The children were divided into separate groups based on the colour of the medallions. Veric and Kadyn were standing in what looked like a small lecture hall. There were five rows of chairs with ten chairs in each row.

Kadyn looked around the room and said. “Let’s sit at the back again.” Clearly wanting to pay zero attention to the lecture.

“No. I think we should pay attention this time. You might actually learn something useful for once.” Veric said and headed for the front seat.

Once other kids with single digits on their medallions realised that number 1 was sitting in the front, all of them rushed to sit next to him. All of them except for the girl ranked second. She just observed as the group of highest ranked children engaged in a pushing contest.

When Kadyn saw what was happening it ignited his competitive nature and he rushed for the seat next to Veric.

“Back off number 48. Go sit at the back.” The tall burly blonde kid ranked third barked at Kadyn. He was the same kid Kadyn pointed at in the morning thinking he was the baron's son.

“Why would I? I want to sit next to my friend.” Kadyn said and pointed at Veric.

‘Friend? We just met less than two hours ago. Children do make friends quickly.’ Veric thought and was about to interfere. He didn’t want this to get physical.

The kid ranked third scoffed at Veric and said. “This skinny gimp? I bet the artefact malfunctioned when he got assigned the highest rank. I will deal with him after I fix your attitude.” The tall blond kid laughed while mocking them.

Kadyn used the time when the bigger kid was distracted to punch his midriff aiming at the liver. The tall kid ranked third released a painful groan and folded like a cheap accordion onto the floor.

‘Jeez, Kadyn doesn’t mess about.’ Veric thought somewhat amused. He didn’t feel bad for the kid, it was clear to him that the kid would swing at one of them sooner or later anyway.

Before the bigger lad’s friends could jump into the fight the door to the door's hinges creaked and Namir walked into the room.

Namir looked around the room, surprised that the children were in the middle of a scuffle. “Get in your seats!” He barked in a deep raspy voice and hastily walked into the middle of the room.

The kids that were not seated scattered like fleas and hastily found their seats.

Kadyn sat down next to Veric while the boy ranked 3rd stayed on the floor moaning in pain while holding his stomach.

‘I think Kadyn punched him a little too hard.’ Veric thought while looking at the pale blonde lad on the floor.

Namir looked at the boy with disdain and pointed at him with his bony fingers.

“Who did this to him?” Namir asked.

Nobody answered him but after a moment of silence Namir pointed at Kadyn and asked.”Why did you hit him?”

Kadyn was shocked that Namir figured out who did it so quickly and asked with a shaking voice. “How do you know it was me?”

Namir sighed and replied.“Everyone is looking at you boy. Now tell me why did you hit him?”

Kadyn took a deep breath before answering. “He didn’t let me sit next to my friend… and then he threatened us. I had to act first because he is stronger than me.”

“Give me your medallion.” Namir said and extended his open hand towards Kadyn.

‘Oh, shit is he going to get expelled? Can I change his mind or will he not care that I am baron’s son? I am not saying that he did the right thing, but still, I don’t think he deserves to be expelled.’ Veric thought while Kadyn handed his medallion to Namir.

Namir looked at the medallion and said with a smile. “I see you follow the philosophy of whoever strikes first wins. I don’t always agree with those methods but the results are self-evident this time.”

He pointed at the large boy on the ground and said. “Take his medallion instead. I think it suits you better.”

Everyone in the room including Kadyn were stunned by Namir’s decision. After a few seconds. Kadyn crouched down and took the medallion from his defeated opponent’s neck.

Namir’s smile disappeared and he used his chin to order Kadyn to get back to his seat. On the way back to his seat Kadyn was wearing a proud smile on his face.

Namir threw the blue medallion with the number 48, in front of the boy on the floor and shouted. “Now take this medallion and go sit down before I give you a proper reason to moan in pain!” The boy scrambled with his new medallion for a few seconds and found a seat for himself at the back of the class.

At first, the other kids looked envious but then some of them realised the wider implication of this change in ranks.

‘If being defeated can lead to you losing your medallion, it is not a huge problem within the same group. But what if a few kids from the groups below you gang up on you and beat you up or what if your medallion gets stolen? Would they then lose their rank and more importantly pay?’

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Namir clasped his hands and said with a more mischievous smile. “I see most of you understand the implication of what just happened. As long as none of you gets seriously injured other students will be allowed to fight in order to reach higher ranks.”

“Today was an exception, but in the future fights between students need to be officiated by knights. Fights that are not supervised will not be acknowledged and the parties involved will be punished. After an official duel, the winner shall receive the medallion of the loser in the case the loser has a higher rank. Any questions?” Namir asked.

“What happens when the loser has a lower rank? What will we get in return?” One of the kids shouted out.

“Absolutely nothing, the duels are supposed to eliminate your complacency and encourage those in brown and green ranks to improve themselves and become better than you. You can’t challenge those below you to a duel.” Namir answered.

“How does one go about challenging someone to a formal duel?” Kadyn asked.

‘Hey, I hope you are not thinking about challenging me.’ Veric thought when he realised that now the only two people he would be allowed to challenge were himself and the girl ranked second.

“You have to find a knight and tell him the number you want to challenge. It won’t be difficult to find them as they will be supervising your training. They will report it to me and I shall arrange a time and a place for your duel.”

“Will I be allowed to use spells in a duel?” Veric asked.

Namir looked at him and stroked his chin. “Yes, you can use any method available to you during a duel.”

Some of the children were surprised to hear that the number 1 was a mage but at the same time it explained his lanky build.

‘Then I don’t think it will be fair for everyone else to fight me. I know a spell that literally freezes things faster and more than liquid nitrogen. If I use it it will most likely lead to real injuries. I don’t want to hurt these children, which means that in case I do get challenged to a duel I should use magic only for defence and never to attack them.’ Veric thought.

“Any more questions?” Namir asked.

“The baron mentioned that his son is amongst us. Is he in the blue rank?” one of the children asked. All of the children wanted to know who among them was the son of their baron. Those who didn’t know the kid formerly ranked as 3rd assumed him to be the son of the baron. However, after Namir scolded him so harshly they decided that he could not be the son of the baron.

Namir raised an eyebrow at the question. He assumed that everyone already knew who Veric was but he remembered that the baron didn’t introduce him formally. He wasn’t sure why but at the same time it was no secret.

He met Veric only once and knew very little about him. He knew that the baron was unfavourable towards him and the fact he was ranked first was a great surprise to everyone that knew Veric.

Namir scanned Veric with his eyes. Veric looked like the least physically capable child he has ever met. His posture was atrocious, his hands looked as nimble as a block of wood. His skinny face and arms made him look almost malnourished. He saw none of the traits that the house Martel is known for. His height was especially lacking.

Even though he was one of the oldest children closer to being 13 than 12, he was one of the shortest. A thought crossed his mind that Veric was not baron’s son. The only feature that would link him to his father was his blonde hair, but unlike baron’s other children his hair was dark blonde and not the platinum blonde that the giants were known for. The fact that the baron didn’t acknowledge him in front of other children also suggested to Namir that the baron didn’t believe Veric to be his son.

He dismissed those stray thoughts for now and replied to the question.” Yes, the owner of the badge ranked number one is Veric Martel, son of the baron Krado Martel.”

Most of the children and especially Kadyn were surprised to find out that Veric was the baron's son. However, in their mind, it explained why he was ranked first. Someone physically unimpressive as Veric couldn't possibly be ranked first if not for the favouritism.

The baron assured them that nepotism would not be a deciding factor in their rankings; however, they just saw all the proof they needed to distrust the baron’s words.

Namir saw the distrust growing in their eyes and said. “Veric is the son of the baron however, he will not be receiving any preferential treatment. He, just like anyone else, can be challenged for his rank. Currently, he is ranked based on his overall attribute points; however, this ranking may change. Additionally, you shall be re-evaluated every three months using the artefact, therefore the ranking will also be adjusted to account for your hard work in the upcoming weeks.”

‘Fat chance of that happening. I am pretty sure that my base stats are higher than that of most knights. If any of the kids reach the fourth tier before me then maybe there is a chance of them dethroning me… Am I seriously getting competitive with children?’ Veric thought while not understanding why being number 1 started to mean something to him.

“I would like to challenge number one to a duel!” One of the children in the back of the class shouted out. Clearly eager to be the first to challenge him. Veric turned his head to examine the person that wanted to humiliate him. It was the same blonde boy that lost his medallion a few moments ago.

‘Great, is he going to become a recurring villain in my life now? What is the point of challenging me, dude? We are in the same group, it’s not like you will get anything out of this. What is his name anyway? Should I just forfeit, it’s not like being number 48 will change anything.’ Veric thought while considering how to deal with this uncomfortable situation.

Namir was somewhat surprised with how quickly the first duel was declared but he welcomed the ferociousness of the children. “What is your name?” Namir asked the child ranked 48th.

“My name is Kalen.” The tall blonde boy replied with a grin. Confident that he will take the position of number 1 from Veric. Some of the children felt stupid for not challenging Veric to the duel first, even though they would gain nothing from becoming number 1 all of them had an ambition. They wanted to become recognised by the baron and possibly gain preferential treatment. Becoming number 1 would definitely put them on baron’s radar.

“Veric do you agree to the duel? If you reject the duel you will immediately lose your rank.” Namir asked.

“Yes, I agree to the duel,” Veric replied. Initially, he wanted to forfeit but the shit-eating grin on Kalen’s face reminded him too much of rigon. Who had the same grin when he paid him a visit a few days ago.

“Very well, In the morning, 10 days from today, your duel will take place in the sparring hall. You will be provided with wooden weapons and Veric will be allowed to use magic. I will personally supervise this duel.” Namir said.

Kalen could already see how after defeating Veric he will regain his reputation and fix the order of the ranking.

“You lot, wasted enough time already. Today I shall teach you about different skills and classes available to you.” Namir said and started his lecture about different types of battle-related classes that the children will be able to learn within the upcoming weeks.