Different

Alvin nodded and began to speak. "To be honest, it has been just three years since I joined the academy, so it is not like I'm all that knowledgeable. Anyway, Maguses are what we call those who train in Magic Energy, which should be obvious."

"In our world, they are at the top of the food chain. It's not like you can't become someone important without being one, but the Maguses definitely have many advantages. First of all, your overall strength increases with each level, and you are able to manipulate more Magic Energy."

Alvin then extended his hand, and the surrounding Magic Energy gathered around it. "I'm only a Level One Magus, so the amount of Magic Energy I can control is limited. Nonetheless, I can use it for many things. The most obvious one would be battle, but you can also use it for other types of work. For example, I don't need Magic Stones to power up some simple devices. Just the energy I gather naturally as a Level One Magus is enough for it all to work."

"As your Level as a Magus increases, so does your Magic Energy output. You can also store more and higher levels of magical energy in your core. It goes without saying that the higher the level of Magical Energy, the stronger you are. You can even use Magical Energy to enhance your thinking capability for a limited amount of time. Just don't overdo it since it puts a huge burden on the brain and soul. Even Familiars are not different in this aspect, so be careful."

Linfel nodded. "I understand. You mentioned being a Level One Magus. That's definitely different from where I came from. Back there, there was no such thing as levels. Most likely, it was due to the fact that primordial energy didn't have different levels either. Someone's power was basically determined by how much Primordial Energy they could control and store at once, but in the basics, they were all identical."

Alvin hasn't heard about such a system before. "That's indeed very different. You see, if your Level as a Magus or Familiar doesn't increase, you will definitely reach the limit soon. For most Maguses, the only way to store more and higher levels of magical energy is to Level Up as a Magus. There is no other choice. In your case, the concept of levels seemed to be nonexistent. Is it still the same for you?"

Linfel tried to manipulate the Red Magic Energy he created and nodded. "Seems like so. I have no issues manipulating this Red Magic Energy. Well, it is obvious since I was the one who created it. The only difference is that I truly can't store much of it compared to the Yellow Magic Energy. From what I can feel, I can only hold a tenth of Red Magic Energy compared to Yellow. That reminds me, didn't you get a Red Magic Energy Stone before. If you couldn't use it, then why were you so happy?"

"Oh, that's a misconception," Alvin explained. "I indeed can't manipulate Red Magic Energy, but I can use it to increase my level faster. Do you remember when I said you need to integrate Magic Energy into your core? That's basically it. Using a higher level of Magic Energy will help your core transform faster."

"Transform?" Linfel wondered.

"Yes, when your core gets strong enough, it changes color, just like the Magic Energy. The same goes for the Familiar, as Felia mentioned. Their Spiritual Bodies also change color, showing their higher level. It's just that a Magus Core exists inside the body, so you can't really see it."

Alvin sighed. "Still, your Core is obviously something similar to a Level One Familiar. And yet, you can manipulate Red Magic Energy. There aren't many Familiars and Maguses who can manipulate a Higher Level of Magical Energy without being at that level."

"Hum? Didn't you say one couldn't manipulate Red Magic Energy as a Level One Magus?" Linfel got confused.

"Did you forget? I clearly said 'for most maguses' before. That doesn't mean they are all like this." Alvin scratched the back of his head, feeling a little helpless. "Well, that's where talent and resources come in... I'm pretty average, perhaps a little below it. As for resources, it should be obvious we don't exactly have a lot of it."

It was a pretty simple concept. Alvin explained that Maguses with high talent and resources are also able to control higher levels of magical Energy even without being at that level. The same goes for familiars. Alvin even saw some Level One Maguses defeating Level Two opponents in the academy before, showing the obvious difference. 

Even if you didn't really have the necessary talent, it was possible to pile up resources to achieve the same effect. There were always those with a strong background who acquired the ability to use higher levels of Magic Energy through other methods. 

"Simply put, money makes the world go round," Alvin completed his explanation.

Linfel had never heard that saying before, but he understood what Alvin meant. 

Lucau patted his son's head, feeling like it was his fault. "Sorry that I couldn't give you a better chance in life..."

"Bulshit!" Alvin immediately looked at his father. "I regret nothing! Just look, dad. I will definitely become a high-level Magus in the future. I don't have the money, but I definitely have the determination!"

Lucau faintly smiled. He was very proud of his son for sure.

Linfel then commented. "Well, that's good for me. I can just pose as a highly talented Familiar in case I need to show my Red Magic Energy."

"That's still impressive," Alvin commented. "You said you can only store and use a tenth of Red Magic Energy compared to Yellow, right? Are you talking about all Sublevels of Red Magic Energy or only Low-Grade Red Magic Energy?"

"Low-Grade," Linfel immediately answered. "The Normal Red Magic Energy... Errrr... Medium-Grade Red Magic, right? Anyway, I can only store around a hundredth of what I can with Yellow Magic Energy."

Alvin nodded. "Seems like your transformation made you somewhat similar to us. You will need to increase the level of your core if you want to store and manipulate more of higher levels of magic Energy."

Linfel understood that. Yet, he still felt like he wasn't the same somehow.