394 The urgent need for a private tutor

Ollie smacked Vincent back and said, “Haha, you used that trick again to become better at controlling the mana. But remember that you need to direct the mana without those almost indestructible gauntlets.”

“Oliveros, are you saying Vincent is abusing the gauntlets his unique form produces to absorb mana into them directly?” Ton asked with a serious expression.

“Y-yes...” Vincent became wary about the sudden moon change.

“I don’t know if teacher Maria has told you this, but your hands might burst if you use them as a catalyst to absorb mana. Low-level magic users must meditate slowly, or they might explode without a higher Mana Tempered Body’s protection. ” Ton warned Vincent that he has a high chance to lose his hands if he isn’t in Overheat form.

[What! This information is important, yet Maria didn’t tell us about it! I am so mad right now!]

-It’s fine, Kazumi. I will keep in mind to take it easy while meditating.-

[But what about Ester? She has been going at it in a dangerous manner. I worry she might die if this is true.]

-...-

-Ester has the book Darwin gave us for now. I don’t think she has the time to meditate.-

historical

.....

[Yeah, thankfully.]

This information terrified the two of them. It made Vincent think about what he should do. “Teacher Ton. I feel tired. Could I take a break?” He asked.

“Yes, sure. Take your time. “Ton agreed and let Vincent rest for a while.

Vincent went near the trees and sat down. He looked at the leaves swaying when a gentle breeze brushed past them. The relaxing timeout allowed him to think.

‘I think I should ask Maria to help me somehow... umm, like supervising us while training... but her personality isn’t the best... so what can I do to attract her interest?...’ Vincent pondered.

[Vincent, what are you thinking about?]

“Kazumi, what do you think women like in order to make a great impact?” Vincent asked.

[Umm, isn’t it too late? Don’t you already have five wives and me? Are you planning to cultivate more wives instead of training in these next six months?]

“No, I don’t even like Maria.” Vincent shook his head while revealing the woman in his thoughts.

[Ohh. So she is your next target, hehe.]

*Sigh* “Do you think I can employ her part-time in the evening to supervise us training the correct way. I am now becoming afraid of Ester’s safety. You know her personality well, don’t you? She loves to keep her pain to herself.” Vincent said.

[Employ? We barely have money for ourselves, let alone pay for a teacher’s tuition.]

“What about an item?” Vincent asked. He crossed his arms and rubbed his chin. “The only valuables I have are a few magic cores. Ohh, the fruit and vegetables I bought as an investment too.”

[Ahem. Maria is a young woman. How about some of the remaining mudcrab meat you have left?]

Vincent stood up and praised Kazumi for the payment. The mudcrab meat cost a lot of money, yet it wasn’t as valuable as the magic cores and the investment of summer crops to Vincent.

The magic cores would be beneficial for Sakura’s growth. On the other hand, the investment of summer crops was a test to know if they could make a hefty profit selling fresh out of season fruits and vegetables.

Vincent returned training brimming with vigor. The class later ended. Even if he barely made more improvement, his determination wasn’t swayed.

‘Vincent is really determined to become very strong. Oliveros mentioned how Vincent loved all his wives. I guess he wants to have enough strength to protect them.’ Ton thought while watching Vincent leave with a limping Nick.

“Teacher Biro. I suggest increasing Vincent’s difficulty tomorrow. An ordinary animal will not challenge Vincent’s will.” Ton suggested.

“Hahaha.” Biro laughed his heart out. He patted Ton’s shoulder and continued, “Vincent has grasped the start of Domination Intent. How can an ordinary animal scare him? I heard he and his wives killed a powerful Great Gray Wolf, but none of them have the faintest scratch.”

“But... w-what about the bandage of his stomach?” Ton was disconcerted by the sudden news. He knew Vincent was out of the ordinary as Brio took great interest in him. Furthermore, the manner he presented himself in every exercise or training got Ton thinking about what else Vincent was hiding.

“Vincent was covered in bandages after he managed to survive the acid of an ant. I think he found a way to heal most of his upper body. That is why he is probably hiding what wasn’t healed. ” Ollie guessed. Fortunately, his misunderstanding made Ton comprehend the situation while Brio nodded as if he was of the same thoughts.

*Maria’s Outdoor Magic Class*

Vincent, Lilith, Clair, and a limping Nick arrived. They picked a cushion each and sat not too far from the loner Jun Ye Rim. Previously, she teleported alone and quickened her walking pace to avoid being bothered.

Later, Maria arrived. She noticed Nick beside Vincent and said, “It appears we have another new student joining us today. I guess those two teachers are taking it easy.” *Sigh*

Maria placed a pile of cushions on the ground and once again sat on them as if it was a chair. She looked at Vincent and Nick again. *Sigh* “Looks like some of the students with the Warrior Class don’t want to Awaken, or their bodies do not accept mana to Awaken again.” Maria mocked.

“Teacher Maira. My teammate is in his bed. He is sore from all the training he did.” A female classmate complained.

*Sigh* “Doesn’t that mean they are weak?” Maria pointed at Vincent and Nick with her finger. “Two from the physical class are here. Doesn’t that mean the other eighteen missing students are weak to attend or don’t have a body that accepts mana?”

[What the! Why are they glaring this way as if we did something to them? Maria is the one mocking them and not us.]

-If it weren’t for the danger of meditation, I wouldn’t consider asking her help.-

The magic class was uneventful once again. When the lesson was about to end, a student became angry he couldn’t make much progress. “Teacher Maria. I request to know a better training method!” He exclaimed with an angered tone.

*Sigh* “Mana Tempered Body is what allows a Mage to flourish, you grumpy kid.” Maria rudely answered.

Maria frowned at the student and explained, “The first stage will allow a person to use body parts as a catalyst. The more stages on having, the more parts at the same time can they use as a catalyst.”

“At stage seven, can one utilize their entire body as a catalyst? Head, chest, stomach, two arms, and two legs.” Maria stopped at glared. “However, I hope no one wants to joke about how having fewer limbs will make the process faster. I hate idiot jokesters that don’t even know math after being born as nobles.”

“But teacher Maria, I don’t want to spend six months like this. I am afraid I can’t attain a Mana Tempered Body by the end of my first year.” Another classmate begged.

*Sigh* “Annoying rich brats.” Maira grumbled.

Vincent raised his hand and asked, “Teacher Maria, does it mean that when we use our bodies as a catalyst, we can absorb the mana around us faster, and the more catalysts, the more mana we can handle to absorb?”

*Sigh* “You heard him, right? He wasn’t born as a noble, yet he is not whining about having a different method of training.” Maria mocked the noble students in the class. And as expected, many glared at Vincent.

[Damn! I think she wants to start a blood bath.]

Vincent kept calm under the pressure of the glares. “Teacher Maria, could you show us how you meditate? Learning meditation with a good form will help us understand what we lack. ” He suggested.

*Sigh* “Fine.” Maira closed her eyes, and a slight breezed could be felt. However, Kazumi was seeing a different sight. Maria was absorbing mana quite similar to Ester, yet the change in mana around Ester was like a toddler compared to Maria.

[Hmm, so to my understanding, the more mana one has, the more mana they can absorb and regenerate.]

[But it is as we feared. Ester might be in danger since the method we taught her was to turn her entire body as a catalyst. No wonder she improved much faster than you.]

-...-

Maria remained meditating until the end of the lesson. It appeared she found a great excuse to avoid teaching while training at the same time.

The classmates left, grumbling once again. It started to become a common occurrence watching their classmates leave frowning.

Vincent asked Lilith to leave with Clair and Nick. He told her how he had something important to talk to Maria about meditation forms.

Lilith sensed something happened while Vincent was in the previous lesson because he looked more serious than usual. Furthermore, he was interested in the ways of increasing one’s mana.

“Okay. See you later.” Lilith nodded and teleported to their island residence.

Maria was checking the result of her half-hour meditation went Vincent approached her. She frowned and asked, “What do you want?”

“I would like you to become a personal tutor or at least visit my island residence whenever it is possible. I would...”

“You!... not even if you pay me! It looks like you are another filthy pig like those noble brats!” Maria misunderstood Vincent.

To Maria, becoming a tutor meant her student requested to visit him once in a while and sleep with him. It angered her that the only commoner who married into nobility lusted for her body like many always do.