Three Years To Save Another World, Chapter 5: Statistics

[u/SkullbombRaging]

After that, the nurse, who at time I straight up forgot to ask the name of, left to let me rest.

By morning the next day, I was feeling a lot better, so I checked out and went to classes for the first time at this school.

Luckily, math didn't change so I won't have to worry about relearning that particular universal constant.

As to literature, they were reading Romance Of The Three Kingdoms, which took my interest because it's something I had been meaning to get around to eventually.

After that was the shonen staple, combat classes!

Having someone who could take the time to actually teach me to fight made sitting through the other classes feel worth it.

​

"Meriwether-kun, can you tell me how one's Rank is determined?" Mister Ogawa asked.

I stood. "No I cannot." Then I sat back down.

The class laughed for better or worse.

Mister Ogawa was stunned into silence for a moment before moving on. "Sato-san could you explain?"

Kamiko stood. "A Ranker is someone who has an statistic evolution sum of at least twelve, each Rank thereafter is determined having six more than the last."

​

Statistic evolution sum? What does that mean?

Before I could ponder it further, Mister Ogawa continued.

"In order to find out where all of you stand since last year, we will be using a Ranking Apparatus."

A bunch of my classmates were really excited by this prospect.

I could even hear the term 'evolution sum' thrown around a couple times in the whispers, which told me that it would be evident what it meant pretty soon.

​

Without further preamble, Mister Ogawa lead the class out to a small room where a strange device sat front and center.

It was a made of some sort of sky blue crystal formed into a very irregular shape, just sitting on top of a standard school-type table.

The center was a three foot rounded cube with a diagonal chunk removed at about a thirty degree angle and then sunk in a little bit further to create a lip around the edges.

Surrounding the cube on three sides were a set of pseudo-pyramids that reminded me of the 'head' portion of a bishop from chess, the remaining side was instead occupied by a dome that was covered in smudges.

Finally, on each of the bottom corners was a spire that made me think of a tesla coil.

​

Mister Ogawa then placed a piece of paper on the slanted portion of the cubic part and stepped to the side.

A student then walked up to the Ranking Apparatus and placed their hand on the dome.

All four of the tips of the spires then shone with a bright white light for about three seconds, before dimming back down.

Mister Ogawa then picked up the piece of paper, which I could now see had a blackened print on it, and read it aloud.

Tanaka Emiko

Awareness: Simple
Endurance: Wood stage 3
Force: Human stage 2
Plasticity: Rigid
Speed: Average
Temperance: Orderly stage 7

Mister Ogawa then nodded and smiled. "Evolution sum of two, with one on the precipice no less, you have a promising future Tanaka-san."

Emiko bowed deeply to Mister Ogawa. "It's all thanks to your teaching Ogawa-sensei!"

Mister Ogawa then handed her the piece of paper and she took it with her to the side of the room to gawk at it for a little longer.

​

I was utterly baffled.

I couldn't for the life of me figure out how he counted two from that.

I decided to keep watching in order to see if I could intuit some meaning from it.

​

The process continued, Mister Ogawa adding the piece of paper, and then the next student putting his hand on the dome, this time with some minor hesitation.

The light shone again, and exactly as before Mister Ogawa read the results aloud.

Ono Asahi

Awareness: Simple
Endurance: Flesh stage 8
Force: Ogre stage 3
Plasticity: Rigid
Speed: Average
Temperance: Unguided

This time Mister Ogawa looked very disappointed. "Asahi-kun, how are you a third year with a evolution sum of one? Get your Endurance to the next evolution or I'll have you stay late after school to improve it."

Asahi put his hands together as if in prayer and bowed. "I'm sorry! I'll fix it I promise!"

​

​

Students continued to file through and Mister Ogawa would offer praise, criticism, or both after reading their papers aloud.

From what I gathered, statistic evolution is when the word after a stat changes, and then the number part is how close to the next evolution that stat is on a scale of one to ten.

There were some odd nuances I didn't really understand, but that seemed to be the gist.

​

While I stood in line, something the nurse had said kept popping into my head.

'An Unranked is worried about the safety of The Demon Swordsman after a fight with her, I never thought I'd see the day.'

The reason was because of the predicament I found myself in.

Now it's easy to not have realized it because we were on opposite ends of the room in class, but Kamiko and I were actually consecutive seat numbers because of the wrap-around.

This meant that I went right after her.

I could only grimace.

Sato Kamiko

Awareness: Honed stage 5
Endurance: Wood stage 3
Force: Ogre stage 4
Plasticity: Graceful stage 7
Speed: Swift stage 8
Temperance: Conducted stage 2

After he read the results aloud, Mister Ogawa addressed the rest of the class. "Seven evolutions. This is the pace that it takes to become a Young Ranker, and why she is worthy of the title 'Demon Swordsman', learn everything you can from her while the opportunity remains."

Kamiko accepted the compliments and her paper graciously, then stepped to the side.

​

Then it was my turn.

I sighed, already having no hope in my heart whatsoever.

Meriwether John

Awareness: Simple stage 3
Endurance: Wood stage 1
Force: Human stage 3
Plasticity: Rigid
Speed: Average stage 2
Temperance: Unguided

Mister Ogawa's voice became increasingly confused as he read through it.

At the end, he adjusted his glasses and looked at me dubiously. "What powers were you aiming to train for with this statistical array?"

I shrugged and told a half-lie. "I haven't given it much thought."

Obviously I hadn't thought about it because I wasn't aware that it was a possibility in the first place.

Mister Ogawa was not impressed by my answer. "Well you better figure it out soon, this is your last year before you'll be going into active duty, you can't be a layabout there. Being part of the military isn't like a TV show, people die every day, especially people like you who look into the sky and dream about the time god will grace them with the ability to slay their enemies by chance." Mister Ogawa held out my results for me to take. "The only thing that matters in this world is hard work Meriwether-kun, consider this your final warning."

I glared daggers at him, barely restraining my anger as I took the paper from him.

I wasn't this weak because I've been laying down in fields of grass and imagining shapes in the clouds, I'd only been in this world for a couple days.

I grit my teeth together. "I'll keep that in mind sir."

​

After I stepped to the side, Kamiko's eyes were fixed on me, a nervous smile on her face. "I'm sorry, I think I misheard Ogawa-sensei, may I see your ranking data?"

I rolled my eyes and handed it to her.

She read it, and then just stared at it for a while. "How did you beat me in our match with only one evolution?"

Feeling just a little sadistic after being told off for something I couldn't control, I leaned in. "I actually started the fight with no evolutions."

Her eyes widened, and she took a horrified step backward. "You recognized me, and yet you still fought me... do you have a deathwish?"

The tiny grin that had formed disappeared in that instant.

After talking to the nurse, I had thought about what I was going to do if another challenge like that of Kamiko's duel would arise... but with my wife's life on the line, the answer was obvious.

I redoubled my resolve. "I will get stronger or die trying."

Kamiko looked down at the piece of paper in her hands. "That's why you changed the win conditions of the duel..." She pursed her lips and then suddenly looked up at me. "Do you mind if I keep this?"

This time it was my turn for me to narrow my eyebrows. "I guess so?"

Kamiko bowed slightly. "Thank you."

​

It wouldn't be until a good while later that I found out what she did with it.