Come and join us on the journey of our mc Jin in the would of fallen celestials where magic reign supreme. In a world where mythical monster are common as grass, and tree where dragons have to kneel to those higher beings with unmeasurable mana

When Douglas asked the question, he was looking at Lucien. Naturally, it was his own thought that mattered in such celebrations.
"The celebrations for the previous few arcanists were all held together with the celebrations for their advancement into legendary. Holding it twice will be too troublesome and waste too much time. Also, I feel inappropriate to celebrate when I am not a legendary sorcerer yet. So, let's hold the celebration after I advance into legendary." Lucien expressed his opinion.
Although being congratulated in ceremonies was a delightful experience for most people, and the arcanists in the past were no exceptions, holding celebrations repetitively for the same reason would turn joy into numbness and eventually torture.
Also, during the celebration, the Elf's Royal Palace, the Elder Council of the Druids and the friends of the Dark Congress would definitely send their legendary experts to come. When he got in touch with them closely, it would be easy to expose the fact that he had already advanced into legendary. Then, the enemy would avoid the major mistake in intelligence and be much better prepared against Lucien.
Fernando leaned against the back of his chair and nodded. "I agree with Lucien. Although grand arcanist is the most appreciated and glorious title within the Congress, only legendary means the fundamental improvement of life. It's a sublimation that every class acknowledges."
Now that Lucien himself and his teacher said the same thing, the other members of the Highest Council naturally did not pursue it any further.
Douglas nodded in approval. "I had been worried that Lucien would be arrogant because of the two major achievements during the 'night of miracles'. I'm happy to see that he is as modest, cautious and rational as before, and that he understands the importance of his own strength."
Lucien tightened his facial muscles to prevent himself from laughing out loud. The president was certainly not bad at acting at all!
"However, the fact that Lucien has become a grand arcanist should not be unannounced. Otherwise, the other arcanists in the Congress would be misled into thinking that we do not welcome the growing young people." Douglas went on, "I propose that 'News of the World' and 'Arcana Voice' announce the news in their program to make as many arcanists, nobles and ordinary people as possible know."
"What about the previous methods? Should they be applied?" A thick book, evidently one on the list that Lucien gave to her, was placed before Hellen. She was reading it so carefully that she was only sparing part of her attention to the meeting.
That was her meeting habit. None of the Highest Council felt anything strange about it. Except for the critical subjects and the discussions that involved herself, few things could drag her out of the world of arcana and magic studies. However, since it was her turn to guard the Affair Committee in the next five years, she would have to instruct the Affair Committee regarding similar matters, so she had to ask.
The previous methods of the Congress of Magic was to inform the local branches and ask them to forward the news to the sorcerers and apprentices in their jurisdiction. Also, the cover of every journal would be added with a line that specified who was granted the title of grand arcanist for what by the Congress for three issues in a row.
Douglas said affirmatively, "It was my special proposal just now. The previous ways will also be adopted."
"Part of the sorcerers do not have the habit of listening to the radio. There will be sometime before the journal is released. So, I propose a letter be sent to the magic tower of every senior-rank sorcerer to tell them Evans has become a grand arcanist." Said 'Prophet' Bergner, who was wearing the typical grey, pointy hat of the Tower.
The Congress of Magic did not have many senior-rank members. According to Lucien's impression, there were only about five hundred of them. It wouldn't be too troublesome to send a letter to each of them. So, none of the Highest Council objected to the Prophet's suggestion.
Douglas announced after a smile, "The first subject is now over. On behalf of the Congress, I now give Lucien the title of grand arcanist."
While talking, he took out an emblem and handed it over to Lucien. It was rather similar to the arcana badge, except the darkness was more profound, and the background was glittering stars, making it look like a real and vast sky.
It was a unique badge that represented a grand arcanist and included the permissions of the Highest Council. Although it only had the magic effect of 'Free Movement', it could mobilize the power of the magic towers in Allyn.
After Lucien put the emblem on his chest, applause echoed again. It marked that he had officially become a grand arcanist and a member of the Highest Council.
"The second subject is how to effectively control the four countries of the strait and how to diminish the foundation of the Church's faith." Douglas stopped smiling. "You must've witnessed Benedict II's two God's Arrivals. It is not hard to say that, even though the power of faith was not why it was so destructive, the prayer of the believers and the clerics were at least a trigger to perform it. If the faith of the general public is diminished, it may be difficult to cast God's Arrival or other divine powers."
"Whatever the result is, it is at least what we should work on. What do you think?"
Grant, the Light of Stars, said straightforwardly, "We can strike the faith in the God of Truth like how the Church hunted sorcerers in the past."
He was a tall, slim, middle-aged man without a beard. His eyes were like the most brilliant and pure stars, which filled him with amazing charisma.
"We can't." Erica, 'Master of Transformation', objected, "The clerics in the four countries of the strait and the north coastline are building a mild church. Also, our control is far from flawless. Reckless actions will only result in turmoil and give other enemies opportunities. You should know that the North Church has been keeping distance from us since we controlled this area."
Having operated in the Duchy of Calais for years, the Eye of Curse and her were deeply associated with local nobles. They were the pro-nobles within the Congress.
The Eye of Curse followed. "If we strike the mild believers, we cannot dissuade other clerics and nobles in the future. We have to achieve our purpose in more approachable ways."
"I agree with Erica and Atlant." Crossing his fingers, Brook said solemnly. "I believe that you must've noticed that, because of 'Arcana Voice', the ordinary people's faith has reduced a lot in the past years, which can be seen by the frequency of their liturgical sessions and their daily talk. So, I believe that promoting magic radios and increasing the attraction of the programs are by far the most effective methods."
There were plenty of sorcerers and apprentices in Rentato, which allowed the Congress to detect the changes of the ordinary people quickly.
Hearing Brook's opinion, Holt and the other members of the Highest Council looked at Lucien. He was the one who invented broadcast and who settled the programs. He was the authority in broadcasting.
Lucien did not back off but said after rolling his quill for a while. "It's very reasonable to deploy two channels right now. Together with the two channels that the Hoffenberg family and the Kingdom of Holm are going to establish, we don't need more programs. For the ordinary people, they are busy with life during the day and do not have the time for radio except the night. If there are too many channels in the period, they will be distracted from 'Arcana Voice'."
"The most important thing we should do is to lower the cost of magic radios and promote it to most families."
"In that case, we should ban the personal radio stations." The Moon Scholar added.
Klaus, as the Alchemy Master, offered his professional opinion. "We have received another batch of dwarf artisans, but they are not enough. It will take even longer for us to train our own workers. Therefore, in the foreseeable future, even if the cost of magic radios is lowered, it still cannot meet the demand of popularization."
"If there are more mechanical products that can replace the functions of part of the magic circles, we may be able to make breakthroughs."
"Natasha, James and I had a plan about the popularization." Lucien proposed their discussion last year. In the end, he said, "Apart from that, I have some other thoughts."
"Feel free to speak. You always have new things that amaze us." Douglas hinted Lucien to continue with a smile, and none of the Highest Council objected.
Lucien coughed and said, "The magic radios cannot be popularized partly because of their cost and partly because ordinary people earn too little to afford them. By the same logic, a society based on such a foundation makes it impossible for us to reap more wealth. Although the nobles are rich, there are simply too few of them."
"We should work with Holm, Brianne and other countries and come up with a five-year alchemy industry boosting plan. Through our investment and inventions, the jobs with better pay will increase, so that the ordinary people will earn more, and the overall wealth of the society will grow."
"Lucien, you have the potential to be the prime minister of the kingdom. Your idea of the overall wealth of the society is not bad." Klaus said half jokingly, "The problem is that most ordinary people are incapable of working in the alchemical workshops."
The alchemical workshops in the magic society had much a higher demand than the factories in the industrial age, because the ordinary people in the industrial age were already reasonably educated.
Lucien smiled, "Why are they incapable? Because they lack the necessary knowledge and skills, which can be made up by education. I believe that the education in the kingdoms where teachers teach individuals in private is too obsolete. We should promote magic schools and let more people improve themselves by learning. Also, as soon as they know more things and their horizons are widened, they will definitely be less devout."
It was exactly what Lucien tried to do since the beginning: change society and change the fate of the ordinary people!
"Yes, the more knowledgeable someone is, the less likely they will be a pious believer." Fernando nodded slightly and said, "Before, we couldn't promote schools because the area was not under our control. It's about time."
Lucien added, "I suggest that schools be divided into two kinds. The first kind offers five-year education, where language and common sense in arcana, magic, biology, religion, history and law will be taught. I call it generic education. The Congress of Magic and the kingdoms will cover part of the cost, and the ordinary people will cover the rest. While their fundamental abilities are improved, we can also directly select the people with great arcana talents from schools, which will be easier than the past."
"The second kind is the professional education designed to provide talents for the major alchemical workshops. The alchemical workshop will cover all the cost, the Congress will provide teachers, and the kingdoms will waive their taxes. The ordinary people will sign an apprentice contract before they enter such schools and have to go to the corresponding alchemical workshop after their graduation. I have named such schools 'Lanxiang[1]'."
[1] to be explained in the next chapter.


"A falling star has brought the chaos. The throne of fate has lost its master. The nonbeliever who walks in light and darkness will make his debut."
In this magic world, knowledge is power.

Population: 20 million


Area Size: 3405 km² 

Population Density: 5874 per km²

About: A large urban metropolis characterized by its sprawling urban landscape and its tall skyscrapers. Due to its location by the ocean, Palisia is a prosperous city with bustling activity. It is a major internationalized city with food and other items from other locations in the world. Design of Palisia, from architecture, infrastructure, and education, are all influenced by Shanghai and Tokyo. 

Transportation Systems: Many civilians of Palisia own cars, which they drive on the roads and highways of the city. However, the main transportation that civilians use are the public transport systems, which are the trains and buses. There are many train and bus stations, but the train stations are often bigger and busier due to their high usage rate by the population.

Trains: Due to the high population density of Palisia, land is scarce and is valued. The architects of the city designed the railways in a way that they take up as less space as possible. This is the reason why the majority of railroad lines are either elevated above ground or underground. Train ticket prices are regulated by the government due to the state ownership of the rails, which keeps the price cheap. For example, going for the far end of Nocsinis to the far end of Morian costs about 40 Vil. (See map for the distance)

Buses: Although not as widely used as the trains, the buses are a major transportation device for short distance travel. Due to the fact that the buses have to comply with the general traffic of the city, it isn't often on time exactly, but one can expect about a five minute margin of error. Buses are also owned by the government, which controls the prices. Due to the fact that buses are for short distance travels, its price is low at 15 Vil, no matter which station you get off at.

Taxi: The taxi system in Palisia is quite convenient. Not only do they pick up customers while driving around the city, if one does not see an empty taxi, which is quite common in Palisia, one can use the official taxi app to call a taxi to your location. Since the taxi company is partially owned by the government, the fixed rate is quite low, at only 50 Vil for the first two km and each km from that on is 20 Vil. And if one uses the taxi service during any times after 11:00 PM and before 5:00 AM, the starting fee will be 80 Vil for the first two km and each km from that on will be 40 Vil.

Currency: In Vilheim, the currency unit is Vil.

10 Vil = 1 USD

And as for prices of objects in Palisia, a new smartphone is about 7000 Vil.

Palisia is a cashless society, meaning that its residents use virtual currency. The government controls the banking system and partners with all smartphone companies. This allows the government to guarantee the usage of virtual wallets. In all places in the city, such as vending machines, stores, restaurants, and on the public transit, there exists a scanner that one can just hover their phone over to pay.

Economy: The city houses a bustling economy with low unemployment rate due to government programs that hire those that are less fortunate to do public service jobs such as cleaning the city streets. The city also is a majority middle class society, with the medium salary of Palisians being about 800000 Vil annually, meaning 50% of all Palisians earn less, and 50% earn more.

There also exists a variety of jobs in Palisia due to its highly modern society. Technological jobs are on the rise as the government pushes for innovation, granting a boom of Mana Architects and Mana Machinery Designers.

Education: The empire of Vilheim requires its residents to complete at least high school. However, after finishing high school people can choose whether or not they would like to pursue a higher education at a university. Palisia has a large number of schools and universities, both public and private. From kindergarten to middle school, students attend their nearest school. However, for high schools and universities, students would have to apply and pass a test.

Marriage: In Vilheim, the legal age for marriage is 16 years old, meaning that a 16 year old can marry anyone they would like no matter the age. However, it's not that common for people to marry that young.

In addition, the age of consent in Vilheim is also 16 years old, but it is not enforced strictly as the act of sex is often done in privacy.

Government: The government of Vilheim is a monarchy, with the absolute power belonging to the Emperor. The system of the government is such that local residents elect representatives to the Emperor's Council, and they bring issues to the Emperor and the Council. Smaller problems are handled by the Council with minimum Emperor intervention, but major problems such as tax rates and war declarations are controlled by the Emperor. 

The nation of Vilheim is split into provinces, each with their own major city known as the Capital. The provinces have their own small local government with a governor appointed by the Emperor. Small problems are taken care of by the local government, and major issues are decided on by the Emperor.

I'm just me. An ordinary high school boy with no girlfriend, not too many friends, and no talent.  What I enjoy doing after school is roaming around the halls, hoping that like in the cliche anime and manga, I'll bump into someone that'll change my life. Of course, nothing is going to happen. What do you expect? 

But, this APP on my phone is kind of weird. I don't remember installing it. If I click on it, it asks me to complete missions. But how the hell am I supposed to do these embarrassing tasks?


Update Schedule:
I will post new chapters usually once a day, but that is subjected to change depending on my schedule as I am a student in my final year of high school. During breaks, I will usually post multiple chapters per day.

Thanks to Casath and Hanung delivering items around for the merchants in the district, I had a lot more free time in the evening. Since I didn't need to tire myself with carrying supplies all day long, I was able to put in more effort in learning the Demon language alphabet under Amber's guidance, and I didn't fall asleep like on the first day.
Speaking of the deliverers, the two seemed to enjoy their new jobs. It wasn't physically taxing for either of them, so they were happy about getting paid a decent salary for work that wasn't too demanding. They were especially glad that the merchants eventually forgave the two for causing trouble the previous month, and even got small tips for helping out with deliveries. The two used to shiver whenever I ran into them and jokingly said "debts," but they didn't react to the word by the fifth day. Seems like the services was a bit… too popular.
A side effect of the delivery service was that bulk purchases became more common in the town, so several shopkeepers recorded the highest profits since they opened. Since I was the one responsible for the two couriers, the shopkeepers often came by my shop in the early evening to invite me for a drink as thanks. Unfortunately, because multiple shopkeepers invited me like that, one drink became two, then three, and so on. I think I was averaging around seven beer mugs per night.
In any case, a week went by without incident, and I was now able to read and write using characters of the Demon language without much trouble. I only studied the alphabet, though, so I still have no idea what texts written in the language meant, but I suppose studying vocabulary and grammar can be set aside for a while. After all, I'm only interested in being able to read the chants and incantations for spells used by demons, and Amber can help me read and translate the descriptions of what the spells do and how to invoke them.
During the week of learning, Amber gave me various texts to practice reading with. They weren't written in the Demon language; they were instead written in the common language but transcribed with the Demon alphabet. I'm used to listening to various dialects and accents of the common language, but to see a different way of writing it is a bit strange. I'd have to admit that it does look nicer and much easier to read when fewer brushes of the pen are used. Amazingly, all the characters and accent marks in the Demon alphabet were sufficient for transcribing almost all variants of the common language.
Anyhow, the texts Amber gave me were varied in topics, but it gave me a lot of insight on world knowledge, and the systems put in place in the Demon King territory.
To start off, with the exception of time, measurements were taken using other objects as reference or estimates, such as distance by horse, or weight in stones, and so on. It's quite amazing how nobody ever found the inability to take precise measurements annoying. In any case, the Demon King had put into practice a standardized system of measurement units.
The continent we were in was a giant land mass whose shape resembled a giant rhombus that spanned 5500 kilometers wide and 5000 kilometers long at its largest parts. There were various small uninhabited islands in the ocean that surrounded the large landmass, and strangely nobody has ever come back alive to report on what existed beyond 150 kilometers from the ocean shore. Whether or not another continent existed was thus a mystery, so people collectively referred to the continent we were in as "this world" or "this earth". 
The Demon King's territory was at the northern part of the continent, taking up an area that was about 1300 kilometers wide and 800 kilometers long. The east and west sides of the Demon King's territory were the ocean due to the continent's rhombus shape, so the war took place at the southern border because mysterious disappearances in the ocean meant that neither side had funded a navy. Since the two ends of the border were extremely rough mountainous terrain, the fighting actually only commenced along about 60 kilometers of the border, while the remaining 1240 was completely neglected by both sides.
People have considered crossing the neglected area before, but there were rumors of the region being nesting grounds for dragons. Such creatures were said to be large, powerful, and impossible to tame, so the act of traveling through the neglected area was essentially a suicidal act. On a side note, this neglected area was supposedly where rogue monsters that escaped from farms crossed over to the other side of the border. The monsters just somehow knew how to avoid getting discovered by the dragons, apparently.
Sachiru town was only 100 kilometers north of the border, while the capital of the Demon King territory was another 180 kilometers further north. Conveniently, the Demon King's name, his capital city, and his territory were all referred to as Badoth. The opposing side's capital and its territory, which were both referred to as Kitrod, was 1700 kilometers south of the border at the center of the rhombus. It's quite remarkable that the Demon King managed to hold off the Kitrod army for so long despite being relatively close to the border and controlling a significantly smaller amount of land.
The reading materials Amber gave me didn't talk much about the Demon King, other than the fact that he founded Badoth about 70 years ago and had been at war with Kitrod since then. Up until now, I had assumed that "for generations" meant the war had been going on for far longer than that, but it turns out only three or four generations have passed since then…
The political systems on both sides were quite similar, with the king or emperor being the head of state. The king was assisted by a direct adviser and administrator, which in both kingdoms was the prime minister. Because of the size of the land, Kitrod was comprised of several small states that pledged allegiance to it due to that state having the largest territory and military sizes. While the king of Kitrod was the commander in chief of the army, Badoth had a chief of war to manage the army for the king, which in this case was commander Mavuto. This was in part due to the size of the kingdom: the king of Kitrod needed to have an army of his own in order to lower the risk of a violent coup, while the size of Badoth was sufficiently small that the king did not need an iron fist to suppress dissent.
Badoth, on the other hand, was one single state divided into the central area that housed the capital and eight smaller provinces, each managed by a governor appointed by the king that had to report to and receive instructions from the king regularly. Each governor was also designated to be a general of their province's army, with the exception of the southern province's governor. The appointees that the king selects are chosen from a list, which was compiled based on local votes.
I felt like commander Mavuto was always under a lot of pressure, though: he lived in the south province because of the constant state of war, so he was given some extra responsibilities, whereby he had to manage two different armies (the royal army and the southern province's army), maintain regular contact with the Demon King and his eight governors, and cooperate with the southern governor in keeping the province under control due to the fact that his presence there meant that there was a large number of nonresidents. How does he even have the mental capacity for this job? I feel like one would be going insane with all the stress and work piled up like that. Was it perhaps because domestic issues are foregone or set on low priority during wartime?
The law of the land was mostly similar on both sides of the border, however Badoth law allows parties to settle disputes through combat. To prevent the abuse of power, the method of battle and rewards for the victor must be agreed upon by both parties before the fight. While this generally prevented a significantly stronger party from exploiting others, it wasn't uncommon for "accidents" to occur to those who constantly declined battle challenges in inconspicuous places when the law was first introduced. As a result, it became public acceptance that that strong individuals should receive more benefits and hold high political positions, and the list of potential governors sent to the king would often only name the strongest individuals in a province.
Luckily, because of the regular reports to the king, and also due to occasional surprise inspections at the provinces, the local authorities would often do their best to serve the interests of the people instead of their own (or rather, to serve what the king thinks are the interests of his subjects).
Since people in high positions often had a large number of followers, extreme cases of power abuse or corruption would almost always lead to banishment, since execution would often result in backlash or possible rebellion from said person's followers. I have no idea what methods they use for exiling people, but the exiled are usually never able to find their way back to Badoth. In any case, the expulsion of high profile (and thus high powered) individuals and their entourage often resulted in the occasional appearance of "boss monsters" in high bounty adventurer quests in Kitrod.
As a consequence of the combat rule, seven of the eight governors were greater demons, the strongest class of demons. The only governor who wasn't a greater demon was the southern province's governor, since commander Mavuto was already present. Due to their strength and prowess in battle, each of the governors was also the general of their province's army and had the additional task of reinforcing the royal army at the south border, in rotation.
Since local troops from each province were only called to battle once every sixteen days and had to stay on the battlefield for at most four days, army fatigue was relatively low and morale was quite high as a result. This was why the Demon King army had not fallen or lost territorial control despite being at a severe disadvantage in numbers over the past 70 years.
Territorial matters aside, there were dozens of different races in this world. Unfortunately, the people of the Kitrod empire mostly discriminated against races that didn't look similar to humans, so Kitrod's population was almost entirely human, while Badoth's population consisted of primarily non-human races and a large number of undead creatures. Based on what the writings state, it seems that I might be the only non-undead human in the state of Badoth… While not all citizens were in favor of the constant state of war or the fact that their race's physical and magical limits would prevent them from obtaining positions of power, they were seemingly content with living in Badoth since it was the only place where they were not discriminated against.
There was no census conducted on either side of the border, but scholarly estimates based on tax revenue and testimonies of traveling merchants indicate that Kitrod had a population of 50 to 55 million, 99 percent of which were human, and Badoth had a population of 10 to 12 million, five percent of which were undead creatures. While I did mention racial discrimination did not exist in Badoth, the undead were an exception. Their souls were bound to something in the living realm, so they almost all served as slaves of whoever raised them from the dead. That said, it didn't seem like commander Mavuto treated his supply officer like a slave, so kudos to that giant zombie ogre.
"Why are all these texts so detailed? I've learned a lot more about this world over the past week than from twenty years of living in Kitrod."
"They were compiled from intelligence reports."
"Wait, wouldn't that mean this stuff is classified? I'm not going to get silenced for reading all of these, am I?"
"Nope! They're part of basic education textbooks now."
Speaking of which, basic education on worldly matters and higher education in Kitrod was only available to the elites that could afford private tutoring. For everyone else, basic education was achieved through oral tradition and apprenticeships under a mentor. There was thus a large gap between what the elites knew and what the general population of Kitrod knew, and so positions of power were reserved for the wealthy as the general population was considered "too dumb" to rule.
In Badoth, basic education was mandatory for two a year or two using textbooks similar to what I read over the past week, so the general population of Badoth was more knowledgeable in basic affairs. A major problem, however, was that higher education was usually not available since one's merits in battle were more valued than merit in research. Small institutions still existed nonetheless, to teach those aiming for positions of power about advanced things necessary for their jobs.
In my case, I learned how to read and write, as well as basic magic from a novice mage in return for helping him with housework and other daily chores. He was only a novice, so he couldn't teach me anything beyond the basic level, but the fact that I could read was already good enough. Since nobody took fire magic seriously, I was able to obtain books on intermediate and advanced fire magic for free and self study that, thus becoming who I am today…

Some say that being an adventurer doing quests for a living was a wonderful job because of the freedom and exploration that comes with the job.

Unfortunately, that kind of life wasn't suited for everyone. A mage who found the life of an adventurer too difficult decides to retire and operate an alchemy store instead.

He gains a bit of fame from running one of very few alchemy stores in the world, but things don't go too smoothly for him, as he is once again forced to go on adventures...

* August 7, 2018: Novel now also published on Royal Road. Same title and author name.

* September 12, 2018: A problem occurred with Chapter 13, so I have to re-upload it and all the chapters that follow...

I will daily publish 1-2 chapters of this novel

After the medical license exam score came out, Chasu City Hospital loudly proclaimed to all the other young doctors that Zhang Fan passed with a very high score. Basically, what the hospital meant was that if he could pass with a score of 533, how come some of you couldn't even pass and reach the 360 point benchmark? The hospital also gave Zhang Fan a bonus of 1000 yuan. 533 was the single highest passing score in all of Chasu City. Even when counting the veteran doctors, there had almost never been anyone who passed with a higher score than Zhang Fan before.
Zhang Fan spent one month in the hepatobiliary department, but only got to perform some surgeries in the last few days. After the doctors' rotation in this department was finished, the hospital gave all the medical specialist doctors three days off. It was far too tiring for the new doctors. To give an example of the medical specialist doctors in surgery, they would typically need to check up on the patients in the morning. At Chasu City Hospital, one doctor would be responsible for approximately ten patients on average. Checking up on the patients would typically take half an hour. Giving medical advice would also take half an hour. Having the patients sign all the necessary documents also would take half an hour. Changing the patients' medicine would vary in time depending on the scale of the surgery, but it would also take half an hour on average. Writing the medical reports would typically take two hours. The permission forms for leaving the hospital or new patient hospitalizations would typically take one hour each. 
This would add up to six hours already, not to mention this work was typically done between other work. The main work would still be surgeries. A doctor would work on three surgeries per day on average. Including the surgery and anesthesia time, as well as when the patient was lucid, this would typically take up another five hours per day. All of this work would typically require working overtime to complete, and if any sudden unexpected situations occurred, it would be common for the doctors to need to stay late into the night. Moreover, it was common for any hospital to have many unexpected situations. It would be unusual for a hospital not to receive patients who needed emergency treatment.
It was also common for the veteran doctors who taught newer doctors to have many patients. A newer doctor wanted to go home on time? Dream on! At most, a new doctor would be allowed to nap for a little in an empty room. If you didn't want to work hard, sure, then you would be fired. Although the hospital had nominally given the medical specialist doctors three days off, the doctors weren't truly allowed to do as they pleased. All of the medical specialist doctors were new doctors who had just joined the hospital one or two years ago. The great majority of them was still single. There were also many young and single female nurses. The Communist Party organizations and other hospital organizations were waiting to pounce on this opportunity when the doctors were given time off.
Even if you weren't a registered member of the Communist Party, it was likely that you would be a member of some other organization, and even if you weren't a member of any organization at all, you would still be young, which meant that you would be under the management of the Communist Party Youth League Committee. The secretary of Chasu City Youth League Committee was a young man in Chasu City Hospital's administrative department. With his access to information on young and single people from many workplaces, he organized giant arranged date parties where more than 200 people attended. Zhang Fan had no interest in this previously due to wanting to study for his medical license exam, but now that his result was out, and he would be obtaining his medical license in March, he felt much less pressure, and felt that it would be good for him to partake in Communist Party activities.
Wang Yanan, Li Hui, and Wang Zipeng had all participated in these arranged date meetings. Each table at the arranged date meeting had three men and three women, and just about everyone was from a different workplace. Watermelon, drinks, and candy were provided. Everyone here was young, and this was a workplace-sponsored event. It didn't take long for everyone to start chatting and get to know each other. At Zhang Fan's table, one man was from the Bureau of Education. He was quite eloquent, and kept telling funny jokes that all three women laughed at. Meanwhile, Zhang Fan had no idea what to say, so he simply sat there in silence and listened. When it came time for dancing, Zhang Fan felt even more incapable. He had been too busy selling instant noodles during college to support himself, so of course he didn't know how to dance.
A nurse from Chasu City Hospital invited Zhang Fan to a dance, but Zhang Fan truly didn't know how to dance. He still had to give her face as so many people were watching, though, so he forced himself to try and dance.
He danced as carefully as he possibly could as he was afraid of stepping on the nurse. After the song was over, he was covered all over in sweat. Zhang Fan felt like dancing was even more tiring than performing surgery. He had no advantages whatsoever at a large group arranged date like this. He had only an average appearance, without a particularly handsome face. His clothes were only average as well. The only valuable thing he had was the borrowed car from Li Xiao, but he couldn't exactly show off by mentioning that, now could he?
From start to finish, only some of the nurses from Zhang Fan's workplace showed interest in him. However, they all laughed really hard upon seeing how tense, nervous, and covered in sweat he was. After the arranged date meeting ended, Zhang Fan didn't even wait for Li Hui and the others as he ran off by himself first. He truly couldn't get used to this.
For the three rest days, the first day was reserved for the arranged date meeting. On the second day, since Superintendent Ouyang had just started her new job, she wanted to host a Spring Festival party filled with various programs from the doctors in order to express that hospital's culture and improve the employees' spirits. Since of course the older doctors wouldn't be going up on stage to dance, the programs would have to be hosted by the younger doctors. So, Director Li of the hospital's general affairs department led the medical specialist doctors in rehearsing for various Spring Festival programs. Those who could put on their own programs were free to choose what to do, while the others who had no specialties were all trained for singing in a large group together.
The third day was the only day truly given to the new doctors as a free day. Zhang Fan intended to clean up his apartment. The sunlight was quite good, and he felt that enjoying the winter sun would feel quite nice. But before he could start cleaning, head nurse Liao Juan from orthopedic department #1 called him. "Zhang Fan, what are you up to? Where are you at? I'm at the hospital entrance. Hurry here as quickly as possible."
Liao Juan was the intelligent and direct type. Her way of talking was just like rapid gunfire, and she didn't even give Zhang Fan a chance to respond before she hung up the phone call.
She had a very good friend who worked in the tax bureau. Her friend's husband was a minor-ranking leader in the National Development and Reform Commission. The friend's family was fairly well off, and they had a daughter who graduated from college two years ago. Their daughter worked at China Mobile with an official position that also apparently counted as a government position. She always stayed at home all day every day after work, which made her parents worry about her future romantic prospects.
Liao Juan was worried that Zhang Fan would be unwilling to come if she told him the truth, which was why she hung up immediately. Her good friend had pestered her for so long to watch out for an appropriate young and excellent doctor to introduce to her daughter. With Zhang Fan's reputation in orthopedic department #1 and high score he passed the medical license exam with, it was clear that he had a bright future. That was why Liao Juan decided to set up an arranged date for Zhang Fan. She could tell that Zhang Fan himself didn't have a rich family, but the other girl's family didn't mind. As long as the man was honest, loyal, and had a good job, it didn't matter to them whether or not he had a rich family.
Zhang Fan hurriedly ran over to the hospital entrance, not knowing what was going on. Liao Juan glanced him over and felt that his clothes today were alright, so she went over and pulled on his arm. "There's something good for you today that I'm helping you with. Come with me to eat some food and meet someone."
"Whom are we meeting?"
Liao Juan kept pulling on Zhang Fan's arm. "It's an arranged date with a beautiful young woman. It's already been arranged, and you've promised to help me, so let's get going already. You can't pull out on me now." Zhang Fan had no recollection of ever agreeing to such a thing, but he couldn't do anything about Liao Juan who was pulling him, so he could only follow her.
They went to Shanghe Restaurant, which was the only western food chain restaurant in all of Chasu City. The Uighur Muslims and H Country ethnic people here really loved to eat western food, so the business was excellent, and a reservation would be required to eat here. At the restaurant, the other party had already arrived. Not only was there a beautiful young woman, her mother was also attending. Everyone sat down after mutual introductions. The young woman was named Jia Suyue, and her family was from southern China. Her name contained her grandfather's wishes.
Jia Suyue's mother was quite satisfied with Zhang Fan. She felt that he appeared to be the reliable type who wouldn't be fickle. Zhang Fan's appearance was average, and his height was also alright. Jia Suyue's mother and Liao Juan only stayed for a little while before finding an excuse to leave together. Before Liao Juan left, she even squeezed Zhang Fan's arm and glared at him, implying that he needed to be on his best behavior, and could not cause her to lose face. Liao Juan had already told her friend everything she knew about Zhang Fan's situation—that he was one of the elite doctors of the orthopedic department, really hardworking, had good reputation, and never went out drinking at bars or to nightclubs. Middle-aged women really cared about these things.
Zhang Fan felt really awkward after Liao Juan and Jia Suyue's mother left. The beautiful girl across him completely ignored him, and Zhang Fan had no idea what to talk about. Jia Suyue previously had a boyfriend while in college, but that relationship ended when he went to study abroad. She never had any boyfriends again after that. Many people at her workplace were interested in pursuing her romantically, but Jia Suyue wasn't interested in a single one of them. She was someone who was only interested in looks above all else. Since Zhang Fan only had an average appearance, she already had no interest in him. That was why she completely ignored him so as not to give him the mistaken impression that he had a chance with her. She was worried that Zhang Fan would be the clingy type who would be difficult to get rid of if she acted friendly towards him.
After a few minutes of silence, the food arrived. Zhang Fan felt that he was even more tragic. He hated eating western food! This meal truly made him so uncomfortable. It wasn't like he could just leave, as no matter what, he had to give face to head nurse Liao Juan. So, he decided to simply suffer and wait for Jia Suyue to leave so that he could pay for the meal and at least tell the head nurse that he tried. Jia Suyue only ate without saying a single word. Although she was indeed quite beautiful, Zhang Fan no longer had any hope for starting any sort of relationship with her. It was quite obvious that she had zero interest in him, so why try? It would only make her dislike him even more.
Zhang Fan became quite accepting of his situation after coming to this realization. Since he hated eating western food, he decided not to eat at all. He simply waited in silence.
"How come you're not leaving?" Jia Suyue finally spoke up for the first time. She was curious because she typically acted this way on all the arranged dates her family set up for her, and it had already scared away many potential suitors.
"I have to pay for the meal, otherwise the head nurse will kill me when I return." Zhang Fan told her the truth, and explained things clearly to her. He wanted to let her know that he wasn't the clingy type.
"What about if your head nurse wasn't around?"
"Then I wouldn't have come here to begin with."
There was no more conversation until Jia Suyue finished eating. Zhang Fan felt truly pained as he paid for the meal, which cost more than 300 yuan. "Would you like to take a walk together?" Jia Suyue asked him.


One day, Zhang Fan, a poor medical student, receives a medical system from the future. This turns him into a new shining star in the medical field. Along the way, he must face medical corruption, competition, and infighting from other doctors, and even find time for a love life as he strives for the top of the medical field!

On the 3rd floor of The Guild's Test Center, in one of the multitude of rooms for staff and administrators, a petite, middle aged woman is laying her head on top of the desk, a slight dribble of drool hanging off the corner of her mouth. 

Her blonde hair tied up in a large bun, wearing a chevron grey suit typical for the staff at the testing center. The logo for the Guild's Administration Department on her left breast pocket. The room and desk itself seem unkempt, as if a gust of wind had gone through, but otherwise relatively clean, with no dust or odours. The clock on her desk indicating the time to be 11:05AM, well into working hours and approaching lunch time. 

A constant "ping" is droning on the woman's Matrix Computation Station, waking her up from her daze. Sasha Leirever, one of the 3rd Rank Administration staff in charge of looking over new testees files that have been flagged by the Crystal. She looks up and finds a new notification about a candidate currently being tested, Aser Sholt, with the Crystal processor's evaluation of his results. 

"Interesting.", she mumbles, a slight smile curving on her lips. "Let's see what is special about you little boy.", opening up his file and reading through the analysis. As she continues to read, her smile slowly curves higher and higher until she starts laughing out loud. 

"Haha! Finally! I'm going to get a huge bonus if I do this right! Such a genius, even the previous 1st grade talent can't hold a candle to this kid! S Rank! What a marvelous S Rank! I need to raise this kid well haha!"

After her sudden jubilant outburst, she starts getting to work verifying the information and identity of the boy, picking up her Communicator Ring and contacting the Guild's Administration Chairman. While on the line, she rummages through her files digging up a registration and scholarship bundle for the First Son's Guild School. 

"Hey Sasha, what is it this time?" Sasha hears from the other side of the call. 

"Jameson, I just sent you a file for this kid I'm in charge of. He's an S Rank! Yes, I'm not joking, and best of all, he's a Knowledge type! I want a full Gold Standard scholarship for this kid." Sasha replies.

"He's got a clean background, just very common, and if we raise him right he can grow up to be a great asset for the Guild." 

"I'm looking at it right now Sasha. You're right, but he's just an unpolished gem at the moment. Are you sure you're not over your head on this one? You meet the kid yet?" Jameson asks quizzically. 

"Jameson, believe me, approve the scholarship. From what we detected from his system, he's not just an unpolished gem, but a charcoal that we can make into a diamond." Sasha replied with confidence. 

"Hmm, okay, how about this. I can approve the Gold Standard Scholarship for the First Son's Guild School, but I want a clause in there that he needs to take an internal evaluation after his 5 years of compulsory education with The Guild and we will decide where he is suited the most. I also have to set the passing evaluation grade to above A Grade and a minimum rank of Unknown Level 9."

"I think we can do that. I'm still not sure how his Essence Cultivation speed is, so I'll confirm that before giving him the full offer."

"This is the best I can do for you Sasha, I'll send over the documents to your Communicator now, go over them with him and let me know." Jameson replied, hanging up the call. 

Thinking of the genius she got her hands on and the Gold Standard Scholarship, Sasha was giddy with excitement as she hurried to prepare the files for Aser. 

The Gold Standard Scholarship is only available for 3 individuals in a Guild's local continent every 50 years. There was only one spot left for the current cycle and she was glad to have secured it for a student under her. The Scholarship allows for the rewardee to be eligible for full payment of all board and tuition fees during their 5 years of education, as well as a monthly stipend of 50 Gold Notes. Just to give you an idea, most average household of commoners earn around 10 Gold Notes per annum!

The Scholarship also gives the student the right to access the highest level of classes available for their year at the school, with the First Son's Guild School being ranked within the Top 3 of all Guild Schools in the Southern Seas!
 
After finally confirming all of Aser's rewards, Sasha tidies up her suit and heads downstairs to meet with her genius, a bounce in her gait as she turns off the lamp, the clock on her desk showing 11:20am.

Beasts had unlocked their System during the Ancient Era, and were once the rulers of the world. A catastrophe had caused them all to go into slumber, ushering in the Venture era where humanity started leaving their settlements to explore. As civilization progressed and tensions rose, humanity fought with themselves for the large swathes of territory. Near the end of the Conquer era, the beasts started awakening from their slumber and pushed humanity to the brink of destruction. Through efforts from humanity's top leaders, the system was unlocked for man, and thus began the era of Enlightenment. 

The goal of everyone in this era is to get enlightened, to seek Ascension. Now every child, every family, every influence seek to be an Ascended like the heroes of their world. 

Aser, an Unknown child raised in an orphanage in the Southern Seas. Like others, on his 7th birthday, the system had awakened in his mind, but he realizes he's special. As he explores the mysteries of the System, our protagonist strives to excel, to prove his worth in the world of Gigantis, to find his parents and to figure out the path to Ascension.

Although the news anchor felt that Iris Long made sense, he still didn't want to give up. He already started this provocation, so he might as well go all the way.
"Some people might think that you're just saying that to defend yourself because you're only a high school graduate," he said. "You came from a rich family and can afford to study at whichever school you're qualified to enroll in."
His words insinuated that it was impossible for her to enroll in the country's top universities because of her poor academic performance in high school which became widely known when her former classmates, teachers and even school principal spoke out in response to her appointment as official interpreter and translator in the recent international business conference during the summer.
"Even if you're unable to enroll in any schools in the country, you can still afford to study abroad," he continued. The next insinuation was that the requirements for admissions weren't as strict in some parts of the world compared, so she could still study even with a poor academic performance in high school as long as she had the money. "Many are envious of you and want to be in your situation, but instead of using your privilege of wealth, you didn't bother pursuing higher education. Isn't that such a waste?"
Iris listened to the news anchor, not interrupting, allowing him to speak his full mind this time. Her eyes had completely gone cold even when her expression remained deceptively pleasant.
"Some might say that it's unfair. There are people who study hard and even work part-time just to support themselves through university. They toil tirelessly to obtain a diploma, but here you are, rich and famous. You have all the good opportunities available to you, presented to you on a silver platter, just because you were born into a wealthy family. Some might say that you shouldn't be called a businesswoman because you used a shortcut. If you want to be called a real businesswoman, you should at least have the education to back your claim."
Behind the scenes, Tang Yiyi and Dom couldn't take it anymore. They confronted the director and complained, not caring that he was still working on the live program. While she was complaining, Tang Yiyi was thinking that she wouldn't blame Iris if she decided to walk out of such an insulting interview. It might not look good but it would be understandable given the poor reception the news anchor was giving her. If Tang Yiyi only knew that Iris would be treated badly like this, she wouldn't have booked this interview at all. However, it was too late to regret it now. It would be up to Iris how she would respond to the news anchor's repeated provocations.
As for Iris, there were no thoughts of walking out in her mind. Instead, she looked at the news anchor like he was the most stupid person in the planet while still having a pleasant expression. It was a feat to accomplish this kind of expression.
"That's the most stupid thing that I've ever heard today," she said.
The news anchor's expression turned ugly. "What do you mean?"
"I suggest that people look up what the term 'businessperson' means," she replied in a deadpan tone. "I have my own business, so I'm a businesswoman. Simple. If people don't want to call me a businesswoman, that's their problem, not mine. I'm busy running my own business in addition to being a musician. I don't have time to waste trying to explain to everyone what the term 'businessperson' means. If they insist on their own definition, that has nothing to do with me."
As business reporter, the anchor felt like his face had just been slapped. Was Iris saying that he didn't know the meaning of the term "businessperson"?
Behind the scenes with the cameras and the program staff, Tang Yiyi couldn't help but massage her temples while sighing. She could handle Iris walking out of the interview. At least this way, Tang Yiyi and Bright Summit could work in steering public opinion to favour Iris because she only walked out and didn't say anything. This time, however, was a different matter.
'Iris has been so good in interviews recently that I grew complacent,' she thought. 'Thanks to my repeated reminders, she learned how to act charming during interviews but her real personality—the straightforward, no nonsense way of speaking—still comes out whenever she's challenged like this. This bastard of an interviewer has rubbed her the wrong way, so now she's unleashing her razor-sharp tongue on him. He deserves it but I hope she doesn't go too far.'
Back under the spotlight, the news anchor quickly fixed his ugly expression and forced a "nice", professional smile, even though his eyes were showing how displeased he was by Iris' words. He wanted to say something but Iris beat him to it again.
"Although my words sound like I'm undervaluing a diploma, that isn't the case. My point is that not all successful businesspeople have diplomas. That's the reality," she said. "Besides, who said that I won't have a diploma? I don't have it right now but that doesn't mean that I'm not working to get one. I'll definitely earn a diploma in the future."
For the first time since the interview started, the news anchors' eyes lit up with interest and curiosity. "Oh, so you're studying right now?"
"Yes."
"Where? Which school? Is it near here?"
"No, not here."
The news anchor looked like he realized something. "Oh, is it abroad?"
"Yes."
"I thought so," he said, insinuating once again that she couldn't possibly be admitted by a first-rate university because of her past lacklustre academic performance. Her only choice was either a second-rate or third-rate private university in the country or study abroad where the requirements were laxer, as long as she had the money to pay for tuition fees.
His subtle insinuation was lost on Iris who already stopped caring about the interview. She couldn't wait for it to be over. In the meantime, she maintained her pleasant expression, remembering what her manager always told her.
"When are you planning to go abroad to start your studies? Are you going to take another break from your showbiz work even when you're so busy right now?" the news anchor asked.
"I don't have to go abroad to study. I already started my studies since last year."
The news anchor looked confused before making another realization. "Oh! Is it like one of those online distance learning programs?"
She tilted her head to the side, thinking about it. "Hmmm… Something like that."
"I see." The news anchor nodded. There was an unimpressed expression on his face. "Can you tell us which school you're enrolled in?"
"You'll know in the future," she replied in an almost bored tone.
The news anchor wanted to dig for more information but the director was already making signs to him that time was up, so he had no choice but to abandon the topic. Deep inside him, he was thinking along with some of the viewers watching the live broadcast that Iris Long was just acting mysterious because the school she was enrolled in must be a no-name one, so she was embarrassed to reveal the name.
Finally, the interview ended. Iris was relieved and quickly left the broadcasting studio with Tang Yiyi and Dom. Tang Yiyi was already planning to lodge an official complaint against the rude news anchor to Bright Summit.
"I should be scolding you for telling the news anchor that his words were the most stupid thing that you've heard today. That interview was a live broadcast, Iris," Tang Yiyi said when they all settled inside the executive van.
Iris only shrugged, not caring about it at all. She closed her eyes, planning to take a nap. She still had another interview at another location after this.
"What do you mean, Big Sis Yiyi? That hooligan was clearly making trouble for boss! What serious business news anchor?! He's nothing but a rude asshole! Pweh!" Dom complained, offended on behalf of Iris.
Tang Yiyi massaged her temples once again and sighed. "You're right. It's my mistake this time. I shouldn't have booked that interview for Iris. I didn't know that the news anchor would be so hostile to her."
"Hmph! I was so close to punching that asshole in the face!" Dom muttered while cracking his knuckles.
###
(This novel is a contracted work with Webnovel.com. If you're not reading this chapter on Webnovel, it has been stolen. Please read this novel from the original source. Thank you! -ArriaCross, author)


A world-famous hacker and daughter of the most powerful criminal family who ruled the international Underworld for many generations is killed when their organization is annihilated in a single night.

She is reborn into the body of Iris Long, a teenage pop singer, wild party girl, and spoiled brat. For the former princess of the Underworld who lived an overprotected and shackled life, this new life is a chance to finally live the life of freedom and independence that she always wanted.

Jin Liwei is the most powerful man in the country's business world. Cold and ruthless, he is someone only a few dare offend. When the infamous Iris Long, who used to chase his younger brother, wakes up from a year-long coma, his unfeeling heart moves for the first time and he falls hard for this unexpected genius girl.

She wants to fly freely and soar high beyond the sky. He wants her everything, to tie her to himself and to never let her go.

This is her journey to super stardom. This is his journey in accompanying her. Together, they will rock the world while facing many challenges.

But what will happen when she discovers that she can never escape from the shadows of her previous life? Will she still be able to live her dream life of freedom and independence? Will he be able to protect her from the dangers?

###
Instagram: Arria Cross (@arriacross)

HGWS Discord Server: 
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WARNING!!! WARNING!!! WARNING!!!

This novel is rated 18+ (no one 17 and under allowed). It contains mature adult themes, coarse language, explicit sexual content, and occasional graphic violence. Reader discretion is strongly advised. Please do NOT read if you are under 18 or if you feel uncomfortable with any of these elements. 

And despite of what some of the negative reviews are claiming, there is NO rape in this novel. Many scenes are deliberately made uncomfortable (clear 18+ warning), but there is NO rape.

Also please remember that this is a work of "fiction". Thank you!

News spread quickly, not only through the city of Inpyeong, but throughout the whole nation. A poor excuse of a father, scum among scum, who sexually abused his daughter for the past three years. He had left her at the institute so he could work overseas, but he had suddenly started molesting her. The heartwrenching tale of a girl who spent all that time alone, hurting, unable to rely on anyone, until a fellow institute student bravely reported it to the authorities.

Then came the TV programs and reports.

<What happened that day at the courthouse?>
<Her pain went unnoticed by all at the institute>
<A closer look at the institute's lax standards>

The chairman of the institute crumpled up the newspaper he had been reading and angrily threw it at the ground.

"We're still getting reporters asking for an interview, but we'll keep refusing them, for now..." The executive secretary said quietly, but quickly shut his mouth when the chairman whipped his head around to glare at him. Though he had already gone through four cigarettes, the chairman lit up another one as he addressed the director of administration.

"What do you think we should do, director?"

All things considered, all the director wanted to say was to leave him out of this, but he simply rolled his eyes and thought carefully. Besides, this was the perfect opportunity for him. He could blame everything on the chairman and the executive secretary to get them fired from their jobs. At least, that's what he had planned on doing. If only the top hadn't given him orders to lay low, he would have grabbed every document, every file he had collected on the two and begun the job already.

"I believe that we should... Find the relevant people and have them take responsibility. We should also revise the whole system in terms of supervision." He said, which was a very long-winded way of saying they should use common sense to deal with this. Of course, it's not like the chairman had any common sense to begin with, hence the need for explaining everything.

"The relevant people would be the teachers who took attendance, no? Are you really suggesting we fire them all? Seriously?"

It took all the self-control he could muster for the director to not shout "No, it's you, chairman!", but with an extreme show of patience and willpower, he simply took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Then what would you suggest, chairman?" asked the director. He seemed to humble himself, treating the chairman as a higher up, but the purpose of the question was simple: to make the chairman reveal his plans. The chairman was no fool, and he understood this immediately. He shot a displeased glance at the director and let out a puff of smoke.

"The board will hold an official meeting over this, I'm sure... But from what I've heard, they need someone from the top to be... An example."
"Meaning?"
"... A change in personnel."

The executive secretary turned pale at this, and he seemed to shrink even more into his seat. The director of administration was, as the title suggested, in charge of adminstrative duties, such as paperwork and the like, which made it difficult to pin the blame on him. As such, the most likely person to be held accountable for this fiasco was the executive secretary himself, in place of the chairman.

And so it was that the executive secretary was relieved of his post, leaving the position vacant until the board was ready to nominate another.

"Director Jeong," called the director of administration, "this was the perfect chance to get rid of the chairman. Why didn't you take it?"
"Director, I understand where you are coming from, I truly do. But we must take our time and lay low, for the sake of the institute. If we were to blow things up, it would just be a clusterfuck."

She spoke rather calmly, her manner of speech very elegant, which made the word "clusterfuck" stand out that much more.

"Is there something I'm not aware of? I don't understand why we shouldn't act now."
"My, that's a rather straightforward question. How do I even begin to answer you...? Ah, well. I suppose now is as good a time as any to tell you. We are planning on reforming the foundation's policies."

This took the director entirely by surprise, his jaw dropping in awe. Policy reforms? As Director Jeong continued to explain her plan of revising the election policies as well as management regulations, his head whirred to keep up with it all.

"Besides, the chairman will retire next year. It'll be a natural shift of power. He will toss us a vote, in exchange for getting an executive member's retirement fees as per the revised policies. I suppose the reform will take place once the chairman and Director Lee join our cause."

In the end, the chairman had read the flow of things rather quickly and rathere well, and had chosen to give up his authority in exchange of a stable, lucrative retirement. His shortcomings would be swept under the rug, in exchange for a vote. That cunning, slippery, fat little snake. The director could almost smell the chairman's repulsive cigarette smoke in the air.

****

There were many changes in the institute. Two of the teachers had been replaced, as the issue had been far too grave to be covered up with just the executive secretary's post. This meant that a teacher had to take responsibility as well, but considering the fact that this issue had gone unnoticed for three whole years, the choice was made to fire both supervising teachers. Moreover, though only two teachers had left, they had been replaced with four new teachers, as a response to media criticism that there weren't enough personnel to effectively look after all the children in the institute. There were less and less children attending the institute, yet there were now more teachers. Though this made supervision much easier, it also proved to be a restriction in the children's daily lives.

A change in staff meant that the children also needed to change. First things first, no one was allowed to spend the night out. That privilege would be returned to the children once the media attention cooled off, but for now, they were only allowed short outings, and even those were to be strictly monitored. Children leaving the grounds had to give detailed information on their destination and the path they were taking, and no one was to leave without explicit permission. Second, the rooms were rearranged. Previously, they had sorted the children by age, so that the children could spend more time with their peers and classmates, but they were now sorted by gender. It was a sound plan, at least on paper, in order to avoid potential happenings, but how effective could it really be? Regardless of practicality, it was more of a show for the media. The girls thus took the rooms in the first and second floors, while the boys took the rooms from the third to the fifth floors.

Dayoung shared her new room with an older middle school girl. She had roomed with Somi for a long time, and her friend's sudden absence left Dayoung feeling confused and scared. But above all, she couldn't believe the fact that she had never noticed Somi's pain and hurt until now. Thankfully, however, her new roommate had taken the time to console her, and Dayoung calmed down after a few days.

As for Lucid and the other elementary school boys, they had moved to the third room. Until now, as they were the youngest, they had used the rooms on the first floor. The change seemed to sit well with Myeong-su.

"Plaster face, look! You can see the whole street from here!" He exclaimed. Myeong-su was quite happy with being given a room in a higher floor. Or perhaps, it didn't really matter what floor he was on. After all, out of everyone at the institute, he had been the most excited during the big moving day.

On the other hand, Hyung-geun complained that he now had to climb stairs both at school and at the institute, as his classroom was at the highest floor of the school. He simply couldn't believe that he had to take stairs all day long to get anywhere.

Cheol-yong's assessment was quite short. "It's harder to get to the courtyard."

Lucid shrugged and left to go find one of the new teachers. "Excuse me," he called, "I borrowed some books from Somi before we went to the courthouse. What should I do with them?"
"I'm sorry, who?" the teacher asked.
"Somi," Lucid said again, enunciating properly.

The teacher seemed to ponder over this name for a bit, but his face darkened as soon as he realized who the name belonged to.

"It's alright. Somi already took all her things and left." He said curtly. "You can just hold on to them."

Somi had been admitted into another institute, but no one had seen her ever since she left with Officer Choi. Her belongings had been taken by the supervisors and sent to the new institute, which is why Lucid had missed his chance to return the books to her.

The boy thanked the teacher and returned to his new room, staring at the cover of the book as he sat on the bed. Not long after, <I'll Share My Filthy Misery With You> returned to its place on the bookshelf.

****

During break, Lucid clung to books even more than before. Now, studying had become a matter of life and death to him, and it wasn't just because of what had happened to Somi. It was because of all those times when problems arose due to his incompetence, when he had lost control of a situation because he simply didn't know enough, and because of all the things that happened because he had been too weak.

What had happened to Somi acted as a catalyst, motivating Lucid to keep moving forward at a time when he had been stagnant, mourning the Mosla's death. At least, that's what things appeared to be. He had lost the gloominess and looming darkness that had kept everyone else away, and he now seemed to be more energetic, though most of that energy was spent reading. When he focused on a book, he had such an intense look to him that even the teachers didn't dare interrupt him.

In reality, however, his reading was a fight for life. Fear and despair always loomed over him, pressuring him to read and understand every book he came across, lest he be thrust into a situation he was powerless to control again. Reading was no longer a glance at a strange, wondrous world, but a battle to escape the fangs of an angry scrofa. This was why his reading was so intense, so fierce. However, such passionate focus must have struck some girls as attractive, as more and more of them gathered just to watch Lucid read. His looks were already widely known, especially as his statuesque beauty had earned him the nickname "plaster face" in the first place, but the sight of him immersed in his reading was more dazzling than any still-life painting.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that he had apparently devoured every single book in the institute, but Lucid had gone to the teachers to obtain permission to leave the grounds two weeks before the end of the break. He was headed to the public library.

"Is this your first time here?" asked the high schooler who had accompanied him.
"Yes."
"What do you think?"
"There's... So many books."

Lucid smiled for the first time in a long time.


<Misuderstanding (1)> End.

A boy who was living an ordinary life in another world suddenly came to the present world.

Social systems, way of life and morals... They have all changed.

How will the boy try to survive?

What kind of life will the boy live?

common reading programs in higher education

Importance of Sports in Education

Advent of the Nine Celestials

Throne of Magical Arcana

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The Alchemist's Tale

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Path of Medicine With a System

World Of Gigantis: Aser The Gambit

His Genius Wife is a Superstar

Remember The Name

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