First fight[1]
Andrew, my old seatmate and one of my closest friends, stood up. Before the apocalypse, we both sucked at studies, but now, as he placed his hand on the orb, D Rank glowed in brown letters.
"Woo! Nice!" Professor John said.
Andrew looked at the class and grinned. "My ability is Earth Elemental Control."
The room fell silent for a second before a collective whoa filled the space. Elemental abilities were rare—so rare that only 1 in 10,000 people got one. Andrew, who once struggled to solve basic physics problems, now had the power to shape the earth itself. I was both proud and envious.
Then, it was my turn.
I took a deep breath and stepped forward, placing my hand on the orb. The color flashed white.
F Rank.
A part of me had expected it, but seeing it displayed in front of everyone still stung.
Professor John nodded. "Alright, what's your ability?"
"Summoning a healing creature that can also attack. It looks like a tortoise."
Some students gasped. Summoning abilities were even rarer than elementals—1 in 50,000 people had them. Despite being weak now, summoning had the potential to grow into something terrifying.
After me, the next student, who sat beside me, walked up. His name was Aster a mischief student with a medium height and yellowhair . He placed his hand on the orb, and F Rank appeared in gray letters.
"My power is body manipulation," Aster explained. "I can't increase or decrease my overall size like Nodam, but I can stretch my limbs. I can make myself look like a snake… or a Snorlax."
The One Piece fans in the class immediately got the reference.
After Aaron, another student from the back of the class stepped forward—Dan.
Dan had always been attractive, but now, with his glowing white hair and piercing blue eyes, he looked almost inhuman. Girls whispered among themselves as he walked up.
He placed his hand on the orb. Light blue letters.
F Rank.
"Teleportation."
He demonstrated, vanishing in an instant and reappearing on the other side of the room. The room burst into excitement. Even though he was F Rank, teleportation was an extremely useful ability.
More students followed:
Roll No. 8 – Camouflage.
Roll No. 9 – Nature Cultivation.
Roll No. 10 – Floating.
One by one, students displayed their abilities. Then, Roll No. 21 stepped forward—Sage.
Sage had always been a quiet and hardworking student. Before the apocalypse, he looked innocent. Now, he looked dangerous. His hair was buzzed short, and his massive build made him look like a professional fighter.
He placed his hand on the orb.
Dark blue letters.
D Rank.
"My power is Water Elemental Control."
Another elemental user?! Weren't these supposed to be rare? I felt a mix of jealousy and excitement. Two of my friends had gotten elemental abilities. That meant they had a huge advantage over others.
The ranking continued until only two students were left.
Roll No. 23 – Umber.
A beautiful girl with brown eyes and soft brown hair stepped forward. She was slightly shorter than average, but her height only made her look more delicate and attractive.
She placed her hand on the orb.
Light brown letters.
F Rank.
"My ability is Chain Control."
She extended her hands, and metal chains burst out from her palms, wrapping around one of the chairs before retracting. It reminded me of Spider-Man, but her chains were metallic and unbreakable.
Finally, the last student stepped forward.
Roll No. 24 – Viktor.
A bulky guy with red-brown hair and a strong build walked to the front. He placed his hand on the orb.
F Rank.
"My ability is Body Transformation. If I touch metal, my body becomes metal. If I touch glass, my body becomes glass."
It wasn't flashy, but it had potential.
With that, the rank assessment was over.
---
Professor John took a deep breath and said It was time to reveal my rank.
He ran a hand through his medium-length yellow hair, adjusted his brown shirt, and stepped forward.
Placing his hand on the orb, a bright yellow light erupted. Unlike the others, it was almost blinding.
The room was silent for 30 to 40 seconds.
Then, the letters finally appeared.
A Rank.
The students gasped.
"My ability is Fire Fists. I can also create fire swords," said Professor John
"Now that everyone has revealed their power, let me give you all some important information." He added
The room fell silent.
"From now on, you won't be sitting together. You will be divided based on your performance. Tomorrow, you will face two tests: Combat Proficiency and Energy Control."
"Energy, the fuel that powers your abilities, is called Mana. Scientists are still studying it, but tomorrow, you will be tested on how well you can use it."
Some students looked excited, others nervous.
"Currently, you are all in Class A9. But after the test, you will be assigned to the class you truly belong to. The ranking goes from A1 to A10. A1 is for the strongest students. A10 is for the weakest. Train hard—because your future depends on it."
I gave them a small smile.
"Good luck."
I turned and walked out of the room.
Some students ran after me, but most stayed behind, processing the information.
---
(Artic's POV – The First Fight)
I turned to Andrew.
"Let's go."
We said goodbye to our classmates and headed toward the dorms. Andrew's dorm number was 901. We were on the same floor.
As we walked, something caught my eye.
A black-haired student was beating up a smaller, weaker student.
I stopped.
"What the hell?"
Before I could react, THUD!
A loud footstep echoed from behind.
I turned around and saw Samuel.
He was one of my classmates—a bulky guy with red hair and black eyes. His tight shirt stretched over his muscular frame.
The black-haired student turned, glaring at Samuel. Without a word, he attacked.
But before his fist could land—Samuel disappeared.
The black-haired student froze, confused.
A second later—BOOM!
Samuel reappeared behind him, landing a devastating punch on his back. The black-haired student flew into the air, crashing into the garden fence.
Everyone stared in shock.
The skinny student scrambled to his feet.
Samuel extended a hand and helped him up.
The black-haired student groaned and got to his feet, rage burning in his eyes.
He wasn't done fighting.