Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

As Drago stepped down, another figure gracefully ascended the stage to address the students. She was a real beauty, an elf whose delicate features and radiant presence captivated the audience.

Her long, silken hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her eyes sparkled with wisdom and kindness. Though she appeared to be in her thirties, you could still guess that she had lived for a longer time.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Valetta, head of the magic department," she announced, her voice calm and soothing. "I will be one of the teachers supervising you today. Over the next week, you'll undergo a series of tests to determine if this academy is truly the place for you." She smiled, noticing some students gazing at her in awe.

She then continued, "The blue uniform you wear signifies your candidacy to become a full-fledged student here. Once you pass, your uniform will change color automatically."

She paused, allowing her words to sink in. "You will face trials in combat, as well as tests of your Aura or Mana capacity and control, depending on your abilities. There will also be a written exam to assess your knowledge. Good luck to you all."

"Once you receive your rankings, you will move into the dorms, and any attendants you brought with you will be sent back home," Valeta announced, her words echoing through the minds of the hopeful candidates.

*****

The evaluation began, starting with the combat trials, followed by tests of mana control and capacity, and then aura assessments. Finally, the written exam challenged their intellect and knowledge.

For a week, the atmosphere was electric with anticipation and determination. Students pushed themselves to their limits, showcasing their skills in hopes of earning a place in the academy.

The air was thick with tension and excitement as they fought, cast spells, and answered questions, each one striving to outshine the others.

*****

"Eeeeeeck! Today's the day we get to see our rankings!" Morrigan yelled, her voice piercing the early morning silence as she woke everyone up.

"It's still too early, you witch. Go back to sleep," Seraphina groaned, throwing her pillow at Morrigan.

"Ouch… But it's morning already," Morrigan whined.

"Go to sleep, Mori, or I'll tie you up myself," Rosa threatened, her voice muffled by her blanket.

"Ugh, five more minutes," Freya mumbled, burying herself deeper under her sheets.

"Come on, guys, let's check our rankings," Morrigan persisted, her excitement undiminished.

"Can't you check yours on your own?" Elora grumbled, the noise having roused her from sleep.

"We've been pushing ourselves to the limit for a whole week. Just let us rest, will you?" Evelina said, rolling over in an attempt to fall back asleep.

Marcella was the only one still sound asleep, oblivious to the commotion around her.

"For once, I'm jealous of her," Elora sighed, glancing at Marcella. "She can sleep through all this nonsense."

"Oh, I can hear you guys. I just don't give a damn to actually respond. You keep escalating the matter by replying to her," Marcella said, still in her sleeping position with her eyes closed.

After much disturbance from Morrigan, everyone finally woke up, their faces showing clear signs of exhaustion and annoyance. They knelt together in a circle, groggy and unappreciative of the early wake-up call. Marcella, however, remained sound asleep, oblivious to the world.

This annoyed Evelina, who promptly went over and started tickling Marcella until she woke up.

"Alright, alright, I'm up! What do you want from me?" Marcella surrendered, joining them in the circle.

"We'll check our rankings at the same time," Morrigan said excitedly.

"I suppose I was looking forward to this. Though, I already know I'll get the top rank," Elora bragged.

"Whatever..." Rosa hissed, still half-asleep.

"I'm not even sure I'll make the cut since all I did was defend during the combat exam," Freya sighed dramatically, leaning on Elora.

"On three," Morrigan yelled, causing them all to count down together before checking their linked rings.

"What the hell? I'm ranked 300,001st in the whole academy, so why am I ranked 3rd in our year?"

"Oh, here's why. Apparently, Ray and Asher beat you to 1st and 2nd place, respectively. But I think there's a mistake; I took 12th place," Freya said.

"Marcella got 13th. As for 14th place, I have no idea who that is. Then there's Matty beating Seraphina to 4th, sending her straight to 5th. Aiden and Rosa got 6th and 7th, and I ended up with 8th. Sweet!" Evelina exclaimed, jumping on her bed.

"Finn, Morrigan, and Cedric got 9th, 10th, and 11th," Rosa read.

"I got 12th, and Marcella got 13th," Freya concluded.

"That sounds about right. I'm a bit surprised I got this far up," Marcella said as she slowly walked back to her bed.

"You guys realize what this means?" Morrigan said with excitement.

"We'll be getting annoying challenges for our rank?" Elora asked, already feeling bored.

"Oh crap, I forgot about that," Evelina added.

"I was going to say we all passed, but whatever. Thanks for ruining the mood," Morrigan said with a dull tone.

"Yeah, thanks a lot," Evelina added.

"What did I do?" Elora asked, feeling confused.

"299,999 students will constantly try to challenge me so they can steal my rank. You just succeeded in ruining my whole school experience," Freya said with a gloomy face.

"You didn't have to remind us," Evelina said.

"What did I do? Didn't they already tell us?" Elora said, frustrated by their unexpectedly disappointing mood.

*****

The academy was in an uproar as students checked their rankings. Cheers of celebration mingled with groans of disappointment filled the air.

Those who ranked high rejoiced, now proper students of Clarendon Academy, while those who didn't make the cut prepared to head home, their dreams temporarily dashed.

"Ha, ha, ha! Bow down to the strongest of the first years," Ray celebrated, his voice echoing through the corridors. "I even ranked higher than most second years!"

"Ray and my sister, I understand, but how did Mathew and Seraphina rank higher than me? And Asher got second? There has to be something wrong with this system," Aiden complained, frustration evident in his tone.

"So the next agenda would be getting dorms, right?" Matthew said. "I guess we're inevitably going to get split up."

"The academy decides that for us. Just check your ring," Cedric said, reading out part of the student guidelines. "It says here that we can choose a roommate ourselves, and as long as both parties consent, they can be roommates. This helps reduce the chances of getting challenged inside the dorms."

"Well then, I'll be staying with Cedric," Matthew declared, sending Cedric a dorm invitation through his linked ring.

"No fair, I wanted to call dibs on him," Finn whined.

"It's better if he stays away from a bad influence like you. What about it, huh, Asher?" Ray asked, sending Asher a dorm invitation.

"Sure, why not?" Asher accepted, not thinking too much about it.

"Hehehe, the weak shall serve the strong," Ray said after Asher accepted.

"You're planning something. How do I..." Asher began, trying to cancel the agreement.

"Too late, you can't take it back once you've accepted already," Ray interrupted, crawling from behind.

Aiden reluctantly sent a request to Finn.

"Hey, why am I stuck with this moron?" Finn asked.

"You don't want to? Now that I think about it, Jett is still avail..."

"Done," Finn said, immediately accepting Aiden's invitation.

"Are you going to tell us why you changed your mind?" Asher asked.

"Mind your own business, you damn assassin. Our dorms seem to be in the same building—Dorm 15. Let's just go," Finn replied.

"Well, that was weird," Ray said, pausing for a second.

"Don't look at me. I have no idea what just happened," Aiden shrugged.

The students soon donned their new uniforms, the color changing from blue to red. The red uniforms symbolized their status as first-year students.

The academy used white uniforms to identify second years and black for the graduating students, each color marking the class differences.

*****

Just outside their designated dorm, the boys were blocked by a group of students. Judging by the color of their uniforms, they were second years.

"Hey, which one of you is Ray?" an elf asked, sizing them up.

"That would be me. But what would a second year want with me?" Ray replied, his curiosity piqued.

"You see, I have a problem. The ranks probably got messed up, and now I'm below you. That doesn't make sense, right? Why don't you forfeit your rank to me?" the elf spoke in a sly, disrespectful tone.

"Why don't you make me?" Ray said with a serious face, feeling a surge of excitement.

"If that's how you want to play it, accept my challenge." The elf sent Ray a challenge invitation, which Ray couldn't refuse.

"Done." Ray accepted without hesitation.

The others watched silently as the scene unfolded, giving the duel enough space. The crowd cleared, anticipation thick in the air.

"Silkan; that's the name of the person who's about to cut you down to size. Remember it," the elf said, drawing his sword. "I'll let you have the first move."

"Whatever," Ray muttered, his tone shifting. He rushed Silkan and swung his sword.

The duel began fiercely, both combatants appearing evenly matched. Their swords clashed with a metallic ring, sparks flying with each strike. Ray's aggressive style met Silkan's calculated defense, each move countered with precision.

{Gale}

Suddenly, Silkan cast a Gale spell, catching Ray off guard. A powerful gust of wind swept Ray off his feet, restricting his movement as he struggled against the invisible force.

*****

Inside Block 15, Jett walked down the hallway towards his room.

"What kind of pervert designs a dormitory like this?" Jett wondered.

The dormitory was mixed, with male students staying on the left side and female students on the right. It was an unusual setup, and Jett found it odd.

"Cormac finally left, and now it's just me and the others. I wonder who my roommate will be," Jett thought as he approached his door.

Finding the door locked, he assumed his roommate hadn't arrived yet. He unlocked it using the key he received from the Dorm master.

As he opened the door, the room was dim despite the daytime. A figure stood half-dressed in the room, visible only to Jett.

The next moment, the person screamed in shock.

"What the hell? What are you doing here, you pervert?"

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