The following morning was uneventful. Which was good.

After everything that happened last night, I'd half expected Clayton to come at us with some kind of retaliation. Some sort of revenge plot. But to my surprise, nothing happened. There were no signs of Clayton or his lackeys—just silence. Maybe he was biding his time, or maybe he'd decided to let it go. Either way, I wasn't going to complain. Things were calm for now, and I hoped they'd stay that way. Peaceful. Quiet. Just how I liked it.

The bell rang, signaling the start of our break.

"I'll see you all after lunch," Mr. Lewis said as he walked out of the room.

Taking it as their cue, most of the class jumped from their seats and made a beeline for the door, eager to get ahead of the lunch rush. From the sound of hurried footsteps and shouting in the hall, it was clear they weren't the only ones. The whole school seemed to be moving at once.

"What happened to your head?"

The question caught me off guard. I turned to my side and found Nicole watching me, her expression unreadable as usual. She didn't normally talk to me, which made her sudden interest all the more surprising.

"I ran into a wall last night," I replied.

The memory of Clayton's bat flashed in my mind, but I quickly pushed it aside.

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

Nicole rolled her eyes and snorted. "For some reason, I'm not surprised."

"Uh... What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means whatever you want it to mean."

I watched in silence as Nicole grabbed her backpack and took out a small lunch box. Steam rose from the freshly cooked food inside.

"I didn't know you could cook... Is it a hobby?"

"I don't necessarily like it or hate it."

"Then, why not just eat at the cafeteria?"

"I prefer to avoid crowded places," she replied, then gave me a pointed look. "AHEM... Can you stop asking me questions so I can eat?"

"Oh, yeah... Sorry," I mumbled, feeling a bit awkward.

I looked out into the hallway and saw that it was less crowded now. Figuring it was time to head out, I stood up to leave. Just then, I noticed a familiar face approaching.

"Oh, hey... Do you want to eat lunch together?" Robert asked, stopping in front of me.

Wait... what did he just say?!

I was a bit stunned. We hadn't spoken since yesterday. For some reason, I'd been under the impression he was upset with me for lying to the security guard last night.

"Yeah, sure..."

"Cool! Let's head out."

"Oh, okay..."

As I followed Robert out of the classroom, I felt some confused glares thrown in my direction. Truthfully, I didn't blame them. Nobody would have expected the most popular guy in class to want to associate with a loner like me.

High school life really is unpredictable, huh...

The cafeteria wasn't as packed as I had imagined. After grabbing our food, we took a seat at an empty table.

"So, how are you feeling this morning?" Robert asked, looking concerned. "Is the wound on your head bothering you?"

"I'm fine," I replied, taking a bite of my sandwich.

"I see..."

Robert was acting strange. Instead of eating his lunch, he was fiddling with his fork. I had the feeling there was something on his mind.

"You look a little tired today. Did you sleep well last night?" I asked.

"No... Not really," he admitted, avoiding my gaze. "I woke up feeling guilty about what happened last night.... I feel if I hadn't gotten involved, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

So, that's what's been bothering him...

"You have nothing to feel guilty about. You did the right thing."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I am."

"Alright. Since it's coming from you, I feel better."

Robert looked a bit relieved, the tension in his eyes easing slightly. I could tell my words had lifted a weight off his shoulders.

For the next couple of minutes we ate in silence, the noise in the cafeteria providing a background hum. Even though neither of us said anything, there was a strange sense of comfort between us. Robert's presence felt reassuring, and I was grateful for his company. Hopefully, this wouldn't be the last time we hung out.

"Oh, yeah... Before I forget," Robert said, breaking the silence. "I signed up for the fencing club this morning."

"There's a fencing club at this school?" I asked, feeling genuinely surprised.

"Of course, there is! I'm surprised you haven't heard of it... It's one of the most competitive ones in the world."

"Oh, wow. I had no idea."

"Well, it's something, alright..." He smiled. "What about you? Are there any clubs you're interested in joining?"

"Not really. I'm still figuring things out."

I shook my head and took another bite of my sandwich. The truth was, I still wasn't sure if I wanted to join a club. Joining a club seemed like a big commitment. I didn't know if I was ready for that kind of responsibility.

"That's okay. There's no rush. But you should think about it. Joining a club can be a great way to meet people and get more involved in school life."

Robert was right. If I joined a club, my chances of building friendships would increase drastically.

"What other clubs are there?" I asked.

Robert leaned back in his seat, rubbing his chin. "Let's see... there's the debate club, the chess club, drama club, music club, and a ton of others. I'm sure you'll find something that interests you."

"I wouldn't be so sure..."

Robert chuckled. "Yeah... Well, who knows? I'm sure if you do some digging, you'll eventually find something that interests you."

"I'll check out the bulletin later today. See if anything catches my eye," I told him.

"Good idea... And hey, if you ever want to try fencing, just let me know. It's a lot of fun, and you might surprise yourself. It's also a really good way to practice using magic!"

"I'll keep that in mind."

As we finished our lunch, Robert looked at me with a thoughtful expression. "Hey, James... Um... Do you want to hang out this weekend? Maybe go see a movie or something?"

"Oh, okay!"

I was a bit surprised by his invitation. I had assumed Robert was only spending time with me out of guilt for what happened the previous night. The fact that he genuinely seemed to want to hang out with me made me feel a little confused.

"Great," Robert smiled. "Let's exchange phone numbers so I can text you the details later."

The two of us quickly exchanged phone numbers before finishing our lunch.

As I followed Robert out of the cafeteria, I felt a mix of emotions. The idea of spending more time with him was appealing, but also a little daunting. It went against my plan to keep a low profile. Still, it was a chance I absolutely couldn't ignore. Maybe this was the beginning of a real friendship. One that would last for a while.

━━━━━━━━┛ ✠ ┗━━━━━━━━

"Settle down, everyone. I have an announcement to make."

The air in the room grew tense as Mr. Lewis took off his glasses, a sure sign that something significant was about to be announced. I could feel the anxiety building around me, a collective unease rippling through my classmates.

"Next Friday, you'll all be writing your first test," Mr. Lewis announced.

"Wait, what?! Isn't it too soon to be scheduling a test?" a student cried out, echoing the sentiments of many others.

A few students nodded in agreement, their faces showing a mix of disbelief and concern.

"What's the test about?" another student asked.

"The test will cover what you've learned up until next Thursday. It will be made up of three subjects: Math, History, and Fundamentals of Magic"

Elijah, who'd been looking particularly anxious, spoke up. "To be honest, Mr. Lewis, I'm horrible at math... It takes me forever to understand even the simplest of concepts. There's no way I'll be ready to write a test by next week."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, your mark on the test won't have any influence on your final grade," Mr. Lewis revealed.

"Wait... So, even if I fail, it won't affect my grades?!"

"Precisely."

Something about his wording struck me as odd. Even though Mr. Lewis said the test wouldn't affect our final marks, he never said it wouldn't affect anything else. I wondered if anyone else had caught onto that small detail.

"I have a question, Mr. Lewis."

Nicole had raised her hand.

"Yes, Nicole?"

"You said the test wouldn't affect our final grade, but you never mentioned whether it would affect us in any other way... What other impacts could it have?"

Mr. Lewis smiled, clearly pleased with her observation. "Excellent question, Nicole! While these test results won't be reflected on your report cards, they will influence your rankings."

Murmurs and sighs erupted across the room. A lot of students looked unhappy with this new revelation. Our rankings had a direct influence on our allowances. In other words, a poor result on the test could cause our ranks to drop, which would cause our monthly allowance to drop as well.

"There's one more thing at stake aside from your rankings," Mr. Lewis said after a few seconds.

The room grew silent once more. Everyone was on the edge of their seats, waiting for the next piece of news.

"The school will be using next week's test to compare the class averages of all six first-year classes. Class A, B, C, D, E and F... The two classes with the highest averages will receive a reward. Students in the first-place class will receive a prize of 500 crowns each on top of their allowance next month. Those in the second-ranked class will receive 250. Classes that rank in the middle will neither gain nor lose. However, classes that rank in the last two spots will have a portion of their allowances deducted."

"What?!"

"How in the world is this fair!?!"

Once more, the room erupted into lively chatter. It was clear that many students weren't happy with the idea of competing against other classes.

"Listen up!"

Amid all the noise, Violet stood up from her seat and clapped her hands. The chatter quickly died down as most of the class turned to see what she had to say.

"Panicking isn't going to solve our problem. If we don't unite as a class, we're destined to fail this test," Violet warned.

"So, what do you suggest we do?" asked a boy with light green hair. His name was Jeff.

"We need to work as a team," Violet responded. "I know many of you might not like this idea, however, I believe we can use this test as an opportunity."

"How can you even call this an opportunity?!" one of the girls cried out. "Those of us who aren't top students are going to lose half our allowance at this rate!"

A few other girls nodded their heads in agreement.

Violet let out a sigh. "While that may be true, if you think about it, we have just as much to gain as we have to lose. This test is a chance to increase our allowances in two ways. First, by getting the highest class average. Second, by doing well individually and improving our rankings. I'd be willing to bet the school doesn't offer unique opportunities like these very often... Isn't that right, Mr. Lewis?"

Mr. Lewis nodded. "That is correct, Ms. Violet."

I was at a loss for words. In just a few seconds Violet had changed the atmosphere in the room. Those who'd been against her only moments ago now nodded their heads in understanding. It seemed most of the class was on board with her proposal.

Or so I thought...

"As nice as that may sound, how do you suppose we enact this proposal of yours? Do you even have a plan?" Robert suddenly asked.

Judging by the look in his eyes, it was clear Violet's speech hadn't convinced him.

"I'm glad you asked." Violet's lips curled into a smile. "There are three parts to my plan. The first part involves using the Rank Portal app... I want to divide our class into two groups. The first group will consist of students with academic scores of B or above. The second group will be for those who have scores below B. Once we've divided the class, we'll pair up students with high averages with those from the lower-average group to create small study groups... If we do this, I believe we'll be able to raise our overall class average."

I glanced around the room, noticing the astonishment on everyone's faces. It was impressive how Violet had devised such a thorough plan in just a few seconds.

"So, is my plan to your liking, Robert?"

"Ahem... I see nothing wrong with your plan so far," Robert said after a few seconds. "You mentioned there were three parts to your plan. What's the third?"

Violet's smile widened. "The third part of my plan involves creating a practice test that will help everyone study. A study guide of sorts..."

"You're going to create a practice test by yourself?"

"Well, not exactly... Even though I'm confident I can narrow down the material we'll be tested on, I'll need some help... Is there anyone willing to lend me a hand?"

"I'm willing to help," Robert offered immediately.

Haruna, who had been quietly listening, slowly raised her hand. "Oh, um... I'm also willing to lend a hand if you need."

"Now that I think about it, I can help too!" Ryan exclaimed.

Even though I couldn't see his face, I had a pretty good idea of what he was thinking. He had his own agenda in mind, and it probably had something to do with Haruna. Whether his plan would work, was another matter altogether.

Violet's eyes lit up with gratitude. "Thank you guys! I'd be glad to have your help... After class today, we can work on organizing the study groups... Is everyone alright with that?"

For a moment nobody said anything. Everyone still seemed to be processing her plan.

"Yeah, that works for me," Robert suddenly replied, breaking the silence. "The sooner we make the groups, the sooner we can start preparing."

Following his lead, most of the girls nodded in agreement, murmuring their consent. The boys followed suit not long after.

"That settles it then," Violet said. "We'll decide the groups after class."

Mr. Lewis, who had been observing quietly, started clapping his hands. "Excellent initiative, Violet. That's the kind of attitude I like to see in my students."

"I just want to do what's best for the class," Violet responded.

"That's great. Keep up the good work!"

With that, Mr. Lewis took out a box from under his desk and began handing out sheets of paper to the class. Those in the front row grabbed a sheet before passing the rest to the person behind.

When the pages reached me, I took one and handed the rest to the person behind me. Curious, I turned the sheet over to see what was on it.

Ah... So, this is what we'll be learning today.

I recognized the chart immediately. I had seen it before. It was the Mana Codex.

------------------------------------------------------

9th Circle Mage (???)

8th Circle Mage (Mana level - 1,500,000)

7th Circle Mage (Mana level - 650,000)

6th Circle Mage (Mana level - 250,000)

5th Circle Mage (Mana level - 80,000)

4th Circle Mage (Mana level - 30,000)

3rd Circle Mage (Mana level - 10,000)

2nd Circle Mage (Mana level - 3,000)

1st Circle Mage (Mana level - 1.000)

------------------------------------------------------