Chapter 388: The Beginning Of The End [L]

“I figured this was coming sooner or later,” Tyrian also grinned widely.

“Then explain,” Aestrea crossed his arms, looking at their excited expression.

Kael straightened up, clearly excited by his question. “Alright, listen carefully, because this system is annoying if you don’t know how it works.”

“Most students misunderstand it.” Tyrian nodded.

Kael raised his index finger before pointing at Aestrea.

“First things first. You don’t just enter the rankings whenever you want. Before anything else, you have to pass the Entry Test.”

“Entry Test?” Aestrea asked.

“It’s a simple test on paper, but brutal in reality. They measure your divine energy.” Tyrian answered this time.

Kael nodded lightly.

“Exactly. They don’t care about technique or skill at first. They only measure the total amount of divine energy you have. Raw reserves. How much power you can actually store.”

“So it’s just quantity.” Aestrea’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Yes,” Tyrian nodded.

“Pure quantity.”

Kael leaned forward. “And here’s the annoying part. Even if you completely crush that test, even if your energy shocks the professors, you still don’t get a high rank.”

Aestrea frowned.

“Then what’s the point of doing it at all?”

“To enter the ranking at all,” Kael replied. “Passing that test only puts you at the very bottom.”

“Lowest-ranked student. Dead last,” Tyrian sighed.

Aestrea understood immediately.

“So everyone starts from the bottom.”

“Exactly, there are no shortcuts at all.”

Kael continued, clearly enjoying this. “Once you’re officially ranked, then the real fun begins. From that point on, you can challenge other students.”

“Anyone?” Aestrea asked.

“Unfortunately, not everyone. There are a few limits.” Kael shook his head.

“You can only challenge students who are up to five ranks above you.”

“So if I’m ranked last…” Aestrea started slowly.

“I can only challenge the ones slightly above me.”

“Yes,” Kael replied with an annoyed glance. “Unfortunately, you need to climb step by step. You win, you take their place. They drop down one rank.”

“And if you lose?” Aestrea asked.

“You stay where you are,” Tyrian replied. “And there’s a cooldown before you can challenge again.”

“It’s meant to stop idiots from throwing themselves at stronger people over and over,” Kael smirked.

“Makes sense… but that means that it’ll take a lot of time before I can even get to a proper rank.”

“Now, this goes on until you reach the 500th rank,” Kael then added.

“Why 500th?” Aestrea raised an eyebrow.

“Because that’s where the academy changes the rules,” Tyrian replied lightly, letting Kael continue his words.

“Once you reach rank 500, you’re no longer considered low-tier. At that point, you’re allowed to challenge the top 200.”

“Directly?” Aestrea’s eyes sharpened instantly.

If he really could, that would save him a lot of time.

“This time, you can, but only the lowest of them. Until Rank 200.”

“If you defeat the 200th-ranked student, you take their place immediately.”

“And that,” Kael spoke with a wide grin, “is when you officially enter the Heaven’s List.”

“Heaven’s list…?”

Tyrian nodded at his words, rolling his eyes slighly.

“The top 100 students in the academy. The so-called elite of the school.”

“Once you’re in Heaven’s List, the rules tighten even more.”

Aestrea waited.

“You can’t skip ranks anymore,” Kael continued. “No more five-rank jumps. No more targeting someone far above you.”

Tyrian finished the thought.

“You challenge one by one. One rank at a time.”

“So to reach first place…”

“You have to beat everyone,” Kael stated plainly.

“From 100… to 1.”

Silence fell over the table for a moment.

Aestrea processed the information calmly.

“That’s a lot of fights,” he sighed, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Yeah. And every single one will be watched. The principal, teachers, gods, hidden factions… everyone pays attention to Heaven’s List.” Kael chuckled lightly.

“And it’s not just about strength. It’s also about reputation because once you enter that list, you can’t hide anymore.”

Aestrea didn’t look worried.

“Who’s ranked first right now?” he asked curiously.

“…Thaliel.” Kael’s grin faded slightly as he replied with a sigh.

That made Aestrea frown lightly as he then asked:

“Is Emyria second place?”

“Exactly…”

This time, it was Tyrian who replied, letting out an audible sigh.

“…Lunara isn’t first place?” Aestrea raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“Our President isn’t on the ranking at all. She once mentioned that it would simply be a waste of time since she knew that she would get first place easily,” Kael chuckled lightly.

“She’s damn arrogant, but has the power to back it up,” Tyrian shook his head with a small yet wry smile.

Aestrea nodded lightly at their words.

“When can I take the entry test?”

Kael’s grin returned instantly.

“Right now!”

“Good.” Aestrea finished the last bite of his food and stood up

“That’s it? No nerves?” Tyrian blinked twice.

Aestrea glanced back at them, his crimson eyes glowing sharply. “If I’m going to be hunted anyway, I might as well stand at the top.”

“That’s the right mindset,” Kael chuckled heartily before also standing up.

“Right. Let’s take you to the entry test, then.” Tyrian nodded and rose as well.

Before Aestrea could react, both of them moved in close and casually wrapped their arms around his shoulders, dragging him along like an old friend.

“To first place!” Kael shouted, laughing loudly as he led the way.

The students nearby turned their heads curiously, whispering towards each other as they watched the trio leave the cafeteria together.

They walked through several hallways, moving away from the busy parts of the academy.

Eventually, they reached a large stone building standing apart from the rest.

“This is the place,” Tyrian pointed out.

“The Student Ranking Hall.”

Inside, the place was wide and clean, with a high ceiling and a circular platform at the center of the room. Several professors stood nearby, watching calmly.

A large crystal pillar rose from the middle of the platform, glowing faintly.

“That crystal measures divine energy. Just place your hand on it and release your power.” Kael leaned closer to him and whispered.

Aestrea nodded and directly stepped forward before placing the palm of his right hand against the crystal.

For a brief moment, nothing happened.

…Fwooom!

And suddenly, the crystal flared up!

Light shot upward, bright and violent. The runes on the walls lit up one by one as the air shook slightly, and pressure spread through the room.

The professors’ eyes widened.

Numbers began appearing above the crystal, climbing rapidly.

Higher.

And higher.

It was just mere seconds; it went past what was considered normal.

Fwoooom!

The light intensified until it filled the entire hall.

Until finally, the numbers stopped…

…At the absolute maximum.

Silence fell over the entire hall.

“Gulp…!”

One of the professors swallowed, and another adjusted his glasses. A third stared openly at the crystal, as if wondering whether it was broken.

“…Maximum grade,” one of them finally said.

Murmurs instantly spread through the hall.

“I told you.” Kael grinned so hard it looked like his face might split.

Tyrian nodded while smiling, clearly satisfied.

The lead professor cleared his throat and looked at Aestrea. “Your divine energy reserves are… exceptional. Beyond exceptional.”

He paused, then continued firmly.

“However, the rules remain the same.”

Aestrea already knew what was coming.

“Regardless of your result,” the professor said, “you will enter the rankings at the lowest position.”

“Figures.” Kael crossed his arms.

Tyrian nodded calmly.

The professor went on, “From there, you may begin issuing challenges according to the ranking rules. Five ranks at a time, until you reach the required threshold.”

Aestrea withdrew his hand from the crystal.

“That’s fine.”

The professors looked slightly surprised by his calm response.

“Your rank will be registered by the end of the day,” the lead professor said. “You may issue your first challenge tomorrow.”

Clap!

Kael slapped Aestrea on the back, wearing a wild grin.

“See? Easy,” Kael said with a wide grin, clearly pleased with himself.

“Easy is not the word I’d use,” Tyrian replied, glancing at him before letting out a deep sigh. “And to be honest, I’m not exactly impressed either.”

Kael blinked and turned toward him. “Not impressed? Did you not see the crystal? It almost exploded.”

“High divine energy alone doesn’t mean much. I’ve seen plenty of people with huge reserves fall apart the moment real pressure hits.” Tyrian shrugged.

“Oh, come on. This isn’t just ’huge reserves.’ That was the maximum. The absolute ceiling.” Kael scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“And?” Tyrian countered. “That only means he has fuel. It doesn’t say how efficiently he burns it.”

Kael crossed his arms.

“You’re really trying hard to downplay this.”

“I’m being realistic,” Tyrian stated calmly.

“The Ranked Duels aren’t about one fight. They’re about endurance, consistency, and adapting to different opponents.”

Kael pointed at Aestrea.

“And you think he can’t do that?”

Tyrian glanced at Aestrea, then back at Kael. “I think he can. I just don’t think it’ll be as simple as you believe.”

“You’re acting like he hasn’t already beaten one of the strongest gods of the academy.”

“That’s exactly why I’m cautious,” Tyrian replied back.

“Once he enters the Heaven’s List, he won’t be fighting reckless challengers. He’ll be fighting people who plan, people who prepare, people who won’t underestimate him.”

Kael opened his mouth to argue, then paused.

“Okay… fair. But still.”

“Also, there are limits. Recovery time. Cooldowns. Rules.” Tyrian sighed again. ”

Kael waved his hand.

“Rules are just obstacles.”

“They’re obstacles designed to slow monsters.”

“Good thing Aestrea likes obstacles,” Kael grinned widely.

Their voices overlapped as they continued arguing, one confident, the other cautious. Aestrea didn’t join in as he was deeply in thought.

’If I can defeat at least a hundred people per hour with one hit…’ he thought calmly.

’Then in a single week, reaching first place should be possible.’

His crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

’No?’

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