Michael counted the bills in his hand, as the pitiful Clarence was sitting across him nervously. Michael counted all 10,000 credits and while he was very happy, he was curious how Clarence got him the money immediately. 

"Clarence... how did you get this money easily?" Michael asked politely but Clarence was tense.

"I... was saving it..." Clarence was obviously lying and was hiding something.

"You stole this from your parents." Michael sighed as he immediately regretted taking money from a child.

"You're regretting taking money from a child?" Demiurge asked sarcastically.

'Shut up'

"Clarence I will take this money, not because I approve of stealing from your benefactors, but because I'll make sure it's worth it" Michael hid the money and stared at Clarence with his scary mask. "i promised you'd get the girl and be more than a pathetic loser."

"Yes..." Clarence was slightly excited but his natural pessimistic attitude dialed it down.

Currently the two young men, a teenager and a young adult, are sitting inside Clarence's room. Clarence's room was literally the stereotype of a sexually repressed teenager. 'This is slightly uncomfortable.' 

"Why? Because you never had a proper teenage period?" Demiurge was throwing harsh insults while he studied Clarence's mana pool.

Michael ignores Demiurge as he orders Clarence to meditate. 

Clarence asks "You won't teach me more powerful spells or new abilities?"

"No, we need to start with the basics; you're not going to cast anything with your 75% mana impurity."

"Actually it is 76% now." Demiurge was slightly surprised at how fast this child's impurity was increasing.

'Really? That's extremely fast, how is he polluting his mana pool so quickly.' Michael and Demiurge were carefully watching Clarence's meditation style. 

Michael frowns and Demiurge immediately expresses his displeasure.

"Clarence stop." Clarence immediately stops when Michael shakes his head.

"You're doing it wrong." The moment Clarence started to meditate Michael was immediately disappointed, and if he didn't live in a shitty neighborhood, he would believe that Clarence had the worst meditation style he had ever seen. 

Clarence looked confused "This is what my teachers told me."

"Wow... even the good schools have shitty teachers." 

"I assume you are joking? None of the schools here are good." While Demiurge did his usual insult routine, Michael decided to break down Clarence's full meditation style.

"Clarence do you have a hard time meditating and when you cast spells does your mana pool take larger amounts of mana than usual, with very sup-optimal effects?" Clarence was shocked, all the symptoms that Michael listed were something he's been experiencing for the past months. 

"Yes! It's exactly been like this! None of my teachers can explain why."

While Michael was diagnosing the basic symptoms of magic impurity, that any proper mage could do, Clarence was obviously awed by Michael's superiority in knowledge over his ignorance of magical knowledge, albeit he did not know. On the other hand, Demiurge was also making his own list of problems, which Michael also mentioned to the poor teenager.

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 In all honesty, Demiurge was very surprised to see that even without his help, Michael already diagnosed Clarence with all the basic symptoms. 

"A quick change in his meditation style and spell selection will help him." Michael agreed to Demiurge's treatment and started to teach Clarence a new meditation style derived from his own style. After all, Michael can't divulge his own meditation style or else Clarence's mana purity might reach 100% and the school would be in an uproar. 

'Demiurge how rare is a 100% mana purity?'

"For low level mages, it is extremely rare but in higher levels, having anything below 100% is considered stupid." 

Clarence was in the middle of meditation with his new style while Demiurge and Michael was discussing future endeavors.

'So in my case...'

"Yes, it is extremely rare for someone of the initiate level to have a mana purity of 100%. It is also good as it will help you in the future; having a powerful and clean mana pool will help you ascend faster. If you didn't have such a problem with your mana growth, you'd already be advanced level."

'Already that high?'

"Not too high in my opinion, still trashy, not as trashy as now though."

On the other hand, Clarence was in deep thought of how amazing his current meditation style is. For the first time in his entire life, his mana was flowing smoothly instead of clogging like dirty mud in pipes. He slightly opened his eyes and stared at Michael, who was stoically staring at him with his unmoving white mask. 'This man is truly a godlike being, to be able to cure my problem immediately.' 

While Clarence was already in awe of Michael, Demiurge was insulting Michael about his shitty talent. 

Eventually Clarence finishes with his basic meditation and Demiurge already saw significant change in his mana purity. 

"His mana purity is now 32%."

'Thank you, non-physical voice inside my head.'

Clarence then sat straight and asked seriously. 

"How will I get the girl?" Michael almost forgot about that but thankfully the young hormone rich teenager reminded him. 

"You still want to try and woo the girl then?"

"Yes!" Clarence thought of the girl he was completely heads over heels for, he would give anything just to have her.

"Then you need to be better, you aren't anything impressive and until you become strong, you cannot demand anything." Clarence's excitement was immediately shot down as Michael told the truth. "But... you can try to at least impress her, is there anything that will allow you to be made known?"

Clarence thought for a while and he snaps his fingers quickly. "I've gone one!"

"What is it?" 

Clarence immediately stood up and started rummaging inside his unkempt room and emerged with a small piece of slightly rumpled paper. 

"What is that?" Clarence started straightening it out and immediately set it on front of Michael.

Michael read the slightly dirty peace of paper. "Highschool lower district tournament?"

Clarence was nodding his head quick as he was filled to the brim with excitement. 

Michael chuckled and looked at Clarence with a serious look. "Do you really expect to win in this?"

"Yes!"

"Where did your confidence come from?"

"From you!" Clarence was literally running on bravado and he was hoping for Michael to show him another level of power. 

"..."

"Sir with your help, I can easily go to the top! Once I'm there I can finally have the woman I want and tower over my former enemies." Clarence showed fire in his eyes, albeit not the fire that Michael likes. 

Michael sighed quietly as he studied Clarence once more. 'This kid is really lazy...' 

"What do you mean?"

'He plans on riding on my knowledge then throw me away once he's high and mighty.'

"Or maybe he's just a very ambitious kid."

'I hope so, but he already paid me, so I'll do my end of the bargain.'

"Clarence does the tournament have any prize?"

Clarence thinks for a while and says.

"It's usually money sir, but I think this year's tournament is different."

"Why so?"

"I heard it's because this generation is called the generation of geniuses."

Demiurge held his laughter while Michael inwardly grumbled. "I see, so what's the prize then?"

"Sir I think it's a mana stone."

Michael was walking back home without his expensive clothing. He was deep in thought while Demiurge was already planning.

"Michael, it seems fate has decided to be kind and showed us the way."

"Yes... it seems we'll have to train lil timmy to become a super mage."

"You mean mooch off my superior knowledge?"

"It's a win win situation for the both of us so shut up."

"That kid is average and he isn't anyone particularly impressive, even his attitude is not good, do you truly dislike him because of that?"

"I dislike people that waste their time, when I was 14 I was already out here fighting tooth for tooth just for the smallest scraps, so I wouldn't die from hunger." Michael sighed but he immediately calmed down. "I guess our lives are just too different for me to understand him."

"To understand who?" A female voice came out from the side and Michael practically jumped out of the way only to see Lisa wearing her school uniform, the uniform was from diamond sage's high school which was another school of the same named college. Lisa chuckles as she waves Michael's fear away. "Lately you've been talking to yourself more, I know you do it but lately its' kinda getting weird." Lisa smiled as she goes towards Michael.

"Oh Lisa, sorry I thought you were someone else." Lisa raises her eyebrow and smiles.

"Who did you mistake me for then?" 

'The one that killed me.' "Oh... no one'

"You mistaked me for no one? I didn't expect I was just nobody for you." Lisa jests while smiling. "Do you want to eat?"

Michael remembers the 10,000 credits in his wallet and he nods. "I'd like that."

"We can also talk about Eric."

"Eric?"

"Yeah, that bastard was recruited." Michael froze, if Eric was recruited that means he was personally backed by either a powerful clan or a school.

"I see... well while we're eating I can do a proper diagnosis on your state." 

"What are you talking about Michael? You can't just say that to a girl." Lisa pretended to be embarrassed.

"You know what I mean." Before meeting Demiurge, Michael already had a good grasp on meditation technique and mana purification, albeit he didn't know about the latter part, if not for Demiurge. But due to his knowledge, he helped Lisa develop a good and solid foundation, so she could grow to be a powerful mage.

"Don't worry! I've been following all your advice, my body is in perfectly good shape." Lisa posed with her hands. Michael smiled; he was always impressed by this girl's wide array of emotions. 

"I'll be the judge of that!" Michael chuckles. Lisa immediately grabs Michael by the arm and the two of them walk towards the busier part of the lower district, to look for food.