don't be afraid to talk to us if you're confused.”
“With our introduction out of the way. I’d like to introduce the alumni of Elenora’s Academy of Magicka, who'll be joining us as special guests,” said Jess.
“Alumni?”
Making an appearance from behind the curtain, a young man with black hair, and dark blue eyes stood in front of everyone. His presence alone turned the crowd of first years into a fan club. Before he could say a word, the students began talking amongst each other.
"Welcome first years of X740! I'm sure a lot of you already know who I am, but I'll introduce myself anyway. My name is Yohan Sharma. I am the No.1 Ranked graduate from X737, and I'm honored to be here for this year's Ranking Exam.” Yohan’s voice was calm and welcoming.
With Yohan’s introduction finished, everyone gave him a loud round of applause, excited to have such a great wizard be here with them.
“From the way everyone is reacting, this guy must be a big shot right?” Ken questioned.
“Yes, Yohan Sharma, is the youngest mage to ever join the Order of Royal Mages of Vaevalon Queendom. He is a staple in today’s era of Magic,” said Lydia.
“It's so awesome that he's here with us!” said Rufus.
“Oh my, he's so handsome as well!” Koko professed.
But this wasn't the end of the excitement. Another person made his appearance on stage. This time it was a tall bald man with the physique of a bodybuilder. Stroking his fuzzy beard he introduced himself by shouting;
"My name is Falera Validus. I am the No.1 Ranked graduate from X736. Being here, I can see the great potential in all of you. Keep your youthful bodies and minds strong like a stone fortress, and fight on to be Rank No.1!!”
The cheering and clapping continued.
Letting out a squeaking gasp, Drew’s jaw fell slack. “By Reme’s light, th-thats, Falera! I think I'm going to faint.”
“Hmmm? Is he another super famous person?”
Out of frustration for Ken’s lack of knowledge, Drew grabbed him by the collar and began to shake him. “what?! How have you not heard of him? Were you raised under a rock!? I thought you were meant to know a lot of things Ken!?”
While being shaken, Ken tried his best to reply. “I guess being raised isolated on an island is the same as being raised under a rock… so yes? Also, I'm more knowledgeable in Magic, not so much celebrities…”
“He’s known as the Geo Giant, it's believed that there isn't a single earth spell that he doesn't know,” said Leo.
“He also owns more than 12 successful academies in his home country, Zoula. I'm currently reading one of his many spell tomes. He's the type of man I seek to be.” Drew said before letting go of Ken’s collar.
“He sounds amazing,” said Ken.
The final alumni made her appearance. An Oni with a light purple skin complexion and dark purple hair. Scanning the crowd with her pastel violet eyes, she made eye contact with Hanako.
“M-Master…” Hanako softly muttered.
“Master!?” the Dorm 44 members all said at the same time.
With a smile, the Purple Oni introduced herself. “My name is Mei Kanzaki. I am the No.1 ranked graduate from X735. I look forward to seeing what you are all capable of.”
With the introduction of the last alumnus, everyone began clapping. The excitement of being in the presence of such powerful mages filled the lobby.
“So that's the master you told me about?” Hanako nodded her head in response to Ken’s question. Being shy, Hanako wasn't able to burst into excitement like everyone else, but not even she could hide the gleaming smile on her face.
“Oni’s are not a magical race. So Hanako who can use magic is rare among her people… but what makes Mei so special and a 1 in a million case, is that she is Loved by Mana.” Kathrine chipped in.
“Loved by Mana… just like Claire.”
Once the crowd settled down, Jess took the front stage once again. “I'm sure your Dorm Masters explained what XP is and how they will be appointed to each of you. So we’ll move on to what they didn't explain.”
Snapping her finger, a crystal embedded into the ceiling projected a large mana screen displaying a list showing everyone's rank.
“Katherine! You’re ranked no.2!” Koko called out, shaking her friend.
“Woah, that's awesome Katherine,” said Ken.
A slight smile appeared on Katherine's face seeing her name ranked as the second highest. “The no.1 rank is Zero, he's the one that helped me solve the Phantom Nest.”
“Ken, y-your number 4," said Hanako.
“Yeah, and Tai is third, with Claire in fifth place,” Ken muttered.
Talking over the chatter, Ian added. “The minimum XP needed to successfully pass this exam is 10k. Once the exam comes to an end and you haven't gained the required amount of XP, you will be expelled from the academy.”
Ian's words immediately cleared the room of any remaining excitement that the alumnus brought. Hearing the possibility of being expelled by the end of this camp, put a lot of the students on edge.
“Since this is the Ranking Exams, duels will be encouraged as long as it's outside this building and done in your free time. Every duel will cost a minimum of 50XP, whether you offer more XP or not is between you and the person you are fighting.” Sophia explained. “Also, you will be allowed to challenge any of the alumni to a duel for a chance to win 1000 XP.”
“I didn't think things could get any more interesting, but it looks like I was wrong!” A wide grin plastered onto Ken's face.
