Although I fail to see the point in reiterating one of the most oblivious point about myself, I am a teacher. That means my job is to stand in a classroom and prove to a bunch of kids I am qualified for the Ma.D in Mathematics I got in my past life. It's supposed to be an easy job, all things considered

It was morning when I depart from my temporary accomodation. Stepping into the street, I saw that it was lively as the day before. People are chatting animatedly with each other as lines of carriages passed by. It is a vibrant sensation that the capital bring on your normal day

Looking around, I slung the travel bag on my shoulder and started looking for my destination

In the first place, the reason why Johann Brown's past self travel here is to fulfill his passion as a teacher. His disappoinment with the current state of the kingdom's education led to dissatisfaction, prompting the man to quit his job for a chance to land a job here. 

Obviously, it wouldn't be an easy task

Elysia is a place where many talents gathered in hope of realizing their hopes and dreams. Like many places in my past life that advertise for the image of the "promised land", those who came here out of desperation tends to leave with shattered resolve. Many found themselves unable to tackle the insurmountable difficulty of staying here and gave up halfway

Why? Because while there are those who are passionate in their pursuit, there are also those whose talents naturally dwarves their enthusiasm.

Those who don't even try to get good results. Those who are lauded geniuses at birth. Those who are privileged, so to speak. They are the kind of people that naturally thrive in these kind of environment

I don't hate those kind of people. It is my disposition as a teacher that do

Like, "what the heck? You are a genius? Come, young master, you don't need a teacher! We can hire the country's top soldiers and scholars to educate you in their stead". Or "wow, you're a genius. Is that why your teacher ran out of things to teach you and is now having a case of crippling depression born from their innate inferiority complex?"

"Ugh" I slumped "It's only in the morning and I already feel down. "

I haven't even had breakfast yet. My instinct as a miser compelled me to only buy a cup of hot cocoa from the nearby bar before going on my way. The expense was made due to me already purchasing the Mana control books from the Magic Shop, thus wasting away what meagre amount of money I initially had

I glanced toward the distance, where a large building could be seen

Well, no matter. It seems like I'm about to arrive there soon

 

---

 

The central building is where all administrative affairs regarding this section of the capital is handled. However, once a year, it is open for an event that caused many to pour from all over the country here, in search of their own destiny 

That event is called the "Court Exam", where prestige and wealth is almost guaranteed with one's success

Strictly speaking, the exam consists of three tests. General knowledge. Career-orientation. Aptitude. The first to weed out the bottom ones. The second to divide the examinees for proficiency purpose. The third to determine our capability within that profession. Their purpose is to locate talented people who came here and assign them to various positions within the Kingdom

For reasons even I don't know, the profession here are mostly academic in nature. The one I'm aiming for is the position of a teacher. If I pass this, I'll be able to teach in most of the capital's academy with my degree alone. It is the only way I'll get a legitimate certificate here

It is for those benefits alone that I had already prepared beforehand and leave early so I might I had a chance to finished the registration before the day is over. Leaving the street, I entered the building in high spirit

When I turned up to the main hall however, it was to a long line of people already standing there before me

My eyes popped out of their socket

Excuse me, what the fuck? 

Y'all are applying for jobs too?

I looked around to see some of them chatting animatedly with one another.

The number here is far more than I can imagine. It seems as though not only people from outside the capital, but the residence here also seek to participate this time too-- From aged academic to young graduates, all kinds of people have gathered here and loitered around me

This year's competition is going to be high.

I took a deep breath, then exhale deeply

Johann Brown's previous position as a teacher gave me an advantage. Despite his poor background, he is also an enthusiast in the field of mathematics. I might stand a chance if I can use those knowledge of his in the upcoming exam

Of course, some of them might be genius at their respective fields, but that count for something right?

Suddenly, my bright morning doesn't seem so bright anymore

 

---

 

The Imperial Exam will take place in three days. Having registered after waiting for half a day under the morning sun, I am absolutely starving. Thus I decide to go visit the bar on my way home and have something to fill my stomach

"Good day, customer. What will you have?"

I looked at the friendly man before me

Somehow, he look a lot like Leslie. Briefly, I entertained the thought of them being brothers, but soon discard it. That is because I have been distracted by my stomach which had had nothing to eat this morning. Its rumbling demands for a larger sacrifice than usual

"Two plates of steak, please" Sighing, I ordered. He nodded with a strange expression on his face. I moved back to the back of the room and soon, the meal was served to me. I dug in with gusto, claiming the prized meat while planning to stuff myself up until I am full

However, I got a stomachache soon after that and have to spend the next hour stuck in the toilet. When I came out, my half eaten meal had already been taken by somebody else. Deciding not to question it, I dragged myself back to the guesthouse

 

---

 

After a deep sleep to compensate for this morning, the first thing I woke up to is the sight of the setting sun sinking below the horizon. Night has fallen on the capital. Blinking as they adjust to the darkness, my tired eyes scanned the dimly lit room with lethargy 

Now that I think about it, Johann Brown's dream to succeed has been a failure from the start

Since this morning I've had doubts regarding my chance to score a spot on the exam leaderboard. After some consideration to my own ability, the answer seems to be clear. There's no way I can pass the exam and earn my teaching certificate in this place

Not only was I a teacher from some backwater place, I am also a human who have yet to learn much beyond college-level mathematic. Even if I can utilize Johann's memory, the odds of me finding a job here in this Capital would be close to zero compared to the talents that no doubt gathered here for the exam!

"I have to find a way to gain an advantage" I closed my eyes "For my future career and for Johann's dream. Mostly the former"

The situation seems truly hopeless at that moment. I quietly thought about what my previous self would have done. No doubt he would be despairing at his own worthlessness by now. But I am not him. There's no way I would give up after travelling here

Thankfully, I soon realized there's a cheat I can exploit with my circumstances to further the success rate. It is something only players of "Imperial War Sword" would notice, and as an experienced player myself, I am confident I can use it to my advantage

I shuffled down from the bed to reach my suitcase. Opening it, I took out the leather bound magic books stored inside. They were the same tome I bought from the Magic shop which teach about controlling Mana

I opened the first book. In it there are pages detailing the fundamentals of Mana control, mostly by means of meditation and practice. I skimmed through the first few before flipping to the latter half of the tome. There, a list of basic pure Mana spells were displayed before me in simplified texts

'Mana Conversion...Mana Accumulation...Mana Sight...Mana Break... Those were low-level spells anyone could learn regardless of Attribute. However, there is only one of them I am interested in reading about as of the moment

'Here it is, Mana Reinforcement'

A basic spell that involves the internal channeling of Mana to procure better performance from said bodypart. Upon activation, the user receive a buff to their strength and agility for a short amount of time, resulting in increased battle performance

However, the protagonist discover later in the game that they can also improve different functions of their body aside from bones and muscles. For example, boosting the heart for faster blood circulation, the lungs for faster stamina recovery. Even the more intimate parts for unmentioned bedroom activities can be reinforced if the user is brave enough

At first, the players including me didn't pay much thought to it considering the stat gain is inferior to other beginner spell, but that was before we learn about how versatile it is

It was when I was scratching my head that this idea came to me

Since this is the real world, there's no program limitation when it comes to the application of spells. Then..what would happen if one were to use Reinforcement on the human brains? 

I focused on the flow of magical energy in my body and began directing it to my will. The conglomerated Mana began rushing upward toward my closed eyes and temple, encasing it in a gentle blue hue. As if a switch has been flicked, when I opened them, my vision had suddenly became clearer

The swift change of perception caught me offguard

 

Beginner Spell: [Mana Reinforcement] has been learned

[Mana Reinforcement]: By focusing one's Mana into a specific part of their body, the user can temporarily increase that bodypart's operational function. Cost 1 Mana unit / sec to maintain

[Growth Acceleration] has been activated. Due to host's innate knowledge of the World, spell mastery has been increased

 

 

"..." I hesitantly opened one of my textbook, then immediately closed it.

It seems like every texts I glanced at are now already memorized.

I couldn't help but marveled at the surprising learning rate. But a problem soon presented itself. This spell's level may be at the bottom ter, but it still causes my Mana to be depleted. Rather than the cost itself being too high, my Mana reserve is too low to be able to maintain it over a long period of time

This is qite frustrating. Even when my [Growth Acceleration] Attributes somehow reduce the time needed to learn the spell, in the end I can't even use it. 

As the Mana ran out and my brains Reinforcement returned to normal, I shook my head

"What an amateur"

Looks like I still have a lot to learn, if I want to survive in this world

 

---

 

"What an amateur"

The moment she heard that, the girl immediately cut the link to her position from within the room. Her heart drummed wildly within her chest as she took a sharp breath

...Did he sense her? How could that man-- She is sure her presence is perfectly hidden!

Emerald green eyes narrowed in the darkness as the girl glanced around. Thankfully, there were no counter-tracking spell targeting her. He target likely did not know how to cast them, or he chose to let her go

She recalled the morning today when that man walked out from his room. Following him is an easy task, doubly so when he willingly walked into the town hall where many of her spies are working. At that time she thought he was just easy prey

But that soon turned for the worse when he entered the bar for lunch. The man had ordered two plates of steak, but only ate one. When she arrived, the agent there had already prepared the spare meal for her, as if already knowing her effort to tail him has been busted from the start

It may be an inconspicuous clue, but to those of her profession, a meal reserved for them is the most humiliating mark their target could pull. It proves they are nothing but incompetent at their job

The girl thought she would personally take a look at Johann Brown after what William just told her yesterday, but to think that guy already catch on and predicted someone being sent after him!...

"...No. Maybe it's just a coincidence?" She questioned. After calming down, looking objectively at the problem, it is unlikely for those words to indicate his knowledge about her being there. The meal can be explained with legitimate reasons. At most, she has probably freaked out for nothing

He couldn't have caught on to her Mana that quickly, right?

Seeing no way to reestablish the severed the connection, the assassin reluctantly faded back into the shadow. Her eyes stay affixed to the room of that man, a sense of slight wariness rising up in her