"But before that..."
Morin picked up a cup of tea, took a small sip, and spoke calmly.
"Since you're all my students now, and I've begun teaching you things that are genuinely useful-and you've already grasped some basics-then we should talk about something else."
"...Tuition fees."
Although he was technically a worker, Morin had no intention of working for free.
The teacher profession already granted him ability bonuses, but that had nothing to do with making money.
Making money was necessary.
Otherwise, how was he supposed to level up his profession and skills?
Eric and the other two froze.
A second ago, they had been discussing the survival of an entire race.
The next second, they were talking about tuition.
The transition was far too abrupt.
"H-how much... is the tuition?" Charles asked.
"Not much," Morin waved his hand casually.
"Ten million dollars per person."
"Phew, that's good," Charles let out a breath of relief.
"I'll pay for all three of us."
Given what Morin had taught them, the price really wasn't high.
"You'll pay?" Eric glanced at Charles.
The look in his eyes was clear.
So you're secretly rich?
"I just happen to have a large estate at home," Charles smiled modestly after reading his expression.
"And with my abilities, getting money is fairly simple."
Charles was a good person.
But he had no issue extracting money from bad people.
Money was never a concern for him.
He could always have a "heart-to-heart" talk with a mob boss.
Everyone would walk away satisfied.
"Actually, none of you should be short on money," Morin waved his hand again.
"Or rather, you simply haven't figured out how to use your abilities properly."
With the tuition settled, motivation naturally followed.
"This also ties into what I'm about to talk about-regarding the future of mutants."
"Alright."
"Let's officially begin."
...
"First," Morin said, "mutants are appearing all over the world."
"Different countries and different systems will naturally lead to different responses. Covering everything would be too broad, so let's start with the most immediate case."
"The United States."
He then began a long and detailed analysis.
In truth, if racial hatred in the U.S. weren't so deeply rooted, and if the government held stronger centralized authority, the conflict between mutants and ordinary humans wouldn't have escalated so far.
Morin wasn't deliberately implying anything.
If mutants appeared in China, the outcome would be completely different.
There wouldn't be large-scale rebellion or war.
Professor X would be recruited directly into a political department.
And Magneto?
An electromagnetic manipulator capable of processing materials with atomic-even subatomic-precision?
Forget research.
He'd be recruited to manufacture chips or machinery.
Earning hundreds of millions a day wouldn't be a dream.
What demand couldn't be met by someone who could single-handedly advance human technology?
To put it bluntly-
If someone were powerful enough, laws might be rewritten just for them.
With wealth, status, resources, and teams dedicated to developing their abilities, why would they rebel?
They wouldn't be idiots.
And even in the most extreme scenario-
With a population of fourteen billion and a massive military, would no one be able to stop them?
It was unthinkable.
Most people were rational.
"However," Morin said bluntly, "based on America's consistent approach, I'm more inclined to believe they'll choose suppression and experimentation over appeasement and guidance."
He was simply stating facts.
"...That's true," Charles said after a moment of thought.
"I've seen their thoughts. Even that director thinks the same way."
"In fact, the two of you already have the ability to solve this," Morin smiled.
"As long as you work together."
"Since ancient times, fists have always been the most effective way to speak. If all mutants unite, concentrate their strength, and adopt a completely new system..."
"You mean..." Charles hesitated.
"Establish a country?"
"Why not?" Morin raised an eyebrow.
"You already have the strength. What you lack is equal status. With that, you gain the right to speak."
"You wouldn't need to negotiate endlessly or clash with existing systems. You could directly establish a new one-one that protects mutants without harming ordinary people."
"That would require strict systems and strong control," Charles frowned.
"And we'd need to consider other countries, as well as mutants who have families and don't want to leave."
"This could easily lead to conflict..."
"First," Morin said calmly, taking another sip of tea,
"by then, your strength would be sufficient to prevent conflict-or suppress it if necessary."
"Second, any new system emerging from an old one inevitably involves bloodshed."
"The difference lies in how much blood is shed-and whether it's worth it."
"You should never aim to completely avoid sacrifice."
"You can only minimize it."
"And to minimize sacrifice, you must become stronger."
"Which means-study hard."
There was something Morin didn't say.
Anything gained without blood or sacrifice, no matter how precious, was rarely cherished.
Only things that left scars were remembered.
...
Morin didn't go into details about the system itself.
He only provided a feasible direction.
Specific frameworks needed to be adjusted based on reality.
Even Morin couldn't give those now.
And he wouldn't.
That was homework.
Only by doing it themselves would they truly understand it.
Afterward, the three of them went to Cerebro-the massive spherical structure Hank had converted from a radar installation.
"I call it CEREBRO," Hank said, rubbing his hands.
"That's Spanish for 'brain,' right?" Charles asked, looking around.
"Yes," Hank said, pointing at the helmet in the center.
"The electrodes connect to your brain and the rooftop transmitter. The device amplifies your psychic power, allowing you to search a much wider range."
"Thank you," Charles said, glancing at Morin.
"Do I still need to study?"
"Of course," Morin replied without looking up from his book.
"This is just a tool. You don't understand how it works or the principles behind it."
There was no escaping studying.
As a teacher, Morin would make sure of that.
"Okay..." Charles sighed.
"If you need the principles, you can ask me," Hank offered kindly.
"No, thanks," Charles declined politely.
"I think I'll master it better if I learn it myself."
"Alright," Hank said casually.
"This thing is actually very complex, so..."
He continued explaining.
"Once the connection is established, Charles can search for mutants. His brain sends induced currents back to the system."
He walked over to a printer.
"The system converts the data into coordinates, which are then printed here."
"I'll try," Charles said, stepping into the center and putting on the helmet.
"You look like a cute lab mouse," Eric teased.
"Stop it," Charles smiled helplessly.
"I used to be one. I recognize it," Eric shot back.
"Okay, okay," Hank said, double-checking the connections.
"Are you sure you don't want to shave your head?"
"No one is touching my hair," Charles said seriously.
At the moment, his hair was still long and flowing.
"There was someone who said that once," Morin said, closing his book.
"He lost his hair later."
"That won't happen to me," Charles replied confidently.
"I hope so," Morin smiled.
He quietly extended his psychic perception, observing the amplification effect.
"Ready?" Hank asked.
"Yes," Charles said, hands behind his back-then paused.
"Why isn't there a chair?"
"I forgot," Hank pressed the start button.
"Standing should be fine."
The current surged.
Cerebro activated.
"Ah!" Charles grabbed the railing.
His perception range expanded instantly-countless times over.
With it came an overwhelming flood of information.
For a moment, it felt like his brain might explode.
But years of training showed their value.
Charles quickly adjusted, adding a mental filter.
Relief followed.
One mutant after another appeared in his perception.
Their locations were transmitted to the system.
The printer began producing results.
"As expected," Morin nodded silently.
"Even a first-generation Cerebro is already magnitudes stronger."
Morin already possessed psychic power.
After teaching Charles how to face the future of mutantkind, a new skill appeared beneath his [Entry-level Teaching Skill].
[Entry-level Telepathic Controller].
Raven's shapeshifting hadn't appeared.
Morin wasn't sure whether it couldn't be extracted-or if Raven simply hadn't learned anything.
He suspected the latter.
It didn't matter.
He didn't want her ability anyway.
Even if he obtained it, he'd delete it.
What mattered most was Eric's electromagnetism.
Then Charles's telepathy.
On its own, Charles's telepathy wasn't exceptional.
Combined with electromagnetism?
It was a walking Cerebro.
A fully self-contained system.
The perfect combination.
Now, Morin only needed to protect his students and teach them sincerely.
As long as they studied and improved, he'd receive more feedback.
Morin wasn't the type to take without giving back.
Even if the system granted the abilities, he wouldn't hold back in teaching.
He would change their tragic trajectories.
Help them avoid detours.
Guide them toward an ideal world.
And as their teacher-
That alone was satisfying.
"One step at a time..." Morin murmured, watching names print one after another.
...
After identifying the mutants, Charles and Eric left on recruitment trips.
Morin went with them.
The excuse was supervision.
As for Raven, who stayed behind-
Abandoning a student didn't sit well with Morin.
But Raven's learning ability left him helpless.
If academic underachievers had rankings, she'd be at the top.
Eric was illiterate.
But he wasn't an underachiever.
He was a true high-achiever with frightening learning speed.
Perhaps Morin's buffs-and his desire for revenge-played a role.
Raven, however...
She was briefly motivated after Morin mentioned her potential.
Then it vanished.
There was no bringing her back.
So Morin handed her off to Hank.
After all, there was something between them.
As for what they were doing-
Who knew?
Charles had already paid Morin for all three during the trip.
Thirty million dollars.
Morin's teacher profession jumped straight from entry-level to advanced.
The bonus was countless times stronger than before.
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