Quinn pulled the red-faced Spencer close to him and spoke in a deliberately loud whisper that everyone heard. “I think I’m going to enjoy having you in my class, it’ll give me the chance to renew certain… relationships.” He thrust the boy away and smiled at everyone.

Spencer tumbled into the group and fell to the ground, his face changing colors as he impotently raged inside his mind.

“Now, if I remember correctly, we were originally discussing how our resident orphan Zack,” Unlike the rest of the people in the room, he didn’t put any extra emphasis on the word. “Is bringing down the academi’s reputation. Is that right?”

The group of students in question nodded silently.

“That’s a real riot, it’s laughable really. I could see that being true if we were talking about certain, other students.” His eyes flickered to the boy still sitting on the classroom floor. “In Zack’s case, however, that is patently untrue. Would any of you shining examples of nobility, care to guess why that might be?”

A student standing amongst the nobles raised their hand. “Is it because he has no background and is considered more neutral than anything else?”

The response was a concealed jab at all of them, whose reputation was less than stellar.

“A good guess, and one that can be considered partially true even. However, it is in this case, not the correct answer.” Quinn nodded along as he answered. “Would anyone else like to take a guess?”

A student near the door, hidden by the still-standing teens, answered. “He has the single highest compatibility score ever recorded since the system was put in place.”

The crowd parted as they all turned to look at him, and Zack was able to see the person who owned that soft, feminine voice. It was the red-headed girl he had seen exiting the headmaster’s office.

“I apologize for missing the first day of classes yesterday. I had a sudden family emergency.”

“I’m aware. I hope the matter was resolved without any further issues.” She nodded. “Alright then, everyone please take your seats, and make sure they are a good one as it will be where you are sitting from now on.”

The girl, Testarosa, sat at the front of the class. Choosing a spot where it would be easy to see and hear everything that was being taught to them.

He waited for them to sit before continuing. “Now, as miss Testarosa said, the prestige he brings to this academy is because of his compatibility score. Quite frankly, his attendance is worth more to the school and its reputation than several of you combined. I would suggest playing nice with the boy. His future is far brighter than many of yours.”

Zack groaned mentally as the teacher unintentionally, he hoped, painted a bullseye on his back. Besides, it was something he doubted was true. The recruiters would have acted differently if he truly did bring that much to the table.

“What does the compatibility test actually represent anyway? Why is it so important?” Someone asked.

Quinn cleared his throat and scooted back to sit more comfortably on top of his desk. “As each of you knows, there are two tests everyone must take when their status page first appears. The first is the psych assessment, wherein they make sure you will be able to mentally handle and cope with what happens on the other side of a portal. Since you are here, obviously, you all passed that portion. Those who don’t are either relegated to becoming miners or are marked as unfit, at which point they continue with their normal lives and forget about becoming a traveler of any kind.”

The class nodded along, as this part was common knowledge.

“Now, the second test is the compatibility test, which is where they decide for a second time if you are fit to be a traveler or a miner.”

“What’s the difference between being a traveler and a miner?” A student interrupted. The nobles and richer students all snorted at the question.

“Don’t be rude,” Quinn cautioned them. “It’s actually a better question than most of you realize. Fundamentally, there is no difference, as both groups go through the portal, and depending on need, can perform the same function. Consider it in similar regards to a job. The miners do exactly that. They mine for the mana crystals located in deposits inside the portals. The Travelers,” He emphasized the word so they would know there was a difference. “Are the ones who keep them safe. Their main function is to battle any monsters or beasts that appear. Along with exploring the area and picking up any loose crystals or those dropped by the monsters.”

He stood and picked up a marker, walking over to the whiteboard as he continued. “Getting back to the question at hand and how the compatibility test determines which you will be is a matter of math.” He began to write on the board. “What I’m about to go over and explain, is not exactly common knowledge, even if it isn’t restricted, so I want all of you to pay close attention. When I am done, you will understand why those of you who have higher test results are considered as being worth more.”

The students all leaned forward, paying no attention to their status or how the action looked.

“Every time you defeat a monster or beast inside the portals, you gain something called ‘Experience’. Don’t bother asking how this works as people far smarter than you or I have been working on it for years and still don’t have an answer. In any case, this experience is what allows you to level and grow in strength, or speed, or whatever the class you get requires. We’ll cover ‘Classes’ another time.”

Quinn studied the board for a second and then stepped to the side so everyone could see what he had written. “Now, for the sake of simplicity, let us assume the monster that you just slew gives a flat one-hundred experience. Your compatibility score determines how much of that hundred experience you actually get. As far as we have been able to determine, there are seven tiers.” He glanced at Zack. “However, I’m sure that number will soon change to eight.”

“If your result was between one and nine percent compatible, then you only get point-one percent of that total. In other words, at the absolute bottom tier, you get next to no experience, and it is better for you to be used as a miner. Really, anyone who scored below sixty percent or tier 4 is better off as miner.” He pointed to the board where all the tiers were written out.

The Seven/Eight Tiers

8. 100 = 1?? = 100??exp

7. 95-99 = .9 = 90exp

6. 90-94 = .8 = 80exp

5. 80-89 = .7 = 70exp

4. 60-79 = .6 = 60exp

3. 30-59 = .5 = 50exp

2. 10-29 = .3 = 30exp

1. 01-09 = .1 = 10exp

“I shouldn’t need to explain this, but I will, just in case. The more experience you receive, the faster you grow and level up. Which is why the cutoff exists, those people just grow too slowly for the effort involved.”

“What happens to the rest of the experience, then?” Zack asked, speaking up for the first time since class began. “If someone is only absorbing part of it, where does the rest go?”

Their teacher shrugged. “We have no idea. Maybe it goes towards birthing new monsters, or maintaining the portal. It’s another of those questions that we currently have no explanation for.”

“Wait, if tier eight is for someone with one-hundred percent compatibility, what did he score on the test?” Spencer asked, a look of dawning understanding shining in his reluctant eyes.

The class turned to look at Zack again.

Quinn shrugged a second time. “The test stops at one-hundred. They have never had anyone score that high before, let alone above it. For all, we know, Zack could be above that number; in which case, even more, tiers would need to be added.”

The reaction to that announcement was mixed. Some students suddenly wanted to get closer to him, while others saw him as someone that could someday jeopardize their families’ standing. After all, for one person to rise, another must fall.

Quinn looked up at the clock and clapped his hands. “Alright, that’s all we have time for at the moment. Leave all your stuff here and make your way down to the training field I showed you all yesterday. You have ten minutes to get down there, select your outfits, and then changed into your training gear. That means GO!” He yelled when nobody moved.