Viviana woke up in her temporary room, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. The academy.

  She pulled herself up and rubbed her eyes awake. A pleasant dream vanished from her memory.

  She was greeted with a quiet room. Ambient light streamed in gently. Sunrise. It was the next day.

  What happened? How was the ranking? What about the guilds? Viviana thought as she looked around the room. A chair, in the corner. Bena. Her small frame slumped over, snoring.

  Viviana got out of bed, finding herself changed into night clothes. Bena woke up with a snort, her hazel eyes quickly adjusting to the light. “Vivi?”

  “Hello, Bena. What’s going on? What happened?”

  “Well, everyone was revived. Put back together and stuff. Then they brought us back to our dorms.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Well, you died last, so you weren’t revived on the way back. The proctors were gonna dump your bloody body onto your bed, but I got you changed and stuff.”

  I died? Mana fatigue? Exhaustion? Or simply the accumulation of injuries?

  “Huh?” Bena said. “No thank you?”

  “Oh. Thank you, Bena.”

  “Say ‘good work’, and pat my head.”

  Bena’s eyes looked scary, so Viviana did as told. “Good work, Bena.”

  Viviana looked for some clothes.

  The two girls got dressed. Viviana looked for clothes and opted to wear her combat jumpsuit under her more casual pieces. Bena didn’t bother with the extra protection.

  Something was off, though. An extra piece of clothing was laid out in their closets. A jacket, militaristic in design, but fashionably modern. Like a varsity jacket if it was sold at a military academy.

  Before orientation, Viviana had noticed the academy uniform consisted of a similar jacket and a combat jumpsuit. For the orientation, they had received only the jumpsuit.

  So this is the missing piece.

  Viviana ran her hands over the fabric, noticing the small bumps on the jacket’s back. Ridges that held small LEDs.

  Bena noticed Viviana checking the material. “Ranking jackets. Are you ready?”

  Viviana nodded. The presence of the jackets meant that rankings were about to be distributed.

  The two of them slung on their jackets, finding them perfectly fitted for their frames.

  Exiting their rooms they found the rest of the unranked students down the hall, almost all of them wearing their jackets. About a hundred students, all in various states of disrepair, gathered around a central stage, where a massive screen sat.

  Viviana looked through the crowd. She spotted Thomas, who jogged over awkwardly. He greeted them with a smile. “We’re… gonna get a good ranking, for sure.”

  Viviana nodded. They fought too hard not to get a good ranking. Viviana then looked around for Lucian and Selenne, but they were nowhere to be spotted. Well, we betrayed each other in the end. It makes sense.

  “Hey guys!” Selenne’s voice, way too close. Viviana would’ve jumped but her pride didn’t allow her to be surprised.

  Lucian just waved from beside her. “All of Landsknecht is here. Minus Selenne’s goons.”

  Selenne nodded enthusiastically. “How was your sleep, guys? How about you, little squirrel?” She picked Bena up.

  “Hey!”

  Viviana ignored them. “Not bad. You?”

  “Peachy. Nice jacket, by the way. You think you’re gonna get a good ranking?”

  “Everyone died in the end, so no one got any points for having flags. It’s only gonna go off contributions to the team. That said, I think I’ll rank high.”

  “Not higher than me, though,” Selenne said, grinning.

  “I beat you.”

  “Yeah, but I killed half the student body, and The Follower.”

  Viviana crossed her arms. The rankings would decide.

  Then, just like before, a woman walked out onto the stage. The same student proctor from the beginning of orientation.

  The proctor walked out to a podium. “Hello, freshies.”

  Instantly the commotion in the hall stopped. A hundred and twenty pairs of eyes turned towards the stage. Bena was put down.

  The woman continued. “Your rankings are going to be posted. Your ranking jackets will update in real time. As for the rest of the academy, figure it out.”

  The woman left the stage, and the massive screen turned on. The hundred-odd students were receiving their rankings. It started from the lowest ranked. Rank number 40999, Tinasha Brown. Then 40998, Suzanna Grace. 40997. 40996.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Viviana watched as ranking jackets lit up around them.

  It didn’t take long for her to spot a name she recognized. Fuji Hoshino, the guy Thomas and Bena killed in their first fight. He was ranked 40941. Funnily enough, Jayce and Oscar, his two bodyguards, ranked significantly higher. Rank 40927 and 40926. Maybe they picked up some kills before they bumped into Viviana and the crew.

  Nearly the entire hall was lit up now, but the pocket that the Landsknecht was in stayed dark.

  Then she spotted another name, and a glow illuminated from next to her. Rank 889, Thomas Iskariot. Viviana heard an audible gulp.

  Ranks 40888 and 40887 went to two boys who were standing next to Kassan. His goons. Rank 40886 went to Lucian. Rank 40885 went to Bena. She pumped her fist. It was a better result than she expected.

  Ranks 40884 and 40883 went to two names she didn’t notice. Selenne’s squad, Viviana presumed. She didn’t notice any LEDs turning on. Where were they?

  40882 went to Kassan, the fake Hunter.

  Two people left, standing next to each other. Viviana and Selenne.

  Viviana’s LEDs turned on first.

  Selenne laughed as she grabbed Viviana’s hand. “Good fight, Adler-Stern! Better luck next time!” she said, shaking her hand firmly. The lights on the back of her jacket updated, the last ones to turn on in the hall. The highest ranked out of all of the unaffiliated students. Rank 40880.

  All eyes were on them. The highest and second highest. The Hunter and the exile.

  Viviana ignored Selenne, allowing her to shake her hand awkwardly. Her thoughts already drifted away. Is this a high enough rank? What sort of influence do I have with this? No matter the case, the academy had now truly begun.

  “Let's get some food!”

  The academy was shaped rather weirdly. Apparently, it was common knowledge that the academy had an app that housed everything– updates to the academy, academy relevant news, and also all the locations to pretty much everything. Thomas filled them in.

  It didn’t take long for everyone to download the app. While they were at it, they made a group chat for the Landsknecht. Typical young adult things.

  Viviana found it odd that they were exchanging contact information and chatting. It was just yesterday that they were killing each other. Brutally. She found it strange. Is this normal? I’m used to just killing someone, and then nothing happening after. ‘Cause they’re dead.

  “That’s odd,” Bena said. “We can’t get into some of these restaurants. We aren’t high enough in rank.”

  Viviana leaned over Bena as they walked together, exploring the academy. Viviana snuck a peak at her phone, noting how many of the restaurants had numbers on them. The minimum rank number.

  Thomas nodded. “Many academy services are rank restricted… There’s definitely a place we can eat at, though, but…”

  Thomas looked like he was going to say more, but Bena interrupted him. “There! Found a place!”

  Bena located a restaurant on the academy app. A little bit across campus sat a little noodle restaurant, serving a couple of customers. The Landsknecht were the largest group in the store.

  A couple people turned their heads, observing the ranks displayed on their jackets. Although the members of Landsknecht had all ranked high in orientation, they were still under every other student that didn’t get ranked yesterday. It was just the way it was.

  Even so, the group ate hearty bowls of noodles for brunch, chatting all the while. Recounting how they all killed each other yesterday.

  “How’d you react to my skill, Viviana?” asked Selenne. She was talking about the final fight, where Viviana’s vision went black.

  “I guessed.”

  Selenne scoffed, picking at her bowl. “Unbelievable.”

  “What is that skill, anyways? Can you just make everything black?”

  Selenne leaned in, from across the little table they sat at. Thomas, Lucian, and Bena were talking about something else, so only Viviana was listening right now. “I can disable the vision of all creatures in a 20 meter radius for 3 seconds.”

  Viviana raised an eyebrow. It was incredibly strong. “20 meters is a lot. I thought only I was affected.”

  “Yeah, it is a lot,” Selenne said, shrugging. “But I get hit by it too. I can’t see either.”

  They ate their food for a while. It was quite good, especially for the prices. Savoury and hearty, just what they wanted after fighting for two days straight. Viviana spoke again. “So, what's the name of your soulbound? Soulbound darkness, or something?”

  Selenne laughed. “A good guess, but no dice. You’re lightning, I presume?”

  Viviana blinked, trying not to give anything away. Selenne just laughed again. “Alright, lightning of Adler-Stern. I’ve got an announcement to make.”

  She said this last part louder, causing Bena, Lucian, and Thomas to break out of their conversation. What were they even talking about? Something about an anime?

  Once Selenne had their attention, she spoke. “First of all, I know more about the academy than you guys. The information is tightly controlled outside of the academy, but I got my sources.

  “The academy is a simulation of Central society. This means there are no classes, no lectures, and no professors– at least in the way you’d think there were. Think of it like a miniaturized version of the final city as a whole, except you can’t die.

  “The only regulation is the proctors. They manage the system that updates the rankings every week. I’m not sure exactly how it works, but I’m pretty sure it's a net calculation of how many experience points you earned, tracked via average mana emanation through the academy app. They also keep the only three rules in check. You cannot be held against your will for more than two months. You cannot draw a soulbound weapon. You cannot be killed. The guilds said so, so that is law. Aside from that, it’s a complete sandbox.

  “Of course, there are real repercussions for anything you do in the academy. Getting employed by a guild within the academy means you’ll get a position when you leave. Harming someone from the Pact, or FM within the academy? Best not offend them, because they might be your employers one day. So tread carefully.”

  Selenne took a bite of noodles, and then continued. “So, I suggest you affiliate with a guild, if you want a good job when you graduate. If you don’t want to beg the guilds for work, you can increase your ranking to appeal to them more. Anything that grants you experience will increase your average mana emanation, and that’s how the rankings are decided anyways.”

  Viviana had questions. Too many questions. But Thomas spoke first. “...then, what about lodging, food, and all that? If it’s a true simulation of society…”

  Selenne nodded, speaking between bites. She was eating rather quickly. “It’s as you say. You’ve got to pay for your lodging and your food. The academy has its own currency.”

  Selenne slammed down her bowl. “That being said, I am broke. You can convert Central credits to academy credits, so Ms. Adler-Stern, being the heir and all, can foot the bill.”

  Viviana frowned. She did not agree to this, but she supposed she had more money than the rest of the group. They didn’t come from a great guild, after all.

  Selenne stood up, startling everyone around. “And with that, I am leaving Landsknecht. Goodbye!”

  Then she ran out the door. Viviana was utterly perplexed. She had never stepped foot in a restaurant before. Was this common etiquette?

  The remaining members of the group looked at each other as the door slammed shut, causing the jingle of a couple entry chimes to clang loudly. Judging from the expressions of her group members, probably not.

  “So… Viviana, you got us, right?” Bena asked. “I’m kinda broke as well.”

  Lucian and Thomas nodded in confirmation of their own broke-ness.

  Wait a second, Viviana thought. I’m exiled. She pulled out her phone, powered it on, and unlocked it using retinal identification.

  She checked her bank account. Zero dollars.