“Wee, students… to the Inter-ss Exchange!” A magnanimous voice boomed from the stage.


    Instantly, the students burst forth in response. Well, most of them were the heated second years and Third years who most likely looked forward to having rematches with their fellow students after previous attempts.


    The First Years were also excited, some making glorious noises. Of course, I fell silent despite the anticipation I had.


    The man who stood on the stage was exquisitely dressed, as expected of our moderator. The arena, which took up a bulk of the hall, was so wide that I reckoned over a thousand people could fit in there. It brought certainty to me that this hall was most definitely used for something other than the Exchange.


    Looking at the speaker, it was the same as the one we had during our exams. I recognized him well—us Tallman.


    ‘So, he’s the moderator this time as well… I wonder why?’


    “As you know, this event marks the beginning of a blood-curdling rivalry between the students who are experiencing this for the first time, and the continuation of a heatedpetitive spirit among the first and second years.”


    The responses of the students told us point-nk that he was right.


    “The Exchange will upy all seven days of the week! Yes, that’s right. It will be an all-out internalpetition, so the length is very much understandable!”


    Neron Kaelid had already informed us of this fact, so none of us were surprised. Still, it was quite amazing that we would spend seven dayspeting.


    “The first three days will be the preliminary rounds, whittling down thepetitions to five each. After that, the next three days will be the final matches of each year… it will be quite heated indeed!”


    My heart beat faster as us kept speaking.


    “As for thest day… it will be the greatest treat and the ultimate battle which will round up the events of the Inter-School Exchange! Yes… it’s the battle among the Elite Ten of the three sses!!!”


    More roars and screeches spread across the hall, and I knew why.


    The Elite Ten were the most powerful and talented students in each ss. The rankings were made irrespective of the year a student belonged. So long as they could defeat another member of the Elite, they automatically gained the position. Our Lower ss had ten of such students, same as the Middle and Upper ss.


    So, for thest day of the Inter-ss Exchange, these students wouldpete for the right to be… Rankers!


    “Huu, this is exciting!” My voice leaked out as I couldn’t contain myself anymore.


    Being amid students who fought with their pride and honor on the line to prove their worth… was too exciting.


    Martial Artists would use their various techniques to showcase why they were the best in the Martial Arts section.


    Schrs would make use of their intellect to solve various problems in order to outwit the other for the Schrship section.


    Finally, the Magic Users would go all out to defeat their opponents using their adept maniption of mana and their deep knowledge of Spells for the Magic Section.


    These three sections made up the Inter-School Exchange, a reason why it took a total of seven days toplete.


    However, since this wasn’t a strict academic program and had no effect on the scores gotten from our respective courses, it was possible for students to register for participation in any section… or not to register at all!


    For the Exchange, I had Anabelle go for the Magic Section, same as me. Edward, of course, would be contesting in Martial Arts.


    It was not a team match, so it wasn’t possible for Ana and me to coborate, but since we were matched against students from other sses, we wouldn’t need to face ourselves at all.


    Out of everyone I had to watch out for, the Upper-ss students had the bulk of talent, naturally. People like Stefan Netherlore, Maria Helmsworth, and even Ivan Smith, had my interests.


    Of course, the new face was also on my list since I knew nothing about him. Of everything one needed to fear most, the unknown topped the list.


    “Now then, without further ado… I shall be Introducing your judges!!!”


    Pointing toward the edge of the stage, a tall tform emerged. I was certain earth magic was at work since it appeared so seamlessly. The tform was made up of sturdy tiles and began floating in the air.


    The tform in the air levitated, and three seats with desks were ced atop it. A bright light sparked, and in an instant, three people upied the judges’ seats.


    A wry smile formed on my face as I noticed our academic supervisor, Damien Lawcroft at the center of the seat. Legris Damien, another familiar face sat on the left, while someone I hadn’t seen before upied the left.


    “These Senior Lecturers who are well-versed in the art of Magic and Martial Arts will be umting your points and judging your performance based on merit.”


    Silence filled the hall as a result of the huge respect we ced on the highly esteemed figures that sat on the floating block of tiles.


    “The rules shall now be disyed for everyone to see. These judges willpletely adhere to the regtions whenpiling the results and aspetitors, you should too. Please note that cheating is strictly forbidden, and you will never be able to get away with it. That much I can guarantee!”


    The fact that he emphasized cheating meant some idiots had tried that before. It almost made meugh that someone would attempt such a thing when experts keenly watched their every move.


    The moment us finished announcing his piece,rge panels appeared on all four corners of the stage, disying the rules to everyone.


    The panels, simr to the board that disyed our results back then, were easy to read and had to have required an impable use of mana to create.


    “Hmm, let’s see…”


    Looking at them now, I could understand why the exam required judges. It was going to be an intense match!