After the Zerg General Was Accidentally Marked - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Training

According to the “Buckets Theory,” mental power is an innate talent of the insect race, a form of pure life energy. To one’s senses, it feels like a liquid similar to water, while the mental sea barrier is the wooden bucket that holds it. Generally speaking, the larger this bucket, the more mental power it can contain and utilize, and the higher the mental power rank.

According to the latest edition of the Imperial Mental Power White Paper, an individual’s mental power is divided into six basic ranks: A, B, C, D, E, and F. Beyond these are the ultra-A ranks: S and SS, as well as the SSS rank. Among them, SSS is the highest level, which only two insects are said to have ever achieved. F is the lowest; even a healthy insect egg possesses F-rank mental power.

If, under normal circumstances, Major General Sears’ SS-rank mental sea was a vast ocean, then an F-rank would be equivalent to a single drop of water within it.

But how could that be?

How could Everett, the future Insect Emperor rumored to possess top-tier mental power, be an F-rank?!

“Are there any other males named Everett in the Lanston family?” Could he have the wrong insect?

“No. The family is very particular about the uniqueness of a male’s name; they ensure no duplicate names occur.”

Sears knew this as well, which was why he had confirmed the other’s identity the moment he first heard Everett’s name.

But what was going on with this F-rank little male?

“You’re still young; mental power ranks can change. Besides, mental power testing can sometimes be wrong.”

Everett frowned. “Are you looking down on my low mental power rank?”

“I marked you and helped preserve your mental sea. Anyone else can look down on me, but you can’t!”

That was true. However, it also reminded Sears that since the little male could mark him, there must be some modicum of talent there.

It just needed to be unearthed.

“It doesn’t matter.” Sears made up his mind. “I will take responsibility.”

“Responsibility for what?”

Starting the next day, Everett gained a mental power training tutor.

“Let’s start with the basics. Mental power is pure life energy. Just like heat and cold, or comfort and pain, if you focus your attention on your body, you can feel the existence of mental power.”

“Next, imagine yourself as a pipe. Mental power flows through your body. Guide it to your fingers, slowly, squeezing it out bit by bit like blood. Then you will…”

“Like this?” Everett held up his middle finger before the female. The light around his fingertip was visibly distorted, indicating a “drop” of mental power was condensing there.

It was a very, very small drop, but…

“Have you received mental power training before?”

“None at all.” Everett shook his head. “Since I’m an F-rank, I never used it.”

While sensing and guiding mental power were the most basic techniques, for a male who had never touched mental power before, it usually took one to two years to become proficient. For the little male to get it in one go…

Was he a mental power genius?

The bite-inhibitor well-concealed Sears’ shock as he continued teaching with an unflappable demeanor. “Yes, exactly like that. But that is only the first step. Next…”

By the end of the day, the mental power Everett had drawn from his fingertips could be gathered into a plate of “spaghetti.” Though it was still messy and soft far from being usable for anything the thickness was even, and the shape was controlled with extreme precision. This was a level most males took two or three years to reach.

Furthermore, Sears was certain the little male was absolutely not the F-rank suggested by the test; the sheer volume of this “pasta” far exceeded what an F-rank should have.

Truly worthy of being the future Insect Emperor.

While the little male was excited about his plate of spaghetti, Sears threw a bucket of cold water on him at the right moment. The female projected half an inch of mental power from his fingertip, condensing it into the shape of a blade. With a wave of his hand, he sliced clean through a solid steel crossbeam.

The movement was exceptionally light, as if he weren’t cutting a steel beam, but a block of tofu.

With a thud, the severed beam hit the floor.

Everett looked at the clean cut, then at the female. It took a long time before he spoke: “That… wasn’t a load-bearing part, was it?”

Is this how you teach? What a ruthless teacher!

“Don’t worry, it can be broken,” Sears said. “I did it to remind you not to get happy too early. You still have a lot to learn.”

The little male was silent for a while, then suddenly realized: “Wait, that’s a female’s mental power. Males can’t do that at all, right?”

“It is difficult for a male’s mental power to be offensive, but it lacks nothing in terms of control. With enough training, a male can similarly use mental power to pilot mechs and starships.”

“For real?! But I’ve only seen females do those things.”

Because controlling a female is much simpler than controlling a mech or a starship. But as the female marked by the other, Sears naturally wouldn’t volunteer that information. He simply said vaguely, “It is indeed difficult. Are you afraid?”

“I’m afraid of many things, but learning and challenges are never among them.”

“Very well.” Sears produced a metal box from behind him like a magic trick; it was palm-sized with a flip-top design. “Don’t use your hands. Use your mental power to open it.”

“Once you’ve achieved that, we will move to the next step.”

Everett tried waving his limp spaghetti mental power, but naturally, nothing happened.

After a few tries, the little male was a bit dejected. “No, is it actually possible?!” Is this female tricking me!

Everett felt as if he were back in school failing a monthly exam. Meanwhile, his irresponsible female teacher had already walked away.

Aside from training the little male, Sears had many things to do: treating his wounds, recovering his strength, inspecting the ship, inventorying supplies, and consolidating information. He had to provide security for their month-long voyage and prepare in advance for everything after they disembarked.

A day later, the little male excitedly came to him with the opened box.

This time, Sears put a lock on the box and placed the key to the side. “Use your mental power to pick up the key, then open the box.”

Though it was still opening the box, using a key was on an entirely different level of difficulty compared to opening it directly. To open the box directly, one could just nudge it open with mental power without worrying about shape or force. But with a key, one first had to be able to grip the key, then aim it and rotate it; the requirements for shape and precision were much higher.

This time, Everett took three days.

When the key trembled as it aligned with the keyhole, inserted, rotated, and the box successfully clicked open, Everett was nearly moved to tears!

“How about that?” The little male tilted his chin, seeking praise.

“It’s okay.” But the heartless, strict teacher only gave him a passing grade.

Sears relocked the box and took the key away. “Next, don’t use the key. Open it directly with mental power.”

Everett: “Huh??? How do I open it then?!”

“Do I just chop it open with mental power? But you said it yourself, a male’s mental power isn’t offensive!”

“I can accept a challenge, but I won’t accept a challenge that has no answer!”

Sears stared at him in silence until the little male went from aggressive to completely deflated. Only then did Sears say: “Many problems in life are challenges without answers. What will you do? Run away?”

“Of course not…” Everett realized he was being underestimated.

“But this training has an answer.” As he spoke, Sears extended his own mental power, condensing it into the shape of a key and probing the keyhole. With a click, the latch popped out.

“The shape of mental power is not restricted. As long as you understand the structure and have precise control, there is more you can do with mental power than you imagine.”

The little male was completely won over. He began carrying the locked box every day, poking at it with his mental power spaghetti.

Ten days passed. The lock hadn’t opened yet, but Sears couldn’t take it anymore.

After a male marks a female, their mental seas become interconnected, similar to adding a straw between two buckets. However, this flow is not equal; it is controlled by the male. Currently, the hardworking little male was consuming a massive amount of mental power every day. When he ran out, it would automatically be drawn from Sears’ mental sea.

Normally, Sears wouldn’t care about such a small loss of mental power, but his mental sea barrier was still in a severely damaged state—equivalent to a bucket with a bunch of holes. He relied entirely on the little male’s mental power repairs to alleviate the pain and keep the sea from collapsing entirely. He couldn’t store much mental power. Now, the repairs had stopped, and the male was drawing his mental power relentlessly…

Simply put, he was about to be sucked dry.

Sears felt it necessary to warn the little male. “You know that after marking, the mental seas of the male and female connect, right?”

“I know.” Everett didn’t even look up, continuing to poke the keyhole with his mental power.

“Then do you know that a female whose mental sea is depleted will die?”

The little male froze and looked up at the female.

“You’ve been using my mental power lately,” Sears pointed out mercilessly. “Leave some for me.”

“Ah, sorry, sorry! Sometimes I don’t notice and just…”

But training had to continue. What to do if mental power ran low?

Two days later, when Sears saw the little male’s mental power spaghetti not dissipate after use, but instead be sucked back into his body like a noodle, his brain stalled for two seconds.

What kind of maneuver is this?!

“Mental power recovery,” Everett explained. “Since there isn’t much mental power, I can’t waste it. Used mental power can be recovered and reused! I just have to convert it. Though the efficiency is a bit low right now; I only recover about 30%.”

It sounded simple, but mental power outside the body and inside the body were entirely different forms. It was like wood being burned into charcoal; no insect had ever thought to turn the charcoal back into wood. The little male’s idea was fanciful and bizarre, yet he had somehow succeeded.

“How did you do it?” Sears asked, not ashamed to learn from his junior.

The teacher-student roles reversed. But no matter how the little male tried to explain, Sears simply couldn’t achieve mental power recovery.

“It’s just… suck it back. Reverse it. Reverse, do you understand?”

Sears: …

“Maybe it’s because female and male mental power are different. Don’t be discouraged.”

Everett didn’t understand that for Sears, this was a skill he urgently needed to master.

But if he couldn’t do it, there was nothing for it. Two days later, Sears proactively moved back to the eighth level. Before leaving, he comforted Everett: “The other party hasn’t come to disturb us during this time, so there’s likely no ill intent. You can stay alone with peace of mind.”

After eating and living together for so long, the small room suddenly felt empty without the female.

“Aren’t we almost there? Why move back to the eighth level?”

Sears let out a sigh. “My heat period is coming.”

“Do you know how to handle a female’s heat, my Master?”

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