Transmigrated as the Novel's Final Boss-Chapter 105:Rankings [1]

[A/N: For privileged readers, I tweaked the end of the last Chapter a bit; please re-read if you are confused about "portal placements".]

This exam wasn’t just a test of combat ability but intelligence.

Choosing a portal with less powerful groups means you can deal more damage to the boss and have a higher contribution.

But, then what about time and placement in the exam?

The portals with more powerful groups will take down the boss faster, and every group in that portal will get a high portal placement.

But, if you’re the only strong group, the boss fight will take longer, as, essentially, it’s just your group against the boss.

Choosing a portal with weaker groups prioritizes individual contribution to the fight, whereas a portal with stronger groups focuses on portal placement.

However, both matter in individual rankings.

Shaking my head, I watched as hundreds of blue holographic birds formed near the professor and flew all over the plain, delivering each person their team.

The entire sky was colored with light-blue streaks, as if a meteor shower was happening.

At least, the task and setting of the Practical Exam remained the same as in the book.

In the book, there were also five portals and five groups, but with four imperial students each.

The Imperial class’s practical exam was only described from Liam’s point of view to introduce the reader to the royals, so if all remained the same, I already knew one of the portals.

...This exam could be easier than expected.

Snapping me back to reality, a sudden blue flash blinded me, and when I reopened my eyes, a blue screen, similar to my stat menu but smaller, appeared.

[Imperial: Jett / Worldly: Ren, Kim, Jade, Sage]

All no-name characters not mentioned in the book, how surprising!

For this practical exam, I actually had an incentive to win.

Individual rankings.

If I received a high rank in this exam, I could possibly be scouted and pre-recruited by a guild or even one of the grand dukes of the empire.

With a powerful force behind me, I would be able to grow faster and have access to an abundance of resources.

From the screen in front of me, there was a blue holographic line that led to a secluded area of the plain, my group’s designated meeting spot.

A timer also appeared atop the screen, reading "5:00," signifying the time I had to meet with my group and select a portal.

Arriving at my group’s spot, I was surprised to find myself the last student to arrive as the four Worldly students were already discussing.

As I entered their circles, all eyes instantly shifted to me, prompting me to awkwardly say.

"Jett, here!"

*PFFT*

Somewhere in the distance, I swear I could have heard someone break into laughter, but thankfully, my teammates simply nodded their heads and smiled.

Were they happy to be placed in an Imperial group and not a Worldly group, or sad that they hadn’t received the prince or princess as their teammate?

I couldn’t tell.

The four of them curiously gazed at me, trying to estimate my power, perhaps.

Not much was known about the power rankings of the Imperial class, so most just assumed that the high-tier royals, like the prince and princess, were the most powerful.

The no-names in the Imperial dorm, like Evange, Mira, Scarlett, and I, were all unknowns to them.

Putting those thoughts aside, I immediately began.

Just because I was an Imperial class student, they all immediately accepted my leadership and silently listened.

"I’m planning on heading to the portal with the prince."

All the portals looked the exact same, just a bunch of dark-purple voids.

And, the book did not describe which portal Liam entered, so all I knew was the inside of it.

Anyway, even if the book had described the portal Liam chose, my actions and the butterfly effect could easily cause Liam to just...pick another portal.

Assuming the portal destinations hadn’t changed from the book, I had a 20% chance of entering into an environment I already knew. freēwēbnovel.com

That was far too low of a chance to bank on, so I decided to just go with my initial plan.

If it happened, I’d be happy, but if not, I’d have to persevere.

Having had the entire week to make a plan for the practical, since I knew the task and possible settings, my plan had already been set in stone.

As my words echoed throughout the group, a boy with short spiky black hair and green eyes awkwardly said, clearly afraid of offending me.

"Shouldn’t we...you know, go to a portal with a weaker opponent?"

Before I could even respond, the girl with a nametag that read, "Sage," answered.

"Kim, what’s the point in heading to a weaker portal? It’ll just take longer to kill the boss since we’ll be the only decently strong ones."

"There’s no point in getting a high contribution if it takes us years to kill the boss."

Almost instantly, Kim replied, glancing at me with a concerned expression.

"But, what’s the point of being in a portal that kills the boss in a fast amount of time if we get zero contribution?"

Now, obviously staring at me, Sage replied in a happy tone.

"And, how do you know we’ll get zero contribution? Jett, here, wouldn’t have recommended we enter a portal with strong groups if he believed we wouldn’t get any contribution during the boss battle."

Completely bluffing, I nodded my head and turned around.

Surprisingly, Liam had already chosen a portal alongside another group.

Leading my group there before it could fill to the maximum, I began discussing with my teammates.

Sage was a spellcaster who specialized in buffing and healing spells, while Jade was a tank, with a long battle axe.

Ren wielded a thin black katana and was a glass cannon, a temporary front-liner whose role was to attack and then quickly retreat, and Kim was a long-range user, with a recurved bow.