After the auction, Darius started doubling down on the education of the five Apprentices.

Things mostly continued as they were, only that their targets had changed from learning and mastering the Basic spell of their primary element to doing the same for their secondary element.

Having learned some shortcuts and tricks during their first attempt, the five went about it sharply, practicing day and night as if they were on steroids.

Of course, such a drug would never be able to hold a candle to the Lundar Dew they unknowingly enjoyed on the daily. In fact, Darius had increased the concentration they were receiving and many special materials the city had acquired during the auction were being used to prepare their meals

Their lectures in the morning had similarly shifted from the basics of magic to the laws of the various elements. Darius would make them learn the basic properties, utilities, and magical nodes that the elements passed through before they became spells.

It did not matter if they had access to that element at their current stage or not, he made sure that all of them not only memorized them, but understood them.

This knowledge would help them in various areas, be it combat, exploration, escape, or even education, assuming they would ever want to stand where Darius was standing right now.

If they couldn't even tackle something like this, how could they even dream about teaching talented Apprentices of various elements?

Their afternoon training sessions had also changed. Darius had given them many weapons skillbooks to read, and it became Gunner's job to train them in their usage.

He, like Darius, had declared which weapons the students would use and which they should use as their primary and secondary weapons.

Ash was to use a Sword and Lance. Reina was to use a Bow and Crossbow. Jonathan was to use a Broadsword and an Axe. James was to use a Dagger and Throwing Knives. Anthony was to use a Bo Staff and a strange alchemical creation Darius made called a Nimbus Cloud.

When Gunner had glanced at Darius with confusion, the fellow chuckled and told the Branded Servant that it was a quirk from his world of origin that he would understand later on. He recommended the half-giant to watch Journey to the West if he was that curious.

Whatever the case, now that they had adopted their weapons training, the intensity of their afternoons had increased. Unlike before where the only pain they had suffered had come in the form of sore muscles, now bruises from being beaten up due to their inability to match Gunner's raw skill was a common occurrence.

Even Anthony could not escape this despite his Nimbus Cloud giving him great mobility. Gunner did not have one himself, but his stats were beyond anything the Apprentices could match.

That was not even adding the fact that he would use the Soldering Gauntlets to drag them over if they managed to run too far away. As one might expect, Gunner's method of teaching them how to use them was through live combat.

He was just beating them until they themselves learned a sense of danger and honed their battle experience. Sitting down and telling them their flaws like some loving fellow just wasn't his style.

Whether you were a man, woman, cat, dog, or God, Gunner would show you his fist. After enough hits, you would naturally learn unless you liked the feeling of an arm the size of a tree knocking the shit out of you without mercy.

Actually, it was quite intense. Gunner seemed incapable of holding back or show kindness, so Xela was indirectly forced to watch over the training to prevent death or severe injuries.

It was only natural that Xela became the five fellows' spiritual pillar even more than had been the case during their first month of training. She often chastised Gunner to have mercy, but the large lad would gently pat her on the head then go back to brutalizing the Apprentices, leaving the Elven Princess speechless.

As barbaric as it might seem, the results spoke for themselves.

It was almost like life and death every time they entered the field so their senses got better and better until, even with stats lower than Gunner's, they were able to react to some of his attacks.

Seeing this kind of progress, Xela could only sigh and focus on keeping the student alive. By the time the second month ended, they were able to pass their assessment with more ease than the first time.

The third month had them study their third Basic spellbook and master the related spell, to which they also passed with flying colors when the month came to an end. In terms of physical prowess, they were now barely reaching Master-stage physical stats.

Now instead of running around and blocking what they could, they were able to block most of Gunner's attacks and could sometimes take a futile offensive against him which he would easily counter then send them on the ropes.

When the fourth month came to an end, their new assignment was once again to master another of the Basic element spells. The Apprentices managed to finish their task within 20-25 days and spent the last few days of the month resting after their intense afternoon sessions instead of practicing repeatedly until they mastered their spells.

This time, they were made to fight against Gunner as a group in order to train up their teamwork. As one could expect, it was a brutal rout every single time, as their chemistry was too low to overcome the beast named Gunner.

However, what was a sapient species if not adaptable? By the end of the fourth month, they could hold their own against Gunner and at least not doom each other to a beating due to a lapse in judgment and timing.

Their fifth month had them mastering their final Basic spell which took them roughly 15 days of the month. This time, they used their extra hours to practice their team formations in order to give Gunner a run for his money.

After being beaten for four months in a row, they finally schemed up a way to get one over Gunner and they waited till the last day of the fifth month to execute their dastardly plan.