Cybernetic Beast Taming In A Game-like World-Chapter 35: Arguing with the Professor

That sentiment only lasted for a few seconds before Jethro remembered he genuinely didn’t care what these people thought of him. Nevertheless, someone else was already answering the question.

"Yes, student?"

A feeble looking girl responded. "At the Mature Phase, a Dreadeater Caterpillar’s Nutrient Circuit would consist of wild small meat like Forest Rats. Then, black mushroom pulp, gray sand, insect grubs, decayed vegetables and uh... bone marrow?"

Jethro shrugged slightly. ’She actually got it.’

Professor Aris offered a thin smile. "You were close, student."

Jethro shot a brow. ’What? She was absolutely correct.’

"But you made one critical error." Professor Aris adjusted on the dais, subjecting everyone to her knowing gaze. "You cannot feed a Dreadeater Caterpillar bone marrow once it’s past the Infant Phase. It disrupts its neural stability and causes fragmentation in its ability pathways."

The girl nodded, recalling that rule.

Satisfied that she had made a point with the importance of following the Nutrient Flow Circuit, Professor Aris tried to carry on. However, she caught the expression on Jethro’s face amidst the crowd; a face that didn’t buy any of what she just said.

Her eyes narrowed. "You."

Jethro, absently chewing on his synthmeal, having decided that nothing taught in this class was new to him, lowered his gaze to the dais where Professor Aris’s eyes were pointing at him.

"You seem to have an objection from the look on your face. Or do you just not care about this class?" she asked him.

Jethro swallowed the piece of synthmeat, the gulp sound carrying. "I apologize, Professor. I do care."

Heads turned to his direction, unfriendly eyes locking at him.

Aris lifted one brow. "Is that so? But earlier, you seemed to have an opposing expression on your face. Could it be that you think that I’m wrong?"

Jethro hesitated for a moment, then shrugged internally. ’Well, if she’s asking me...’

"You’re not exactly wrong," he stated, placing both elbows on the table. "But the fragmentation problem only comes when the bone marrow is gotten from creatures killed in daylight."

A spiky-haired boy, sitting beside Eryn, sneered in disgust. "What’s this scrapheap talking about?"

Professor Aris smirked condescendingly, but at least she was willing to entertain what he was saying. "Is that all?" she asked. "Go on."

Jethro downturned his lips. "Alright then. The deal is this; Bone marrow taken from beasts that died in fear— particularly at night since that’s when Dreadeater Caterpillars hunt —acts as a stabilizer, not a disruptor."

Professor Aris erupted into mocking laughter. "Is that so? I’ve never heard of anything so nonsensical. What difference does it make if it died in fear or died with a grin on its face?"

Jethro smirked. "Happy you asked, Professor. When any creature— humans or mechbeasts —experience terror just before death, the brain releases multiple signals that the Soul Core mirrors. These signals saturate the bones, especially the bone marrow with a neurotoxin that’s especially nutritious and tasty to the Caterpillar.

"This toxin mixes with the bone marrow’s natural proteins and actually deepens the Caterpillar’s abilities. Not only will it accelerate its growth toward Adolescent Phase, but it improves sync rates with tamers during combat, prevents shell sloughing; a common problem in late-Mature Dreadeaters, and expands the mechbeast’s Core capacity in some instances."

A stunned silence blanketed the amphitheater. And for that moment, Jethro thought that they might actually believe him.

But then Professor Aris spoke.

"And where did you learn that from? The counterfeit glyphs they peddle down at Sector Twelve?"

Everyone erupted into deafening laughter. Jethro only sighed and sat back. ’Now I feel like the misunderstood nerd.’

Kekius whispered in his ear not to let it get to him. But it wasn’t getting to Jethro at all. What was though, was that villainous smile of satisfaction on Eryn Fenlor’s face. If it lasted any longer, Jethro was going to send Scorch to claw it off.

"Take a good look, students." Professor Aris said. "This is what happens when you listen to the ramblings of someone who spreads false information instead of relying on Beastcorp and the diligent, universal information it has provided concerning mechbeasts."

"You see, if I wasn’t here to correct him, this young girl would have gone on to give her Caterpillar some bone marrow in the future, thereby stunting its growth and breaking the pathway to unlock its abilities."

Snickers still rippled from here and there.

"Such an idiot," the same boy sitting with Eryn crowed. "Why does he think we would believe him over verified knowledge given by Beastcorp themselves?"

"If there is nothing else, Mr. Bone Marrow," Professor Aris said with withering sarcasm, "then I would like to continue with the lesson. Let us move to cultivation modules and how to apply them."

Jethro only took out another synthmeat from his pocket and munched it down. As he did, his eyes met the Caterpillar girl. She was staring down at her caterpillar, her expression deeply thoughtful.

Soon enough, the class came to an end and a collective rustle filled the amphitheater as students rose. Professor Aris offered her parting words, then vanished back through the floor panel.

Kekius nudged Jethro as they filtered into the corridor’s flow of bodies. "Hey," he murmured, keeping his voice low amidst the din. "Back there... with the bone marrow thing. Were you serious?"

Jethro crumpled his empty synthmeat packet, shoving it into a pocket. He met Kekius’s earnest, slightly worried eyes. "What do you think?"

Kekius hesitated for only a second, then shrugged, a grin of determination breaking through. "I trust what you say, Jethro. Even if it sounds insane. Especially if it makes Professor High-and-Mighty look flustered."

That unexpectedly made Jethro feel warm inside, causing him to grudgingly look away. He gave a noncommittal grunt, trying to play it cool. "Come on. Next class has to be less of a snooze."

They merged with the stream of students heading towards the next class hall. As usual, Jethro did his best to ignore the backward glances and the whispers.

Then, he felt Scorch lift its neck atop his head, tiny claws pricking slightly. The little Red Lizard’s head swiveled, its black eyes tracking something small and fast near a person’s face.

Jethro followed Scorch’s gaze and saw the lone, metallic-blue fly buzzing erratically on the cheek of the spiky-haired boy who was still glued to Eryn’s side.

Jethro frowned, a low warning forming in his throat. "Don’t do it, Scorch. It’s not worth it."

Zip-thwack!

Scorch’s tongue flicked out once and snatched the fly out of the boy’s face in nothing more than a mini-second.

The spiky-haired boy whirled around, hand flying to his cheek where the fly had been. His eyes, wide with shock and indignation, locked onto Jethro and the lizard innocently grooming a foreclaw on his head.

"You!" he spat, jabbing a finger at Jethro. "You filthy lower Sector reject! Did your scrap just lick me?"

Jethro stopped, meeting the boy’s fury with a bored expression that he had deliberately chosen. "Lick? Don’t flatter yourself. My Lizard is more into Solar Flare Salamanders with long tails."

Some laughter followed that, causing a few tamers to be cautioned. "What are you doing?" someone said to another. "Don’t laugh at his jokes."

The spiky-haired boy’s face turned purple. "You think you’re funny, junk-tamer? That thing’s barely more than rust! Should be melted down for spare parts!"

"And I think you should be grateful." Jethro retorted, shrugging. "My lizard’s wet tongue on your face is probably the closest thing to a shower you’ve had in weeks."

That was what did it.

The boy lunged with a wordless snarl. Simultaneously, his bulky, one-eyed mechbear followed beside him in a flash of orange light. It was a Cyclops Magmabear, easily the size of a puppy, with a singular eye glowing like an active volcano.

The boy coated his arms with magma rocks and lunged a fist, which Jethro dodged. He deflected the second with a sharp parry of his forearm. The third punch, however, landed squarely on his shoulder as he recovered from the deflection.

Jethro fell to the ground while Scorch leaped off his head. But before it could escape, the boy’s Magmabear attacked. One massive, clawed paw slammed down, pinning the tiny lizard to the corridor floor. Scorch shrieked, its eyes blinking fearfully.

"Incinerate the little pest!", a loud, cheerful voice came from the crowd. Jethro wasn’t exactly worried about that, since he knew Scorch wasn’t going to burn anyway.

Spiky-hair crouched over Jethro and lifted his magma-wreathed fist for another punch.

But then, a voice interrupted everything.

"Hahaha! NOW THAT’S what I like to see! And just the time to do it as well!"

Every head snapped towards the back of the crowd. There was a burly man with close-cropped silver hair and a thick, braided goatee standing in the ring of students.

His face was split by an ecstatic grin, which was surprising considering that fighting was generally frowned upon on Academy grounds.

His bright fierce eyes scanned the students, then dropped to Jethro and the spiky-haired boy on top of him. "Well then, you bloodlusted students." He said, planting his fists on his hips. "Welcome to Combat Class!"

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