"Mm-mm-mm!"
While teacher Serie struggled restlessly, Gut didn't stop.
Thanks to Flying Brother's incredible talent, in just four and a half minutes, Gut had completely mastered Curse Reversal Magic.
Following the principle of making full use of resources, for the remaining two and a half minutes - that is, 2.5 minutes, 150 seconds - Gut had other arrangements, diverting this time to his deceased senior brother Bodie's Body Training Method.
Since the two major parts of the Body Training Method - Body Training and Combat Practice - had already been completely imprinted in his mind through the item Memory Bread Enhanced Version, he wasn't worried about not being able to recall the cultivation details.
As long as Gut thought slightly, the two different cultivation pathways for Body Training State and Combat State were clearly retrieved from his consciousness, allowing his current extremely powerful talent to understand and supplement them.
In the Body Training pathway, there was one part that didn't seem quite suitable for him. If he could deviate from it slightly, wouldn't that achieve better results?
In the Combat pathway, many pathways seemed unnecessary. If they could be deleted, wouldn't both response speed and casting consumption be optimized?
Just like this, ingenious ideas swirled in Gut's mind - some were improvements to the Body Training Method itself created by his senior brother; some were targeted adjustments for himself practicing the Body Training Method...
Even after the 2.5 minutes passed and the Kirin Flying Talent Experience Card expired with its enhancement effects fading, the enlightened state in Gut's mind didn't dissipate.
Or rather, it silently switched to a different mode.
Previously, relying on that terrifying talent, Gut's subconscious had been more focused on intensive output of improvement ideas.
Now, without the talent enhancement, he followed the direction of these ideas to perfect the Body Training Method to its optimal state as much as possible.
Finally, Gut achieved it.
[Ding!]
[Host talent trait - Transcendent Body enhanced]
[Trait Effect Details:]
[Transcendent Body (Blue)/(Growable)]
[Your body has transcended its original limits through special body training methods. Continuing cultivation might achieve even stronger effects]
[Talent Trait Effects: Small increase in all physical attributes, small increase in lifespan, small increase in injury recovery speed, significant increase in endurance (Note: excludes reproductive functions)]
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to host for unlocking [Talent Trait - Combat State] through personal effort]
[Combat State (Green)/(Non-growable)]
[By cultivating the combat chapter of special body training methods to an instinctual level, when facing combat, host can consume large amounts of magical power to enhance close combat abilities]
[Talent Trait Effects: Consume large amounts of magical power to significantly enhance reaction speed and all physical attributes, while making physical attacks carry magical damage (Note: this mode provides no special enhancement to reproductive functions)]
"Phew—"
After exhaling a breath of stale air, Gut opened his eyes with an expression showing neither joy nor sorrow, without excessive emotional fluctuation.
The rewards leveraged by using the Kirin Flying Experience Card this time could truly be called terrifying.
Not to mention the most basic achievement of completely mastering Curse Reversal Magic.
Just the system's main quests alone - he had completed two in succession, accumulating four talent trait draw opportunities, two copy opportunities, and one cut opportunity.
Plus the System Investigation Module and various enhancements to the Body Training Method.
This rich harvest should have made Gut extremely joyful. However, the two special notes under the Transcendent Body and Combat State talent traits made Gut feel a certain melancholy and doubt.
Was it because senior brother Bodie hadn't used this function much, so there was no enhancement effect in this area?
Or was it that...
His equipment had already become so powerful that even Transcendent Body couldn't make it stronger.
Mm, it was probably the latter.
Feeling the soft touch under his right index finger, Gut suddenly remembered he had physically "muted" his teacher earlier.
He quickly withdrew his finger. Looking at his teacher's indifferent golden eyes, Gut gave two dry laughs and, learning from yesterday's girl Sola, tried to "act cute to get away with it."
However, Serie clearly wasn't buying Gut's act. With a single glance, she firmly fixed her disciple to the wall, pulled out a chair from under the table, and while leisurely enjoying the remaining breakfast, occasionally glanced at her handiwork with satisfied nods.
It wasn't until Serie finished today's breakfast and walked into the bathroom with her change of clothes that the seal on Gut changed slightly.
However, it wasn't relaxation but moving Gut's position to a visual blind spot while adding some magical power to make the seal even more secure.
Hearing the rushing water from the bathroom, Gut's throat moved slightly. But even using all his strength, even activating his newly acquired talent trait Combat State, he couldn't do anything about his teacher's seal.
"Sigh, such a waste."
"Even if she won't let me go in to watch, at least give me a bowl of rice. With the sound of Serie's shower as accompaniment, Gut didn't dare imagine how deliciously he could eat..."
When Serie emerged from the bathroom, though her hair was still wrapped in a towel, she had already changed into her usual outdoor clothes.
Pulling over a chair to sit beside her disciple, Serie cast Magic to Make Hair Dry and Smooth on her hair while questioning Gut, who was sealed and hanging on the wall.
"During your enlightenment just now, to what degree did you comprehend Curse Reversal Magic?"
"A very high degree."
"How high?" Serie frowned and continued asking.
"This high."
Gut gestured with his freed hands, like a certain leader playing an accordion, constantly bringing them together and pulling them apart.
He intended to tease his teacher with this.
However, from the elf's deeply furrowed brow, it was clear she didn't appreciate her disciple's frivolous attitude.
Looking at the rubber hanger in the hotel suite, Serie had planned to use it to give her disciple a small punishment to make him more respectful toward his teacher.
But if the target was Gut, would this be punishment for him or a reward?
Recalling the last time she had beaten Gut and he enjoyed it, Serie silently abandoned this idea.
This was no ordinary disciple - she needed to use magic to deliver serious punishment.
Like Magic That Makes You Itch Continuously, Magic That Makes You Fall Even on Flat Ground, or Magic That Makes You Miss Even Guaranteed Rewards When Drawing Lots?
Seeing his teacher's expression enter ominous contemplation, Gut tensed up and immediately understood it was time to end this joke.
So he quickly said, "Teacher, do you remember our agreed Three-Year Term?"
"I remember." Serie asked in surprise, "You mean during this enlightenment you've already mastered the introductory section of Curse Reversal Magic?"
"That's right."
Out of trust in his teacher, Gut initially wanted to follow this thread and also confess to his teacher that he had completely mastered Curse Reversal Magic.
However, probably because he had just mentioned the Three-Year Agreement main quest, an idea formed in Gut's mind.
"Teacher, would you like to make another Three-Year Agreement with me? This time, let's bet on whether I can completely master Curse Reversal Magic during this period?"
The disciple's words made Serie pause, unable to imagine how much he had comprehended during his enlightenment to dare propose such harsh gambling conditions to her.
Thinking of all the miraculous things that had happened to this disciple, Serie ultimately didn't promise lightly but pondered for a long time before speaking.
"One year."
"If you want to bet, I'll only give you one year."
According to her calculations, even with Gut's currently demonstrated best comprehension ability plus frequent enlightenments, he would still need at least two more years to completely master Curse Reversal Magic.
Betting on one year was already quite conservative.
"Well..."
Since he suspected his teacher might have magic to listen to others' hearts, Gut kept repeating one year in his mind to suppress his own thoughts.
"Then teacher, let's discuss the stakes."
"Since you've set such a 'harsh' condition, can my required stakes also be a bit 'higher'?"
"What do you want to bet? If it's too excessive, I won't agree."
Serie watched her disciple, her eyes flashing with warning.
"If I win, would you go on a date with me? As lovers, for no more than three days, and any transgressive actions would require your consent. How about it?"
"Acceptable."
"But if you fail to do it, I require that for twenty years you must not harbor any improper thoughts toward me, and our teacher-student interactions must strictly follow propriety and morality."
"Fine."
The moment Gut agreed, a crisp notification sound rang out.
[Ding!]
The corner of Gut's mouth curved into a smile. Plan successful.
Originally holding a trial mindset to exploit a bug, seeing if the Curse Reversal Magic Stage Two that the system had already settled could be triggered again.
Unexpectedly, it really worked!
[Main Quest - First Date with Her]
[Quest Requirements: Complete first date with Serie and achieve emotional progress]
[Quest Rewards: Talent Copy Opportunity X2, Talent Gift Opportunity X2, Guaranteed Pregnancy Set X2]
"Huh?!"
"Isn't the main quest Curse Reversal Magic Stage Two?"
"And what the hell is this Guaranteed Pregnancy Set?!!!"
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Powerstones?
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