"Derek? That's him.''
''He's the president of the Pharmacy Board and also a senior member of Velmoria, one of the Five Great Nations."
Hector sighed as he looked at Derek standing on the classroom podium.
"Another shift in the plot..."
It was clear Hector felt somewhat perplexed by this turn.
Derek wasn't supposed to be here, yet the situation turned in his favor.
With Derek around, Hector didn't need to spend extra time hunting for knowledge on pressure points.
He believed that if this man didn't know, no one did.
After all, he led the Pharmacy Board and he also possessed a large amount of knowledge and information about medicine and other.
"Eheim…!"
Derek cleared his throat softly, then began speaking in a calm voice.
"Since my time is short, I won't repeat myself."
"Listen carefully."
He shifted slightly and scanned the room.
"First! Who here has heard of capsules?"
Still, Derek went on without waiting for replies.
"They're a form of medicine—made by blending various rare herbs.
As you all know, they can cure nearly any illness—assuming you're still alive."
…
And just like that, Derek had delivered a full lecture on capsules.
The content was dense, but in that short span, Hector absorbed much information about herbs and their uses.
Time flew, and the morning session ended.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Derek strolled calmly down the hallway but came to a slow stop when footsteps echoed behind him.
"I-Instructor!"
He turned to the voice, brows furrowing—he disliked interruptions.
"What is it?" he asked evenly, facing the young man. Of course, his voice had a bit of discomfort, but his role was an instructor, so he needed to be completely in it.
Hector caught his breath, then spoke.
"Ah… I had a question about your lecture!"
"Huh?" Derek frowned slightly.
"What about it?...Something wrong with my lecture?''
Of course, someone like him would never slip up when it came to knowledge. But highly educated people often had perfectionist tendencies.
Sensing his intent had been misunderstood, Hector quickly clarified.
"No!..." he said, rubbing his hands awkwardly.
"I just wanted to ask a bit about pressure points."
Derek narrowed his eyes at him, then rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Well! It's not often someone brings this up... Still, as an instructor, it's my job to explain. I'm glad to assist."
He gave a quick blink and resumed walking.
"Follow me."
Inside a small office, Hector sank into a warm, cushioned sofa.
While waiting, he looked around the room as Derek prepared some tea nearby.
"Tsk… So many books. If this were my old world, he'd easily have the title of professor," he thought.
Kack.
A teacup landed gently on the table, making Hector flinch. Then came Derek's aged voice.
"Pressure points, huh?"
Hector reached for the cup of tea that Derek had just set down, took a small sip in satisfaction, and nodded in response.
…
"I see..." Derek blinked, then moved toward the bookshelf, as if searching for something.
A few seconds later—
"Here it is!"
His expression stopped a few seconds before he pulled out a book and tossed it toward Hector.
"Take it."
Hector caught it swiftly and cautiously saw it.
It was a thick, weathered volume with a cracked cover.
Just one glance told him it hadn't been touched in a long time.
He turned to Derek, eyes full of silent inquiry.
"Everything you need is in there," Derek said, folding his hands behind his back, without giving Hector any chance to wonder.
Then he added in a more aged tone,
"The human body has 361 pressure points distributed across the entire muscular system."
"In truth, they're quite useful. But compared to capsules, their effects are slower, which is why they've fallen out of favor in modern treatment."
"Remember—in battle, time determines victory. The faster something acts, the more it's relied upon."
"You're free to study it further if you wish, but don't invest too much time. The second challenge won't be what you're expecting."
Hearing that, Hector nodded in silent acknowledgment. But a question still lingered in his mind.
"Uhm… What if I use it during combat? Would it work then?"
"Combat?" Derek adjusted his framed glasses, grimacing as if Hector's question was rather stupid.
Derek sighed before leaning back comfortably in his chair and preparing for another speech.
"It's impossible. Pinpointing the exact spots on the body takes far too long."
"Besides, in a fight, you have to keep moving constantly, making it even harder to apply effectively."
"Not all pressure points are useful in battle, either. If you read the book I gave you, you'll find that only about 100 points can actually disrupt mana flow when blocked."
"Imagine a thousand bombs scattered across the ground—and you only have one life."
"Would you dare to step forward?"
"Your opponent will kill you if you don't land a strike on the first try."
He sighed deeply again and gave Hector a caring look, but a rough.
His voice grew sharp.
"Take my advice, son."
"Don't do anything reckless over this."
Hector nodded, though he wasn't overly concerned by Derek's warning, since he could see every pressure point on any living creature.
After a brief pause, Hector looked at Derek and spoke politely before he could leave.
"Thank you very much for the book! I promise to return it after I finish reading."
About half an hour passed.
…
Derek sighed quietly as he gazed at the birds outside the office window.
"That boy reminds me of my son."
"He was just as lively and eager to learn…"
''And, there are still a few foolish questions sometimes.''
…
Yet, as the memories surfaced, a flicker of murderous intent glinted in his eyes. It was obvious that happy memories had aroused fucking something in his head.
"Michelle, you fucking… Your son will become fertilizer for the graves of my wife and children."
"Huh?"
Ting.
Ting.
Ting.
An odd sound drifted lightly, drawing his attention. Then, a coin appeared in his hand.
From the coin, a distorted voice spoke:
"Order from Master [S]: Plan activated."