Bear School Astartes

Philixia slightly opened her mouth upon hearing the first half of Lann's sentence.

Even though she knew Lann's learning ability was intimidating, was it possible for someone who made a living hunting monsters, in less than a week at the academy, to... complete a research task?!

Philixia was well aware of how profound Tishaya's crystal cultivation team was.

If it weren't for her genuine interest and persistence, she wouldn't have qualified to join the group!

And she had been studying at Airetusa for five years! Before entering the academy, she was the daughter of a wealthy merchant with basic education.

Although Lann was good-looking... his profession probably offered limited educational opportunities!

Is it that geniuses simply don't have to reason with ordinary people?

That Philixia could become an apprentice at Airetusa Academy was proof of her intelligence, but when others achieve in a week what she couldn't in years, it leaves anyone feeling naturally frustrated.

And that was only from hearing the first half of the sentence.

When Lann mentioned completing extra research, Philixia felt no frustration at all.

In a groundbreaking study that had never been done before, even 'identifying issues' is a rare gift.

Often, Philixia would only realize there were areas to improve upon receiving research tasks from Tishaya.

Yet, Lann not only completed the assigned tasks early but also independently discovered and addressed problems.

How to describe this difference... Philixia felt like an unschooled villager in front of figures like Tishaya and Lann.

As Philixia was still in shock, Lann left, frequently offering guidance to her in return for her running errands for him.

This tailored attention, in the formal process at Airetusa, usually required extra compensation to the mentors.

Philixia was the type of student who couldn't afford it. Incidentally, to cover her tuition fees, she worked part-time at the academy cutting hair, with a somewhat renowned technique.

After Lann left, Philixia hurried out of the library to deliver Lann's research to Tishaya.

However, several apprentices who were originally in the library came out jokingly.

They teased, suggesting Philixia had tasted the headmaster's boyfriend.

Philixia said nothing, nor did she deny it. In actuality, such rumors benefited her life at the academy.

The academy is a microcosm of society, having connections is beneficial everywhere.

Even if this rumor reached Margaret, the headmaster's ears, she would be the victim, only taken care of and not held accountable.

Tishaya's crystal cultivation project was secretive, discussed only among highly skilled mentors at Airetusa.

Philixia joined through luck and hard work. If others knew, they would surely fight for this experience.

So, Philixia brazenly stuffed a stack of Lann's handwritten notes into the front open neckline of her clothing.

Feeling the rough surfaces of the paper against her chest, Philixia smiled at her probing classmates, heading towards Tishaya's laboratory.

-----------------

Outside Airetusa, in the town of Gos Velen.

Lann was chatting with Fergus and Yuna in the blacksmith shop.

The combination of a dwarf skilled in customer drawing and a human female proficient in forging always intrigued Lann.

"So, from your professional perspective now, simply replacing the armor material with the new steel I mentioned is unwise?"

Lann tidied up the Gwent card endgames on the counter, questioning Yuna.

The girl learning techniques sneakily as a servant in the shop shrugged.

"Correct, the equipment of you Demon Hunters has undergone many grandmaster refinements to finalize. The performance of each material matches the protective requirements of various parts. The compatibility issue isn't something that can be solved by simply replacing better plate armor pieces."

"Unless a grandmaster blacksmith personally observes the new steel you're talking about and designs a whole set of armor for you, I think it's more reliable than what you have now."

"Alright." Lann put away his deck, shrugging.

He wasn't skilled in forging, initially thinking that once Belengar and Valerian steel's replication technique progressed, he could have full armor made of Valerian steel.

But now, from a professional's perspective, this was an outsider's fantasy.

"But it's not all bad news." Fergus scratched his beard, looking up at Lann said.

After seeing Lann win against Yuna with a deck she gave, the dwarf refused to play cards with him at the same table.

"I showed the designs you left in Gos Velen to Master Butcher. Although he scolded me, ultimately, I persuaded the master. He can retrofit your gauntlet."

"Wow! What's the price?"

Lann felt a surge of joy.

He was quite fed up with long-range attacks.

Now hanging five or six throwing knives on his chest, with his arm strength, he could handle mid-range enemies. But dealing with bows and crossbows was still lacking means.

He immediately prepared to pay.

"Four hundred Oren."

The number Fergus spoke left Lann's hand reaching for his money pouch frozen mid-air.

"How much?!"

Forgive the young one for lacking worldly experience; it's hard not to lose composure upon hearing this figure.

My armor body's damage, the repair quote was just over two hundred!

Veltrest's personal gratitude for Lann smashing Steza's head was five thousand Oren. A gauntlet retrofit nearly took a small tenth of that!

"I can't help it, Lann. The master said it's not just a retrofit; the workload is designing a new set of gauntlets matching your armor. Design fee, labor, material... I negotiated hard to get it to four hundred."

Lann's instinct to save money was wailing inside.

But to perfect his 'far, mid, near' combat system, he still laid out four hundred big coins on the counter.

Fergus, pouting, tucked the gold coins into the counter, "I heard the master say you Demon Hunters spend freely on equipment, why is it so hard in your case to pull out a few coins."

Lann wanted to say, he's not like those who live for the moment.

He's one who has long-term expectations for the future.

But spending a hefty sum left him not wanting to say much.

"Thanks a lot, Fergus, Yuna."

Lann smacked his lips, giving a nod.

"Just you wait, it's the master's craftsmanship, come pick it up in a few days."

The dwarf patted his chest in guarantee, Yuna waved goodbye as well.