บท 23: Ancient Art of Thigh-Grabbing

Guy and Markus returned to the library in low spirits.

Guy was distressed over his inadequacy and incapability to support his student. He was also a little jealous of Jo Way and his unfair and cheat-like Omniscient Library.

Based on the discussion that was happening in the crowd during the duel, Guy could glean the reason for Jo's victory. The man struck Blevin's most blatant weakness, the channel convergence point. The mob characters in the crowd were frantically throwing around theories on how Jo was able to discern the location of one of the most closely guarded secrets of a mage.

Some posited that Jo simply got lucky. Others proposed a radical theory that Jo had a magical eye capable of determining the location. But Guy knew the exact reason why, and it made him feel like crap.

Guy was a fervent believer in the idea that knowledge equates to power. And while Guy's own RoK offered a modest assortment of assistance, comparable to the Omniscient Library, it failed in one key aspect and that was in the ability to synthesise the available information and provide solutions.

If Guy wasn't a transmigrator like Jo, he would have swept this whole scenario under a metaphorical rug and moved on with his life. As the saying went, "ignorance is bliss". But Guy didn't have that luxury, he knew exactly why Jo was able to cruise through everything, and he was salty about it.

'You know what, Mast? If Jo just happened to be some kind of a genius, like a regressor or a dude with a secret master, I'd understand. But this Jo is just another idiot who got lucky!'

(You can't really say that he's lucky. He died after all.)

'Still, though! With that library inside his head, he's living life in easy mode. But what about me? Why can't you help a brother out?' Guy pleaded coquettishly.

Mast sighed, (You're being hypocritical. If I gave you the same "cheat" like Jo, wouldn't it be unfair to everyone else. You already have the advantage of having lived one life.)

Guy immediately adorned a childlike innocence and contested, 'But don't I deserve it? I wasn't born here, and my mentality hasn't adapted to this world's society. Doesn't that justify a boost of some kind?'

(I've already given you enough assistance. In fact, that computer inside the RoK is already pushing it. If I offered any more, then what would be the point of bringing you here?)

Guy mentally tilted his head and asked, 'That's a good point, why DID you bring me here?'

(I told you already that this world is stagnating. There hasn't been a significant advancement in years! That is exactly why I brought you here. I believe that an external perspective can help push this world forward. It just so happens that our goals are similar so I decided to bring you here.)

'Well if you're just trying to help your brother, what's up with all this secrecy?'

(It's an established rule for world builders to not interfere in each other's worlds. The persistence of the world is deeply connected to the survival of the builder after all. My brother is a stickler for rules and doesn't tolerate interference from outside.

He keeps complaining about how slow this world is every time we have a reunion. So I'm just providing some familial assistance.)

There was a pause as Guy contemplated on this information. Guy was still uncertain about the technicalities regarding these higher beings called world builders. It all felt outside his realm of comprehension, and whenever he asked Mast for clarification he would always skirt around the question. So these intermittent tidbits Mast would voluntarily reveal were extremely valuable for him.

(The main reason I'm not giving you a cheat, like Jo's is because I've found that with sentient beings such as humans, necessity is the mother of creativity. I can tell you this much, the amount of contribution you've made in pushing this world forward already exceeds Jo's. His Omniscient Library only offers solutions that exist and are already established in this world. There is nothing new. And that man is so reliant on it, that he hasn't bothered to exert his own ingenuity for anything.)

Guy sighed and lamented, 'But what about my problem right now? Without some kind of power, how can I fight for my student's rights?'

(Power isn't always physical, have you considered other alternatives?)

Just as Mast finished that last thought, Al returned to the library and walked up to the gloomy teacher and student duo.

"I heard some gossip back at the teacher's lounge about how some apprentice from your generation wiped the floor with the academy's poster boy. What happened?" Al rattled out with visible excitement on his face.

Over the past few weeks, Guy found out that although Al was mostly detached from the world, he was extremely perceptive to gossip and rumours. Guy figured it must be a side effect of Al's cultivation method forcing him to seek out information, of any kind, ardently.

"My colleague, Jo Way, challenged our supervisor, Teacher Hinds, to a duel because the latter was withholding student allocated resources," Guy said monotonously.

"That's admirable. The boy's talented to be able to defeat someone an entire realm ahead of him..." Al muttered while nodding his head.

He then shook the thought and asked cheerily, "Anyways, why the long faces, you two?"

"Although Mr. Way defeated Teacher Hinds, he took my allocated resource as well," Markus lamented.

Al furrowed his brows and sighed. But then he asked, "Is that why both of y'all are so distressed? It isn't that big of a deal. I mean, I have an allocated quota as well. If you want I can get some for you."

Guy smiled bitterly and thanked Al, "Thanks, I would really appreciate it. I'm just sad that I wasn't strong enough to fight for my student the same way Jo did."

Al patted Guy's shoulder and said, "That's understandable to feel that way. The student depends on you after all. But there was nothing you could do about it. All you can do is work hard and push yourself forward to avoid these situations again. Besides, strength isn't always about being physically superior -"

Al grinned and continued, "- it's about being so high up that other's can't ever look down on you."

Guy's eyes widened. He slapped the desk as he suddenly had an epiphany. His eyes darted sideways and locked on to Al's upper thighs.

Under Guy's predatory gaze, Al cautiously took a few steps back and covered his crotch.

"Umm... Guy?" Al asked probingly.

"How could I forget! The MC slaps face to survive. But what about the regular folk? The ones without those stupid cheats? How could I overlook the most ancient art of survival of the side character?" Guy muttered inaudibly.

"Mr. Jeeves, I want to grab you thi-" Guy coughed and truncated his current line of thought.

He corrected himself and repeated, "Mr. Jeeves, can you do me a huge favour? If not for me, then for my student?"

Al tilted his head, "What favour?"

"I want my student to get his resources. I owe him that much. But I don't think I will be able to score them as long as I am under Teacher Hinds.

That is why I sincerely request for you to take me on as your apprentice.

I know that you don't like to get yourself involved in these trivialities. But please, I am just asking you to bear with me until the apprentice's tournament."

Guy then bowed profusely to present his sincerity in the matter.

Al nodded in contemplation and then asked, "A favour implies reciprocation. What can you do for me in return for this favour?"

Guy bit his lips and sat down, defeated.

"You're right. I don't have much to offer. Sorry for bringing it up."

Al grinned widely and roughly patted Guy's shoulders.

"I'm kidding! Of course I can take you on as an apprentice. In fact, there is something you can offer me in return. I want you to share everything you know about this True World Theory, just like how you're teaching Markus."

Guy thanked Al, but then he followed up in confusion, "I was already going to share them with you. It isn't something I planned to keep hidden from you anyways."

Al quickly corrected Guy, "You weren't obligated to share it at first. You could have kept it a secret and it would have become a debt I would owe you in the future. After all, for me, new knowledge is crucial for cultivation. But now, I've turned the table and made it so that this knowledge is payment for a debt you owe me. I've robbed you of a favour."

Guy shook his head in amusement. He was already gratified that Al was willing to assist him.

Guy realised something. He had been going about things all wrong. He wasn't the typical main character from those transmigration novels he had read before.

From the very beginning, Mast had made it clear that Guy was living a second life. To live is to try and fail. If every venture was successful regardless of the effort put in, then what was the point of living?

Without failure, life is meaningless because you don't learn anything.

Without failure, life is meaningless because you never mature.

Guy was given a second chance in life. He decided to cherish this opportunity and keep failing.