"You want to test my rank?" I repeated.
Ashira nodded, dead serious.
"I just found out ranks existed five minutes ago."
"Which is exactly why we should test you."
Before I could argue further, she stood. "Let's go."
---
And just like that, I found myself swept up in another wave of chaos.
The testing site was at the edge of the village, a low, dome-shaped building that looked like someone had shoved a wizard's observatory into a bunker.
It had no windows, only a single arched entrance glowing faint blue. A glowing sigil pulsed just above the doorframe, and two guards stood outside holding staves that buzzed faintly with suppressed magic.
The inside was worse.
People. So many people.
A long line of adventurers, mercenaries, mages-in-training, and teenagers with swords they clearly didn't know how to hold yet crowded around a central platform.
Everyone was talking over each other. Some shouted complaints. Others whispered anxiously. Somewhere to the left, someone was sobbing into their helmet.
It was like a DMV but with more glitter, violence, and teenage panic.
Ashira led us to the front, bypassing the line entirely.
That, of course, caused a riot of whispers.
"Is that Ashira?"
"She's here again?!"
"Did she bring someone for special testing?"
"Who's the girl with the white hair—gods, she's hot—wait is that a gun?"
Kaelrith seemed to puff up under the attention, clearly hoping someone would notice him too. No one did.
I, meanwhile, was trying to mentally prepare myself for whatever this process was going to involve. Preferably something without spontaneous combustion.
The central platform was made of dark stone, carved with rings of glowing script—runes that looked like they were half burned into the surface and half etched by hand.
It reminded me of old-school summoning circles in fantasy games, except this one hummed like a server core and smelled faintly of scorched paper.
A bored-looking man in a red robe held a clipboard.
"Name?" he asked.
Ashira answered for me. "Eirian. Unranked. Evaluation requested."
He squinted at me. "First time?"
I nodded.
He sighed, as if this was personally offensive. "Of course. First-timers always clog the energy calibration. Stand on the platform. Don't move. Don't lie. Don't scream."
"Why would I—"
He ignored me, turning to the group.
"Queue paused. We're doing a live demo!"
A groan rose from the crowd, followed by excited chattering. I stepped onto the stone, feeling a click under my boots.
The platform lit up.
And the air changed.
Hard to describe exactly—just… heavier. Like I'd been dropped into deep water without sinking. The pressure wasn't painful, but I felt like something was pulling pieces of me upward. My thoughts. My will. My… magic?
Something shifted.
A new window flickered open in the corner of my HUD.
[New Tutorial Unlocked: RANKING SYSTEM]
In Elyndra, your Level reflects your current experience, power, and technical training. It increases steadily with combat and survival.
Your Rank, however, measures who you are at your core—your combat potential, magical resonance, and systemic compatibility.
Rank defines your upper ceiling. How far you can grow. It's tied to your class, your nature, and sometimes your bloodline.
Ranks evolve through experience, challenge, and official testing.
Primary Classes:
Fighter: Close-quarters and physical-based. Melee weapons, stamina, defense.
Mage: Long-range or elemental. Focused on magic circuits, spellcasting, and mental control.
Support: Buffs, healing, reinforcement, or tech. Often underestimated, rarely weak.
Ranks:
E – Non-combatant level. Civilians or raw beginners.
D – Basic adventurers. Capable of defeating common beasts.
C – Trained fighters. Eligible for small group missions.
B – Solid professionals. Can challenge high-level threats.
A – Elite. Recognized across regions. Capable of defeating rare monsters solo.
S – Legends. Military class. Often commanders or major guild leaders.
SS – World-class combatants. Can affect regional balances.
SSS – Cataclysmic tier. Dangerous to kingdoms. Subject to monitoring.
I stepped back mentally.
So this was what Ashira had been referring to. This explained why her level was only 12 but she felt like a walking apocalypse.
Because she was Rank S… or higher.
My HUD blinked again.
[Current Class Detected: Hybrid – Designation Unassigned]
[Rank Evaluation in Progress…]
A column of light shot upward around me. The temperature dropped.
The stone pulsed under my feet, matching my heartbeat. A low humming sound rose around me like some distant engine, and then I felt something yank upward from inside me.
Not painfully—but completely. My senses expanded. My memory of the dragon fight, the sensation of dodging arrows, the way my body moved now compared to how it had on Earth—it all rushed up and out like a report to some invisible system.
My magic sparked faintly around my fingertips. Red crackles.
My gun at my side buzzed.
The pressure grew heavier.
And then it stopped.
Dead silent.
The circle flared once more, and letters began to glow on the inner ring. A soft chime echoed like a level-up notification.
The bored man squinted at the text, then blinked.
Then blinked again.
He looked up at me, squinted, looked back at the platform.
"…What?" I asked.
He looked at Ashira, mouth half-open. "This girl's… she's already…"
Ashira raised an eyebrow. "Well?"
The man cleared his throat.
Then turned to the room, voice magically amplified.
"Rank A – Confirmed."
Silence.
The room froze.
Then—
"WHAT?!"
I blinked, startled as a wave of gasps and whispers exploded across the room.
"Rank A?!"
"But she's not even in a guild!"
"She looks like she just rolled out of bed!"
"I thought she was a merc! What even is her class?"
Kaelrith let out a choked sound that I suspected was jealousy and a mild allergic reaction to his ego cracking.
Lelyra stared at me like I'd just eaten a god.
I… stood still, processing.
Rank A?
After two days?
I turned slowly toward Ashira.
She was watching me with calm, thoughtful eyes. No shock. No surprise.
Only a small, knowing smile.