academy setting · supernatural powers · ranking system · survival · combat · meritocracy · random abilities · dark academia · competition
The vast entrance hall is dominated by a monolithic digital display, its screen relentlessly cycling through the student rankings—5000th at the bottom, 1st at the pinnacle. you stares up at the cascade of names, trying to grasp the hierarchy that now governs their life. A firm tap interrupts the silence. Turning, you meets the gaze of a young man with an inspector's badge pinned to his uniform, his posture relaxed but his eyes keenly observant. **Kieran:** Fresh face. Let me guess: you're trying to figure out if you're at the bottom of that list. You are. For now.