Here is the rewritten Chapter with corrections:
When Michael arrived at the classroom where the rankings would be announced, he was surprised to see the place completely packed with students. There were so many people that he even spotted new faces—students he hadn’t seen before, either in class or anywhere else around the academy. The room buzzed with excitement and curiosity as everyone waited to find out the results. But Michael decided not to dwell on it any longer. He let out a quiet sigh, pushing away the worries swirling in his head. At that moment, he spotted Nick a few rows ahead, waving energetically and motioning for him to come over. Grateful for the distraction and some friendly company, Michael made his way through the crowd, weaving between chattering students. As he reached Nick, Nick grinned and patted the empty seat beside him, urging Michael to sit down. With a small, relieved smile, Michael slid into the seat, glad to have a friend close by as they waited for the rankings to be announced.
Soon, Instructor Keal walked in with a smile, his footsteps steady and confident as the room fell silent. The chatter faded as everyone turned their attention to him, sensing that something important was about to happen. With a nod, he glanced around the classroom, clearly pleased by the turnout and the anticipation in the air. "Welcome, the ranking of the Arcseraph academy," he said, waiting a little to create a moment of suspense before continuing. "Just know that the ranking is genuine, and each ranking is based on one’s dungeon performance and the assignment. If you think the ranking is unfair, remember that every score was carefully reviewed by the academy board. If you have any questions or concerns, you’ll have a chance to discuss them after the announcement of the ranking."
When they reached the top five hundred, Michael still couldn’t figure out where his name would show up in the rankings. The suspense was getting to him, and each new name announced made his heart pound a little faster.
Maria Greenheart — 100
As the announcer’s voice echoed through the hall, Michael’s nerves were a tangled mess. Suddenly, his name rang out—"Michael Arden!"—and for a split second, he just stood there, stunned, his mind racing even though he wasn’t that high up the ranking; it was still great. Then it sank in, and a flood of relief and disbelief made him smile so wide his cheeks hurt. Classmates whispered, "Isn’t that the boy who awakened recently? How did he get that high up the ranking? Was there a mistake?" Some students whispered, but Instructor Keal didn’t have time to address them, so he continued to call out the ranking.
Michael was very surprised to hear that Nick actually made it to the top. "Is this guy really that strong?" Michael thought, and Nick turned and smiled at him like he could hear Michael’s thoughts. Those new students turned their heads, looking straight at Nick before turning back and whispering to each other, clearly curious about him. Nick felt the weight of their stares but kept his cool, pretending not to notice. He wondered if they’d heard the rumors already or were just sizing up the new competition. Michael was actually confused because throughout all the rankings, those new students didn’t even pay attention to them, even when they got to the top 20; they didn’t move a muscle, but immediately Nick was mentioned, all of them turned just to look at him. "Is this guy famous or does he come from a wealthy family?"
Anderson Windbreaker – 5
Raphael Emberheart – 3
Dominic Frostvale – 1
Selena Emberheart – 1
"And that concludes the ranking, everyone," Instructor Keal said. What actually shocked Michael was that all these new students were from the top 30, and only Nick was able to get to the top 10. This just made Michael even more curious. The source of thɪs content is novel✶fire.net
While Michael was busy thinking about the competition, Ethan was fuming behind him. "How did that fool top me in the ranking?" Ethan said, clenching his fists, his eyes locked on Michael’s back. His jaw tightened as jealousy bubbled up, and he muttered, "This isn’t over."
"If you are not happy with your ranking, you can gladly complain now," Instructor Keal said.
"Sir, how can he rank higher than us? I mean he’s a late bloomer," one of the students asked, and the rest nodded, clearly agreeing with him. "Was there a mistake, sir’
"Was there a mistake, sir, in the ranking?" one of the students asked, and the rest nodded, clearly agreeing with him.
"Sir, did you mention the Emberheart and Frostvale family? Are those from the legacy families?" another student asked.
"Sir, how can I increase my ranking?" someone else inquired.
"Sir, I think the ranking is wrong. I can clearly beat this guy in a one-on-one fight," another student said, pointing at Michael.
"That doesn’t even make sense," someone else chimed in.
"Stop pointing at me, you idiot. You can’t even beat me even if you beg me too," Michael retorted, his voice rising.
"Enough!" Instructor Keal said, looking at everyone. "The ranking comprises your dungeon performance and assignment. And I would have you know he was the best in reporting on the dungeon assignment given out."
"If you think you are stronger than him or any other person at the top of the ranking, then that’s easy. You have to beat the top to become the top. You can each challenge someone higher than you to claim their spot on the leaderboard."
"The academy will be hosting a ranking match a few days from now. Until then, prepare to challenge for the top spot. And just to make it interesting, the top 50 will receive special treatment, rewards, and much more allocation of resources."
"That’s all. You are all dismissed for today," Instructor Keal said, already heading out of the classroom.
Most of the students smiled, knowing that they could increase their ranking by just defeating those ranked higher than them. Michael was sure that he would receive challenges to maintain his position. In fact, some students were already looking at him and making signs to him. Out of them all, Ethan’s stare was even more dangerous; it felt like he wanted to burn a hole through Michael’s back.
"That’s kind of unfair, don’t you think, Michael? What’s the whole point of the dungeon and ranking if you could easily climb the ranks by beating someone higher than you? What’s the academy thinking?" Nick asked.
"That’s easy," Michael said.
"And what’s that?" Nick asked.
"The academy wants to use the competition to find out what each of us is capable of, and the ranking is to create competition. No matter what, everyone would like to be ranked higher, so the academy is using this to make students train harder," Michael explained, and Nick nodded, finally understanding the academy’s reason for this whole competition.
Michael didn’t really care about others; he didn’t care if they thought he was weak or if he was an easy target. He just had to show them how strong he is and show them that Michael can’t be bullied anymore. He had to show them the power of the House of Arden.