"Good day students." The dean spoke.
"Good day, dean Alfos." The students all replied as one.
"Good." The old man smiled.
"As you all know, today is the start of the midterm test for your division[1]. Although it is called a midterm test, in truth, it's actually your promotion exam."
"What?"
"???"
"How come?"
The students became shocked and confused.
It should be known that compared to a midterm test, a promotional exam was not only more difficult than the former, but there would always be a batch of students eliminated from the academy after it. Originally, there was still meant to be half a year before that, and this was enough time for the students to increase their strength and improve their chances of staying. Also, half a year meant that they could enjoy more resources and complete an academic year, so even if they got expelled, later on, they would still have the achievement of completing the third year in the academy and their strength would be greater than it is now. For the promotional exams to move closer by half a year was an unforeseen misfortune for these students.
"Although I said it's your promotional exam, it's not the same as you know it. As you should be aware by now, after the practice, there would be a ranking list based on the results. The top two hundred and sixty students are the ones who would be promoted to the next session at the end of the year while the remaining eighty-two students would be sent back to their homes or to various academies.
"After the test is concluded, rankings would be decided. Anyone below the top 260 can challenge them and as long as you're victorious, you automatically replace their spot, and they take yours. In the same fashion, students in the top 260 can challenge each other for a higher rating. Every month, from when the list is released till the end of this session, each student would be granted three challenge opportunities and must accept the first three challenges before being able to reject any more. Also, each month, the top 260 must engage in at least three battles or complete a task from the academy otherwise, they would lose their spot and be relegated below to the bottom of the division.
"At the end of the year, the students in the top 260 would get promoted, and the rest would be transferred out. That's the rough summary of the function of the ranking list."
After dean Alfos gave the explanation, the students finally calmed down as they now understood the situation better.
"As for the nature of this test, or whatever you want to call it, it would be divided just as all promotional exams have been. The theoretical and the practical. The theoretical would be held in the next few hours whereas the practical would hold right after. For the practical aspect, there would be two parts." Dean Alfos said.
The dean then tossed a few objects into the air and the four objects took up four positions in mid-air; two at the top-left and bottom-left, and another two by the top-right and bottom-right. A second later, a panel of light appeared in between the four objects displaying two rectangular items with detailed appearances. One was dark brown, similar to wood, while the other was sea-blue.
"The first would have you all divided into groups and sent into the wild. Each member of a group would have a token and each group would have a token multiplier. Every token, whether individual or group, would have an assigned group tag on it. The personal token symbolizes the unofficial rank of a student based on your performances during the past few years. The number on the personal token is the assigned points for the individual. The group token, or the token multiplier, multiplies the token number of each individual in the group.
"To win, you have to gather as many points as possible. At the end of the practical period, which is exactly three days, the points on each individual multiplied by the group tokens in hand would be used to calculate your rank for the next event. In other words, you can rob an opposing team of not just their group token multiplier, but also the personal tokens of the team members."
Everyone was surprised by the nature of the test as they had yet to experience such, but it also had them pumped up as this test meant that they could finally face off against each other officially. It should be known that in the past two years or so, fights were prohibited amongst students. Only sparring and training battles organized by instructors were exempted from this rule. This made some people indignant about the informal rankings made by the students themselves based on their academic performances. For example, Asher had managed to cling to the top 10 spots in the division just by relying on his performance so far. As it was less of actual combat, and more of practicals and magical studies, quite a lot of students were dissatisfied with the hype around Asher. They only thought of him as a bookworm and not a talented mage. The fact that the news about his null constitution ended up being revealed was like adding fuel to fire as they further believed their opinions. Now, an opportunity was made bare for them. Although it wasn't exactly a one-on-one fight, it was still a chance to expose Asher for the 'fraud' he was.
"As I mentioned earlier, both the group token and personal tokens would have special markings linking them to a group. This is to prevent group members from attacking each other for their tokens. This is a group exercise, so infighting won't be condoned." Alfos narrowed his eyes.
The entire gathering of students felt a cold chill on their backs as they felt the dean's glare at them.
Since personal tokens were given out according to the unofficial rankings[2], this meant that members in a group could have varying points. Out of envy and desperation, one might steal a teammate's token to boost their points. This rule helped to prevent that, and to a certain extent, cemented a sense of cooperation and trust amongst the students in a group.
"After the theoretical test, you will gather here once again to receive your tokens and form groups. You can, however, apply for a group leader position now. Some of the perks include the ability to choose members for your group, control over the group token and a couple of other extra rewards. Do note, however, that only students who rank at least top 50 can lead a group. Each group must also contain at least five students, and at most, eight students. You have 15 minutes to sort this out, or you can do so after taking the theoretical tests; whichever one suits you best. That will be all for now."
The dean then withdraw his portable display tech and left the arena.