They arrived in front of a smaller building nearby.
Although it was called small, it wasn’t that much smaller.
From a distance, you might not notice, but only when you got close would you realize this building was a bit smaller than the adjacent teaching building.
There was a corridor between these two buildings that you could use to pass through.
Since Bai Ling and the others had come straight in from the main gate, it was faster to walk outside here than to take the corridor inside.
On the other side of these two buildings, there was another building, which was specifically for apprentices to practice magic.
That building was the largest, because if there wasn’t enough space when casting magic, it would affect others.
They entered the smallest of the three buildings lined up in a row and went to the top floor, to the innermost room.
If there were any students here, they’d probably be so shocked their jaws would drop! Because this was the principal’s office at the Magic Academy.
Ordinary teachers or even the student council president couldn’t come in here, unless they were summoned.
As for the principal himself, he was a bona fide S-rank mage.
There really weren’t many SS-rank mages on the Gaia Continent.
The continent was so vast, but mages who could reach that level were extremely rare.
There were only seven known SS-rank mages in total.
“Knock! Knock! Knock!” Standing in front of the door, Yue Xin reached out her hands, which showed no trace of age, and knocked on the door.
“Come in, the door’s not locked!” A deep, authoritative male voice came from inside.
Yue Xin pushed open the door and led Bai Ling inside.
The first thing they saw was a long table, with two rows of very comfortable-looking chairs on either side.
Across from the table was a chair with a very high back, the kind only someone with real power would sit in.
And that was true—it was the principal’s seat.
After entering, Yue Xin gave the principal a slight bow before saying, “Principal Li, hello!” At this moment, in the eyes of outsiders, Yue Xin was the very picture of a noble lady: dignified, steady, and with a subtle air of nobility.
(Which she actually was.) The Principal Li Yue Xin referred to was named Li Yue.
He had once been a member of the Magic Special Forces, and was even Bai Mo’s direct superior—the leader of the Magic Special Forces at the time.
But after he retired, the ruler of the Luo Kingdom summoned him and sent him here to build a magic academy, a place to train new blood for the kingdom.
After being summoned, since the Magic Special Forces needed a new leader, Li Yue recommended Bai Mo, who was the strongest after him and also his trusted subordinate.
So with Bai Mo in charge, Li Yue was at ease.
“So it’s Yue Xin! After all these years, you’re still as charming as ever.
But come on, we’re not strangers, you don’t have to be so formal.
Just call me by my name.
‘Principal Li’ sounds so distant!” Li Yue was clearly happy to see an old friend, laughing as he spoke.
Yue Xin smiled slightly, but replied, “You’re my elder, and it’s only natural to show respect.
So please don’t mind, Principal Li!” In this world, everything was about strength.
An SS-rank mage would be respected wherever they went, just like a commoner meeting an emperor—they’d bow, because they knew they had no way to resist.
So a mage’s rank determined their status, and strength determined one’s place.
Speaking of which, let’s talk about the abilities of each magic rank.
From lowest to highest, E-rank mages were only a bit stronger than ordinary people, just a little more powerful.
So in many people’s eyes, E-rank mages were no different from regular folks, but to regular people, an E-rank mage was like an enhanced human.
D-rank mages were much stronger than E-rank.
Reaching this stage meant you’d truly entered the ranks of mages.
Things like carving magic arrays and constructing magic circles were all possible.
And D-rank mages looked at E-rank mages the way E-rank mages looked at ordinary people.
C-rank mages were very common, the most widespread rank.
At this level, mages could start making their own magic weapons, so this was when they truly began the path to power.
A C-rank mage could easily destroy a house with a C-rank magic array.
B-rank mages—reaching this level meant you were really on the path to strength.
These mages could construct magic arrays much faster than C-rank mages.
The higher the rank, the faster the casting speed, assuming the same rank of magic array.
For example, a C-rank magic array might take a C-rank mage two seconds to cast, but a B-rank mage would only need 1.5 seconds.
That’s the difference.
Of course, for an SS-rank mage, it would be almost instantaneous.
But it also depended on the complexity of the magic array.
Even within the same rank, some arrays were more complex than others.
The more intricate the magic patterns, the higher its status within the rank, and the harder it was to carve.
A-rank mages could be considered geniuses.
An A-rank magic array could easily destroy a decent-sized city.
S-rank mages needed no explanation.
An S-rank magic array could wipe out tens of thousands of people, and even A-rank mages could be instantly killed.
That’s the gap between ranks.
The higher you go, the harder it is to surpass.
To put it in perspective, ten A-rank mages might equal one S-rank mage, and a hundred S-rank mages might barely match one SS-rank mage.
So it was rare for anyone to defeat someone of a higher rank.
And that’s just talking about magic arrays, not the mages themselves.
An S-rank magic array could easily wipe out a hundred thousand A-rank mages.
As for SS-rank mages, there’s no need to say more.
With one magic array, a million S-rank mages would be wiped out.
Of course, there aren’t that many S-rank mages, and it’s extremely difficult to reach SS-rank.
On the Gaia Continent, there are only seven known SS-rank mages.
“All right, all right! Since you insist, do as you like! Anyway, you’ve been here so long, have a seat.
If I don’t let you sit, it’ll look like I’m a terrible host.” Li Yue said helplessly.
He really didn’t know what to do with Yue Xin.
“Okay! Thank you, Principal Li.” Yue Xin grinned playfully, then sat down with Bai Ling.
But Bai Ling, being sensible, didn’t sit and instead stood behind Yue Xin.
