The Mecha-Kai Species During Dimensional Travel

"[Affirmation] Her talent is formidable, and her learning efficiency is high."

"Yes, during this time, Teacher, you've been teaching her different magic almost every day."

"[Speculation] Her learning speed is very fast; mastering a single spell doesn't take much time."

"[Conclusion] So I chose to teach her more magic."

Takuson poked at the meat on his plate with his fork, occasionally glancing at Xiu Er's face.

"But like this, Teacher, most of your time is spent there, isn't it?"

"Won't it interfere with your other work?"

"[Negation] Even during teaching, my monitoring of the city's status has not been hindered; the probability of error is 0%."

"Recently, I feel my strength has grown again."

"..."

Xiu Er's eyes shifted from the window to Takuson, which lifted the latter's spirits a little.

"[Inquiry] Need to unlock permissions to challenge the 'Virtual Combat Arena'?"

Takuson had yet to successfully challenge the highest difficulty of the [Virtual Combat Arena], according to Xiu Er's explanation.

The [Combat Arena] was divided into Easy, Normal, Hard, Super Hard, and Hell difficulties.

The monster data within the arena compared to the original was: 25%, 50%, 100%, 200%, and 500% respectively.

And Takuson had still never successfully challenged the Final BOSS on Hell difficulty.

It should be noted here that Hell difficulty was actually a new addition added later by Xiu Er after Takuson grew stronger and successfully cleared Super Hard difficulty.

"Ah, there's no rush for that now."

Hearing this, Takuson's face instantly twisted into an expression like he was constipated, and he quickly denied it.

"Is that so."

Xiu Er looked out the window again, returning to her previous state.

But after he turned back, he suddenly noticed that Takuson's expression showed clear disappointment.

'What's wrong with this kid?'

With this doubt in his mind, Xiu Er chose to speak directly.

"[Confusion] Your mood suddenly dropped. What happened?"

"Uh, nothing, Teacher, you don't need to worry."

Startled by Xiu Er's question, his fork slipped and stabbed directly into the table beside him. Takuson's face clearly showed a "panicked" expression.

Huh?

Seeing this, Xiu Er immediately began analyzing Takuson's earlier words.

Could he have been injured during training?

No, under my monitoring, if he were injured, I would definitely know, and this kid isn't the type to get upset over something like that.

Then what could it be?

The moment he analyzed the initial words, an answer came to his mind.

"[Inquiry] Are you jealous of Volumen?"

And seeing the even more panicked expression on the other's face, Xiu Er confirmed the answer.

So that's it. Jealous of Volumen's talent?

Analyzing this, Xiu Er instantly understood everything.

Indeed, after all, over the years, this kid has had no small interest in magic.

It's just a pity that, having chosen to become a Warrior, he strayed from the path of a [Magic User] from the very beginning.

As for Takuson, after Xiu Er spoke those words, his face was covered in cold sweat.

In that instant, his mind went blank.

But thinking that Teacher understood his situation, he probably would do something about it next, right?

After all, over these years, in Takuson's heart, his Teacher, Xiu Er, would never truly abandon him, his disciple.

"[Reminder] Individual differences mean everyone has their strengths. Takuson, you don't need to envy."

"[Conclusion] As a Warrior and Monk with integrated physical qualities, within a hundred meters, your probability of defeating the individual Volumen is as high as 98%. No matter how she grows, this cannot change."

Xiu Er wasn't good at comforting people, but he knew what to say.

In a situation like this, just directly pointing out the other's strengths and the difference from Volumen was enough. After all, this was about feeling a gap between oneself and another in this domain—Xiu Er could understand this mindset.

But strangely, after hearing his comfort, the expression on Takuson's face in front of him instantly froze?!

Ah?!

What's wrong now?

Could my analysis be wrong?

For the first time, Xiu Er began to doubt herself.

Chapter 25: The Impending Attack

Looking at Takuson, whose expression had grown even uglier, Xiu Er was momentarily baffled.

What's wrong with him?

Did I make a mistake in my analysis?

No, impossible. I must have missed some factor.

Ah.

"[Inquiry] You... are you lonely?"

A direct hit.

This question from Xiu Er caused the disciple across from her to flush bright red in an instant.

"Uh... well, ah..."

Takuson rubbed the back of his head—a habit he did when nervous, embarrassed, or shy. Xiu Er had recorded all these mannerisms.

"[Puzzlement] I didn't follow you during your training before, did I?"

"[Supplement] Even during this period when I've been teaching beside Volumen, the time I've spent with you has been the same as before."

Originally, Xiu Er had thought Takuson was a reliable child, so whenever he went out to train or do something, she never followed.

Besides, the [Locator] placed on him allowed real-time monitoring of her disciple's coordinates and physical condition.

Generally, Xiu Er would at most send a Doppelganger to accompany him during tests.

So on the surface, the time she actually spent with Takuson wasn't that much.

And all of this stemmed from her "trust" in him.

But now, it seemed this child wasn't as reassuring as she had imagined.

"But that's not... what I meant."

In truth, although Takuson looked like a nearly mature fifteen-year-old youth, his heart was still as fragile as a young child's.

His past toughness had all been forced due to various reasons.

Especially after spending several years with Xiu Er, that heart had been liberated once more, shedding its outer disguise, and regarding Xiu Er as a spiritual pillar, someone he could rely on.

This also made him behave more like a [child] in front of Xiu Er.

To borrow a classic line from a famous figure:

"Teacher Xiu Er is someone who could become my mother!"

But now, with Volumen's arrival, Takuson had suddenly developed anxiety.

It was the fear that Xiu Er would abandon him and pay more attention to Volumen.

This thought was actually quite unreasonable. First of all, he himself knew that his teacher would never abandon him now—that was a promise she had personally made years ago.

But that didn't stop him from feeling a sense of crisis.

Because of this, during his recent training and exercises, he had worked even harder, yet still failed to gain more attention.

And now, during mealtime when Volumen wasn't around, he had been possessed by a whim to subtly hint at Xiu Er.

'Teacher, please pay a little more attention to me. I'm your first disciple.'

That was roughly the meaning.

In front of Xiu Er, Takuson always became a child without a sense of security. Xiu Er hadn't failed to notice this before, but she had thought he would grow out of it as he got older.

Unfortunately, she was wrong. By neglecting the child's feelings, she had caused Takuson to fixate on this matter.

Xiu Er wouldn't avoid this.

Since he was worried about this, she could directly explain the reasons, using the most straightforward and efficient method to eliminate his concerns...

When Xiu Er led Takuson out of the restaurant, the latter's expression had completely shed its earlier anxiety.

It seemed Xiu Er's psychological counseling had worked.

Under Xiu Er's direct, no-nonsense explanation, Takuson finally realized he had been overthinking.

And Takuson knew he couldn't cause trouble for his teacher, so he quickly sorted out his mindset.

It was just a worry about losing his place in his teacher's heart—not a big problem.

Besides, there were more important things ahead.

"[Notification] Takuson, the target party has appeared on the outskirts."

It was the fourth day after the misunderstanding had just been cleared up. That morning, Xiu Er pried open Takuson's door at the crack of dawn.

While the latter was still scrambling to get dressed after being startled awake, Xiu Er spoke those words.

In that instant, Takuson's gaze sharpened. Too impatient to care about his still-unfastened pants, he urgently sought more information.

"How many?"

"[Reply] According to intel, the total count is twenty-three. Among them, fifteen Magic Users and eight Warriors."

Takuson pinched his chin, beginning to ponder a countermeasure.

"Will it just be the two of us engaging the enemy?"

Though he knew the city guards would soon catch wind of the intelligence, waiting for reinforcements might not be a matter of a short while.

Moreover, when facing Demons, those guards might prove useless.

Yet, just as Takuson was mulling over a battle plan, the next sentence doused his enthusiasm.

"[Rebuttal] Not 'us.' Me."

"Huh?"

"[Reminder] I know your concerns, but I've already gathered all the information on that Demon group. There's no need to worry."

Seeing his teacher about to leave, Takuson, still not bothering with his half-worn pants, rushed to the door.

"Teacher, are you serious? Do you really not need my help?"

Those words made Xiu Er, who had walked halfway, stop and turn around.

"[Doubt] What can you help with? In a one-on-one situation, you might have the capital to fight a Demon. But when numbers increase, your chances of victory are extremely slim."