Rankings did not change the Arcane Academy overnight.
They changed everything else.
Eryon noticed it the moment he stepped out of the dormitory.
Students who once ignored him now glanced his way—briefly, cautiously, as if reassessing a mistake they had already dismissed. Conversations lowered when he passed. A few stopped entirely.
He was no longer invisible.
That was not an improvement.
At the morning assembly, the Resource Allocation Notice was posted beneath the ranking board.
Housing tiers.Meal quality.Library access.Training hours.
Each line was tied to rank.
Eryon scanned the list until he found his name.
Rank: 248Housing: Tier FiveTraining Allocation: LimitedField Mission Priority: Low
Still near the bottom.
Still expendable.
But no longer at the absolute end.
Tier Five housing meant relocation.
By midday, an instructor escorted him to the new dormitory wing—older, colder, but less crowded. The walls were etched with faded runes that barely functioned.
"This is an upgrade," the instructor said flatly. "Don't misunderstand."
Eryon nodded.
He had learned not to argue with systems that did not care.
Inside, the room was narrow but private. One bed. One desk. One storage locker.
No roommates.
Isolation was a privilege reserved for those no one wanted near them.
As the door sealed behind him, the system activated.
[Environmental Change Detected] [Resource Tier Updated] Notice: External pressure reduced. Internal instability remains.
Eryon sat on the bed and exhaled slowly.
Reduced pressure.
He almost laughed.
The next change came in class.
During Foundational Spell Theory, the instructor paused mid-lecture.
"Eryon Vale," she said, eyes sharp. "Demonstrate mana compression."
A ripple of surprise passed through the room.
This was not a request.
It was a test.
Eryon stood.
He felt the familiar tightening in his chest as mana gathered. The spell formation wavered, edges fraying.
Pain sparked.
The system responded instantly.
[Minor Failure Detected] [Adaptation Suppressed] Reason: Public Environment Observation Risk: Elevated
Suppressed?
Eryon's focus faltered.
The construct collapsed.
A few students smirked.
"Still broken."
The instructor frowned. "Sit down."
Eryon complied, pulse steady but cold.
So the system was not just reacting.
It was choosing.
Whispers followed him through the halls.
"He jumped almost seventy ranks."
"Luck."
"No—did you see his spells?"
"They look wrong."
By afternoon, the whispers had teeth.
In the training yard, Eryon felt it before he saw it—the shift in atmosphere, the subtle closing of distance.
Three students stepped into his path.
All ranked higher. All confident.
"Vale," the tallest one said casually. "You embarrassed someone important yesterday."
Eryon met his gaze. "Move."
The student laughed. "You think rank two-forty-eight makes you untouchable?"
Mana flared.
Not a duel.Not sanctioned.
A message flashed before Eryon's eyes.
[Hostile Engagement Detected] [System Response: Passive Mode] Note: Unauthorized combat increases anomaly exposure.
Passive.
Of course.
The first strike came fast—a compressed wind blade aimed low.
Eryon twisted aside, the edge slicing fabric instead of flesh. Pain flared along his ribs.
The second attack followed immediately.
Eryon raised his hand on instinct.
Mana surged.
Collapsed.
No adaptation.
No correction.
Just raw failure.
He was thrown back, hitting the stone hard.
"Still weak," someone sneered.
Footsteps approached.
Then stopped.
A sharp voice cut through the air. "That's enough."
An instructor stood at the edge of the yard, expression unreadable.
The students stepped back instantly.
"Unregistered conflict," the instructor said. "All of you—detention."
Reluctant murmurs followed.
As they were led away, one student glanced back at Eryon.
"This isn't over."
Eryon stayed where he was until the pain subsided.
The system remained silent.
That night, he accessed the Lower Archive.
Rank 248 granted him limited access—mostly outdated texts and censored field reports. But even fragments told a story.
Failed expeditions.Unstable magic users.Students removed from records.
One phrase appeared again and again:
Structural Deviance.
Eryon closed the book slowly.
So this was not new.
He was just progressing faster.
The system activated softly.
[Data Correlation Complete] Conclusion: Current growth pattern aligns with archived anomalies. Recommendation: Increase exposure to controlled failure.
Controlled failure.
Eryon looked up.
Outside the window, the academy walls loomed like a cage.
Tomorrow's notice was already posted.
Optional Field Mission Registration Opens at Dawn.
Optional.
For those with options.
Eryon stood.
If the academy wanted stability, he would give it instability.
If it wanted obedience, he would give it results.
He was still near the bottom.
Still watched.
Still dangerous—to himself most of all.
But now, every step upward had a cost.
And Eryon was done pretending he could avoid paying it.