The next day,
Eve woke up the earliest and Ash second. Seeing Ezra still asleep, Ash woke him up.
"…Hm? It's already morning?" Ezra said sleepily as he rubbed his eyes.
"Yeah, go get ready." Ash was already in his academy clothes.
"You look good in it," Ezra commented as he himself wore his.
"Thanks, I'll go first, alright?" Ash was already walking out of the house. Eve stayed behind.
"Eh, wait for me!" Ezra rushed himself before following him. "Why are you in a rush?"
"Not in a rush, just want to make sure we're on time."
"Alright."
As they arrived, there were already a lot of students. A moment later, a young woman appeared on the podium.
"I'm the headmaster of the Elwing Academy." Even without using magic, her voice was powerful, silencing the students who were noisy. "As a reward for coming on time, you all will get 10 points. As for the ones who are late, they will be deducted 10 points."
"Now let me explain. First will be the departments, there are four: the magic department, the strategy department, the crafting department, and the weapons department. You will only be able to choose one. However, the top three are able to pick both if they want. These departments are further divided into divisions; it is required to pick at least two, but you may pick as many as you want as long as you can handle them. Of course, if you pick one and don't join it, your points will be deducted. Second is the point system. Here, points are like a currency, and for your starting point, each mana spirit you caught yesterday is 10 points. Your pouches have already automatically converted them for you." After explaining the important points, she continued to the rankings.
"As for the entrance test rankings, I will call out the top three first. First, Asher Alder."
Ash went up to the stage.
"For getting first place, you will be rewarded with another 100 points, your living costs will be fully funded, with you living in the best house for first-years alone, you may pick roommates if you like. You will also have a flexible lecture schedule and 4 personal sessions with professors of your choice this month."
Then Ash went down again, and the second place was called up. "Second, Alice Rothton." An elf with green hair and golden eyes went up.
"For getting second place, you will be rewarded with 50 points, and your living conditions will be second only to those of the first place. You will also have a lecture schedule and 2 personal sessions with professors of your choice this month."
After Alice went down, "Third, Flayn." A half-elf with blond hair and brown eyes went up onto the stage.
"Your prize will be the same as the second, except the points you receive will only be 25, and you may also have a personal session with a professor of your choice this month."
Then, after Flayn went down, she continued, "As for 4th to 10th place, you will only get 10 extra points, and living conditions will be cut in half. Remember, this ranking is not permanent and is subject to change with rank challenges. If the holder of the higher rank loses, their rank will change to that of the one who wins. Each student may only have 3 ranked challenges a month, whether challenged or challenging; however, the rankings will only update every month, not on the day of the challenge. That is all. For now, you will be divided into various teams for orientation. Please follow your seniors' instructions properly. Thank you." The woman then disappeared as she had come.
The students were then teleported into groups. There were many students, so it was essential to have an orientation.
Ash saw his group; it was roughly around 30 people. Ezra was not with him, but he noticed someone in the crowd. Alice Rothton, the girl whom he had barely beaten, was also staring at him, as though to appraise him. Ash decided to ignore her.
Then he saw a kid who tried to quieten the crowd; he was something close to a teen. The boy finally gave out a threat, "If you all don't listen, I'll remove 5 points from each." And all the students fell quiet. Although they did not know the use of points yet, they knew it was important.
"Good. Now follow me, let's go to the training grounds first." After they walked for a while, they arrived in a wide area, "This is it. It is accessible to all grades. Usually, it's used by students to either train or fight rank challenges. Now, let's go to the theory building, which is also the main academy building." After walking for a while, they arrived in front of a big building. Inside, there were many teaching halls. There was also a library inside with many different types of books.
Then they went to a mission center, "Here, you can take on missions to gain points. You can also trade things for points and vice versa here." Then they went to the canteen. And at last, they went to the first-year dorms. "Your pouches should have your dorm number. The smaller the number, the closer it is to the academy facilities. And as long as the dorm leaders agree, you may switch dorms with someone else." After introducing everything, the senior who led them broke them up and left them.
Ash then looked at his dorm number, '1.' Then he found it shortly after searching. The outside appearance was largely different from the house he stayed in the day before. This one looked more polished, and its walls were made of stone, not wood. He then entered. It had all polished facilities, like wind magic to keep it cold, a living room, three rooms, although not very big, each had its own bed and table. Then Ash remembered Eve and went to fetch her back. After briefing her, Ash decided to go to the canteen to eat.