After hearing about the upcoming field trip, Jack let Thomas do some running and stake-climbing to assess his stamina. As for Agos, Jack scrutinized him for five minutes without saying a word.
"Jack," Agos called, scratching his short hair, "you're weird, you know that?"
"You have a completely self-regulating mana circulation system," Jack said, "and a belly to store all that mana."
Both were abilities that many would die for. Jack was even more fascinated by the possibility of training Agos, as he had done with previous friends and companions.
"What's that? I hope it doesn't stop me from eating."
Jack helplessly nodded. "The fact that mana moves from your stomach to your mouth when you're exhausted suggests it's stored through eating."
"Wow, that sounds awesome," Agos said, clenching his fists and raising them in excitement. "Then, I won't have to practice like that crazy hyperactive Thomas, right?"
"Who said so?" Jack replied. "You can continue eating, but you still have to practice."
"What? Why… Then… But…"
Agos flailed his arms in objection, unable to articulate his frustration.
Jack thought more about Agos's condition. Everyday food contained small amounts of mana. Normally, people couldn't fully absorb it; most mana was expelled through digestion. Only with a significant amount, like the principal's crystal tea, could one feel the effects. Even so, Jack could only retain half the mana due to his body's inefficiency.
Meanwhile, Agos's body stored the mana in his belly fat instead of ejecting it. When he was exhausted, his body burned the fat to resupply mana. This ability opened tremendous possibilities for Agos: a warrior with an infinite mana supply. Prolonging a battle with him would be a terrible idea. Jack eagerly anticipated Agos's future potential. But for now, Agos still needed to practice to maintain his weight, stamina, and learn to control his ability actively.
Let's just hope we don't have to do this the sumo way, Jack thought.
Seeing Agos's fear of practice, Jack shook his head. "You can take a break, Agos."
Agos rejoiced, running to the grass field Jack had laid earlier and promptly falling asleep with loud snores.
Thomas, meanwhile, had been running and climbing for half an hour before finally catching his breath. Jack was impressed with Thomas's endurance, thinking he might be the next prodigious successor to fully utilize Xerath's training method.
"Is Fatino sleeping again?" Thomas asked as he approached Jack.
"He has his own training method. You, Thomas, what do you want?"
Jack and Thomas were equal in height, but Thomas felt a sudden pressure standing face to face with Jack. It wasn't clear if it was due to their differing family backgrounds or Jack himself, though he doubted the latter.
"I want the Horvath family to become stronger."
"Stronger than the Harper?" Jack asked.
Thomas instinctively stepped back, worried his answer might upset Jack. He recalled Patrick beating up subordinates for displeasing him.
Jack raised his hand, and Thomas flinched, expecting a slap or punch. Instead, Jack sighed in disappointment.
"You should aim higher, you know?"
Higher? Thomas froze, unsure how to respond.
Jack moved to the edge of the training field, his gaze falling on the stakes as he considered a new practice approach for Agos.
"Come here, Thomas."
Thomas complied, joining Jack.
"I will show you how to practice," Jack said, "not because you choose to depend on the Harper, but because of your potential. Do you know why I want you to dream higher?"
Thomas shook his head.
"Because if you were bound by your background, we would never become friends."
Thomas frowned, failing to grasp Jack's point. But Jack's serious expression told him this was something to remember and figure out later.
Jack approached the two starting stakes, jumped onto them, and maintained his balance, forming various postures with his arms and legs.
"This is the Xerath method. From now on, you will practice it with me."
"Today, I will show you how a Maester fights," Julia announced as the lesson began. She entered the room carrying three boxes, accompanied by a young teaching assistant.
Her eyes fell on Jack, who sat in the front row with Thomas and Agos. Despite their reluctance, Thomas and Agos had followed Jack's lead.
Julia began the class without comment. "According to my lecture, can you identify the weaknesses of a Maester compared to other factions?"
"Lacking flexibility," a student answered.
"Physically weak."
"Damage output is too manageable," Jack said.
"Ohh?" Julia and the whole class stared at Jack. This was the first time he had answered a question since his junior class days. Typically, he remained silent, and teachers, hoping to stay on good terms with the Harper family, ignored it.
The assistant, sporting thick glasses, smiled at Jack's understanding of the Maester faction. He expected a pleasant response from Julia, but she seemed annoyed.
"Why do you think so, Jack?"
"It's combat we're talking about," Jack said. "A Maester's ultimate weapon is poison. No one will stand still for a Maester to toss a poison vial at them. They'll either keep their distance or close the gap quickly and deliver a decisive blow. With the Maester's weaknesses, they'd be completely useless..."
"A Maester will…"
"...But of course," Jack continued, "if a Maester could use long-range weaponry like throwing knives or crossbows, their weakness could be mitigated. However, that presents other problems, such as poison concentration, making the poison act quickly before the opponent can use an antidote, or warriors blocking senses and cutting off blood circulation. These are issues I'd like to ask you about, Miss Julia."
Julia gritted her teeth. She had intended to put this backdoor student in his place, but now he was raising critical questions.
Ignoring Jack's mischievous eyes, Julia signaled her assistant.
He quickly set up the boxes and a wooden rod in front of them, pressing a button that stretched the rod from one side of the room to the other. A transparent curtain dropped from the rod, creating a barrier to protect the students.
"I will demonstrate the effectiveness of poison on our three little fellows here."
The assistant opened the outer lids of the boxes, revealing cages with three rat-like monsters, their eyes dark red and claws long and sharp. The creatures screeched, their sharp teeth lunging at the iron bars.
"Grim mouse," Thomas whispered to Jack.
"They're pretty weak," Agos added, "but annoying as hell. They drink blood and reproduce like rats. Their waste has a corrosive attribute."
Jack nodded.
"As you, or at least some of you, know, the best way to deal with Grim Mouse is anesthetics. Their resistance is weak, and a small amount will make them unconscious with their bellies up."
Julia took out a small pouch of pink dust, spreading it over one of the cages.
"But when eliminating Grim Mouse, the whole town has to be evacuated for half a day to allow the Maester to use this anesthesia. The time for the poison to take effect is considerable. Let's see how long it takes for our mouse to fall asleep."
The students focused on the poisoned mouse. It wasn't until Agos almost fell asleep that the screeching stopped and the creature went unconscious. The other two screeched louder in response.
"How long?" Julia asked.
"Around ten minutes, miss!" answered the miserable kid Jack encountered yesterday.
"Ten minutes, miss," said another.
The answers continued, but Julia kept her eyes on Jack, who was still staring at the mouse.
After a while, Jack spoke. "Eleven minutes and thirty-two seconds."
"Trying to be different, Jack?" Patrick sneered from the corner. "Anyone could see it was ten minutes."
Jack didn't respond, knowing Julia would. He also wanted to progress the lecture beyond these time-wasting questions. The Maester node of the system still refused to grow.
Julia and her assistant raised their eyebrows at Jack's precise answer. Complete unconsciousness wasn't visible but detectable through mana fluctuation. As monsters were born from mana, their natural mana cycle was disrupted when they fainted, a detail hard for a nine-year-old to sense.
This kid just made my lecture go off-script, Julia thought, clenching her fist.
"Making a difference?" Julia glared at Patrick, pointing at the Grim Mouse. "In a confrontation, if you can't tell how long it takes to knock down an opponent, that moment of consciousness could be your downfall. Grim Mice are cunning. Even after ten minutes, they can still jump at you. The safety threshold is eleven to twelve minutes. Understand?"
The class nodded, except for Patrick, who glared at Jack, who ignored him.