On the way to the class, the Wisp asked Alvin a little more about it. "What are we learning exactly? Also, do I need to take part in the same classes s you?"
"You don't," Alvin shook his head. "In fact, you can select any class you want to participate in now that you are an independent Familiar. As for what we are learning, that varies. For example, the class I'm going to now is Magic Theory. We study the many ways that Magic can be bent to fulfill our objectives."
"So... kind of Magic Control?" Linfel asked back.
Alvin nodded. "Pretty much, yes. Although it goes quite deep into this subject."
Linfel felt there wasn't much for him in that class. He truly had no issues controlling his Magic Energy. Nonetheless, he followed. It was his first day, after all.
In the class, Alvin sat in the top right corner of the room, joining another young man in that location. "Hey, Connor."
With so many students in the entire Academy, each class usually had a lot of students. This one, for example, had 127 in total. They were all Level One Maguses.
Connor, who was focused on his MCOM, heard that voice and immediately looked at Alvin with wide eyes. "Alvin!"
Connor had joined the academy with Alvin, coming from the same sea-side area as him. It's what you could call childhood friendship. Their talents turned out to be pretty much the same, so they ended up in the same classes once they selected the subjects they wanted to study.
Connor quickly pulled Alvin closer and showed his MCOM. "What's the meaning of this?!"
-Milia to Marry an F Rank Magus? Check our detailed report about Alvin and Milia, the unnexpected pair.-
Alvin sighed, already expecting something like this. That wasn't the only one. Many other sources were sensationalizing the events in the Master Familiar Connection Test area. Of course, these sources knew better than to make an enemy of Milia and her Frondor Family. So, once you read through them you would always end at Alvin's declaration and pointing out that it was truly nothing but a rumor. There was also the report of the mission page showing that Milia truly was investigating the incident with Alvin's Father.
Alvin looked around and could see many of the other students looking in his direction. "Sure enough, there are a lot of people interested." Alvin then looked back at Connor. "It is what it is. Or could it be you didn't read the full report of these sources? They should have mentioned how it was a coincidence and nothing else."
"That's not the problem!" Connor, actually, didn't give a fuck to the rumors. He knew Alvin well enough to know that getting involved with Milia was nothing but a dream. "I'm talking about this Master Familiar Connection result. 71%!!! You got a freaking 71%! How did you do that?"
At the same time, he looked at Linfel. "Also, you didn't have a new Familiar when you left the Academy yesterday. Just where did you get the credits to make this new one?"
Alvin faintly smiled. "Well, many things happened. Sorry for not telling you about Linfel. I wasn't sure I was going to get him ready anyway." Alvin then told Connor the same excuse about creating Linfel with some weird options. "And that's why I was afraid of bringing him. Fortunately, our connection worked pretty well."
Connor looked at Linfel. "So Alvin was concerned enough to not have told me, his best friend, about you, uh?"
Linfel nodded. "You also know Alvin. He is a very shy and delicate boy who can barely hold any pressure. Don't blame him."
Connor vigorously nodded. "That, I can't deny."
Alvin's mouth twitched. "Who the hell is shy and delicate?! I, your grandfather, am very bold."
Felia patted Alvin's head while shaking her head. "Master, don't force yourself. It is not good to go against one's nature. You should accept and embrace it."
Linfel and Connor nodded together.
"Go to hell!" Alvin cursed in anger. Of course, he knew they were just messing with him, which wasn't different from their usual interactions. It's just that Linfel joined the messing group now.
Suddenly, the door of the class opened, and a woman entered the room. Everyone quickly went back to their seats, waiting for the class to start. Naturally, that was the teacher.
"Alright, seems like we have a new Familiar in the class," said the teacher. "I'm the Magic Theory Teacher of the Rank F Class 12, Marita Uvesdin. You should be the Familiar that caused the ruckus at the Academy Entrance, right?"
Linfel quickly stepped forward. "Sorry, sorry. That would be me, indeed. I'm Linfel, and Alvin is my Master."
Marita nodded, not caring too much. "Alright, just don't cause trouble here, and we will be fine. You haven't really selected any classes to take part in, but as Alvin was your master, you can indeed follow him. Later, go to the Academy Class Office and take a look at which classes you want to take yourself. As an Independent Familiar, you have that right."
Everyone looked at Linfel and Alvin, surprised. Alvin got a Familiar with 71% of MFC, and yet, Alvin let him become independent. Most of them would never have done that.
"Yes." Linfel nodded.
Marita then put those matters aside and started the class. It was just like Alvin mentioned. It was all about the theory of Magic, with Marita showing some examples along the way. The class continued for one hour straight before she finally finished. "And that's how the channels within your Magus Body can carry the Magic Energy. Give it a try after the classes are over. Perhaps you can find a proper route that better adapts to your own bodies."
Marita left the class, and the next teacher arrived a minute later. Yet, Linfel didn't have much to learn from Alvin's teacher. It wasn't that they weren't doing a good job, but that their topics were related to Maguses, not Familiars. Well, Linfel isn't a Familiar either.
***
The day passed in that fashion, with most classes being theoretical. They weren't useless, though. Even if these Magus-related topics weren't of much use to him, they at least helped him understand more about the Maguses of this world.
Classes ended around 4 PM, granting Alvin and Linfel two hours of free time before they had to go to the Floating Blades Faction. Outside the classroom, Linfel looked at the plaque by the door and asked, "Alvin, why does it say Rank F? Are there different ranks for classes?"
Connor was the one to answer, though. "Sigh... there are, but Alvin won't be here for much longer."
Alvin shook his head. "That's not true. The only thing good about me is my Master Familiar Connection. I myself am still pretty much a Rank F Magus for all intents and purposes."
Felia then explained to Linfel, "It is all about talent and resources. The better you do, the better the classes you can take. It goes without saying that those with rich backgrounds could spend a lot more resources, getting themselves into better places even if they don't have better talent."
Connor shrugged his shoulders. "Yet, even that isn't enough to get you to Rank A and B Classes. Fortunately, resources can only elevate you to a Rank C Class at most. Rank A and B classes prioritize talent and effort above all else. Of course, it doesn't change the fact that having a lot of resources will make it easier to enter those two top Ranks. Over 90% of the students in Rank A and B classes are rich."
"It isn't all that bad then," Linfel mentioned. "Still, we are only Rank F? That's too sad."
Linfel then remembered something. "Right! There are classes for Familiars, right?"
"There are," Alvin nodded. "That's what we are going to check now. However, the number of classes for Familiars is very limited. Can you guess why?"
Linfel pondered a bit and understood. "Normal Familiars have all the theoretical knowledge thrown into their souls when they are created. There isn't any point in having theoretical classes for them, which are many more of the Maguses' Classes."
Felia, Connor, and Alvin confirmed. "You are correct. That said, the Familiar Classes are all about practical teaching. While we have five different classes on the first day of the week, you only have one or maybe not even that."
"It makes me wonder why Familiars haven't conquered the world by now. Hahaha!" Linfel couldn't help but joke.
Connor smiled. "It isn't that simple. Sure, Familiars have a great head start with all the knowledge they get from when they are created. But once a Magus achieves a similar level of knowledge, it levels up. From there onwards, it is all about ingenuity, and this is a field where normal living beings excel a lot more than Familiars."
"Why?" Linfel asked back.
"Knowledge itself," Alvin explained. "Familiars are born with all the knowledge, and that becomes their greatest barrier when it comes to development."
"Oh!" Linfel could see the sense in that.
The process of learning can also open doors to new ideas. It is while you are taking in new knowledge that questions arise, and those questions could lead to new fields that haven't been thought of before. Familiars were born with all the theoretical knowledge, so they didn't have the chance to question any of them. It is simply there for them to use.
Felia looked a little sad. "That's exactly the case. It is not like Familiars can't evolve, but the early acquired knowledge makes it hard for us Familiars to thread into new horizons. We all instinctively rely on that knowledge that is already there instead of trying anything new. Familiars that can break away from this bind are rare, really rare. It is a mental barrier."
Alvin smiled at Linfel. "You, on the other hand, won't have this issue."
"How come?" Connor asked, confused. "He is also a Familiar."
Alvin turned to Connor. "Let's just say it is part of the process of creation I used to make him." Obviously, that was a lie.
"By the way," Linfel noticed something. "You mentioned classes only on the first day of the week. Are there no classes on the other days?"
"Oh, that's not it," Alvin shook his head. "I'm talking about theoretical classes. During the rest of the week, it is all about practical training and Magic Energy Absorption. Not to mention, we need to take missions to gain academy credits. Theory can only bring you so far, right? Practice makes perfect."
"I understand," Linfel nodded. "Do we have practices together?"
"Of course!" Alvin quickly confirmed. "It works like this: Theoretical Classes on the first day of the week. Familiars would be mostly practical ones, obviously."
"Oh, right! I almost forgot," Alvin suddenly mentioned. "I told you Familiars don't need to take theoretical classes, but it isn't like they don't exist. You can apply to take them. Sometimes for whatever reason, a Familiar might be lacking in some kind of knowledge. Maybe an error during creation, maybe the knowledge they took in during their creation was outdated, or something like that. In any case, you can take theoretical classes specific to Familiars."
Linfel was happy. After all, he knew nothing about Familiars and how they worked. Since Familiars are much closer to him than humans, their theoretical classes are just what he needs. Besides, he still needs to learn how to integrate Magic Energy into his core so he can increase his level.
Alvin continued. "Anyway, on the first day, you can take theoretical classes. Then you have five days of freedom. Finally, you have a field exam at the end of the week. This one is not obligatory, but it is a good moment to put into practice whatever you learned. The practices and missions you do during the week or the field exam at the end, you can do it all with your Familiar."
Connor bitterly smiled. "Well, he said five days of freedom, but you can't truly just do nothing during it. In anything, these five days are the hardest as you need to acquire Academy Credits to get Magic Stones for training. Simply put, it is always a packed week every week."
Alvin agreed. For low-ranked Maguses like them, it was especially harsh.