CHAPTER 22: THE POWER OF B-RANK

"Y’know," Arlo said, tapping his spoon against the side of his bowl, "even if you win, you’re not getting promoted to Gold-tier."

Noah didn’t look away from where Ben had gone.

Arlo went on. "I’m just saying. The school doesn’t care about any deal you made for your duels and the outcome. The only one who wins something today is Ben, if he takes your token."

Noah finally turned to him. His voice was quiet as he spoke. "I know."

"But for me, this isn’t just about the bet."

Arlo tilted his head.

Noah’s fingers curled lightly around the edge of his tray. "This is about payback. About every time he pushed me around. Every time he made sure I had no way to fight back. Now, there’s no principal or teacher or camera watching. No rules to protect him."

He looked Arlo in the eye. His voice dropped lower.

"I’m going to humiliate him. Rip every scrap of pride out of him. And when I’m done, Ben Stanley won’t even be able to look himself in the mirror."

Arlo was quiet for a moment. Then he let out a laugh.

"Oh, I like you." He said. "Took you long enough to say it."

He leaned forward on his elbows, tapping the table with one finger. "But... do you even know what you’re holding?"

Noah blinked. "What?"

Arlo gestured to his pocket. "The B-rank token. Do you really understand what that’s worth?"

Noah raised a brow, but said nothing.

Arlo grinned. "First, even if someone awakens with a high potential, that doesn’t mean they’ll ever reach it. Most mages spend their lives stuck a rank or three just shy of their potential for various reasons."

He held up three fingers. "For example. Most FFF-rank mages? Their mana capacity and control are also FFF. Which means the only spells they can cast are the trash-tier ones."

Noah stayed silent, eyes narrowing slightly.

"You and Damien Krell?" Arlo went on. "You’re rare. You two are freaks. He can cast E-rank spells while still at FFF-rank. That’s huge."

He whistled. "A guy like him? He’s on track to hit Gold-tier the second the placement exams come around."

Noah frowned slightly. "That easily?"

Arlo chuckled. "You have no idea. The higher up you go, the more that kind of thing matters."

"Do you know that there are barely any S-rank mages in the entire kingdom? Even with all the mages with S-rank potential, very few ever actually reach it. And when they do, they’re not many."

He held up one finger. "The King? S-rank."

"High Magus Edric? Also S-rank."

"Principal Kael?" He shook his head. "Only A-rank. And most of the teachers? C-rank. Professor Cecilia is one of the three B-rank teachers the school has. If she wasn’t in her situation, she’d have a higher standing in the Royal Academy."

He leaned in. "Even Geldrin, for all his ego, is a C-rank mage who’s been stuck at that level for several years. The fact that he can cast a B-rank spell at his level? It’s why he’s treated like royalty."

Noah sat still, absorbing every word.

"A B-rank spell," Arlo continued, "is something lesser noble houses would literally kill for. The cost of one is enough to bankrupt three towns."

He grinned. "And you... you just earned one. Like it’s nothing."

Noah slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out the token.

He stared at it.

’This little thing... could get me killed.’

Arlo’s tone dropped slightly. "And we both know you have the mana capacity and magic control to use that B-rank spell, too."

Noah stared at Arlo, saying nothing.

Arlo whistled. "If you learn that spell, it’ll make you a FFF-rank mage who can fight a B-rank mage, for a few seconds at least. And maybe half a minute with a C-rank mage."

"But," he added, "they still have more spells. More skills. Their bodies are stronger. That’s where rank really shows. They’ll decimate you either way."

He tapped the side of his blindfold. "You’re a freak, Noah. The kind of freak that shouldn’t exist."

Noah’s mouth was dry.

He looked down at the token.

Now he understood. Now it made sense.

’That’s why the second-year came. That’s why Leo risked punishment to steal it.’

And more would come. Stronger than Leo.

The only reason he hadn’t been swarmed yet... was the rule forbidding inter-year fights.

But that rule wouldn’t protect him forever.

He closed his fingers around the token.

’I need to redeem this. Today. Before nightfall.’

He looked up at Arlo.

"I’m not taking any chances." He said.

Arlo nodded. "Smart."

Noah tucked the token away, eyes burning.

He leaned back on his bench, chewing slowly as he pulled open his status screen again.

Not to look at his stats.

Just to clear his mind.

He had a full day ahead. A lot needed to be done.

He had his classes, Practical Magic and Enchantments. After seeing the car-like carriage that had taken them from the palace to the academy, he was eager to learn about enchantments.

Then, there were the things he had to do after classes.

First, there was the duel. He’d fight Ben Stanley, and hopefully, the atmosphere of that fight would trigger his Overdrive.

That was his top priority. The only way he could stand toe-to-toe with the actual monsters of this world was with a high-ranking skill. Preferably one that would wipe the smirk off their faces forever.

Second, he had to redeem the B-rank spell token. That wasn’t optional anymore. He couldn’t afford another repeat of last night.

Third... Professor Cecilia.

He tilted his head. That one still surprised him. The Stone-tier Magical Theory teacher was one of the four strongest people on campus.

He wasn’t looking forward to that meeting. But he’d go. He always faced what came for him. Even if it was a punishment.

Noah closed his screen as he finished his food.

"Let’s go." He said.

Arlo stretched, then grabbed his satchel. "Time for Practical Magic, huh? Man, I’ve been looking forward to this."

They left the cafeteria, heading towards the classroom the lecture would be held in.

As they walked, Arlo talked.

"Practical Magic is the best class for young mages like us. It’s all about rituals. Y’know, stuff like the hero summoning and the beast-binding thing that gave us our affinities."

Noah listened.

Arlo adjusted his blindfold. "But the real reason it’s important is because rituals are how we ascend. That’s what takes us from FFF to FF. From FF to F. One step at a time."

Noah frowned. "Is that what the class is for? Ranking up?"

"Kinda." Arlo said. "It’s to reach us about rituals, which would help us with our own advancement rituals. The knowledge students learn here will help them, even when they hit the higher ranks."

"People think the placement exams are mostly for the promotion between tiers, but that’s only the half of it."

"After those exams, the school ranks us all. Depending on what rank you fall into, they’ll fund a percentage of your advancement ritual."

He held up three fingers.

"The top students get more. The weak ones? They might get ten percent covered."

He grinned. "The rest, you have to find yourself. The ingredients. The catalysts. Everything else. It’s why resource hoarding is such a big deal."

Noah’s mind worked fast.

’So if I want to rise... I need to make sure I’m at the top of the rankings.’

’Otherwise, I’ll be stuck scrounging while the nobles get everything handed to them.’

He looked ahead at the building where their next class would begin.

Practical Magic.

If this was the path to rising in rank, then he’d master it completely.

Step by step, he’d build himself higher.

And leave them all beneath his boots.