2 weeks after the class had finished the homework, Nova was sitting on his bed resting.
『It's kind of boring. There aren't that many event-』[Nova]
Nova was interrupted when Reagan kicked down his door.
『Huh?!』[Nova]
『It's time to begin the ranking battles for this month.』[Reagan]
Nova had a confused face and continued screaming.
『The what?!』[Nova]
『The ranking battles. They're a dog eat dog style matchup where the students must challenge each other to rise up in the school's hierarchy.』[Reagan]
『But.. What's the point of breaking down my door to tell me?!』[Nova]
『Because, I'm counting on you to be number 1 of freshman year. If you do, I get a raise and some vacation days.』[Reagan]
Reagan's reasoning caused Nova to raise an eyebrow.
『...Don't you take enough vacation days as is?』[Nova]
『Of course not. Research isn't a vacation, it's something I pour my heart and soul into. Something I can strive toward for the rest of my life, and something that results in the next generation being better than the current one! 』[Reagan]
Nova was clearly taken aback when Reagan started to give his speech on research.
『Uh.. Alright? So, what do I get if I get a high rank?』[Nova]
『You get prestige, priority, and opportunities. Frankly, a lot of the people in houses look down on you. Sophia, for example. Because you have a strong relationship with Anastasia Soryl, she doesn't treat you with contempt. However, if you haven't noticed- many people think you're just some weakling that managed to squirm his way into Genesis.』[Reagan]
『Wait? Really? I don't think I've seen many like that...』[Nova]
『Well, the majority of people in houses always wonder what it is like to be a civilian. I'm sure many nobles wished that they could go into the city, eat noodles, or whatever you do. However, there are a certain few who are extremely proud of their house's lineage.』[Reagan]
Suddenly, a certain someone popped into mind.
『...Like Bayron?』[Nova]
『...Yes. He views his house as one of the best houses in the year. And he's not wrong. Out of the 7 houses, there are only a few representatives from them this year. You've befriended 3 of the representatives, but it's hard to say if he cares. He clearly thinks of you as less than him, but must abide by his honor as a noble to stop harassing you.』[Reagan]
『So, do the ranking battles and gain prestige so I won't get messed with anymore?』[Nova]
『...That's such a simplistic way of putting it, that I wonder if that whole explanation was even necessary.』[Reagan]
『Well.. Uh. Please let me know via message next time. Also, are there any restrictions in a ranking battle?』[Nova]
『Hmm.. No killing? Honestly, it's pretty free. You can even set up teams for the ranking battles. It lasts a week, and you get randomly assigned a challenger in your year. If you decline, then you will be matched up against someone else at the cost of your points.』[Reagan]
『Alright! I'll try my best.. So please fix my door, and get out my room?』[Nova]
『Okay. Thanks again.』[Reagan]
He snapped his fingers and the door was fixed back onto the frame.
『...Is that where Sarena gets that from?』[Nova]
He kicked back and closed his eyes.
----
『This isn't working.』[Nova]
Nova stood in an open plain with fluttering leaflets of grass.
From all around him came tiny little imp creatures.
Nova closed his eyes and formed a stance.
『Rain Stance.』[Nova]
Immediately, a thin mist of mana started to flow from his pores.
It slowly covered the area, until all the imps were in the mist.
After, Nova began to start slowly shifting around.
The black spots jumped at Nova, and he managed to avoid most of them.
『Okay, now start to kill them.』[Reischneid]
When they started to leap at Nova now, he hit them with strikes and palms that made them disappear into dust.
After Nova kept up this exchange for a few minutes, Reischneid arrived at the plains.
『Not bad.』[Reischneid]
Nova sat on the ground in a puddle of sweat.
『...I'm going back to sleep. This is too much work.』[Nova]
『Hmm.. I was gonna teach you a form..』[Reischneid]
After hearing this, Nova had a strange look on his face.
『Nevermind, let's do it!』[Nova]
He got up and formed the basic stance that Reischneid taught him.
『Then, I'm gonna start off with an offensive form. The name of this technique is "Impact Form: True Gale". 』[Reischneid]
He formed a spear palm with his right hand, while forming an open defensive palm with his left hand.
『You infuse mana into your hand, just imagine speeding up the mana flow near your hands..』[Reischneid]
When Nova was watching Reischneid's form, he noticed that there was a dense aura around his right hand.
『Then, you thrust forward and project the mana from your fingertips!』[Reischneid]
He thrust forward, then a giant burst of mana came out of his fingertips, ravaging the air in front of him and continuing to rend the ground in front of him.
『..What?! 』[Nova]
The mana flew extremely fast, as if it was a standard fireball spell.
『The thing about this technique is it mainly depends on the person's technique and overall mana. Chances are, you aren't gonna get much results until you figure out how to expel mana from your body.』[Reischneid]
Nova stood in the same stance as Reischneid.
『Then, go ahead and try it.』[Reischneid]
Nova started to speed up the flow of mana around his hand, and felt some of the aura that was around Reischneid's hand, but it wasn't nearly as much.
『...Then! Let's go!』[Nova]
He thrust forward, with the thought of mana flying out of his fingertips.
He was met with a small shockwave, but nothing else.
『...Yeah. That's what I expected. You just thrust forward with mana in your hands. The shockwave is just mana dispersing in all directions. We'll have to do some work.』[Reischneid]
Nova nodded his head and formed the stance again.
『I'll get it eventually.』[Nova]
Nova got ready to try again, then kept trying.