What Rank?

*Clap!*

Xalafel smiled and clapped his hand. "Alright, enough of this gloomy topic. This is something a few years in the future. Until then, Alvin, Linfel, and Felia will have to improve on their own. We can't give you all any preferential treatment. If we do, others will get suspicious, after all." 

Linfel still tried his luck. "Can't you just give us some Magic Stones without anyone seeing? Or perhaps mistakenly increased our Academy Credits... a hundred times?"

"Hahaha!" Litivia's laughter filled the air, her amusement at Linfel's suggestion evident. "You truly have been made without any prior knowledge of the world, haven't you?"

Linfel was clearly perplexed by her reaction. In fact, everyone around him had broad smiles on their faces, their eyes twinkling with amusement at Linfel's audacity. Finally, Milia decided to take the chance and explain. "The system is closely monitored by the board, which comprises many members of several influential families and organizations of our country. Every single Academy Credit is meticulously checked before it is distributed. Let alone senior Xalafel, not even the president himself would be able to give you a single extra Academy Credit without triggering alarms."

Linfel understood. "I see... what about Magic Stones? That would definitely help us get to Level Two and Three faster, especially Red ones."

Xalafel shook his head. "That would make others even more suspicious. Alvin came from a poor background. And suddenly, out of nowhere, he gets a big supply of Red Magic Stones? That is the same as saying something is happening to him. I told you we need to keep it a secret. You will have to get up there on your own."

Alvin couldn't help but ask. "But... how long will it be until the competition? We are talking about Level Three here. To be honest, I don't expect to become a Level Two Magus before I'm already close to graduation." That was the truth. He even told Linfel about it back in his father's home.

"Three Years," Xalafel spoke.

"What?!" Alvin's soul almost left his body! "Impossible! How can I get to Level Three in just three years?! Absolutely impossible!"

Linfel didn't think it was impossible, though. It's just that he would need a lot of magic Energy for that.

Xalafel understood that and began to explain. "Of course, even though we can't provide you with Magic Stones and Academy Credits, we can still help you with the ranks. Besides, now that you are in a Faction, you have access to very good equipment; even if the Floating Blades don't have the absolute best Magical Training Equipment, they aren't far off."

"What do you mean?" Alvin asked back, confused. He was only a Rank F student.

Fenlin explained from there. "The Rankings are decided through the scores of the Field Exams. However, how do you determine if a new student is worth being sent to a Rank F Class or a higher rank? Obviously, it is through the entrance test."

Alvin knew that. Those with powerful backgrounds were mostly sent to Rank C or above classes. Milia, for example, was sent straight into Rank A. That's because they had a better environment and resources, so they were able to develop a lot more. He obviously wasn't someone like them. No talent and no background, so Rank F was a given after his entrance exam.

"Do you mean for me to take the entrance exam again?" Alvin asked, finding it a little hard to believe.

"Not really," Fenlin continued. "There is another way of moving students. The way is to take into consideration their results during the field exam. Usually, your score would be added to your account, and if it is enough, you can go up to a better class. There, your score is reset to zero, and you have to work hard to stay there or go higher. Otherwise, you will fall."

"But, sometimes, a student's real strength isn't truly displayed during the entrance exam. Or perhaps the student himself found a new path that allowed him to far surpass his peers in the same Rank. Simply put, he or she is in a place they are not supposed to be. We can take it into consideration and move the student in question to higher-ranked classes instead of following the normal path."

"This is a good and necessary system for two reasons. First, we won't have that student, who clearly has great potential, waste time in lower ranks and hinder his future. The Magus Academy exists to bring up the best Maguses possible to the world, after all."

"The second reason is for the sake of fairness. If a Magus who far surpasses his peers is kept in lower-ranked classes, he will disrupt the balance, and it will make it harder to properly judge the students of those classes. In the end, this is a system we can make use of to send you to a higher-ranked class straight away, and no one will find it suspicious. After all, it does happen every now and then. We have over a hundred thousand Maguses in the academy, after all."

Litivia confirmed Fenlin's words. "That is correct. Taking into consideration your performance in the Field Exam, especially the fact you defeated a Rock Breaker that was almost at Level Three on your own, it leaves no room for doubt."

Linfel found a problem, though. "But that was while using a Double Connection. If Alvin does what he does normally, he is most likely not a match to those from higher ranks."

"This is just an opportunity," Xalafel explained. "Whether you can take it with your hands and rise or drop the ball and fall down the ranks again, that is up to you. Or would you rather not have the chance to go into a higher-ranked class? Especially since it gives you access to much better missions due to the timings? Linfel, you are an independent Familiar, so that same is valid to you."

"Well..." Alvin was a little skeptical.

However, Linfel immediately thought of the Academy Credits and accepted. "Great! You are right. This is an opportunity, so Alvin, Felia, and I just need to work hard to make up for it. We will take it!"

Alvin took a deep breath after hearing Linfel's words and decided to go for it. "Linfel is right. Send us higher, please!"

Milia and Connor had a doubt. What Rank Linfel and Alvin would be sent to?