Arcane Heir: History's Strongest Mage

Michael listlessly walked down the stairs that led from the castle, flanked by his two friends who were wearing similar expressions of existential dread for what was about to come.

In fact it was not just them. The entirety of the first-years walked slowly towards the familiar fields for the first combat practice of the second semester.

Many had likely taken a break over the two week holiday and were not looking forward to jumping right back into the torturous physical training that professor Quinn was known for.

However, this was a core class of the academy's curriculum—which meant there was absolutely no way of avoiding it. As many students had learned partway through the previous semester.

It was also only the second year since the masochistic Quinn had joined the faculty, meaning she would likely continue to remain their teacher throughout their four years of enrollment.

"Welcome my soldiers!" Quinn's enthusiastic voice called out from the middle of the field, her hands placed squarely on her hips as she grinned widely. "I trust you all kept up with your training over the mid-semester break like I instructed?"

"Yes ma'am…"

A chorus of voices responded to the question, though many were outright lies—even Michael could tell as much. If it weren't for his insistence, he knew that both Rudy and Melody would have forgone the exercises in a heartbeat.

"Wonderful, truly wonderful." She replied, though her grin quickly dissipated, replaced by somewhat of a sour expression. But the woman quickly moved on, placing her hands behind her back.

Michael had caught the brief crack in her expression, as did most of the class. But it only seemed to make everyone much more nervous in response.

"As I said last semester, we will be continuing our physical training all throughout the year—though we will now be introducing magic spells into our regime."

"Whoa, really!?"

At the mention of spells, the mood of the entire class shifted from depression to one of excitement. Hushed whispers spread across the field, only to cease hastily as the atmosphere began to grow colder.

The stiff expression on the professor's face as she glared at them suddenly reminded everyone of her tendency to punish the class for even the smallest indiscretion.

Thankfully, all the woman did was glare at them for a while before continuing.

"While I find hand-to-hand combat to be much more satisfying…" she said with some regret, "It would be disadvantageous to continuously limit yourself to just this."

Michael blinked incredulously, almost not believing his ears. Was the crazy woman actually making some sense? Was he not imagining things?

It wasn't just him, the whole class seemed to be stunned into silence.

Seemingly unaware of her students' thoughts, professor Quinn continued.

"As I'm sure you're aware, mages are generally defined by the color of their rings. Those with orange rings are called ember mages, red rings are crimson mages—blue are referred to as azure mages and so on. These are general classifications which refer to the purity of one's mana."

"However, by no means is this an indication of a mage's strength." She added, beginning to pace back and forth with her hands clasped securely behind her back.

"A mage's strength is classified by which tier of magic spells they can cast effectively. Take me for example," Professor Quinn turned, facing the class. "I am capable of effectively casting three tier five spells—making me a fifth circle mage. Or a tier five mage depending on who you ask."

"Of course, this is only true because I am a verdant mage with two green rings," she added, holding up her left hand to show off the glowing rings upon her wrist.

Lilly's hand shot up at the front of the class, yet this time no one seemed upset with her.

"Professor, what do you mean by that? Would you not still be a fifth circle mage if you were an azure mage instead?" she asked, essentially taking the question out of everyone's mouth.

Professor Quinn shook her head, "No. If I were an azure mage and could cast three tier five spells, I would be classed as a fourth circle mage. This is because the purity of my mana is lower than a verdant mage—meaning the power of the attacks would be lacking in comparison."

The explanation was surprising, causing Michael to think deeply.

If that's the case, does that mean I'm not even a first circle mage yet? He thought incredulously.

Yes he knew quite a few tier two spells, but he was a crimson mage—a step below an azure mage. If the trend continued for lower-level mages, he would indeed be considered as such.

"Which is to say, you all wouldn't even be considered first circle mages right now." The professor said, a smug smile painted on her expression. "Not only do you lack the mana purity, but most of you don't even have the reserves to cast anything above a tier three spell."

Hearing his theory backed up almost instantly, Michael felt a little depressed.

He shouldn't be too surprised, since they were just first-year students after all. It also appeared that the purity of one's mana rose substantially during the next four years—something that he had begun to consider since Magnus already possessed a violet ring at the age of seventeen.

If the professor was a violet mage, would she be a sixth circle mage then? He asked briefly before nodding. The system seemed rather easy to understand.

It appeared that it used the verdant mage as a standard of strength for measurement. Something that essentially all students of the academy were able to reach—judging by the fact they'd passed the entrance exam.

The professor cleared her throat loudly, regaining the attention of the thoughtful students who had just been given some useful information.

"This is combat class, which means I'll teach you how to incorporate all sorts of spells into battle, whether it be against a magical beast, another mage—or even a dragon…" She added, giving a wicked grin towards the students.