A few hours after Kaede had visitors in her office, an event was taking place that hasn't been done in a decade: a school assembly for all new students. Both westerners and easterners were gathering in a colosseum that was so massive it could hold an army.
The second and third years were sitting on the higher stands, jeering, laughing, and sizing up the freshmen. It didn't matter what course you were in, everyone attended.
But all the first year adventure course students were in the waiting room. Brock, Anna, Kael, and Rul met up.
Ryker was standing in a separate waiting room with Alya. The mermaid had insisted that since they were married, he needed to accompany her.
A voice sounded over the loud speakers.
"Welcome to Meridian Academy, students new and old. Your headmistress Amaterasu has a few words to say."
A spotlight shone in the middle of the colosseum. Then, out of thin air, Kaede Amaterasu appeared, her nine tails flowing like a cascade of liquid gold. Not a single hair was out of place.
"Welcome."
Her single word echoed through the entire colosseum.
"Usually my speech is long and boring about history and our sacred values and is done on the second day. However, this year is different."
She paused for dramatic effect.
"It's the first time a Kraken has attended. It's the first time we have almost all the descendants of primordials."
Kaede's eyes glowed like hot coals, a flicker of heat behind their dark depths, "The only one we're missing is a Dracula."
Students were starting to whisper, wondering why the Headmistress would be so blunt about the powerful lineages. But she didn't care.
"Luckily for us, Isabella Dracula has volunteered to instruct!"
A gasp came out from the entire colosseum, especially from Ryker, Liv, and Anna. They all turned to look at a side entrance where two familiar figures were walking in. Isabella and Kai. They were wearing combat instructor uniform: a sleek black tactical shirt and combat pants.
Cheers erupted as people fan-girled over the two most powerful young figures in the West and East.
"In honor of this special year. I've decided to bring back the Midas tradition. The students ranked highest in their year will receive an Alpha mana crystal. In other words, a fast track to S-rank."
The crowd roared. It was a reward worth dying for. The whispers turned into a deafening chatter of excitement and speculation.
Kaede clapped to silence them.
"Of course, to know who is the highest ranked. We'll need to test everyone on both their mana core and their practical skills," she explained, her voice slicing through the noise.
"There'll be lots of tournaments, but for today we'll start with simple core assessment."
Tens of machines were wheeled out by the staff. A giant projection screen appeared. A big leaderboard appeared with every first year's name.
The names on the board shimmered, a sea of potential. Among them, Ryker saw 'Ryker Larduca' listed. They were unranked. Empty numbers next to each name, waiting to be filled with destiny or shame.
"We'll start with the first years of the adventure course."
Kaede then teleported away. She loved making an exit. She reappeared in a special box next to Lorelei Kraken who was now a beautiful older mermaid with a face and body like she had never aged.
"I'm sure you're dying to know his potential," Kaede teased the old monster. The primordial simply sipped her tea and didn't answer.
On the ground floor, Ichiro walked to the podium.
"The rules are simple. Place your hands on the assessment orb. It will measure the density and capacity of your mana core. Along with a maximum potential according Proffesor Urita's groundbreaking calculations," Ichiro like Kaede paused for dramatic effect.
"Your performance today will dictate your starting position. Remember, hard work can close the gap, but a great start is often hard to overtake."
The tension was electric.
All kinds of students were called out. From Rul the minotaur who got an impressive score of 559 due to the higher innate mana capacity of a minotaur, to a shy siren who got a measly 400. Brock's name was called.
Walking in the middle of the colosseum, he took a deep breath and placed his stony hands onto the orb. Sweat was dripping from his temples. Rul gave him a confident nod from the stands.
The orb flashed with a deep orange light.
"876," Ichiro's voice announced.
Brock pumped his fist in the air, letting out a roar of triumph. He was ranked 99 out of 500. After a while, Anna's name was called.
She didn't look confident. She was looking at the numbers above her and they were all far higher than she expected. Taking a deep breath, she placed her hands on the orb, her slender fingers looking small against the smooth, blue surface.
"700."
Anna let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't a groundbreaking score, but it was a good start for someone from a town like Revera. Her name lit up at 232. Her eyes searched for Ryker's name but nothing yet.
An hour passed and still no Ryker. Everyone had been tested. Alya was easily in the top 100. They were going alphabetical yet skipped over him.
He was alone in the waiting room. Nervousness beat inside his chest. Seeing Brock's score made him happy, but he also wanted a better number. A single number that would prove he wasn't defective.
"I'm a Dracula right? I should have some amazing potential," he muttered to himself.
A security guard, a stern-looking kitsune, came into the room.
"You're up."
Ryker's entire body was coiled with tension. He followed the kitsune into the roaring colosseum. Every step feeling like he was walking toward his execution, making his armpits sweaty. He kept repeating to himself to breathe. He could feel thousands of eyes on him.
The salty smell of the sea didn't calm him, Alya's wave in the crowd didn't calm him. Even Anna's smile which made his heart skip couldn't calm him. Liv was trying to be supportive but even she had a worried look on her face.
Finally reaching the orb, he noticed a familiar face.
"Isabella?" he gasped.
His sister was standing behind the orb. Her purple eyes were looking directly at him with no emotion.
Crowds were murmuring. They were all talking about how he was the Kraken husband. How special he must be.
"That's him?" Lorelei said from the VIP box.
Placing his hand on the orb, waiting for 5 seconds, the orb glowed blue signifying it was done. As the computer calculated his ranking, sweat was beading down his forehead.
The projection scrolled past the top 100, top 200, top 300, top 400. Then silence plagued everyone before some random student laughed.
"Last place!"