“We are glad to see our students return in one piece, with bright smiles on their faces, ready for a new semester!”

I snorted, unable to hide my sarcasm. ‘Yeah right, bright smiles.’

After three days of much needed rest, the opening ceremony finally began. However, In those three days, there were many casualties. The gigantic midges—apex predators of the mountain—had claimed their fair share of unsuspecting freshmen.

“So this is why we had to sign all those NDAs,” Ajay muttered.

These monsters sport a tough, metal-like exoskeleton, created from consuming the rich mineral deposits of the mountain range. Paired with strong magic resistance, they are near impervious to most attacks. They hunt like hawks, diving it to grab their prey, draining their blood dry until husks remain.

Yuki had spent her time indoors training her magic for the most part. Her ice magic had little effect against these monsters, who are used to the frigid temperature of the mountain. The campus is unusually quiet—reflecting the unease of the students. Most students opted to stay inside, avoiding these diurnal creatures.

Nightfall came, and I devised a plan. I used Ajay as bait to lure one of the straggler juvenile midges. With [Killer’s Instinct] activated, I quickly found a weak point in between it’s armor and thrusted my rapier inbetween the chinks in it’s armor. With a blood curdling screech, it plummeted to the ground, a lifeless heap. As I absorbed the body, I gained several new abilities.

[Hardened Carapace]

Converts every 10 points of defense into 5 extra points of stamina

Nullifies damage below 5% of maximum HP

Deactivates after the HP shield drops to 0

[Paralytic Saliva]

Paralyzes your target for five minutes

Costs 50% of their stamina converted to mana

[Frost Immunity]

[Vampirism]

On a basic attack, 5% of damage dealt is absorbed as HP

Pumping my fist in victory, I made my way back to the dormitory for some much needed rest.

‘Did I forget something? Oh whatever. If I forgot, it probably wasn’t important…’

The next morning, we were summoned to the auditorium for the opening ceremony.

“Do we really have to wear these uniforms?” I complained to Yuki, tugging on the stiff collar. “This is so stuffy and uncomfortable.”

The official uniform consisted of a blood-red blazer adorned with the academy insignia, a white dress shirt, with either navy slacks or a pleated skirt.

Students were split into two main groups—mages and swordsmen—with elective classes for people specializing in miscellaneous forms of combat such as poison masters.

“My name is ‘Odgezar!' Over the coming years—“

I zoned out as the headmaster rambled on with his long winded speech.

“Please bear with it,” Yuki murmured. “You can wear whatever you want outside of official events.”

Long wooden benches stretched across the auditorium, with crystal chandeliers casting a dim glow overhead.

“And you really shouldn’t be wearing the male uniforms,” Yuki added. “It’s unbecoming.”

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Whatever,” I snorted. “At least you look comfortable.”

The headmaster continued to ramble on about rules and what we should expect. Something about ranking tournaments?

“Expect at least 5% of you to be eliminated each semester. Rewards will be given to the top 50 students of each year. You may challenge other students to improve your rank. That is all. Head to the grand colosseum to check your ranks and challenge others.”

Immediately, hundreds of students flooded out of the auditorium and towards the colosseum. Massive glowing monoliths displayed our ranks. From the distance, I squinted and frowned.

‘What the actual fuck?’

I was second lowest! Meanwhile, Yuki ranked first in our year! Not that I’m complaining of course, I’m very happy for her, but this is bullshit.

“Some of you may wonder what determines your initial rank,” Odgezar continued. “It’s based on your level. The bottom 5% will be expelled at the end of the semester. Good luck.”

I frowned. Recently, leveling up had been harder, with the EXP requirements increasing after my evolution. Yuki, having slain multiple dragons, albeit juveniles, was way ahead of the pack.

Immediately, several students challenged Yuki to a duel.

The headmaster went on. “A committee oversees the duels. You may choose your battle method, but participants must be within 50 ranks of each other.”

“I choose her as my teammate,” Yuki said, pointing at me.

A few people snickered, confused as to why she’d choose someone of such low rank, as I sighed and slipped on my robes.

Almost immediately, several students withdrew their challenges. There’s no penalty for fighting someone higher-ranked, but adding me to the team meant the risk of dropping down to the second lowest.

A girl, about four feet tall and wearing an adorable bear onesie, popped out, sucking on a lollipop.

“You can find people like her around the campus,” the headmaster explained. “They can initiate a duel, ensuring fair play. Nobody will die due to her ability.”

A half-elf assassin, Anisa, and a human illusionist, Rick, stepped forward.

“You may not refuse a ranking battle request. Both parties must agree on a time and method of battle.”

We agreed to start the fight immediately. No rules, anything goes.

“Okay, everyone clear out!” the arbiter called, munching on a skewer.

Once everyone was on the observation seats, she began the fight.

“I’ll now activate my ability. You’ll be trapped in a domain to simulate an arena. If you die in the domain, no damage will be taken in the real world.”

She glanced at both parties. “Are you ready?” she said in a cheery tone.

We nodded.

“[Simple Domain : True Neutral]!”

The arena is rapidly enclosed in a translucent dome.

“Dying or stepping out of the dome eliminates you. Begin!” she said, munching on a comically oversized chocolate bar.

Immediately, the opponents split up and went invisible, aiming for Yuki.

“[Plagiarism].”

The spectators murmured in confusion as everyone disappeared from sight.

Yuki froze the ground with a thin layer of ice, creating tracks that revealed their positions. She shot a barrage of icicles as they attempted to dodge her assault. An icicle spear grazed Rick’s leg, causing him to slip on the door.

Anisa lunged at Yuki, both losing their invisibility. I deflected her blow while the other assassin scrambled to his feet.

Slipping on the floor, I quickly used and cancelled [Sublimation] to regain my footing, causing Anisa to lose her balance. I appeared behind her, and with [Killer’s Instinct] activated, gutted her from behind, eliminating her.

Crack.

I turned, eyes widening as I noticed a series of cracks snaked towards Yuki.

“Behind you!” I shouted in panic.

Yuki twisted around, casting a thick wall of ice that deflected Rick’s longsword . He materialized out of thin air, sliding backwards with a grunt. He leapt over the wall, aiming for her throat.

“[Plagiarism].”

[Simple Domain : True Neutral]

As an impartial third party, you’ve gained the ability to set up fair trials to settle disputes.

Outsiders are barred from interference

Sets up a simulated arena where both parties take no damage in the real world

Choosing Yuki and I as targets, a clear dome enveloped us under the arbiter’s dome. As he struck Yuki, the skill detected outside interference, sending Rick flying outside into the observation stands, disqualifying him.

The crowd gasped in disbelief. The headmaster stared at me, puzzled.

“How do you have her skill?” he mused. “This is unheard of.”

A few people questioned the fairness of the battle, but they were quickly shut down. The ranks are exchanged based on who landed the killing blow from the winning side.

Odgezar turned to me. “Would you like to join the committee? Of course, you’d be impartial, and guaranteed graduation as compensation.”

My eyes widened. I glanced at Yuki. “Sorry, but I must refuse.”

A murmur spread throughout the crowd. The arbiter, meanwhile, is munching on popcorn.

Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion and hunger washed over me.

The arbiter hopped down into the arena. “Chocolate?” she offered.

I accepted gratefully, feeling better after a bite. The skill strangely drained my stamina at an alarming rate.

“I understand,” the headmaster said. “But I hope you won’t abuse this power.” Odgezar turned to the crowd. “Would anyone else like to challenge?” he shouted.

The crowd fell silent. Then Anisa spoke up.

“This is unfair! I demand another battle!” she shouted.

“Oh, but it is fair,” the headmaster replied. “You are barred from challenging the same person twice in one day. Also, a student may only receive up to five challenge requests per day, outside of class hours.”

The assassin glared at me. “You’ll pay for this.”

The headmaster shot her a stern look. “Listen up, students. Some of you may have gotten by with cheap tricks using illusion spells. Weaklings will be filtered out. That’s all—you have three months until the end of the semester to raise or maintain your ranks. Good luck!”

In the end, our ranks were exchanged—Anisa dropped down to the second lowest while I moved up to rank 47.

Later, we learned that this year saw a suspicious rise in the acceptance of stealth-based classes among the new students. Clerics and mages had been getting assassinated early on during the entrance exam, causing a massive shortage. This led to the entrance exam being extended for two more weeks, with a revised test.