That morning's training ended earlier than usual. The students gathered again in the academy's large central field.
Draven was among them, next to Zayra.
In the center of the field, the same instructor who supervised the fights walked slowly before the group.
"You've already learned about the races of the world," he said, "and also about the fundamentals of power."
He paused.
"Now you need to understand how the academy measures the strength of its students."
Some students began to whisper.
Zayra crossed her arms.
"Now the fun part begins," she murmured.
Draven watched silently.
The Ranking System
The instructor pointed to a large stone panel placed beside the field.
Several names were engraved there.
"The academy uses a ranking system to measure the students' progress."
He wrote five symbols on the panel.
Iron Class
Bronze Class
Silver Class
Gold Class
Elite Class
— All new students start in the Iron Class.
Some students looked disappointed.
The instructor continued.
— As you win fights, complete training, and demonstrate progress, you can move up a class.
He looked directly at the students.
— But moving up a class isn't easy.
How to move up a class
The instructor explained the rules.
To move up in the rankings, a student must:
win official fights
demonstrate physical and technical progress
complete endurance and strategy tests
— In addition — he added — students can challenge others in their class.
This immediately caught everyone's attention.
— If the challenger wins, they take the opponent's place in the rankings.
Now the murmurs grew louder.
Real competition.
The best students
The instructor pointed to the top of the panel.
— Currently, only five students have reached the Elite Class.
Draven looked at the names.
Among them were:
a lion-man Beastikim
a silver-winged angel
a black-horned demon
an archer elf
and a swordsman human
Zayra was also observing.
— I'm not there yet — she said — but I intend to get there.
Draven didn't answer.
He just analyzed.
Students' reaction
A young demon raised his hand.
— Instructor… when can we start the challenges?
The instructor smiled slightly.
— Some of you seem eager.
He then pointed to the arenas.
— Starting next week, the ranked battles will begin.
Now the excitement was clear.
Some students were already looking at each other as potential opponents.
Draven's thought
Draven looked at the panel again.
Iron Class.
It was the lowest level.
But he didn't seem bothered.
In the forest, he never needed rankings to survive.
Even so…
A structured combat system meant one thing:
constant challenges.
And challenges meant battles.
Zayra noticed his gaze.
"Already thinking about ranking up?"
Draven calmly replied:
"Yes."
She smiled.
"I knew it."
Great Sage Analysis
In Draven's mind, a familiar voice emerged.
[Analyzing ranking system.]
[Conclusion: useful system for measuring combat progress.]
[Recommendation: accumulate experience before high-level challenges.]
Draven silently agreed.
The academy wasn't just a place of study.
It was a field of evolution.
And for someone like him…
That was exactly what he needed.