Riya didn't want to go through the trouble of choosing who would go first, so she decided to let the students make the choice.
'If I'm not mistaken, a boy with a lanky build and black hair…' Arin thought.
"I'll go first," a boy with black hair and a lanky build said as he raised his hand.
"Exactly," Arin muttered.
"Okay, you know what to do," Riya said, folding her arms.
The boy nodded and stepped forward, walking towards the orb.
After reaching the front of the orb, he stopped and raised his right hand.
Though no one could see it, they all knew he was channeling his Mana into his hand.
Seconds later, he placed his hand on the orb. It instantly lit up with a green glow.
"Wind Element. Now, your Rank," Riya said, gesturing for the boy to move to the ball-like object.
The object was indeed like a ball—black and almost rubber-like. It was used to determine a person's Rank.
There were smaller orbs that could be used to gauge a person's Rank, but the Academy believed this object was more accurate, for reasons known best to them.
The boy walked towards the ball and stood in front of it, awaiting Riya's orders.
"Use your strongest attack on the ball. Don't worry, it won't get damaged," Riya said.
The ball was designed to absorb strong attacks, so there was no need to hold back. Otherwise, you were only setting yourself up for a low Rank.
Immediately, the students began shifting back, giving the boy space.
He also moved back a little and raised his hand, preparing his Spell.
'Everyone already knows how to use Spells without chanting… Unlike before, when Magic was first discovered in this world,' Arin thought, his indifferent expression unwavering.
Before the book went on hiatus, the last few chapters had covered the world's history and how Magic was first discovered.
Arin couldn't help but smirk as he remembered what had caused this whole ordeal.
The wind suddenly picked up pace, making the students' hair flutter.
"Kyahhhhh~!" The girls screamed as their short skirts were lifted by the wind. They tried to cover them, but it seemed like an impossible mission.
Well, it was already too late because the boys had already seen what they wanted to see.
Arin glanced at the boy, who now had a huge drill made of wind above his head.
The drill was spinning rapidly, gathering more momentum as the boy added more Mana to it.
Finally, the boy snapped his hand forward, launching the wind drill towards the huge ball.
The wind drill moved with immense speed, rushing toward the ball with force.
A loud booming sound was heard as everyone shielded their faces. The wind picked up even more, almost as if it were raging, but after a few seconds, it died down.
They finally opened their eyes, eager to see the result of the attack. Meanwhile, Riya just stood at the corner with her arms still folded, glancing at the huge ball.
As expected, the ball was unscathed. Not even a single scratch was present on it. It was just the way it was before.
However, the only difference was the glowing words that suddenly appeared above it.
The words displayed the boy's Rank: Grade 4 Veteran Mage.
"Hmm, Grade 4 Veteran Mage… Pretty good," Riya said as she gestured for the boy to join the others.
The boy nodded and walked back to join his friends.
In this world, strength mattered a lot; that was why a Ranking system was created to rank Mages and "Warriors."
A person's Rank was determined by their Mana output and the amount of Mana their Mana Core could store.
In summary, a person's Rank was determined by how much Mana they could store and how much Mana they could release.
'The Ranking isn't actually difficult to remember,' Arin thought.
It was Common Mage, Veteran Mage, Master Mage, Grandmaster Mage, Star Mage, Legendary Mage, and Transcendent Mage.
Common Mage was the lowest, while Transcendent Mage was the highest, and each of these Ranks had five grades, except for Star and Transcendent.
This Ranking system also applied to "Warriors" who utilized Mana differently. Also, it applied to Spells, Weapons, Potions and "Arrays".
Just as Arin remembered, the boy was indeed a Grade 4 Veteran Mage.
'My memory never fails me…'
Like that, the other students started confirming their Rank one after the other.
Each person had only one Element, except for Alex.
Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, Lightning, Ice, Sound, Light, and Darkness.
These were all the Magic Elements in this world, or so they believed.
Each person had one of these Elements. However, in the entirety of Ainsley Kingdom, there were only two individuals who could use the Light Element, and one of them was Alex.
The same thing also went for the Darkness Element. Alex and another unknown individual were the only ones who could use the Darkness Element.
So, in a nutshell, apart from Alex, the people who could use the Light Element and the Darkness Element were unknown.
Well, that aside, it was Tessa's turn. She walked towards the orb, and just like the boy, she channeled her Mana into her hand and touched the orb.
The orb instantly lit up; this time, it glowed with a light purple color.
"Sound Magic. Now, to the next stage," Riya said.
The Sound Element was also rare, but at least not as rare as the Light and Darkness Elements. There were still people who could use it.
Tessa walked towards the ball, her expression difficult to read, as she stepped back a little.
Instantly, she spread her arms wide, and Arin knew what she was about to do.
A loud clapping sound reverberated in the room as Tessa clapped her hands with immense force.
In that same instant…
A loud booming sound, even louder than when the wind drill hit the ball, was heard.
"Ugh…" Groans were heard from the students. Thankfully, they had already covered their ears beforehand; otherwise, they would have been bleeding from their ears by now.
Instantly, words appeared, displaying Tessa's Rank.
"Grade 3 Grandmaster Mage," Riya announced. "Next."
For someone to be a Grade 3 Grandmaster Mage at her age was incredibly impressive. Apart from Alex, she was another genius in the Academy.
With almost all the students having confirmed their Rank, it was finally Arin's turn.
What do you guys think is Arin's Affinity? Let me hear your thoughts in the comment section!!