We Are Taking Them All

"Isn't it way too unfair? I thought the academy still tried to be somewhat reasonable," Linfel couldn't help but comment.

"That's not the issue. The issue is the missions themselves," Alvin explained. "You see, if you ignore these simple tasks that the academy throws out, the high-paying missions are usually issued not by the academy but by other organizations that need a Magus Level of help."

Connor continued. "He is right. These organizations don't care about the academy's rank. What they care about is that the missions they issue are completed as fast and perfect as possible. Otherwise, they will go after other Magus Organizations outside the academy."

"First of all, the only reason they even bothered to give the Academy these missions was because it truly charges a lot less than a normal Magus who has already graduated would. But, if these missions aren't completed in the end, what's the point if the academy charges less?" Felia asked Linfel.

Linfel could only mentally sigh. It all made sense now. It is not that the academy doesn't want to give these missions to lower-ranked students. Instead, it is all about keeping a good name in the Magus Market. If they open these missions to the 'less capable' Maguses of the academy, there are higher chances of these missions failing. The academy can't afford to lose the support of outside organizations, so the priority goes to higher-ranked classes.

"How does the priority system work?" Linfel asked.

"Time," Alvin quickly answered. "The missions get unlocked to lower-ranked students as time goes by. In the first hour, only Rank A Classes can take the missions. In the second hour, the mission becomes available for Rank B Classes. Three hours for Rank C, four hours for Rank D, and so on and so forth."

Linfe nodded. "So Rank F, like us, can only take a mission after six hours, uh?"

Connor and Alvin confirmed. "That's pretty much it. We can only hope no one takes these good missions until enough time goes by, which hardly happens. Even when it happens, there will be plenty of maguses ready to snatch it away, so you truly need some good luck to be here at the right time."

Linfel then turned off the terminal and returned to Alvin's side. "I understand how it works. Should we go meet Milia now?"

"Yes, it is about time," Alvin and everyone else agreed. 

The west side of the academy was quite far due to the academy's huge size. Over a hundred thousand students were no joke, and you still had to count in dormitories and things like that. Fortunately, there were many academy vehicles that transported the students everywhere, running 24/7. Everything was controlled by AI. 

On their way to the west side, Linfel took the chance to ask. "So, with Rank being so important, how do we increase our rank exactly? It doesn't seem like it is related to your level as a Magus or Familiar."

"That's obvious," Alvin said before speaking about the process. "We talked about it before, remember? It is all about talent and prospects. Nonetheless, you will hardly find a Level One magus in Classes A and B, for example, except for those who just joined the academy at twelve. If they are in Classes A and B and aren't Level Two yet, that's just because they didn't have enough time for it. Like Milia, for example, they would all be Level Two by the age of 15. But look at us, our hopes are to reach level two in the next ten years only. In that, you can already see the difference."

"Is there no way to increase our Rank as students faster?" Linfel had to ask.

"Yes," Alvin took out his MCOM and opened a page for Linfel to see. It was a page regarding the end-of-the-week Field Exams. "I told you we have Field Exams on the last day of the week, right? That's also where you can increase your rank. The missions during that day vary, but it is also field related. That means you will be tested as a Magus and Familiar."

Tratil, Connor's Familiar, continued from there. "One thing is certain, though. There will be battles. It might be against other students. It might be against Magic Beasts, it might be against Magic Puppets. Usually, for safety's sake, Magic Puppets and Student battles are the most used since there is a certain degree of control. However, a real Magus can't grow within a greenhouse. So you will definitely have Field Exams against Magic Beasts or similarly dangerous operations at some point."

Felia shrugged her shoulders. "Well, as mentioned before, these exams aren't obligatory. You can totally skip the field exams that you feel are too dangerous, and no one will say anything. But then again, these ones are usually the best when you want to increase your rank."

"Have you guys tried any of them already?" Linfel asked. After all, everyone here was still a Rank F Student.

Alvin looked through the window, checking the view. "One must know their limits."

Connor nodded as he thought this was quite a nice day. "There is hope as long as you are alive."

Linfel's mouth twitched. Obviously, these two skipped all Field Classes they deemed even a little bit dangerous. perhaps they haven't take a single one at all. No wonder they are still Rank F Students. "Alright. Alvin, we are taking all Field Exams from now on. No exceptions."

Linfel was a Wisp, and his old friend, Horan, made sure to pierce into his mind that fact. He trained Linfel many times, and Linfel went through quite a lot of dangerous moments because of that. Linfel was still weak after all of that, but he at least understood how to do everything to keep himself alive.

"What?!" Alvin was taken aback. "No way! Slow and steady, slow and steady. There is nothing wrong with it, you know?"

"You ass!" Linfel complained. "Wasn't you who told your father you wouldn't lose when it came to determination? Where is it now? Stop complaining, and let's do it."

"I'm not doing it!" Alvin immediately refused. There were real risks of death during these field exams. 

Linfel then whispered in his ear. 'Otherwise, forget about your Red Magic Energy.'