The most famous Academy had grown perhaps the most in the past decade. Its faculties kept getting upgraded year by year and with the addition of more SS ranks, it became obvious that the teaching standard had improved.
Some even promising A rankers were recruited as teachers in obscure fields like necromancy, faith, etc.
Their level of support, while not the highest, the presence of pure and abundant mana was oftentimes enough to satiate their desire.
Even if it wasn't satiated, the odds of them winning against S rankers and SS rankers were nil, and digging one's grave was something they did not wish to do.
The Academy was more suited for the nurturing of talents from the youngest age possible. As such, it wasn't rare to see 9-year-olds running around the campus.
However, to ensure their proper growth, the Academy provided special family homes near the dimension, so the children could grow up with their parents.
This meant that the children younger than 15 were absolute talents and had a clear background.
Recruiting young orphans was fine, but sometimes a dubious spy of the Gaia's Will tried to worm themselves into the Academy.
Magnus was once curious what they could be up to, and he let the most talented one in. It didn't really matter if he grew up as he put a special marker that would ensure their demise if they were too evil.
Not even SSS rank power would save them. After all, it contained a spell that housed 10% of his real mana output.
He'd bet with anyone that even the feathered serpent would meet its demise with one such spell multiple times over, not to mention a human.
The child that got in was a boy with quite the extroverted tendencies, he was kind and looked nothing like a potential spy.
That kid got even through multiple tests, scanning one's hidden desires, nature and current will.
Everything came out well, perhaps even the best in the history of the Academy. As if he was a pure angel...
Sad for him, that wasn't enough to fool Magnus' eye and his equipment given by the system.
If he had to judge his current level of gear, be it in information gathering, defence or attack. It would probably be 4 tiers above the current next best thing not given by the system.
Though that, and his abilities, were kept locked. He didn't even know when the lock would fully be released.
Sometimes it looked like it was close to being complete and then it would switch to potentially years or even decades.
He'd digress too much, though.
The Academy was split into three sections. One for children ranging from the age of around 9 to 15.
This phase focused on nothing else than teaching basic level of math and language skills combined with some mana theory. Then the rest of their free time was spent on exploring.
Children and their imagination was the most unbound. That was a fact which proved itself again and again.
1/10 of all important breakthroughs were by children just playing around with mana. The rest was thanks to nonstop research by adults.
Many of these breakthroughs defied the laws their predecessors had made and had thrown common sense outside the window.
At least, before a new type of common sense was established...
Their advancement to the second part of the Academy had nothing to do with their accomplishments.
It was instead a trial of courage. Some considered it as rites of passage. Their task was simple, it was the exposure to the more brutal side of the reality.
Many had criticised him for subjecting them to too many of those horrors and yet most of them became quiet once they realised what was waiting for them outside.
Once they stepped out of the beautiful Academy, where degenerates, invaders and psychopaths run free.
Then, those who passed would have the option to continue with their studies. The students that did continue would be given more mana theory.
At this point, most of them already had a rough path they wanted to tread throughout their lives. Those unlucky ones that did not were instead exposed to various teachers to see if they had some kind of affinity.
Students that did fail, though, were given an option, to repeat the year and be exposed to worse horrors before they passed or to quit.
In reality, there was no repeating the semester, and this question was targeted at their desire to actually become strong and if they could handle the stress.
Many quit, but the few gems that were not satisfied and wished to stay joined their classmates not long after.
Now, the second part of the Academy was more of a transition.
Ins and outs of mana were explained, and they began to dabble in the more dangerous experiments.
Had they gotten used to the power, it was time to truly test their nerves. Teachers escorted them into Africa to see dungeons and invaders within.
The Academy, in fact, had a breeding ground for goblins, but it was deemed as insufficient in gaining real combat experience.
Some failed, and some succeeded. The ones that did succeed were given more resources as both an encouragement and a way to test their psyche.
Even if they were the greatest genius, the number of resources would be quietly reduced each time they exhibited bad signs.
Something along the lines of blind arrogance like taking teachers, especially A rankers as nothing.
Though they weren't taught to crush their prides and live in total humility, that pride should have been pointed at their enemies.
A prideful man with a powerful aura can intimidate thousands, but that goes both ways.
Ranking leaderboard was erected where generations of students could fight with each other.
New blood replacing the old was a sign of competence and growth of the entire civilization.
What good would it be if thousands of years from now on, the primitive humans could still beat the advanced human talents?
It would not only be laughable but also a sign of decay and a precursor for the end of either a dynasty or the entire race.
Moreover, what most students did not realise was that most personnel, excluding the teachers, were given special gear to hide their fluctuations.
Unless they had a good spell to see through such equipment, they would look and act like normal humans.
Ladies in the cantine looked chubby and jolly all the time, when in fact their bodies hidden by the equipment were sculpted to perfection.
Six packs and perfect muscles were a sign of good mana control, unless one was focused on tempering one's body.
The third section went from 15 to 20, and these five years were more important than all the previous years combined.
Exploration of rifts in the African continent was a must and was done each month. Teams that lasted at least a few years were usually formed.
Furthermore, most of the students were now focusing on the extreme end of their path. Unless a prodigy is more talented than every human on Earth, it was advised to not tread more than one path.
It was fine to tread other already explored paths a bit to gain inspiration. But pioneering two paths or even more at once?
Wishful and arrogant. That was what Magnus could say about these people.
The entire time those fools spent on dabbling in both fields, another focusing on one sole path could travel a hundred steps.
The Roman Empire faction took this to an extreme. With the presence of all three superpowers, the doctrine and ideals were often shared with their juniors to avoid brainwashing and stealing of talent.
In almost an inevitable twist of fate, the entire Academy now consisted of four factions.
The first and most powerful was the Beacon Empire's faction. Ruled by the strongest student, their position would change year by year.
The Roman Empire faction was led by the highest aristocrat present in the Academy.
Five Lords of the North were usually focused on the five houses which would switch the seat of power every 3 years.
Fourth most unstable faction was led by those who did not join the three top organisations. Heads in this faction changed faster than one changes their thoughts and were usually quite chaotic.
The aforementioned dynamic created a small spark and rivalry with the other factions. Thoughts of superiority were forcefully disintegrated from the young age.
Measures taken to prevent these disputes were not 100% effective though. Most of the time, the fourth and weakest faction held a sliver of unwillingness deep inside them.
Part of the fourth faction was even recruited into the other three, further weakening them.
No matter how bitter they were, the alliance that they held together was held solely through common interest that did not last long.
Roman Empire faction and Five Lords of the North faction had battled from the very beginning.
Their goal was the second spot. The first was a bit too far away with the sheer amount of people and talent pouring inside the Academy each year.
This didn't dictate the superiority of the Beacon Empire though and a few times there appeared a monster from the other factions, which attained the place of the strongest within their year.
Overall, though, the position they held was unshakable. Not to mention that they were given more attention from Magnus.
The dean of the Academy and the most famous and recognised teacher. He was considered a legend for one simple fact.
His talent enabled him to see other paths and pioneer them without hindering his own progress too much.
Some speculated that if he chose his own path, he would long be considered an SSS ranker.
A status quo neither the Roman Empire nor the Lords wished to see be broken. And thus supported his desire to help and strengthen the world.
While some occasional snickers were made in secret, there was still no one worthy of challenging him and beating him one-sided.
The third and final section ended with the final examination, or sometimes called the true rite of passage.
Participants first battled with each other and passed various knowledge exams. Unaware of the surprise they would receive.
On the third day of the final rite of passage, an 'accident' would happen. They were then thrown into the enemy world.
Equipped with nothing but their experience they learned about and skills they nurtured over the years.
Their ingenuity was tested, from surviving in a foreign world to dealing with constant harassment. Even evading SS rank enemies was something they experienced.
A true test which could expose their limits. Be it mental strength to continue each day trying barely to survive to thriving and then being stripped of everything they achieved.
It lasted somewhere between a month and two months. Once they passed though... They were considered a force ready to become the future leaders.
Most of them were at A rank and the rare talents were S rankers. From students to powerhouses right away.
Each year, the Academy alone produced hundreds of A rankers and S rankers. This represented the gulf between S rank and SS rank.
If not a disciple, most S rankers were pioneers themselves and explored their own path, hindering their progress.
Most disciples of SS rankers that followed their path didn't have it easy either and were stuck at S rank until they could breakthrough or innovate some branch of that path.
Generalisation was under its way though and sections for elemental users, unique users, etc. were being collected.
Like bricklayers, most of these S rankers, even if not the most famous, would establish the foundation which their descendants could walk on with ease.
A race to see who would stand at the peak had been ongoing for more than a decade and who knew how long it would go for...