Chapter 250: Chapter 250: Partial Evolution Deltected! But at what cost...?

"The method you tried to use was something you only learn with practice, young man. But it’s always better to extract the organs from the body first before the main process. When the essence is extracted, the organ itself goes to potion making, so it’s a whole process we contribute to. Only the elites use the method you did, and while there is no problem in using it, I will still not recommend it."

Theo nodded in understanding, he had just skipped a step in between on his first try.

"It’s not worth getting the blood out of this one, as that process is time-consuming, and this essence goes for three silver a piece," Enren spoke and wrote down some more things before moving to Tristan and then further ahead, as he was still not done.

When Theo thought he could finally have some rest, a light came out of his forehead and fell to the table he had just worked on.

Theo tried to grab the mantis that was going for the organs, only for it to dodge his hands, picking a small organ up and sitting at the edge of the table before munching it down.

Theo just stood there, confused about what to do.

Just as he was thinking, the mantis had already gulped down that small organ and went for seconds before Theo finally caught it.

"So that is the insect everyone is talking about, Theo. I will not lie, it’s very beautiful," Tristan spoke from the side. His eyes were stuck on the mantis, which was not munching but gulping down the solid organ as if Theo were going to steal it away.

"Thanks," Theo whispered and tried to get it back into the beast space again, yet it didn’t work.

’I know you’ve been cramped there for a while now, Mantis. But give me a little more time, I’ll take you to a nearby forest for hunting, how about that?’ Theo muttered mentally, only to get a rejection through the mantis’s emotions.

He didn’t know what to do anymore. After holding onto it for a whole minute now, his grip loosened only for a mere second, when the mantis used Metallic Strike and vanished from his hand and his sight.

’That... amazing skill!’ Theo muttered in his mind and looked around to find it. The mantis was no longer on his table.

Theo took a few steps back to look at everyone’s tables. There was food on literally every table he looked at, which was bad news, the mantis had no etiquette whatsoever.

When he still didn’t find the mantis, Theo moved forward to check each table, which made Enren look at him in confusion.

"Do you need something, young man?" He came forward and asked, only for Theo to look at him like a deer in headlights.

Yet he calmed down the next second and spoke, "... My beast got out of the beast space and vanished, Instructor. It likes food a lot, so I know it’s on someone’s table right now."

When Theo said that, Enren looked at him for a moment before a light laugh escaped his mouth. He quickly controlled it and gave his usual smile.

"Let’s find it together. What is it?"

"An insect, red-colored, a Bloodbloom Mantis. You can see red flowers on its back from afar," Theo spoke, giving as much description as he could.

Enren looked at him for a while, as if wanting to ask something, and appeared slightly surprised too.

"Alright, you can get back to your seat now. Beasts tend to come back to their master when they’re alone for a while."

Theo looked at him as if he had said something abnormal, but deep down, he knew he was the abnormal one.

’My mantis goes in a carriage and then to the forest on its own to hunt and eat, Instructor.’

Theo wanted to say that, but it felt like it would earn him a lecture on bad training methods.

He looked around a few times for a minute before a sudden notification appeared in front of him.

[Partial Evolution Potential Detected]

’What?!!!’ Theo was surprised beyond measure. This was so sudden, it felt like a prank or something.

While he was still confused, he saw Tristan waving his hand toward him.

Theo quickly went to him. "What is it?"

Tristan only awkwardly smiled and pointed at Theo’s table, where there was nothing but his equipment.

"Look under, Theo."

Theo quickly went and looked down, only to see a reddish something in the corner with a broken glowing vial.

’NO!’ Theo didn’t know if it was allowed for beasts to drink that essence or not. This was the academy’s property.

He didn’t even look at the partial evolution notification for now, as there were bigger matters at hand.

After grabbing the mantis, who had licked dry the whole vial of Demon Toad essence, Theo looked at it furiously, only for it to become light and enter his forehead as if its hunger had already been fulfilled.

’Damn bastard, see how I give you your favorite insect for a week now.’

’!!’ The mantis’s anxiety somehow increased tenfold, even though insects weren’t supposed to feel anxious.

When Theo felt its emotions, his heart melted again, even though he was still angry.

’Okay... two days then.’

The mantis kept quiet at that, and Theo picked up the broken vial.

"What happened, Theo?" Enren came back at the worst possible timing, and he saw a missing vial on the table and a broken one in Theo’s hand.

"... My apologies, Instructor. It seems my beast broke the vial and drank the essence in it..." Theo did not know how he ended up in this situation.

All the children started looking at him and whispering again. Some who had been watching the whole time told everyone the full story of what happened.

"Some of the organs are also missing, young man," Enren spoke while looking at the table.

"My apologies, I am willing to compensate the academy for it."

Enren looked at the apologetic expression on Theo’s face but still didn’t let the matter go, even though he knew it was a genuine mistake.

"The academy doesn’t need your compensation, young man. But breaking the academy’s property is still an offense, even though it was a minor one. Your beast acted on its own, which is not a good thing. It might have hurt a student in the classroom too; you never know. You will have to meet with the person in charge of this year’s classes. She will tell you what will happen next."

’Well, damn...’ Theo thought bitterly.