After this, through her conversation with Edwin, Leya came to understand many things.
The first was the true identity of her teacher, Edwin: he was, in fact, the Chief Magic Advisor of the Valantis City Mage Association! His own magical prowess had been rated as that of a First-Rate Mage, or rather, a Level 3 Mage!
This might not sound like much at first glance. To illustrate, consider that the Alvia Kingdom currently boasts over 30 million citizens, making it a moderately weaker nation among the Northern Continent’s various kingdoms.
Yet, even within this realm, there are barely a few thousand mages rated at Level 3. Those recorded at levels beyond Level 3 number only twelve in total, and they have since been bestowed the title of the Kingdom’s Twelve Pillars of the Royal Court.
This means that the probability of a Level 3 Mage being born is roughly one in ten thousand! Their rarity is evident, making a Level 3 Mage a strategic weapon for any nation. They embody a country’s comprehensive strength and serve as a source of national pride!
Edwin, in particular, stood as the most formidable among Valantis City’s thirty-six Level 3 Mages. He once led a mere five hundred men deep into an army of tens of thousands of demons, unleashing a Level 3 divine spell that annihilated over three thousand enemy soldiers.
This act caused the demon army to collapse from within and without, leading to a complete rout, and it was through this feat that Edwin earned his formidable reputation.
Subsequently, he was granted an honorary barony and the title of “Great Sage.” He had truly achieved great renown, being ennobled and appointed to high office—a quintessential success story!
Beyond his personal achievements, the second point Leya learned concerned the inheritance and ranking of magic.
Everyone’s magical talent is unique, a truth that fundamentally refers to the number of magic meridians each person possesses from birth. The more magic meridians one has, the greater the total amount of mana they can hold, and the broader their future path in magic will be.
Inheritance, then, is the process by which an exceptional mage combines with another exceptional mage. The children born from their union can then inherit superior genes from their parents, thus acquiring more usable magic meridians.
Crucially, inheritance largely eliminates the possibility of producing offspring with negligible magical talent, as descendants are guaranteed to inherit at least 30 percent of their parents’ magical aptitude.
Furthermore, such descendants master the intricacies of mana much faster than mages without a lineage, allowing them to learn more profound spells at an accelerated pace.
Magic levels are categorized as Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. A Level 1 Mage exhibits obvious and chaotic mana fluctuations, requiring a lengthy wind-up time to cast spells. Their control over mana is minimal, preventing them from casting large-scale magic.
By Level 2, a mage’s surrounding mana begins to display regular, patterned fluctuations, enveloping their body in a faint blue aura. Their spell-casting time is significantly reduced, their mana control greatly enhanced, and they become capable of unleashing some powerful, large-scale spells.
A Level 3 Mage, however, is truly extraordinary. They possess masterful control over the mana within their bodies, able to freely alter the color of the radiant aura around them according to their whim, and are capable of casting most large and highly difficult spells.
As for mages of Level 4 or Level 5, their rarity means there is no precise information available. All that is known is their immense power.
If a Level 3 Mage can contend with a hundred Level 2 Mages, then it’s plausible a Level 4 Mage might also be able to handle a similar number of Level 3 Mages.
But if that were true, it would be terrifying. Many countries barely have a few Level 3 Mages. By that comparison, couldn’t a single Level 4 Mage conquer an entire nation? And could a Level 5 Mage then destroy the world?
In essence, the lack of sufficient data makes it impossible to analyze the true pinnacle of a Level 4 Mage’s power. However, it is widely believed that the higher a mage’s level, the less room there is for improvement, as their mana capacity approaches the physical limits of the human body.
It is thought that their superiority lies more in their advanced magical proficiency and deeper understanding of magic compared to lower-level mages. Yet, the reliability of such rumors remains unknown.
****
[Mage Association, Edwin’s Lounge]
“Come, Little Ya,” Edwin said, his voice gentle. “Place your hand on the screen of the mana sensor. Let your teacher see your magical talent.”
“Little Ya? Teacher…”
“Enough, Little Ya, quickly now. No more nonsense!”
‘…….’
‘Ah… I really shouldn’t have taken this strange old man as my teacher! Little Ya… What the hell is a Little Ya, you brute! Don’t act like we’re close; if it weren’t for completing this task, do you think I’d even bother with you!?’
Although her heart swelled with resentment, it thankfully hadn’t surpassed Leya’s limits of endurance. Gritting her teeth, Leya decided to tolerate it.
As the saying goes, a prime minister’s belly can ferry a boat, and she was a deity, after all. ‘Indeed, why should I bother with a mere mortal?’
Curiously, she surveyed what Edwin called the mana sensor. It bore a slight resemblance to an induction cooker from her previous life.
A faint, ethereal blue mana fluctuation emanated from the screen, creating a subtly peculiar sensation. ‘Could this really measure my magical talent?’
“Ah, right, System, if this can actually detect mana fluctuations, then what about me…”
Feeling a flicker of unease, Leya quietly consulted the System in her mind. However, the System immediately dismissed her concern.
[Please rest assured, Host. You are a deity, possessing divine power that extracts the essence of mana, gathers the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and enjoys the blessings of all things. While ordinary mana does exist within you, it is extremely rare and will not reveal anything.]
“Oh, alright then, I’m relieved…”
‘But truly, being interrupted again and again is so incredibly annoying!!!!’
“Hmm? This is…”
As Leya’s hand rested on the mana sensor, Edwin, who had previously maintained a serene composure, unfazed even if Mount Tai were to crumble before him, suddenly narrowed his eyes.
He watched as the blue light on the sensor grew increasingly vibrant, even hinting at a faint golden glimmer intertwined within it.
Time flowed by, and the golden light intensified, gathering more and more until all the blue light on the entire instrument transformed into pure gold!
“This… My goodness, could it be an Innate Arcane Spirit Physique?! So that’s it, no wonder…”