Arlo leaned back in his chair, still chuckling. "You really do have to fight for everything, don't you?" he said, shaking his head. "The academy sure doesn't make it easy for you."
Noah shrugged. "It's fine. I could use the exercise."
Arlo grinned at that. "Well, if you want to stop having to fight every time promotion season comes around, there's a faster way."
Noah arched a brow. "Oh?"
"Yeah," Arlo said, gesturing lazily with his fork. "You just need to challenge a higher-ranked student of the same tier in an official duel. If you beat them, you automatically take their spot. Simple as that."
Noah tilted his head, his curiosity piqued. "Who's the highest-ranked student in our class?"
"Used to be Ines," Arlo replied without hesitation. "But since she's… well, queen now, her ranking's frozen."
"The current number one is Damien Krell. He's been holding that position since the beginning of the semester."
"Damien Krell," Noah repeated. "And second place?"
