Chapter 8 - Grades

Finally, I got here.

I kept walking and arrived at a building called the 12th examination center.

There are 12 exam centers in total.

And this is apparently the first place to visit.

“So this is where the exam is held?”

The venue, which was marked on the map in the student handbook, is a huge building that could fit an entire small village.

Of course, it was smaller than the school building, but it would still be about 10 meters high.

The area must be 500 meters square.

The solid stone walls tell the story of the building’s sturdiness.

It would probably not be shaken by an ordinary impact.

Naturally, a punch would not cause even a scratch, but would only result in a broken wrist.

It seemed impossible to punch through the wall without using very powerful magic.

Is this also a natural step considering the content of the exam?

I’ll know the specifics of the exam once I’m inside the venue.

First, let’s take a look around the venue itself.

My first thoughts:

The first thing that comes to mind is that there’s only one entrance and exit to the huge building, which could be called a fortress depending on one’s point of view.

Everything except for the entrance and the exit is made of stone, and there does not seem to be a single window within the visible area.

There may be at least an opening to the rooftop, but it’s hard to tell from below.

Because of this, the structure could be said to be such that if the only entrance and exit were sealed off, movement to and from the outside would be completely closed off.

The exam center was built with an extreme structure.

There is probably only one reason for this.

It is likely that they are thoroughly pursuing only strength and eliminating all other conveniences.

At best, it’s safety-oriented, but at worst, it’s a prison.

The building has an unusual atmosphere that seems to combine both of these aspects, but it’s not the only facility called an exam venue.

Several venues of the same construction can be seen lined up quite far away from each other.

There are 12 buildings surrounding the school building.

That is why this is where it all began.

This place, which all students must pass through at least once, is the starting point to reach the top of the school.

The students who are currently at the top of the class must have once overcome the exams here and moved on to the next venue.

“There’s a lot of people here.”

At the first exam center I visited, I saw many new students who had not been here since the entrance ceremony to take the exam.

Apparently they intend to participate in the exam from the first day of the entrance ceremony.

Or should I say they’re hot-blooded?

Or hardworking?

Either way, I’m sure they’re thinking differently than I am, but I don’t mean to dismiss their efforts at all.

I looked at the backs of the students as they entered the hall in high spirits, and then opened my student handbook again to reconfirm my purpose here.

The exam to be held at each exam site.

Its contents are very simple.

It’s a simple test where students enrolled in the school compete against each other in one-on-one matches to see how good they are.

There is nothing difficult to think about.

Win or lose, that’s all there is to it.

Of course, that is the point, but there are two main purposes for the test.

One is to train us to use the magic we’ve learned at the academy in practice.

And the other is to become at the top of the school.

All the students of this school are given a “student number”.

It’s like a who’s who number.

This number is one of the most important factors in determining a student’s ability.

In other words, ‘student ability’ = ‘student number’.

After the entrance ceremony, as of today, the total number of students at the school is 21416.

Of that, 1024 are new students.

The student with the smallest number close to 1 is proof of ability.

The closer a student’s number is to 20000, the lower their grade is.

That’s why the exam is a match for this student number.

My student number as the top student in the entrance exam is 20393.

It is the highest among the new students.

The most important task in my school life from now on will be to get through the exams, but there are a number of things I need to think about as I get through the exams.

The biggest problem is the results of the exam.

Whether I fight against a lower student or a student with a larger number than mine.

If I win, I stay in the game, but if I lose, your number is immediately taken away from you and you have your opponent’s big number.

Simply put, you are demoted.

Conversely, if you challenge someone with a smaller student number to a fight.

You have nothing to lose by losing, but if you win, you get to take that number and show what you’re capable of.

This can be called a promotion.

Based on this,

The first objective is to become the strongest student in the school, and the first requirement is to obtain student number 1, which is proof that I am at the pinnacle of the school.

Naturally, in order to achieve this goal, I will have to defeat about 20000 students to reach the top.

The road ahead seems endlessly long.

Still, it is difficult to ‘graduate’ without overcoming that journey.

“First, I have to do some research.”

How difficult are the exams on site?

Is it even possible for me to pass now?

Or is it difficult to get through the exam even with my ability at the top of the entrance exam?

As I was about to walk inside the venue to find out the answers to these questions, I suddenly began to feel the stares that I should not have felt before.

(…Again?)

It was probably the same person who had been following me earlier.

Had they been waiting for me after we got separated, judging that I would come here?

Or was it just a coincidence?

I don’t know which is correct.

Were they here for some reason?

Or were they waiting for me because they knew I would get here?

Depending on which one of the answers is, the evaluation of the unidentified person’s abilities would wary greatly.

If they were here with certainty, they would definitely be a tricky opponent.

But if this was a mere coincidence, or if it was someone who just relied on luck, they’re not someone I would have to worry about.

I don’t know what they’re after, but if they decided it would be too much trouble to follow me and went ahead of me, I may need to be a little more vigilant.

I should avoid unnecessary contact.

For the time being, I decided to walk inside the venue to scout the exam venue while pretending not to notice anything about my opponent, who still had not shown themselves.

Immediately after that.

I felt someone walk up behind me, but I didn’t turn around to check and instead continued to slowly walk inside the venue without hesitation.

The observer in the back and the matches in front of me.

While paying attention to both of them, I quickly scouted the venue and watched the games of upperclassmen and the struggles of the new students.

Of course, there is a big difference between what you can think from watching a match and what you can actually experience and feel.

But it should be better to know something than nothing.

With this in mind, I observed all the matches.

I was watching the matches, but the stares from the person who was following me were becoming more and more bothersome. I decided to give up and leave the venue at some point, instead of watching the game until the end.