The worker watched the crowd moving away from the center, sighing. 'It was always trouble when such things happened as they would delay the procedures. And yet, the academy didn't block such things as they said it was good for PR or whatever. Isn't that bullshit? The higher-ups just like to see their descendants showing off...'

Of course, he would never say that loud since he doesn't wish to lose his job. "Thirteen measures this time, uh? Very well."

Indeed, thirteen Familiars and their Masters stayed in the center. Under their feet, one could see a gigantic diagram with countless patterns built in an intricate manner. Hundreds of circuits connected that diagram with the various monitors in the room, some available for the workers who would register the numbers and a few for the onlookers. That worker wasn't wrong. This was truly just showing off.

Truth be told, one didn't need to reveal their Master Familiar Connection measurement to anyone. As long as you paid extra, you could have your measurements taken in a private room. It's just that the number acquired in the measurement would still be made public in your ID later, but at least you didn't need to have everyone watching you at that moment.

Alvin would have definitely selected that option... if he did have the Academy magic Credits for that. Well, he is poor, and he was unlucky to be in the same batch as that guy, so he could only sigh and go with it.

"Alvin, how do these measure numbers work?" Linfel quickly asked before the test started.

"It is quite simple. It is all about compatibility," Alvin explained. "The diagram will check just how well you are merging your Magic Energies with each other and the result of that merging. It also checks the compatibility of souls. Even though the Familiars were made using their master's souls as a base, there are still discrepancies there. In the end, these two numbers are calculated, and the final result is shown as a percentage. That's the compatibility test. Linfelia and I, for example, have a compatibility of 43%."

Linfel was taken aback?" Only 43?! And that's after she was created using your soul as a base?"

Alvin stuffed his chest, though. "What are you saying? That's a great compatibility number! Most Familiars have an average compatibility of around 35% with their masters. My teachers praised me quite a lot for being able to reach 43% when this year started."

Linfel couldn't help but ask. "Then... is there a way to increase your compatibility with your Familiar?"

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Of course!" Alvin answered straight away. "It is all about long-term activity. The more you use your Familiar in a Master Familiar Connection, the better your souls and energies will match each other. When I joined the academy three years ago, Linfelia and I only had 37%. I got an extra 6% in only three years! That's called determination. Linfelia and I trained a lot."

Linfel sighed, already expecting things to be bad. "Our compatibility... won't be very good."

"That's obvious," Alvin already accepted this fact before whispering to Linfel. 'Not only are you not a Familiar, but we also only did it once. My soul wasn't used in your creation, either. If anything, I found it a miracle you were able to use MFC at all. I still remember the weird sensation I had in my soul while we were connected. That shows how off we are from each other. But don't worry. What matters here is not the compatibility number but the fact we can connect nonetheless. That will be the proof we need so no one will doubt you are my familiar. Just do your best.'

Linfel nodded. "That's fine. I'm going independent anyway."

"Exactly," Alvin agreed.

*Bzzzzzzzzzzzz...*

Suddenly, the diagram under everyone's feet lit up with a mix of colors for a few seconds, lighting up the room. Then, the light diminished, and only the lines of the diagram kept with those colored patterns. Both Linfel and Alvin felt like something was touching their cores, although it was hard to describe that sensation.

"Okay, you guys can start your MFC. Just connect however you feel like. The diagram will do the rest," the man responsible for the test explained while he watched a monitor in front of him. "First, Jumanhi Klateu. Go ahead."

A man around eighteen years old nodded and quickly connected with his familiar. The familiar's core changed, transforming into some type of shoulder protection. Their Magic Energies merged in front of everyone before the man circulated that magic energy around his body.

"He's quite older than you," Linfel commented.

"That's normal. One only graduates from the academy by the age of 25, so you will see a lot of older people. Most in this room are older than me," Alvin explained. "Their exact age will appear in the monitor when the results come out."

Soon, the diagram analyzed the compatibility of this pair, showing a number on the monitor for everyone to see.

-Jumanhi Klateu: Compatibility, 45%-

Jumanhi sighed, seeming to expect a higher number than that. His Familiar then canceled their Master Familiar Connection, coming back to its little humanoid shape. "Sorry, Master."

Jumanhi shook his head. "It's fine. Our objective is to get 50% before I graduate, so we have time."

Saimon smirked on the side, finding that result pitful. Not only him, but quite a few of the onlookers and even the other participants had to admit that wasn't very good.

"He was 2% higher than you and Linfelia. Why is everyone looking like it was bad?" Linfel got confused.

Alvin shook his head again. "It's his age. The monitor just showed he is 20, and he is still at 45%. He had five years more than I did, after all. It's not that it is bad, it is well within the average, just slightly lower. However, the Magus Circle is all about your overall capability, so being the average isn't exactly something to be proud of. Besides... the higher the compatibility, the harder it is to increase."

Linfel and Alvin felt like they were in for a lot of pitiful looks later.