《Private Academy System》


 Chapter 1: Last Day

    Sitting in the middle of the teacher lounge, A rather tall black-haired man in his mid 20''s with sky blue eyes was sitting down next to a table. Surrounding him on the table was a vast number of assignments he was currently grading. He was slowly making progress in his grading when he heard a sound to his left.


    A middle-aged woman with dark chestnut hair with a white shirt and dark blue jeans calmly opened the door. She began making her way toward the man unhurriedly. The man continued his grading as if ignoring her existence.


    Her footsteps resounded throughout the empty lounge, and a few seconds later, she arrived at the head of the table. Without even pausing she said in a demanding tone "Ensen Fuentes, the principal would like to have a word with you, please follow me."


    Ensen Fuentes lifted his face and looked at her confusingly, slowly muttering "What is the matter, Secretary?"


    "Just follow me Ensen, you''ll find out soon enough." She said. Without further interaction, she turned around and began to head towards the door. Ensen took a deep breath and got out of his chair. He tucked in the old mahogany chair and walked quickly to catch up. Afterward, he promptly opened the door and exited into the hallway.


    ''Wow, she sure is dramatic. Can she not even tell me what is going on? I deserve more respect from her.'' Ensen muttered under his breath, but still obediently followed her to the office. She was the school secretary after all. He glanced around the hallway. The hallway was absolutely beautiful actually. Vibrant green plants were spread erratically throughout the hallway, with benches uniformly placed at uniform distances. Hanging on the wall were pictures of various awards that the private academy had won. Ensen stared at one in particular.


    It was a picture of two students shoulder to shoulder holding a golden trophy over their head, in the background was the private academy, SilverLeaf Academy. Ensen swayed his head lightly with a smile and kept walking behind the secretary. Within a few minutes, Ensen stood in front of the principal''s office. With hesitation in his heart, Ensen steeled himself and opened the door.


    Upon entering the principal''s office, Ensen noticed a beautiful brick fireplace that was on the left side of the room. A few feet in front of the fireplace was a nice light Grey fabric couch where a beautiful lady was sitting, Emilia Wells. Emilia had dyed red hair, a charming smile, and a kind and mischievous personality. Although she has not shown her mischievous side in quite a few years, they both went to school together at the very same private Academy and were good friends. She wore a light grey long blouse combined with a black shirt and an unzipped white sweater overtop.


    Hearing the door open, Emilia gradually turned her head, showing a hesitant smile towards Ensen. Without saying a word, she pointed to the couch with her right hand. With hesitant steps, Ensen slowly walked towards the couch and sat down.


    They sat in silence for what seemed like an hour. Emilia wore a hesitant and defeated look on her face as she began speaking "Ensen, let''s talk. I know it''s been hard on you since the school has turned into a girl-only school."She said and then paused.


    "I know you''ve been doing your best since, but... the parents want you gone, I''ve tried to fight them on this but¡­they''re too persistent. " Emilia said in a gentle and somewhat sad voice.


    With a light sigh, Ensen paused and seemed to be in deep thought for a few minutes before responding. "I understand Emilia. I have done my best though, and you know that. The students know that, and everybody knows that. The student''s math grades have improved dramatically after I came here."


    "I know Ensen. I''ve been doing my hardest to keep you here. But the parents are being too stubborn this time, I''m sorry."Emilia stated weakly.


    "I understand, how long left do I have?" Ensen questioned.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Emilia looked directly into Ensen''s eyes, before averting her eyes. "You have until the end of the day. You will be paid for the next 2 weeks and have a severance package after that. My secretary will be temporarily taking over your class until a proper replacement is found."


    With heavy steps, Ensen got onto his feet and slowly walked towards the door, his footsteps echoing throughout the silent office. When Ensen got to the door, he turned around one last time and said calmly "Goodbye Emilia."Ensen then walked out and firmly closed the door.


    Emilia sat on the couch staring at the door for a few minutes before sighing and heading back to her desk.


    Ensen listlessly walked back to the teacher''s lounge. A few of his students greeted him while he was walking in the hallway, but he barely heard them. After returning to the teacher''s lounge, he glanced at the scattered mess of assignments to grade and calmly put them inside a bag for the next teacher to handle. Letting out a heavy sigh, Ensen laid down on the couch staring at the ceiling for what seemed like ages.


    *Ding Ding Ding*


    Without warning, three loud bell-like sounds resounded across the school.


    Ensen gradually opened his eyes. With a sigh, Ensen muttered: "I need to get to class."


    He gently got up to his feet and headed towards the class.


    "Hey Mr. Fuents, how are you today?" A girl with blond hair, big glasses, and formal clothing asked kindly.


    Looking behind him, he saw Ada, his niece. She had small, little freckles scattered on her face. She had been told by Ensen many times previously to talk to him like a teacher when at school. She lived with her mother and father nearby, but Ensen had never really been too close to them the past few years, barely even talking to them.


    "Oh, hello Ada. I''m... good, have you done your homework for today?"Ensen asked with a forced smile and fake confidence.


    Without a hint of suspicion, Ada smiled widely and said proudly," Of course, I did teacher, I worked super hard on it too. I bet you''ll be impressed when you mark it."


    "I''m sure I will Ada, now come on we need to get to class," Ensen said once more, trying to avoid further talking.


    Ensen quickly arrived at the door to the classroom with Ada by his side. He paused for a moment, staring at the door trying to savor the moment.


    "Umm, everything alright Ensen?" Ada said out of both curiosity and concern.


    "Yeah, I''m okay Ada. And remember, call me Mr. Fuents at school." Ensen said solemnly, before gently opening the door and slowly walking into his classroom for the last time.


    Examining the classroom, he was surprised to notice nearly every chair was full. Ensen slowly walked up with his heart full of anxiety to the front of the classroom and began his final lesson at the school.


    After an hour and a half, the lesson had come to an end. The students were beginning to pack up their bags and stretch their legs when Ensen spoke.


    "Excuse me if I could please have everybody''s attention, I have an announcement I have to make." Ensen waited for his students to be looking at him. With a deep breath, he continued. "Thank you for coming. This will be my last class as your teacher. The principal''s secretary will be taking over for me until a replacement is found."


    He paused and examined the classroom, upon seeing everybody frozen he began saying his final words. "It''s been lots of fun being your teacher for the past few months, thank you for doing your best in my class... that''s all, you''re dismissed."


    Without waiting for a reaction, Ensen left the class. Looking at the pictures on the wall for one last time, he began heading for his car in the staff parking lot.


    "Wait!" A sudden shout came from behind him. Turning his head, Ensen saw Ada standing there looking at him confusingly. Ada stared at him and said just a single word, "why?".


    Ensen looked at Ada calmly, trying to think of what to say before deciding to just be honest with her. "I was fired, I''m the only male here in a now private girl academy. It''s surprising I made it this far honestly, I thought I would have been gone sooner."


    Ada kept staring at Ensen, not taking her eyes off him for even a moment. After staring for a few seconds, she asked in a sad tone "Then what are you going to do next?"


    Ensen paused, he never really thought of what he was going to do now honestly. He looked at her and stated "I''m not too sure, to be honest, but I should be going, Ada. Do your best in school for me, okay?"


    "Okay Ensen, I promise I''ll do my best, goodbye," Ada said, not bothering to hide her sad face.


    Without another look, Ensen turned his back and walked to his old rundown car, turned it on, and made his way home. He drove for around a half an hour to a decent-sized business park and went to his decent-looking apartment building. Taking the elevator, he slowly made his way to the door of his apartment.


    ''Wait, when did I get here? Well, whatever.'' He thought to himself as he entered his decent apartment. Ensen threw his bag on his black couch and directly went to his bedroom. He seemingly collapsed onto the bed. With an audible sigh, he was about to doze off when a bright blue screen miraculously appeared before his dull eyes.


    [Welcome to the Supreme Academy System]

 Chapter 2: A Peculiar System

    [Welcome to the Supreme Academy System]


    Looking at the odd floating box of text in front of him, Ensen glanced around in confusion. ''God I really am tired'' he said as he rubbed his eyes. Looking around the room once more, he found nothing out of place. His grey lamp, black dresser, king-sized bed, and everything else were the same as he left it. He promptly rested his head down once again.


    After a few minutes of attempting to fall asleep, Ensen could hear an odd ding sound seemingly resounding throughout his head. Thinking it was nothing but because of the events of earlier in the day, he tried to ignore the sound. But the sound kept growing and growing until it became nearly unbearable for him. Ensen decided to get up and walk to his bathroom. He turned the faucet on and cupped both of his hands together, splashing his exhausted face with cold water.


    He then reached over and grabbed a nearby white towel and dabbed his face until it was dry. The odd noise seemingly went away, Ensen smiled in satisfaction, muttering ''I really need to head to bed, I''m starting to hallucinate''. However, as he smiled, he noticed the odd blue message box display in his vision once again.


    [Welcome to the Supreme Academy System]


    Grumbling out of frustration, he tried to touch the odd message box, only for it to shatter into small pieces. In its place, a new message box gradually formed into existence.


    [Would you like to receive another chance at your dream Ensen? Fostering young minds is a noble responsibility.]


    In an annoyed tone, Ensen spoke out loud weakly "I... I know it''s rough today but that doesn''t change anything. I was born to help people learn, without that my life has no purpose."This was not directed at the strange blue box, it was meant for himself. After today he just wanted to crawl into bed and stay there for the rest of his life. But in reality, he knew that isn''t what he truly wanted to do. He just wants to help people learn like he always wanted.


    The blue box shattered into little pieces like the previous message box, but no message took its place out of that. Ensen looked at himself in the mirror, mocking himself for speaking to himself like he was crazy. He stared intensely at the mirror as if trying to question what he was even going to do from now on.


    Of course, there were plenty of jobs for experienced teachers like himself. But the problem was they were in the public sector, Ensen had no problem with this specifically. It was just that he preferred students that wanted to learn in the first place. If nobody wanted to learn from him then what would be the point? He wasn''t in it for the money. In reality, his low emphasis and priority of this fact made him receive lower pay than his colleagues, but it never really bothered him.


    Ensen returned to his bedroom and quickly switched into his comfiest pair of pajamas to sleep in. A pair of plaid-checkered clothes. He slowly crawled under his covers and drifted to sleep.


    Ensen woke up in his former classroom, surrounded by students. He quickly realized they were his students. ''Why are they all surrounding me?'' He thought.


    He tried getting up but realized his legs were chained to the floor. Panic began setting in, Ensen quickly screamed out in both anger and fear "Why am I chained to the floor?!"


    While trying to struggle free from the chain, he heard laughter surrounding him. After trying his hardest, the chain still wouldn''t budge. Ensen then focused his attention to his students, maybe they could help.


    Close to the front Ensen spotted Ada standing casually as if she was just relaxing. Ensen quickly turned his attention to him and said while shaking "Ada what is this?"


    "Huh, Isn''t it obvious? I know you''re dumb but how can you be that stupid?" Ada said in a harsh tone, not bothering to hold any of her disdain back.


    In pure shock, Ensen froze, Ada continued. "I mean it''s incredible really, did you really think any of us actually learned anything from you? Do you know the real reason why you were fired? It''s simple really, you were a terrible teacher, I''m glad you finally are gone."If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "A...Ada, what are you saying?" Ensen asked in pure devastation, managing to squeeze out a sentence through his shock.


    "Jesus, I already said it once. Well here, maybe this will get it through your thick head." Ada said in an evil smirk.


    Following this, one by one each of his students walked up in front of him and declaring they''re utter, detest and hate for his class and him as a person. Throughout the entire time, Ensen did not move even an inch. It was as if time itself had frozen around him. When nearly all of his students had said their piece to him, Ensen woke up.


    Ensen stared at the ceiling with a blank expression for what seemed like hours.


    He stayed this way until he began to hear the early morning traffic.


    Without speaking a word, Ensen got out of bed and made his way to his kitchen. The kitchen was pretty mediocre in size, but it fit his needs. He grabbed a glass of water before finally regaining his sanity. He whispered to himself "It was just a dream" and took a deep breath.


    As if on queue, the strange blue box showed up in front of him once more. With an annoyed look, Ensen decided to ignore it and have a hot shower to try to relax. After his shower, he finally decided to look at the message.


    After the message had been waiting a while, the border around the message started to glow yellow, as if screaming read me. Ensen glanced down and promptly read the message.


    [Agreement detected]


    [Analyzing host]


    [Signing agreement]


    [Completed]


    [Welcome Ensen Fuentes]


    ''Hmm... what is this?'' Ensen muttered, utterly confused by what he was seeing. He quickly remembered the mysterious box asking him if he wanted another chance at his dream before.


    With a puzzled look, Ensen tried to focus his thoughts on the weird entity. Following this, the blue box shattered and a new box formed to take its place.


    [Ensen Fuentes]


    [Education Points: 10]


    [Academy Rank: Null]


    [Age: 27]


    [Math average: C]


    [Science average: F-]


    [English average: F-]


    [Foreign language average: F-]


    [Sports average: F-]


    [Teaching average: D]


    [administration average: D-]


    [Other]


    [Skill Market]


    [Product Market]


    [Auction House]


    Ensen stared at the blue screen in curiosity. He quickly realized how the information was displayed, each category held more specific skills that relate to the category. To test this theory, he gently tapped on the Teaching average line.


    [Teaching average: D]


    [Lecturing: D]


    [Information sharing: D]


    [Helping: E]


    [Creativity: F]


    [Consistency: C]


    [...]


    Ensen''s theory was correct, however, he was surprised by the sheer accuracy he felt they were. For example, he often felt that his teaching was very straightforward and struggled to draw students'' attention. He had seen some of his colleagues teaching styles before and noticed some of them used creative activities to keep their students interested.


    With sudden interest, Ensen completely forgot about his previous nightmare and jumped right into exploring. He analyzed every single category and began to realize his shortcomings as a teacher. While Ensen was not a so-called genius of any kind, his hard work made up for that fact.


    Ensen checked out the first few skills of every category, this was because he attempted to view every skill in the Teaching category, But the sheer amount made him give up before he got to the bottom. He didn''t even make it close to the end of the list. After scrolling down a bit, he realized all of the skills listed were more specialized. For example, student reputation, teacher readiness, and a bunch of other odd skills that seemed mundane but in reality were very influential in making him the best teacher he could be.


    He decided to leave the Other category for later. He could probably look at the skills in that section for ages and not gain any noticeable progress on viewing all of the skills, that was what he thought at least.


    He brought his attention to the ''Education Points. Ensen made a simple guess that those points weren''t from his teaching beforehand. After all, he had done much teaching over his career. But it was instead a sort of gift from... whatever this thing was.


    A strange sense of excitement washed over him as he decided to check out more of the features of this thing.


    A slight smile appeared on Ensen''s face, the first truly happy smile in nearly a whole day, however small it was.


    Ensen began pondering on why this... thing picked him. After all, while he had a pretty good reputation as a teacher in the area, it was nothing shocking or anything. There was quite a bit of teacher''s who disliked his teaching methods. He gently moved his hand over the Skills Market category and pressed down. A message immediately showed up.


    [Access Denied]


    Confused, he then tapped on both the Product Market and auction house, but the same message appeared. Ensen began thinking of why he didn''t have access to it when a brand new blue-box emerged from nothing in front of his eyes. This blue box was different from the previous ones. It had a golden outline surrounding the message as if signifying how important this message would be.


    [Starter Mission: Prove your Worth]


    [You are not allowed full access to the system and catalogs until you meet the most basic requirement, having the property and local rights to a private academy. A location and building for your private academy are essential for starting your new dream. You are required to purchase both land and own a school building on said land. The school may already have been constructed or you can build it yourself.]


    [Rewards]


    [5 Ep (Education Points)]


    [Access to all categories]

 Chapter 3: Beginning the search

    Ensen stared at the odd gold-outlined message box in deep thought. Although he never cared about earning money, his two weeks of pay and the substantial severance package he was getting from his former career added up to quite a bit. In addition to that, while his apartment wasn''t the nicest place around, it was relatively cheap because of that. So he had quite a bit in savings over the past few years.


    After thinking deeply, Ensen decided to follow the mission the odd system had given to him. While he did think about creating his own private Academy before, he always gave up on the idea due to his lack of skills in the administrative department. But if his assumptions about the system were right, then it would help improve his skills to a decent level at the very least.


    Ensen walked over to his kitchen once again. He had a rather worn-down white fridge with visible marks and scratches on the surface, and the situation with the oven was barely any different. The oven seemed even more beaten up in comparison with the fridge, there were even visible dents in the door of the black oven... for some reason. They were all there when he began renting this place so he was never really worried about it.


    He walked over to the battle-damaged fridge and gently opened the door, grabbing a half-eaten sandwich that was left-over from yesterday''s breakfast. It was a BLT sandwich that seemed... edible at the very least.


    He thought over his options with the mission. While there was no timeframe for this to be done, he wanted it done as soon as he could, as it was hindering further advancements. As such, he brought out his phone and began looking around for possible places he could purchase land and maybe even a pre-existing school. After all, that would speed things up by a large margin.


    After searching around, Ensen found two plots of land that had the potential to be his new Academy. However, he was still unsatisfied with his choices. After all, plots of land were expensive. Even more expensive then he thought. While he could afford these places if he took out a loan, he would rather not do that, because who knows if his Academy would be profitable for a few months, if at all.


    Because of this, Ensen kept looking. He scanned nearly every large real-estate site and eventually found another potential site that could work. Marking down the locations, Ensen got dressed in a light blue hoodie with a grey shirt underneath and some nice blue pants. After he was dressed, he headed out the door to head towards his car.


    After taking the elevator down to the ground floor, he calmly walked towards his car that was at his designated parking space. With seemingly a new purpose in life, Ensen gave out a slight smile as he unlocked his car and started it up. Taking another glance at his phone, he noted the address for the first plot of land and began driving towards the location.


    After around 40 minutes in rush-hour traffic, Ensen finally arrived at the first plot of land and he was... underwhelmed, to say the least. The right side of the land was bordering a popular bar on the side of the street, and on the other side was where the rather undeveloped part of the town began. Because of this, garbage littered the street, and the whole area gave off an unfriendly vibe.


    Ensen decided to walk around the plot at the very least, even though he knew in his heart that this place wasn''t suitable for a private academy. Getting out of his car, he quickly locked the door and began briskly walking towards the plot of land, trying to minimize the time he would stay here.


    The whole plot was surrounded by a chainlink fence, although numerous holes showed that the fence was not respected. With light nervousness in his steps, Ensen approached one of the holes in the fence and walked onto the plot. The very first thing he smelled was a mixture of tobacco and other various unpleasant substances. While that smell could go away with proper cleaning, it made him even less hopeful for this property.


    For the next few minutes, he paced around the property, analyzing nearly every inch. What he saw was astounding to him. Garbage littered the property, just like outside but to an even greater extent. Charred logs were scattered about the grounds, indicating a campfire of some sort has held here recently. He even found a few tents just standing there in the open. After around 15 minutes of walking around the plot, he believed he had seen all he needed to, and he quickly gave up on the plot.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Without any more thoughts of his part, he quickly returned to his car and drove farther in town, completely creeped out by that plot of land. After a few minutes of constant driving, Ensen made a decent amount of distance from the plot because it was no longer rush-hour. He slowly pulled into a nearby parking lot and pulled out his phone once more, checking the address for the 2nd plot of land he had looked at.


    Noticing it wasn''t too far away, Ensen decided to stop and get something to eat quickly, since the sandwich from earlier didn''t fill him up much. He saw a small coffee shop and quickly pulled into the parking lot. Upon exiting the car, Ensen took a moment to pause and just admire the beauty around him. Unlike earlier, the area he was in was quite beautiful. Trees were lining the streets with some small bushes accompanying them. In addition to this, the buildings were quite old and still had their charm thanks to good upkeep. He could even hear birds chirping, seemingly hiding in the trees.


    With Ensen regaining his calm, he walked inside the coffee shop. A small bell rang when the door was opened. The shop itself was quite small, only having room for 10 or so seats. But at the same time, it was a very high-class cafe. It had a small display case displaying various types of treats, nice old-fashion tables that fit the atmosphere of the location, and various plants scattered around the eating area.


    Ensen scanned the display case, within the case were many different types of sweets and snacks. Such as muffins, cookies, different kinds of pastries, and more. Taking a glance, a sweet scone stood out to him. This scone had raspberry and thin-sliced almonds drizzled with a cream sauce. With his mouth nearly drooling in anticipation, Ensen walked directly up to the barista since there was no lineup.


    After ordering the raspberry almond cream scone and a regular black coffee, Ensen waited for only about a minute until both were ready. Upon thanking the barista, he walked over to a nearby table and sat down, laying his phone down to the left of the table.


    Without even pausing for a moment, Ensen being slowly eating the scone, savoring every bite of the delicious sweet. After a few short delightful minutes, the scone was finally gone. Leaving a satisfied smile on Ensen''s face in its wake.


    Feeling relaxed, Ensen decided to stay a little longer, slowly sipping his coffee and playing a little game on his phone. While he was focusing on his game, a sudden bell from the direction of the door rang out. Unbothered by this, Ensen didn''t even look up from his phone.


    "Oh hey, Ada. ready for your shift?" A sweet voice said, Ensen recognized it as the barista he talked to earlier.


    An awkward smile emerged on Ensen''s face immediately after hearing that. ''It couldn''t be... right?'' he thought as he slowly looked up from his phone. He saw a blonde-haired girl with large glasses in a light grey and black plaid shirt with grey jeans. Upon seeing this Ensen nearly involuntarily facepalmed.


    ''It really is Ada. Wait, isn''t she supposed to still be in school?'' Ensen thought, quickly checking the time on his phone out of curiosity. ''...Or not I guess. Damn my internal clock is messed up. So, she works here? Last time I checked students at the SilverLeaf Academy weren''t allowed to have part-time jobs. Well, not like it''s my responsibility to enforce that anymore.''


    Ensen chugged the rest of his coffee and began to plan his escape. It was simply too awkward for him to talk to his students the day after he was fired.


    While he was slowly concocting the most incredible escape plan in the world, he heard a voice.


    "Oh, is that Mr. Fuentes?" Said Ada, who''s voice Ensen immediately recognized.


    Trying to avoid talking to her, Ensen quickly went on his phone, pretending like he didn''t hear or recognize her at all.


    A few minutes passed, Ensen was beginning to have careful optimism about his attempt of hiding. He finally worked up the courage to look up, and what he saw left him stunned.


    Ada was standing right in front of his table, with her hands on her hips and her eyes staring at him intently. To the right of Ada at the order area, the barista was standing there trying to hold in her laughter and was barely succeeding at it.


    ''Umm... this is awkward, she''s just staring at me.'' Ensen thought while trying to think of something to say.


    "Oh... hey, Ada didn''t see you there." He spoke, trying to be as casual as possible.


    "Hmm... is that so?" Ada said, still staring accusingly at Ensen, seemingly making puppy dog eyes at him.


    "Y-Yeah, of course, why else would I not answer you?" Ensen said, trying to keep his cool, and beginning to slightly fail at it. Trying to direct the conversation elsewhere, he then responded, trying to act casually "So... you work here?"


    "Yeah, I do Mr. Fuentes. I would say don''t get me in trouble, but you can''t anymore." She said, sticking her tongue out jokingly. Suddenly her face turned slightly serious. Looking around, she quickly took a nearby chair and sat on it at Ensen''s table.


    "Anyways, I needed to talk to you Ensen. I know how to get your job back." She said proudly with a broad smile as if waiting for praise.

 Chapter 4: A sad goodbye

    Ensen sat in deep thought, staring at Ada.


    "Why do you think you could get me my job back?" He said, conflicted.


    Ada, not realizing Ensen''s conflicted look continued with a proud attitude "Well after you left I went to the principals'' office to talk to her. We talked for a while, and she said if we could convince our parents then maybe you could come back! Isn''t that amazing?!" She said in excitement.


    Ensen didn''t want to lie to her. He had already given up on SilverLeaf academy. The truth was he simply did not fit in there anymore. Even if his students respected him as a teacher and wanted him back, was it really his place to come back? He was already fired because of the parent''s persistence of wanting him gone.


    But how would he break it to her? It wasn''t her fault or any of his student''s fault. His class this year was one of his best classes'' in his whole career. While he would love to continue teaching him, he would have to compromise his morals and possibly even the academy''s reputation. After all, a male teacher in an all-girls school was slightly weird, especially if he tried to force himself back into teaching in the school after he was fired.


    Looking straight into Ada''s eyes, Ensen decided he needed to be clear with her, he didn''t want to hurt her feelings, but he didn''t want to give her false hope either.


    "Ada, I''m sorry but It''s not appropriate for me to return to teaching there. I know you enjoyed my classes, and I''ve enjoyed teaching you guys. But... it''s better for the academy to not have me in the long run. You understand, don''t you? There''s a reason I was fired and trust me I would love to come back, I have been teaching there for quite a while after all. But I don''t have a future there." Ensen paused, trying to gauge Ada''s reaction.


    Upon seeing Ada sitting there silently, Ensen continued "Even if I was reinstated tomorrow, it would be a matter of time until I was fired again. I don''t want to create trouble for my students or my old school either."


    Ada sat in the same place. The silence in the shop reaching every corner. Even the barista nearby lost her smile from feeling the cold atmosphere.


    Ensen sat there, bravely waiting for Ada to respond to his blunt but honest response. After nearly a minute, Ada finally reacted, as if finishing processing the sentence. Tears began to well in her eyes, threatening to pour out. Her mouth turning to a gloomy standstill. Trying to arrange her thoughts, she opened her mouth slowly, as if still in shock. "But... but everybody in the class loves having you as a teacher. You''re so nice and help to point out all of the mistakes we make, unlike the other teachers. I know you don''t fit in with the school anymore, but why?"


    Ensen stayed silent, letting Ada think his reasoning through. He knew he was being hard on her, but it had to be this way.


    Ada slowly raised both of her hands and rubbed her eyes, trying to clear the tears slowly forming. She took a deep breath to compose herself, finally understanding what he was saying. "... I''m sorry for being emotional Mr. Fuentes, I... I just can''t help it." She said, looking visibly depressed.


    Looking at Ada in such a state, Ensen didn''t know what to do. He wasn''t the best with emotions in the first place, how could he console her if he didn''t have the slightest idea how to make her feel better? Looking at her once again, Ensen knew he had to do something.


    "Don''t be sad Ada," Ensen said, trying to smile towards Ada. "I know you like me as your math teacher, but I bet your new math teacher is great too."


    "She''s dumb! Not even half as good as you." She said, heavily pouting.


    Ensen thought deeply, trying to think of what to say. "Then, do your best and show them how good of a teacher I was."Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    He knew that sounded conceited, but it was the only way he could encourage her. He knew he wasn''t the best teacher, but he thought this was the easiest way to have her do her best. Even if it was for him in a sense.


    Ada sat there, seemingly in deep thought. After a minute, she wiped her tears for the last time. With a strong look of determination, she said: "I''ll show them you''re the best teacher ever, I''ll show everybody."


    With a genuine smile, Ensen stood up from his seat slowly, walking next to Ada. Resting his hand on her shoulder, he said gently "I know you will. I need to go now, Ada. But I might come here more often from now on, the scones are quite delicious."


    After a slight pause, He headed towards the exit. His footsteps resounding through the silent cafe. Right as he reached the door, he took a glance behind him, seeing Ada staring directly at his slowly vanishing figure. With a heavy sigh, Ensen opened the door which seemed multiple times heavier than when he first walked in, now determined to use the mysterious system to make the best academy possible for his students.


    He slowly walked towards his car, seemingly weighed down by his heavy decision earlier. Even though he felt gloomy, he did not regret it. Life moves on, no matter who you are. Although he felt as if life had been moving a little too fast the past 2 days, it still held true for him.


    Getting into his car, the atmosphere was solemn. He pulled out his phone slowly, checking the address of the next plot carefully before casually throwing the phone onto the passengers'' seat. His short drive to the next location was in pure silence. No music, podcasts, just his thoughts.


    After arriving at the next plot of land, Ensen tried to put his thoughts to the back of his head. He looked around the area and noticed this was significantly better than the previous location. First off, it was on a quiet street right off the main road, making it easily accessible. There was also a nice park opposite the plot of land.


    Getting out of the car, Ensen unhurriedly locked the car before casually walking towards the plot of land. Unlike the plot before, there was no fence keeping outsiders away. It was an open flat land prepared to be developed. There were a few big rocks and trees scattered about the plot, but that was not a big deal at all.


    But... there was a massive problem with this land. Ensen returned to the road and looked down three buildings and saw something which practically shattered his entire confidence with this location. The famous Littlewood Academy was standing there proudly, with its elegant iron-fence painted black surrounding the perimeter and a large brick building behind the fence. The building was covered in many windows overlooking the road and the surrounding area.


    Littlewood Academy was known as the best private academy in the city, mainly because of its rich history. It was established nearly 100 years ago and has remained a popular academy with a good reputation since. They had nurtured many of the current influential people in the city, including even the current mayor. Needless to say, attempting to create a new private academy 3 plots down from such a reputable academy was something only a fool would do. So although Ensen truly did like this plot, he couldn''t use it.


    Taking out his phone, Ensen decided to call it a day. He slowly walked back to his car, slightly demotivated after the failed 2 plots of land and his hard goodbye with Ada. But hopefully, tomorrow would be better. It took Ensen around 40 minutes to return home. After he had returned home, he quickly changed into new pajamas, after all, they are the best.


    He then immediately walked over to the kitchen and grabbed an egg, quickly throwing the egg into a heated pan and letting it cook. Out of pure curiosity, Ensen thought in his mind ''Show me my cooking skill''. As if on queue, a new blue box popped into existence. But what it replied left Ensen both astounded and embarrassed.


    [Cooking Skill: H-]


    ''H-... That''s worse than F- isn''t it?'' He muttered, obviously disappointed in his lack of skills. He didn''t think his cooking was that bad, but others would definitely say otherwise. Trying to ignore his depressing lack of talent in the culinary field, he turned his attention to his now confirmed theory.


    ''So this ''system'' can listen to my thoughts and interpret them. There''s not much I can do about it though, and to be honest, my thoughts are probably of no use to him considering how strange and high-tech this thing seems.'' He thought reasonably.


    Ensen quickly finished cooking his slightly charred egg and put it on a white plate, taking it towards the table along with a fork and knife. Ensen took out his phone and slowly ate the egg while checking more real-estate sites, but nothing caught his eye. After finishing the egg, he decided to look around a bit more, but still no luck. Ensen quickly cleaned the plate and utensils before taking a glass of water to his room.


    He dozed off very quickly. Although full of uncertainty with his future, he was also filled with anticipation and hope towards tomorrow.

 Chapter 5: A refreshing discovery

    The next morning, Ensen slept in quite a bit. Since he couldn''t get much sleep at all yesterday, it was a pleasant change. After he had woken up, he simply laid in bed on his phone, leisurely playing a game and checking various real-estate sites for new posts. But nothing caught his eye.


    After a while, Ensen got out of bed and walked over to his kitchen while trying to hold in a yawn. He grabbed a quick glass of milk and began heating the stove, deciding he wanted to make a simple grilled cheese sandwich.


    He began sloppily combining the ingredients. After a few minutes of cooking, he took the slightly scorched grilled cheese out of the pan and ate it quickly, wanting to get on the road. Ensen was slightly hopeful towards this new plot, and he was also extremely curious about it.


    This particular plot of land was vastly different from the others. It was just slightly out of town, near a lake. It was a vast amount of land compared to the previous 2 plots, and there was a bonus... or drawback depending on how you saw it. There was an old school built on the ground, it wasn''t a big school but any means, simply a few rooms but it was still something. From the pictures in the listing, it seemed pretty well maintained but you could never trust those pictures. So while his expectations slightly rose, he tried keeping a level head.


    Ensen quickly got dressed and made his way to his car, driving through multiple districts of the city before arriving just outside the city borders. In reality, this area was not as bad as it seemed. While it was slightly outside the city, the upper-class district was located very close to this area. Keeping this information in his mind, he soon arrived at the potential plot.


    The first thing he noticed when arriving at the plot was the sheer size of it. The plot dwarfed the others by several times. This was for two main reasons, first, it was outside of the city and in a slightly inconvenient place. But the second and greater reason was because of the school building itself. While Ensen considered it a possible asset and benefit in buying the plot, almost all other people thought of it as something that needed to be torn down.


    In addition to this, tall trees surrounded the plot, leading to a private and enclosed feeling. This would be very advantageous for what Ensen envisioned for his private academy.


    The plot itself was obviously not well maintained. The grass was heavily grown and places and there were small animal footprints scattered about the place. But on the bright side, they seemed mostly harmless. Ensen got out of his car and approached the plot. The pavement stretching from the road to the school had long been reclaimed by the earth, in its place was grass. The pavement was barely peeking out from the earth as if trying to reclaim its former glory.


    Ensen looked at the small building in the center of the lot. It was nothing like the pictures at all. In fact, Ensen wondered if they took pictures of a separate school. The yellow sidings were falling apart, seemingly ripped off by... something, most likely kids fooling around. In the front, the steps were visibly rotten, This was most likely because of no maintenance and general bad design. Trying to ignore the obvious mess the school would have inside, Ensen decided to take a look around back before entering the building.


    When Ensen turned around back, he noticed the gorgeous lake was quite close to the building. Only around 50 feet away. While there was no indication if the coast of the lake would be included in the property, he sure hoped so. It would be a beautiful addition if he could build benches and such near the lake for the students to study. But he was getting ahead of himself, he hadn''t even seen the interior of the school yet, and if the exterior said anything about it, then it would be a lot of work.


    After staring at the lake for a while with a look of longing, Ensen decided to enter the rundown school. Approaching the entrance, he noticed the windows were slightly crooked as if a testament to the age of the building. Trying to ignore the fact, he quickly opened the squeaky, barely working doors. He first entered a surprisingly wide hallway.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    The hallway itself wasn''t too bad when compared to the exterior. The walls were old dark oak planks that were seemingly taken from the surrounding trees. There were a few that were either damaged or fell off the wall, but most were in relatively good condition. Turning his attention to the floor, he noticed... there wasn''t one.


    The floor had been ripped up, leaving small bits of broken wood on the ground, with cheap plywood concealing some of the worst spots as if trying to mask the safety hazards for potential buyers. The floor in this room needed to be completely replaced.


    Carefully maneuvering through the non-existent flooring, Ensen arrived at the closest room on the left. The room seemed to be used as a classroom. There were a few old scratched desks thrown carelessly around the place, along with three chairs just stacked in the middle of the room... for whatever reason. Trying to ignore the complete state of the room, he focused his gaze on the walls instead. Similar to the hallway the walls were in relatively good shape. There were also several large windows overlooking the beautiful forest surrounding the area. The floor was much better when compared to the hallway, with old oak flooring throughout the room. While it was still not flawless, it was much better.


    Overall, this room was actually pretty sizable considering the tiny building. It could probably fit around 20 desks, give or take depending on the layout of course. Generally speaking, that was more than enough for the class size Ensen had in mind.


    Ensen soon left the room, overall satisfied with the classroom. He slowly crossed the hallway carefully, making sure he avoided stepping on any nails or other crude sections of the hallway. Upon entering the next room, he quickly identified what seemed to be the school office. This was due to the remains of a nice mahogany office desk in the center of the room. This room was fairly small, unlike the classroom. But Ensen was okay with this, as the office didn''t need to be big in the first place. There was room for a desk, chair, and maybe a table and couch for students waiting.


    He noticed a doorway near the back left of the room. Entering it, Ensen instantly fell in love with this room. On the right side of the room, was a wide window showcasing the beautiful forest, and on the back wall was a nice fireplace. This was the principals'' room. Unlike the other rooms, this room was barely touched, with just a few scratching on the flooring.


    With a satisfied smile, Ensen continued exploring the remaining rooms. There was one other nearly identical classroom as well as a smaller room with a broken piano at the center, this was the music room.


    After that, he continued looking around a little more, going through each room and inspecting it more closely this time. Through that, he managed to find several faults and potential dangers that would have to be rectified before the building could be used. After all, who knows how long ago this place was built, it was not up to building standards of today.


    Once he was completed looking at the building, Ensen returned outside, taking a final glance at the building. It truly was a lot of work, but his heart was set on this area. It had nearly everything he wanted. A peaceful and private environment because of the forest and stunning lake, a large plot of land for future development, and more. There were some downsides to this too, for example, the rundown schoolhouse would have to be heavily renovated or even completely rebuilt, but he still thought the benefits outweighed the negatives.


    It goes without saying, Ensen had a lot of thinking to do. This place also wouldn''t necessarily entice students, in the short-term at the very least. Plus the cost would be immense for him to both buy the property, fix and update the schoolhouse to current building standards.


    While in deep thought, Ensen returned to his car, driving silently to a nearby fast-food restaurant. He ordered his favorite meal from there, a simple burger and poutine. After that, he began heading home for the day. Although it was not too late yet, Ensen rarely stayed out late. He rather preferred staying inside and watching documentaries and similar things.


    Unlike most people in the education sector, Ensen was a very introverted individual. This by no means hurt his career and his teaching style. It just made it different than a lot of other teachers.


    Ensen arrived home after a long drive through rush-hour traffic, slowly eating his burger on the way. When he got to his apartment building, he quickly entered the home, anxious to eat his poutine and relax after such a day.


    He decided to watch a nature documentary while thinking about just what he should do with about the land. After finishing the 3 hours long documentary, Ensen slowly drifted to sleep on the couch.

 Chapter 6: An abrupt call

    Ensen slept in similar to yesterday, but this time he was not in a hurry. He needed to make a life-changing decision. That wasn''t something he could decide in just a few hours. Besides, it was Saturday now. He deserved to be a little bit lazy at the very least.


    But still, he decided to get up and prepare a quick breakfast, unsure about what to do today. He was idly watching the news in deep thought when his pocket started vibrating. Taking out his phone, Ensen realized it was Emilia Wells, his former boss. Unsure of what she wanted, he gently tapped the green answer button on his phone and waited patiently for Emilia to speak first.


    "Hey Ensen, I know I was a bit harsh to you a few days ago. I really didn''t mean it. It''s just that the parents of the students here are utterly unbearable sometimes. But anyway, I didn''t call you to complain, I know you have it worse. I was wondering if you wanted to meet up for a coffee, there is this charming little coffee shop near my house that I''ve been dying to try." She said in a cheerful tone.


    ''Wait, is she asking me out?'' Ensen screamed in his head.


    Ensen took a minute to recollect his thoughts, before realizing that most likely wasn''t it. After all, she had made it very clear to men asking her out in that past that she did not have the time or energy to deal with a relationship. After thinking more deeply, he realized that she didn''t leave any room for him to say much else.


    Thinking his response out carefully, Ensen slowly jittered with his feet. "Sure Emilia, I have time. What''s the address of the place?" He said, his foot jittering slightly faster.


    "Oh, it''s right next to the academy. The Jasmine Hut, I''ve never had time to try it before. Would an hour work for you?" She spoke softly with a more relaxed tone.


    Thinking little about the time, he promptly responded "Yeah that works fine for me, I''ll see you then." and promptly hung up.


    Upon hanging up, Ensen suddenly smelled a foul odor near him. Taking his time to look around, he analyzed every corner of the room before coming to a realization, ''Damn it''s me isn''t it?''


    Since he didn''t have much time before he had to leave, he hastily got up, took off his clothes, and quickly got into the shower. He took a short but steaming shower and soon came out smelling much better. He grabbed a nearby towel and dried himself off completely before walking himself over to his bedroom.


    After entering the bedroom, he decided to spend a little time preparing his outfit for the day. He didn''t want to look like a complete slob after all. Quickly picking out white socks and underwear, he turned his gaze onto his pants and shirts. After a while, he decided on a simple light-grey slim-fit t-shirt combined with a nice black bomber jacket. With little thought about his pants, he chose his regular dark blue jeans. Jeans fit pretty well with everything, that''s what he believed at least.


    Once he was finished dressing he looked a little above his dresser, where a medium-sized mirror with straight edges hung. Looking at his slightly handsome face in the mirror, he smiled to himself.


    Glancing at his phone that was resting on top of the dresser, Ensen realized he had just 35 minutes left before it was time to eat. Normally it took him around 30 minutes to get from his home to school, but considering it was Saturday morning still the traffic should remain the lighter side. But either way, Ensen always prided himself on being early. With a swift motion of his hand, Ensen picked up his phone and gently placed it in his pocket. Exiting his room, he swiftly put on his shoes and grabbed his keys.


    He headed out to his car and began making his way over. After about 20 minutes Ensen arrived at the front of The Jasmine Hut. The front of the building was absolutely beautiful.


    The building itself was made of bricks. The front had a small canopy over the top of a small, little fenced-off section for out-door seating. There were around five nice rounded tables with two chairs on either side. On each table had a vase with their unique bouquet of flowers. For example, the table closest to him had a mix of vibrant purple and bright white flowers. The vase on the table beside that had a mix of vibrant red, orange, and yellow colors.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    After taking in the beautiful site, Ensen pulled up into the parking lot for the cafe. Since he still had around 15 minutes until the time arrived, he pulled out his phone, reading a popular novel online to pass the time. After about 10 minutes, Ensen noticed a car pull into the parking lot. It was a car that looked similar to a Ferrari, but he couldn''t be too certain. In the driver''s seat of the car, was a charming red-haired woman wearing a white sweater.


    ''She''s here.'' Ensen muttered under his breath as he slowly opened the door to get out of the car. Upon getting out, Emilia had apparently noticed him as she parked at the space right beside him. She quickly got out of the car, carrying a small brown folder seemingly full of a couple of papers In her hands. Ignoring the strange brown folder, for now, Ensen decided to go up and greet her.


    With light steps, Ensen quickly made his way towards Emilia with a gentle smile. This wasn''t a fake smile like the ones he had shown to others earlier in the week. Ensen and Emilia had always been friends throughout their time as students at SilverLeaf Academy, and while they were not as close after they became faculty they still had a fun time together.


    After a simple set of greetings, they quickly made their way inside. The interior had much of the same elements as the seating outside. Each table had a bouquet with beautiful flowers that seemed fresh inside. The aroma that all of the flowers combined gave off quickly relaxed Ensen.


    "What would you like? My treat." Said Emilia with a genuine smile, her eyes slightly shining as if excited to announce something to him.


    Ensen wasn''t too picky about coffee. Sweets, on the other hand, were another story, though. After quickly scanning the menu, he simply picked something cheap that sounded interesting. "I''ll just have a small vanilla bean Frappuccino then, thanks for buying."


    "Oh, the Frappuccino? Good choice... probably. Okay then." She said while slowly walking towards the barista, still staring at the menu as if undecided.


    After she had arrived, she immediately placed her order. "Yes, I would like a medium vanilla bean Frappuccino and an... original mocha I guess." She said, her feet slowly bouncing in excitement.


    ''Wait, a medium? Hmm looks like she''s up to her old tricks again.'' Ensen thought to himself.


    Deciding not to stop her, Ensen slowly walked up beside her to make small-talk while they waited for their drinks. After a few minutes, both of their drinks were served.


    "Okay, so this... is mine. So that one is yours." Emilia said, after pulling up a lid and checking the contents. After a thankful smile, Ensen grabbed his coffee and moved to the outdoor seating with Emilia following behind.


    They decided to pick the table the furthest away from the sidewalk. After quickly sitting down, Ensen realized these seats were surprisingly comfortable. Judging from Emilia''s expression, she thought the exact same thing.


    "So, I know it''s pretty soon but how have you been doing recently," Emilia questioned, still feeling guilty for his firing.


    "Well I admit, it wasn''t the easiest thing leaving the school after all those years teaching. But at the same time, it''s a pleasant change of pace in a way, You know?" Ensen said, finally starting to make peace with his dismissal.


    Emilia sat there, looking sort of stumped. To be completely honest, she didn''t think that he would be this put together after his firing. "Well, that''s good to hear at least." She said in a relieved smile, happy that he wasn''t in a bad mood or state.


    Looking at Ensen carefully, Emilia slowly opened the brown folder and shifted it around for him to see. This was the real reason she wanted to meet with him.


    Ensen curiously took a look at the contents of the folder. There were three pieces of paper stacked on top of each other. Upon taking a closer look, he realized they were all job offers to reputable private schools in the area. Not only that, but their offers for salaries were also quite substantial.


    Observing his shocked look, Emilia giggled. "Go ahead, pick any offer you''d like. It''s the least I can do, honestly." She spoke gently, her smile matching her words.


    While Ensen was touched by this gesture, his determination towards building his own school stayed firm. "Emilia... I really appreciate this, but I already have something I want to do. I think I''m moving into a new stage in my life and honestly, I want to be more than a teacher. I want to establish my own private academy." Ensen said with new-found dedication towards his dream.


    Although he knew in his heart that he wanted to found his own private academy for a long time. This was the first time he stated it to another human. While it didn''t seem like much, it was a big step forward in his eyes.


    Emilia stood there in deep thought. With a swift move of her hands, she closed the brown folder.


    "Oh, I see. I never really pictured you the type who would want to do that." Emilia said in a light smile, obviously not bothered that her efforts went to waste.


    Ensen let out a light chuckle. "I know right, but it''s always been a dream of mine. And I feel this is the best time for me to pursue it. Even if it doesn''t work out, I won''t be satisfied until I try."


    With an even wider smile, Emilia immediately pronounced without any hesitation "Then feel free to contact me if you need any help, I know a thing or two about running a school."

 Chapter 7: Revelation

    After their serious but brief conversation, they both visibly eased up. Ensen leaned closer towards the table with his elbows, seemingly more engaged in their conversation. Emilia, on the other hand, simply repeatedly tapped her foot lightly on the ground.


    "Do you remember our championship victory over the Littlewood Academy in tennis Ensen?" Emilia spoke in a reminiscing voice.


    Of course, he remembered. That was his favorite memory during his time at the SilverLeaf Academy as a student. Even now, it was still a fond memory he treasured. The Littlewood Academy''s tennis team had been undefeated the whole playoff season. While SilverLeafs tennis scene wasn''t bad by any means, it still fell short by quite a large margin in comparison. By sheer luck, they managed to tread through the playoffs carefully, only losing two games.


    This managed to propel them into the 2nd place in the league. This league included the entire city, both public and private schools. After a tough battled in the finals, they managed to barely squeeze out a win. Honestly, the entire reason they pulled out a win is that one of the members from the opposing team was feeling ill that day. But good enough. That''s what they thought at least.


    Naturally, that little fluke of a win wouldn''t happen every day. The school had been getting decimated by Littlewood''s tennis team every since.


    "Of course I remember that. We sure showed them who''s boss!" He said in a joking manner.


    With a giggle, she responded "We absolutely did. I''m pretty sure our picture in the hallway at the academy is the only award the school has ever got for tennis."


    After finishing their coffees, they continued talking for a bit before deciding to end things here.


    "Thanks for coming, Ensen. I''m happy you decided to take your first step towards your dream. I know I talk like I hate this job, but honestly, there is nothing else I would rather do. And it seems you feel the same way. I need to get going now, but as I said earlier, call me if you need any help." She spoke as she slowly got up from her chair, grabbing the small brown folder on her way up.


    With a slight smile, she leisurely walked towards a little gate in the small fence of the outdoor seating. Once she was out of sight, Ensen slowly pulled out his phone.


    After passionately declaring his desire to start his academy, he realized one important matter he has previously not thought about, time. He wasn''t getting any younger. Although he may not have been as careful as he of been before, he wanted to chase his dream. But, he simply wasn''t confident in himself that he could pull it off. He still wasn''t confident, but at least with this strange system, he would fail less spectacularly if he did fail.


    Because of this, Ensen decided he wanted to buy the plot of land. Even if he was wrong, even if it was the most colossal mistake of his life, he didn''t care. He still wanted to do it.


    Slowly maneuvering to the posting he saw earlier on a popular real-estate website, he knew instantly that the price needed to be negotiated. While the price itself was pretty good considering all included, the school building would be an absolute money-drain.


    Ensen did think of tearing down the building and just developing a new one in its place, but that had its fair share of problems as well. First off, the vast forest surrounding the plot would make it hard for modern-day construction vehicles to arrive. Besides, the sheer amount of time it would take for the new school to be built would be... far too long.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Besides, while the building itself was quite small it would be a good fit for him just starting out, and with the vast space around the building, extensions wouldn''t be hard to fit in either. While the same problems about building affected the possible future extensions as well, he felt this was not as crucial. The academy would have to well established before it would be extended. This would ensure that he had a way to have a source of income while building.


    After all, his funds weren''t endless. Ensen clicked the green show interest button below the ''pictures'' of the school. After that, he quickly decided to message the poster, declaring his interest in purchasing the property. But he requested it to be inspected by a certified professional before further discussions about the potential sale were considered.


    While Ensen was excited about buying the land, he wasn''t ignorant. While he knew there were innumerable flaws in the building, he wasn''t exactly skilled in spotting flaws or fixing them either. This was a good way to get a better idea of the state of the house, as well as a rough estimate of how much it would cost to fix. He also included some questions about the property itself, such as if it extended to the coast of the lake.


    After thoughtfully concocting the message, he promptly tapped send. Dying to receive a response, he knew he would just be staring at his phone all day unless he did something. Looking at the time on his phone, he realized it took around 30 minutes for him to compose the message. Realizing he hasn''t moved in quite a while, Ensen stretched his arms behind his back. Although it seemed awkward to do in public, it was very effective. After that, he rolled his wrists and slowly got up from the table.


    Ensen picked up his now empty cup of coffee and slowly made his way to the exit, throwing the cup into a nearby empty garbage bin. Afterward, he exited the outdoor seating in much the same way as Emilia did earlier. Once stepping out on the hot pavement, Ensen felt a sudden wave of heat hit him. The heat previously blocked by the canopy covering the outdoor seating was put on its full display now.


    Ensen never really liked the heat. In fact, he kind of hated it. He much preferred the cold winter, so being under blankets was that much cozier. Preparing to return to his car to blast the air conditioner and go home, he was met with the sudden emergence of a blue screen.


    [Chain Mission: Flex those muscles]


    [Being in shape is crucial to properly run a private academy. You will be a role model for these students. As such, you must conduct yourself accordingly to make a lasting impression. This is true in all facets of life. You will be given various tasks to complete.]


    [Rewards]


    [One EP per task]


    [Random item/skill if chain mission is completed.]


    Ensen read the new mission slowly, becoming slightly annoyed near the end. Although he was by no means overweight, he was not in shape at all either. Slowly thinking it through, he quickly found the system''s reasoning, agreeing with it himself.


    With a sudden epiphany, Ensen quickly looked all around him like a rat scouting the area for predators. He just registered that the strange blue box has appeared right before him on a busy sidewalk.


    After observing his surroundings for a while, he noticed that nobody was acting strangely, as if the odd blue screen mission box did not exist. A young man even walked straight through the floating blue box with no problems for either the man or the box. Once he was sure that it was safe to have out, he turned his attention back towards the box. As if on queue, the box began slowly cracking before crumbling into a strange sort of dust that was blown away by a sudden gust of wind.


    ''I swear the system likes to show off when it creates and destroys messages'' Ensen muttered in amusement. He soon turned his attention a message box falling from above and slamming against the concrete with a powerful force. It then slowly floated up towards the eye-level.


    Shocked, Ensen turned his eye to look at the people''s reactions around him, but again there was nothing. Looking back down at the concrete below him, he realized it looked perfectly normal unlike a few seconds ago.


    Ensen quickly felt the urge to facepalm at the ridiculousness of the system before reading the next message.


    [Chain Mission 1: To the park]


    [As the first mission in your adventure to fitness, might as well start with something big. Crystal Gardens is located approximately 5 miles from your current position. Using only your legs, you must arrive there within 1 hour.]


    [Rewards]


    [One EP]


    [Access to next chain mission]


    ''What?! Are you kidding me? Do you really think I can do that? Do you know the last time I actually ran somewhere? Plus look at my clothes are you kiddi-" The appearance of an evil blue box promptly shut Ensen up.


    [Time Remaining: 59:46]

 Chapter 8: Under the clock

    Deciding not to waste any more time, Ensen began jogging on the side-walk at a decent place, trying to conserve his stamina. ''Does it look like I dressed for running?!'' He yelled in his head, trying to gain sympathy from the system.


    Ensesn''s shoes were simple grey slip-on shoes, not meant for running in the slightest. Not to mention the clothes, he wore today. He dressed to impress, not to sweat after all.


    In reality, while the system''s one-hour requirement seemed like quite a tight window it wasn''t. If he could properly manage his stamina then he wouldn''t have much trouble completing the mission.


    After running for a few minutes, Ensen arrived at a small park with a bunch of toys and equipment for kids to play with. A bright yellow slide, weird spinny chairs in the shapes of animals that rotated at a gentle slope when pushed, a swing with seats made to hold toddlers and lots of other things. There were also quite a bit of people around the area, both children and their parents were happily playing.


    ''Why couldn''t it be this park?'' Ensen questioned in his mind. This park was just around the corner of the block from the coffee shop he was at earlier. Without paying the children much attention, he lightly jogged directly through the park, his feet stomping on the small gravel path with each step.


    Suddenly, Ensen saw something quickly appear at the very left of his vision and it was zooming towards where he was running. He instantaneously decided to be cautious and stop running, nearly falling over after forcing his momentum to a standstill. But it was no use, Ensen felt a heavy impact on both his left leg and the left side of his waist.


    Unable to stand upright after the sudden impact, Ensen tumbled forward towards the gravel path below. Fortunately, he managed to hastily thrust his hands outwards towards the ground, holding his body firmly before he hit the ground.


    Nearly letting out a cry in pain, Ensen hurried to his feet wanting to get the pressure off of his hands as soon as he could. He held his hands in front of his face, looking at them closely. There were little indentations from where small pieces of the gravel pathway had previously been, as well as some little pebbles still gently pressed onto his hand firmly.


    Ensen quickly rubbed his hands together softly in a circular fashion, attempting to get the pebbles unstuck from his hands. After several seconds he managed to get rid of most of the pebbles.


    He mostly came out unharmed, with only his hands mildly aching and his pride heavily wounded.


    Looking behind him where the collision occurred, Ensen was preparing to let out a stern lecture towards... whatever ran into him. However, when he turned around, he was immediately caught off-guard by what he saw.


    Ensen saw a little girl, most likely no older than seven with light brown hair. She wore a checkered shirt and sweat pants dirty from playing in the playground. She was looking downcast while a middle-aged woman with similar hair and an intense glare was heavily lecturing her. She was wearing a simple grey shirt with bright blue jeans.


    ''Well looks like my job is done.'' Ensen muttered, still slightly annoyed.


    While Ensen was annoyed, he didn''t plan on making a big deal about it. After all, he was completely fine.


    ''Wait, what is she doing? Is she pointing at me?'' Ensen said confused.


    Ensen soon saw the little girl look at him. She began slowly walking over shyly with hesitation in her step. After a few seconds, the girl was now standing before him.


    She stood there for a few seconds, twiddling her thumbs slowly as if trying to work up the courage.


    Ensen decided to help her out, after all, he was a teacher. Even if she wasn''t his student, there was no harm. But right as he began to open his mouth to speak, he noticed the person who was lecturing the girl before to hold a finger against her mouth, as if asking him to not speak.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    He quickly analyzed her action and inferred that she wanted to turn this into a learning experience for her daughter, so it wouldn''t happen again. Silently agreeing with her plan, Ensen decided to wait a little longer.


    After a few more seconds, he heard a timid voice from the girl. "I-I''m very sorry mister. I didn''t mean to hurt you." She said, sounding as if she was about to burst into tears. Her gaze did not move from the ground below Ensen''s feet the whole time.


    Ensen''s remaining annoyance was instantly melted away by her sincere apology. Deciding to try to cheer her up a bit, he slowly bent his knees down until they were resting on the gravel pathway. Now he was near her eye-level. She slowly raised her head to look at Ensen. Her dark green eyes were slightly puffy from trying to hold back her tears. He smiled kindly towards her. "It''s okay, I know you didn''t mean it. And look!" Ensen said, showing off both of his hands to the girl.


    "It barely left a mark! I''ll be better in no time at all." He said, trying to be as cheerful as possible, even moving his hands around in a silly way with his speech to try to get her to laugh.


    "You really mean it?" She said with a big pout on her face.


    "Of course I do! Just try to be more careful next time, okay?" Ensen said, finishing his little attempt at cheering her up. And it seemed to work quite well. After she had heard his last sentence, her frown slowly went away. After a barely audible "Thank you" from the little girl she quickly returned to her mother''s side.


    Well, that was nicer then I thought. With a small nod towards the mother, Ensen slowly began walking along the path. The right side of the path was lined with newly planted trees, most likely an activity from his old academy nearby for the younger kids.


    After ensuring his leg was finer, he began walking before he noticed an odd little flashing light at the top-right of his vision. Turning his attention there, he saw a blue box that appeared right as he was body-checked by the little girl.


    [Unexpected event, pausing timer.]


    Looking semi-shocked, Ensen thought in his mind ''Maybe this system isn''t so mean after all.''


    Immediately after as if responding to his statement, the words on the already existing blue box faded out of existence, with a new message replacing it.


    [Starting timer. Time remaining: 52:48]


    ''Goddammit!'' Ensen yelled in his mind, thinking about going on a protest from the system. But realizing that it would be basically meaningless, he quickly gave up on the idea and continued jogging.


    After a long and excruciating 45 minutes, the end was in sight. Ensen could finally see Crystal Gardens.


    Crystal Gardens was also known as the central Gardens, because of its relative position in the town. It''s was used frequently by various organizations hosting events. It was a relatively large Garden, full of various types of trees, flowers, bushes, and many other types of plants as well. It was basically a gathering spot for the local plants to congregate.


    In the middle of the Garden was a decently sized lake that commonly had small birds, such as ducks, tadpoles, crayfish, and some other miscellaneous small animals around the area.


    Seeing that the end was near, Ensen began pushing his aching, exhausted body even further. His speed quickly gained momentum, and after a few more minutes he finally arrived inside Crystal Gardens.


    [Mission Complete: To the park]


    [Rewards]


    [One EP]


    [Access to next chain mission]


    Unable to stand upright, Ensen hurried over to a nearby plot of grass, where he promptly collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Looking up into the sky, he was tired but satisfied. He knew he pushed his body to the limits today.


    He laid there, peacefully laying, enjoying the nice cold ground. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he first checked the time. Upon seeing it wasn''t too late, he didn''t worry about getting up soon. He went on a fun little game on his phone, rewarding himself for his hard work.


    After playing for around 15 minutes he grew bored of the game. Right as he decided to get up, his phone vibrated. Curious, Ensen looked at his notification center and noticed an email from the real-estate site, notifying him that he had a new message on their website.


    Growing excited, Ensen quickly went onto the website and checked his messages, to see a reply from the land-owner of the plot he wanted. After reading the full contents of the message, he was full of mixed feelings.


    His request of having an inspection done was granted, but the owner required a small deposit to show his intention on purchasing the property. He also added that while the lake-side area was not included with the plot, it could be added on with a bit of money.


    While it was concerning how much he was demanding money, the plot should go down quite a bit after the inspection due to safety concerns. Because of this, Ensen was not too worried. After swiftly replying with his intent to put the deposit, he put away his phone.


    Thankfully, deposits were done online by the real-estate website for a small fee. This ensured that neither party would be scammed.


    After sorting out those issues, Ensen slowly got up from the ground, only to come to a sudden realization. ''Wait, how am I going to get back?''

 Chapter 9: Relaxation

    Ensen rushed to take his phone out as if trying to race against something.


    ''if I call a taxi before the system gives me another task, I will be safe for today at least!'' he yelled in his mind, trying to convince himself it was true.


    Ensen held up his phone, about to dial a number when he realized... he did not know the number of any taxies in town. Embarrassed by his mistake, he quickly slowed his movements down, acting as if it was just a joke. After a few minutes of googling, he found a reputable taxi company that he promptly called.


    While waiting, he walked towards the parking lot of the park, eager to get back to his own car. There were quite a few cars of all kinds parked there. Black, white, silver, and even a strange bright pink sports car parked near the edge. Ensen once again sat down on the grass, waiting for his taxi to arrive.


    After around 15 minutes, a yellow-colored car with the word taxi on a plaque above the roof of the car and the company name proudly displayed on the sides pulled into the parking lot. Seeing this, Ensen walked over, excited to finally be back to his car and by extension home.


    He quickly approached the taxi, who pulled over slowly to let him in. After opening the back door, he was met with a strong scent of cigarette smoke assaulting his nose. Doing his best to ignore it, he slowly entered the back seat trying to breathe out of his mouth to try to counteract the smell.


    After buckling his seatbelt, he quickly told the driver the location he wanted to be dropped off at.


    The interior of the car was surprisingly nice, with comfortable grey seats and a cup holder in the back for the customer. The driver himself seemed to be in his mid-40s, if not early 50''s. He had slightly greyed hair that seemed like it had been dyed recently and a fresh cigarette in his mouth.


    Without further delay, the driver began driving towards the cafe he was previously at. After a few minutes, he lowered the driver''s side window and threw the remaining butt of the cigarette out of the window. Ensen''s sky blue eyes visibly twitched in annoyance after seeing that. But he was too tired to confront the old man. Plus, he was driving him, not the best idea to anger him.


    ''On the bright side, at least he isn''t smoking anymore.'' Ensen said, trying to look at the positive. But he quickly turned speechless when he saw the old man reach over to the glove box and taking out a fresh cigarette.


    "Oh, would you like one?" The old man said, noticing Ensen''s gaze towards the cigarette and wrongly interpreting his gaze.


    With a fake smile Ensen responded, "Oh no thanks, I don''t smoke."


    The old man shrugged lightly and grabbed a nearby lighter, quickly taking a big puff of smoke.


    After around 10 more minutes, they finally arrived at where he first started, The Jasmine Hut. He quickly dug out a few bills from his leather wallet and exited the vehicle, beginning to feel sick to his stomach from all the smoke he inhaled.


    ''Maybe jogging back wouldn''t have been so bad after all. Wait... what am I thinking?'' He thought to himself, debating if his lungs or legs were worth more in his own eyes.


    Throwing the thought to the back of his mind, he quickly made his way towards his car.


    Ensen looked down at his hands. They appeared mostly better now, they still hurt a little bit but it wasn''t too bad. He quickly unlocked the car door and entered the driver''s seat. After getting himself comfortable he began heading home but ran into quite a bit of traffic along the way.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    After nearly 50 minutes, he managed to return to his apartment building. After pulling into his parking space, he slowly got out of the car, still exhausted from his run.


    He slowly walked towards the elevator doors, pressing the up button. The doors immediately opened, and Ensen arrived on his floor. After opening the door to his apartment, he had a strong impulse to sleep. But he knew he had something to do first. He first made his way towards his bedroom and quickly grabbed a pair of pajamas randomly. After that be moved to the bathroom and quickly stripped himself of all his clothing, throwing the sweat-soaked clothes into the nearby bamboo laundry basket, closing it after he was done. He then placed his phone on top of the now-closed basket.


    Turning on the shower, he quickly hopped in once the water warmed up. He began turning the handle to increase the temperature until he was nearly bursting into flames.


    ''Hot showers really are the best.'' Ensen thought in satisfaction, his aching body seemingly beginning to gradually recover.


    After a relaxing 15 minute shower that seemed to fly by, he exited after ensuring he smelled clean. After lazily drying his body with a towel, he promptly put on his comfortable pajamas and grabbed his phone, making his way to the bedroom.


    Ensen launched his body onto the bed as if he was thrown. Trying to resist the temptation of sleep, he unlocked his phone and navigated to the real-estate site. After checking if there were any new messages, he entered his payment information. He put a small amount of money in a deposit for the new land, proving his intent on buying.


    After that, he needed to confirm the transaction with both the website and his banking app.


    Nearly instantly after he confirmed the payment with the banking app, his body finally ran out of energy and he quickly drifted off to sleep with a satisfied smile remaining on his face.


    Unknown to Ensen, a blue box appeared from the void in a very gentle and reserved way before fading away, erasing its existence with it.


    [Goodnight, Ensen.]


    Ensen slept for a long time, his body and mind both exhausted from such a busy and eventful day. From the unexpected support of Emilia, his newfound dedication towards his dream, the brutal task from the system, and the incident in the park.


    After nearly 10 hours of non-stop sleep, Ensen finally awoke. His body was aching in quite a few places, but mainly around his left leg and waist where he was hit before.


    When Ensen was drifting off to sleep, he thought he saw a blue box appear. Looking around, he saw nothing. No box, notification, or anything of the sort. Assuming it was just a hallucination, he continued relaxing in bed.


    He decided to not leave the house today. After all, he was sore, tired, and just wanted a day to himself after the eventful few days he had recently. But knowing the system, that wouldn''t happen.


    Ensen began to go about his day, first checking his phone for any notifications. Seeing none, he slowly got out of his warm bed, stretching widely when he was finally on his feet.


    He slowly walked towards the kitchen, grabbing a simple vanilla yogurt from the battle-damaged fridge along with a small bottle of apple juice. Without any further hesitation, he returned to his bed, eager to get as much relaxing done as he could before the inevitable mean-hearted system forced him to exercise again.


    He waited and waited, but a new mission never came. He simply laid in bed, resting from yesterday while catching up on some novels he was reading. He also checked the real-estate site multiple times, waiting for an update from the seller but there was no update yet.


    ''If I didn''t know better, I would say the system was trying to be nice.'' He thought to himself. At this point, Ensen had been lying in bed for several hours and began to get bored. He slowly raised himself to his feet and walked towards the couch, hoping to find something interesting to watch on his rather large TV.


    After browsing the catalog for a while, he managed to find a history documentary that piqued his interest. Like this, he spent the rest of the day on the couch.


    When he finished his third documentary, he thought curiously, ''I wonder why the system gave me a break today.''


    The TV began to suddenly glitch, with random streaks of colors randomly scrambling across the screen. Ensen with shocked by this display but thinking logically it was most likely the system that had done this.


    As if responding to his correct guess, the colors began organizing itself to form a clear cohesive message.


    [It is not healthy to overstrain yourself. As such, the system decided to give you a day of recovery before resuming the tasks.]


    ''So, there will be a task tomorrow?'' Ensen thought in a grateful tone.


    The colors on the screen reshaped themselves to form a new word.


    [Correct]


    Afterward, the screen began flickering before returning to normal.


    ''Damn, this system really is weird.'' Ensen contemplated while forming a new, slightly kinder opinion towards the system.


    Ensen soon returned to bed, this time for more rest. After all, he was guessing he would need as much strength as he could get for tomorrow''s task.

 Chapter 10: Inspection

    Ensen woke up pretty early the next morning. After all, he basically just slept and relaxed all day yesterday. After he had woken up, he swiftly checked his phone out of habit and noticed an email, informing him that he had a new message on the real-estate site. Eagerly opening up his web browser, he made his way to the site and checked the message. Against his expectations, it was not from the seller of the plot but from the inspector they hired through the real-estate website.


    Out of curiosity, Ensen opened the message. The message itself was straightforward, asking when he was free today.


    ''He sure is all business.'' Ensen thought as he clicked on his profile, interested about the person the seller had hired.


    Upon looking at the profile, he was immediately impressed. On the page was information about his certificates and degrees, pay-rates, and contact information. His name ''Geoffrey King'' was at the top of the page with grand bolded characters.


    ''Wow, he really did hire the best of the best.'' Ensen contemplated, happy that most if not all the flaws that needed to be fixed would be discovered by him. After all, nobody wanted to be in a building with structural flaws or other issues.


    Upon finishing analyzing his profile, he quickly replied that he would be free all day today.


    Ensen quickly got out of bed, heading towards the kitchen. He wanted to be prepared if he was asked to meet today, plus he also wanted to try to improve his abysmal cooking skills.


    Heading towards the stove, he slowly turned on two burners while grabbing 2 pans, a couple of strips of bacon, and an egg.


    While cooking, he focused as much as he possibly could towards doing his best job. He couldn''t be certain, but he thought he saw a flock of birds seemingly fleeing the area from around him, but he must have just been imagining things.


    After a few minutes of cooking, the egg was... completely beyond finished. It was slightly charred. He quickly took it off the stove and set it onto the middle of his plate. After that followed the bacon, Well most of it at least. The bacon itself was stuck to the pan and had to be torn off. Afterward, he managed to rip off what seemed to be three mangled pieces of bacon that were somehow burnt and soggy at the same time. He swiftly moved to his little dining table, marveling at how well of a job he had done.


    He swiftly ate his breakfast, mocking the system for his ''unjust'' evaluation of his cooking. As if speechless from this act, the system didn''t respond.


    Deciding to check his phone again, he was met with a response from the inspector. Opening the message, it was as straight-forward as the last message. Simply asking to meet at the plot of land at 12 pm, at noon.


    After agreeing with the meet-up time, Ensen began to do miscellaneous tasks around his apartment to clean up a bit. He washed the dishes, did his laundry, cleaned the apartment in general, and a few other things. Then it was finally time to head over to the land.


    After checking the weather forecast on his phone, he quickly changed into his signature blue jeans and a blue t-shirt, preparing for an incredibly scorching day ahead of him.


    After grabbing his keys, he made his way towards his vehicle, hastily driving towards the location of his future Academy... well hopefully anyway. While he was slowed down by unfortunately ending up behind a school bus for some of the ways, he finally arrived at the entrance to the plot.


    His heart nearly leaped in admiration after seeing the lush dense forest again. Trying to force his eyes to remain on the road, he quickly arrived towards the opening where the building stood. Noticing that there was a large silver truck parked near the house, Ensen pulled up just a little way from it.


    Turning off the engine, Ensen hopped out of his car and began walking towards the run-down school. While he was walking towards it, he noticed a middle-aged man dressed in a dirty light-grey shirt with a yellow and orange reflective vest overtop. He also had a tool belt around his waist and dirty, slightly brown jeans, most likely from stains of dirt and mud. He was holding a rather large clipboard with his right hand.


    Ensen observed that he was slowly coming strolling over to his direction, seemingly in deep contemplation. Deciding that he should meet Geoffrey halfway, he began walking.


    Once they met, Geoffrey just stared at Ensen. For nearly an entire minute they just stared at each other until Geoffrey finally began talking. "So, you''re the person thinking about buying this property?" He said in a gritty but surprisingly powerful voice.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "That''s correct. Thank you for doing an evaluation of the house. So how does it look?" Ensen said, trying to ignore the intense staring. He was eager but also scared about what the results may be.


    "Oh yeah, I have the cost for removal right here." Geoffrey said, handing over the clipboard in his hand with a neutral expression.


    With a slightly puzzled look, Ensen received the clipboard and took a swift glance at it.


    ''Well I can''t be too mad, I mean what reasonable person would want to fix this building up.'' He thought, realizing his insanity towards the project. But even if he was seen as insane, it didn''t change the fact that he wanted to restore the school to its former glory... which wouldn''t be hard considering how tiny the school truly was.


    "I''m sorry, but I actually want to restore the building, not tear it down. Could I bother you to make a similar list for the cost of that?" Ensen said with an awkward smile, grateful he took the time to map out the costs even if it wasn''t for the correct action.


    Geoffrey narrowed his eyes, seemingly staring into the soul of Ensen.


    "Why do you want to restore it?" He responded suspiciously as if wondering if this whole thing was an elaborate joke. His face shifting into a slight frown, the only change in expression Ensen had seen from him thus far.


    Deciding not to argue with him, Ensen spoke "I wish to restore the building so it can be used as a school once again. I know it will be costly, but it will also be worth it."


    Much like earlier, Geoffrey simply stared at Ensen for an entire minute before sighing. He rudely grabbed the clipboard out of Ensen''s hands and began walking back into the building while saying "Give me a few minutes and I''ll get you an estimate, it won''t be as accurate as this one, though." he said, shaking the clipboard with his hand. Ensen returned to his rundown car, gently leaning against the hood while staring at the gorgeous clouds overhead, before slowly moving his gaze to his surroundings.


    It was as if the land itself spoke to Ensen. Ever since he arrived here, he felt the surroundings became increasingly beautiful. He noticed tiny details he didn''t before, such as chipmunks roaming the forest, the sound of happy birds chirping, and even the grass. Although it was severely overgrown due to poor maintenance, there was something charming about it.


    After a few minutes, Geoffrey came back with the clipboard in his hand. After handing it over, he said bluntly "The estimation for the removal is at the back if you change your mind. Anyways, I need to be going now, I have another job I need to get to."


    Without leaving any room for discussion, he climbed into the driver''s seat of his car and quickly left.


    Looking down at the piece of paper, the first thing Ensen noticed was it was about three times longer than the removal list. There were multiple issues involving potential renovation. Some of the things listed were checking for and removing asbestos, checking and repairing the foundation, and many more tasks that were essential towards the building being deemed safe. The list went on for a long time, before finally coming to a halt near the end of a paper, with a large number taking its place.


    Slightly shocked by such a big estimate of the cost needed for the renovation, Ensen began thinking of his options. While such a large renovation cost would definitely hurt his bank account, he could most likely negotiate a better deal buying the land due to both the removal cost and the renovation cost of the building.


    With mixed feelings, Ensen decided to take a little stroll on the shore of the lake. He looked out across the lake, with nothing but pure nature in his sight. Dense forests surrounded the lake on almost all sides.


    After finishing his little stroll, Ensen decided to proceed with his plans on renovating the pre-existing building but also keeping an open mind to other options.


    He decided to slowly head back to his car while taking in the scenery once more. After he had returned to his car, he slowly got in, wishing he could stay longer before heading on the road. He made his way over to the same burger place he had previously ordered food from when checking the plot out. After ordering the same through the drive-through, a burger with poutine, he pulled up to a parking spot and quickly ate his food.


    He quickly got out of the car once he had finished eating to throw away his garbage. When he returned to his car, he noticed a blue box was in the position where his steering wheel previously was.


    [Chain Mission 2: Testing the water]

 Chapter 11: An odd box

    Looking at the description of the mission, Ensen was baffled.


    [Chain Mission 2: Testing the water]


    [To ensure the safety of your future students, you must test the water quality by swimming in the lake for 1 hour before returning to land. After all, an unsafe lake would be detrimental to the future growth of your academy.]


    [Rewards]


    [One EP]


    [Access to next chain mission]


    ''This is the worst excuse you could have come up with! You just want me to swim!'' Ensen yelled in his mind, unwilling to swim in the lake even though it was beautiful.


    ''Plus, look at me. Does it look like I''m ready to swim?'' He said, trying to elicit sympathy from the system. Regrettably, the system was having none of it.


    [Time to enter the water: 30:00]


    Deciding not to fight the system any longer, he slowly started his car up and made his way back to the plot of land. After arriving and noticing there were no cars in the area, he felt a little better about himself.


    After gradually bringing the car to a halt a short distance away from the coast of the lake, he got out.


    Pondering about what he should wear while swimming, he decided to take off his blue t-shirt. Although he debated with himself in his mind, he soon resigned himself to his fate and slowly took off his jeans as well.


    Unwilling to let people see him like this, he quickly charged into the lake. But he forgot to factor in one thing, the sheer ice-cold water. While it was very hot in the surrounding area, the rather large lake coupled with the surrounding forests absorbing much of the radiating heat from the sun left the lake with very little heat to use.


    Although the temperature had minimal effects on the lake, it was different for Ensen.


    After jumping into the lake, Ensen felt his body quickly freeze up from the sudden change of temperatures. He decided to sit near the coast where the water was shallow, allowing up to half of his body being underwater. After waiting a few minutes, he began to recover, and it even started feeling a bit refreshing.


    Assured that the water was safe to swim in, he used his feet to launch himself deeper into the lake. The water now covered nearly his whole body, but it didn''t feel as cold as before.


    Ensen spent the next while swimming around the section between the swallow end and where the lake began sloping much deeper. He didn''t particularly like swimming over such a deep area, even if he knew in his heart that it would be completely fine.


    He began to relax inside the water. The water seemed to have healing effects on his slightly sore body, as the aching feeling was swept away.


    ''Maybe these missions aren''t so bad.'' Ensen muttered under his breath while floating on his back, looking up at the collection of small clouds overhead.


    After a little longer, a message finally showed up. The message Ensen was waiting for.


    [Mission Complete: Testing the water]


    [Rewards]


    [One EP]


    [Access to next chain mission]


    With a satisfied smile, Ensen was proud that he earned yet another Education point. Although he still had no idea what their purpose was.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    As Ensen decided to get out of the water, he noticed something behind the blue box as it gradually faded away. There was a small old wooden chest underwater, near where he was swimming.


    After closer examination, there appeared to be locked. Although it appeared severely rusted and nearly falling apart after being submerged in water for so long. There was no guarantee that Ensen would be able to get it open, but he wanted to try it at least.


    Ensen slowly swam over right above the location of the chest. After taking a deep breath, he began to dive down towards the chest. While he did struggle to get there, he eventually arrived next to the chest. Picking it up with a firm grip, he began to return to the surface. As he was swimming upwards, he noticed that the place where his hands were holding onto the chest began to slowly crumble apart.


    Small pieces of old, rotten wood constantly broke off the chest and began floating on its own. Feeling like the chest wouldn''t last much longer, he began trying to return to the surface even faster. Luckily, after a few more seconds he surfaced.


    He quickly returned to the coast of the lake, near his car. After closely analyzing the chest, his face lit up in embarrassment after realizing he was standing in the open with only his underwear.


    Hastily running towards the car, he quickly slipped on his pants and shirt disregarding he had not dried himself off at all. After slowly analyzing the surroundings, he breathed a huge sigh of relief after he did not detect anybody nearby.


    Slowly approaching the chest, Ensen first tried to open the chest the actual way. He firmly pulled on the rust-covered lock, hoping the rust would assist him in breaking the lock. But surprisingly, while it did manage to crack a slight bit, it was still very firm.


    After that, Ensen began winding up a kick when he realized his stupidity. While whatever was inside of the chest was likely ruined by now, his kick would only serve to make things worse. Thinking of his options, he swiftly walked towards the old schoolhouse and found a thin piece of wood.


    Returning to the chest, he wedged the small wooden piece where his left hand previous was while he was carrying it. After a quick show of force, the board on the left side of the chest slowly began separating from the box. Now, only a few long nails were keeping the left-side of the chest attached. After a bit more pressure was applied, the board shattered into dozens of pieces. It littered the ground coupled with the nails.


    An obvious safety hazard, Ensen slowly sorted the mess of his creation and found 16 individual nails in the pile. Putting them in his pocket, he returned to the box, his curiosity blazing.


    He slowly lifted the right side of the box to force the contents out onto the bright grass.


    After hearing an audible sound, he dropped the right side of the chest onto the ground and looked at what came out.


    An old, tiny metal box was lying in the grass. The box itself was almost entirely covered by rust, with just a couple small spots of what appeared to be a grey metal texture. There was a little hole for a key to be entered at the center of the box.


    Ensen looked at the box curiously. Unlike the chest, the box seemed like it was still pretty sturdy after all those years.


    After analyzing the rest of the box, he did not find any flaws he could use to open it. Deciding to take it back home, he glanced at the pile of rotten wood on the ground. Figuring that it would be cleaned up later on before the academy opened, he assumed it would be fine to leave it there.


    He slowly wandered back to his beaten-up car trying to hold back his rising curiosity. He placed the box on the floor of the front passenger''s seat and quickly walked back towards the chest. Picking it up, he slowly walked around the coast a little before finding an area that went quite deep. Carefully throwing the chest into the water, he watched it slowly sink into the water, never seeing the light again.


    ''Nothing good would come of people knowing about this.'' He reasoned with himself, although he felt a bit bad that he was destroying an old chest, even though it wasn''t significant to history in any way and severely rotten. It would probably fall apart within hours even if it had tried to keep it.


    After slowly returning to his car, he began his journey home. The ride towards the city but short and relatively traffic-free. But the city was a completely different story. Due to an accident on the main road through the city, traffic was severely backed up. Because of this, it took Ensen nearly double the amount of time it took previously.


    Cooped up with a mysterious box that he couldn''t open, Ensen''s curiosity began growing even more. After a long drive, he finally made it home. With the rusted box in hand, Ensen quickly entered the building, went up the elevator, and entered his apartment. Luckily he hadn''t met anybody, although it wouldn''t be too bad if he did it simply saved some awkward looks.


    After arriving in his apartment, he quickly entered the bathroom and yanked his clothing off, which at this point was stuck on him due to still being wet from the water. After his usual hot and long shower, he dressed in some random pajamas from his dresser. Afterward, he proceeded to head to the kitchen with the metal box. Taking out an old cloth from a drawer, he slowly rested the box on it.


    Next, he began brainstorming on just how to open the box. He theorized many ideas and even tried some of them out. First, he took inspiration from movies he had watched and found 2 tiny metal rods to act as lockpicks. But that idea was thrown out quickly.


    He also tried getting a knife wedged between the opening for the box, but noticed it was too small to achieve so. After thinking about just finding a hammer and smashing it open, he realized that it would defeat the whole point of trying to open it in the first place.


    Slowly staring at the box, he admitted defeat temporarily and decided to head to bed. After crawling under his warm, comfortable sheets, he quickly dozed off.

 Chapter 12: Potential gains

    The next morning, Ensen woke up early to do some necessary chores. Foremost he needed to pay both his rent and various bills. Launching his banking app, he quickly paid the bills, trying to ignore the feeling of emptiness from his dwindling bank account.


    After randomly grabbing a purple shirt and some sweat pants, he quickly put his shoes on and walked out the door heading to the elevator, walking with stiff legs like a possessed man. After entering the elevator and slowly descending before entering his car. At this point, his legs began to wake up.


    Slowly accelerating the vehicle, Ensen slowly pulled out onto the open road heading towards the closest supermarket.


    About an hour later, he returned to his parking spot. In the trunk were a few grocery bags full of a random assortment of food pre-prepared food and ingredients to cook with. Ensen was oddly dedicated to improving his cooking after all.


    Shutting off the car, Ensen opened the trunk and grabbed all the bags, unwilling to make another trip. After spending a disappointing amount figuring out how he could walk fast while holding the bags, he made his way back into the building.


    This time he was not so lucky as to avoid other people. While he was approaching the elevator, the doors suddenly opened revealing a rather old woman, around 70 years old. Seemingly taken aback by the sudden sight before her, she slowly stepped out of the elevator and stood to the side. She did not move one bit after that, staring directly at Ensen in what seemed to be in confusion while he was slowly approaching the elevator doors.


    Embarrassed by the unyielding stare of the old lady, Ensen focused on keeping a straight face and making his way towards the elevator as fast as he could. But his flushed cheeks exposed how embarrassed he really was.


    After a few seconds that seemed like an eternity, he entered the elevator and quickly elbowed the button corresponding to his floor. As the doors were beginning to shut, Ensen gave off a relieved smile. He could feel his cheeks slightly burning from the embarrassment.


    He waited for just a short while before arriving on his floor. With no further incidents, he quickly unlocked and opened the door to his apartment. Not bothering to take his shoes off, he slowly made his way to the kitchen counter. He slowly began placing each bag on the counter, making sure to avoid placing any around the metal box to avoid getting rust anywhere near his food.


    Swiftly returning to the front door, he took his shoes off before promptly putting away all of the groceries.


    After the groceries were put away, Ensen stood before the metal box with a menacing glare.


    He muttered out loud "I will open you even if it''s the last thing I do."


    In his left hand was a flat-head screwdriver with a tag still attached to it. Ensen didn''t have many tools around his apartment in the first place. None of his tools would be suitable for this, so he resorted to buying a screwdriver just for opening the box. Who knows if he would find a use for it afterward, but that didn''t matter to him right now.


    After trying for several minutes to wedge the head of the screwdriver into the tight opening, he finally succeeded. It was only the very tip of the screwdriver, but he was making progress. After wiggling around the screwdriver aimlessly to try to get a better grip, he managed to find a good position.


    Next, he gently began applying force in a downward motion, trying to get the old rusted lock to break from the pressure. But it stayed firm. Only after a few minutes of constant pressure did the lock begin to show signs of giving way.


    By this point, Ensen''s hand was beginning to ache in pain. He was not a particularly athletic individual if you couldn''t already tell. But he persisted, his curiosity growing stronger with each passing minute.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    After only about 30 seconds longer, an audible crack was heard from the direction of the box. With his excitement being fueled even further, Ensen pushed down harder.


    Suddenly, another distinct loud crack was heard, and the box flew open.


    Thrilled by the quick change of events, Ensen quickly laid the screwdriver on the counter.


    After doing a victory fist pump he turned his attention to the contents of the mysterious box. But what he saw left him... underwhelmed, to say the least. A small old notebook laid in the center. While the cover was visibly worn, it was still in relatively soon condition.


    Although slightly disappointed, he still wanted to satisfy his curiosity. Trying to get the notebook out, he realized just how perfectly it fit into the box. Only after flipping the rusty old box over and shaking it did the notebook come out. After ensuring there were no bits of rust on the floor or countertop, he lightly grabbed the book and walked over to his old couch.


    Sitting on it, he began reading with a gentle and delicate touch, trying to minimize the damage he would do to the book. Ensen sat for the next few hours there, attempting to comprehend the book before sighing and giving up.


    There were a few things that hindered his ability to understand the book. First of all, it was written in old English, which wasn''t too bad in itself. But it was also a music textbook, which was an entirely different problem. While his musical talent was vastly superior when compared to his cooking talent, it still left much to be desired.


    There were a few things Ensen noticed still. It seemed to be a textbook about the piano, written for a beginner''s class. There was also a name inscribed on the back of the cover, Holly Davis.


    Curious about this so-called ''Holly Davis'', Ensen decided to search her name to see if anything would come up. Surprisingly, there was. There was a small website commemorating local musical geniuses throughout the times, and Holly was actually near the top of the list. Reading her description, Ensen quickly confirmed his speculation. Near the end of her little description, it spoke about how she renounced performing for money and fame in the early 1910s, deciding to instead teach at a small school just little ways out of town.


    Now satisfied with having both his speculation confirmed and his curiosity about the box content, Ensen began walking back towards the rusted box intending on putting the book back into it and donating it to a museum specializing in the local culture.


    As he was about to place the textbook back into the box, a blue screen suddenly appeared, completely replacing the box itself.


    [Master pianist intent detected][Scanning and archiving book]


    Ensen paused, wondering what the system was doing. He still didn''t know much about the system at all now that he thought about it.


    [Completed. Would you like to learn: C grade Pianist]


    [Yes (5Ep)]


    [No]


    Looking curiously at the blue notification, Ensen tried to logically think his way through just how the system was able to extract the information and allow him to learn it.


    For once, the system decided to answer him.


    [Through a combination of the source material provided plus the intent left by the original writer, the information is able to be interpreted using the intent of the writer. For example, while the writer was explaining basic note-reading techniques, her knowledge and understanding were unconsciously poured into the paper.]


    ''That''s... weird. Does that mean I can just pick up whatever textbook I want and learn it?'' Ensen contemplated to himself.


    [Intent may only be imbued by a person writing the textbook when they have a deep understanding of the subjects discussed. When was the last time you heard of somebody writing a complete textbook by hand?] The system displayed, in a seemingly mocking tone.


    That was true, Ensen thought to himself. While some parts of the world may use labor to individually write books, the laborers wouldn''t have a deep understanding of the contents and theories used inside of the actual textbook.


    ''Well, there goes my master plan.'' He thought disappointed.


    Turning his attention back to if he wanted to learn how to play piano, he was tempted but ultimately decided to hold off on it at the very least. It wasn''t particularly useful at the moment and he was rather low on education points. Saving up points for when the shop would be unlocked was a must for Ensen.


    After discovering its potential use, he decided to keep it to himself for now at the very least. After all, he could just turn it over to the local museum after he was finished with it. Slowly putting it down next to the box, Ensen grabbed a bag from the groceries he bought in earlier and gently placed the rusted box inside of it.


    Satisfied with his solution, Ensen took the cloth the box was resting on and launched it into the bag as well, keeping it together in case it needed to be rested on the counter again.


    After confirming there were no holes in the bag, he quickly washed his hands and turned his attention towards his phone. It was time to make an offer.

 Chapter 13: Offer

    Ensen slowly navigated to the land posting while trying to think of an effective strategy to use to get the price lowered. He needed it as low as he could get it to ensure he had enough money for the initial renovations.


    Clicking the ''send offer'' button on the posting page, Ensen began explaining how much it would cost to tear down the existing house and how that should be accounted for properly. Although in reality, he would be repairing the house, that would not do much for lowering the price. After explaining several other reasons, he offered a price slightly below the asking price.


    After clicking send, Ensen smiled in satisfaction. Even if his offer was denied and he was met with a counter-offer, he still took a big step towards the establishment of his new school.


    Once he had finished with the matter of sending an offer, he turned his attention to possible inexpensive solutions for his school. Although he was still set on renovating the already existing building, there was no harm in looking around.


    While a few solutions did pique his interest, none of them fell within his view of what he wanted.


    Putting his phone down, he slowly walked towards the couch, laying down and staring at the ceiling in deep thought.


    ''Hey, system. Are there buildings I could buy when I unlock your shop?'' Ensen muttered under his breath, simply thinking out loud.


    A blue box, dimmer than usual slowly faded into view, trying to not disturb Ensen''s thinking process.


    [In a way] The system responding mysteriously.


    Brought out of his deep thoughts, Ensen looked at the blue box and pondered its meaning, but he wasn''t able to come up with anything significant.


    ''Could you be more specific?'' Ensen responded gently, understanding it had no real motivation in telling him the truth.


    The system was weirdly talkative today, however. Possibly because of their discovery earlier today or simply because it was bored. Whatever the case was, the words on the existing box were replaced.


    [I am unable to directly affect reality itself, such as creating new atoms from nothing. I can, however, manipulate pre-existing atoms and reorganize them into structures. Impressive isn''t it?] The system wrote with an attitude mixed with both pride and arrogance.


    Not bothering to respond to the system''s obvious attempt at flattery, he began formulating a plan. Quickly thinking about the starting mission, the mission details slowly appeared from the void.


    [Starter Mission: Prove your Worth]


    [You are not allowed full access to the system and catalogs until you meet the most basic requirement, having the property and local rights to a private academy. A location and building for your private academy are essential for starting your new dream. You are required to purchase both land and own a school building on said land. The school may already have been constructed or you can build it yourself.]


    [Rewards]


    [5 Ep (Education Points)]


    [Access to all categories]


    While the mission stated that there must be a school building on the plot of land, it never stated that the school had to function and pass any health codes, which gave Ensen a diabolical plan. He would buy the land with the pre-existing building on that. That would be counted as fulfilling the mission details. After that, he would use the now unlocked product market and see what kind of buildings he could buy.


    Although it seemed like he had to buy the materials himself for the system to be able to assemble the building, it was still very cost-effective in the grand scheme of things. It would only cost about half the usual amount to buy the materials and forgo human labor in favor of the system. Depending on how much education points the actual buildings cost of course. He didn''t have many points at the moment, so he would need to make sure he gathered as much as he could.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Fortunately, he still had the athletics improvement mission chain, although it severely overestimated Ensen''s capabilities. While he wasn''t sure how many missions remained in that chain, it was a good source of education points. Plus a random item or skill if completed.


    Satisfied with his brainstorming and solution to his biggest issue so far, he turned his attention to some smaller issues compared to the initial setup of the Academy.


    First off, he was unsure how he would get his first students and how long it would take. After all, who would pick an unknown startup Academy over a locally famous one? Even if the scenery around the Academy was beautiful, Ensen would need to fight an uphill battle to establish a reputation, both himself and his Academy in the city.


    While it was not an easy task, Ensen was confident he could find at least a few students that would be willing to attend his Academy if he gave them discounts or scholarships. But that was in the future.


    He also needed to come up with a name. Both SilverLeaf Academy and Littlewood Academy had catchy names that were memorable.


    Sensing the early onset of a headache from so much thinking he decided that he had done enough for today. Ensen decided to cook himself a late lunch with his new stock of ingredients. He opened the fridge and randomly pulled out zucchini and a slice of ham. Looking at his ingredients, he also grabbed an apple that was earlier put inside a bamboo apple basket.


    Turning on a burner, Ensen grabbed a pan from the drawer next to the stove and carelessly threw the slice of ham inside of the pan, placing it on the burner afterward.


    After waiting for a few minutes, he gently flipped the ham and opened a nearby cupboard. Taking an old stained chopping board out, Ensen began carefully slicing the apples into little blocks. After nearly taking off two of his fingers, he successfully finished creating many small square apple pieces.


    Next, he moved onto the zucchini. He cut the vegetable in half, saving the rest for later. Taking the half he was using, he cut thin slices. Although it was cylindrical and after much awkward cutting, he managed to make small squares of zucchini.


    As the pan began giving off a cloud of black smoke, Ensen knew the ham was finished. He quickly removed the pan from the heat before it set off the fire alarm and grabbed a nearby plate and placed the severely burnt ham that was nearly covered in charcoal onto it. Afterward, he began placing individual pieces of both the apple and zucchini on top, trying to layer them.


    Standing back to look at his work, Ensen gave off a proud smile.


    This... abomination would not even pass as dog food in normal households, but this was no normal household. Ensen happily grabbed a fork and knife, taking the plate to the dining table. He slowly began enjoying his meal when a sudden message box emerged in front of him.


    [Cooking skill has been updated]


    Excited and proud at his new accomplishment, he said out loud trying to hold back a yell "Show me my cooking skill!"


    [Cooking Skill: i]


    ''Wait, i? That''s lower then what it was before. Hey system, I think you made a mistake!'' Ensen yelled within his mind, his hope suddenly shattering into tiny pieces as he saw that his skill in cooking had actually decreased. Even more so when the system did not respond, as if mocking him silently.


    Ensen finished his meal in silence, now not in a good mood. He thought he made an incredible, creative dish. Something to be featured on famous culinary tv shows. And while he still wasn''t convinced that wasn''t the case, his confidence in his cooking his shaken.


    After the plate was cleared, Ensen brought his dishes to the sink and thoroughly washed them. Afterward, he made his way to the couch, absent-mindedly staring at his phone waiting for a response from the seller of the plot. But nothing came.


    After several hours of staring at his phone, a notification finally arrived. Seemingly coming out of a trance, Ensen navigated to the message as quickly as he could. After forcing himself to slowly read the message, he had a thoughtful look on his face, seemingly contemplating something.


    The message was outlining a counter-offer from the seller. The main conditions were it would be sold at the asking price, but the coast of the lake would be included with the property. There were also several smaller clauses, stating that he would be responsible for the cleanup of the grounds. After all, the tall grass and scattered wood would need to be handled correctly.


    Not certain if he wanted to accept the deal or propose another counter-offer, he decided to sleep on it and come to a decision in the morning. Getting off the couch, he slowly turned off the tv, his mind still occupied with the big decision ahead of him.


    He entered his bedroom and got under the sheets, staring at the ceiling overhead. Unable to come to a decision, he slowly drifted to sleep.

 Chapter 14: Meeting

    Ensen woke up  and restless.He did not get much sleep last  due to the  decision   ahead of him.But,  did  to  some  on a .


    offer from the  was actually  beneficial to him.It  seemed like the   wanted to    and move on, not arguing  over the specifics.Ensen  once an  was arranged.


    Ensen   could definitely manage to  a  price for him, but that would  a few . Although


    Ensen decided to  to the .He  in  for little while longer, thinking over his  to   wasn''t  a  mistake.mistakes were definitely unavoidable in his  to founding a renowned private Academy,  could  try his hardest to minimize them as much as possible.


    Satisfied with his  and ,   onto on the  and gripped his  that was  on his   nightstand.more  than usual,    the confirmation message to the ,  to  the  specific aspects in-person.


    After sending the message, He  to leisurely   for himself, just in  the  would  to  him later today.


    Surprisingly, there  a    had  one.Quickly  the ,   in . The Looking at the  of the ,   her   Jennifer Moore.


    Quickly replying with a ,   his  and   miscellaneous tasks around his .


    chores, he  the  on his .Noticing it was  3 pm,    would  his  for the .review the  in  for later instead.hour  was confident that  firmly  the  about both the  of  and their  and deal.


    Deciding to clean himself up a little bit before  ,   the  and promptly began .Ensen ''t grow facial hair by any measure, but  did  a faint  o''clock  that  be  if grown out long enough.problem , it didn''t fit his  and facial structure well.


    Finished ,   some after-shave on the   before  his  and walking out the .After  down the elevator, he  arrived in his .After comfortably resting on the ''s    to  to the local restaurant a bit early like usual.


    After around 20 ,  pulled into the parking lot of the .were about 15   until their  on meeting time arrived.Deciding to go inside early and  at the ,  exited and  the  before walking over towards the .


    thing  noticed when approaching the front entrance  that the  was unexpectedly pretty small.


    entire front wall of the  where large panes of ,  a  view to the .Ensen  and walked inside.


    To the


    were quite a  stools lined up against the .were a    at the , the  was relatively empty at the .It would most likely increase in  soon though  about to  to 5 pm.


    right side of the   smooth black mahogany tables with four matching white cushioned chairs.


    center  a small  to check-in. Behind the Ensen walked up to the  with confident steps.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    here for the  under Moore,"Ensen said .trying  himself in the right mindset for the upcoming conversation.


    asking for a , the   a nearby hefty book, seemingly checking through the .finding their , she grasped a nearby pen and  a checkmark next to it before  two  from a  of  .


    hostess  in a  and gentle tone.Ensen was  led to a  .table was  , it was at the front of the  and  a  view of the .


    hostess softly put down the menus on opposite sides of the  before  to  that a  will  with him soon.counter to    the .chair  towards the front wall,  patiently waited while  to  the  to  out his .


    Deciding to  the ,   the  few  absent-mindedly browsing until a  around 19 years old  him  the ''s .brown hair  in a bun, and she  a  in one  and a little notebook in the .


    table, she  said "Hello, '' Amanda and ''ll  your waitress today.like  ?


    thank you, ''m  for somebody right now,"Ensen  in a  voice.


    nod of understanding, Amanda  to  in on one of her other tables.minutes, she  with a  of  with many ice cubes in it.


    light  hair walked into the .approaching the check-in counter, she quickly asked a question and  her  over to ''s .


    Seeing the  ,  found her slightly familiar.he did not know where   her from.posture,    a relaxed face on to seem more confident.seconds, the middle-aged woman  a cream-colored cable-knit sweater and black jeans  the  and greeted .


    be , right?meet you.  said courteously, slowly sitting down as  was .


    Ensen  in-kind,  to come up with  to talk about.


    So, ''s  Jennifer Moore.I  can''t  the  that   her from somewhere.Ensen  in deep thought.


    seemed like Jennifer  him as well, as she was  at  in .


    curiosity  her , Jennifer :know you somewhere by any ?"


    recognizes me , it couldn''t have been  long since we met then.Ensen reasoned with himself.


    I''m honestly .I do have a feeling like ''ve  you before, though.I  can''t  my  . Ensen , becoming increasingly curious about the current predicament.


    table became silent for around 30  before Jennifer''s  went wide and she  out an  smile.see.were the  my   into at the .


    said that,  vividly   harshly lecturing her kid before   to  to him.amusement in his ,  .now.really wasn''t a  deal.


    glad to    then.saw   on your hands pretty hard.By the ,   a ? She , becoming increasingly curious about .


    Ensen was about to .he caught himself before   to do so.was until  recently.so"?spoke.


    "Oh I just overheard your conversation with her, and you seemed experienced.were either a  or a . Jennifer  in a joking manner.


    Ensen spoke humbly "I  taught students 16-18 actually.Just    from  of my .


    ice  between the , they  discussing random subjects to pass the time until their  came back.minutes, Amanda  with two  of .orders after  through the .Ensen   a  picked out from when  was browsing earlier, so   first.Ensen  the pan-roasted cod dish whereas Amanda  a seafood platter.


    order was taken, they  continued talking  while  for their  to .plates,  each of them in  of the corresponding person.


    said:Enjoy!"

 Chapter 15: Agreement

    After the food arrived, they both began eating slowly, not negating talking to each other.


    Ensen made sure he was following proper etiquette to look refined while in front of her. He slowly placed his knife near the end of the cod and cut himself a small piece. Putting the fork into the piece, he raised it to put the piece in his mouth.


    Tasting the cod from such a high-class establishment, Ensen was overwhelmed with the flavors that came from the cod. While he still wanted to believe that the dishes that he made at home were better, he could not find any positives when he compared them.


    Jennifer on the other hand leisurely used her fork to pick out random seafood and slowly savoring the taste. Her thoughts about the specific seafood she ate were clearly displayed on her face. Sometimes a wide smile formed and other times a little frown would pop up on her face. But she still kept eating even if it seemed like she didn''t like it.


    ''Seems like she''s a foodie then''. Ensen thought to himself, amused by her expressions. After around 10 minutes of slowly eating, Jennifer had completed her meal. She just smiled and said that Ensen could finish his meal before they move on to their discussion.


    After a few more minutes Ensen finally finished. That was one of the best meals he had had in a long time. Pushing his now polished plate to the side slightly, he grabbed his glass of water and had a quick drink before putting on his serious face.


    "Should we start our conversation now?" Ensen said out of consideration.


    Jennifer nodded silently and pulled out her phone, she began laying out the conditions outlined in the previous message.


    "Just to recap, you will pay the original asking price but will also include the lake-side property." She said, pausing a bit to ensure Ensen had no objections.


    Upon hearing none, she continued. "I already saw your deposit you put down a few days ago. I would also like to have a letter signed from you, stating that you will clean up the grounds within a year from the sale date."


    Not thinking much of the condition since he was already planning on having it cleaned up as soon as he could, he completely agreed to the condition without much discussion. After further discussing how Ensen would manage to pay the cost in a timely manner, the majority of the negotiations were over.


    While either of them could push harder to get better conditions for themselves, such as a price change in their benefit they were content with what they had presently.


    "I hope you don''t mind me asking, but what was the plot used for previously? Feel free not to answer, I won''t mind." Ensen said with a theory already in his mind, wanting to confirm it.


    Without much thought, Jennifer replied "My grandfather owned a school there for quite a while. But when he got older and the school wasn''t gaining any fame or attraction he decided to shut it down for an easier life instead. The land has been untouched since really."


    ''Looks like I was right.'' Ensen thought in satisfaction. It always made him happy whenever his theories were accurate, even if it were for severely minor things.


    After that, they began to wrap things up. While it did not seem like they accomplished much this session, they, in fact, did quite a bit. They confirmed they were both on the same page and they also figured out payment information.


    They also outlined a general plan for Ensen to become the owner of the property. He would be required to pay half of the total amount, then the property would be transferred to him on the condition that the remaining half of the money was paid back by the end of the year. If it was not, the property would be returned to Jennifer.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    While Ensen thought it was a little unfair, he wouldn''t have much trouble paying for the property with his current savings. Although it would put a significant dent in them.


    As the bill came over, Ensen reached his hand out to pay for it, but Jennifer swiped the receipt before he could reach it.


    "I asked you to meet me here, it''s only right for me to pay for it." She said elegantly while pulling out her bank card, paying for the meal for both of them.


    Afterward, Jennifer began to slowly get up out of her seat. Now standing, she pushed her seat and spoke to Ensen "Well it''s been a pleasant meeting. When you have half of the money as previously stated, please contact me and we will get the process for transferring the ownership started."


    Ensen responded with understanding. Upon hearing such, Jennifer began heading towards the door.


    After around 30 seconds, she walked towards the parking lot, disappearing from view. Looking around, Ensen quickly waved his hand at Amanda their waitress, silently asking for her attention.


    Seemingly noticing Ensen''s gesture, she looked his way and held her index finger up. Ensen correctly guessed this meant she would be there in just a minute. Therefore in the meantime, he drank a little water and took his phone out, checking for any messages. Seeing there were no notifications, Ensen felt both relieved and a little bit sad.


    Hearing footsteps, Ensen turned his head to the right, looking at the brown-haired girl with the restaurant''s uniform on approaching his table.


    Before she had the chance to ask what he needed, he promptly asked a question to her in an oddly serious tone "Do you have a dessert menu by any chance?"


    "Oh yes, we do. Let me get you one." She said, returning to the check-in counter and reaching under the counter. The dessert menus were right next to where the stack of regular menus was.


    While Ensen was waiting, he attempted his best at holding in his drool. After all, he lived for sweets. Excited about the sweets he would see in the dessert menu, he nearly jumped in joy when Amanda returned with the menu.


    Upon saying that she will return in a few minutes after he had a chance to look over the menu, she left to go serve a nearby table.


    Quickly grabbing the menu and flipping it open, Ensen quietly hummed happily to himself as he browsed the menu. There were so many options. He just didn''t know what to choose. Seemingly in a bind, he spent the next few minutes trying to narrow down the options he wanted to try. After a few minutes, he narrowed it down to two and was on the process of selecting one when Amanda returned, asking which dessert he would like.


    Unable to make a decision, Ensen decided to order both a slice of raspberry vanilla cake and a few cinnamon roll cookies which piqued his interest. After taking his order, Amanda walked away and delivered his order to the kitchen.


    After a few minutes of waiting, Ensen was beginning to become more and more restless when Amanda returned with two plates in each hand. Placing them down in front of Ensen, she said to enjoy and walked away.


    To the left of Ensen were three cinnamon roll cookies. The glistening white icing on the top immediately enticed him into trying them. After a few blissful moments, he had finally finished the three cookies, trying to savor them as much as he could.


    Moving his gaze to the vanilla cake with a raspberry glaze, there was also a fresh raspberry in the center of the cake. Regretfully, the cake was so delicious he had trouble slowing down to savor it, so he managed to eat it in just over a minute.


    Slightly regretful, Ensen waited for his check while drinking water. A few minutes later Amanda approached him with a bill in her hands. After paying, he promptly exited the restaurant, slowly wandering back to his car.


    Entering the car, he began driving back home with a satisfied smile plastered on his face. It took him around 25 minutes to return to his apartment building, slightly longer due to there being more traffic.


    After pulling into his parking spot, he didn''t want to get out, as he was incredibly comfortable in his seat. But he also wanted to go inside, so he forced himself to get up out of bed and slowly return to his apartment.


    Opening the door, Ensen reflected on the events from earlier at dinner. There didn''t seem to be many hiccups in both the negotiation and conversation which was nice. He began thinking about the large amount of money he had to transfer to her. He realized he would definitely need to either personally go to the bank to confirm it or go through customer service online which seemed like a nightmare.


    Deciding he would go to the bank tomorrow to make sure there would not be any problems with him transferring a large sum of money from his bank account, Ensen decided he would lay in bed and do a bit on research on topics related to the Academy he was constructing.


    Switching into his pajamas, he laid on top of his sheets browsing the internet for a few hours learning quite a bit before he decided to get some sleep.

 Chapter 16: Neighbour

    After Ensen had woken up the next day, he quickly hopped out of bed eager to get to the bank before it got too busy. Quickly throwing on some sweatpants and a blue t-shirt, he walked into the kitchen to grab an apple and began putting his shoes on.


    If all went well with the bank, Ensen would have the property rights to the plot in just a few days. Knowing the initial establishment of his private Academy was just around the corner, he became even more ecstatic.


    Checking his phone before leaving, he noticed it was supposed to be rather chilly today, surprisingly enough. Deciding to wear a jacket just in case, he grabbed his only jacket from a nearby coat rack. The jacket was all black with a similarly black hood at the back. It even seemed pretty new, evident that Ensen had barely used it. There was a breast pocket on the left side with a zipper holding it closed. This jacket did not add much protection from the chilly weather. It was more of a raincoat. But an extra layer of clothing wouldn''t hurt him.


    Putting on his coat, Ensen opened the door and began heading towards the elevator. In the hallway in front of him was his neighbor that he never really talked to. She seemed around 30 years old with wavy light-brown hair and wore a heavy wool coat to protect herself from the cold. She was miles more prepared then Ensen was.


    Ensen was interested in his neighbor. Not for romantic reasons however, it was just an innocent curiosity towards his neighbor. Interest was the main drive in Ensen''s life that motivated him to do things.


    Hastening his footsteps, he quickly arrived next to her.


    Hearing the approaching footsteps from behind her, the woman turned around slightly worried. Upon seeing it was her neighbor she relaxed slightly. While they have never talked before, she had a good impression of him after hearing that he a math teacher at a local private Academy.


    Seeing that Ensen was either trying to catch up to her or rush ahead, she slightly sped up her pace and walked closer to the wall not wanting to interact with him.


    After a few more seconds Ensen managed to catch up to her and matched her pace.


    Ignoring the odd look the woman was giving him, he began speaking to her in a relaxed tone. "Hello, I just realized I hadn''t introduced myself to you. I''m Ensen Fuentes. It''s nice to meet you."


    Looking at Ensen, the woman gave off a slightly cold vibe as she replied bluntly "I''m Kaitlin." obviously not willing to give much information about herself.


    Slightly taken aback by the lack of any desire to hold a conversation, Ensen smiled awkwardly and walked in silence towards the elevator next to her. After a few more seconds they arrived. Pushing the button to descend, Ensen found himself in an awkward situation. Even worse, he had nobody to blame but himself. But still, he did not think she would have no interest in holding any sort of conversation together.


    After a few seconds a dinging sound came from the doors as they began to open. Seeing that the elevator was empty, both Ensen and Kaitlin entered. Upon pressing the lobby button, he turned his head and asked what floor she was heading to. Hearing no response from her, he went near the opposite side of the elevator and closed his eyes, praying that this would end soon.


    Fortunately for him, the elevator soon let out a ding similar to earlier. Knowing that the doors were about to open, Ensen decided he needed to apologize. He didn''t know what he did, but still. She did not seem like a person that Ensen would like on his list of enemies. Opening his eyes and looking at her, he began speaking somewhat reserved this time.


    "I''m sorry about that. I was just interested in who my neighbor was. I meant no harm." He said, trying to smooth things over.


    Expecting no response, Ensen stayed in place and waited for Kaitlin to exit.


    As Kaitlin exited the elevator and began walking towards the front door, she paused her steps for a moment and spoke in the same blunt voice "It''s not you." And without waiting for a response, she continued her steps, heading towards the parking lot.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Confused by the meaning of Kaitlin''s words, Ensen paused in contemplation. After noticing the doors beginning to shut, he quickly stuck his hand out, causing them to reopen. With theories clouding his mind, he absent-mindedly began walking to his car.


    Finally noticing he had arrived at his car, he tried to ignore what just happened. Besides, Ensen didn''t have any reasonable theories. He didn''t even know her last name, job, or anything about her.


    After starting the car, Ensen slowly began making his way to the local branch of his bank. The traffic wasn''t too bad, allowing him to arrive after only 15 minutes. Seeing a lack of cars in the parking lots, he pulled in, Ensen smiled as he parked the car and strolled inside.


    Entering the bank, Ensen noticed a row of ATMs to his left, while straight ahead was a large desk made out of birch wood. Behind the desk was a woman around 22 years old. Approaching the desk, Ensen began settling his business here.


    After nearly two hours Ensen finally managed to get clearance in transferring a large sum of money. Satisfied and slightly irritated from the long process, he began to return to his car. Luckily he managed to get there pretty early, as the bank branch was getting increasingly busy throughout his time there. At this point it was getting kind of absurd. There were at least 15 people waiting in line.


    Thanking his cautious soul that he arrived there early, he began thinking about something that has been bugging him.


    Throughout his entire time a small part of his mind never lingered from Kaitlin, the statement she uttered at the end nearly drove him mad with curiosity.


    But he was conflicted, on one hand he wanted to respect her personal space and private matters, while on the other he really wanted to know what she meant about that.


    Entering the car, Ensen stared at the steering wheel in deep thought. After a few minutes he lifted his head after seemingly making up his mind about something. He would see if he could interact with her in the future and base his actions following how that conversation went. Even if she got annoyed by Ensen, she wouldn''t hate him or do anything in retaliation, at least he sure hoped so.


    After making this decision Ensen finally managed to take his mind off of Kaitlin. Moving his attention to the road, he began to make his way back to his apartment. Due to heavier traffic it took him 20 minutes to return to the apartment building this time.


    Right after pulling into the parking spot he gently grabbed his phone and took it out of his pocket. He began to write a text to send to Jennifer, notifying her that he had the first half of the money prepared so she could go ahead with starting the transferring process of the property.


    Putting his phone on the passenger seat gently, Ensen was unsure if he wanted to relax at home or if he wanted to find something athletic to do outdoors.


    Unable to think of anything to do outdoors, he realized he could ask somebody for something to do.


    ''Hey system, could you give me the next chain quest?'' Ensen said politely, hoping the system would be nice.


    After a few seconds, right as Ensen was beginning to think the system had ignored him again, he noticed an odd noise. It seemed like a trumpet being played in the 1600s to welcome a guest.


    Noticing this odd sound, Ensen gave off a happy smile as a blue box slowly drove up to him much like a noble chariot, stopping a short distance away from his car.


    [Chain Mission 2: Checking forest safety]


    [As requested by the host, the system will proceed with the final chain mission. To finish ensuring the safety of the area around your future private Academy, hike the nearby forests and make sure there are no safety concerns that will have to be fixed. In order to scout the surrounding area, a vast allocation of time is required. Because of this, you are required to spend the next eight hours in the forest. You have one hour to prepare the items you will be taking and arrive.]


    [Rewards]


    [One EP][Random item/skill]


    Although the mission was being harsher than before, Ensen found that this was the best mission it gave him so far. It was around 10 am at this point, he had one hour to prepare so he would be in the forest until seven pm at the very least.


    Excited by the prospects of the adventure, he realized that the system seemed to be serious about ensuring the safety of his students. While he was serious about that too of course, he never really thought about checking the forest or water to see if it was dangerous. Although he would be putting himself at risk on the off-chance that it really was dangerous, he really didn''t mind much.


    Although Ensen was by no means a fighter of any kind, he knew this kind of slight risk to ensure the safety of his students would pay off in multiple ways. First was obviously the fact that the area''s safety was guaranteed. Next was the rewards the system gave for completing these missions.


    Honestly, he would still be doing the missions even if there was no reward. After all, it wasn''t like these missions were meaningless. They all played an important part in the development of his private Academy.


    While the system had declared itself as the Supreme Academy System, it never really registered with him. Mostly because he wasn''t in a good place when the message first showed up so he didn''t pay much attention to it. Plus the system itself never really mentioned its name after that, simply taking on its own role.


    ''The system really is a weird one.'' Ensen thought to himself. Even though it sometimes seemed arrogant and uncaring, there were moments when it actually seemed to show empathy and care about him.


    While he couldn''t be certain, he thought that the system cared for his well being¡­ at least a little bit.

 Chapter 17: Beginning the hike

    Deciding to begin preparing now, Ensen had a decent amount of time to gather all that he needed. Since it was around 10 am now, Ensen knew that he had to leave earlier than usual to make sure he got there on time, after all he didn''t want to miss out on the mission because of traffic. Even if traffic wasn''t expected to be too busy at this point, it was still good to be cautious.


    Quickly heading back inside, Ensen grabbed an old black bag with Grey stripes horizontal across he used to use when he just started out teaching and began filling it with things he believed he would either need or would like to have. He filled up a few water bottles with water and threw them inside the bag, some snacks too.


    Figuring that he would need something more than just snacks to satisfy his hunger, he quickly ran into the kitchen and made himself three peanut butter and jam sandwiches. With the elegance and grace of a tired puppy walking up the stairs, he soon finished making them after only a few minutes and minimal mess. Well, if you didn''t include when he dropped a piece of bread with the peanut butter side face-down on the floor and had to remake it and clean it up at least.


    After finishing the sandwiches, he began thinking of other things to bring. After brainstorming he decided to bring a power bank for his phone, just in case he needed it, a piece of paper, a marker, and some tape for later. He also put a light blue sweater on over his t-shirt to make sure he stayed warm. He then put his jacket on over the sweater.


    Deciding that he didn''t need anything else, he picked up his light black and Grey bag and made his way down the elevator, returning to his car soon after.


    Opening the front passenger''s side door, Ensen picked up his phone from the seat and laid his bag on the floor. Quickly making his way around the car over to the driver''s door. Opening it, Ensen quickly got inside and closed it to try to retain the little bit of heat that was already in the car.


    Looking at his phone, Ensen checked for a response from Jennifer and other notifications but there was nothing. Putting his phone down, he began his journey to the plot of land that was nearly his with around 35 minutes left.


    During the travel there, Ensen was met with light traffic but it wasn''t too severe. After around 30 minutes Ensen pulled into the road leading to the opening near the lake.


    Parking his car just a little ways from the run-down building, Ensen turned off the car but decided to sit in it for a few minutes before starting his hike for the day.


    ''I hope Jennifer doesn''t mind me doing this. This is still her property for now after all.'' Ensen thought to himself, although he thought that Jennifer wouldn''t mind he never really asked her for permission. Not only did Jennifer own the plot of land he was currently looking at, but she also owned the majority of the forest thanks to her grandfather buying it up to use in the expansion of his school. He obviously got ahead of himself, but it was rather cheap to buy at the time.


    Putting that to the back of his mind, Ensen leaned over to grab his bag and opened it, taking out both the paper and the marker. Keeping pressure on the paper against the window, he began writing a message in big letters on the paper.


    Looking at the message, Ensen smiled with approval and laid the paper on the dashboard for the moment while he reached into the bag and pulled out the tape, breaking off small pieces of tape and hung them on the steering wheel. Picking the piece of paper once again, he held it on the window with one hand while using his other hand to grab the small piece of tape.


    Like this, Ensen began to tape the piece of paper to the window. After around 30 seconds he managed to apply all the pieces of tape he ripped off onto the piece of paper. Removing his hand, he smiled when he noticed that the paper stood still.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Reasoning that it was about time to head into the forest, he threw the tape in his bag and began to zip it up. After it was closed, he opened the door slowly, as if not to disturb the tape.


    After exiting the door, he closed the door slowly and stood back, looking at the message taped onto the window.


    ''Gone hiking. If the car is still here after 24 hours please search and rescue.'' Below that message was Ensen''s full name as well as the date and time he will start hiking. Although it is unlikely anything bad will happen or he will get lost, it helped with both peace of mind and in the unlikely scenario that he did get lost.


    Although people did not normally come to this plot, it would still be eventually found.


    Satisfied with his preparations in both hiking and safety, he began walking towards the forest. He decided to explore the right side of the plot''s forested area first.


    Walking towards the forest, Ensen was excited to explore the area. After about a minute he managed to approach the tree-line that separated the forest from the small cleared plot of land. Taking a big step into the treeline, the system displayed a message.


    [Time started. 8:00:00 remaining]


    Ensen began walking in a straight line when be entered the forest to try to make sure he would remember his way back. The tall and wide trees were numerous, their vibrant green leaves nearly glowing. Ensen spent around 30 minutes just heading straight ahead before he walked to the left about 50 meters and began heading back towards where he started this way.


    He was walking in a grid-like pattern to make sure he got to see as much of the forest as he could. The floor was littered with fallen leaves, small rocks and scattered sticks that fell from the trees. This forest has been untouched for ages since it was private property.


    After walking about 20 minutes back, Ensen noticed a sudden dip in the ground just a little to the left of him. Approaching this area, he saw one of the most gorgeous sights he had ever seen.


    There was a decent-sized pond in an oval shape. The pond itself was not too deep and even had a few fish in the pond, although he didn''t know where these fish came from they were absolutely beautiful. There were around nine rather small white fish with large orange spots swimming around happily.


    Noticing that these were most likely Koi Fish, Ensen reasoned that maybe some fish were dumped into the lake sometime? He had no idea what the reasoning behind it was, but that seemed like the only likely scenario.


    On the surface of the water were some strange floating plants that seemed to take a heart-shaped form. Although Ensen had no idea what they were, they were incredibly beautiful to his eyes.


    A large tree stood just a few meters away from the pond. It towered above the other trees in the area most likely due to being the closest to the water. Its giant branches were spread out in multiple directions, creating a sort of natural roof over the pond itself. It did not block all the sun however, small little sunbeams illuminated sections of the pond as if trying to emphasize it''s beauty even further.


    Still stunned by the beautiful sight in front of his eyes, Ensen knew he needed to keep moving. He had an incredible amount of ground he wanted to cover in such little time. Making sure to leave a mental note of its location, Ensen continued walking towards the starting point. After a few more minutes he believed he recognized the area.


    Similar to earlier, he walked 50 meters to the left and began walking for the next 30 minutes in a straight line. While Ensen was walking, he couldn''t take his mind off of just how beautiful this forest really was.


    While it was beautiful, he couldn''t help but get an eery vibe after being in the forest for a little over an hour. This was due to the fact that so far, there had been no signs of civilization. No garbage, empty cans, tires, or anything. Ensen knew it was just his mind trying to play with him though, so he didn''t pay too much attention to it.


    Ensen spent the next few hours walking around the forest on the right side of the plot of land. Ensen found too many beautiful sights to name. Although the stunning lake from earlier still lingered in this mind. The eery feeling was slightly fading as he explored more and more of the forest. Although no signs of civilization were found still, Ensen began to not let it bother him.


    Whenever Ensen felt like it, he took a drink of water from one of his water bottles. He had brought quite a bit of water with him, so he wasn''t worried about running out. Around 2 hours into his journey, he also began snacking a little bit on an apple. He ensured that all garbage was returned to the bag, as he didn''t want to harm the beautiful forest.


    Feeling that he had done an adequate job of scouting the right side of the forest, he began walking back towards the opening to venture into the left side of the forest this time.


    ''System, how much longer do I have to explore?'' Ensen said, slightly hoping for the mission to be extended, even if he knew that being in the forest for over eight hours would not be a good idea in the first place.


    [Time remaining: 3:53:34]

 Chapter 18: First Reward

    Walking towards the left-side of the forest, Ensen quickly arrived and began doing the same thing he was doing previously at the side.


    Approaching a grid-like search, he started walking straight ahead while analyzing both his surroundings and where he was stepping in order to be cautious.


    After about 20 minutes Ensen stumbled on the first sign of humanity here in the forest. There was a little pile of burnt wood with rather large stones surrounding it in a circular fashion. He assumed this was a campfire that hasn''t been used in a long while since the nearby vegetation seemed untouched by humanity.


    Deciding he wanted to check the area a little closer, he began pacing about the nearby surroundings, seeing if there were any pieces of garbage or anything left behind. But there was nothing of the sort, just burnt wood.


    Not paying it much attention, he continued walking for a few minutes before deciding to take a short break. Finding a large rock with moss growing around it, Ensen sat where the surface of the rock was showing. He took off his backpack and set it on his lap. Unzipping the bag, he grabbed one of his water bottles as well as a peanut butter and jam sandwich he had made earlier.


    Relaxing on the rock, Ensen began to eat the sandwich at a slightly faster pace than usual. He wanted to cover a lot more ground after all. After about three minutes he had finished his sandwich. While it wasn''t the best meal, it did the trick. Taking his water bottle, he took a large swig of water before putting it back into his bag and zipping it closed.


    He slowly got up while putting the bag on his back. Like this, Ensen continued walking around in the forest. After quite a bit of constant walking after his break, he stumbled upon something rather interesting yet concerning. In front of him was a rather large ravine that extended quite a bit. This ravine was not that wide, but it was considerably deep and the sudden unexpected drop would definitely be a safety concern. Luckily it was a few minutes into the forest when walking from the schoolhouse.


    Taken back by his sudden discovery, Ensen became very happy that he was watching his steps so carefully. After all, if he wasn''t then things might have not ended well.


    This ravine wouldn''t be a big issue unless they expanded closer to here in the future, but it was definitely something to take note of still.


    Continuing his hike, Ensen noticed the trees began to lose their vibrance. Looking up into the sky, he noticed that it was definitely beginning to become darker.


    ''System, how long is left?'' He thought, beginning to become uncomfortable being in the middle of the forest while it was slowly becoming night.


    [Time remaining: 00:16:23]


    With a sigh of relief, Ensen decided to return to where the school ground was and just follow the treeline for the remaining area he didn''t manage to check.


    After a few minutes he managed to see the small field in front of him, as well as his car parked near the building. Feeling more comfortable he was near his car, he continued checking the treeline. There were many sticks and rocks lying about, as well as a good amount of leaves mixed in with them.


    Ensen soon finished checking the remaining treeline and was satisfied with the amount of progress he had made. Looking at the time, Ensen knew that he still had a few minutes before he could leave the forest. Finding a small turned-over log nearby, Ensen sat happily on the log and began to eat another peanut butter and jam sandwich with some water to go along with it. After he had finished the sandwich, a small blue box came into existence.


    [Mission Complete: Checking forest safety]


    [Rewards]The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    [One EP]


    [Random item/skill (Can be opened whenever user wishes)]


    Looking at the message that showed up, Ensen smiled happily and began to pack up his bag and walk towards his car. After a few minutes he managed to reach his car. Walking over to the driver''s side door, he quickly unlocked it and took off his backpack. With a light toss he threw his backpack to the front passenger seat.


    Getting into the car, Ensen quickly turned the car on, since he was rather cold at the moment. Noticing how comfortable the seat felt after such an exhausting hike, Ensen didn''t want to move. But since he really wanted to get home, he slowly peeled the tape off of the window and took down the piece of paper, placing it on the passenger seat.


    Knowing that he would soon be home and in bed, he became motivated and began to slowly drive away. After reaching the main road heading to the city, Ensen was relieved to know that the traffic wasn''t too bad here.


    ''Thank god there''s not much traffic here. Actually it was just past seven pm, why would people be heading to the city anyway?'' Ensen thought while doing a mental facepalm.


    After a few minutes Ensen passed, he was about to pass his favorite burger place. Temped to stop by and grab himself a meal, he decided to hold off on that as he wanted to get home as soon as he could.


    Thanking the heavens for the light traffic, Ensen arrived home not too long later. Grabbing his bag out of the passenger seat, he began to make his way inside. Quickly approaching the elevator, he rode it up and unlocked the front door. Luckily he managed to not run into Kaitlin.


    While he was curious about her and wanted to talk to her again, he simply didn''t have the energy now.


    Taking his shoes off and jacket, Ensen decided to take a long hot shower before opening his reward from the mission and checking his phone. Quickly grabbing his comfiest pair of pajamas'', he took his clothes and threw them into his laundry basket.


    After the shower, Ensen held in the temptation of jumping into bed, as he knew that if he laid in bed he would be asleep in a matter of seconds.


    Deciding to head towards his slightly uncomfortable couch instead, he quickly sat down and looked at the rewards again.


    [One EP]


    [Random item/skill (Can be opened whenever user wishes)]


    Happy with his rewards, he celebrated the addition of one more education point. He wasn''t sure how much the single point was worth as he had not seen any of the shop functions for them yet, but either way he wouldn''t deny gaining another one.


    Curious about what he would get from the item/skill drop, Ensen slowly tapped on the reward. A large circle appeared before his eyes, the circle was divided into many sections with an image on each section. There were piano''s, tennis rackets, buildings and countless other images in his view.


    Overwhelmed by all the options, Ensen slowly tapped his finger on the circle thinking it would do something. Answering his touch, the circle began spinning rapidly not slowing down.


    Ensen was rather confused by this. He had never really gambled before so he was unsure of what was happening. Looking at the circle with a puzzled expression, he noticed that it began to gradually slow down. After about 30 seconds, the circle began to come to a halt with a small pointer aiming at what seemed to be a pen writing on a piece of paper. Although Ensen was unsure what that meant, he was fine with having that.


    But, the circle inched further and further while coming to a full stop, slowing moving towards the following section before coming to a full stop. The image for this section was a large black piano with music notes all around it. There seemed to be a rather young girl playing the piano.


    Noticing the image, Ensen was unsure if it was a skill or item, but he welcomed it whole-heartedly.


    [Item acquired: Paradigm Piano]


    [Paradigm Piano]


    [The Paradigm Piano works with the user to accelerate their learning process on many areas with the piano as long as it is nearby. Usage of the piano will allow users to experience the growth of their piano skills by an extra 20%.]


    [Requirements: Must be infused into a pre-existing piano]


    Intrigued by the rather impressive description of the object, Ensen thought of something that confused him.


    ''I thought you said you couldn''t make anything of out nothing system. But even if it is using an existing piano, wouldn''t it add more to it?'' Ensen thought in confusion.


    [The physical object itself, the piano is unchanged. The only part that is actually changed is the soul of the object. The Paradigm Piano is a soul object that will be infused into the piano object, allowing for the effects to be hidden from eyes and bypass the restrictions laid down by the universe.]


    ''Oh I see.'' Ensen responded while in deep thought. After thinking for a while, he wanted to break into tears. His bank account was already feeling the stress, combined with an expensive piano it would hurt even more. While he could just purchase a cheap piano, he didn''t know if the soul could be transferred to another piano once his Academy began to take off.


    Plus, with the Paradigm Piano and the textbook that held the piano skill from earlier he knew that he would be prioritizing using the piano to develop his Academy''s fame, for the near future at least.


    ''So I need to buy an expensive piano too!'' He screamed in his mind.

 Chapter 19: Paperwork

    realizing just how much  would be  on the initial start-up of the ,   already  his bank account crying.


    Deciding to  to  now, he made his way over to his  and flung himself onto the .Trying his hardest to stay awake,  lifted up his  and went under them to get as cozy as possible and  his  on the nightstand.Then,   his  .


    Ensen slept soundly that .were countless  of his future that he was  about,   to not  it bother him.


    Ensen slowly grumbled as   his  still feeling tired.He  laid in ,  at the  for quite a  in deep thought.


    he  '' didn''t check my  last   ?He said not too concerned.He didn''t   any  who messaged him anyways. There Not  she would make  for  either way, it''s   they were .only met  after all.


    he   should  his  just in  there  something   to respond to.


    Wait,  of these  for .Ensen thought slightly annoyed.


    Quickly  all of the game ,  was  with two real .


    first as he   from Jennifer,  him that she had   the  of  land and it would  a few .need him to come down to a local lawyers office to  some  for the .Noticing,   a light smile as he  his  towards the other .


    Surprisingly this   from Emilia, his former boss.sent,    the  up.seconds, he   the .know   had   the  of setting up his Academy was coming along.


    Looking at the time stamp for the , Ensen  she had  it around  pm yesterday.Ensen wasn''t  good at texting, so    quite a bit in  a decent .


    Satisfied with his ,    that before  his  back to Jennifer''s .message with Emilia,  just responded with a  confirmation.


    Deciding  should sign those  as soon as possible so it would be processed faster,  forced himself out of .he  at the  with a  of longing.


    Knowing soon,   to  some random clothes on.He wasn''t  in the  to be  about what  was .he  a black t-shirt, and light grey jeans.Ensen   them on while  to the .


    spend    something,   opened the fridge and  a yogurt cup.Closing the fridge,   a  that was  on the  and  ate both of them.


    Making his  to the front entrance,   pulled out his  and  the .seeing it would be  cold similar to yesterday   on his  and  his .Ensen had made his  towards his ,    it up and  .


    Deciding


    Ensen   on the  and  at the lawyer''s office after about 20 .Pulling into a parking space close to the ,  quickly chugged the remaining  to   was awake.car and  it,   walked towards a nearby  and  the empty  cup into the .Luckily after the   had mostly woken up.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Entering


    reading the  closely,  realized there were no  or  in the .Well at least none  could  which was good enough for him.He  that there would be any hidden in here anyway.


    forms,  promptly returned to his  and  to leisurely drive home.traffic was pretty light today for some , so   to drive around for a little bit to  his .


    been a constant stream of  decisions lately from  to  an Academy, to  the  and .extent of his  either.


    Ensen   his  appear in his vision.Deciding  would  to keep driving,   making his way over to the  of .he was not going inside the , but drive around the  and  what was  it.take him long to  near the  because of the  traffic.


    arrived   around the  aimlessly, seemingly soaking in the .were  churches,  and many other buildings.They   one  in common however,  were  extremely .area just outside of  had  for a long time even before the industrial revolution.


    hour after   driving around,  was  with what  had  and  to return home.Taking quite a  to arrive home,  didn''t  mind it.He simply stared out of the  aimlessly.


    He  that this break from his now stressful life was healthy  once and .he  from now on, after all running a private Academy  no  task.


    while   to  into his . Slowly getting out of the


    Ensen thought to himself,  to   but slightly freaked out by .


    Curiosity and slight fear   a  in ''s  while he was  just a  distance from .curiosity won the .


    Making his , he  to  his current pace and just talk on the .run up next to her like last .


    approached the  and  pressed the  button.Waiting for the  to ,    at her  when     to  her.


    Seeing this, Kaitlin  her  upwards as if  didn''t  anything.


    action,  still decided to  her.Trying to act as confident as  could,  walked up and  arrived a few  from her.


    Hey, how are you today?"Ensen  with a  tone while  his  hand slightly in a kind gesture.


    Ensen talk, Kaitlin  her  directly at  and  with slight annoyance in her   you ?


    Ensen smiled awkwardly and   "  want to  how you are today.I  no other motives.


    Staring at  directly in the , Kaitlin said in a  tone "''m .


    Ensen  a mental fist pump when she .


    elevator quickly arrived and  both entered.they  on the same floor   the  on the .Hoping, he  his  towards Kaitlin who was  in the .quickly noticing her hostile gaze he  to hold off on that until next .


    doors of the   opened on their .elevator and  .


    Kaitlin   her steps towards her .


    enter,  "Goodbye .


    Ensen finished  the  to ''s  closed.Confused by her ,   entered his own apartment and  towards the living room after  off his  and .

 Chapter 20: Initial plan

    After sitting on the couch, Ensen began to think about what his next action should be. There wasn''t much he could do while he waited for the plot transfer to be processed, so he instead thought about what he would need in the long run.


    He would definitely need stronger skills in basically every category if he wanted to make his Academy that more impressive. As such, Ensen decided he needed to improve his skills in a specific area over the next few days.


    Conflicted about what to choose, he began to do some research online to see how some of his local academies were first established. He turned his eye to SilverLeaf Academy first, where he was a former teacher and student. After some browsing on their official website, it was first established for parents who wanted their children to be educated outside of the influence of the church.


    Realizing this wouldn''t help him much, he moved onto Littlewood Academy. Navigating to their website, he noticed the reason for the establishment was vastly different from SilverLeaf. It was established by a famous soccer player that was born in the town. After he had retired, he moved back here and focused on building an Academy with strong athletics to create more famous sports players.


    This was a little bit more helpful, as it at the very least gave insight on why it was founded in the first place.


    Adjusting his position, Ensen laid down on the couch and put his phone down on his chest. One thing both academies had in common was that they were both established with a specific goal in mind.


    With this newfound knowledge, Ensen began reflecting on his driving force towards establishing an Academy. While he did have a large passion for it, he never really thought about what he should specialize in. While he could try to be an all-around great school later on in his career, he needed a specialty to draw people''s interest at the beginning.


    Sports were off of the table right away because it had already been taken. It wasn''t like he a particularly interested in having sports as a specialty either way. SilverLeaf Academy had an emphasis on developing student''s English skills which was why his work as a math teacher seemed less important in comparison.


    The system seemed to be pushing for him to specialize in the piano, possibly music as a whole later on. This was evident from the two items he had acquired. While the textbook was random luck, Ensen had a feeling that the system purposely gave the Paradigm Piano in order to compliment the skill he found to accelerate the development of the Academy.


    "System, what kind of things can you actually do?" Ensen whispered under his breath, hoping for a response. But nothing showed up. The system seemed very strange, it was very sociable sometimes and other times it acted like an introvert shut inside the house not wanting to talk.


    Giving up on talking to the system momentarily, Ensen turned his attention to how he would improve his knowledge in the musical area. While he did have the textbook for learning the piano skill, that didn''t give him permission to slack off. He must always be learning if he wanted to keep improving himself.


    As much, Ensen decided on a few things. Foremost, he would first develop a small private Academy specializing in the piano while slowly expanding to cover other instruments. After his reputation was established, he would continue expanding to other objects.


    Turning his attention to the financial side of things, he knew he would be having a rough time. There were numerous expenses and not many opportunities for income in the short-term. While there would be tuition when he managed to get students, it would be significantly less when compared to other academies in the area to ensure it would attract students.


    Thinking about his options, Ensen slowly pondered many options, dismissing some, and continuing to ponder on others. After a while, he thought of the idea of teaching piano lessons for a little bit, until he had a few students at the very least. That way he could supplement his barely-existing income.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    On the bright side of things, he was still being paid his wages as promised by his former Academy before he was fired. It was only a few days until he would get his severance package which would help quite a bit.


    Ensen felt he should hold off on learning the piano skill until he knew how much education points it would cost him to either repair or build a new schoolhouse with the help of the system.


    After figuring everything out, Ensen decided that it would be very helpful for him if he could see a music teacher in action. After all, while his teaching skill was at the C tier, he didn''t know even the first thing about the teaching style with music teachers. While there were a large amount of style, he wanted to get a good grasp of them.


    Ensen slowly picked up his phone that was laying on his chest. Searching up ''Piano teaching lessons'' on a video-sharing website, Ensen quickly found an abundance of videos. As he was about to start watching a random video, he clicked that seemed like it would be good, his stomach began growling in revolt.


    Noticing how hungry he was, he decided to hold off on watching the video. Opting to make some food instead, Ensen laid there for a minute not wanting to get up from his couch before his hungry stomach made him get up. Putting his phone in his pocket, he began walking towards the kitchen. Once he arrived, he opened the fridge and grabbed a few eggs.


    Taking a nearby pan, Ensen turned on the stove and began to heat it up. After around a minute he cracked three eggs and dropped them in, the yoke shattering and tiny pieces of the shell falling with it. Taking a nearby wooden spoon, he began stirring it crazily for a minute until it began to break apart and make scrambled eggs.


    Crouching down, he had begun to navigate through the messy appliance cabinet before he managed to reach his toaster. Pulling the toaster out, he dropped two pieces of toast into it and silently waited.


    After a minute Ensen heard the toaster emit a noise. Upon looking over and seeing the toast was ready, he returned to the stove and took the pan off the stove, turning the stove off in the process. Quickly grabbing a plate, Ensen grabbed the toast and placed it on it. Taking the wooden spoon he used earlier, he gently scooped a decent number of still slightly runny scrambled eggs onto each piece of toast.


    Grabbing the plate, Ensen made his way towards the dining table and began to eat while watching the video.


    Ensen spent the next few days studying more about the teaching style of music teachers and how they lay their classes out. He also tried multiple times to increase his cooking skill again, which didn''t turn out great. He began feeling slightly more confident in being able to teach the class. Although he had still not learned the piano skill yet, he was confident that the skill would help his teaching a lot.


    Sitting on the couch while finishing the last video of a music teaching lesson, Ensen noticed two notifications pop up on his screen right as it was finished.


    Pulling up the first message, Ensen quickly radiated a smile as he read it. His severance package had been deposited into his account, and it was more than he previously thought.


    Checking his bank account with the new addition, he became slightly less nervous about his financial situation as he turned his gaze towards the next message.


    The next message was from Jennifer. Ensen slowly began scanning the text, trying to soak all of the information in. After reading it for about a minute, he tightened his left hand in excitement. Trying to hold in a yell of celebration, he quickly responded to her message thanking her for the effort she had put in with speeding the process of transferring the plot up.


    After sending the message, Ensen stood up from the couch in pure excitement.


    The plot of land had just been transferred to him.

 Chapter 21: Skill Market

    Looking at the  with shining eyes,  quickly shouted "System I ! like a toddler learning to .


    quickly emerged in  of ''s , seemingly rushing to  him.


    [You merely acquired the plot of land.of.] It wrote with a seemingly condescending attitude.


    not , you  I  to  a school building on the  of .there'' a  ! Ensen  quickly, not willing to  on this .


    [That building  in no  to be  as a , please build or  the  school.] The  replied stubbornly.


    system,  you  me to  up the ?"Ensen said in an accusing tone.


    system  silent this , not willing to  the .


    unfair!"He  wore an annoyed face to try to guilt the system.


    He  this  for the  few ,  his  and not adjusting in the slightest.Ensen was  about giving up, the  appeared before him.


    Starter Mission:Prove your


    You are not allowed full access to the  and  until   the most  ,  the  and local rights to a private academy.location and  for your private academy are essential for  your  dream.You are  to purchase both  and  a school building on said .school may already have been constructed or you can  it


    5 Ep (Education


    categories]


    Quickly scanning the  to  the  hadn''t  anything,  smiled in  as he  his  and  speaking  .


    See?just says I  to  a school building.are no  mentioned, so I already completed all . Ensen  in a tone similar to when he  his .


    system was obviously angry now, but  did  give in.


    Noticing the scare tactic  working, the  responded slowly.


    not what I .meant you  to  a fully functional


    Ensen said out loud as he manically laughed in his .


    system went silent for the  few . He sat there like a , barely   his .


    Mission Complete:Prove your


    categories]


    looked at the reward section but was a little confused.


    System, there were five education points, not three.sore loser, he  in a harsh tone, not wanting his education points reward to be cut by 40%.


    system, the blue box faded away with a  one  .said only one  that immediately made  smile in .


    Following the   a .


    progress so far,  pulled up the  to  how many education points he had .


    Ensen Fuentes]


    Education Points:


    Academy Rank:Null]


    Age:


    F-]


    F-]


    F-]


    F-]


    D+]


    D-]


    Skill Market]


    Product Market]


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Noticing his education points had  doubled since when   started,   his  towards the subject averages. While


    Realizing  had unlocked the ,   his  to the first , the Skill market.


    moments later   his  and what   was confusing to  the least.


    Rubbing his eyes thinking  was having a dream,  soon came to the conclusion the  had  him here.


    Analyzing his ,   both the  and the  was  white with no distinct features.seemed like the   two  of   on  of each other.


    Ensen became  for two .


    system  me here?Ensen thought to himself.


    box  before him to  his .


    In   the ,  of a  you  to  and I, the Supreme Academy System will  the  of the


    Wait, so any ?"Ensen said with a half excited and half teasing smile on.


    So I can    other  have had ?"


    It is  to   never owned by a  before, but  is incredibly .]


    Nodding in ,    of a random skill to  how  .


    Learn Moonwalk (points?]


    Trying to  the  sight in  of , he  his  to the  that  before .cost of the .


    Ensen  .


    textbook   the  and  of the  infused into the .is no similar object with Moonwalking the  must   until it  a  with the .extracts the  directly from the


    He , unwilling to  a  for his selfish desires.


    People  by skill extraction are  with a minor headache, but that is all.]


    Sighing in ,   his  elsewhere.


    So I  can  any  in .Ensen thought to himself in  but still wanted to  one more test.


    was  an odd contrast.


    Learn Administration (points?]


    Nearly screaming in  from the ,  thought back to all the  he had  to  a  eight education points.


    Quickly deciding to  his , he  his  to  the  to D.


    Learn Administration (points?]


    Ensen thought .


    Hey, , why is Administration C grade so expensive?"said out of .


    skills and under are obviously more plentiful, but are  because of their shallow


    He  wanted to  the  and  if finding old textbooks and such were worth it.


    Learn Pianist (points?]


    Ensen nearly screamed in his , happy that   the .lead to a  faster establishment for his private Academy now.

 Chapter 22: Product market

    After tapping on the product market, his view was suddenly filled with black. Starting to panic, Ensen began to look around rapidly but still only saw the black void.


    After a few seconds, an office room with a large oak desk with two chairs on either side. In one of the chairs, was a black silhouette similar to what he had seen previously. In the other chair was a severely confused Ensen, seemingly not realizing what just happened. Ensen remained frozen in place for a few seconds from shock before he came to.


    Noticing his sudden predicament, Ensen quickly rubbed his eyes to try to calm himself down. Quickly analyzing his surroundings, Ensen noticed he was sitting in a rather comfortable black office chair. Looking at the desk in front of him, he noticed the black silhouette and a large modern-looking diamond nameplate. The plate had the words ''Supreme Academy System'' carved into it with elegant letters.


    Looking around the room further, Ensen noticed several large paintings were hung up around the place. The paintings themselves seemed old and very dated. Hung right above the silhouette''s head was a simple painting that said ''Live Laugh Love''.


    Trying to ignore how out of place that painting looked, he turned his head to the silhouette and waited for him to speak, thinking it would introduce himself.


    After staring at the silhouette for a few seconds he realized that wasn''t the case.


    Raising his voice, Ensen asked, "How does this work system?".


    A blue box emerged from the void in front of Ensen to explain the functionality of the room.


    [Similar to the Skill generation and acquisition dimension, this is the Product creation dimension. Nearly any product you imagine can be actualized and created both through your thoughts. There are no practical limits on what you can create as long as you have the correct amount of education points to back it up. Unlike the Skill generation and acquisition dimension, however, there will be multiple versions created of the item you request so you can choose your preference. While they are all functionally identical, the layout, style, and many other appearances things will be different.]


    "If I can create basically anything, does that mean I can sell the items in the real world?" Ensen said, trying to find a loophole like before.


    But unfortunately, the system was seemingly prepared for it.


    [As indicated on the terms of service you previously signed, you may not directly earn profit from the items. Indirect profit such as creating a building that is used to earn a profit is fine, but selling the building will lead to consequences depending on the severity.]


    "Wait, what terms of service? I didn''t sign anything." He said with a confused tone.


    [The system has signed the terms of service for you as it signing it is required when gaining full access to the system, it was signed a short while ago. Your welcome.] The system displayed in a new blue box with a mocking tone.


    ''Is this its way to get revenge for me cheating it?'' Ensen thought downcast. He would have signed the terms of service either way though, as he didn''t have much capital towards negotiations if any at all.


    Turning his attention away from the issue, Ensen began thinking about how he would repair the existing schoolhouse.


    "Do you perform repairs on buildings?" Ensen said curiously.


    [While the system will perform repairs and maintenance, that offer is only for objects the system has created. Maintenance done on objects created by humanity often have innumerable flaws and redundancies that make it annoying and tedious to maintain.] The system responded bluntly.


    "So you won''t do maintenance on things you haven''t made because it''s annoying?" Ensen said, not believing his ears. The sheer laziness of the system astounded him.


    [That is correct. It is inefficient and a waste of energy to maintain something so horribly designed and crafted.] The system said not bothering to hide his obvious contempt towards humanity''s craftmanship.


    "So if I were to say¡­ ask if you could repair and maintain the school building on my school grounds your answer would be..." Ensen asked, trying to frame the question as a hypothecal.


    [My answer would obviously be no.] The system responded without missing a beat.


    ''Good thing it doesn''t always read my thoughts.'' Ensen thought happily. Throughout the past few days, Ensen noticed that the system actually left him some privacy by not constantly listening to his thoughts. Mainly when he was already doing an activity or talking openly to it such as now.


    Deciding to test the functionality of the shop, Ensen stopped their conversation and began thinking of SilverLeaf Academy, the formal private Academy he worked at before he was fired. Sensing the intent from Ensen, the system began listening and interpreting his thoughts.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    After thinking about the building for around a minute, a blue box appeared before him.


    Taking a closer look, Ensen noticed the blue box that looked like a computer monitor.


    The layout on the monitor was quite familiar to him. It seemed similar to the plot listing site he had been on previously with some slight changes.


    There were pictures of every room from different angles. While the pictures had been staged with furniture and other props, he wasn''t sure if they would be included in the final purchase.


    Using his finger, he swiped up to move the page down similar to a phone. There were a few things that caught his eyes. Foremost, there were two purchase buttons. One of the buttons was for the building furnished, and the other was an unfurnished version.


    [SilverLeaf Academy main building unfurnished: 500 Ep]


    [SilverLeaf Academy main building furnished: 1,000 Ep]


    Ensen was surprised at how cheap the unfurnished version actually was. The building was actually quite large and had many rooms. In comparison with the skills, it seemed like a much better deal.


    "System, why is the furnished version double the price of the unfurnished? Shouldn''t the furniture be not too expensive?" Ensen asked in slight confusion.


    [All objects are made by the system and given at a discount due to a large number of items. Without the discount, the total price of the furnished building would be increased by several times. But as previously stated, the materials for creating the object must be gathered by the host for the object to be created.]


    Nodding in understanding, Ensen turned his attention to the other thing that caught his eye. It was a description of the building itself.


    [Built with a modern layout and a large student body in mind, this building combines the elements into a reasonably well-designed school. There are no irregularities or oddities in the layout. Due to the building being built quite a few years ago, it is not currently up to date with current trends. The building has large entry-ways but is closed-concept by design.]


    Intrigued by the evaluation done by the system, Ensen decided to check the already existing school building he had to compare it to see if it was worth trying to save.


    Once again imagining the school building for around a minute, the blue box in front of him refreshed, filled with the information about his schoolhouse now.


    Looking at the pictures, Ensen noticed that the building itself looked like it was built just yesterday. The walls and floors were spotless.


    Scrolling past the pictures taken by the system, he turned his attention to the prices given by the system.


    [Unnamed Academy main building unfurnished: 20 Ep]


    [Unnamed Academy main building furnished: 40 Ep]


    Taken aback by the price point, Ensen began reading the description left by the system. As he read more of the description his face began to frown heavily. His cheeks also lit up in embarrassment from the harsh critique.


    [This abomination of a building was constructed with no care. There are several horribly designed rooms and some essential rooms that are non-existing. There is no bathroom, cafeteria, or place to eat. While the cafeteria is not necessarily essential, it is a large part of every school as it facilitates both the income and care of students. The only practical place to eat in the building is in the classroom or outdoors. But there is no outdoor seating. The layout is bizarre and seems like it was not considered when it was constructed. This disgrace of a building is unfit for use as a school.]


    With an awkward smile, Ensen thought to himself ''So it really is that bad, huh?''.


    Although Ensen was still undecided about what to do about his schoolhouse, he no longer had the desire to save the building. The system was right, after all, it had no business being a school. It was simply too impractical and was missing several features. Not many students would be willing to attend education at such an ill-designed building.


    With various ideas filling his head, Ensen decided to check the Auction House before making any big decisions. He wanted to get all the information and benefits he could after all.


    Ensen quickly opened up the menu while staring at the live laugh love painting, trying not to laugh.


    [Ensen Fuentes]


    [Education Points: 18]


    [Academy Rank: Null]


    [Age: 27]


    [Math average: C]


    [Science average: F-]


    [English average: F-]


    [Foreign language average: F-]


    [Sports average: F-]


    [Teaching average: D+]


    [administration average: D-]


    [Other]


    [Skill Market]


    [Product Market]


    [Auction House]


    With a gentle touch, Ensen clicked on the final shop.

 Chapter 23: Systems

    Similar to what happened when he entered the previous shop, his vision turned black. This time Ensen was calmer since he had already experienced the sensation before. That did not make him more comfortable about it, however.


    After a few seconds, his vision returned. This time Ensen recovered himself almost instantly and began to analyze the room.


    Looking around, he noticed he was sitting on a seemingly brand-new leather couch. To his left was a large window that overlooked an odd rounded stage with seats surrounding it. Looking at the outside with a closer look, he noticed that there were numerous other rooms that had windows looking down on the stage.


    Oddly enough, there seemed to be people in each room. Well, various black silhouettes to be precise.


    Hearing a wave of footsteps and chatter from below, he turned his attention towards the lower seating to notice that many human-shaped beings had begun arriving at the area and sitting down while chatting with others. While they were all relatively similar-looking, some had tails, pointy ears, and other peculiarities.


    By now Ensen was incredibly confused. He wasn''t sure why there were so many people here.


    Deciding to check out the remainder of the room before focusing on the issue, he turned around and looked at the right side of the room. There seemed to be an odd-looking see-through fridge that held many beverages as well as a doorway which he assumed would take him downstairs.


    Walking towards the door, Ensen tried opening it by turning the handle. But instead of the door opening a blue box met his action.


    [Insufficient Academy Rank]


    "Why can''t I leave this room?" Ensen asked as he wanted to explore more of the peculiar building.


    [You do not meet the requirements to leave your room.] The system wrote bluntly.


    "So the people down there meet the requirements then?" Ensen followed up with another question, although he did not believe they met the requirements. Because while it would be fun to explore the building, this room overlooking the stage would be way more comfortable than being down there.


    A new blue box appeared and declared a very important piece of information.


    [They do not meet the requirements either. Their system is not a high enough rank to warrant a private room.]


    "There are ranks to systems then?" Ensen asked in both confusion and amazement.


    [That is correct. There are three main ranks for the system. They are signified by the prefixes to their name. The first rank is the Inception rank and has no prefix, for example, ''The Writing System''. They occupy the lowest ranks of the systems and do not have many privileges when compared to the higher ranks. The next major rank is the Heavenly rank. They have heavenly as the prefix to their system and are fewer in number but hold much more authority and power. The final major rank is the Supreme rank. We hold almost complete authority over the lesser systems and are very few in number. There are only eight Supreme systems in total. The people currently in the private rooms either have a supreme system or are very powerful entities with a heavenly rank system. I, the Supreme Academy System is, of course, part of this rank.]


    Taken aback by all the information, a question quickly formed in Ensen''s head.


    "Wait, all of these people have systems? There''s so many of them." Ensen said in shock, unable to believe what the system said.


    [That is correct, all of these people have been graced by a system. For example, if you look in the private room opposite to you, the young lady with purple hair and eyes has the Supreme Empress System. She comes from the planet Remia and has just recently been given the system similar to you, just in the past few days in fact.]


    Unwilling to believe the answer, Ensen took a closer look at the girl the system had mentioned previously. She seemed to be in her early twenties, probably around 23. She had radiating smooth skin and wore rather unkempt clothes. Some parts were ripped slightly, and it was faded from the amount of dirt that covered it.


    Deciding to return to his seat, for now, he sat there for a few minutes before asking the system one final thing.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "So this is a sort of dimension like the previous shops you mentioned earlier right?" Ensen asked in confirmation.


    [That is correct. All hosts of the systems have permission to travel here whenever they please, although auctions are not always ongoing. Users people may also trade materials or points. The other shops are owned by the individual system itself, however.]


    Satisfied with his answer, Ensen rested his eyes for another minute or so before a loud wave of claps disturbed him. Standing up, he walked towards the window to see a young girl about 19 years old with very reserved clothes on. She wore a white and Grey turtleneck sweater as well as light blue jeans that were quite baggy, hiding her body. Her eyes were shimmer green and her hair was a natural light brown color.


    Shaking his head in approval by her clothing choice, Ensen turned his head towards the audience below who were utterly taken by her beauty. Although she had dressed conservatively it only elevated her adorable factor to an even greater level. While there were a few people who were simply nodding their head in a similar fashion to Ensen, most were simply staring at her beauty and applauding.


    "Hello everyone. I''m Riza I''ll be your auctioneer today, it''s my first time on-stage so please be nice." She said with apprehension and hesitation in her voice.


    The crowd from below went crazy once again from her cute but shy introduction. After a few more moments the crowd calmed down.


    With her cheeks blushing from embarrassment, she continued with her opening remarks.


    "There will be 10 items auctioned off today. Is everybody okay with that?" Riza said with a voice lacking any self-confidence. Both of her hands were in front of her body fidgeting in nervousness.


    Noticing nobody had any complaints, she continued by handing her right arm out straight. Suddenly an odd sight appeared, her hand disappeared into a small, little spatial disturbance. After about a second she retracted her hand that was now holding a small box.


    Doing her best to put on a confident smile, she slowly opened the small box and showed off a small necklace that had a small circle that had eight individual colors on it.


    Riza announced in a voice that had a pinch more confidence in it. "This necklace has the eight colors of the Supreme systems imbued onto it, allowing the user to take eight fatal hits and come out unharmed. The price for this necklace will start at 500 points."


    Ensen was not really interested in this necklace for a few reasons. Foremost, he was incredibly poor. Also, while it could be effective in some situations, it would not guarantee his survival even if he was attacked. After all, automatic rifles would easily chew right through the protection. And most importantly, he did not have much reason to be worried about his safety at this point in time. While Ensen thought he would have to be a little more worried about his safety in the future, he still did not put too much of an emphasis on it. After all, he was just the principal of a private Academy.


    Not interested in the item, Ensen turned his attention to Riza herself. She seemed rather new and uncomfortable around here, similar to him.


    "System, you said that everybody here has a system, right? What sort of system does Riza have then?" Ensen asked curiously.


    A blue box slowly faded through the roof and made its way down towards his eye level slowly.


    [Host, please use your brain before asking questions. She has the Heavenly Auction-House System.] The system wrote mocking him.


    Mentally face-palming, Ensen cleared his voice to try to distract himself from his hasty and foolish question.


    Taking another look at the scene below him, he noticed that the bidding had just come to an end.


    "Sold for 1350 points." Riza said as she snapped her fingers. Suddenly the box disappeared from view and showed up in the hands of the person who had just won the item.


    Assuming the points had been taken from him as well, Ensen marveled at how fast the transaction had been completed.


    Riza quickly pulled out the next item from the void and began introducing it. This time it was a rather thin sword that was completely rounded with a sharp pointed tip. It had a golden engraving with the name embedded on the handle as well as a golden handguard.


    "This rapier was an early creation by the previous host of the Supreme Forging System. While it is lacking compared to his later works, its tip has remained remarkably sharp for the past decades. The price for this rapier will begin at 200 points." Riza said while resting the rapier on a nearby podium at the center of the stage.


    Uninterested by the sword, Ensen asked the system "Does this auction have anything useful for me? It doesn''t seem like it."


    [While items suited for you are much rarer, there are definitely items that are auctioned off that would delight you.]


    Nodding his head in understanding, Ensen turned back towards the auction and began paying closer attention, mostly in curiosity. After all, even there was an item that would help him a lot. He simply was too poor at the moment. He had too many uses for his education points that would be best suited elsewhere for the moment.


    Thinking logically, the other hosts of the systems here would not have much, if any effect on him. He could possibly do some trades in the future if their world had interesting items he could use, but there was no obvious benefit besides that.


    After around an hour, the auction had concluded. There were a total of three weapons, two pieces of jewelry, four pills, and one strange mystery box auctioned off.


    "What is the mystery box for?" Ensen asked, feeling it might just be a scam.


    [The mystery box holds an item from the host''s system''s store. While your store is more abstract, nearly all of the other systems have a defined system with prices and objects they can buy.]


    Nodding in understanding, Ensen decided to head back to his home for now and think about what his next move should be.

 Chapter 24: Loan

    Ensen  one thing. He had no idea how to get back home.


    Pulling up the ,   a  to return home.


    Ensen Fuentes]


    Education Points:


    Academy Rank:Null]


    Age:


    F-]


    F-]


    F-]


    F-]


    D+]


    D-]


    Skill Market]


    Product Market]


    Confused by the  of a  to return home,  turned to the  for an .


    Hey , how do I return home?be an  to. Ensen  while  the  from below funnel towards a  before disappearing from view.


    Turning his  towards the other private rooms, he .


    notified him of the  to exit the .


    true for all of the  as well.method is unavailable for Inception rank systems, which is why the  below are  towards the manual


    Ensen  his  in  and  to follow the instructions of the .Ensen  his  and  on his  that was currently collapsed on the  back at his .moments,   something peculiar  couldn''t describe.Opening his ,    was  in the private room.body,   it had  to fade .


    Ensen had  to panic a  from ,   it was  to be fine.more and more of his  started to fade away grew calmer.body  from the private room.


    Back at ''s living room, an odd scene was .Just a few seconds prior a  with no  of  was lying carelessly on the  as   thrown there.was not an , even if somebody  the  they would also conclude it was lifeless.


    tall black-hard corpse had  to  it''s sky blue eyes.


    was an odd experience.Ensen thought to himself in .


    Regaining the  back in his  body,   his muscles slightly sore.couch,    his  a  stretch.


    After


    afford¡­He could  afford to  a basic  upgrade, for a   at least.Not to mention buildings, which were  expensive for him right now, especially considering how little education points  had  for all his recent effort.


    not like  could hold off on  or  a  from the .he didn''t  have a working schoolhouse.He could  for a little longer to  two more education points, then buy the unfurnished version of the already  building   on his .like a colossal waste because just  the   it  a  and dysfunctional.Ensen was  selective eyes on the  previously and was   looking at the good parts, with less  on the bad.he saw how heavily the   the ,  .


    left him with no obvious options.ideas,   the  for .


    way I could  more education points to  my ? Ensen reasoned with the ,  for a  back.


    waiting for a few , he  the  was playing hard to get .


    help me out here.a  me at least? Ensen asked as a  effort.Ensen  the  cared about him  slightly at the  least,   that the  could most likely simply move on if it wanted to.


    Surprisingly, the  actually responded this .


    loans or similar things are available ordinarily, the Supreme Academy System would  it an utter disgrace if you  the  structure.system is willing to  the  a


    Ensen stood there  for a few seconds before saying "Why  you stop?


    Complying with , the   a new blue box with a   .


    system is willing to  the  a 200 education points loan  for a 10% interest rate on .required to pay back 220 education points to the  before being able to properly  them


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Looking at the  written out in  of him,  couldn''t decide if the  was being generous or .Maybe it was  both.


    Voicing his ,   them to the .took me several  to   8 points.Do  how long it would  to   back?I would  have to be  on  education  until  .


    not  founded an  yet, there are  many  to gain education .opening of your , there were be several  ways to  , you will  that   will become more streamlined and straight


    Nodding his  in ,  was slightly more comfortable about the   would  to pay back.While  would  most likely  a  to    back,  would not  nearly as long as  initially estimated.


    he   a   deal.


    Ensen  while  off a charming smile as if to entice the  to  with him.


    Immediately after  , an ominous message  before his .text was  in a blood-red color to  to  him.


    seconds.]


    wait!just¡­joking, , just .Ensen  in a ,  to  the  from taking away his  light of .


    Action canceled.host  to  the loan


    Wait there'' an actual written contract?You didn''t  anything in there  ? Ensen  with suspicion present in his  and narrow eyes  to figure out what the ''s  .


    appeared in  of him with two .There  with it.


    Agree]


    Cancel]


    Ensen hesitantly pressed down on the Agree button with his right index finger.


    So, the  has been  ?"Ensen  to  it with the .


    correct.Check your education points for


    Just as the  said,  decided to double-check  to  it was .


    Ensen Fuentes]


    Education Points:


    Academy Rank:Null]


    Age:


    F-]


    F-]


    F-]


    F-]


    D+]


    D-]


    Skill Market]


    Product Market]


    Satisfied with the ,  asked a question that  on his .


    was the  of the ?be any I can . Ensen asked .


    [The  is  an   for the  to  his current situation.system will  the  without any  .] The  wrote bluntly.


    contract is useless then?"Ensen  with  annoyance in his .


    void, but this  there was no .text,  an .


    Ensen  at the   to hold back his .smug posture and  was  at  as if  it''s .


    Unable to hold back his laughter any longer,


    Although  If


    Ensen decided to   out to properly design the  so  would  a  understanding of what  .


    Ensen  around his  to  a  of  and a .


    Staring at the  of  with the  in his ,  didn''t know what sort of    to .

 Chapter 25: Beginning the design

    Ensen truly did love a more rustic, historical-looking building. However, he knew that it wouldn''t be the best thing for a private academy. Because of this, Ensen had a big decision to make that would decide the aesthetics of the institution for the near future at the very least.


    Ensen thought about all sorts of styles he could use to model the school building out of, but he still couldn''t decide.


    Unable to come to a decision, Ensen pulled out his phone and began researching individual architecture styles, as well as buildings using the style. He did his best to find examples of already existing school buildings using the corresponding design, but some did not have any available.


    He looked at a significant number of examples from modern to Gothic, American to classical. While Ensen knew some styles were not suited for what he was thinking of, he still checked them out just to be safe.


    Laying down his phone on the right side of the table, Ensen finally came to a decision after nearly an hour of research.


    Ensen muttered under his breath "So modern, huh?"


    Ensen chose a modern ascetic for a few reasons. Foremost he knew that a modern design would have a certain appeal to it. While the majority of private schools around had pretty old buildings using a different style, a modern structure would be a breath of fresh air. Especially considering the young students he would have. While he was sure that some would appreciate the style, the overwhelming majority would most likely prefer to have a modern stylized, up to date building.


    While Ensen was not the biggest fan of more modern design, he was sure it would slowly grow on him until he loved it. After all, he was designing the building. If he didn''t love it then it would be completely his fault.


    Ensen began to slowly plot out the general layout of the building but was unsatisfied with his work halfway and crumpled the paper up, throwing it carelessly behind him.


    Noticing it would take quite a bit of trial and error, Ensen grabbed his phone from the table and got up out of his seat to grab some more paper. Walking towards where he had got the paper previously, he picked up the remaining pieces of paper and looked at them. Noticing the lightweight of the stack of paper, he turned his gaze towards it and noticed there were only a few pieces of paper remaining.


    Sighing lightly, Ensen knew he needed to go pick some up in order to keep working. While he could find an application on his phone to use to sketch out the layout, Ensen preferred paper as it gave him a better perspective. It would also take much longer to draw because of his inexperience with the application.


    But still, Ensen really did not want to go out today. His discovery with the full functions of the system had lit a fire under him to design his school building as fast as he could. Thinking about his options, he realized he really only had two options. Either head to the store or use an application to continue.


    Forcing himself to head to the store, he simply put on shoes. Before he left his apartment he checked his phone.


    "Wait, it''s 9 pm already?" Ensen said out loud, obviously taken off guard by his predicament.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Is the supply store even open at this point?" Ensen said downcast, not wanting to wait until tomorrow.


    Turning his gaze back to his phone, Ensen began looking up various stationery stores nearby to try to find one still open. To his dismay, he realized that nearly all of them were closed at this time. More annoyingly, the open store still open was in the center of the bad part of town, seemingly mocking him.


    Changing his thought process, Ensen knew that some supermarkets stocked paper although he didn''t know which stores actually carried the item. Deciding to try his luck, Ensen had exited his apartment and began to turn around to close and lock his door before he paused.


    With a new and possibly deadly idea in mind, Ensen finished locking his door before turning his gaze towards his neighbors Kaitlin''s direction. Her door was pretty close to Ensen, and with only a few large steps he arrived in front of the door. While Ensen was still uncomfortable around her, he wasn''t as scared anymore after their last encounter. She seemed to be opening up to him, or at least not as hostile as before at the very least.


    Raising his hand, Ensen gently knocked on her door three times before patiently waiting for a response. He waited there for nearly 30 seconds before thinking to himself.


    ''Is she even home?'' Ensen thought, beginning to feel awkward standing at her door for so long.


    Thinking about returning to his previous plan, Ensen began to turn towards the direction of the elevator. Right as he turned he heard a quiet but audible noise from the direction of Kaitlin''s door.


    Turning his gaze back towards the door, Ensen felt somebody was watching him. Looking around the hallway, he soon noticed that an eye was staring at him through a small peephole.


    Unsure just how long she was staring at him, he began feeling slightly unsettled inside of his mind. But he tried to shake it off and began speaking to her.


    "Oh hey Kaitlin, do you mind if I borrow some paper?" Ensen said, trying to act as proper as possible. After all, he was getting increasingly intimidated by her.


    Looking at the eye in the peephole, Ensen noticed that Kaitlin''s eye narrowed slightly before responding.


    "Is that all your here for?" Kaitlin said with suspicion in her voice, seemingly expecting something else.


    "That''s correct. I''m sorry for bothering you, I can just go if you''d like." Ensen spoke out of consideration, after all, she seemed overly secluded and unwilling to talk after he had knocked on her door.


    The eye in the peephole kept staring at Ensen in silence for nearly a straight minute before it pulled back and sounds of locks coming undone were audible through the door.


    Keeping his eyes sharp out of curiosity, Ensen noticed the sound of four individual locks being undone although he may have counted incorrectly.


    After around a minute, the door cracked open and Kaitlin''s faced peeked out from the cover of the door. With a look of suspicion still on her face, she brought a hand from behind the door to reveal it gripping a small stack of paper.


    Noticing the generous amount of paper, Ensen smiled kindly and said with sincerity "Thank you, Kaitlin."


    Hearing his genuine response, Kaitlin frowned lightly and extended her hand to deliver the stack of paper to Ensen.


    Without a word, Ensen slowly approached the door and raised his hand, grabbing the stack of papers from hers.


    Slowly backing up not wanting to scare her or anything like that, Ensen nodded with a slight smile as he looked at the stack of papers happily.


    "Thank you a lot Kaitlin, I really appreciate it," Ensen said while holding in a fist pump of celebration in order to not scare Kaitlin or make her uncomfortable in any way.


    With a small nod, Kaitlin pulled her head back behind her door, retreating into her room. Shutting the door firmly, Ensen soon heard the sound of the four locks he had heard earlier. This time they were being locked.


    Realizing she really did have four locks, his curiosity had peaked even further than before. But still, it wasn''t his place to speak or mess around in any way after all. Standing there in deep thought, Ensen was looking at the door when he saw a familiar eye staring back at him.


    Noticing the awkward situation, his thoughts had got himself in, Ensen smiled and thanked her again before turning around and walking towards his door.


    Excited that he now had a significant amount of paper to draw his own designs with, Ensen unlocked the door and took his shoes off. Quickly returning to the table, he dropped the stack of paper onto the surface and sat down returning to sketching his ideas out.


    Throughout the new few hours, Ensen repeatedly jotted ideas for a layout down before crumpling the paper up and throwing the paper behind him similar to how he had done it the first time. Although the majority of his ideas were scrapped, he did have a few pieces of paper laying nicely stacked to his right.


    As it was approaching 1 am, Ensen tried increasingly hard to stay awake. He even brewed himself a coffee to try to power through the designing stage. But it was useless, Ensen''s eyes became increasingly heavy before he simply couldn''t stay awake anymore. With his thoughts still fully focused on the design at hand.


    Unable to hold his head up anymore, he instantly fell asleep with his head swiftly rushing straight towards the table. Right as his head was about to slam into the wooden table, a sizable pure white pillow appeared suddenly from the void catching his head in its comforting cushion.


    A few moments after the pillow appeared, a fuzzy Grey blanket appeared from seemingly nothing over top Ensen''s head. Gently falling towards his body, the blanket soon rested on top of his body, ensuring he would be comfortable throughout the night.

 Chapter 26: System vacation

    Ensen slept for quite a long time. After all, it had been a long time since he had last stayed up so late, not to mention how focused he was. Because of this, he woke up the next morning feeling oddly refreshed and comfortable.


    Slowly getting up from his seat, Ensen stretched his arms out. Looking around, he wondered why he had such a good sleep. There didn''t seem to be anything in sight except the hard wooden surface of the table.


    Unknown to Ensen, the system slightly sighed in relief. After he noticed Ensen beginning to stir awake he had taken back the blanket and pillow to make sure he didn''t notice what he had done.


    Since it wasn''t really a big deal, Ensen simply assumed it was because of how exhausted he was last night. He did fall asleep working after all. Preparing to sit back down, Ensen''s stomach began roaring at him for food.


    Noticing it had been quite a while since he had last eaten, he walked towards the kitchen slowly still gradually waking up. Without much thought Ensen walked towards the beat-up fridge and grabbed the handle, opening it.


    Randomly grabbing the first thing, he saw, Ensen grabbed a stick of butter that was on a container hanging on the inside of the drawer. Taking the stick of butter, he began walking towards a cabinet, pulling out a plate.


    Slowly unwrapping the stick of butter, he suddenly froze.


    ''I''m really not awake.'' Ensen muttered to himself in both embarrassment and amazement from him about to eat a stick of butter, just barely realizing it.


    Trying to focus harder to make himself wake up, Ensen quickly grabbed a cup of ice-cold water and chugged it. Feeling the cold water rushing down his throat, Ensen''s body quickly woke up in response.


    Smiling in satisfaction, he turned his gaze back to the stick of butter. Gently re-wrapping the stick, he began to take the butter back to the fridge when he stopped once again, this time in thought.


    ''I should repay Kaitlin somehow.'' Ensen thought to himself, wanting to do something as a way of expressing his thanks to her, although he did not know what he should do.


    He briefly thought about either baking or cooking something for her to enjoy, such as cookies or pasta. However, this idea was quickly thrown out, mainly because she would most likely believe Ensen was trying to poison her for some reason. Another reason which Ensen didn''t think it was a big deal was his cooking skill. While he had begun to doubt his self-proclaimed amazing skills in the area after the visit to the high-class restaurant, he had previously done negotiations with Jennifer, he still believed his skills were better than I rank at the very least.


    "Could you re-evaluate my cooking skill for me, please? I feel like you left out some areas or unfairly judged." Ensen said, genuinely believing his statement.


    [Very well, the system will re-evaluate the cooking skill rank immediately.]


    After a few moments, the text was replaced with another sentence.


    [The host is correct, the system has made an error in judgment. Please check the new ranking for a more accurate representation.]


    The system wrote formally as if replying to an angry customer.


    With an ecstatic smile, Ensen quickly opened the status and quickly navigated towards the cooking skill. However right as he saw the cooking skill, his smiled suddenly reversed into a heavy frown.


    [Cooking Skill: i -]


    Taking aback from the decrease in his skill, Ensen Began to glare around the room randomly.


    "Why did it decrease?! I could probably beat the chefs from the restaurant I visited in a cook-off." Ensen screamed in anger and arrogance. He had worked very hard and had an ingenious creation that would soon gain global popularity, that''s what he thought at least.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    [The system had not properly taken into account the host''s attitude towards cooking, which severely decreases the performance the host can properly give. As such, the skill level has been decreased towards a more suitable level. However, the user is on the edge to de-ranking even further if your skill deteriorates.]


    The system wrote formally, clearly stating the reasoning behind his actions.


    Crossing his arms in annoyance, Ensen decided to ignore the system for the moment in favor of eating his breakfast although it was almost midday at this point.


    Not in the mood for anything fancy, Ensen quickly threw together a peanut butter and banana sandwich and continued working on his design. At this point, he had completed most of the work. While he only focused on the larger and influential decisions, he had confidence that the system would pick up the slack in the more minor areas to ensure it turned out well.


    Ensen proceeded to work on the plans for the next few hours, not taking a break in the slightest. The more substantial break he had taken since breakfast was when he checked the notification on his phone when he was looking at school plans that were publicly available online to draw influence.


    As Ensen approached being around 90% done with the design, he hit a sudden roadblock. He had developed a small headache shortly after breakfast that began to slowly expand itself throughout the hours he had been working non-stop. At this point it had grown into a large headache that severely handicapped Ensen, making it extremely hard if not impossible to continue working.


    Knowing that he needed a break, Ensen hesitantly got out of his seat and stretched his body slowly. His right hand had begun to ache from all the time he had spent drawing. Looking behind him at the pile of crumpled up papers, Ensen knew that he really was putting his best into the design.


    Deciding to take a shower to try to relieve both the headache and his aching hand he grabbed his phone that had been lying on the table the whole day and proceeded to head to the bathroom. Upon arriving he quickly threw all of his clothes in his laundry hamper and laid his phone on top after starting a song playlist that was filled with classical music.


    Although classical music was not his favorite, he always thought that it helped soothe his headache when he did get one.


    After around 15 minutes he had finally finished his shower. Walking to his room he grabbed some pajamas and put them on and began heading back to the table.


    While the shower had slightly helped Ensen with his headache and aching hand, they were both still quite painful. Although he should have just relaxed for the majority of the day to recover, he was persistent and wanted to finish the design today.


    After arriving back at the table, he sat down and continued working on the design. Although his speed had been reduced by multiple times when compared to before, he slowly made progress and finished his work after about four more hours.


    Smiling in satisfaction, Ensen tried his best to ignore his headache and hand which had begun to hurt even more than before.


    Shouting in excitement, Ensen said "System I''m done! Take me to the Product market now."


    Waiting for a few seconds, he realized the system had not responded to him.


    In confusion, Ensen said a little less excited "System are you there?"


    Still getting no reply, Ensen began to panic a little.


    "Where are you, system?" Ensen said with a tone of confusion.


    Luckily for him, a blue box that was oddly dimmer then usual appeared before him.


    [The host must take care of his own health. As such, the system has decided to take a day off to force the user to recover from his long development session. The system will return to work tomorrow, but as of now, the system will go on a vacation. What sort of vacation does the user recommend to the system?]


    Taken aback from the system''s sudden declaration, Ensen asked "Wait, so what am I supposed to do then?"


    [The host can do whatever he wishes to relax. Now answer the question user, what sort of vacation?]


    The system wrote in an oddly stern tone as if they couldn''t wait for their vacation.


    "Umm¡­ go skiing or something I guess. Now back to my ques-" Ensen began to spoke but was cut off by the instant appearance of yet another blue box.


    [Skiing sounds like fun user. Goodbye then.]


    The system wrote bluntly, obviously not interested in what Ensen had to say.


    "Wait system, you can ski? Do you have a body?" Ensen spoke, suddenly interested in just what the system was. Was it more of a concept with no real body, or was it an actual being? Ensen never thought about it much before, but now he was dying to find out. Luckily there was a surprisingly large number of systems that he could possibly interact within the future, so he was not in a rush at the moment.


    Feeling disappointed that the system had gone on a vacation, Ensen looked at the time and noticed it was getting a little late, so it wouldn''t be gone for too long it seemed.


    Ensen slowly walked over to the couch with no real objective in mind. There wasn''t really anything that he could think about doing.


    As such, Ensen absentmindedly turned on the TV with his mind clouded with thoughts.


    He felt oddly lonely without the system around. Although he hadn''t had many interactions with people over the past few weeks, he never felt alone since he had the system with him to help guide him towards his dream.


    ''I wonder what the system gets out of this.'' Ensen thought to himself as he slowly drifted to sleep.


    Unknown to Ensen, the system had not yet disappeared and was watching over him as his eyes slowly closed in exhaustion.

 Chapter 27: Main building

    Waking up the next morning, Ensen slowly sat up while rubbing his eyes to wake himself up.


    Excited by the prospects of a new day and creating the building, he slowly walked over towards the table he had worked at nearly without break for the last day.


    Grabbing the stack of papers that had the completed plans on it, he decided to quickly check them over one last time to ensure that everything was up to his standards and there were no big layout issues.


    While the system would heavily assist Ensen in the event of an issue coming up, he would still like to make sure it was okay himself.


    After confirming that the plans had no obvious errors, Ensen smiled in satisfaction as he put down the papers and began walking over to the kitchen, making two pieces of toast quickly.


    Leaning against the counter as he began to eat because of the lack of room the paper had left for him, Ensen wondered if the system had returned.


    ¡°System, are you back from your vacation?¡± Ensen asked, hopeful that his plans wouldn¡¯t be delayed much longer. After all, the sooner the academy was established the better.


    However, after waiting a few moments there was no response from the system. Ensen finished eating with annoyance filling his body.


    Turning his gaze towards the crumpled up paper on the ground, he knew he should clean them up.


    Since Ensen did not have much to do except wait for the system to return, he decided to do it now. Ensen picked up a nearby bin and slowly collected all of the paper before throwing it in without much care.


    After finishing his cleanup, he once again checked if the system was there. Desperate to know how the system would rate his design.


    ¡°System where are you?¡± Ensen said in a noticeably annoyed tone.


    Realizing his headache had begun to come back from his annoyance, Ensen took a deep breath and began to try to calm himself down when a blue screen popped up before him.


    [The system has returned from the ski trip you suggested. The host did a good job at recommending this, because of your stellar performance the system will gift you a present.]


    Without any time for Ensen to respond, a new notification appeared before his eyes.


    [Gained: Systems thanks.]


    ¡°What use is that!¡± Ensen screamed out loud, thoroughly irritated by the system¡¯s action for the past few days.


    [You should be thankful, after all, it is quite valuable. Does the host have the plan ready for the schoolhouse finalized?]


    ¡°It¡¯s not valuable at all. And yes I have finished it. Can I finally create it now?¡± Ensen asked in an accusing tone, blaming the system for the delay.


    Without further discussion, Ensen¡¯s vision suddenly went black, and his body collapsed onto the floor. Luckily the system had protected his collapsing body resulting in no injuries or even any noise at all.


    After a few moments, he had returned to the familiar office.


    Still feeling dizzy after the sensation of him being moved to the shop, Ensen sat in the chair for a few seconds before he felt the aftereffects of the transportation beginning to fade away.


    A few moments after that, the feeling had completely faded. Looking down towards his body, Ensen realized that the stack of papers that he had of the building was strangely in his lap although they were still on the table when he was sent to the shop.


    Assuming the system had been kind and simply grabbed them, Ensen lost a little bit of his anger towards the system.


    Not wanting to hold off any longer, Ensen began looking through the stack of papers, trying to absorb as much knowledge and information about the layout he created as he could. After a few minutes of constant studying, Ensen closed his eyes and began to form a cohesive image of all the elements of the papers combined in his mind.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Following this, he held his focus for nearly an entire minute before the system responded.


    Hearing an odd ringing noise that he had never heard before, he opened his eyes to try to observe what that sound was when he saw the familiar plot listing layout of the building he had designed on a blue box.


    He also noticed a small notification hiding behind the browser. Slightly moving the browser out of the way, Ensen read what the notification said.


    [Building Design: 5Ep]


    Satisfied with the reward for his hard work, he turned his gaze back towards the browser while adjusting it to be centered so he could sit comfortably in his chair.


    Ensen began examining the images of the building to ensure he had properly envisioned the design.


    Looking at the initial image, it was an exterior shot of the front side of the building. In front of the building itself was a medium-sized circle that had a patch of grass in the middle with a few trees, with grey brick roads surrounding the small little separating green patch similar to a roundabout.


    This area would be mainly used as a dropoff and pickup area for students.


    Farther to the left of the building was a small parking lot, there were not too many places to park only 12 in total which would work fine for now.


    Looking at the building itself, it seemed relatively small in comparison to most schools. This was mainly because it would save a lot of costs which means he could create a better quality school and slowly expand while keeping his standards high.


    The building seemed modern, with the white-painted exterior with a light grey accent color for things such as the trim.


    The main entrance to the school had an oak double door that had its natural color still present, bringing an element of nature into the building. To the side of each door was a medium-sized window with benches and plants for sitting.


    Changing the image, Ensen proceeded to quickly analyze the remaining images as he already had noticed that the system had performed admirably. There were no noticeable differences from his ideas to the system¡¯s execution. Because of this the only change from his design to the systems was the addition of furniture.


    When entering the building, the school office was immediately to the left, while the cafeteria and kitchen were to the right.


    Through the office was Ensen¡¯s personal office space for doing his own work and another empty office that he would either give to his vice-principal when he found one or use it as a staff room.


    Walking down the hallway that had tiles wish gave off a faint light grey wooden texture, he arrived towards the next set of rooms.


    This time, a classroom was on the left whereas the school bathroom was on the right. There were two entrances into the bathroom, the left side for women, and then the right side for men.


    After that were two more rooms, another classroom on the left and a music room on the right.


    Immediately after the last two rooms was a double door similar to the doors on the front, this time pointing towards the lake. Ensen could not do much with utilizing the lake at this point, but he could at least give the students better access.


    Although the facility itself was compact, it seemed much open due to the plentiful number of windows letting in tons of natural light.


    Satisfied with his creation, Ensen turned his gaze towards the evaluation the system had for it.


    [This building is well laid out and trades off more students for a better environment for a lesser number of students to learn. Due to the low capacity for students in this building, it allows for more individual teaching. Built with a twist on the modern aesthetic, it combines a modern look as well as natural elements such as the abundance of light and using more natural looks in certain places. Although this building comes with many disadvantages such as no dedicated staff room, there are as many advantages that counteract this fact. As such, this is a well-designed building that is specialized. It would only correctly work in certain instances, surrounded by nature.]


    After reading the description, Ensen thought it was a pretty accurate and fair description of his design. Although he knew that he was reducing the number of students, he could educate in the long run, he thought that as his academy began to grow more he could expand and hire more faculty to help streamline things. After all, as things currently stood, he was the entire staff.


    Turning his gaze towards the pricing of the building itself, Ensen¡¯s satisfied smile suddenly stiffened slightly.


    [The user-designed Academy main building unfurnished: 230 Ep]


    [The user-designed Academy main building furnished: 460 Ep]


    Knowing that he didn¡¯t have the amount required even for the unfurnished version, he opened his status to take a look.


    [Ensen Fuentes]


    [Education Points: 223]


    [Academy Rank: Null]


    [Age: 27]


    [Math average: C]


    [Science average: F-]


    [English average: F-]


    [Foreign language average: F-]


    [Sports average: F-]


    [Teaching average: D+]


    [administration average: D-]


    [Other]


    [Skill Market]


    [Product Market]


    [Auction House]


    ¡®Only seven off!¡¯ Ensen screamed in his mind.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t mind giving me a discount this time, would you?¡± Ensen said trying to gain empathy from the system.


    After waiting for a few moments and noticing that there was no response, Ensen sighed and began thinking about his options.


    He didn¡¯t really have much choice in the matter. He would have to cut back on an element he currently had in his building by quite a bit. After all, he still needed five education points after the purchase to learn the piano skill.


    Thinking quickly, Ensen quickly decided to simply halve the parking lot for the time being. It wouldn¡¯t be too much of a deal to expand it in the future and there was not much point in having a large one, for now. A six-car parking lot would fit his needs.


    After quickly thinking about the change, the posting was modified and the new prices were displayed one again.


    [The user-designed Academy main building unfurnished: 215 Ep]


    [The user-designed Academy main building furnished: 430 Ep]


    Satisfied with the current price, Ensen slowly pressed on the unfurnished version for the main building. Although having the system create and maintain all of the furniture and other objects inside of the building would be nice, it didn¡¯t seem necessary at this point. Even if he could afford it, he wasn¡¯t sure if he would get it.


    Further down the line, he would definitely want to get it to save on upkeep costs, but with the ghost town state, the building would be in for the next while he didn¡¯t really need to worry too much about it. Even if there were things needed to be repaired it would be manageable.


    Immediately after the text was pressed, the office suddenly shattered into countless pieces slowly falling towards the ground.

 Chapter 28: Material gathering

    Replacing the office was a vast white plane similar to the skill creation shop.


    Nearly blinded by the drastic change, Ensen quickly covered his eyes with his arm out of reflex to protect himself from harm.


    After around 30 seconds his eyes had begun to adapt to the new environment. Slowly pulling his arm away, Ensen screamed at the system.


    ¡°What was that for? I thought you turned over a new leaf!¡± Ensen yelled, not believing his own words, simply shouting in anger.


    [Look above you for the list of materials required.] The system wrote.


    Listening to the system, Ensen looked up to see a peculiar sight. A large black box was floating in the middle of the sky with white writing listing the materials in a uniform fashion.


    Rubbing his eyes that had begun to hurt again, Ensen asked the system in an attitude that clearly displayed how annoyed he was with the system today.


    ¡°Come on, it doesn¡¯t need to be this dramatic. Just give me a list on my phone or something.¡±


    A few moments passed before a brightly colored blue box appeared from the void, as if deciding to listen to Ensen.


    [Fine. A written copy has been saved into your notes on your phone. All of the materials must be brought to the construction site before the creation of the building commences. While the majority of the materials are rather easy to come by, there are a few that are slightly rarer. While they are easily accessible within your area, it will come with a premium cost.]


    ¡°More money, huh? I really need to start making money.¡± Ensen said, beginning to feel a whole burning through his chest when he thought about how much the materials would cost. Although he felt slightly better when thinking about how he wouldn¡¯t need to pay for labor. Well not in money at least, the system seemed to love to gobble up all of my education points.


    Curious about what his current balance was, Ensen opened his status once again.


    [Ensen Fuentes]


    [Education Points: 8


    [Academy Rank: Null]


    [Age: 27]


    [Math average: C]


    [Science average: F-]


    [English average: F-]


    [Foreign language average: F-]


    [Sports average: F-]


    [Teaching average: D+]


    [administration average: D-]


    [Other]


    [Skill Market]


    [Product Market]


    [Auction House]If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Returning to his apartment, he quickly walked towards his apartment to change clothes to something more suitable for the outside. Changing into his standard blue jeans as well as a long-sleeved black t-shirt, Ensen proceeded to grab his phone from his pocket and opened the list the system had given him.


    Ensen searched up each material listed to gain a general understanding. Just like the system had said, everything was available for purchase within the city, although some materials were not cheap.


    Wanting to run to the nearest store and buy their whole stock, Ensen quickly headed towards the front door and put on his shoes and jacket. Exiting the door soon after, he began walking towards the elevator when he had a change of mind.


    Although it would certainly be faster and more convenient to simply buy all of the materials in one place, it might lead to some unforeseen consequences later down the line. After all, if people investigated what he was doing the materials and saw a first-class school building pop up out of nowhere after just a few days things wouldn¡¯t be great from him. If he correctly hid it well enough then, it would stay out of the public eye for long enough.


    The plot of land was deep enough in the forest that most people didn¡¯t really know about it, so while such a building would be peculiar it wouldn¡¯t raise suspicion. Unless it was the inspector or the previous landowner, Jennifer of course. He would need to come up with an excuse to use if they ever visited the land, but in the meantime, he would just pray.


    Deciding he would need to purchase in lower quantities to avoid interest from the public, Ensen knew that he would need something to transport the materials. After all, his car was severely old, rusted, and simply not up to the task.


    Knowing that he would need to rent or purchase a new vehicle, Ensen decided to rent a moving van for a few days because of their relatively low cost and big enough storage.


    Arriving at his car, Ensen quickly got in the vehicle and began making his way towards the nearest reputable moving van company. After a little while, he finally pulled into the parking lot and entered the building.


    The building itself was quite small, the majority of the property being used to store both customer vehicles and unused moving vans.


    Approaching the customer desk, Ensen spent the next hour or so going through the process of renting a medium-sized moving van for the next few days. Luckily the company seemed pretty relaxed about time restrictions due to their large quantity of vehicles.


    Due to this, Ensen didn¡¯t have a strict time limit on when to return the vehicle which suited him well. After all, he didn¡¯t know exactly how long it would take to complete his collection of resources.


    After finishing the process, he was given a key to a van. Ensen returned outside and hopped back into his car, driving towards the reserved parking for those renting vehicles.


    Exiting the vehicle, Ensen quickly walked around the parking lot until he finally found the vehicle ID that matched the key.


    Using the key to unlock the vehicle, Ensen quickly jumped inside before pulling out his phone to check the nearby material sellers.


    Ensen proceeded to spend the next few days collecting materials and spending a shocking amount of money. His bank had even called him to notify him that there was a suspicious amount of activity with his bank card.


    He would have been finished much sooner, but he underestimated quite a few things. First off, Ensen did not realize just how many materials were requested. He also underestimated the carrying capacity of the van itself. It was built for moving furniture and similar things, not mountains of heavy metals and other materials.


    While there was no damage caused by his oversight, it did slow down things by a large margin due to him being unable to fully load the van like he believed he could before.


    Luckily the road leading to the plot of land was relatively smooth. Although there were some bumps on the road when heading into the forest, it wasn¡¯t too bad. The van also seemed to be able to fit on the road into the forest which Ensen was unsure about previously.


    As such, It took Ensen a total of four days to complete his gathering of resources. Although it took a decent amount of time, he wasn¡¯t too bothered about that.


    Standing next to the standing disgrace of a school building, Ensen was staring at his bank balance on his phone trying to hold back tears. It had been reduced by a significant margin, almost 40% of his savings were no more.


    Trying to turn his attention away from the heartbreaking site, he asked the system for information.


    ¡°So, all the materials are here. What now?¡± Ensen asked, slightly fearful of spending more money.


    [The system will now begin to both tear down the existing building and constructing the new one. This will take a few days to complete due to limitations from the universe. The user may do whatever he wishes in the meantime.]


    Reading the message with a mixed expression, Ensen asked enthusiastically ¡°How about you give me a mission then?¡±


    [What do you mean give you a mission? The only reason you¡¯re done the first mission is that you cheated!] The system wrote in an accusing tone, obviously still bitter about how the previous mission had ended.


    Not sure how to answer the system, Ensen promptly ignored it and walked back towards the moving van to return it.


    As Ensen walked back towards the van the system had begun to slowly tear apart the old building. It was a peculiar sight. The old rotten shingles on the roof of the house were slowly ripped up as if being sucked into a tornado before disappearing entirely.


    Looking up at the evening sky, Ensen thought about what he should do for the next few days to help himself in the future. There wasn¡¯t really too much he could think about, though. He could learn the piano skill, but he didn¡¯t really know where he could play one either way. He could most likely find one if he looked around, though.


    Either way, Ensen hopped into the van and began driving it back towards the rental area to pass it back in.


    The traffic on his way back was abnormally heavy, most likely because of an event or accident Ensen did not know about. Either way, after a long while he finally arrived at the rental building.


    Pulling into the parking lot dedicated towards the rental vans, Ensen returned the van where it had been previously parked before coming to a full stop. Stepping out of the car, Ensen locked the door and began walking towards the rear of the van, opening the two doors at the back to ensure that he had left nothing behind.


    Scanning the van, he let out a sigh of relief as he noticed it was all clear. Although it was completely okay legally to transport materials, he was sure that the business would not like it one bit. While he was most likely not going to use their services again, he would rather keep his options open either way.


    After turning over the keys Ensen returned to his car which was parked nearby from earlier in the morning.


    Hopping into the car, Ensen began to return home intent on finding something to do. After meeting even heavier traffic on the way home he had finally pulled into his apartment building.

 Chapter 29: Sister

    Leisurely stepping out of the car, Ensen stretched his arms wide and let out a slight yawn before heading towards the elevator. While walking towards he saw the old lady that had previously stared at him intently for carrying all of his grocery bags in at once. Turning his gaze away, Ensen soon passed her and rode the elevator up towards his floor.


    Walking towards the apartment, he quickly arrived without any interruptions and unlocked the door, Entering it and taking off his jacket and shoes before slowly walking towards his bedroom. It had been a long few days for Ensen, all the driving and picking up resources was not exactly exhilarating.


    To be blunt, he was beyond bored the past few days. The only thing that saved some of his sanity was the fact that the rental van had a surprisingly good audio system for listening to music.


    Although he also tried listening to podcasts, he noticed that he couldn¡¯t focus well on driving if he did that. So to be safe, he resorted to just listening to music.


    Arriving in front of the bed, Ensen threw himself on top of the blankets. Not bothering to change clothes, he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, resting it on his nearby end table.


    Realizing that his throat was getting rather dry, Ensen laid there for a few moments before he forced himself up and walked to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water. Quickly chugging the glass, Ensen refilled the same glass and returned to bed, eager to have some rest.


    Quickly closing his eyes, Ensen could not wait to fall asleep. After a few minutes of trying to relax, he had begun to drift away when he heard a sound.


    Opening his eyes, he moved his gaze towards his vibrating phone. Ensen rolled over and tried to lay back down to ignore it, but it made such a loud noise that he simply could not ignore it anymore.


    Turning around again, he grabbed his phone and looked at the caller ID. Noticing it was an unknown number, Ensen did not think much of it, assuming it to be a telemarketer and quickly declined the call before laying back in bed satisfied with himself.


    But the caller didn¡¯t give up that easily. A few moments later the phone began to vibrate again. Ensen swore that it vibrated even more aggressively the second time around. With an irritated expression, Ensen quickly raised his finger to decline the call again before having a quick change of heart and deciding to answer.


    Although he thought that this call was nothing important, he needed to get into the habit of answering calls. After all, he was soon to be a principal.


    Trying to calm himself down, Ensen slowly answered the phone and raised it towards his ear.


    ¡°Hello, who¡¯s this?¡¯ Ensen said bluntly. Although he was doing his best to be nice, he was tired and annoyed by both the system and the caller.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry Ensen did I disturb you?¡± A mature and delicate woman¡¯s voice answered back.


    Looking at this phone with an expression mixed with shock and hesitation, he correctly assumed that she had changed phones over the last time she called. Ensen slowly responded while trying to calm himself down.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we talked sis. Why are you calling me?¡± Ensen said in a passive-aggressive tone. Although the two of them used to be very close as kids, they had gradually grown apart due to an incident a few years prior.


    Although it affected their relationship, they both agreed to put aside their differences if her daughter Ada was involved. After all, he didn¡¯t want to make her child suffer from the relationship between them, it was only fair.


    While he was a teacher at SilverLeaf Academy, he had done his best to assist Ada to the point where she had become increasingly confident in her studies. Although a side effect of this was that she had become attached to Ensen which left him in an awkward position since she was curious as to why her mother and Ensen didn¡¯t talk anymore.


    ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t be calling¡­ but Ada told me you were fired a few weeks ago. I want to invite you over for dinner tomorrow. Please, just think about it okay?¡± She said with a sad tone of voice.


    Ensen stayed silent for the next few moments in deep thought. He was truly conflicted about seeing her. However from what he could tell she was worried about him.


    ¡°Okay Julia, I will think about it. But no promises, I may be busy.¡± Ensen said, making himself an excuse just in case he didn¡¯t want to go tomorrow.


    Instantly a small mutter of excitement was heard on the other side of the phone that matched Julia¡¯s voice.


    A few moments later with a noticeably brighter tone of voice, Julia said softly ¡°Thank you, I have moved since the last time you came over, I¡¯ll send you the address.¡±


    Feeling a little more comfortable with the idea of having dinner with her after her display of excitement, Ensen quickly said ¡°I need to run now, I¡¯m a little but. I¡¯ll text you tomorrow if I have time to come over, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay sounds great. Thank you Ensen, have a good night.¡± Julia said in a delighted tone.


    Slowly hanging up the phone, Ensen lowered the phone in front of his eyes, staring at it with mixed feelings in his eyes. He wanted to go back to the way things were before with Julia, but he didn¡¯t know if he was ready yet.


    With a heavy sigh, Ensen rested the phone back on the end table intending to try to sleep again. But he knew in his heart that he wouldn¡¯t be able to rest after that. They hadn¡¯t talked in a long time, although he knew that he was the reason they hadn¡¯t talked.


    Ensen spent the next little while simply staring at the ceiling of his bedroom in deep thought. Finally, with a small tear running down his cheek, Ensen fell asleep unsure what he was going to decide tomorrow.


    After a long but restless sleep, Ensen woke up and proceeded to stare at the ceiling once again while thinking about last night.


    Still being conflicted in his heart, Ensen decided to get up and try to distract himself with something to gain a level-head before making the decision.


    Slowly easing his way out of bed, he grabbed his phone from his nightstand and slowly made his way towards the couch while rubbing his eyes to try to wake himself up.


    Arriving at the couch, Ensen gently laid down and turned the TV on, navigating on a random channel. He was using it more for white noise than actual entertainment.


    Ensen hesitantly opened his phone before navigating to the messaging app. Looking at the number that called him yesterday, he decided to add it to his contacts list naming it ¡®Sister.¡¯ Afterward, he pulled up the messages towards his sister and simply stared at the screen with conflicted eyes.


    There were a few reasons Ensen was hesitant to have dinner with his sister and her family. Foremost was the incident that happened a few years ago, but he also did not want to reveal what he had been doing to his family yet, however distant they were. Plus, he was sure Ada would go around gloating that her uncle was creating his own education institution which would have mixed effects.


    But still, he honestly thought his sister had given up on their relationship. Truth be told, he had given up on having a relationship with her too. Although Julia couldn¡¯t be directly blamed for the incident, Ensen had blamed her in his heart.


    Nearly an hour later, Ensen was still staring at his phone, not even taking his eyes off of it for a moment. His mind had been debating and going over the pros and cons the entire time, and he finally made a decision.


    Slowly typing on the message bar, Ensen slowly wrote out ¡°I will be coming over tonight, please save me a plate.¡±


    Pausing for a moment, Ensen clicked send before giving a heavy sigh. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.


    In the end, he decided he would at least have dinner with her tonight simply for the reason that she contacted him.


    Although Ensen did not know it himself, he did not want to give up on his sister. Although they¡¯ve been distant the past few years, they were the only family each other had. Of course, she had her daughter and husband as well, but that was it. Their parents had died a few years ago, and while they were unaware of if they had any distant relatives, they weren¡¯t too curious to find out.


    Looking at the time, Ensen noticed it would soon be approaching midday. Turning his head, he looked out the window to see the brilliant sun shining down on the city as if celebrating their reunion.

 Chapter 30: Change in attitude

    Deciding to properly prepare himself for later, Ensen got up from the couch and began walking over to the kitchen.


    Thinking about the evaluation the system had given him when he reduced his skill in cooking earlier, Ensen had begun to see some sense in it. Although he was still arrogant in this manner, he was beginning to recognize the flaws he had in his cooking.


    Looking back to when his sister Julia had cooked him numerous times previously, he knew the night was going to be rough. Although she was significantly better than Ensen, she still needed to work on her skills quite a bit.


    But Ensen wasn¡¯t going there for the sole purpose to eat, so he could manage it. Deciding to have a rather decently sized lunch in order to compensate for the lesser amount of food he would make later, Ensen opened the fridge and decided to make the ham and cubed vegetable abomination he made in the past.


    But this time, he had done his best to throw away his arrogance towards cooking. Closely analyzing every mistake, Ensen managed to turn the ham over closer to the appropriate time so it was not horribly burnt. While it was still a little charred it was a massive improvement.


    After a few minutes, he had finished cutting the vegetables and looked at the end product. Unlike last time, he did not see much to praise about it. Maybe his creativity, but that was about it.


    Taking the finished product towards the table, Ensen carefully raised the ham and vegetable slices towards his mouth and took a small bite. His face quickly turned sour as he carelessly put the piece of ham down. As the ham hit the table the cubed bits flew everywhere as if hit by an explosion.


    Looking down at the mess, Ensen muttered ¡°Why did I even like this thing?¡± as he began to clean up his mess.


    After picking up all of the cubes, Ensen decided to make something else as he was refusing to eat his creation at this point. After throwing the items away he decided to make an ordinary piece of toast with some butter on top. Luckily he managed to barely burn the piece of toast which was a large improvement for him.


    After which he began to enjoy a steamy shower to help relax his anxious mind. A long time later, he left the shower with a slightly more relaxed mind as he walked over towards his bedroom to get into an outfit.


    He wanted to dress nicely but also not overdress for the occasion. As such he simply grabbed some black jeans that he had barely worn before, a white shirt, and a grey and white plaid shirt.


    Finished dressing, Ensen began to do some miscellaneous chores around the house since he had been too busy the past few days to worry about it.


    After completing all of those chores, the clock on his phone had turned to 3 pm. With a slight nod, Ensen decided to do what he had considered earlier, baking some cookies for Kaitlin as a way to thank her for the paper.


    Heading back into the kitchen, Ensen reached far into a nearby cupboard to grab a dusty, old white apron. After putting it on Ensen searched up a cookie recipe and began to make it.


    Following the recipe to the letter, he achieved quick progress and had finished making the batter after around 20 minutes. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Preheating the oven, Ensen soon scooped the cookies onto a pan and put them into the oven.


    While waiting for the cookies to finish, he had been catching himself up with his favorite online novels. Although he was a rather straight-forward and practical teacher, he still loved to get lost in a book for hours on end.


    Hearing the timer go off, Ensen quickly took the cookies out and was delighted by both the smell and the appearance of the cookies. They seemed oddly¡­ normal. Like an ordinary person with average skill in baking made them, which surprised Ensen a lot.


    ¡®Well, I guess losing my arrogance is better.¡¯ Ensen thought as he smiled in satisfaction while staring at the cookies. While baking wasn¡¯t necessarily considered cooking, it was heavily related. Needless to say, his baking had been questionable in the past


    Letting them cool down for a few minutes, Ensen soon picked one up to test to see if he should even give them to Kaitlin. Surprisingly, the cookies were actually quite delicious.


    Forcing himself to hold back from eating all of the cookies right then, Ensen turned his attention to a nearby piece of paper and pen he had grabbed.


    Ensen proceeded to write both the ingredients and the link for the recipe on the paper to show that he was being sincere in his actions and not trying to cause any harm.


    After digging through a drawer, he found himself a container and gently scooped all of the cookies into it. Noticing it was about time to leave, Ensen took both the cookies and the note as he proceeded to walk towards the door.


    Putting the box of cookies down temporarily to put on his shoes, he soon exited his apartment and walked over towards Kaitlin¡¯s door. Bending down, he gently placed the box of cookies down to the left of the door with the note on top of the box. With a satisfied smile on his face, he began walking towards the elevator.


    Unknown to Ensen, Kaitlin had been staring at him through the peephole since he had exited his apartment. After he had left after placing the items down, Kaitlin slowly began unlocking the locks on her door slowly while randomly looking through the peephole to ensure that nobody was there.


    After she had been confident that there was nobody in the hallway, Kaitlin slowly opened the door slightly and grabbed the items on the floor, dragging them in quickly. Afterward, she closed the door with urgency and locked all of the locks.


    Observing the box and the note on the ground, Kaitlin had a cautious look on her face. Opening the container, she saw quite a bit of golden-colored cookies with chocolate chips poking out. Picking them up, Kaitlin contemplated throwing them out when she decided to read the note.


    Reading the message, Kaitlin gave off a slightly more relaxed aura as she decided to test one of the cookies herself. Opening the box, the tempting smell of fresh cookies drew her in. Picking up one of the cookies, her face suddenly gave off a stunning smile completely contrasting everything Ensen had known about her. Quickly finishing the cookie, she reached for another one.


    After a few moments, the next cookie had disappeared into her mouth. Knowing she needed to slow down, she hesitantly forced herself to stop and put the lid back on the box. Carrying the box over to her kitchen counter, she lightly hummed as she continued about her day with happiness.


    Unaware of the reaction that his cookies had caused, Ensen arrived at the elevator and began to descend. Quickly arriving at his car, he lightly sighed in nervousness as he pulled up the address that Julia had previously sent him.


    Noticing that the address was in the upper-class area of town, Ensen seemed surprised as he started the car to drive towards the area.


    Although Ensen had lived in the city for most of his life, he had never been in the location Julia¡¯s home was located although he knew where it was generally. As such, Ensen drove around aimlessly trying to find the street before finally giving up and resorting to using a navigation service on his phone.


    With the help of the service, he had finally found the street and had begun driving down while looking at the house numbers.


    The houses on this street were absolutely stunning. It seemed to blend more modern design with more traditional aesthetics. All of the houses had brick chimneys and multiple garages. The road itself was bordering on a popular walking trail which led to a small lake that most of the area used as a swimming spot and hiking area. Although most houses on the road had their own in-ground pools, the location was still amazing.


    After driving slowly for a minute or so to read the house numbers, Ensen had finally found his sister¡¯s home. Pulling into the driveway which used small red and peach colored bricks to form a pattern, he parked behind a fancy two-door car. With an anxious mind and a rising heart rate, Ensen exited the vehicle and slowly locked it before steeling his heart and looking towards the door.


    He could hear faint voices coming from the house. Walking on the little path they had, he followed the path through the front yard until he reached the modern front door.


    With a nervous face, Ensen raised his hand slowly and knocked on the door. A few moments later the conversation he could slightly make out had abruptly stopped and he could hear somebody approaching.


    Putting his hands behind his back to try to mask his slightly shaking hands. After a few more moments Ensen could hear the door being unlocked.

 Chapter 31: Relief

    A few minutes prior to Ensen¡¯s arrival, Julia and her daughter Ada were both in the living room. Julia was sitting on the rather large, light blue couch whereas Ada was resting on a nearby light grey armchair.


    ¡°Ensen will be here soon won¡¯t he?¡± Ada said anxiously while turning her head towards the front window which overlooked the driveway.


    ¡°He¡¯ll probably be here in a few minutes Ada,¡± Julia replied, doing her utmost to try to hide her nervousness from meeting Ensen for the first time in so long.


    After their brief conversation, silence engulfed the room once again.


    Looking down at her hands, Julia felt the next minutes slowly go by although they felt like hours.


    In an attempt to distract herself, she began to idly talk with Ada. This worked slightly but not much.


    As their talk progressed, Julia had found that it did not distract her at all anymore.


    She began to second guess if Ensen would even come. While he messaged her saying that he would earlier, it was a big step meeting with her.


    Falling deeper into her thoughts, Julia noticed that she had accidentally been ignoring what Ada had been saying to her.


    ¡°Oh sorry dear, what was that?¡± Julia said, feeling awkward about ignoring her daughter.


    Looking weirdly at her mother, Ada asked in concern ¡°Are you okay mom? Your acting a little weird.¡±


    As Julia was thinking about how to respond to the abrupt question, they heard a knock on the door.


    They both became silent as they looked over towards the door. After a moment Ada nearly leaped out of the armchair she had been sitting in and launched herself towards the front door.


    Unlike Ada, Julia slowly got up from the couch and began walking slowly towards the door with nervousness filling her heart.


    Ada quickly arrived at the door and unlocked it with haste. Opening the door with a large smile plastered on her face, she said ¡°Welcome, Ensen!¡±


    -------------------


    Seeing the excited Ada greeting him so energetically, Ensen was a little thrown off. He had forgotten about how cheerful she was. Instantly, he began to feel slightly less nervous about dinner.


    ¡°Long time no see Ada, how have you been?¡± Ensen asked in a genuine fashion.


    But without a response, Ada quickly opened her arms and walked forwards. Noticing her haste towards him, Ensen brought his hands back towards the front of his body. Briefing glancing down at his hands, he had realized they had stopped shaking at some point.


    Feeling Ada¡¯s arms wrap around Ensen in excitement from seeing him again, Ensen asked teasingly ¡°I was only gone for a few weeks. How has the school been?¡¯


    As if waiting for the question, Ada withdrew her hug and stepped back a few feet before continuing their talk.


    ¡°It¡¯s been horrible! I¡¯ve corrected more mistakes from the other students than the teacher!¡± Ada said in obvious annoyance.


    In gentle contemplation, Ensen opened his mouth to respond only to be cut off by Ada continuing to complain.


    ¡°Plus they still can¡¯t find anybody to take over your position, so it¡¯s still the secretary holding the classes. I think it would be better even if the gym teacher took over the class.¡± She declared in an aggressive manner.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Noticing movement behind Ada, he turned his gaze towards the direction to see a 25-year-old woman with blonde hair and silk-smooth skin. She wore a white sundress that had various designs of flowers scattered around the fabric. She had obviously dressed up quite a bit for the occasion.


    Looking at his sister, Ensen thought that she had changed quite a bit during the past few years. He couldn¡¯t really put his finger on what changed, she just seemed more¡­ mature. She had always been the outgoing type with a bad streak of annoying people which wasn¡¯t too bad in itself, but she simply did not understand where to draw the limit.


    Noticing Ensen stare at her in seemingly deep though, Julia shifted slightly uncomfortably before speaking ¡°Thanks for coming over Ensen, it means a lot.¡± She said while trying to mask her emotions.


    ¡®I guess people really do change.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself as he slowly lost more of his nervousness.


    ¡°Come on in Ensen!¡± Ada said in excitement. You couldn¡¯t blame her, after all, Ensen hadn¡¯t been in this house before.


    Ada grabbed his wrist and began to walk towards the open doorway. Noticing what was happening, Julia wore an awkward face as she moved out of the way.


    Shaking Ada¡¯s hand off, Ensen turned his gaze towards Julia once again, lost at what to say to her.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go finish dinner, it will be ready soon,¡± Julia said suddenly. She began walking off towards the kitchen without waiting for even a moment.


    Ensen spent the next little while in the living room with Ada, simply discussing events at school and whatever else she wanted to talk about.


    After learning from her that the parents seemed regretful about their pressure on the school to fire him, and some were even wanting to rehire him after seeing the horrible state the math class was in. Ensen laughed at the absurdity of the situation without any regret, it wasn¡¯t like he would go back there even if they gave him the entire school.


    After they had talked for a while longer, Julia entered the living room to tell them that dinner had been finished and it was ready at the dinner table.


    Getting out of his seat, Ensen slowly stretched as he began to walk towards the dining room with Ada by side.


    After entering the closed-off dining room, he noticed that there was an impressive amount of food laid out on the table. There were mashed potatoes, medium-sized steaks, and an assortment of vegetables.


    Looking at the food in suspicion after experiencing his sister''s cooking years ago, Ensen slowly sat down at a nearby chair and waited for Julia to arrive.


    Ada quickly sat down next to Ensen, seemingly acting like his shadow for some reason.


    After a few moments, Julia entered the room and promptly sat down at the opposite side of the table.


    Without saying a word, both of the women began to grab food and transfer them to their plates. Not wanting to be left behind, Ensen slowly grabbed a steak, potatoes, and a few vegetables.


    The dinner that followed had a very odd vibe. Ensen felt too uncomfortable to properly speak to his sister. He didn¡¯t know almost anything about her life after these years. On the other hand, Julia could not think of anything to say.


    While Ada didn¡¯t know exactly what was going on, she picked up on the awkward aura that surrounded the table and decided not to speak.


    ¡°I thought your husband was going to be here,¡± Ensen said, trying to think of anything to start a conversation with.


    After a few moments, Julia replied in an awkward tone ¡°James was going to eat with us, but there was an emergency at work so he couldn''t make it.¡±


    Without knowing where to lead the conversation, silence once again took over the dining room. The only sound being made was forks gently tapping plates.


    Silence reigned for a few more moments before Julia had seemingly made a decision.


    ¡°Ensen, are you working right now?¡± She asked curiously. Although Julia knew he had been fired recently, he was a good teacher so it wouldn¡¯t be too hard to find another job.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m unemployed right now,¡± Ensen stated after pondering for a moment, hiding the fact that he was in the process of setting up his own private academy as he decided earlier.


    Julia sighed in relief as she continued talking after a moment of hesitation ¡°Do you need a place to stay? There¡¯s a guest bedroom we don¡¯t use, you can have it if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Afterward, when Julia had finished speaking everybody in the room had different thoughts. Julia was praying that Ensen would accept to use this as a chance to repair their relationship. Ada was nearly bouncing out of her seat in excitement, whereas Ensen had completely different thoughts from the two of them.


    ¡®She really has changed.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself. While he didn¡¯t need to move in, it was a nice offer that she would have never spoken about if it was who Ensen knew previously. Although he wasn¡¯t going to take the offer, he could tell she was being sincere and was purely worried about him.


    Julia¡¯s eyes never left Ensen, waiting to hear his answer. When a gentle smile emerged on Ensen¡¯s face, she believed that he was going to accept. Trying to hold back her excitement, she put her elbow on the table and rested her head on her hand, covering her expression.


    However, when Ensen opened his mouth to speak it broke all of her assumptions.


    ¡°Thank you for the offer, but I actually have something in the works right now so I will be fine,¡± Ensen said. He decided to vaguely give an idea that he was working on something so that they wouldn¡¯t feel as worried.


    Looking into Julia¡¯s eyes, Ensen noticed there was something off.


    ¡®Wait, she¡¯s¡­ crying?¡¯ Ensen asked confused, not understanding what was going on.


    While Ensen thought that he was simply rejecting a kind offer from his sister, it meant much more to Julia then he thought. Julia believed that he had simply made up an excuse for why he didn¡¯t want to live here. Although it seemed far-fetched, Julia still genuinely believed that Ensen¡¯s hatred towards her had not faded throughout the years.


    Beginning to panic from her tears, Ensen opened his mouth to explain himself ¡°I have a lot of money in my savings and I¡¯ll have my own business pretty soon so It¡¯s unnecessary for me to stay here. Although I really do appreciate it.¡±


    Trying to calm herself down, Julia looked at Ensen and asked with sadness, and desperation to reconnect with him in her voice ¡°Then, can I talk to you more?¡±


    Although Ensen was still slightly uncomfortable with the idea, he could see how much effort Julia was putting in to try to make things work.


    After pausing for a moment, Ensen said with a smile ¡°Yes, we can talk more from now on.¡±


    Although Ensen didn¡¯t realize it, a heavy weight had been lifted from both of their shoulders.


    Tears began to pour out of Julia¡¯s eyes once again. But it was different this time, they were tears of happiness.

 Chapter 32: Inferiority

    After Ensen and Julia¡¯s talk, they both felt their relationship had taken the initial steps in healing.


    With the heavy topic out of the way, Ada felt the uncomfortable vibe slowly fading away and began to talk happily with both of them.


    While she focused more on Ensen because she didn¡¯t see him often anymore, she made sure to involve her mother into the conversation.


    After a few more minutes of talking Ensen had finished his food.


    The food was surprisingly good, especially considering he expected a quality way lower from his sister¡¯s cooking based on his prior experience.


    Dying to know how she had improved her cooking skill, Ensen stared at his sister with shining eyes and asked.


    ¡°Dinner is delicious. I¡¯m wondering how you became such a good cook.¡± Ensen said, trying to hide his intent, feeling competitive towards his sister. He swore in his heart that someday he would beat her in a cooking competition.


    ¡°Oh I just cooked a lot more often after James and I got married, so I guess it got better from that,¡± Julia said, not paying much attention to his answer.


    With the light in Ensen¡¯s eyes fading, he muttered to himself ¡°So I need to get married to get better at cooking?¡±


    Ada turned her head towards the barely audible Ensen speaking something.


    ¡°What was that Ensen?¡± She said curiously, intent on hearing what he had said.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry about it, nothing important,¡± Ensen said as he wore an awkward face. His plan had backfired severely. After all, he wasn¡¯t even close to getting married. Plus even if he could get married right now, he wouldn¡¯t have time to cook in the first place since he would still be too busy with managing the Academy.


    ¡®Looks like I¡¯ll need to find another way.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself in disappointment.


    Turning his attention elsewhere to save himself from embarrassment, he decided to grab some more potatoes as he waited for the others to finish their meal.


    After everybody had finished their meals, they decided to move over to the living room to continue their conversation.


    Sitting on the couch, Ensen asked Julia ¡°So what do you do for work now?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I write for a local newspaper, nothing impressive. I do have a food review blog which is kind of popular, so I get a little money from that too. It¡¯s mainly my husband James who earns most of the money.¡± Julia said bluntly. Unknown to her, however, once Ensen had heard she was an amateur food reviewer his eye began to subtly twitch in inferiority.


    ¡®That¡¯s it, I will beat her in cooking if it¡¯s the last thing I do!¡¯ Ensen proclaimed to himself in his mind. While he wasn¡¯t too bothered about other people being better skilled in cooking, he was always very competitive when it came to his sister.


    After a little more talking, Ensen glanced at his phone and noticed that it was nearly 8 pm. Thinking it was about time he should leave, he slowly stood up.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Looking towards Julia, he slowly said ¡°It¡¯s getting a little late, I should probably get home now.¡±


    Although Julia still wanted him to stay, she felt more comfortable knowing the fact they were going to be keeping in touch from now on.


    Getting up from the armchair, Julia followed Ensen as he walked towards the front door.


    ¡°Wait for just a second please,¡± Julia said before turning around and walking towards the dining room. A minute or so later she had returned with a container full of some of the leftovers from tonight¡¯s dinner.


    ¡°We can¡¯t eat it all by ourselves anyways.¡± She said with a gentle smile, pushing it into Ensen¡¯s hands as if forcing him to accept it.


    Not planning on resisting, either way, Ensen grabbed the container and held it with one hand.


    After a long hug from Julia, Ensen waved goodbye to Ada as he left the house and walked back to his car.


    After unlocking and entering the driver¡¯s seat, Ensen sat there in deep thought before turning the car on. It did not take nearly as long as it did to arrive at his sister¡¯s house, mainly because he actually knew how to get back to his apartment. The lack of traffic helped as well.


    After taking the elevator towards his floor, he looked in the direction of Kaitlin¡¯s door. Noticing that the place where he had previously left the cookies and the note were now empty, Ensen lightly smiled and hoped she liked them.


    Entering his apartment, Ensen first put the leftovers from dinner into his fridge before deciding to ask the system something that he had been curious about.


    ¡°Do you know what Julia¡¯s cooking rank is?¡± Ensen asked, researching how hard it would be to surpass his sister in the skill.


    [Julia Fuentes cooking skill: B+]


    ¡°Wait, it¡¯s so high? But she used to be horrible at it.¡± Ensen said with confusion and doubt towards the system.


    [Through a mixture of a positive working attitude, perseverance, and a moderate amount of talent in the field, she has managed to develop her cooking skills rapidly. Leaving you behind by miles.]


    ¡°That last part was unnecessary,¡± Ensen said, even though he agreed with the evaluation of the system. Realizing that he would have to elevate his cooking skill to an extraordinary level for him, he decided to put that to the side for the moment.


    Turning his attention to another issue that he needed to resolve, he needed furniture for the Academy building when it had been completed. While Ensen could do a¡­ mediocre job at selecting the furniture and laying it out himself, he really needed a professional to make it actually look good.


    As such, Ensen knew that he would need somebody to help make the selection for him. Knowing that the process would take rather long, he needed to find a way to get around both the delay it would take to find an agent and the general time the planning would take.


    Luckily he had an old friend from his time as a student at SilverLeaf Academy who had been working as an interior designer for the past few years. While they weren¡¯t too close anymore, Ensen had no problem in using his connections to get himself fast-tracked.


    He worked in a relatively small-sized firm in town as far as Ensen knew. He seemed to be pretty good at his job too which was always a good thing.


    Deciding he would call him tomorrow, he first needed to check if he still had his friend¡¯s number saved on his phone. Luckily he found it without too much trouble.


    Ensen spent the rest of the night reading an online version of Academy managing for beginners that he had managed to find. It had been widely recommended as a good introduction book that focused on the more crucial information every principal needed to know.


    After reading for a few hours Ensen decided to go to sleep, although he wouldn¡¯t call his old friend until quite later just in case he would be off work or something similar like that, he still didn¡¯t want to ruin his sleeping schedule.


    Crawling in bed, Ensen thought back towards the delicious dinner and the people he shared it with. Slowly dozing off, Ensen wore a satisfied smile on his face.


    Waking up the next morning, Ensen lazily spent the first hour of his day simply laying in bed while continuing to read the online book from the previous night. After an hour his stomach began to cry out for food.


    Agreeing with his body that he was hungry, Ensen got out of bed and headed towards the kitchen. After thinking for a bit, he decided to savor his sisters cooking and grabbed the container with the leftovers. Scooping out a little into a bowl he had grabbed, he quickly microwaved it before sitting down and eating.


    After he had finished eating, Ensen slowly washed his dishes and walked towards the couch, continuing to read the book.


    A while afterward, Ensen looked at the time. Realizing it was around 11 am at this point, he thought it would be a good time to give his friend a call. Slowly opening his contact list, Ensen found a contact named Haris Cleveland.


    Clicking on the contact, he was about to click the call icon when he heard a knock at the door. Putting down his phone, he put it in his pocket before slowly getting up from the couch and walking over.


    Looking out of the door with the peephole, he didn¡¯t manage to see anybody. Not sure what was going on, Ensen opened his door and looked around the hallway to try to find the culprit.


    Right as Ensen was about to give up and go back inside he looked down and noticed that the container he had previously taken to Kaitlin was sitting next to the door, similar to what he had done.


    In addition, there was also a note laid on top. It had two simple words that put a smile on his face.


    In large cursive characters, the word ¡®Thank you.¡¯ was spelled out elegantly.

 Chapter 33: Old friend

    Taking the container back inside, Ensen checked inside and was shocked that all of the cookies were gone, with only a few crumbs at the bottom.


    Assuming that Kaitlin had thrown the cookies out, Ensen was a little disappointed. He reasoned that she did like the gesture though, as evident from the note she left.


    Taking the items to the kitchen, Ensen rested the note on the counter as he slowly washed the container.


    Afterward, Ensen decided to leave the note there for now and call his friend. Grabbing the phone out of his pocket, he made his way back to the couch and rested on it before opening his contacts and giving Harris Cleveland a call.


    After it had rung for a few moments, there was a voice on the other end.


    ¡°Hello, who is this?¡± The voice on the other end said in curiosity. He never gave his personal phone number to his clients so only people he knew had it. Besides telemarketers of course, but the number calling him was local.


    ¡°Hey Harris, it¡¯s been a long time. It¡¯s Ensen calling.¡± Ensen said with a friendly tone of voice, trying to immediately get on Harris¡¯s good side.


    ¡°Oh, It¡¯s¡­ Ensen. Of course.¡± The other voice said trying to fake that he knew who was actually calling him.


    Realizing his bluff, Ensen felt slightly offended but still persisted on like a soldier.


    ¡°We went to SilverLeaf together, remember?¡± Ensen said, trying to get him to recognize him.


    Harris didn¡¯t respond for a few moments before seemingly having an epiphany on who Ensen actually was.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Sorry, it¡¯s been a long time since we last spoke so you slipped my mind a bit.¡± Harris said, feeling slightly guilty that he did not recognize his old friend.


    ¡°No worries Harris. Do you still work as an interior designer by the way?¡± Ensen asked calmly, getting straight to the point.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, the same place too. I¡¯ve been moving up in the company a bit, so it¡¯s been a nice experience.¡± Harris answered with a bright voice.


    ¡°I was actually wondering if you had room to take on another client. It¡¯s completely understandable if you can¡¯t.¡± Ensen said reasonably, not wanting to pressure him into doing if he couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Yeah, the business has been quite slow for me recently honestly. I mainly work with bigger clients but we haven¡¯t gotten too many this year, so I¡¯m just relaxing at home now trying to draw some in. Who would the client you be like to introduce to me?¡± Harris answered in a calm voice. It was quite obvious that he was working quite hard to get more business for the company.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s myself. I recently bought a school building, it¡¯s being renovated right now but I need somebody to help with the furniture and things like that. Would you be willing to take me as a client?¡± Ensen asked with a slight nervousness in his heart. Although he had twisted the truth a little bit by saying he bought the building, it was not too important.


    After a few moments of silence, Harris responded with excitement in his voice. ¡°Yeah, I can see what I can do. Come down to the office with the building plans and we can discuss what we¡¯ll do. I¡¯ll text you the address. Anytime after 2 pm is fine so take your time.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    After responding in understanding, the call soon ended. Unsure how he could get the building plans, Ensen called out to the system.


    ¡°I can get the building plans, right?¡± Ensen spoke, unwilling to spend any more education points on the matter.


    A blue box soon appeared before Ensen. The words were filled with stubbornness and a hint of revenge.


    ¡®It seems the system is still mad about me scamming him earlier, huh?¡¯ Ensen thought to himself as he turned to read the message.


    [8 education points.]


    ¡°Wait, why eight? That¡¯s all I have! I can¡¯t even learn the manual with that. You¡¯re a scam artist!¡± Ensen yelled at the system, unwilling to spend the remaining education points.


    [The system has judged that creating a floor plan will have an innate risk of spreading the design elsewhere. This could lead to consequences if not properly taken care of due to a possible leak of the design. While this would not be the host¡¯s fault, he is responsible since you created the item. As such it has a higher price tag.] The system wrote, obviously wanting to preserve his objects.


    As Ensen was about to respond, the system continued.


    [It is fine if mortals manage to copy the design by examining the building, as they will be unable to write it down because of my interference. Not mentioning the fact that it would be a disgrace if an object created by I, The Supreme Academy fell into the hands of a mortal.]


    Changing his train of thought, Ensen asked a question ¡°Aren¡¯t I a mortal as well, though?¡±


    [That is correct, but once a mortal is granted a system they gain a special privileged status that separates them from the rest of the mortals. This makes it okay for systems to grant objects because of the divide.] The system explained logically.


    Nodding in understanding, Ensen fell into deep thought about what he should do.


    While he could pay the premium to get a highly detailed and efficient floor plan, it was not really necessary in Ensen¡¯s eyes. He could simply tape the various sketches together that he had made of the building beforehand. While they were not 100% accurate due to the slight changes the system made to improve the design, they were very close to the layout.


    Ignoring the system''s messages, Ensen looked around for his sketches that he had made. Luckily the system had kindly returned them after he had finished his business in the Product market.


    Quickly finding the tape, Ensen laid the papers in front of him and began taping them together.


    After a few minutes, he had completed his work. Although it did not look great, it was completely free for him to do. While it definitely was not up to standards if compared to a normal floor plan, hopefully, his friend would be lenient with him in this manner.


    Looking at the time, he still had a little while before it was time to leave. As such, Ensen decided to continue to read. As he was walking towards the couch to get comfortable, a big blue box that took up nearly his entire vision appeared. The letters were large and had a red outline with drops of red running down the box as if the letters were bleeding.


    [You are a terrible person.] The system wrote, outraged at how they were cheated once again.


    Reading the blunt message, Ensen was actually slightly hurt from how straight forward it was. Trying to ignore it to not fan the flames under the system¡¯s fire, he tried to pay attention to his book.


    Luckily the system seemed to have given up, as such Ensen continued to read for a little while before it was time to go.


    After quickly changing clothes and putting on his jacket, he made his way towards his car and slowly drove towards Harris¡¯s office.


    After being delayed by unexpectedly heavy traffic for quite a bit, Ensen finally arrived in the parking lot. Beginning to feel slightly embarrassed at how messy his floor plan looked, he took a deep breath and walked into the building.


    Finding the receptionist at the front desk, Ensen was quickly guided to Harris¡¯s office where he was waiting.


    Although Harris had an odd expression when he had seen the rumpled floor plan, he did not say anything which was good enough for Ensen. After a long conversation that lasted for a few hours, they had formed a general plan for the furniture. All that was left was to pick the specific furniture that would be bought.


    Surprised at the fast progress of the plan, Ensen muttered ¡°He really is good at his job.¡±


    After their meeting had ended, Ensen shook Harris¡¯s hand and returned to his car and slowly drove back home.


    Pulling into the apartment parking lot Ensen quickly hurried towards the elevator and returned to his apartment. Once inside, Ensen was met with a message from Harris notifying him of their good progress today as well as a few options for the furniture.


    Deciding to look over them before he headed to bed, he slowly browsed his options before picking out what looked visually appealing to him. He picked out a rather simple looking school desk. For the desks that the teachers would use in class, he picked a nice oak desk that would fit in well with the atmosphere of the room and a few other objects.


    Satisfied with his choices, Ensen messaged Harris back notifying him of his decisions before crawling into bed. Although he would need to head back in tomorrow for a little more planning, most of the groundwork had already been done so it would not be too bad.


    ¡®I¡¯ll probably be done with this around the same time the construction finishes.¡¯ Ensen reasoned to himself in excitement.


    Unknown to Ensen, the system had been working on destroying the old building and constructing the new one overtime the past day to get the building created as fast as they could for him.

 Chapter 34: Unlocked

    Standing in the middle of a cemetery, a tall black-haired man in his mid 20''s with sky blue eyes was standing still, looking at a casket being slowly lowered into a grave.


    Looking at the tombstone that laid behind the hole, Ensen rubbed his eyes to steady his vision.


    ¡®Jenny Fuentes, loving wife, and mother of two. Passed away from a sudden heart attack.¡¯ The tombstone read.


    Unable to hold back his tears, Ensen thought back to just five months ago when his father met a similar fate.


    Turning his gaze to the right of the tombstone, Ensen noticed his sister and her husband standing there staring at the casket being lowered as well.


    With a cold gaze, Ensen thought about last night when his sister had come over to his apartment in mourning.


    Although they were both ridden with grief, they each had a separate way of coping with it. Ensen spent most of his time in silence grading papers to distract himself, whereas Julia took a more aggressive approach.


    She became angry, from their parent¡¯s death, from the cruelty of the world and from how powerless she felt.


    Julia saw that he was simply grading papers instead of mourning in the same fashion she was. Because of how overwhelmed and angry she was she overlooked how Ensen coped with his grief differently.


    Seeing this, she directed her anger towards her brother.


    Not holding back, she threw countless obscenities towards him.


    Knowing that she was simply trying to deal with her grief, Ensen tried to ignore it and kept grading papers.


    But this enraged Julia even more, who at this point was the most furious she had ever been.


    Julia declared with a loud scream ¡°I hope you die just like them!¡±


    Afterward, she stomped towards the door and exited, slamming it with as much force as she could muster.


    Looking at Julia from across the field once again, Ensen stiffened his face as he turned his back towards her, walking towards his car.


    Although he knew that she didn¡¯t mean what she said, it didn¡¯t make it hurt any less. From that moment forward, he decided that he would be alone from now on.


    Waking up abruptly in the middle of the night, Ensen sighed loudly as he thought to himself, ''Not that dream again¡¯.


    Closing his eyes once more, Ensen tried to empty his mind as he fell back asleep.


    Waking up rather early the next morning, Ensen forced himself out of his comfortable bed before quickly changing into fresh clothes and heading towards the kitchen.


    He just grabbed a simple yogurt from the fridge. Afterward, he quickly ate it before heading to his car.


    Getting into his car, he quickly drove towards Harris¡¯s office to finalize what they had previously discussed as well as some possible small changes in order to better fit the furniture he had picked out last night.


    After arriving at the parking lot, he noticed it was relatively vacant this early in the morning. Without much interest in the matter, he entered the building and met with the same receptionist from yesterday.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Following a brief greeting, he was led back to Harris¡¯s office by the receptionist.


    What followed was an incredibly boring few hours for Ensen made worse by the fact that he needed to act interested in the matter.


    Ensen felt like the design was excellent already, but Harris had been adjusting tiny details. While that was a good thing because it was making the design slightly more beneficial, it was not exciting in the slightest.


    But still, Ensen soldiered on, and eventually, they had finished with their discussions.


    ¡°Alright, that should be everything. Luckily a nearby warehouse has most of what you ordered already prepared to be shipped out, so it won¡¯t take too long to arrive. Just to iterate again because it¡¯s so important, you need to pay your balance within three days.¡± Harris stated, going over the more important details to remind Ensen.


    Ensen had not yet looked at the quote. An estimate was given to him last night, and a more accurate invoice was created earlier today.


    Nodding in understanding, Ensen tried to pacify his bleeding heart feeling his bank account drain even further. On the plus side, however, it seemed like this would be the last large expense before the opening of the academy which made him feel better at the very least.


    Although he still needed to pay off the remaining amount on the plot of land this year, he would hopefully be in a better financial position by that time although he couldn¡¯t be sure.


    After saying goodbye to Harris, Ensen exited the office and returned to his car. Returning home, Ensen was stuck in traffic. It had been nearly gridlocked for a few minutes due to an accident.


    Feeling frustrated, Ensen began zoning out, simply staring at the greenery outside of his window when a blue box suddenly appeared with an elegant font with bolded red text. But unlike last time, this next was not red because of anger. It was red in excitement.


    [Main building has been completed.]


    [Initial school startup has been completed.]


    [User setup options initialized.]


    [Main mission: Get 5 students]


    [As a principal in a newly established academy, the first major step is to gain a student body. The user is required to permit five students to enter the academy following both the system¡¯s and the host¡¯s personal standards. If standards are not met, they will not count towards the student population.]


    [Rewards]


    [100 Ep]


    [Increase in administration skills]


    Overwhelmed by the considerable amount of knowledge suddenly displayed, Ensen¡¯s mood quickly did a complete turn from annoyance to delight.


    Trying to calm his mind, he looked at the information one at a time.


    ¡®So it seems like the main building was finished, so that counted towards the school behind set up.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself, trying to keep his head level in order to process the information.


    ¡°User setup opinions? What is this?¡± Ensen said out loud, hoping for an explanation.


    [The host may customize some aspects of his academy such as name, emblem, and other various details.]


    With sparkling eyes, Ensen yelled, ¡°Then show me the options!¡±.


    He didn¡¯t even care that the people in the cars nearby all looked at him like he was a crazy person.


    After waiting for a few moments, the system responded [Due to the host currently operating a vehicle, he is unable to access the options at this point in time. Please wait until you are in your apartment.]


    ¡°Come on, just look around. The whole place is gridlocked, who even knows when I¡¯ll get home. Just let me check it, please?¡± Ensen said in a pitiful voice, trying to gain the systems empathy.


    Instead of empathy, the system wrote a simple sentence. [Don¡¯t use the system and drive. It is against the law.]


    ¡°What? How is it against the law?¡± Ensen spoke, obviously not buying the system¡¯s reasoning.


    [I am the law, and I said so.] The system wrote stubbornly.


    Knowing that he wouldn¡¯t win a debate since the system could just leave if they were annoyed, Ensen dejectedly gave up for the moment.


    ¡°Fine, you win. Then what do you mean by the standards of the students?¡± Ensen changed to the next topic, curious about what the system was referring to.


    [All students have values that show their skills and talents as well as attitude and some other minor things. From this, students are split into different grades accordingly. Students range from F- to SSS depending on their attributes. This doesn¡¯t mean that the top-ranked students are necessarily better at a specific subject than their lower-ranked counterparts. Most students that are ranked high have a specialized field that they are strong in and average or weak in most other subjects. There are only a few true geniuses out there.]


    Taking a moment to take everything in, Ensen nodded in both understanding and agreement. It was a practical system that took many factors into account to make sure it was as accurate as possible.


    ¡°So what is the system¡¯s standard then?¡± Ensen asked, wondering how outrageous the system¡¯s standards would be.


    [As of now the standards are D but they will change depending on the academy¡¯s ranking. The host may set his own standards as well.]


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ surprisingly reasonable. I¡¯m shocked.¡± Ensen said out loud, slightly teasing the system while also expressing his feelings. He really was shocked, he would assume the system would set higher minimum standards such as A.


    [It is unlikely that the host will find unknown talents and known talents would not want to learn at your academy.] The system wrote bluntly.


    Acknowledging the fact that the system was correct, Ensen took a closer look at the new mission in deep thought. Upon seeing the reward of 100 points on completion, he wore a satisfied smile. It seemed like the system really hadn¡¯t lied to him, the education points he earned would dramatically increase after he got his feet off the ground.


    Ensen¡¯s mind began thinking more about how he could complete the mission.


    While he had been focusing, it seemed like the traffic accident had been resolved as cars began moving slightly faster. Although it was still gridlocked, it slowly began to clear over time.

 Chapter 35: Customization

    After being stuck in traffic for nearly an hour, he finally managed to turn into his apartment parking lot. Excited to get home and check out the setup options, he nearly leaped out of the car.


    Walking towards the building with a little spring his a step, Ensen soon made it halfway across the parking lot when he heard somebody calling out in his direction.


    Quickly analyzing the parking lot, Ensen noticed that the old lady that he had seen on a few occasions was staring directly at him with dead eyes.


    ¡°Hey you, come help me!¡± Her old shaky voice called out rudely.


    Deciding to ignore the rude old lady, Ensen turned around after glancing around in confusion, acting like he didn¡¯t know what was going on.


    After a few seconds, another shout came from behind him. ¡°Hey, I need help!¡±


    Looking back, Ensen began wondering if she was in trouble with all of the efforts she had been going through to get his attention.


    Deciding that he should check on her before going back to his apartment, Ensen began to walk over.


    Noticing that he was walking over, the old lady frowned and wait for him to arrive.


    After around 30 seconds Ensen arrived in front of the lady.


    Looking at her, he didn¡¯t see anything urgent. She seemed completely fine.


    ¡°Why did you take so long? Didn¡¯t you hear me?¡± The lady said, obviously annoyed that Ensen had ignored her earlier.


    ¡°Oh, I thought you were talking to somebody else, sorry about that,¡± Ensen said convincingly.


    With a heavy sigh of irritation, the old lady continued to speak ¡°fine, help me take my groceries in.¡±


    ¡°Help you what?¡± Ensen said without a hint of respect, not believing that the lady had been yelling at him repeatedly for such a simple thing.


    ¡°You heard me.¡± The lady said with a heavy frown.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you carry your own groceries in?¡± Ensen said, his attitude slowly turning more and more hostile towards the old lady.


    ¡°I¡¯m old, now help me carry these in.¡± She said while opening her trunk and pointing towards a few bags laying in back.


    Feeling annoyed by the rudeness the lady had shown him, Ensen decided to carry the bags in to get away from her as fast as possible, then ignore her from thereon.


    Slightly smiling at his plan, Ensen began picking up the bags and walking with the lady towards the apartment.


    Although the lady had spoken to him quite a bit, her rude attitude did not dissipate even when he brought the groceries into her room.


    Without even a word of thanks, Ensen was pushed out of her apartment and back into the hallway.


    Walking back to the elevator to go to his floor, Ensen imagined himself yelling at her which made him feel slightly better.


    After a few minutes, Ensen arrived in front of the door of his apartment. Unlocking the door, Ensen quickly entered, fed up with people for the day.


    After taking off his shoes, Ensen stretched his arms and nearly sprinting towards the couch in excitement, Ensen shouted: ¡°Okay, show me the setup options now!¡±


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Responding to Ensen, the system displayed a large forum like box that had checkboxes, name fields, and other information on it that related to the academy.


    [School Name: ]


    [Emblem: ]


    [Age range: ]


    [Student body: ]


    [Specialties: ]


    Looking at the list of information in front of him, Ensen quickly analyzed the items before proceeding to enter information on what fields he was clear about.


    For the name, Ensen thought long and hard about it for the past few weeks. After all, he wanted it to signify something and be meaningful. He stood for nearly a minute before he finally confirmed his decision.


    After much contemplation and many scrapped ideas, he had finally arrived at the name ¡®Evergreen Academy.¡¯


    ¡°Set the name to Evergreen Academy please,¡± Ensen said clearly. He was proud of the chosen name.


    [Why did the host choose this name over more domineering names such as onslaught college?] The system wrote confusingly, obviously not paying enough attention to humans to understand how terrible of a name that would be.


    ¡°Evergreen means timeless, and my academy will be too,¡± Ensen spoke strongly, ignoring the horrible recommended name from the system.


    With no further questions, the school name field had been changed.


    [School Name: Evergreen Academy]


    Looking at the name with a satisfied smile, he turned his attention towards the emblem. Although Ensen had not paid much attention to this aspect since he had the name already chosen it would not be too hard to make a good design with the system¡¯s aid.


    After thinking for a few minutes and crossing multiple designs off the table, Ensen came to an emblem that he thought just might work.


    ¡°Could you make a stylized evergreen tree?¡± He asked the system.


    Following which a big blue box that seemed similar to a canvas appeared before him.


    In the center of the canvas was a small evergreen tree that did not take up too much space.


    Nodding in approval at the appearance of the tree, Ensen sank back into his thoughts discarding ideas left and right before he thought of a suitable addition.


    ¡°How about a sky blue background in the shape of a circle around the evergreen?¡± Ensen asked to see how it would look.


    After the system had changed it accordingly, he nodded in confirmation.


    Still feeling something off, Ensen put his finishing touch onto it. ¡°Add a golden border around the sky blue circle.¡±


    Stepping back and looking at it from a little distance, Ensen approved of the logo and moved on to the next step.


    ¡®Age range is pretty self-explanatory.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself as he told the system how he wanted it set.


    [Age range: 16-18]


    [The age may be adjusted later on, but the initial missions will target the age-range more so it would be optimal to keep the same range.]


    Nodding in understanding, Ensen looked at the following option in confusion.


    ¡°What exactly does it mean by the student body?¡± Ensen asked curiously.


    [This specifies the species that can be admitted to the academy. Does the user wish to see a full list?]


    While Ensen was still slightly befuddled by the information given to him, he was curious about what other races would show up.


    Hesitantly, Ensen said, ¡°Sure I guess?¡±


    Listening to Ensen¡¯s request, a new blue box popped up with a variety of different species along with a checkbox to the right of it signifying if they were allowed to attend.


    [Species]


    [Aaba]


    [Aanaro]


    [Abrhai]


    [Alti]


    [...]


    Looking at the list of species with a blank expression, Ensen asked the system a question.


    ¡°What even are these? I thought they would be like weird crocodile things.¡± Ensen said confused by the peculiar names.


    [That is incorrect, take the Aanaro for example. They are most similar to the bullet ant species in your world and live in small packs of 10 usually. They are most commonly about the size of an average car and weigh about the same. In addition, they also have razor-sharp noses which can be used to attack and defend themselves.]


    Looking at the blue box shocked, Ensen asked a question ¡°So they must be incredibly dangerous, right?¡±


    [Incorrect, they are mostly employed by the upper-class population in the world as farmers, gardeners, and similar roles, due to their razor-sharp nose being useful for quick harvesting and cutting of grass when properly positioned. They have been a well-respected species on their respective planets for many millenniums.]


    With an odd expression, Ensen turned his gaze away from the blue box after he had finished reading.


    Quickly changing the subject and trying to forget about what he just read, he asked in clarification ¡°So these are all the species right?¡±


    [How ignorant. The list contains the most populated one hundred thousand species in the universe. Naturally, there is a nearly unlimited count of species.]


    After hearing the system¡¯s answer Ensen began to scroll down the list to find humans. Arriving at the H, Ensen looked around.


    [Hummus]


    [Hulok]


    [...]


    ¡°Wait where are humans?¡± Ensen asked curiously.


    [You don¡¯t really think you¡¯re in the top one hundred thousand do you?] The system wrote in obvious contempt.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ of course not? Well, can you select humans for me then?¡± Ensen spoke, irritated that all of his hard work had gone to waste.


    [Very well. What other species would you like to select?]


    Looking at the message in confusion, Ensen retorted ¡°Only humans. Does it look like I can randomly choose different species? Look around, I don¡¯t want a weird bloodthirsty pig species coming here and killing everybody or something like that.¡± Ensen said seriously, worried about the drastic consequences it might have.


    [Unbelievable. That race isn¡¯t even in the top one hundred thousand either.] The system wrote annoyed with his host.


    ¡°Wait that actually exists? Well, either way, I¡¯ll just stick with humans for now.¡± Ensen said stubbornly.


    Looking at the information, Ensen was satisfied with himself so far.


    [School Name: Evergreen Academy]


    [Emblem: Evergreen tree with a circular background and a golden border]


    [Age range: 16-18]


    [Student body: Human (M, F, O)]


    [Specialties: ]


    Looking at the final category, Ensen was at a loss about what it entailed.

 Chapter 36: Selecting specialties

    last category ?¡±Ensen .


    specialties category  the  to  three  that will  the .not be  after your  are locked in.specialties range from student enhancement  to  and even .system  the  to carefully analyze all  before


    Somewhat in


    thing    scroll down  and attempt to  the  of  there were.Noticing that there were around 100,    was  for the long haul.


    top,    from the  of the .specialties were useful to him in the slightest, for , Aristocratic Reputation.


    Increases your  with the local Aristocrats,  them to  their  into the . While they most likely will hold off near the founding of your brings both  and


    Effects]


    also a  that   with nearly the  effects. Blatantly skipping over some which


    Deciding to  a  break,   a  shower to soothe his .


    Ensen  a deep breath as   his   returning.he.


    minutes of sorting   six individual items that stood out to him.


    mind for several , he  to narrow the  down to only three.


    allows the private academy to   from other .Due to a  between various , the otherworld faculty do not   of any .host will be  with various job applications filled out by either beings in other  or their .application is  to the selected student


    Effects]


    downsides, as he would be   and other faculty who would   to the  between .


    is the  between ?¡±Ensen asked in , although  didn¡¯t directly affect him  would still be nice to .


    [There  a  that the  of  have signed on to.deal  for interconnectivity for job opportunities and other similar things.systems will  a  deal that  both . For  The  answered formally.


    So ¡¯s   but for the . Ensen thought to himself while seeing how practical it would .


    Ensen then moved on to the next two .


    This will   the  a  of  which will  in a large student population that prioritizes .This will also enhance the  area to a greater height   its .This  benefits the ¡¯s concentration level as the surrounding area is both peaceful and void of noise


    Effects]


    +50%]


    Nature  student applications ]


    +50%]


    Ensen  this mainly for its  on the surrounding environment.be a  element throughout the  of his .After all, it was drastically different than  other schools in the  due to its remote location and the surrounding forests and .


    Moving onto his  choice,   this  the most impressive out of  of them.


    system will  to  the host missions.Normal private schools cater to either those with  or those with no decent public education system.specialty will completely ignore  in  of more talented individuals, even if they are .comes with  and , for example. The earning power of the  will be severely affected and the  of  will be dramatically


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Effects]


    right that would  the minimum  to B, ?¡±Ensen asked in .


    false.rise to C because of the  and minus increments.students at this grade would definitely be harder to ,  would  your  after some  due to all of your  being


    Nodding in ,  was really tempted with the Elite institution specialty.it would  limit the  of  that could be ,    was worth  in the long run.


    met with a blue box.


    you  these  the    to ?changed


    Yes]


    Slowly double-checking his ,   pressed on the yes button.


    appeared with the  fully filled out.


    School Name:Academy]


    Emblem:border]


    HumanF


    Institution]


    Nodding in ,   the blue box and  his  elsewhere.


    way to  the  of ?¡±Ensen asked, .


    That is ,   a newly unlocked function.You  5 free , then every    it after  will  one education point.


    Ensen felt that this  a  deal, he  didn¡¯t want to  the .


    So ¡¯ll    tomorrow, hopefully   some  .¡¯Ensen thought to himself.


    detailed statistics of my school similar to me?¡±


    correct.Displaying the


    School Name:Academy]


    Happiness:Null ]


    Diligence:Null ]


    Null ]


    Spirit: Null ]


    Species Demographic:Human:100%]


    Rules/Conduct:


    Looking various  of the  laid out before me, I  it in .seemed like the    to  each person''s satisfaction and other  directed towards the .


    Deciding  would   a   when  had  his  student,   the  for  and  his .


    Ensen Fuentes]


    Education Points:


    Academy Rank:Z- (even  a  yet!


    Age:


    F-]


    F-]


    F-]


    F-]


    D+]


    D-]


    Skill Market]


    Product Market]


    Looking the academy rank,   casually shrugged  off for  and  at his education points.Seeing eight points remaining,   from the school book.


    Finding the  that  the  that  the  in the ,    up and   on the .Opening the  and  the school book out,  had no idea what would  when  did   .he   a little bit.


    Making a quite bite to  and  of  to   was fully hydrated,  also tidied up a little bit around the .


    finishing these acts,   his  towards his  and  into it comfortably.


    Taking the  into his ,  stared at it for a few   the familiar message he saw  popped up.


    like Pianist]


    Yes (5Ep)]


    time,   yes.


    Immediately  could sense something odd was .sort of  was  in his  that was hard to .felt enlightening but also  a  of  in its wake.


    Ensen .move his  freely, instead it had been  in .


    tiny explosion erupted inside ¡¯s  that  him to immediately fall asleep.

 Chapter 37: Siblings

    Ensen remained knocked out, having odd lucid dreams for the remainder of the night. A few hours passed before his expression finally began to loosen, signifying the end of the event.


    Luckily he suffered no physical or mental harm. The impact of learning a skill usually would not be this big, but since Ensen had never even touched a piano before in his life, he had no skills that could be elevated. Instead, the piano skill needed to be created from scratch and be given a firm foundation before imparting all of the knowledge required for the C grade.


    Waking up later than usual, Ensen knew that he needed to go scouting for talent today. While the furniture would be arriving soon, he decided to wait for the furniture to be set up before checking out his building.


    While it was hard to hold in the temptation, it would be worth it.


    Unsure of where to scout for potential students, Ensen decided to head to the nearby park and see if there was anybody that stood out. While he only had limited uses for the talent checker, if somebody caught his eye he would have no problems using it.


    After quickly changing, he promptly decided to skip breakfast in order to get a little more time out.


    Heading to his car, Ensen spent the next few minutes on the road before he arrived at the park.


    Slowly exiting the vehicle, he scanned his surroundings. There were quite a few people of all ages around, although the majority of which were older couples out for an early walk.


    Following the nice gravel path, Ensen quickly noticed a girl sitting on a nearby park staring at a book that she held with both hands.


    Evaluating the dark-haired girl, he soon noticed that she wore a Littlewood academy armband.


    ¡®Damn it, this is going to be harder than I thought isn¡¯t it?¡¯ He thought to himself as he continued walking.


    Throughout the next hour, Ensen spent his time walking around the park and looking for potential students, but there was not much to find. Because of the rather early time, there were not many young people there. Coupled with the fact that most of the talented youth in the city was taken up by the surrounding academies and public schools.


    Knowing that he wouldn¡¯t have any luck here at least for the time being, Ensen knew he had to change his thinking.


    ¡®Maybe I should look out of the city.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself. Although the people living outside of town generally had less money, that wasn¡¯t much of an issue anymore. After all, he took the Elite Institution specialty which heavily hindered his ability to make an early profit out of the establishment of his school. After all, Evergreen Academy would not judge people based on their parent¡¯s wealth but rather their own talents and abilities.


    Deciding to head to the area near his academy, Ensen began walking back to his car. Surprisingly there were quite a few younger people coming around this time, but still, nobody caught his eye.


    After returning to his car, Ensen quickly drove across town, but he wasn¡¯t so lucky this time. Finally passing the heavy traffic, he arrived near his academy and drove around looking for a park or gathering area that people used.


    Looking around for quite a while, he finally came across a small, little park that was quite similar to the one he had been at just earlier. Except this one was situated on the outskirts of a nearby forest and had a beautiful pond in it.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    After parking his car, Ensen began looking for talent once again. Luckily, he found something this time.


    Sitting on opposite sides at a small little picnic table, a young boy and girl had textbooks laid out in front of them while they read. The young boy had light brown hair and was wearing a slightly dirty pair of pants and a t-shirt. In front of him laid a math textbook.


    The girl had dyed red hair that mixed with her brown hair, making it look natural. Unlike the boy, she wore a green sundress and was currently staring at a music textbook with an annoyed expression.


    Looking at both of them, Ensen thought to himself ¡®They look pretty similar, siblings maybe?¡¯


    Deciding to wait no longer, Ensen focused on the boy, causing the talent scanner to promptly scan him and display his information.


    [Name: Brian Brooks]


    [Affiliation: None (Homeschooled)]


    [Talent Rank: C]


    [Specialty: Soccer]


    [Innate skill: Is able to sleep with eyes open.]


    Although the talent was at the bare minimum requirements and the specialty was of no real use for Ensen for a while at the very least, he was still satisfied with finding his first potential student.


    ¡®Umm¡­ what is this about his innate skill?¡¯ Ensen asked in a confused voice.


    [Every human is designated a random skill when they are born. They can range from mundane things such as being able to brush their teeth more efficiently compared to others, to being able to master all weapons known to man. While the skills are not endless, they are nearly so.] The system explained nicely.


    Nodding in understanding, Ensen thought ¡®Wow, this Brian guy really is unlucky then.¡¯


    Realizing that he must have on too, Ensen asked in excitement, ¡°What¡¯s my innate skill? Do I have an amazing one?¡±


    [That is correct, the host¡¯s innate skill is titled ¡®solitary ally¡¯. This skill helps the user stay in isolation for extended periods of time without any adverse effects on your mental health. This innate skill has certainly helped you considerably, considering everything.]


    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Ensen harshly said in response to the systems jab.


    Hearing a loud shout nearby, the siblings both stared at Ensen, but noticing he was seemingly talking to himself they turned their gaze away, not wanting to get involved.


    Slightly hurt by both the system and the sibling¡¯s actions, Ensen proceeded to look at the information for the girl.


    [Name: Leah Brooks]


    [Affiliation: None (Homeschooled)]


    [Talent Rank: B+]


    [Specialty: Music generalist]


    [Innate skill: Song writing]


    Noticing the rather high-ranking talent Leah had, Ensen said a quick prayer for Brian before resuming to read the rest of the information.


    ¡®She would be perfect for my first student, well if I can get here to join my startup at least.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself. Luckily he had taken it upon himself to get some basic business cards printed a few days ago.


    They weren¡¯t fancy by any means, but they got the job done. With ¡®Evergreen Academy¡¯ written in the middle of the card and a small evergreen tree over the text, it was decent enough that it didn¡¯t look fake.


    Mentally psyching himself up, Ensen began to walk casually over towards the picnic table.


    Shortly after he arrived at the head of the picnic table and began to greet the siblings.


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m the principal of a local academy around this area, would you guys be interested in attending my academy this year?¡± Ensen said, trying to act professionally.


    Upon hearing his words, the two siblings turned their heads over and gazed at Ensen, seemingly analyzing him.


    After a few moments, Leah began to speak bluntly ¡°I¡¯m sorry but we do not have much money.¡±


    Ensen was not deterred by that fact in the slightest however, he did expect it after all.


    ¡°Oh no need to worry about tuition, everything is negotiable. I care more about raising talented individuals like you then making a profit.¡± Ensen said with a kind smile, trying to make a good impression.


    Looking at Ensen with a weird smile, Leah responded ¡°Why do you think we¡¯re talented?¡±


    Mentally noting down that Brian seemed to be more of the silent type, Ensen thought up a quick response ¡°I just have good intuition, and I truly do think you guys are talented.¡±


    Leah nodded slightly, approving at the response.


    For the first time, Brian spoke towards Ensen with a very soft, barely audible voice ¡°Why would we trust you?¡± he said, suspicious of Ensen¡¯s character.


    Already expecting the question, Ensen quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out two business cards and laid them on the table for each sibling to grab.


    ¡°While the private academy is newly founded, I am an established teacher in the city. Just look up my name if you¡¯d like.¡± Ensen said, trying to rid the idea of this being a scam as fast as possible.


    Without a word, Leah pulled her phone out and quickly searched up Ensen¡¯s name just as he suggested. After around a minute of staring at her phone, Leah slowly put her phone down and nodded towards Brian. Noticing the nod, Brain visibly eased up slightly.


    Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, Leah slowly said ¡°We will consider the offer and talk it over with our parents tonight then. May we keep these cards?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, feel free to call me if you have any questions about me as an individual or the academy.¡± Ensen finished his speech calmly and slightly sighed in relief.


    Leah nodded then looked slightly uncomfortable as she thought of something.


    After debating in her mind for a few moments, she decided to ask ¡°You¡¯re not crazy, are you?¡±

 Chapter 38: Rural library

    ¡°What?¡± Ensen said in confusion, not understanding why she would ask that.


    ¡°Well you were screaming at yourself a few minutes ago weren¡¯t you?¡± Leah said with a doubtful look on her face.


    ¡®Oh¡­ that¡¯s right she saw that.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself.


    Knowing he needed to make up an excuse, Ensen spent nearly no time thinking and just blurted out ¡°I was on the phone with an old friend.¡±


    Leah stared at Ensen for a few moments before slowly nodding in acknowledgment.


    After saying his goodbye, Leah and Brian returned to their textbooks whereas Ensen continued on the path deeper into the park.


    A few minutes later he had entered into the forested part of the park. Not thinking much of it, he continued on.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe she heard that. Well, at least my lie wasn¡¯t too far off the mark. I mean I wasn¡¯t talking to the system on the phone, and it¡¯s debatable if it¡¯s my friend.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself reasonably as he passed by an elderly couple.


    ¡®There really are a lot of elderly couples around here, huh? Well, I got two students today at the very least, so that¡¯s good. But I might as well try for the remaining three today too.¡¯ Ensen pondered.


    After walking for a few more minutes Ensen noticed a sizable number of cheers in the distance.


    Curious about what was going on, he continued on the path until he came across a large baseball field in the middle of a forest.


    ¡®Well, that¡¯s kind of weird.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself as he continued walking closer.


    He soon noticed that there was actually a game going on right now, and while there weren¡¯t a lot of spectators there it was still a sizable portion.


    Looking over towards the rather beat-up wooden bleachers that had begun to rot, Ensen heard numerous shouts coming from over there.


    ¡°You got this, hit a home run!¡±


    ¡°Do your best guys!¡±


    ¡°No don¡¯t slide, I need to wash your clothes later!¡±


    Deciding to see if he could spot any talents, Ensen slowly walked towards the bleachers and sat near the other spectators.


    Throughout the next few minutes as Ensen was watching he managed to get a decent understanding of the two teams. The first team was actually from Littlewood, and the other team was a regional team for young people living in the area outside the city.


    The game was nearly done at this point with only around 20 minutes left in the game. Staying there for the remaining time, Ensen realized just how good the Littlewood team really was.


    They were dominating the entire game, leaving no chance for victory for the other team. In fact, the game even ended earlier because of the mercy rule being used to save the regional team from further humiliation.


    Ensen truly understood what a monumental effort would be needed in the future if he wanted to expand his private academy into the sports area.


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    Although he had been playing close attention, there wasn¡¯t much talent he could see on the regional team. Even if there was, it was greatly overshadowed by Littlewood.


    Deciding to head back and go to a different location, Ensen thought that scouting a park might not be the best way to search for talent.


    ¡®Maybe I should try a library? I mean not many people use them anymore but it¡¯s worth a shot at the very least.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself.


    After a few minutes of walking, Ensen arrived back near where he had first met the siblings, although they were no longer there.


    Entering his car, Ensen grabbed his phone and searched for nearby libraries. After finding a small one not too far away, he proceeded to make his way there.


    As he was driving, he came to a realization ¡®Wait, a man in his mid-20s looking for teens at a park is kind of weird. Well, I don¡¯t have any bad intentions but still.¡¯


    Realizing how that could be interpreted, Ensen decided that he would search in more respectable settings in order to not come off as a pervert or something similar.


    After driving for around five minutes Ensen had finally arrived at the local library. From the outside, it seemed like more of a house than an actual library.


    ¡®It must have been converted to a library.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself as he slowly pulled into the parking lot.


    Noticing the low number of cars parked nearby, Ensen was unsure if he would even find any young people inside. But still, he was already there so he would as well go inside.


    Exiting the vehicle, Ensen slowly entered the building. Immediately after he had opened the door, Ensen¡¯s nose was assaulted by the heavy smell of an air freshener in the air.


    Not sure if he should continue, Ensen decided to breathe from his mouth for the moment as he walked farther in.


    Unlike what he expected, it seemed like a proper library, however small it was. To the right were 3 large shelves full of books, whereas to the left was mainly the seating area.


    Quickly looking for any potential recruits, Ensen only saw three people. An elderly couple and a man in his mid-30s reading at a nearby table.


    Disappointed, Ensen decided to find a book and read for a few minutes before leaving so he didn¡¯t give off the wrong impression to the locals inside.


    Not caring much about the book he picked, Ensen reached out his hand and grabbed the nearest book.


    Looking at the book title with a slightly odd expression, Ensen muttered to himself ¡°The all-slaying¡­ dog? Is that supposed to be the other way around?¡±


    Reading the passage on the back, he soon realized that it really was about a ruthless pit bull who cultivated to the pinnacle of a world. The pit bull ruled in tyranny, slaughtering any and all that insulted dogs while waging war against the feline nation.


    ¡®What even is this?¡¯ Ensen asked himself, although he was actually pretty interested in the novel.


    Deciding to read a little, Ensen began walking over to a table when he heard a lovely voice from behind.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re reading the all-slaying dog? That¡¯s my favorite!¡±


    Turning around, Ensen was greeted by a rather young girl with naturally black hair and green eyes wearing rather worn-down clothes. The designs that used to be on them had faded.


    Quickly analyzing, Ensen said, ¡°I haven¡¯t started it yet, but it seems interesting.¡±


    With shining eyes, the girl looked at Ensen and unknowingly raised her voice in excitement. ¡°You¡¯ll love it! It¡¯s the best book ever!¡±


    After finishing her speech, she immediately realized how loud she had been and her cheeks became flushed in embarrassment.


    Ensen looked around to look at the others in the library and noticed they were all staring straight at the girl with unimpressed eyes, holding a finger in front of their mouth to signal to her to be quiet.


    ¡®Well these people aren¡¯t too friendly, are they?¡¯ Ensen thought as he looked back at the girl.


    With an awkward expression, the girl muttered ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Immediately after that, she began to walk away towards a nearby bookshelf, seemingly looking for a book while hiding herself from the others.


    Quickly finding a seat, Ensen was about to open ¡®The all-slaying dog¡¯ before his curiosity got the best of him like usual.


    ¡®What an odd girl, she seems so passionate about reading. She must be good talent.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself while willing the talent scanner to read her information.


    A few moments later the talent scanner had returned her stats.


    [Name: Alina Bradley]


    [Affiliation: None (Homeschooled)]


    [Talent Rank: A]


    [Specialty: Literature]


    [Innate skill: Reading addict]


    Nodding in satisfaction from the find, Ensen asked the system with a low voice, so nobody else would hear ¡°What does reading addict do?¡±


    [Reading addict causes the person to be overly passionate about all these about reading, from making it a hobby to overriding their personality when certain conditions are met. For example, you picked up her favorite book and were going to read it, so her innate skill forced itself to the surface even though her personality is far from what you have seen.]


    Looking at the system''s answer, Ensen had mixed thoughts about the innate skill. He had mixed thoughts about it, while it could be useful it also could take control of the person which was scary.


    Beginning to feel okay at his own unimpressive innate skill, Ensen began thinking about how to properly approach her. Like the system said, her personality was not what he had seen, just the byproduct of the skill.


    After thinking for a few moments, Ensen¡¯s face wore a crafty smile as he looked down at the book.


    ¡®Why not use her innate skill to my advantage? While it did seem morally questionable, I have good intentions. In fact, it would even massively help improve her life. Plus, it¡¯s just a way to connect with her so I would have an easier time proposing she joined Evergreen Academy.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself reasonably.


    While he would by no means use the innate skills of individuals to harm them. He didn¡¯t seem any harm in doing this.


    Raising the book from the table, Ensen began to read ¡®The all-slaying dog¡¯.

 Chapter 39: Unexpected praise

    The all-slaying dog was¡­ a weird book to say the least. A pit bull abandoned at birth by his parents but luckily he was soon found by a pair of villagers heading to a nearby market to sell their food.


    After reading a couple of chapters, Ensen found himself actually loving the novel. It was weird for sure, but it was weird enough that it made it different from anything else he had read before.


    Looking over at Alina, he knew that he needed to introduce himself soon. She seemed to be leaving soon, so Ensen got up from his chair with the book in hand armed with the knowledge of the first few chapters.


    Slowly walking towards Alina, she soon noticed him and blushed slightly from her previous actions.


    Arriving near her table, Ensen soon thought of something.


    ¡®Wait I didn¡¯t think this through, what should I even talk about with the book?¡¯ Ensen thought to himself with an awkward expression.


    With Alina staring intently at him in confusion, Ensen knew he had to say something.


    ¡°So¡­ this book is really good. I¡¯ve only read the first few chapters, but they¡¯ve been amazing so far.¡± Ensen said, simply stating what he really thought about the book.


    Upon hearing Ensen speak Alina¡¯s body posture changed significantly, from her previous reserved stance to one full of excitement over what Ensen had said.


    ¡°I know right! A lot of people think it¡¯s too weird, so they don¡¯t give it a try, but the book is the best.¡± Alina said confidently.


    ¡°I admit I was slightly put off by the premise, but it also intrigued me,¡± Ensen responded.


    Knowing that his plan would work, Ensen began to talk about the first few chapters of the novel and give his thoughts about it while trying to find a good moment to pitch his private academy.


    ¡°I was shocked in the third chapter when the demon hound Jessie came to the village for their monthly tribute. Luckily nothing went wrong, though.¡±


    Ignoring the little snicker Alina gave off that must¡¯ve hinted to something later on in the story, Ensen continued.


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t think the good pupper god would bless him though, what a surprise.¡±


    After discussing the novel for around 10 minutes, Ensen finally found the opportunity to steer the conversation in a different direction.


    ¡°Where do you go to school Alina?¡± Ensen asked, feigning curiosity since he already found out the answer from the stats about her.


    With her eyes slightly widening in shock, the enthusiastic, extroverted Alina had disappeared and been replaced with her real personality.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m homeschooled,¡± Alina said in a noticeably more reserved and hesitant voice. She even held both of her hands together to try to hide her nervousness.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡®Well, she didn¡¯t run away at least. I¡¯ll take this as a win.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself as he continued.


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯d like to go to school?¡± Ensen asked, leading up to another question.


    ¡°Umm¡­ depends if people are nice I guess. Oh, and a library with lots of books is needed.¡± Alina said after pausing for a moment to think about it.


    ¡®Well¡­ I can set up an online book reading service for now until I get enough points to expand.¡¯ Ensen thought for a moment before considering his following actions.


    Slowly grabbing one of his business cards, Ensen placed it on the table near Alina so he wouldn¡¯t get in her personal space and began to speak.


    ¡°You see, I¡¯m actually the principal and founder of a nearby private academy that was just established quite recently. It¡¯s pretty close to here too so it would be convenient for you. We don¡¯t have a library at the moment, but I¡¯m sure I can find something similar that you would like.¡± Ensen said, trying to fully explain his academy while not boring her.


    Pausing for a few moments, Alina hesitantly raised her voice ¡°That sounds okay, but my family doesn¡¯t have any money, we¡¯re just farmers. Plus I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t deserve such a good education, I¡¯m not that smart.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, you seem like a very smart girl, and you don¡¯t need to worry about the tuition. We can work on a price that both of us are okay with, I¡¯m doing this to help the youth not to get rich.¡± Ensen stated, dying to have an A grade talent as one of his first students.


    Looking down towards her feet, Alina said with a sad voice ¡°We really don¡¯t have any money, the farm has not been doing well recently.¡±


    ¡®Why does it sound like I¡¯m extorting this girl? Is it just me?¡¯ Ensen thought to himself as he had begun to feel embarrassed about his persistence.


    ¡°The payment is not a big deal. I could reduce it to a low price and you can pay it whenever with no interest,¡± Ensen said.


    ¡®Damn, I would ask if she would work at the school as a teacher after she graduated but the specialty I picked doesn¡¯t allow me to.¡¯ Ensen pondered, although it was disappointing he did not regret his choices.


    With a look of uncertainty, Alina said ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll talk to my parents about it tonight.¡±


    Nodding in satisfaction, Ensen talked about the novel for a few more minutes before Alina had to leave.


    ¡®That took way more effort than I thought. Luckily I found that book though, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she bolted out of the building if I talked to her without it.¡¯ Ensen thought as he waited a few minutes before returning to his car.


    Feeling slightly tired from the recruiting, he took a brief pit stop at a local restaurant and ordered some food to eat.


    Thinking about where to go next, Ensen was not really certain. It wasn¡¯t that he lacked locations to go, it was just that he had to consider his reputation. After all, reputation was an institute¡¯s lifeline.


    ¡®Well I already found three potential students so far, so it doesn¡¯t seem that hard.¡¯ Ensen thought as his mouth watered looking at the food laid out on his table.


    Ensen spent the rest of the day driving around to various locations, but he didn¡¯t manage to find any talents that met his standards. He did use the talent scanner once on a rather young man who was practicing a poem at a nearby lake, but it turned out he was already affiliated with an academy.


    Ensen knew his limits. He couldn¡¯t casually poach talents from other academies in the area. Even if he could, it would draw the ire from the academic circle in the area which would severely harm both his reputation and the growth of the academy for the future.


    As such, Ensen retired to his apartment after searching for several hours, intent on searching more tomorrow. At this point, he was exhausted but also excited for the future.


    Arriving at the door to his apartment, he noticed a small note with a five-dollar bill attached was taped to the front of the door.


    The note had four simple words written on it. ¡®More cookies, please. - Kaitlin.¡¯


    Looking at the note taped on the door taken aback by the request, Ensen smiled happily as he gently pulled it from the door and entered into his apartment.


    Energized by the fact that he had received his first-ever compliment for his baking abilities, Ensen decided to make the cookies for her now.


    After going back into his search history on his phone, he found the recipe and began to make it once again, making sure to follow all of the steps. After a while, a batch of fresh cookies laid on a cookie sheet.


    Letting them cool off slightly, Ensen then put them in another container and grabbed the five-dollar note before heading out to the hallway. Walking over to Kaitlin¡¯s door, Ensen sat the container full of cookies down and placed the five-dollar note on top.


    It didn¡¯t cost too much to make the cookies and it was a nice way to get closer to Kaitlin.


    ¡®Wait, am I her cookie dealer from now on?¡¯ Ensen thought to himself as he went back inside his apartment.


    Moments later, Kaitlin¡¯s door opened quickly and within moments the container had been dragged inside and the door closed once again.


    Deciding to have a shower, Ensen quickly undressed and threw his clothes in the hamper before putting his phone on shuffle and having a nice steamy shower.


    ¡®I really did make a lot of progress today, let¡¯s hope I can find the last two students tomorrow. Well, I say that, but I really don¡¯t know if the three I spoke to today will want to join my academy. I think the siblings will, but Alina I¡¯m really not sure about.¡¯ Ensen considered as he was relaxing in the shower.


    After briefly taking the time to search online for a digital copy of The all-slaying dog, Ensen quickly bought it in excitement and went to his bedroom for the night, reading a few chapters before falling asleep.

 Chapter 40: First faculty

    After having a peaceful sleep, Ensen woke up to a blue box floating in front of him.


    Slowly rubbing his eyes so he could see better, he read the message.


    [A few Faculty applications have been delivered to me.]


    Looking at the message in confusion for a few moments from his brain still mostly asleep, he finally understood what the system meant.


    Forcing himself out of bed, Ensen knew that he needed to wake up. As such, he decided to have breakfast first to make sure he could think straight.


    Slowly changing clothes, he soon made it to the kitchen.


    Wanting to quickly wake himself up, Ensen found some instant coffee stashed in the back of one of his cupboards.


    Ensen didn¡¯t particularly like instant coffee, it was more of an emergency method to use whenever he needed to go somewhere quick.


    Slowly brewing the coffee, he also quickly made himself some toast and spread a layer of peanut butter on top.


    Afterward, Ensen walked towards the little dining table and began to eat slowly.


    Taking a sip of his coffee, Ensen did his best to hold back the disgust on his face. He bought it a few years ago, and while it was still fine to drink it had an odd taste to it.


    Unable to hold back his disgust any further, Ensen wore a scowl as he continued to finish both his coffee and toast.


    Walking towards the couch, Ensen felt himself wide awake after the trauma with the coffee.


    ¡®Luckily I didn¡¯t die from that.¡¯ He thought to himself, obviously overreacting.


    Sitting on the couch, Ensen readied himself as he said out loud ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready. Let¡¯s see the applications.¡±


    A few moments later a big blue box appeared with a large scroll bar on the right.


    Laid out directly on the page on the right-hand side in front of him was a picture rather old man, most likely in his 50s or 60s with bright purple hair.


    With an odd expression, Ensen asked ¡°Why does he have bright purple hair? Did he dye it?¡±


    [That is incorrect, it is completely natural.]


    ¡°Huh? How is that natural? Are you tricking me?¡± Ensen asked with a suspicious tone.


    [How dare you accuse the Supreme Academy System!]


    Immediately after, all of the blue boxes disappeared.


    Looking around in confusement, Ensen thought to himself ¡®Is it having another tantrum? It really does act like a child sometimes.¡¯


    Knowing that he needed to keep things as short as he could, Ensen simply decided to apologize.


    ¡°Hey¡­ I¡¯m sorry Supreme Academy System. You¡¯re the best system of them all!¡± Ensen said loudly while looking around the room randomly.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    A few moments passed before a blue box slowly faded into existence.


    [Do you mean it?]


    ¡®What is going on? I swear this system has multiple personalities.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself.


    ¡°Of course I mean it. You¡¯re a supreme system! The mightiest system ever!¡± Ensen said in praise.


    [But most systems hate me because I don¡¯t raise powerful hosts.] The system wrote timidly.


    ¡®Oh, well, that does make sense. I mean compared to the Supreme Empress System and similar ones. It does definitely seem lacking at first glance. But in reality, I think that it definitely deserves to be up there.¡¯ Ensen thought.


    ¡°You help raise many powerful people with your host. It¡¯s only natural you¡¯d be super powerful. How do the rankings work anyways?¡± Ensen praised to try to get the system to explain a bit more about its people.


    [Rankings are based on how large of an impact the systems have on the universe. But¡­ nevermind, let¡¯s continue with the applications.] The system wrote, not wanting to continue the conversation.


    ¡®Wow, looks like it has a weird sort of imposter syndrome maybe? Well, it¡¯s not something I can fix in one day, so it¡¯s right. I should continue with the applications.¡¯ Ensen thought, slightly more interesting about how the system¡¯s society actually functioned.


    Slowly the blue box for the application faded back into existence.


    Turning his attention to it, Ensen read the application carefully in its entirety.


    [Name: Gerhardt Gwyn]


    [System: The Poem Writing System]


    [Qualifications: Renown poem writer]


    [About me: I am 23 years old and was given my system at the age of 17. I was born to a commoner family and¡­]


    [Why apply: I was offered a large number of points by my system for teaching students.]


    [Other information: If accepted I will be commuting from my home universe daily so no accommodations will be required.]


    ¡°Damn that¡¯s a cool name,¡± Ensen muttered under his breath.


    ¡®So the poem system seems like he could be useful for English. Wait does he know English?¡± Ensen pondered before asking the system.


    [The faculty members will be granted a temporary understanding of the English language while they are at the academy. However, after they either resign or leave the academy, this information will be taken back.]


    Not really understanding the reasoning behind taking the knowledge back, Ensen nodded and reread the about me section. Everything seemed fine when he realized something.


    ¡°Wait how he is 23? He looks 100!¡± Ensen yelled, looking at the picture on the right side of the screen once again.


    [How rude. Don¡¯t assume all humans are the same. Just because you are both classified under the same race doesn¡¯t mean that you are one and the same. They are many minor differences between both of you biologically. Take your hair for example, while pink hair does not naturally appear on humans on planet earth it is not the same for other humans.] The system retorted.


    ¡®Oh that makes sense, it¡¯s more of a sort of classification for similar species then. Such as monkeys refer to a group of species because there are many different species of monkeys.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself, quickly understanding what the system had explained.


    After having his mind blown that the applicant wanted to commute from his universe to the academy daily, Ensen moved on to the next applicant.


    Scrolling through all of the possible applicants, Ensen counted around 10 in total.


    ¡°How many faculty members can I have right now?¡± Ensen asked the system, as it would heavily influence his decisions.


    [You may have a total of two faculty members at this time. However, since you are counted as a faculty member, you may only hire one person from this pool of applicants.]


    Somewhat expecting the heavy limit on faculty, Ensen simply nodded in understanding. There were quite a bit of applicants that stood out to him that he would love to hire, though.


    ¡°Can I hire these people whenever?¡± Ensen asked.


    [Applications remain for a week before they are rejected. Afterward, the host can choose whether they would like to reapply or not.]


    Slightly disappointed that he may lose most of the applicants, Ensen wasted no time on considering who he should pick. He could teach both piano and math so anybody who applied with those as their main aspects was quickly ruled out.


    After a few minutes, Ensen had finally narrowed it down to two individuals. Either the first applicant, Gerhardt Gwyn, or the seventh applicant.


    [Name: Lilyana Foxe]


    [System: The Agility System]


    [Qualifications: Top-level sports athlete]


    [About me: Hey! I¡¯m 19 years old, and I¡¯m applying because of...]


    [Why apply: There was nobody that could beat me, so I got bored and now I¡¯m here.]


    It was quite the choice he had to make. A renowned poet or the top athlete in a world.


    Both had their obvious advantages as well as their disadvantages.


    After thinking a little more, Ensen finally decided on Gerhardt Gwyn. There were numerous reasons for this. Foremost, he would take care of his own accommodations. While it was uncertain of Lilyana would do the same, he didn¡¯t have enough money to take the risk. There was also the fact that Sport talents are extremely rare within the area, this is mainly because of the sheer number of scouts Littlewood has around to scoop up any talent.


    Plus due to the elite institution perk, they must be great talents who would be hard to find.


    While she would definitely be more useful in the future, a great English teacher would be a must for now.


    Silently praying that she would keep reapplying, Ensen confirmed his choice of choosing Gerhardt Gwyn.


    [Gerhardt Gwyn has been selected as the next faculty member and has been promptly notified.]


    Satisfied with his choice, Ensen knew that he had to head back out scouting for the day to try to fill up the remaining spaces.


    ¡®Who knows, maybe one of the potential students will call me later on.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself while thinking about where to head today.


    He had already visited most of the popular places yesterday, and while he could go to the same places today it would be rather inefficient as it would still have the same general people around there.


    ¡®Well, I¡¯ll figure it out.¡¯ Ensen thought as he walked towards the door.

 Chapter 41: Orphanage

    After heading towards his car Ensen began aimlessly driving around town looking for potential spots to scout.


    While he didn¡¯t completely ignore the areas, he visited the previous day. He saw mostly the same people just as he thought.


    Stuck in traffic, Ensen thought to himself ¡®Where should I go? The vast majority of teens are already enrolled in a school. The logical answer would be finding more people that cannot afford or are unable to attend school for some reason. But that comes with its own set of problems. But not like I have many choices.¡¯


    Deciding to head back to the rural area around his academy to see if he could find some talents, Ensen arrived there after heavy traffic and slowly came to a stop.


    ¡®Should I try an orphanage? Maybe there are some undiscovered talents there.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself while he pulled out his phone from his pocket.


    Looking for the closest orphanage, he soon found one quite close to the library from yesterday. Deciding to head over, Ensen put his phone down and began making his way over.


    After a few more minutes of nearly traffic-free driving because of the obscure location, he arrived in front of a rather rundown looking building. It was relatively large with rot visible just from the road alone. There were lots of moss growing from the building.


    ¡®This is it?¡¯ Ensen thought, thinking that the location was wrong. It looked more like a set from a horror movie than an actual building that would be used.


    Trying to hold in his judgment, for the time being, Ensen pulled over on the side of the road and began walking towards the front entrance. The lawn had small patches of grass, but most of it was either an odd sort of dirt or gravel.


    As it was getting harder and harder to hold back his opinions on the state of the house, Ensen arrived at the front door. Raising his hand, Ensen knocked on the door firmly.


    A few moments later a pair of footsteps resounded through the door. Hearing them slowly come closer, Ensen took a few steps back and waited.


    A few seconds had passed before the door was unlocked and began to open. A creaking sound that no good door should make echoed throughout the surroundings.


    Standing in front of Ensen was a middle-aged woman around 50 years old. With a cautious gaze, she looked at Ensen for a few moments before saying with a raspy voice ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    Slightly uncomfortable from her gaze, Ensen asked in confusion ¡°Excuse me, but is this the Apple Blossom Orphanage?¡±


    The middle-aged woman¡¯s gaze visibly softened slightly after hearing Ensen¡¯s question. ¡°That is right, how can I help you?¡±


    Not completely certain how to pitch his idea to the lady without sounding like a creep, Ensen slowly began to speak after a few moments ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Ensen Fuentes. I¡¯m the principal from a nearby private academy that¡¯s just opening. I was looking around for talents in the area, so I came here. Do you mind if I look around a bit?¡±


    Hoping that didn¡¯t sound too creepy, Ensen internally cringed at himself as he waited for the lady to answer.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    A few moments passed before she finally answered ¡°We really don¡¯t have enough money to afford any sort of education, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Already thinking this conversation would happen, Ensen had already come prepared. ¡°Oh I am thinking about giving out some scholarships if I find the right talent, so money wouldn¡¯t matter.¡±


    Thinking deeply for a few moments, she responded hesitantly ¡°Okay, but I¡¯ll be beside you the entire time your inside.¡±


    Nodding his head in understanding, the lady turned around and began to walk around. Taking this as a sign to follow her, Ensen slightly hurried his steps before he arrived behind her.


    Looking around at the rotting wood and drooping ceiling, Ensen thought ¡®I¡¯m surprised this place isn¡¯t condemned.¡¯


    Deciding to say something, Ensen began to speak but didn¡¯t know how to go about saying it. ¡°Uh¡­ so do you like the building?¡±


    Pausing for a moment before looking back at Ensen, the lady said ¡°I know what you¡¯re getting at, it¡¯s quite a disaster of a building but it¡¯s all that we can afford. Well, barely afford that is. We would try to repair it a bit at the very least if we had more money.¡±


    With a confused look, Ensen asked ¡°Don¡¯t you guys get assistance from the city?¡±


    With a small sigh, she responded ¡°No, we don¡¯t qualify because we haven¡¯t had enough adoptions in the past few years. Anyways, here we are.¡±


    In front of them was a dilapidated door. Slowly opening it, Ensen scanned the area and saw a few tables spaced out evenly with chairs. There were quite a bit of people in sitting in the seats. While most of them seemed too young for his school, there were a few that could apply if their skills were sufficient.


    ¡°Why are they all gathered here?¡± Ensen asked curiously.


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s lunchtime now, so they are all about to eat. Would you like to eat with us?¡± She said kindly, beginning to warm up to him.


    Not wanting to have them waste food that was for the kids on him, Ensen replied ¡°No thanks, I ate just before I got here.¡±


    With a slight nod, the woman asked him to stay there for a few minutes while she walked around to make sure everything was set up for lunch.


    After confirming everything was ready, she told all of the kids who in response stormed the serving area.


    After a minute the first kid returned to his seat. Looking at what they were going to eat, Ensen noticed something similar to porridge in the rather beat-up bowl.


    Wishing he could do more to help, Ensen waited for a few moments before the woman returned.


    ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to the older kids that could go to your academy after they are finished eating and you can decide who you want to take.¡± She said.


    Nodding in understanding, Ensen felt like leaning on the wall behind him but knowing the state of the building he didn¡¯t want to test its stability.


    Although the building and orphanage, in general, were in disrepair due to lack of funds, it did not seem to affect the children too much. The children were talking, playing and some were even running around, although they got in trouble for doing so.


    Waiting for about 30 minutes, Ensen noticed that an increasing number of eyes were beginning to look towards him. This was mainly the younger kids because of their innate curiosity, but this was not exclusive.


    Soon after the kids that had finished eating were ushered into another room, whereas the people eligible to be chosen by Ensen were told to stay and wait until everybody had finished.


    After everybody had been sorted accordingly, the woman began to speak loudly to them ¡°This is the principal of a newly founded private academy in the area. He is currently scouting for talents with the potential for a scholarship. Is there anybody here that would be interested in such an offer?¡±


    Immediately around half of the people''s hands shot up with a few more being raised after a few moments. Satisfied with all of the potential he saw in front of his eyes, Ensen smiled kindly.


    Looking over towards Ensen, the woman asked ¡°How should we do this?¡±


    ¡°How about they form a line and I¡¯ll talk to them one by one,¡± Ensen said after considering for a moment.


    ¡°Is that alright? It would take quite a while to speak to all of them.¡± The woman responded.


    After a slight nod in confirmation, the woman began organizing everybody into a single line while trying to quell any bad behavior in front of Ensen.


    A few minutes after the teens had been successfully organized Ensen had begun his interview. He asked rather basic questions that covered a few topics. Ensen knew that he didn¡¯t have many uses left on the talent scanner, so he was mostly using his intuition when it came to selecting possible candidates.


    After several hours, Ensen had finally finished all of his interviews and had a small list of names that he thought could possibly meet his talent standards. Nobody seemed particularly talented at sports, which was fine with him.


    While there were no limits towards how many students, he could have for the moment, at least no limits that he knew of, it would still be increasingly hard to properly teach the students if there were too many.


    The problem with selecting all of the students on his list was he simply did not have enough points and uses left with the talent scanner to scan them all. While they were most likely all fine if there was even one below his standards he would be punished.


    While Ensen did not know the severity of the punishment, he did not want to find out. As such, Ensen began to shorten the list.

 Chapter 42: Picking the students

    After thinking for a while, Ensen narrowed it down to what he thought were the top three people with the most potential. Two of them were boys who seemed well-spoken and mature for their age whereas the other was an incredibly shy girl who seemed like a loner. She sat away from all the other kids during their lunch and read a book when she finished eating.


    Looking down at the list in front of me, I spoke to the lady who seemed to run the orphanage ¡°Could you please get me, Anabella, Warren, and Stephen please?¡±


    With a slight nod, she began to walk off to gather the three kids.


    While a few of the kids did have last names, the majority did not so the staff preferred last names not to be used unless necessary to make everybody feel included.


    After waiting a few minutes of waiting, Ensen began to grow bored when the three students arrived.


    Remembering their looks from when he had met them previously, the blonde boy on the left who wore a dirty white t-shirt was Warren and the boy in the middle with black hair and a baggy black sweater was Stephen.


    On the right was a girl with large glasses and light natural red hair. This was Anabella and similar to Stephen she wore a baggy black sweater. While she could probably different clothes to wear, Ensen assumed she wore it because of how comfy it was.


    Slowly lining up in front of them, they all were visibly confused about why they were called here in the first place.


    Deciding to take the time they are confused to check their talents, Ensen began with Anabella.


    [Name: Anabella]


    [Affiliation: None (Homeschooled)]


    [Talent Rank: A]


    [Specialty: Studying]


    [Innate skill: The way of silence]


    ¡®That¡¯s an¡­ interesting innate skill name.¡¯ Ensen thought as the system showed details on the skill.


    [The way of silence causes the skill user to be silent, only speaking whenever it is necessary. Because of this, they are commonly seen as a recluse from society as well as a cold person who does involve herself with or care for others.]


    After reading the description given by the system, Ensen thought it made sense.


    ¡®Is the studying specialty rare?¡¯ Ensen asked in confusion. He certainly did not expect there to be a studying specialty.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    [That is correct, the studying specialty is incredibly rare. In fact, the majority of people who helped advance society to where it is today had it. For example, the inventors of the wheel, printing press, and vaccinations all had it. It provides many benefits with the largest one being it raises their talent rank by an entire grade.]


    ¡®Wow, it really is an amazing specialty then.¡¯ Ensen thought as he turned his gaze over to Warren.


    [Name: Warren]


    [Affiliation: None (Homeschooled)]


    [Talent Rank: C]


    [Specialty: Classical dancing]


    [Innate skill: natural fighter]


    ¡®What a weird combination, well luckily his talent reaches the minimum so I¡¯m happy.¡¯ Ensen thought in relief.


    Taking a moment to pray that Warren wouldn¡¯t be a trouble maker, Ensen turned his gaze to the final person he had picked, Stephen. As he was about to use the talent scanner on Stephen he realized that they had been standing there for nearly a minute while he was simply just looking at them.


    Feeling awkward about what he had done, Ensen quick greeted them ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry, I was just in deep thought. Feel free to sit down while we continue.¡±


    Pausing for a moment, they looked around in confusion before taking a seat at a nearby table.


    ¡°Okay, do you guys know why I brought you back here?¡± Ensen asked, curious about what they were thinking.


    After a few moments Warren responded bluntly ¡°No we don¡¯t¡±.


    Not sure how to feel about how Warren was acting, Ensen began speaking randomly, trying to buy enough time for him to check Stephen¡¯s talent rank. ¡°That¡¯s a good question Warren, and the answer goes back to¡­


    After focusing on Stephen for a second a blue box popped up.


    [Using talent scanner costs one education point. Do you wish to use it?]


    Feeling his heart falling apart from his rapidly depleting funds, Ensen confirmed and Stephens¡¯s talent values showed up.


    [Name: Stephen]


    [Affiliation: None (Homeschooled)]


    [Talent Rank: B]


    [Specialty: Leadership]


    [Innate skill: natural leader]


    ¡®Wait, he has two leadership skills? Well, no time for thinking.¡¯ Ensen quickly stopped himself as he turned his attention back onto his speech.


    ¡°And that¡¯s why this city was founded in the first place¡­ Okay, that¡¯s enough.¡± Ensen said.


    ¡®What was I even talking about? Well, it worked, they seemed to ignore completely ignore it anyway, besides Anabella. Why is she staring at me?¡¯ Ensen thought as he collected his thoughts.


    ¡°Anyways, the reason why I¡¯ve brought you all here is I want to offer each of you a scholarship for my school as I said earlier. Does anybody have any questions?¡± Ensen said kindly.


    ¡°So it doesn¡¯t cost money?¡± Stephen said in a suspicious and unbelieving tone.


    ¡°It¡¯ll still cost money to get there and eat,¡± Anabella said, so softly that Ensen had barely managed to hear her.


    ¡°I will help you out with all of your expenses so don¡¯t worry. We can figure out the transportation issue too. Any other questions?¡± Ensen responded.


    Pausing for a few moments, Ensen continued ¡°Okay great, then does everybody agree to become students at my academy then?¡±


    Seeing everybody nod, Ensen smiled gently and said ¡°Good to hear. I will inform you guys when school is going to be starting then. In the meantime just try to read some books you¡¯re interested in to enhance your knowledge.¡±


    After a few more minutes of discussion, Ensen informed them that he would be leaving and returned to his car.


    Opening the door to his car Ensen thought ¡®I hope they have decent knowledge about the subjects I¡¯ll be teaching. I know wanting to know advanced English is unreasonable, but it will set things back quite a bit if they need to learn a few year¡¯s worths of classes.¡¯


    Slowly driving making his way back to his apartment for the day, Ensen smiled in satisfaction and tough ¡°Show me my status.¡±


    [Don¡¯t use the system and drive. It is against the law.]


    Mentally face-palming, Ensen yelled, ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Arriving back home, Ensen proceeded to take a long shower.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised those kids haven¡¯t contacted me yet. I¡¯m giving them free education, and good education at that. But I guess it would sound suspicious if somebody randomly came up to you and said that even if they could find me just by searching me up. Well, there¡¯s still some time left in the day so I hope they call soon.¡± Ensen thought out loud.


    After a while, he proceeded to get out of the shower and change clothes before heading towards the couch.

 Chapter 43: Convincing

    Standing in


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    list due to its recent creation, Evergreen Academy was there.


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    retorted.


    moment, her  responded ¡°Leah,  a private academy   a .need  money to stay open, so I¡¯m  there will  be costs.founder does care about raising talents more than ,  is simply unreasonable to .sorry.


    room, Leah realized that her parents wouldn¡¯t  their  in the slightest no  what they .father did  a  point after all.


    talk to him then?¡±said in a  tone, .


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    It¡¯ wrong, we  can¡¯t  .change either . Her  said .


    dad.¡±somewhat desperately.education  wasn¡¯t terrible, she would much prefer  a private academy.


    No Leah, there¡¯  .¡±father  in a slightly more strict tone.


    Looking her , Leah  Brian with ,   would  the .Luckily  , and a few seconds later   on  as well.


    began  at their  with gentle , her ¡¯s strict attitude   and his resolute expression  wavering.


    he finally cracked.


    kids are too cute.¡±father  under his .


    hearing what he had .


    talk to him but no more.s his ? Her  .


    Taking the business card out that  had  to them yesterday, she   it to her .


    looking at the business card and , he , ¡¯s  eating then I will  him.


    ***


    Laying on the ,  felt refreshed from the .


    throat was slightly sore from all the  with the  at the orphanage today, he  didn¡¯t particularly mind it.


    way to the ,   to browse the  for  and whatever else  his .


    Ensen was curious about something.he  Leah at the  to  his name ,  didn¡¯t  know what would .He Academy and similar things but  wasn¡¯t sure.


    searching his ,   as  .Combined with   Academy  some other     had  and similar things.having an  on a  dedicated to  as a  slightly bummed  out,   it was unrealistic.


    Satisfied with his ,  was  to  to browsing the  when   a .


    is this?Well, it¡¯ a rural area code so hopefully a  student. Ensen thought to himself as he sat up on the  and  the .


    Hello, who  this?¡±Ensen .


    sorry to bother .Are  ?son and   an  to  your  yesterday from . The  said concisely.


    full of ,   ¡°That¡¯s correct.nice to  from  then.you  any  or would   your  to  my ?


    avoiding the  for the , the   ¡°How many  are currently at your ?


    TakingAcademystudent population  in the , the  will  increase from now on.


    voice, Leah¡¯s   ¡°That¡¯ an  idea.


    majority of the private academies in the  catered towards the wealthy. As such, was  a .only  that  could  ¡¯s existence and possibly even expand was by earning money some .


    Turning his  to his next thought, Leah¡¯s  ¡°children .that ?


    That is .strives on raising young talents, not profit.We   a tuition amount that  for you.


    After a We ¡¯t spend more than 10  a   reasonably.


    Taking a slight pause,  briefly contemplated what they had  before declaring calmly ¡°Alright, then    that.dollars a  for each , so 10  .Is that fair?

 Chapter 44: Five students

    After around 20 minutes their conversation had ended and a blue box appeared.


    [Main mission completed: Get 5 students]


    [As a principal in a newly established academy, the first major step is to gain a student body. The user is required to permit five students to enter the academy following both the system¡¯s and the host¡¯s personal standards. If standards are not met, they will not count towards the student population.]


    [Rewarded]


    [100 Ep]


    [Increase in administration skills]


    ¡®Finally, I found all the students I need for the moment, although Alina hasn¡¯t called yet, I¡¯m not too sure what is going to happen with that but it would be nice to get her attending as well. There is still time until the Academy opens so who knows. There¡¯s not much left to do until the Academy officially opens really. The furniture was delivered and set up earlier today which just leaves meeting the otherworldly teacher I suppose.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself in excitement.


    As Ensen was brainstorming ideas for the opening ceremony two blue boxes appeared.


    [Main mission: Elevate subject knowledge to average]


    [While you have acquired five students, their lack of knowledge leaves much to be desired. The first step in educating these young minds is catching up with the standard knowledge people are taught at this age. This includes all subjects taught in the academy, such as English, math, and others. Music skills are not included in this.]


    [Rewards]


    [100 Ep]


    [Natural History skill increases]


    [Chain mission 1: Educate a student in music]


    [In the student body, the student ¡®Leah Brooks¡¯ has the highest talent in the musical area. As such, her skill level in the music category should be increased to a minimum of D within three weeks. While this would not be possible with the majority of the population, both her specialty and innate skill will make this possible.]


    [Rewards]


    [20 Ep]


    [Access to next chain mission]


    After reading his new missions, Ensen nodded in agreement at what the system had said. While he would have to dedicate a good amount of time to tutoring Leah on the piano, it would definitely be worth it. Not only for the points but just in general as well.


    Curious about what the school information looked like now, Ensen opened it up.


    [School Name: Evergreen Academy]


    [Student population: 5 ]


    [Faculty population: 2 ]


    [Happiness: 80]


    [Diligence: 50]


    [Respect: 30]


    [Spirit: 30]


    [Species Demographic: Human: 100%]


    [Rules/Conduct: ]


    [...]If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡®Happiness seems pretty high at the moment which is nice. Respect is pretty low but that¡¯s to be expected, I haven¡¯t done much to earn their respect as of yet. Although I¡¯m sure, the respect of the parents and orphanage staff is high.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself before becoming slightly confused.


    ¡°I understand what the other information means, but what about spirit? It seems the same as happiness.¡± Ensen asked the system.


    [Happiness is the average between all of the student population whereas spirit refers to school spirit. This is how proud they are to be a part of the Academy and similar things.]


    Nodding in understanding, Ensen proceeded to grab himself a quick snack before getting in bed.


    Beginning to plan out how the opening ceremony would work, Ensen spent the next few hours trying to focus while also waiting to see if Alina would call, but there was still nothing.


    Satisfied with his arrangement, he looked at the time and noticed it was getting a little late. Switching to his pajamas, Ensen knew he had an exciting day ahead of him.


    While the opening ceremony would most likely be in a few days so he had time to prepare everything, he would be meeting his first faculty member and preparing for it.


    Quickly drifting off to sleep, Ensen woke up without any issues the next morning.


    Hopping out of bed, he proceeded to head to the kitchen to cook a quick breakfast. After he had finished Ensen quickly headed out towards his car.


    As he was about to open the door to his car, he heard a noise behind him.


    ¡°Hey¡­ Ensen.¡±


    Turning around slowly, Ensen saw a woman with a cold face and piercing eyes looking at him.


    ¡°Oh, hey Kaitlin. How have you been?¡± He said, unable to come up with a good conversation starter.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been¡­ good, I guess. Do you know where a good restaurant is?¡± Kaitlin asked in a straight-forward manner.


    Looking at her for a few seconds, Ensen proceeded to tell her about the fancy restaurant that he had been previously.


    Nodding in understanding, Kaitlin began to walk away without wasting a moment.


    ¡®She really is an odd one.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself as he got into his driver seat.


    Driving directly towards the Academy, Ensen arrived after rather light traffic. Pulling into the parking lot, he slowly walked inside while marveling at the newly added furniture.


    ¡°Hey system, where would the faculty arrive from their own world?¡± Ensen asked.


    [All faculty members will arrive through portals in the staff room is available or a remote place where there are no students to minimize exposure to a great extent.]


    After thanking the system, Ensen proceeded to walk towards the staff room.


    Opening the door, he noticed a table with chairs, a couch, a small kitchen, and many other objects for the faculty to use.


    Sitting on the couch, Ensen began waiting for his faculty member to arrive.


    After a few minutes, a strange thing occurred. A big fracture in space formed in an open area in the room and gradually grew until it was about the size of a person.


    Ensen was not too caught off guard by this, as he had seen plenty of strange occurrences throughout his time with the system so far. Although it still worried him slightly.


    A few moments later, the fracture began to slowly repair itself and in its place was an old-looking man with bright purple hair.


    Slowly standing up from the couch, Ensen walked over until he was a few feet in front of the man who was beginning to slowly open his eyes.


    Waiting patiently until he had fully awakened, Ensen stood there for around a minute until the man¡¯s eyes were wide open.


    ¡°Hello, you must be Gerhardt Gwyn, It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m the principal here and the person who is contracting you for the near future.¡± Ensen said calmly as he had been rehearsing on the couch earlier.


    Gerhardt slowly looked around him for a few moments before realizing that Ensen had spoken to him.


    ¡°Oh, I am terribly sorry. I am Gerhardt Gwyn as you most likely know. I¡¯m happy that you chose me to be part of your faculty.¡± Gerhardt said elegantly.


    Nodding in satisfaction, Ensen thought ¡®I definitely made the right choice. I¡¯m sure he could teach English extremely well.¡¯


    ¡°Of course, you are very qualified for the position I was looking for. Would you like to see the classroom you would be teaching in?¡± Ensen asked after a moment of thinking.


    ¡°That would be excellent. While I have had students in the past, I haven¡¯t taught a class before so please excuse if it takes a few days for me to adjust.¡± Gerhardt said with a polite and slightly self-deprecating tone of voice.


    ¡°That is no problem at all. The first class of students will need to be taught the basics first so it¡¯ll be fine. Anyways, follow me and I¡¯ll lead you to the classroom.¡± Ensen said calmly.


    Turning around, Ensen began heading to the nearest classroom while Gerhardt followed behind.


    Glancing over his shoulder, Ensen noticed that Gerhardt was analyzing every minuscule thing with curious eyes, obviously unfamiliar with the style of furniture and building in general.


    Arriving in front of the classroom, Ensen paused for a moment before opening the door. This would be the first time he saw the fully furnished classroom as well.


    Straight ahead when the door was open was a rather large desk with a large whiteboard that was on the left wall. To the right were three rows of modern wooden tables that were connected with each other. While the capacity of the room was slightly lowered, that would not make much of a difference.


    With the windows on the far wall, when the door was opened, the entire classroom seemed to be joined with nature.


    Moving to the side after entering to allow Gerhardt to move in, Gerhardt froze in amazement once he entered.


    Gerhardt¡¯s homeworld was quite different compared to earth. In fact, it was a world in conflict. Not with other humans, but mutant creatures that had risen up. Because of this, being in nature was rather dangerous at times, and learning how to properly combat these creatures took precedence over education. As such this was a completely new sight for Gerhardt.


    Pausing for a few moments, Gerhardt asked calmly ¡°I assume that there are no species of any sorts around the area that could endanger students?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, this area is completely safe, while I will need to make sure they don¡¯t get lost in the forest or things of that nature that is it,¡± Ensen said.


    Waiting for a few moments to take it all in, Gerhardt took a deep breath and said with a somewhat shaking voice ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±

 Chapter 45: Breaking ties

    After spending the next hour or so to discuss Gerhardt¡¯s duty in further detail, he returned to his world for the day which left Ensen alone.


    Ensen planned to officially open the Academy on Monday and considering that it was Friday afternoon he had quite a bit of work to get done.


    Realistically it wasn¡¯t too much work because there were only five students, but it was a great opportunity to help nurture a sense of belonging and comfort.


    Heading to the cafeteria, Ensen smiled in satisfaction looking at the modern black round tables that had chairs surrounding them. While they were spaced out quite generously, it was not an issue realistically.


    Beginning his work, Ensen began shifting the tables around as his mind began to wander.


    Thinking about how he would only earn 10 dollars a month from his five students combined, Ensen struggled to hold back his tears.


    ¡°I really am bleeding money. On the bright side, most of the heavy expenses are over.¡± Ensen muttered out loud.


    ¡®Maybe I could try to get a government grant if I focus on educating the underprivileged kids in the countryside?¡¯ Ensen thought to himself but decided to put the idea on hold for now. A grant would involve a lot of legal matters such as recording spending and logging many things in general which he simply did not have time for at the moment.


    After spending the next few hours reorganizing the cafeteria for the opening, Ensen mainly accomplished his goal for the day.


    Feeling exhausted by the end, Ensen took a small break in the staff bathroom before heading to his car and driving back home.


    As he was returning home, Ensen coincidentally drove past the restaurant he had recommended to Kaitlin earlier in the day. Looking through the large window on the front of the building, he saw her sitting with three people.


    Beside her was a middle-aged female with a formal black suit whereas on the opposite was a rather rough-looking man with a small scar on his cheek with a similar dressed middle-aged man to the right of him.


    ¡®That looks¡­ interesting. I wonder what it¡¯s about.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself as he kept driving.


    -----------


    Shifting her feet nervously under the table, Kaitlin looked directly at the rough-looking man in front of her with a piercing, cold gaze.


    ¡°That should be about it then. There will be five million dollars transferred into the bank account I gave you in three days¡¯ time.¡± The man dressed in the suit said calmly.


    After pausing for a moment, he continued ¡°And in return, you will not tell another living being about this matter. I cannot guarantee your safety if you decide to do that.¡±


    Noticing that neither Kaitlin nor the woman next to her had any objections, the man stood up from his seat and looked towards the rough-looking man and said in a respectful tone ¡°Come on Jordan, we should get going.¡±


    A few moments later they both left the restaurant before returning to their cars.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°Why are we being so kind to her? She has nothing on us.¡± Jordan said with a tone full of irritation.


    ¡°It is simpler this way. Besides, she¡¯s moved quite far away so it¡¯ll be fine.¡± The suited man said calmly.


    ¡°So even if we do something it wouldn¡¯t be traced back to us. Do you really think she has any leverage? She¡¯s just the widow of the former boss, nothing impressive about her.¡± Jordan said, enraged.


    ¡°Enough Jordan, now let¡¯s get back, we have a long drive ahead of us.¡± The man said with a slightly harsh tone, obviously unwilling to discuss the matter further.


    Immediately after hearing this, Jordan shut his mouth as if scared to provoke the man.


    Back inside the restaurant, Kaitlin sat there for a moment before getting up slowly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry ma¡¯am, this is the best I could do. You are no longer affiliated with us in any way and even get some money out of it. Isn¡¯t this a good thing?¡± The woman next to her said.


    Without pausing for even a moment, Kaitlin spoke ¡°Give me the bank account, then you can return. As you said, we are strangers now.¡±


    The woman froze hearing the blunt words from Kaitlin but unconsciously held the bank card out.


    Grabbing the card swiftly, Kaitlin turned around and exited the restaurant. Looking around, she found no sight of the men who exited earlier. With a sigh of relief, she headed to her car and began to head home.


    With a stiff face, Kaitlin did her best to hold back her tears, but it was no use. With tears running down her face she arrived at her apartment building. Wiping her tears, she put on her cold face that she used to wear every day and entered her apartment.


    -----------


    Ensen arrived in his apartment a few minutes prior to Kaitlin returning to the apartment building. After he had cooked a small meal he picked up his phone and began to call his student to notify them that school would be starting on Monday. Although he only had two numbers to call at this point, Ensen knew that his call with the orphanage would be a bit longer so he began with the siblings, Leah and Brian.


    Afterward was the call with the orphanage. It went rather smoothly until the topic of transportation came up, although there was a minor interruption when Ensen heard a loud slamming noise coming from the hallway.


    Unlike the siblings, they were a little far from the Academy. While Ensen brainstormed with the caretakers for a few minutes before coming to a decision, he would be picking them up every day for the next while.


    While it was not the most practical option in the slightest, Ensen needed to save money where he could afford to.


    As such, Ensen proceeded to do some chores and light research before bed.


    Ensen decided to take a small look at his status before going to sleep.


    [Ensen Fuentes]


    [Education Points: 2]


    [Academy Rank: Null]


    [Age: 27]


    [Math average: C]


    [Science average: F-]


    [English average: F-]


    [Foreign language average: F-]


    [Sports average: F-]


    [Teaching average: D+]


    [administration average: D+]


    [Other]


    [Skill Market]


    [Product Market]


    [Auction House]


    Looking at his education points with a frown, Ensen thought to himself ¡°I worked so hard to complete that mission, but all of those 100 points went directly to paying back the system. What a loan shark.¡¯


    Quickly drifting off to sleep, Ensen woke up the next day early to make sure he would get lots of work done on the opening today.


    After a quick breakfast, Ensen heard a knock at the door.


    Looking down, he found the situation familiar. There was a small note with a five-dollar bill taped on asking for more cookies.


    Glancing at Kaitlin¡¯s door slightly, Ensen thought he saw an eye in the peephole but he couldn¡¯t be sure.


    Smiling to himself, Ensen decided that a small delay wouldn¡¯t be the end of the world.


    After spending a bit of time making another batch of cookies, Ensen filled up the usual container before dropping them off in front of her door with the money she had given him like before.


    Heading to his car in a slightly hurried pace, Ensen knew he would have to work a bit harder to make sure he made the deadline.


    Driving around town, Ensen soon found a small little clothing store near the edge of the city that had a big sale on.


    ¡®Well I know I¡¯m tight on money, but what kind of principal would I be if my students don¡¯t even have clothes to wear.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself as he walked inside.


    After browsing for around an hour Ensen managed to pick out clothes for each of his students. While he did focus a little more on clothes for the students from the orphanage, he did not neglect the siblings.


    Looking at the three bags in his hands, Ensen knew that every penny he had spent had been worth it.


    After running around to grab a few more things, Ensen returned home with a large amount of bags in hand. After placing all of the bags onto the kitchen counter, Ensen proceeded to grab a few things out.


    ¡®Okay, so their clothes, notepads, pens, then there¡¯s¡­ where is it? Oh, there it is.¡¯ Ensen thought as he smiled softly.


    Grabbing a small pile of gift bags that had been folded up, he proceeded to spend the next hour making a personalized bag for each person. Although he didn¡¯t know them too well at this point he had a rough idea about what they would like.

 Chapter 46: Opening day

    The weekend passed quickly as Ensen ran around to try to get everything prepared for the opening on Monday.


    Luckily there were no major issues.


    Ensen did think about heading to the library where he met the student that hadn¡¯t contacted him yet but decided against it after thinking for a while.


    Ensen laid in bed on Sunday night, excited for tomorrow.


    Thinking over the main things that he had to do, Ensen needed to pick up the kids from the orphanage as well as to make sure everything would go smoothly.


    While he did extend an invitation to his other faculty member Gerhardt, Ensen wasn¡¯t too sure if he would be able to come since his world seemed pretty hectic.


    Ensen tried his best to sleep but realized he couldn¡¯t. Turning his attention to his phone, he decided to read a little of ¡®The all-slaying dog¡¯ before bed to distract his mind.


    After reading for a bit Ensen managed to doze off.


    Waking up to his alarm clock that he had set on his phone, Ensen quickly ended the alarm and stretched his arms. Looking at the time, Ensen had a little bit to get ready but not too much.


    Knowing this, Ensen quickly got out of bed and went into his closet to pick out clothes that would suit his role.


    Picking out a simple grey dress shirt with some jeans, Ensen quickly put them on as he thought ¡®Well this is good I think, it¡¯s too hot to wear a full suit. Only psychopaths would wear those now.¡¯


    After grabbing a quick snack from the kitchen, Ensen proceeded to head to his car while carrying the gift bags he had personally made to his students.


    Before entering the car, Ensen decided to put all of the bags in the truck so the kids from the orphanage wouldn¡¯t see them. Afterward, he entered the car. Ensen began to make his way over to the orphanage.


    After a rather boring drive, he finally arrived out front. Getting out of the car slowly, Ensen approached the door while still feeling concerned about the appearance of the building.


    Knocking on the door, Ensen quickly heard two shouts from behind the door as well as three pairs of footsteps quickly coming towards the door.


    Taking a few steps back in concern, the door unexpectedly flung open. Looking at the culprit, Ensen was unsurprised when he saw Warren, the natural fighter looking at him with a wide smile.


    ¡®I really hope he won¡¯t hurt somebody doing that at school. I¡¯ll need to educate him on that.¡¯ Ensen thought as the remaining two students, Anabella and Stephen arrived.


    Just like Ensen had thought, they were all wearing the clothes that they wore when they were interviewed a few days ago. While they could have been washed in that time it didn¡¯t seem like it.


    Nearly unable to wait to give them some new clothes, Ensen quickly greeted them ¡°Hey everybody, are you guys all ready to get going? I need to be there a little earlier than usual today.¡±


    ¡°Of course we¡¯re ready!¡± Warren shouted in excitement.


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    ¡°That¡¯s right, we can go now if you¡¯d like,¡± Stephen said in a calm and composed voice.


    Unlike the others, Anabella just softly nodded in agreement with the others.


    ¡°Okay, then one of you can sit in front and the rest in the back. How about you guys take turns?¡± Ensen said after a moment of consideration.


    Upon hearing no disagreement, Ensen said calmly ¡°Okay, then Warren will sit up front today.¡±


    Nodding in agreement, the kids began walking towards the car as Ensen thought ¡®That worked well. Hopefully, it will be a rather quiet drive to the school.¡¯


    But five minutes later he was proven wrong.


    ¡°West Virginia, country-¡± Warren said with a mixture of singing and shouting.


    For some reason, most likely out of boredom Warren began singing to the songs on the radio. This was quite literally the opposite of what Ensen wanted to happen.


    ¡®Well, I guess it¡¯s not that bad. He really isn¡¯t a shy guy huh?¡¯ He thought as he looked in the mirror towards the back seat.


    Anabella was reading a book that she had brought with her without paying any sort of attention to the others.


    Stephen was acting slightly strange. He kept a rather neutral expression on his face but Ensen swore that Stephen¡¯s foot was tapping to the beat and he was mouthing the words.


    A few songs later they began pulling into the property. After a moment the building became visible and all of the students simply stared at it. Even Anabella looked up for the first time since they entered the car.


    Feeling proud of their reactions, Ensen pulled into a parking space.


    To the right of them a few spaces were a small van with the words ¡®Jameson baking company¡¯ written on the side.


    ¡®Looks like they just arrived too.¡¯ Ensen thought as he got out of the car.


    Walking towards the trunk, his students soon exited the car and followed Ensen to the back.


    ¡°No peeking in the trunk, it¡¯s a surprise,¡± Ensen said strictly as he grabbed the bags of gifts and began walking towards the entrance.


    Noticing a middle-aged man standing in front of the door with a medium-sized white box in his hand, Ensen approached him and said happily ¡°Oh thanks so much, I hope you weren¡¯t waiting long.¡±


    Reaching into his pocket, Ensen pulled out his wallet and handed the man a five-dollar tip and unlocked the door.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here. Thanks again.¡± Ensen said as he slowly grabbed the white box.


    With his students following behind him, Ensen entered the building and said calmly ¡°Wait here for just a moment, I need to do something real quick.¡±


    A few moments later, Ensen headed towards the staff room to put the cake in the fridge for the moment as well as dropping off the gift bags on the couch.


    After returning to the students, Ensen guided them to the cafeteria where there was a round table in the center of the room with 7 chairs surrounding it. The other tables were pushed to the edge of the room to make extra space.


    ¡°Okay, we will get started once your other two classmates arrive so just make yourself comfortable. I¡¯ll be waiting outside for them so if you need anything just come ask.¡± Ensen spoke.


    After hearing them approve Ensen slowly returned to the exterior of the front entrance and leaned against the wall beside the door casually.


    Slowly closing his eyes, Ensen thought to himself ¡®I wonder how Kaitlin¡¯s meeting went. It seemed pretty serious. I should talk to her more next time I see her, or maybe just knock on her door. Although I¡¯m not 100% sure that¡¯s completely safe.¡¯


    After waiting for a few minutes, Ensen heard faint voices arguing in the distance.


    ¡°I told you it¡¯s this place!¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be this place, it looks too nice.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, this is the address. Let¡¯s just go walk over and see.¡±


    ¡®I really need like a natural stone sign that says ¡®Evergreen Academy¡¯ or something similar.¡¯ Ensen thought. Although the name was written on the school building itself, it was not that visible and it was a little far from the road, so a sign at the road itself would be best.


    Beginning to walk over to where Ensen could hear the arguing still continuing, Ensen soon saw exactly who he expected, Brian and Leah.


    Unlike the students from the orphanage, they wore different clothes that seemed relatively clean.


    They were still on the road leading to the Academy so they could not see the sign.


    The siblings seemed so invested in their argument that they didn¡¯t even notice when Ensen was just a few feet away.


    Feeling slightly awkward, Ensen said ¡°Umm¡­. this is the right place.¡±


    Both of the siblings immediately jumped from the unexpected voice.


    As they both registered what they were saying, Leah wore a satisfied smile whereas Brian slightly slouched in a defeated manner.


    After speaking for a bit Ensen brought them to the school. Similar to the other students, they were immensely impressed by the schoolhouse. While there were more impressive school buildings out here, this was simply the first private Academy that they saw that wasn¡¯t rundown.


    Entering the building, Ensen led them to the cafeteria where the others were waiting.


    Anabella was calmly sitting in a chair still reading the book from earlier whereas Warren was seemingly inspecting every inch of the room for¡­ some reason.


    Stephen on the other hand simply leaned on the table and looked up towards the ceiling with a bored expression.


    Hearing the door open, they all shifted their gaze towards the sound when they saw two new faces they had never seen before entering.


    Immediately realizing that they were the other students, everybody had different reactions.


    As all of the students were looking at each other, Ensen spoke loudly ¡°Alright everybody, take a seat and we will begin the opening of the school.¡±

 Chapter 47: Welcome gifts

    As everybody began walking over to the table in the center of the room, some of his students¡¯ behavior stood out to him.


    Brian was seemingly hiding behind his sister as they slowly advanced. Unexpectedly, Warren completely ignored the table in favor of rushing towards the two siblings at maximum speed.


    Feeling slightly worried, Ensen said strictly ¡°Don¡¯t run inside Warren, it¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    Not wanting to upset the principal, Warren slowed his speed slightly.


    Mentally face-palming, Ensen sighed quietly in defeat.


    A few moments later Warren arrived in front of the siblings and said proudly ¡°NIce to meet you guys, I¡¯m Warren.¡±


    Confused about why he was so proud, the siblings remained silent.


    Deciding to help end the awkwardness, Ensen spoke ¡°We will do introductions at the table in a moment. Just head there for now.¡±


    With the sibling¡¯s nod and Warren¡¯s defeated steps, they began heading towards the table.


    After excusing himself for a moment, Ensen walked over towards the teacher¡¯s lounge to pick up the gift bags.


    Noticing that Gerhardt had still not arrived, he began to doubt if he would be coming at all.


    With five bags in hand, Ensen returned to the cafeteria.


    Opening the door slowly, Ensen immediately noticed the awkward atmosphere that engulfed the room.


    None of the students had ever attended a school before so everything that was happening was new for them.


    ¡®I imagine some of them may be overwhelmed. Well, I think the introductions and gifts would help a bit hopefully.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself.


    Gradually approaching the table, the students began to take notice. Nearly all of their eyes shined in curiosity when they saw the bags.


    ¡°Wow! Are those for us?¡± Warren shouted.


    ¡°Yes, there is one for each and every one of you. But first, we will do introductions, so no peeking in the gift bags.¡± Ensen said lightly.


    Taking a seat in one of the remaining two seats, Ensen gently rested the bags on the ground.


    ¡°Why is there still an empty seat? Is there another student?¡± Leah said after thinking for a moment.


    Already prepared with an answer in case anybody asked, Ensen said calmly ¡°That¡¯s for the English teacher, although he is pretty busy today so I¡¯m not sure if he can make it.¡±


    Leah nodded in understanding as Ensen spoke.


    ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s introduce ourselves in the order going clockwise from me. I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    Pausing for a moment, Ensen continued ¡°So I¡¯m your principal and also your teacher for a few subjects. If you have any worries or anything like that just talk to me and I¡¯m sure we can get it sorted out. So Brian, your next.¡±


    As silence engulfed the room, Brian sat there in nervousness for a few seconds before beginning to speak softly ¡°Umm¡­ I¡¯m Brian and Leah is my sister. I¡­ I like soccer too.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡®That was¡­ short. But for Brian that¡¯s quite good I think.¡¯ Ensen thought after hearing Brian¡¯s speech.


    With a light clap, the introductions continued until everybody had gone.


    ¡°I¡¯m Leah, like Brian said I¡¯m his sister. Older sister, remember that part. I¡¯ve always been interested in writing music.¡±


    ¡°Hey guys, I¡¯m Warren! I¡¯ve lived in an orphanage most of my life and-¡±


    After five minutes Ensen finally had to step in and stopped Warren¡¯s essay-length introduction and let the next person go.


    ¡°Anabella, I like reading.¡±


    ¡®That was¡­ good? Certainly the opposite of Warren huh?¡¯ Ensen thought.


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Stephen and I¡¯ve always loved the idea of helping people. Whether that be as a mayor, police officer, or other stuff I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡®Oh, that¡¯s a good goal.¡¯ Ensen thought.


    After everybody had gone, the atmosphere of the room began to gradually become more inviting as everybody knew slightly more about each person¡­ except for Anabella, she was still as mysterious as always.


    ¡°Alright everyone, you all did great on your introductions. I can already see everybody staring at the gift bags so let¡¯s open those now.¡± Ensen said in amusement.


    As soon as everybody had heard that nearly all of them leaped out of their seats except for Anabella and Brian.


    ¡°Wait, everybody sit back down. Each gift bag is different so I¡¯ll hand them out.¡± Ensen said quickly, not expecting that quick of a reaction.


    Unwilling to sit down, they all reluctantly returned to their seats as Ensen got up and picked up all of the bags.


    ¡°Tell you what, let¡¯s do this. The first person to answer correctly will get their bag first. Now, who was the person who said that they loved writing songs?¡± Ensen asked happily.


    Not even a moment later a soft voice was heard ¡°Leah.¡±


    Looking at the voice Ensen thought ¡®Wait, Anabella got it? That was unexpected.¡¯


    A few moments after nearly everybody called out the correct answer.


    ¡°Anabella wins the first round, congrats. But don¡¯t worry, all of these bags are made for each person specifically.¡± Ensen declared while walking over to Anabella.


    Placing her bag in front of her on the table, Ensen said softly ¡°Great job.¡±


    As Anabella began exploring the bag slowly, Ensen asked the next question. ¡°Who was born in the city?¡±


    Not even a second later, Stephen said loudly ¡°Warren was.¡±


    After congratulating Stephen, Ensen looked at Anabella who had nearly finished looking through the bag.


    Laid out in front of her on the table were some comfy clothes, things used for school, and a few other random things that Ensen thought each person would like. For example, Anabella had a little bracelet that had small little book charms attached to it.


    Although Anabella seemed uncaring of the items at first glance, Ensen could tell she was truly happy about them. Her eyes were unusually bright and the book that she had been reading for most of the time had been closed.


    As the questions continued, the competition became more and more fierce as they saw what was in the bags. Luckily it was a friendly competition though, so the students were good sports even if they lost the round.


    After a few more minutes it was down to the final round.


    Seeing all of the happy and satisfied smiles surrounding the table, the competition between Warren and Brian was at its peak. Brian even seemingly threw away his shyness for the moment in order to win.


    Although the result after this match would be nearly the same, they both wanted to win.


    ¡°Alright, final round now. Let¡¯s change it up for this one.¡± Ensen said slowly to build up suspense.


    As both Warren and Brian leaned closer on the table to get even the slightest advantage, Ensen gave the final question.


    ¡°Who lives closer to the Academy?¡± He said with a teasing tone of voice.


    Both of the remaining students immediately went into deep thought.


    While this was a hard question it definitely was possible thanks to Warren''s incredibly long introduction.


    Ensen knew for a fact that Brian had actually been listening to his introduction, most likely the only person to.


    After a few seconds Brian blurted out "I do!"


    Hearing that Brian had already answered the question, Warren lowered his head slightly in defeat.


    "I bit my tongue." Brian muttered under his breath with flushed cheeks from embarrassment.


    With his mood turned around, Warren laughed at the whole situation and asked if he was okay.


    After receiving a little nod, Warren got up out of his seat and said: "Maybe some water will help, I saw a water fountain earlier."


    Brian nodded once again and proceeded to get out of his chair.


    Warren soon turned towards Ensen and said ¡°We¡¯ll be right back, we¡¯re just getting water. Could we open the bags when we get back¡±?¡±


    With a proud smile, Ensen said ¡°Of course.¡±


    As they both exited the room, Ensen thought to himself ¡®Looks like the first friendship is forming. Why is this so satisfying?¡¯


    Turning his thoughts in a different direction, he looked at all of the remaining students at the table. Each of them had different reactions, but they were all similarly happy.


    Anabella was still looking at her gifts, a rather baggy beige sweater specifically.


    As the room turned silent due to everybody being thoroughly engrossed with their gifts, time passed quickly as the two friends returned.


    Unlike before when they sat a rather far distance away, this time they sat down next to each other.


    Taking the remaining two gifts over, Ensen placed each in front of them.


    As they began to open their gifts, Ensen felt at peace looking over his happy students.


    Soon after they began opening it, Leah began watching them from her seat with a light smile.


    Curious about what they would get, Stephen, rose from his seat and walked behind Brian and Warren to watch.


    With nearly every student watching the two, Warren continued on with newfound excitement while loudly showing what was inside the gift bag while Brian began retreating back into his shell.


    But he soon glanced over to Warren and decided to continue.

 Chapter 48: Gerhardts introduction

    After all of the gift bags had been opened the students seemed much more comfortable talking to each other.


    ¡°Alright everyone, I have another surprise now so I¡¯ll go get it,¡± Ensen said.


    ¡°Oh is it the cake?¡± Warren asked in curiosity.


    ¡®I said it was a surprise! Well only two of them haven¡¯t seen the cake though.¡¯ Ensen thought in defeat.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I just need to get it from a fridge so I¡¯ll be right back.¡± He said in a defeated tone.


    Slowly walking towards the teacher¡¯s lounge, Ensen hummed softly in happiness as he opened the door.


    As Ensen walked in, he noticed a tear in space in the center of the room.


    ¡®Oh, look¡¯s like Gerhardt is here. I can¡¯t wait for the students to meet him. I just hope they won¡¯t want to dye their hair purple like his hair is.¡¯ Ensen thought in excitement.


    Walking up a little closer towards the crack in space, Ensen stopped a few feet away and watched as Gerhardt began to gradually appear.


    A few moments later as he began to regain control of his body, he began to open his eyes.


    Unlike when they first met, Gerhardt was wearing a casual outfit although it would still be considered formal by the standards of this world.


    He wore a clean white wool shirt with what seemed similar to a black blazer overtop. While the clothing itself was not too peculiar, there was an odd vibe around it that gave off an indescribable aura.


    Clueless as to what the reason of the aura would be, Ensen purged the thought from his mind for the moment. After all, his students were waiting for the cake and you don¡¯t mess with cake.


    As he slowly opened his eyes, he was taken aback for a moment at Ensen already being there to welcome him.


    ¡°Greetings Sir. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m a little late, there were some matters I had to attend to.¡± Gerhardt said in his usual elegant vocabulary.


    ¡°No it¡¯s fine, it would be a great time to introduce you now. Also please call me by my last name or just principal from now on so the students don¡¯t feel something is wrong.¡± Ensen said after considering for a moment.


    ¡°I understand, principal,¡± Gerhardt said calmly.


    Waiting for a second, Ensen began speaking as he was walking to the nearby fridge ¡°Alright we should go now. Let me just grab the cake.¡±


    ¡°Cake? Excuse me but I do not know what this cake you speak of is.¡± Gerhardt said.


    ¡°Oh really? It¡¯s¡­ hard to explain if you don¡¯t know the concept I guess. Well, we will have some soon so you¡¯ll understand.¡± Ensen said, unsure how to properly explain it.


    After a word of understanding, Gerhardt stood in place with his back straight and his arms neatly by his side.


    ¡®Wow that is amazing posture, I am jealous.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    After grabbing the cake they began to make their way to the cafeteria.


    Once they entered the cafeteria Ensen noticed that his students were all talking to each other to pass the time. Except for Anabella of course, but she was listening so Ensen took that as a win.


    As the students realized that their principal had returned, they realized that there was somebody strange following behind him.


    Although the students knew that they shouldn¡¯t judge people on their appearance, he was simply too odd for them not to have a reaction.


    After all, a man who looked around 60 years old with bright purple hair was not something that was seen every day, at least for the students.


    There was also a generally mysterious vibe that they could feel even from nearly halfway across the room.


    As they saw the man approaching them, the conversations slowly fell silent.


    After a moment, Ensen stood in front of them and used his hand to gesture towards Gerhardt, although it was completely unnecessary as everybody was staring at him.


    ¡°This will be your English teacher, he just arrived from a long trip so please be easy on him. Would you like to introduce yourself, Gerhardt?¡± Ensen asked after a moment of thought.


    ¡°Very well. Greeting everybody, it is nice to meet you. My name is Gerhardt and I will be your English teacher from now on. If you ever need help don¡¯t hesitate to ask for help.¡± Gerhardt said.


    As all of the students lightly clapped, Warren couldn¡¯t hold himself back anybody and loudly said ¡°I love your hair, it¡¯s so cool! I wanna dye mine now.¡±


    Mentally facepalming, Ensen thought to himself ¡®I knew this would happen. I should stop this though, dyeing your hair isn¡¯t a bad thing but they¡¯re not in a position to spend money on it.¡¯


    ¡°Thank you for your compliment, however, I would much prefer to have a hair color similar to yours,¡± Gerhardt said sincerely.


    ¡®Yes! You go, Gerhardt, tell them!¡¯ Ensen screamed in his mind.


    ¡°Alright, enough of that. Gerhardt is a very accomplished teacher so please do your best for his class. Anyways, have you guys forgot what I was getting?¡± Ensen said teasingly.


    ¡°Cake!¡± All of the students said in excitement.


    Lightly laughing to himself, Ensen said ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll cut everybody a piece now.¡±


    Looking at Gerhardt, Ensen noticed that he had a gentle smile as he looked at the students.


    ¡®Looks like I made the right choice.¡¯ Ensen thought.


    As Ensen began to hand out the pieces of cake, something suddenly donned on him.


    ¡®I wonder who has had cake here? The siblings most likely but I¡¯m not too sure about the students from the orphanage.¡¯ Ensen thought as he looked at his students who were currently savoring every bite.


    All of his students were nearly shining in happiness after the events of today so far.


    Taking a seat back down with Gerhardt seated on his right side, Ensen slowly cut a piece for both of them.


    ¡°You said you were curious, so here you go. I think you¡¯ll love it.¡± He said generously as he began to dig into his own piece of cake.


    Looking at the piece of cake in front of him doubtfully, Gerhardt mimicked how Ensen had taken a bite.


    As he put his first-ever bite of cake in his mouth, Gerhardt¡¯s eyes shined in amazement as he quickly went back for another bite.


    Not even a minute later, the plate that previously held a rather sizable slice of cake was nearly entirely cleaned off.


    ¡®Damn, are you sure he doesn¡¯t have the Competitive eating System?¡¯ Ensen thought.


    As the students began to gradually finish their piece, they soon came back for seconds. Feeling generous, Ensen handed out more and more of the cake until it was completely eaten up.


    It wasn¡¯t a large cake for seven people in the first place after all.


    As everybody rested satisfied on their chairs, Ensen said ¡°Alright, we will take a little break now and then we¡¯ll do a tour around the building. After that, it¡¯ll be the end of the opening day, and tomorrow¡¯s classes will start. Like I said on the phone to you guys earlier, classes will start here every weekday at 10 am and will end at different times depending on the classes for the day.¡±


    Getting up from his seat, Ensen slowly headed into the hallway to get a quick drink. As he was heading back his phone began to ring.


    Looking at the ID, Ensen quickly realized that it was Emilia, his former boss calling.


    Clearing his throat with a cough, Ensen picked up the phone and said ¡°Hey Emilia, how have you been?¡±


    ¡°You sure sound happy. And the school¡¯s been a bit of a mess, to be honest, Can you believe the students protested yesterday to hire you back?¡± Emilia said in a defeated tone.


    ¡°What? No, that¡¯s crazy.¡± Ensen said in shock.


    ¡°Your right it is crazy, mainly because it didn¡¯t happen. But we still haven¡¯t found a replacement for you yet so there¡¯s that.¡± Emilia said with an amused tone.


    ¡°Wow Emilia, you really don¡¯t change,¡± Ensen said, with a light laugh following.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Anyways, why are you so happy?¡± Emilia asked.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the opening day of my Academy and it¡¯s been amazing so far,¡± Ensen said with a gentle smile on his face.


    ¡°Wait really? That¡¯s amazing! You should¡¯ve invited me, I totally would¡¯ve come to congratulate you. It¡¯s been so quick, you must¡¯ve worked hard.¡± Emilia said in surprise.


    Although Ensen could try to hide the opening of his Academy from Emilia, there wasn¡¯t really any point in doing that. She could simply look up the opening date online when she eventually found out. It wasn¡¯t particularly a big deal either as Ensen had spent plenty of time making up plausible excuses on how he found such a great building.


    Taking a moment to pause, Emilia continued ¡°Well I should leave you to it then. I hope it keeps being great.¡±


    After saying goodbye they both hung up as Ensen returned to the room to begin the tour.

 Chapter 49: Hopeless

    After returning to the others, Ensen began his tour. While the building wasn¡¯t that large it still took quite a while due to the students being overly curious. This was mainly because it was their first time entering a school in the first place.


    ¡°Principal, what¡¯s that?!¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s a ceiling fan, Warren.¡±


    ¡°Oh I see, what about that thing?!¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s a recycling bin.¡±


    While it was mainly Warren who asked the questions, other people also asked some questions at a lesser scale.


    After around two hours the tour had finally finished.


    The tour had ended in the music room which was rather empty at the moment except for a rather impressive mid-range piano.


    Ensen did want to go straight away to the highest quality piano on the market so the ¡®Paradigm Piano¡¯ item that he had previously got wouldn¡¯t go to waste, but he severely underestimated the price.


    ¡®Having a Crystal Piano would be nice, but I would probably have to sell my soul to afford it.¡¯ Ensen thought as he looked at the piano in the room.


    Looking towards Leah, he noticed that she seemed rather interested in the piano. While she hadn¡¯t played an instrument before, her love for writing music gave her great interest in doing so.


    ¡°Are you interested in playing the piano, Leah?¡± Ensen asked, although he already knew the answer, he wanted confirmation.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess I do. It¡¯s my favorite instrument.¡± Leah said after a moment of thought.


    ¡°That¡¯s good because there will be music classes occasionally. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll love them.¡± Ensen responded.


    While Leah was the only person with a skill related to music¡­ if you didn¡¯t include Warren¡¯s classical dancing specialty, that did not mean that the others didn¡¯t have natural talent per say. Even if they didn¡¯t have talent in the field it would still be beneficial for them to learn the basics. After all, Ensen was relying on his musically talented students to first raise the awareness of his Academy.


    Looking back at all of his students who were still smiling happily, Ensen thought to himself ¡®I¡¯m surprised their cheeks aren¡¯t sore from smiling.¡¯


    Quickly ridding the thought from his mind, he began speaking ¡°Alright everybody, so that¡¯s pretty much it for today. Leah and Brian, you can walk home whenever you¡¯d like, just remember to be safe. Anabella, Warren, and Stephen, we will leave in around 20 minutes probably. You can go walk around the building more if you¡¯d like until then. Oh also, don¡¯t forget your gift bags.¡±


    Knowing that the opening day had come to an end, Ensen had mixed feelings. On one hand, he wanted the day to never end, but on the other hand, he wanted to help shape his students to be the best they could be.


    His students seemed rather reluctant to leave. Knowing that they enjoyed the day as much as he did, Ensen talked to them for a minute before Leah and Brian needed to go home.


    After they had both gone, the students from the orphanage soon followed in exiting the music room to roam around the hallway.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Following this, Gerhardt told Ensen that he had to return to his world.


    Ensen was now left alone inside the music room. Shutting the door, he turned his gaze on the piano.


    It had only occurred to him once he had seen the piano for himself that he forgot about his reward from the system a while back from completing the exercising chain missions.


    Pulling up the information about the object, Ensen soon smiled in satisfaction.


    [Paradigm Piano]


    [The Paradigm Piano works with the user to accelerate their learning process on many areas with the piano as long as it is nearby. Usage of the piano will allow users to experience the growth of their piano skills by an extra 20%.]


    [Requirements: Must be infused into a pre-existing piano]


    Approaching the piano, Ensen focused on it while imagining the Paradigm Piano infusing into it.


    As he continued to focus on it, he noticed a rather peculiar sight.


    A white smoke resembling fog began to slowly expand from the center of the piano, obscuring his vision.


    Trying his hardest to keep focus, Ensen prayed that he wouldn¡¯t fall asleep exhausted like when he had absorbed the skill book about the piano.


    A few minutes later, as his focus began to slightly wane, a change occurred in the fog. Starting from the middle of the piano similar to before, a golden shine quickly appeared before spreading out covering the entire room with a golden tint.


    Closing his eyes from the sudden change of light, Ensen noticed that a few moments later he could tell that the light was fading.


    Opening his eyes, Ensen noticed that the room had reverted to it¡¯s state from before. Looking at the piano itself, he realized that there were some very minor details that had changed.


    Such as the black piano keys becoming much darker to the extent where it seemed more like a dark void instead of a key.


    Looking at the piano in satisfaction, Ensen looked at his phone and realized around 25 minutes had passed.


    Praying that the remaining students had not seen what had occurred in the room, Ensen exited the music room and began looking for them.


    Luckily they were simply sitting in the cafeteria. After asking what they had done for the past while, Ensen sighed in relief and began walking towards the car with them following behind.


    With Warren sitting in the front seat once again as they returned to the orphanage, the drive home quickly devolved into karaoke like before.


    ¡®How is Warren not tired? Does he have infinite energy? Can he solve the energy problem?¡¯ Ensen thought as Warren attempted to sing the highest notes that he could.


    Arriving in front of the orphanage, Ensen slowly pulled his car to a stop and got out with his students.


    Walking towards the front door. Ensen said happily ¡°So I¡¯ll pick you guys up at the same time tomorrow. Classes will be starting too, so make sure you guys get a good amount of sleep.¡±


    Nodding in understanding, they all thanked Ensen before going inside. Returning to his car, Ensen turned up the music slightly and hummed to himself as he began making his way home.


    After a while, Ensen pulled into his parking spot and returning to his apartment. Feeling exhausted after all of the work he had done today, Ensen decided that he deserved a little break.


    After taking a nice long shower, Ensen entered the kitchen and made himself some pasta and popcorn to leisurely eat as he scoured through the internet to find a good school tv show or movie.


    Finding a good amount of recommendations for ¡®High School Musical¡¯, a rather old film series.


    Binging the three movies in one sitting, Ensen quickly finished the movies.


    ¡®That was¡­ unexpected. But not bad.¡¯ He thought to himself as he looked at his phone for the time.


    Seeing that it was rather late, Ensen knew he needed to get a good night¡¯s sleep in order to do his best tomorrow.


    Heading to bed, Ensen quickly fell asleep from his exhaustion.


    After having a well-deserved rest, Ensen was woken up from his alarm clock.


    Quickly getting dressed and grabbing a piece of toast, he began to walk towards the elevator while eating.


    Suddenly, the sound of a door opening was heard by Ensen. Taking a glance behind him, he noticed that it was Kaitlin that had just left her apartment.


    Slowing his pace, Kaitlin soon caught up to him.


    ¡°Hey Kaitlin, did you like the restaurant I recommended?¡± Ensen said, purposely not mentioning that he saw her with other people there who did not seem like friends.


    ¡°Oh¡­ It was good.¡± Kaitlin said absentmindedly with dull eyes.


    ¡®Something seems wrong. She usually so guarded around people, so why does it seem like she is completely helpless right now?¡¯ Ensen thought in concern.


    ¡°Are you alright Kaitlin? You seem¡­ different than usual.¡± Ensen said after a moment.


    Pausing her footsteps, Kaitlin stood in place with tense shoulders and her dull eyes. Following her lead, Ensen stopped moving right in front of her.


    Looking closer, Ensen could see that there were bags under her eyes, telling him that she hadn¡¯t slept in quite a while.


    ¡°Ensen, what is the point in living? Only to have everybody you¡¯ve called a friend to betray you? Only to be abandoned by everybody that you love?¡± Kaitlin said with an indifferent tone of voice.


    Looking at Kaitlin with confused eyes, Ensen had no idea what happened to her.


    Standing there in front of Kaitlin, Ensen looked straight into her eyes as he pondered how to respond.


    With the hallway void of sound, a thought occurred to him.


    ¡°Who says you were abandoned? I don¡¯t know your story, but I do know that if a person truly does love you, it doesn¡¯t matter where they are. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re thinking about you every day.¡±

 Quick note

    Thanks, everybody for reading this far. Having nearly 400 people following my story is a great shock to me. I know my skills are lacking in some areas. For example, revealing plot points too late, having too much of a slow progression of the plot, and similar things.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    However, I truly believe I am improving when compared to my initial chapters. As I said before, this is the first real novel I have been committed to. I have learned tons throughout writing this novel so far that will surely help me both with continuing this story and other stories in the future.

 Chapter 50: Unexpected

    While Ensen had spoken what he believed, he was not referring to romantic love. While Ensen had dated a bit before, he was not particularly well versed in it, preferring to focus on his work instead.


    This piece of insight he thought of actually came from his relationship with his sister. Although they had been estranged for many years and Ensen truly did hate her for a while, he realized after he had met with her recently how guilty and sorry she felt.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Kaitlin said in the same neutral tone as before.


    ¡°I think it is. You probably already know its true.¡± Ensen said after considering for a moment.


    Still looking straight into her eyes, he thought he could see just the tiniest shimmer of sanity returning to her.


    ¡°Maybe your right.¡± She said before slowly turning around and walking back towards her room.


    ¡®Umm¡­ should I let her go? She doesn¡¯t exactly seem stable. But on the other hand, she probably wouldn¡¯t let me come into her room either way. I¡¯ll check up on her when I get back.¡¯ Ensen thought as he watched her slowly walk away.


    After she had entered her apartment, Ensen turned around and continued on his way.


    After a minute Ensen had got into his car and had begun to make the daily trip over to the orphanage to pick up the students.


    As he pulled beside the orphanage a while later, Ensen noticed that Anabella, Warren, and Stephen were already standing outside waiting for him although they still seem rather unadjusted towards waking up.


    In a bad mood from the conversation from earlier, Ensen grumpily looked over towards his students.


    However, the fact that they were all wearing the clothes he had gifted them elevated his mood slightly.


    Getting out of his car slowly, Ensen did his best to rid his mind of earlier for the moment.


    After casually greeting them, it was decided that Stephen would sit up front today and Anabella tomorrow.


    As Ensen drove towards the Academy, he noticed that it was quiet¡­ too quiet with Warren around right now.


    Looking in the mirror, he noticed that Warren had drifted off to sleep and was resting his head against the window softly.


    Involuntarily smiling, he turned his head to check out the other two and found out that Stephen had fallen asleep as well.


    Anabella had been staring at the bracelet Ensen had gifted her for most of the time in the car with a neutral expression.


    ¡®She really doesn¡¯t show many emotions.¡¯ Ensen thought as he pulled into the road that led to the Academy.


    After another minute they pulled into the same parking spot.


    Turning his gaze towards his two sleeping students, Ensen didn¡¯t exactly know how to wake them up.


    ¡°Hey Anabella, how should we wake them up?¡± Ensen asked, hoping that she would have an idea.


    ¡®Hmm? What is she reaching for?¡¯ Ensen thought as he saw her hand reach over towards the middle where his students had placed their stuff they had brought for the day.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡®A water bottle? What is she doing with that? Wait¡­¡¯ Ensen continued his thought as he watched her grab a water bottle and begin to open it.


    ¡°Anabella, I really don¡¯t that¡¯s¡­ necessary.¡± Ensen began to speak but Anabella seemed determined to pour water on the other two.


    In the middle of his speech, Anabella quickly took off the top and poured just a small amount of water on each of their faces.


    Nearly instantly, both Warren and Stephen woke up and looked around.


    Stephen felt the water on his face and turned around to glare at Warren.


    ¡°What? It wasn¡¯t me! It was her!¡± Warren shouted as he realized what had happened.


    ¡®Okay, I really should stop this.¡¯ Ensen thought although he was slightly entertained by their antics.


    ¡°Alright, enough everybody. Anabella, you shouldn¡¯t have poured water on them. That¡¯s not a good thing to do, okay?¡± Ensen said.


    As Anabella slowly nodded, Warren and Stephen glared at Anabella with annoyed eyes.


    Seeing this, Ensen thought to himself ¡®Wait, is it okay to make her apologize? She doesn¡¯t really talk so I¡¯m not sure.¡¯


    After a moment of considering, Ensen decided to do so to ease the hostilities. ¡°Anabella, apologize to Warren and Stephen. That¡¯s not a good way to wake up people.¡±


    Waiting for a few seconds, Anabella looked at both of her victims before grabbing all of her things.


    Quietly saying ¡°Sorry.¡± She swiftly opened the door and bolted towards the front door.


    ¡®Looks like I had the wrong idea about her, she can have fun sometimes. She surely seems in a good mood today. Wait, is she a bigger trouble maker than Warren?¡¯ Ensen thought in surprise.


    Smiling in defeat, both Warren and Stephen began to grab their things and got out of the car.


    Slowly following their lead, Ensen got out of the car and began walking towards the entrance.


    Seeing Anabella the perpetrator standing before the locked door while holding her arm out to look at her bracelet more, Ensen thought ¡®She really does love that thing, looks like I made the right choice.¡¯


    Passing her and unlocking the door, Ensen held the door open as his three students walked inside.


    Turning his head to them, he said lightly ¡°So your first class will start in 20 minutes, so feel free to do whatever you¡¯d like for now. But no more playing with water.¡±


    Looking at his students, he swore that Anabella smirked for a moment before returning to her neutral face.


    As they all began to walk around the school, Ensen made his way towards the teacher¡¯s lounge. Opening the door, he noticed that Gerhardt was already sitting quietly on the couch for a little while at the very least considering how comfortable he looked.


    ¡°Morning Gerhardt, ready for your first class today?¡± Ensen said with a smile.


    Getting up from the couch, Gerhardt said ¡°Yes principal. I¡¯ve prepared a little outline, although I cannot be certain about where to start because I am unsure of their knowledge in the field.¡±


    Nodding slightly, Ensen said ¡°I will be giving them a little quiz to see where you should begin. It won¡¯t be graded of course.¡±


    Agreeing with his plan, Gerhardt stretched his arms.


    ¡°You seem a little tired. How¡­ is your world doing?¡± Ensen said after a moment of hesitation.


    Looking at Ensen straight in the eye, Gerhardt lowered his head slightly before saying ¡°The situation¡­ is not looking good.¡±


    Noticing that he was unwilling to speak any further on the matter, Ensen uttered a word of apology before their conversation was interrupted by a shout in the hallway.


    ¡°Oh, hey Brian!¡±


    ¡®Well, I think I know who that is. I should probably go greet them.¡¯ Ensen thought.


    ¡°Looks like all of the students have arrived. I¡¯m going to go see them, feel free to follow me.¡± Ensen said as he turned around and walked towards the door.


    As he arrived in the hallway near where the voices could be heard, Ensen noticed that his other two students, Leah and Brian were also wearing clothes that he gifted yesterday.


    After both Ensen and Gerhardt greeted them, they all headed to their classroom together.


    After entering the classroom, they noticed that Anabella had already arrived there and was sitting in the front row reading a book.


    Knowing that there were a few more minutes left until class started, Ensen excused himself and walked towards the music room.


    Entering the room, he walked towards the piano slowly before sitting down on the piano bench.


    Resting his hands halfway on either side of the piano, Ensen felt awkward in this position.


    Quickly deciding to pull out his phone, he looked up piano songs for beginners before finding one.


    Resting his phone in a position so he could see the notes, Ensen began to play¡­ rather terribly.


    However, he quickly adjusted to the new experience as he felt a strange sensation inside his brain.


    As the song proceeded he found himself more and more in tune with the piano to the point where he simply did not need to think about where to move his hand next as it was ingrained into his mind.


    Three minutes later with a satisfied smile, Ensen finished the song gracefully.


    Slowly bringing his hands to a resting position, he grabbed his phone and decided to look up a more difficult song. However, after noticing the time, he knew that he didn¡¯t have enough time to do so.


    Reluctantly getting up from the bench, Ensen began to walk towards the classroom.


    Noticing that Stephen was a little ahead of him, they both quickly arrived in the classroom.


    After scanning the classroom, he nodded in approval when he realized that everybody was currently in the classroom.


    However, their seating arrangement was¡­ quite peculiar.


    Anabella sat front and center, whereas Leah and Stephen sat in the second row next to the window. Warren and Brian also sat near the window in the back row.


    ¡®Brian is probably sitting in the back row just because Warren is. I¡¯m sure he would be in the front row otherwise.¡¯ Ensen thought as he looked at the time.


    It was time to start class.

 Chapter 51: Curse of the quiz

    Stepping to the front of the class, Ensen clapped his hands five times at different intervals to make a basic rhythm.


    This act immediately got the students¡¯ attention, well all but the two people sitting in the back row, Warren and Brian.


    Deciding to clap louder this time, he repeated the same rhythm while staring at the two.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Warren shouted as he realized what was going on.


    Unlike Warren, Brain simply looked down in embarrassment as everybody in the class had been staring at them.


    Lightly clearing his throat to regain everybody¡¯s attention, Ensen began to speak. ¡°Alright, so this is your guy¡¯s first real class so I¡¯ll just go over a few things before we start.¡±


    Pausing for a moment, Ensen looked at the teacher¡¯s desk with two separate stacks of paper. One stack had five pieces of paper with the class schedule printed out on each one.


    Walking over to pick up the papers, Ensen continued with his speech ¡°I¡¯ll be giving you a piece of paper with the schedule of your classes for this semester, so do your best to either keep it or memorize your classes. If you lose it somehow it is not a big deal, but please do your best to keep it.¡±


    Grabbing the papers, Ensen began to walk around the classroom and give each student a copy of the schedule.


    There were a total of four different classes in total at the moment at Evergreen Academy, English, Math, Music, and Gym. Although Gym was currently run by Ensen who¡­ was not the most qualified teacher. But for the moment it would be fine.


    Although Ensen would love to have other important classes such as social studies, science, and similar things, he simply did not have the manpower at the moment.


    As things stand right now he was teaching three different classes. While there were only five students, Ensen was trying to do his best to create a lesson plan that could be used for other classes in the future which limited his time by quite a bit.


    While Ensen didn¡¯t particularly mind all of the busywork, if he took on too much work at once the quality of the work would severely decline, which was the one thing Ensen didn¡¯t want. After all, this Academy was supposed to be an elite institution in the future, he couldn¡¯t go around designing subpar lesson plans.


    ¡°Alright, now can somebody tell me what class this is supposed to be now? Look at the schedule to see.¡± Ensen asked, making sure that the students understood how the schedule worked. Even though it seemed pretty simple, he wanted to be sure just in case.


    After a few seconds, Leah raised her voice and said ¡°Right now is¡­ English, principal.¡±


    Nodding in agreement, Ensen continued ¡°That is right, so I¡¯ll be handing the classroom over to Mr. Gerhardt who will continue.¡±


    Looking towards Gerhardt who had been standing next to the door since he arrived at the classroom earlier, Ensen slowly walked towards the back of the classroom to spectate as Gerhardt began to stiffly walk upfront.


    ¡®Oh, is he nervous? Well, luckily there are only five students here for now, if there were more I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he fainted.¡¯ Ensen thought as Gerhardt began to speak.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°Welcome to English everybody. Now I understand that people may have varying degrees of knowledge about the English language, but no need to worry about that. I will make sure that every student will learn as much as they can this semester.¡± Gerhardt said.


    Pausing for a moment to seemingly consider how to properly phrase the next part, Gerhardt said slowly ¡°Now there will be just a simple quiz to determine where all of you are at which you will have 30 minutes to complete..¡±


    As soon as Gerhardt stopped speaking, audible sighs filled the room.


    ¡®I guess everybody hates tests, fair enough.¡¯ Ensen thought.


    Making eye contact with Gerhardt, Ensen tried to signal something with his eyes.


    Noticing the odd behavior Ensen was showing, Gerhardt turned his gaze towards him and simply stared at him for a few seconds before realizing what he had been trying to signal.


    ¡°This quiz will not be marked or affect your grade in any way, it¡¯s just to find out where we should begin our class.¡± Gerhardt clarified.


    Although the students seemed a little better after hearing that, they still weren¡¯t too keen on taking a quiz.


    As Gerhardt began to hand out the quizzes that had been lying on the teacher¡¯s desk beforehand, the students had begun to work.


    The questions varied in difficulty, from putting proper punctuation in sentences, spelling, and similar things.


    Anabella, Brian, and Stephen seemed relatively composed as they slowly answered the questions whereas Leah seemed more nervous than the others, evident by her slowly tapping her foot.


    Warren on the other hand had¡­ an interesting reaction. He seemed to be having trouble focusing as he stared outside the window for a long period of time before even taking a glance at his sheet. After that, although he had been able to make a little bit of progress he still seemed to be having trouble focusing.


    Mentally making a note for himself to keep an eye on Warren¡¯s focus level in class for the next few days, Ensen leaned on the wall as the 30 minutes that the students had to work on the quiz slowly passed by.


    ¡°Please put down your pens everybody. Thank you for writing the quiz.¡± Gerhardt said as he walked around and collected the sheets.


    After he collected them all, Gerhardt returned to his desk and took a quick glance at the papers to make sure everybody had written their names.


    ¡°Alright everybody, I will look through your quizzes later today and evaluate where we are currently at. But at the moment, let¡¯s write a journal entry. I will not be reading your journal, I will simply take a quick glance to check that you have written something. Each class will have a brief journal writing period with a different topic each week, this week¡¯s topic is about your favorite season. So state your favorite season and write why you like it so much.¡± Gerhardt said calmly.


    ¡®He adjusted rather quickly, while he still seems a little nervous it is way better than before.¡¯ Ensen thought.


    Satisfied with how Gerhardt had been conducting his class so far, Ensen decided to do some work while the class was going on.


    Quietly walking towards the door, Ensen decided to head towards his office.


    Even though he had his own personal room, he had not checked the place out before even though he helped furnish it.


    Opening the room to the principal''s office, Ensen noticed a rather beautiful oak desk in the middle of the room with a cushioned chair in front of the desk for visitors to sit. On the desk was only a computer at the moment as Ensen did not personalize the office yet. There was also a small coffee table and couch to the left.


    A rather large window was on the left wall, giving vision towards the front of the school, although the blinds were currently closed.


    Nodding in satisfaction, Ensen walked over towards the desk and sat down. Quickly starting up the computer, he proceeded to do research about various topics for the rest of the time.


    A while later Ensen looked at the time and noticed that it was about time for the class to end.


    Getting out of the seat and stretching his arms, he began to return to the classroom.


    Slowly opening the door to try not to cause a distraction, Ensen sneaked to the back of the classroom, although everybody had noticed him entering.


    Luckily for him, he seemed to arrive at the perfect time as Gerhardt was just ending his class.


    ¡°Alright everybody, that concludes the first English class. I know the quiz may have been hard but I¡¯m sure you all did well. If you have any questions about class today or questions about the class going forward, please talk to me later.¡± Gerhardt said calmly.


    As he had finished, Gerhardt looked at Ensen as if asking ¡®What should I do now?¡¯


    Mentally laughing at Gerhardt¡¯s expression, Ensen slowly walked towards the front of the class with a smile on his face.


    ¡°So that¡¯s your first class done, I hope it was alright. So now is math class, then there will be a little break afterward.¡±


    Beginning his teaching, Ensen soon broke his student¡¯s hearts when he declared that there would be another quiz similar to earlier in English.


    However he really couldn¡¯t help it, none of them had any formal education so Ensen really didn¡¯t know anything about their knowledge in the slightest.


    It seemed like it would remain this way for a while for new classes as Ensen¡¯s recruiting pool mainly consisted of those either too poor or in too remote of a place for proper education.


    As such, it seemed like he would be destined to break his students heart¡¯s in the future.

 Chapter 52: Late

    As the math quiz was slowly being worked on by the students, Ensen kept a close eye on Warren to check if he was having trouble focusing on math too.


    Just like he suspected, it seemed like Warren had trouble focusing on quizzes at the very least.


    As the first math class slowly passed by, Ensen noticed that Gerhardt left the classroom at some point, most likely to look at the quizzes to help understand the classroom better.¡¯


    While there was not much they could do in the first class, there were still some small things they could start.


    Like this, the class ended.


    ¡°Alright everybody, so that was the first math class. There will now be a break before your last class of the day, Music. Gym class will start tomorrow as you can see on your schedule.¡± Ensen said.


    Walking towards the door after grabbing the now completed math quizzes, Ensen held it open while the students began to get out of their chairs slowly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go exploring, Brian! I bet there¡¯s a bunch of cool stuff around here.¡± Warren said in excitement.


    ¡°Hold up Warren. Don¡¯t go too far in the forest, I don¡¯t want you guys getting lost. Understand?¡± Ensen said with a strict tone.


    Surprised that Ensen had overheard his conversation, Warren said in defeat ¡°Fine, we will stay close to school. I bet there are cool things near school anyways.¡±


    ¡®There are cool things in the school though!¡¯ Ensen thought in his head as he held back from shouting.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Also, remember to keep an eye on the time with your watch.¡± Ensen said as he began to walk towards his office once again.


    Resting in his chair, Ensen placed the quizzes on the table as he leaned back in his chair and slowly began to read them.


    ¡®Hmm¡­ so Anabella, Brian, and Stephen all completed the quiz with a little time to spare, which is nice. While a few questions are wrong the majority aren¡¯t, so it seems like there will be no problems with that.¡¯ Ensen thought as he read the papers.


    Slowly getting up out of his chair, Ensen opened the blinds that had been blocking both the sun and the view from his office.


    Looking outside for a moment, Ensen noticed that he could see Brian and Warren walking around the edge of the forest, seemingly looking around.


    ¡®Well as long as they don¡¯t go in, right?¡¯ He thought after staring at them for a moment.


    Remembering to keep an eye on the two, he began to move onto the following two papers, Warren and Leah.


    Leah seemed to struggle with the questions quite a bit, evident by the scribbled out answers that littered the paper. While she did through an okay amount of questions, it left much to be desired.


    Warren¡¯s quiz, on the other hand, was quite different compared to the others. The majority of the quiz had not been answered or even gave the signs of the question being attempted.


    Instead, drawings on an s with straight lines were drawn throughout the quiz.


    ¡®What an odd drawing. Warren will definitely need help with focusing in class. Leah seemed to be trying her hardest on the quiz, she just needs a bit more knowledge to get there.¡¯ Ensen thought.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Now that he had a decent understanding of his student¡¯s mathematical abilities he could begin to make a plan.


    As time quickly passed, Ensen looked at the current time and realized that the break was about to be over. Slowly getting up from his chair, Ensen looked outside only to see that Warren and Brian had disappeared at some point.


    Hoping that they had already arrived at the music room, Ensen began to make his way there with hastened steps.


    Noticing that only Leah was currently in the room staring at the piano intensely did Ensen truly begin to worry.


    Leaning against the wall close to the door, he shut his eyes as the clock began to slowly count down towards when class would start.


    With a slight vibration from his pocket, Ensen knew that class had just begun as he had set timers for it.


    Opening his eyes, he looked around the classroom to only see Stephen, Anabella, and Leah who was still intensely staring at the piano.


    Ignoring Leah¡¯s odd behavior for the moment, Ensen looked outside the music room door into the hallway to see if Warren and Brian were walking down, but there was no sign of them.


    ¡°Does anybody know where Warren and Brian are? The class has just started.¡± Ensen asked in a serious tone.


    Seeing the others in the room shake their heads, Ensen quickly excused himself for the moment as he walked into the hallway and began making his way towards the front entrance of the school.


    Arriving at the front door, Ensen quickly opened it and looked towards where he had seen them previously.


    Surprisingly, Ensen could see Warren and Brian walking towards the front door.


    As they noticed Ensen at the front door, staring at them they both felt embarrassed as they hastened their pace slightly.


    As they arrived in front of Ensen, he asked ¡°Where were you guys? The class has already started.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ we¡­ we got lost.¡± Warren said in shame.


    Looking at Brian nodding in agreement to the side, Ensen sighed.


    ¡°Were you guys hurt?¡± Ensen asked in concern.


    Seeing them shaking their heads no, he continued.


    ¡°I told you guys to not go far into the forest. You''re lucky you made it out this quick. What were you guys thinking?¡± Ensen said in a strict voice that Brian and Warren had never heard before.


    ¡°We saw a big rock that looked comfy to lay down on but¡­¡± Brian said in a soft voice.


    Mentally face-palming at the reason, Ensen audibly sighed.


    ¡°You guys need to be more careful. I don¡¯t want you to go into the forest anymore unless it¡¯s with a teacher. Understand?¡±


    Seeing both of his students nodding, Ensen continued ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head to class now.¡±


    After walking for a minute they had arrived at the music room.


    Seeing everybody in the room look at them, their cheeks flushed in embarrassment as Ensen slowly walked up to the front of the room.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s begin class now. Unlike the other classes, there won¡¯t be a quiz here so you can relax.¡± Ensen said.


    Hearing an audible sigh of relief engulf the room, Ensen felt his mood become slightly better.


    ¡°Now who has played an instrument before?¡± Ensen asked.


    Looking at the five students who were scanning the room in curiosity, Anabella slowly raised her hand and uttered one word ¡°Triangle.¡±


    Seeing everybody¡¯s puzzled face, Stephen raised his voice to clarify. ¡°We did a little play at the orphanage when we were younger, and she played the triangle. Warren was a tree.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t think that last part was necessary but¡­ oh well.¡¯ Ensen thought as he nodded.


    As everybody in the room nodded their head in satisfaction after Stephen''s answer, Ensen spoke.


    ¡°Impressive. There is nothing wrong with playing the Triangle as an instrument. Believe it or not, the Triangle is rather old and has been used for centuries. But anyway, the main instrument we will be learning in music class is the piano, although the music theory learned here can be applied in most places.¡± Ensen said before pausing for a moment.


    ¡°Is anybody interested in playing the piano?¡± Ensen asked, trying to gauge the general interest.


    As he asked the question, he prayed in his heart that Leah would raise her hand, otherwise, it put a fork in his plan as it was a rather important chain mission.


    However he was not too worried that she wouldn¡¯t, after all she was staring at the piano for at least 10 minutes which was¡­ something.


    Just as he suspected, Leah raised her hand as straight as she could in a swift motion. Surprisingly, Stephen also raised his hand after a few seconds and it seemed rather hesitant.


    As a bright smile emerged on Ensen¡¯s face, he continued. ¡°That¡¯s good to see, I¡¯m sure you guys will be great at the piano. While learning the piano takes a lot of hard work, it is definitely worth it. Even if not the piano, learning an instrument, in general, would be great.¡±


    Taking a short pause, Ensen saw Leah raise her hand.


    ¡°Yes Leah, do you have a question?¡± Ensen asked.


    ¡°Umm yeah. I don¡¯t know how to say this but¡­ I feel like the piano is trying to speak to me.¡± She said after thinking for a moment about how to word it.


    ¡®That¡¯s¡­ interesting. I guess it wouldn¡¯t be impossible considering the item I imbued into it, but I¡¯m not sure. System! Help please.¡¯ Ensen thought in his mind.


    [While an item trying to communicate with a normal human without a system is not unheard of, it is relatively rare and only happens in a few situations because of the universe¡¯s restrictions. However, the combination of the Music generalist and Songwriting skills that Leah has may be able to slightly bypass the restrictions. Because of this slight bypass, she is able to sense that the piano is trying to speak to her but not the actual words.]


    Nodding in understanding after taking all of the information in for a moment, Ensen asked another question. ¡®Why didn¡¯t it try to communicate with me then?¡¯


    [Because it only talks to those who are talented in music.]

 Chapter 53: Unexpected Ally

    ¡®That¡¯s a little harsh.¡¯ Ensen thought as he turned his attention back to his class.


    As Ensen continued the lesson, it soon came to an end.


    He spent the majority of the time introducing the main topics that the course would cover as well as a brief introduction about the piano itself.


    After class ended, Warren, Brian, and even Stephen sprinted out the door.


    ¡®Where are they running? They do know I¡¯m their drive home, right? Well, they seem to be adapting well either way, so I don¡¯t mind.¡¯ Ensen thought as he saw them run into the hallway.


    Turning his attention to the remaining two people in the classroom, Ensen noticed that Leah was once again staring at the piano.


    After a few moments, she began to walk up slowly to the piano before sitting on the bench before it.


    Resting her hands on it for a moment, she began to press down on random keys to see what kind of sound they played.


    After watching Leah for a minute or so, Ensen looked at the time. Knowing that he should get back as soon as he could to check on Kaitlin, he spoke loudly to Leah to try to be audible over all the noise.


    ¡°Leah, you¡¯re free to play on the piano tomorrow for your break, but I need to drive the other students home. Wanna go find your brother to take home?¡± Ensen said.


    Leah stopped pressing down on the keys and paused for a moment before slowly standing up.


    Smiling at the piano, she turned around and faced Ensen.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go find him,¡± Leah said as she began to head towards the door.


    As she left the room, Ensen asked Anabella to head towards the front entrance as he made his way to the staff room to check on if Gerhardt had left already.


    Entering the room, the soon found the small stack of completed quizzes lying under the head of Gerhardt who seemingly fell asleep while reviewing them.


    Upon seeing this, Ensen thought ¡®I¡¯m sure he feels a lot safer in this place, I don¡¯t really have any reason to wake him up. He can go back to his own world whenever he wants.¡¯


    Quietly making his way back towards the door, he slowly shut it.


    After a few minutes, everybody was rounded up outside of the building.


    As the two siblings began walking home, the others got into Ensen¡¯s car.


    The drive was relatively quiet today as well, most likely because they were rather tired from the two quizzes today.


    After dropping the students off for the day, Ensen decided to make a quick stop at a local store to pick up something for Kaitlin.


    Making his way to Kaitlin¡¯s apartment, he soon stood in front of her door with a box in his hand that held an apple pie inside.


    Knocking on the door with his free hand, Ensen stood there for a few moments before beginning to feel worried like earlier again.


    Raising his hand to knock firmly on the door again, Ensen soon saw somebody peeking through the peephole.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Sighing in relief, he said, ¡°Open up for a second Kaitlin, I have a gift.¡±


    After hearing the sound of four locks coming undone, the door cracked open slightly and Kaitlin peeked her head out.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± She said coldly.


    ¡®Oh, back to her usual voice? That¡¯s a good sign.¡¯ Ensen thought.


    ¡°I brought you a pie.¡± He said.


    She paused for a moment to look down at his hand which held a white box.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your handouts,¡± Kaitlin said in an annoyed voice before starting to close the door.


    Out of reflex, Ensen extended his foot to stop the door from closing all the way.


    ¡®I hope she doesn¡¯t cut my foot off.¡¯ Ensen prayed as he simply stood there in silence.


    After standing there in silence for what seemed like hours, he heard a small sigh from the other side of the door.


    The door opened as far as he had ever seen before as Kaitlin stood there in baggy clothes that she seemed to randomly throw on earlier.


    ¡°... Come inside.¡± She said.


    Feeling slightly nervous, Ensen slowly entered her apartment, taking his shoes off at the entrance.


    Following Kaitlin who had begun walking towards the living room, he soon realized that the apartment was rather the opposite of what he had assumed.


    All of the furniture seemed rather trendy at the moment, it was also nearly immaculate at the same time.


    As Kaitlin sat down on an accent chair, Ensen sat opposite her on the couch after placing the pie on the coffee table in the middle.


    Silence ruled the air for minutes as Kaitlin seemed rather hesitant, seemingly deciding on something in her head.


    As another sigh escaped her mouth, she began to speak.


    ¡°You seemed rather curious about me. I¡¯m not sure why you are, but I need somebody to talk to and you¡¯re the only person who will listen.¡± She said in a gentler voice than usual.


    After pausing for a moment, she continued. ¡°Do you want to know why I¡¯ve been acting so paranoid? I thought that my ¡®friends¡¯ who betrayed me were going to come for me. But¡­ they didn¡¯t even give me the slightest thought.¡±


    As she finished her speech, silence returned to the room for a minute before Ensen finally broke it.


    ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± Ensen said in confusion, not understanding her motive behind it.


    ¡°Well¡­ I might as well tell somebody about my life before I leave this earth.¡± She said in a seemingly remorseful tone.


    ¡°Leave this earth?¡± Ensen muttered under his breath before looking at Kaitlin in panic.


    ¡°Kaitlin, you don¡¯t want to do this. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find new friends who-¡± Ensen said hurriedly, not having time to fully work out what to say.


    ¡°Maybe, but it¡¯s too late either way.¡± She said after sighing and looking up into the sky.


    Staring at Kaitlin in confusion, Ensen took a deep breath and said ¡°Why would you want to end your life like this?¡±


    As Kaitlin¡¯s eyes radiated confusion at the question, she said calmly ¡°Why would I want to end my life? I said I¡¯m leaving Earth.¡±


    ¡®Ehh? That was literal? Wait how can she even leave Earth?¡¯ Ensen thought.


    ¡°What do you mean by that? How are you going to leave Earth?¡± Ensen asked.


    Kaitlin paused for a moment as she seemingly collected her thoughts before slowly speaking.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll understand, but I was chosen by something called a system a few days ago. I wasn¡¯t sure if I was going to accept because I thought I had people here who cared for me. But¡­ now that I know there is nobody, I can leave without any regrets.¡± She said.


    ¡®Umm¡­ what? System! What is even happening here?!¡¯ Ensen shouted in his mind.


    [So¡­ basically¡­ how should I explain this?] The system wrote as a message appeared before Ensen.


    ¡®What? You now too? Just explain it.¡¯ Ensen thought in annoyance.


    [Fine. This might come as a shock to you but¡­ I told my friend to contact her. He¡¯s been looking for a good host for a while and I couldn¡¯t let this opportunity pass by.]


    ¡®So you told your friend to take my friend to another world?¡¯ Ensen thought, even further annoyed.


    [Hey, it was her choice. Plus, it is a good opportunity for her. The Supreme Sect Establishment System is a nice guy.]


    ¡®The Sect Establishment System? Sounds¡­ decent.¡¯ Ensen thought as he tried to think logically.


    [Don¡¯t forget the Supreme part! That¡¯s very disrespectful to systems.]


    ¡®Fine, Supreme Sect Establishment System. Will I ever see her again?¡¯ Ensen thought.


    [I¡­ I wasn¡¯t going to bring this up now, but one of the main reasons I and the Heavenly Sect Establishment System are such close friends is because there are lots of opportunities for the collaboration of our hosts. But there are no guarantees of course since the decision ultimately rests between you two.]


    ¡®That¡­ makes sense. Why are you both Supreme rank systems? I thought one would be a rank down.¡¯ Ensen thought as he sighed to himself.


    [Well¡­ people sometimes call me an off-brand of my friend¡­ but I¡¯m used to it by now. I¡­ I am also losing my lead and might derank to Heavingly, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll change that.]


    ¡®You sure seem confident, I¡¯ll try my best but no promises.¡¯ Ensen thought after thinking for a moment.


    Turning his attention towards Kaitlin once again, he began to speak.


    ¡°I completely understand what you mean. I have a system too, you know.¡± Ensen said in resignation, knowing that there would be no changing her decision.


    ¡°Wait, you do?¡± Kaitlin said in confusion.


    ¡®She doesn¡¯t seem too cold, maybe she¡¯s starting to open up to me? Well, she probably thinks its the last time we¡¯ll meet anyways.¡¯ Ensen thought.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, actually our systems are friends apparently. We will most likely even have missions together in the future. So, here¡¯s to a good partnership.¡± Ensen said, holding his hand out for a handshake.


    ¡®Wait, is she embarrassed?¡¯ Ensen thought as he saw her cheeks light up.

 Chapter 54: Departing

    After Kaitlin hesitantly shook Ensen¡¯s hand, they both sat in silence as they both thought about each other. Kaitlin was still shocked that Ensen also had a system and was embarrassed by her opening up to him. After all, she had only really opened up to her family and her late husband.


    Ensen was more curious about what kind of world she would be heading to and things of that nature.


    Trying to end the silence, Ensen stood up slowly and asked ¡°Would you like some pie while we sit?¡±


    Absentmindedly nodding her head, Ensen walked over to the kitchen and started searching around for plates and utensils. After a minute he managed to find some and bring them over.


    After cutting a piece for both of them, they continued to sit in silence and leisurely eat the pie.


    ¡°So, when are you leaving for the other world?¡± Ensen asked.


    ¡°Whenever I want to really, although it will probably be today. Now that I know we can still talk in the future I have no worries.¡± Kaitlin said calmly, although Ensen thought that he could detect a little happiness in her voice.


    ¡®Wait, she was worried about me? What does that mean? Probably not in a romantic way since her husband just recently passed, so does she consider me a friend?¡¯ Ensen thought in confusion.


    As Ensen began to overthink her words, Kaitlin leaned back in her chair and let out a light smile, a smile that had been hidden from the world for many days.


    ¡°So what is your system then? I thought I was the only one.¡± She said in a relaxed tone.


    ¡®Looks like I thawed the ice queen¡¯ Ensen thought in triumph.


    ¡°I have the Supreme Private Academy System, so if you need any help with teaching your sect members, just ask me,¡± Ensen said as he finished off his piece of the pie.


    ¡°Then we really will have a good chance to collaborate. Why do you know I¡¯ll have sect members?¡± She asked in confusion.


    ¡°Oh, my system told me that,¡± Ensen said.


    As time slowly passed, Kaitlin seemed more and more at peace with her decision to leave the world for a new adventure.


    ¡°... I think it¡¯s about time.¡± Kaitlin said as she slowly got up from her seat.


    ¡°I guess it is. Do you have anything else to say?¡± Ensen asked.


    Shaking her head lightly, Kaitlin soon paused for a moment and said ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t really know what to do with my stuff. My apartment lease is up next month and I have some extra money lying around somewhere.¡±


    ¡°But the money is¡­ connected to some illegal businesses so it can¡¯t really be used much. Not for big transactions at the very least, especially those involving the government.¡± Kaitlin warned.


    Looking at Kaitlin, Ensen¡¯s mind was nearly exploding in curiosity about why she had dirty money. But he held his questions back as he didn¡¯t want her last memory on Earth to be him questioning her.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Looking at the apartment and the purse that was lying on the kitchen table, Ensen said hesitantly ¡°I¡¯ll find something to do with it¡­ thank you. I¡¯ll repay you in the future.¡±


    ¡°No it¡¯s fine, it would just go to waste anyway.¡± She said before looking intensely at the space before her, seemingly reading something.


    After a few seconds, she raised her voice. ¡°It looks like I need to go now. We¡¯ll talk again soon.¡±


    Suddenly a tear in space appeared before her, similar to what happened when Gerhardt came from his own world.


    Looking at Kaitlin as she began slowly walking towards the portal to the new world, Ensen noticed something.


    Even though she seemed prepared to take on the world, she also seemed rather nervous.


    But who could really blame her? It was completely reasonable.


    Trying to help her relax, Ensen said: ¡°Try to send me your first sect member soon, I need as many students as I can get.¡±


    Turning her head to look back at Ensen, she breathed out to relax and began to walk through the portal.


    A few seconds later, the void had begun to heal itself.


    Looking around the apartment, Ensen felt alone. Even though they would speak again, he didn¡¯t know if they would meet face to face. Even if they did, that would be a long ways away.


    [Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll meet again. Besides, I, the almighty Supreme Private Academy System will be here!]


    Looking at the message before his eyes, Ensen sat down on the couch and simply let his thoughts take over to try to distract himself.


    After unsuccessfully trying to rid his head of negative thoughts for a rather long time, he finally succeeded.


    Ensen then turned his attention to the new slew of information he had just learned.


    ¡®She¡¯s right about the dirty money, I really can¡¯t use it much at all. It would be helpful to have some more money, but I think I¡¯ll be able to last longer if I manage to use a little dirty money to supplement my normal expenses.¡¯ Ensen thought reasonably.


    ¡°Hey system, do you know how much money Kaitlin had?¡± Ensen asked.


    [She had around two hundred thousand in clean money and just over one million in dirty money. However, an extra five million will be transferred in two days, this money is considered clean but is being traced by a large syndicate so using the money in the near future would be unwise.] The system reported to Ensen.


    ¡°F-five million? How did she?¡± Ensen muttered to himself.


    ¡°Wait, can you transfer the money from that account into another and make it untraceable?¡± Ensen said with glowing eyes.


    A few seconds later, the system wrote bluntly [100 education points.]


    ¡°What? That¡¯s a total ripoff, I could get way better stuff for that.¡± Ensen protested.


    [It is not a ripoff, host. The system would have to create financial records from thin air as well as manipulate the memories of multiple individuals to ensure that it will not be traced as well as being legal in the law so the host wouldn¡¯t be in trouble. This is a significant amount of effort, especially considering that it is not my strong suit. But, since I am so benevolent I am willing to do it for you.]


    ¡°Benevolent? Yeah right.¡± Ensen said in annoyance, although he didn¡¯t really mean it.¡¯


    In reality, while Ensen would love to have the extra five million, he didn¡¯t have a great use for it at the moment. While the operating costs of the Academy were relatively expensive due to its remote area, it was a small building which kept expenses to a minimum.


    The most important thing that Ensen needed was time and education points. Time to nurture star students who would inspire others to apply at his Academy. After all, parents would not want to send their children to a nameless Academy when there were others like SilverLeaf and Littlewood in the city.


    And education points just to generally strengthen and further develop the Academy.


    Putting the money situation at the back of his mind for the moment, Ensen looked around in Kaitlin¡¯s purse until he found the key to the apartment.


    After locking her apartment up, Ensen headed back into her room.


    ¡®Well, I at least have a bit more clean money, although it¡¯ll be a hassle if people find out I¡¯m using a person¡¯s bank card after they disappeared from the face of the Earth so I¡¯ll hold off on that for a bit.¡¯ Ensen thought.


    Walking towards his kitchen, Ensen prayed in his heart that Kaitlin would be well there.


    As the rest of the day quickly raced by, the moon both emerged and disappeared, and as the sun began to rise, so did Ensen.


    After preparing for school, he headed into the kitchen to make a few peanut butter and jam sandwiches for his students. While they had brought food from home to eat yesterday since there was no culinary staff, Ensen didn¡¯t want to put more strain on the already crumbling orphanage.


    As Ensen got into his car and pulled up in front of the orphanage sometime later, the day he had been dreading had come.


    Looking at Anabella who was sitting upfront with him, he looked in the rear-view mirror at Warren and Stephen who were both sitting in the back.


    ¡®I can already sense the mischief they¡¯ll get up to.¡¯ Ensen thought as he began driving to school.


    Unlike what he had thought, today had been the quietest morning drive to date. Anabella was reading a book, as usual, Stephen was staring out the window and Warren¡­ was playing the air guitar. Although weird, Ensen accepted it in turn for peace and quiet.


    After they arrived at school, the morning math class started not long after. While the students tried their best, it was a rather slow class. This was because everybody was still adjusting to their lives as students.


    Ensen was no different, even though he had been a teacher for a few years he had lots of more responsibilities on his shoulders.

 Chapter 55: Returning to the auction house

    Besides the three classes that he was teaching, Ensen was still rather inexperienced with the administration part of the Academy. While the system had boosted his abilities in this area slightly from his last completed mission, it didn¡¯t change his lack of confidence in his abilities.


    Luckily the students were all rather nice and didn¡¯t run into any trouble as of yet, beside Warren and Brian but that was relatively minor.


    After Math class had ended, Ensen led the class to the back of the school, near the lake for their first Gym class.


    Panicking on the inside even though he worked hard last night to come up with a good activity for the first class, Ensen screamed in his mind ¡®I¡¯m not a Gym teacher!¡¯


    Although Ensen had never taught a Music class he could take lots of elements from his Math class to use, so it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Combined with his skill and knowledge about the piano, he was actually a decent music teacher.


    Looking at his students who wore lighter clothes for Gym class, Ensen steeled his mind and began class.


    ¡°Alright guys, come stand in front of me for a moment,¡± Ensen said.


    As all of the students gathered up, Ensen spoke with a loud voice to ensure everybody heard him.


    ¡°Alright, so this is the first Gym class. Unlike the other classes, this will be a more relaxed class. We will try to cover lots of different activities such as soccer, archery, hiking, and lots more.¡± Ensen said.


    ¡°Today we will do some team-building exercises though. There are five of you so¡­ how about we do boys versus girls?¡± He pondered after a brief pause.


    ¡°Yeah! We¡¯ll take them down!¡± Warren shouted.


    ¡°That sounds good,¡± Leah said more relaxed, although she too seemed rather excited.


    ¡®I did not expect this reaction, even Anabella seemed a little excited.¡¯ Ensen thought in confusion.


    Since the girls only had two people compared to the boys three, they would be given a small advantage to help level the playing field.


    ¡°Alright, everybody line up there and we will get started. The winning team gets¡­ bragging rights?¡± Ensen said, not knowing what to give them.


    Unexpectedly this seemed to encourage the students even more.


    ¡®I really have competitive student¡¯s don¡¯t I?¡¯ Ensen thought, not knowing how to feel about it.


    As the students were lined up in a relay-style facing the school building, Ensen began telling them their first task.


    ¡°Alright, so the first team to three wins will be the winner. The first task is to run to the school building and return. Everybody in the team has to do this, but can¡¯t go until the person in front of them does. Anabella, you will have to go twice.¡± Ensen said.


    As everybody nodded in agreement, the competition officially started with Ensen shouting ¡°Go!¡±


    As a few moments passed, Ensen thought to himself ¡®Why is Anabella so fast? Is she a Cheetah in disguise?¡¯


    Anabella returned to her line in an impressive time as Leah took off.


    Even though she was visibly slower than Anabella, she still did decently and managed to come back just as the second member of the boys team, Warren was just touching the school wall.


    Once Leah returned, Anabella the Cheetah took off once again.


    ¡°Go, Anabella!¡± Leah shouted in excitement.


    On the other side, the boy''s team looked at Anabella returning to her line in defeat.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°We¡¯ll win the next one!¡± Warren shouted.


    The second task was similar, just that they had to do it with only one foot instead.


    As the second round began, Ensen noticed that Anabella seemed rather unstable hopping on one foot. Moving closer to her in case she fell, he nearly caught her a few times when she lost her balance but she managed to pull through.


    Luckily for the girls, Stephen seemed to have even worse balance when compared to Anabella.


    It was a miracle that he managed to return to the line without falling down.


    As the girls celebrated their second victory, Ensen thought ¡®Maybe that wasn¡¯t the best idea.¡¯


    Soon after the final game began, and without much drama, the girls dominated again.


    ¡°Looks like we won Anabella. Well, not much of a surprise.¡± Leah said loudly, making sure the boys overheard her.


    Holding back his laughter, Ensen ended Gym class for the day. The final class would be English, although Ensen wouldn¡¯t be overseeing it.


    He spent the rest of the day in his office trying to create lesson plans.


    As the class would soon be getting out, Ensen packed up.


    ¡°Is there any way I could get more education points? I need them right now.¡± Ensen asked the system.


    [The current missions are the most optimal way to earn education points.] The system replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s true but they both take time to complete. I can¡¯t find more students or improve the school because I don¡¯t have education points,¡± Ensen said pitifully.


    [... Fine, there is an auction tonight. Head there and you¡¯ll have an opportunity to gain some education points.]


    ¡®I don¡¯t have to be a test subject, do I?¡¯ Ensen thought as he left his office.


    After rounding up the kids and driving them to the orphanage, Ensen noticed that Anabella was in a seemingly great mood, most likely from her team¡¯s win from earlier. Saying goodbye to them, Ensen began making his way home.


    After arriving home himself, Ensen looked at Kaitlin¡¯s old apartment for a moment before entering his own.


    ¡°When does the auction start?¡± Ensen asked.


    [The auction will begin in 58 minutes and 42 seconds. However, like before you are able to go before it starts.] The system wrote.


    Nodding at the time, Ensen said after thinking for a second ¡°I think I¡¯ll just wait until it starts. Can you wake me up before then?¡±


    [Yes I can.] The system said simply.


    Walking towards the couch, Ensen laid down and quickly fell asleep. The past few days had been some of the best days of his life, as well as some of the busiest.


    As time slowly passed by, Ensen was awoken by a small ringing sound in his ear.


    Opening his eyes, he found that it was time. Slowly getting up on his feet, he opened his status menu.


    [Ensen Fuentes]


    [Education Points: 0]


    [Academy Rank: Null]


    [Age: 27]


    [Math average: C]


    [Science average: F-]


    [English average: F-]


    [Foreign language average: F-]


    [Sports average: F-]


    [Teaching average: D+]


    [administration average: D+]


    [Other]


    [Skill Market]


    [Product Market]


    [Auction House]


    Pressing on the Auction House button, Ensen¡¯s body soon fell onto the couch.


    Meanwhile, in the Auction house, Ensen appeared in the private booth that he had previously been in before.


    ¡°So, am I meeting somebody to take a loan or something? Why did you tell me to come here anyway?¡± Ensen asked.


    [You¡¯ll find out soon. Just take a seat and watch the auction. Maybe there will be something useful for you.]


    ¡°You know I don¡¯t have money. But fine.¡± Ensen said in irritation.


    As the Auction started, Ensen noticed that it was the same auctioneer he had seen previously.


    Ensen couldn¡¯t spot anything useful to him, it was mainly things such as weapons that Kaitlin and other people would find useful.


    ¡°This is the final object. Although, this is actually not an object but an opportunity.¡± Riza the auctioneer said.


    As everybody¡¯s interest had been drawn in, she began speaking in an excited voice. ¡°The Supreme Private Academy System herself has offered to educate a person in the matters of math to ensure they would be a valuable servant for the duration of two months.¡±


    As the audience screamed in excitement, Ensen also screamed at the system.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do this sooner?! This is such an easy way to make points, I should just do this for the rest of my life.¡± Ensen screamed in resentment.


    [Hmph, it¡¯s beneath me to do this. Plus, if it wasn¡¯t for urgent matters I wouldn¡¯t be doing this.] The system wrote in an ominous tone.


    ¡°Urgent? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Ensen asked.


    [Remember when I told you that in the rankings of the Supreme systems I am in the last place and steadily declining still?]


    Nodding his head, Ensen thought to himself ¡®I did remember something like that, but it didn¡¯t seem too urgent.¡¯


    [While it was worrying, it would have been centuries before they would have managed to catch up. I¡¯m not sure how but his ranking has been soaring high, at this rate it won¡¯t be long until he passes me. Just over a decade at most.]


    Looking at the words of the system seriously, Ensen said ¡°So the only reason you did this was to raise your renown slightly?¡±


    [That and it would help hasten your development, but due to the rules established by the four great systems I am unable to post an item for auction for the next year.]


    ¡®Four great systems? That¡¯s¡­ interesting?¡¯ Ensen thought.


    As Ensen was still thinking about the effects this would have on his plan moving forward, he heard a yell come from the stage.


    ¡°50 points, going once!¡± Riza the auctioneer said loudly.


    ¡°60 points!¡± An audience member shouted.


    ¡®Looks like the bidding started.¡¯ Ensen muttered.

 Chapter 56: First otherworldly student

    The bidding war raged on for a few minutes before it stopped itself just over 100 points, 105 to be exact.


    In reality, Ensen wouldn¡¯t directly gain anything from this deal as the points would go to paying off the loan he had previously taken from the system.


    However, with the 105 points gone from his debt, it was reduced to a very modest 15 points which could easily be completely cleaned after he completed his next mission.


    ¡®That¡¯s not bad.¡¯ Ensen thought.


    As the auction came to an end, he heard a knock on his door.


    Standing up, Ensen tried to straighten up both his clothes and hair slightly before opening the door.


    On the opposite side of the door was a rather old lady in her mid-sixties who had a kind smile.


    She wore casual clothes, and although she seemed rather aged she moved with grace and elegance that was uncommon for her age.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Sir. I am Karina Vaughn.¡± Karina said with a gentle smile on her face.


    Looking at the odd sight, Ensen invited her inside.


    ¡°Would you like something to drink, Karina?¡± Ensen asked carefully, trying to be nice to his guest.


    ¡°No thanks, I¡¯m just here to inform you that I was the person who won your education offer. Of course, I¡¯m too busy to attend school so I will be sending one of my younger apprentices if that is alright with you.¡± She said with a gentle voice as if she was nature herself.


    ¡°Yeah, I have no problem with that at all. As long as your apprentice passes my requirements they can freely come to learn.¡± Ensen said carefully, still cautiously about the penalty for accepting students below the minimum.


    Nodding in understanding, Karina proceeded to make some small talk for a few minutes before excusing herself.


    ¡°That was¡­ weird. Who was that lady?¡± Ensen asked.


    [She is the host of the Heavenly Medical System, she¡¯s been the host for a rather long time too.] The system informed him.


    ¡°For a long time? Do systems change hosts often?¡± Ensen asked in curiosity.


    [Not intentionally, it¡¯s just that the majority of systems revolve around conflict. Even Karina is not excluded from this, she had battled oppression by numerous forces for the majority of her time as a host.]


    Nodding his head in understanding, Ensen felt happy that his system was rather peaceful. After all, he would not last long in her position at all.


    After staying in the room for a few more minutes to see everything wrap up, Ensen returned to his world. With his body laying on the couch once again, he slowly drifted off to sleep.


    The next morning as Ensen awoke, he felt incredibly refreshed besides the small ache in his back.


    Ensen spent the rest of the week focusing on teaching his classes. While both math and English had a pretty solid start, music and gym were getting there. As Ensen spent more and more effort trying to refine the rough plan he had made, he noticed that the week simply flew by.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    -------


    It was now Friday, with the last class of the week about to wrap up the students were naturally excited for a break.


    While all of the students truly did appreciate the opportunity to learn at the Academy, it was only natural that a break would be good for them. Ensen was no different, the week had been exhausting for him due to all of the adapting and new experiences he had such as teaching new classes.


    As Ensen drove the students home with Stephen in front, he grew curious about something.


    ¡°How was your first week of school guys?¡± He asked kindly.


    ¡°It was good,¡± Stephen said calmly as he kept staring out of the window.


    ¡°I wish I could go into the forest again, but it was fun, especially gym class!¡± Warren said.


    Nodding in the satisfaction that they were both happy about their classes so far, he turned his attention to Anabella.


    ¡°What about you Anabella?¡± Ensen asked.


    Unlike the others, Anabella simply raised her hands and formed a thumbs up with it.


    ¡®I¡¯ll take it.¡¯ Ensen thought.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s good, I hope you guys keep enjoying it then,¡± Ensen said happily as the orphanage had appeared in their sight.


    Soon after they arrived at the orphanage.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pick you guys up like usual on Monday, don¡¯t forget. Have a good weekend guys.¡± Ensen said as his students were beginning to exit the car.


    After they had left, Ensen began driving further into the countryside.


    As he drove further and further, the number of buildings that he passed began dwindling.


    ¡®Why do I have to go all the way out here again?¡¯ Ensen thought in resignation. After all, he still had a while to go to get to the location.


    [The Heavenly Medical System is sending her host¡¯s apprentice to this world, I already told you that.] The system replied with an annoyed tone.


    ¡°I know that part, but why do I need to go all the way into the countryside for it? Why doesn¡¯t she just send the apprentice to the school as you do with Gerhardt?¡± Ensen asked in agitation.


    [You really think Heavenly systems are as strong as me? Gerhardt is able to get here safely because I am the one transporting him, not his system. She doesn¡¯t have much influence in this world nor does she have much skill in the way of interworld transportation so the locations she can safely send her host are limited.]


    Not wanting to fight the system anymore, Ensen proceeded to spend the next hour driving further and further away from his home. Although he did pass by some small towns in the process, the area was mostly filled with forests and lakes.


    As Ensen pulled into a small rundown diner that only had two cars outside, Ensen asked ¡°Is this where I¡¯m meeting them?¡±


    [That is correct, the apprentice will be sent here momentarily.] The system confirmed.


    ¡°Why¡­ Why is this place so important? It¡¯s a diner in the middle of nowhere!¡± Ensen shouted.


    [That is not entirely true. The Heavenly Medical System used to have a host on this world and this area was the place that she lived, so it has a special connection to this location. Although that was thousands of years ago so it would be more of a myth around here.]


    Grumbling to himself as he got out of his car, Ensen leaned on the hood and looked up at the sky to relax.


    After a few minutes, Ensen heard a small sound coming from behind him in the nearby trees.


    Turning around, Ensen saw a rather tall girl who wore tattered clothes. Her face was covered in a thin layer of dirt, similar to her hair.


    As the girl noticed Ensen looking at her, she stood up straight and began to speak nervously. ¡°Hello sir, my name is Flora. I was sent here by the great lady Vaughn.¡±


    Looking at the nervous girl, Ensen sighed lightly.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe Karina sent her like this. Couldn¡¯t she at least have given her decent clothes?¡¯ Ensen thought as he looked at the girl.


    Hearing the sigh that Ensen gave off, Flora became even more nervous as she stood there as stiff as a rock.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go get you some clothes at least,¡± Ensen said as he walked towards the passenger side¡¯s front seat.


    Although Flora had never seen this sort of machine before, she hesitantly entered the door.


    Slowly shutting the door, Ensen walked over to the driver¡¯s seat. Getting inside, he pulled out his phone and searched for the nearest clothing store.


    ¡®I really do but a lot of clothes for my students.¡¯ He thought as he began making his way there.


    He definitely couldn¡¯t drive around the city with Flora looking like that. Even if he could, he wouldn¡¯t allow himself.


    After telling Flora to stay in the car, Ensen ran inside and grabbed some simple clothes that seemed to fit her.


    As Ensen returned to the car, he drove until he found a small rest stop.


    ¡°Go into that room and change into these clothes, okay?¡± He said kindly, not wanting to scare the girl more than she already was.


    As she slowly nodded, she tried for nearly a minute to open the car door before succeeding. A few minutes later she returned wearing new clothes.


    Although the clothes weren¡¯t particularly high quality, more akin to the clothes his students at the orphanage had been wearing before he had bought them clothes, it would get it to tomorrow when they could actually get decent clothes.


    Getting into the car once again, Ensen began making his way home. Throughout the long ride, there was barely any talking.


    Luckily the traffic seemed to be on his side, as they eventually arrived home.


    As they both sat in the parking lot, Ensen looked over to Flora and said ¡°If anybody asks, just say that I¡¯m taking care of you while your mom is on business. Okay?¡±


    Although Flora was confused, she nodded in understanding.


    Arriving in front of his apartment door with no trouble, Ensen decided to dig out the keys to Kaitlin¡¯s apartment from his pocket.


    Entering it, Ensen showed Flora around the apartment before telling her how various machines worked. After describing to her how to use the shower, Ensen returned to his own apartment while thinking ¡°I thought this was going to be easy.¡±

 Chapter 57: Speaking with Flora

    ¡°System, can you show me her stats? I can¡¯t afford it.¡± Ensen asked kindly, hoping the system would cut him some slack.


    [She meets the minimum grade requirement. That is all I can say.]


    ¡®Stingy system.¡¯ Ensen thought.


    ¡°What did I get myself into? I thought she was going to commute like Gerhardt.¡± Ensen muttered while sitting on his couch.


    [Since it was not stated on the auction for the slot, Karina must have assumed that lodging was included.] The system replied logically.


    ¡°Well then why didn¡¯t you put it on the auction item?!¡± Ensen retorted.


    [... I forgot.]


    ¡°How did you forget? Aren¡¯t you an almighty Supreme system?¡± Ensen asked in expiration.


    [Of course, I¡¯m a mighty Supreme system! But¡­ I was busy, so I didn¡¯t pay attention.]


    Face-palming at their response, Ensen ignored the system as he sank into his own thoughts.


    ¡®Luckily Kaitlin¡¯s apartment is empty right now, but people will be suspicious if they see somebody living there.¡¯ Ensen thought before sighing.


    Spending the next hour working on stuff related to school, he decided that he should go talk to her now.


    Standing in front oh her door, Ensen was at a loss about what to say.


    Suddenly, his eyebrows shot up in surprise as he came to a startling conclusion.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need a mini-van, aren¡¯t I?¡± Ensen muttered while trying to hold back tears.


    After knocking on the door, Flora seemingly rushed to it and opened it swiftly.


    Looking at her face which seemed void of dirt now, Ensen nodded and satisfaction and asked calmly ¡°May I come in? I need to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°O-of course.¡± She responded in a shy tone.


    After walking towards the couch, Ensen began with a question.


    ¡°Why are you so formal with me? You can sit down somewhere if you¡¯d like.¡± Ensen said in confusion.


    As Ensen waited for an answer to his question, he thought ¡®Why does she have perfect posture too? Do all other-worlders have perfect posture?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ great lady Vaughn said that you were a friend and also a holy son chosen by heaven.¡± She said while looking at the floor.


    ¡®Holy son? Is that what they call system users in her world?¡¯ Ensen thought.


    ¡°While I am a holy son, I am first of all your principal and teacher for the next few months. Besides, I¡¯m not a fan of being called a holy son.¡± Ensen said after thinking for a moment. He wasn¡¯t sure why but being called a holy son simply felt wrong for him.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll try,¡± Flora said, although he could tell that she wasn¡¯t being sincere in that.


    ¡®Seems like holy sons have a lot of influence in her world, interesting.¡¯ Ensen thought.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Are there many holy sons in your world?¡± Ensen asked out of curiosity.


    After pausing for a second, Flora responded ¡°Yes, there are a total of five known holy sons in the world, they are split into 3 different factions spanning across the land."


    ¡®Ehh? Why did she report like a soldier? I wonder if there are others with systems in this world. Although I indirectly caused Kaitlin to be chosen, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that she did gain her own system.¡¯ He pondered.


    ¡°I see. Anyways, have you had formal education before?¡± Ensen asked, hoping for the best.


    ¡°N-no, I¡¯m sorry. I was a peasant at birth, but great lady Vaughn told me to follow her when she visited my village but I¡¯ve never really done any work for her yet.¡± She said with her eyes still staring at the floor, waiting for Ensen to yell at her.


    ¡°No it¡¯s fine, it actually might be better this way,¡± Ensen said almost immediately.


    Although he would love to have his students from Earth to have prior education, it wasn¡¯t necessarily the same for other places due to them possibly bringing biases to their school life. He was also in a rather precarious position as he wasn¡¯t sure how other worlds work, so science on Earth might be completely useless for them.


    There was also the fact that conflict could erupt if a noble from another world came to the school which would complicate matters by quite a bit.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve taken up a bit of your time. You can do whatever you¡¯d like now, there are some books in the other room or you can watch TV. Just don¡¯t touch anything but the fridge, plates, and utensils in the kitchen. Some of the other things can do harm if not properly used, okay?¡± Ensen said, worried that she would somehow start a fire if she began playing around.


    ¡°I understand. I¡­ I will watch this magical mirror then.¡± Flora said while looking at the TV.


    ¡®That is¡­ nevermind, I gotta pick my battles.¡¯ Ensen thought.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fine. Do you need help learning how to use it?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I think I can figure it out¡­ thank you.¡± Flora said shyly.


    After saying that he would visit again in the morning to get her some more clothes to wear, Ensen returned to his apartment.


    ¡®Maybe I really do need a dorm building.¡¯ He thought as he pulled up his missions.


    [Main mission: Elevate subject knowledge to average]


    [While you have acquired five students, their lack of knowledge leaves much to be desired. The first step in educating these young minds is catching up with the standard knowledge people are taught at this age. This includes all subjects taught in the academy, such as English, math, and others. Music skills are not included in this.]


    [Rewards]


    [100 Ep]


    [Natural History skill increases]


    [Chain mission 1: Educate a student in music]


    [In the student body, the student ¡®Leah Brooks¡¯ has the highest talent in the musical area. As such, her skill level in the music category should be increased to a minimum of D within three weeks. While this would not be possible with the majority of the population, both her specialty and innate skill will make this possible.]


    [Rewards]


    [20 Ep]


    [Access to next chain mission]


    ¡°I think I¡¯m making decent progress so far. I¡¯ll need to accelerate the teachings of Leah by quite a bit to make it in time I think, though.¡± He muttered as he walked into his bedroom.


    Although it wasn¡¯t particularly late at this point, Ensen was exhausted from all of the things that happened today.


    Quickly, Ensen fell asleep in bed.


    Waking up the next morning early, as usual, he looked at the time and realized he should probably wait a bit before visiting Flora to make sure she could sleep well.


    Throughout the next two days, Ensen bought Flora clothes to wear to school and taught her a little about the world to make sure she wouldn¡¯t get into trouble.


    Although they had to drive past numerous car lots which had an unusually large amount of mini-vans. Seeing this as a taunt, Ensen grew more resolute on keeping his current car although he felt like he was slowly yielding to the idea.


    ¡°Could I hire a school bus service?¡± Ensen asked the system quietly, so Flora wouldn¡¯t overhear. Although he was conflicted about the expense at the moment, he could most likely afford it in the future.


    [Otherworldly Faculty]


    [This allows the private academy to hire entities from other worlds. Due to a deal between various systems, the otherworld faculty do not require payment of any sort. The host will be presented with various job applications filled out by either beings in other worlds or their system. The application is restricted to the selected student body.]


    [Effects]


    [Faculty salary -100%]


    [The host may not hire beings in the same world]


    ¡®...Damn it. I really do need to hire a transportation company from another world? That¡¯s crazy!¡¯ Ensen silently protested.


    [This was your choice.]


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Hearing a strange noise come from Ensen, Flora stared in his direction with confused eyes.


    Trying to keep a straight face, Ensen returned to their apartment building. As they stood in front of their apartment doors, Ensen said to Flora ¡°Be ready a little earlier tomorrow, I¡¯ll be driving you as well as a few other students to school.¡±


    Seeing Flora nod shyly, they both entered their apartments.


    ¡®Looks like she will be staying in that apartment for a while, I need to go pay Kaitlin¡¯s rent later.¡¯ Ensen thought as continued reading ¡®The all-slaying dog¡¯.


    As the night slowly passed, Ensen woke up and quickly made sandwiches for his students. After all, Ensen still didn¡¯t actually have a person who ran the cafeteria.


    After knocking on Flora¡¯s door, she quickly opened wearing clothes that Ensen had bought on Saturday.


    As they both got into the car, Ensen decided to take a slightly longer route to the orphanage so he could drop off Flora at the school first.


    Unlocking the front door, he quickly led her to the cafeteria and gave her a quick introduction before returning to the car.


    While all four of them could it into the car, it would be overly cramped which wouldn¡¯t be fun for anybody.


    As Ensen arrived in front of the orphanage, Warren yelled ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t coming!¡± in a joking manner.


    Smiling slightly, Ensen said calmly ¡°Sorry for being a little late guys, I was dropping off a new student.¡±


    With shining eyes, Warren asked, ¡°Does she live around here like us?¡±


    ¡°Actually, she lives in a foreign country and will only be here for a few months,¡± Ensen responded after a moment of thought.


    Technically speaking, Ensen wasn¡¯t lying.

 Chapter 58: Foreign student

    As the student¡¯s curiosity was beginning to grow larger with each passing minute, they finally arrived at the school after a while.


    Quickly opening the doors once parked, they grabbed their stuff and nearly charged into the building.


    Shaking his head slightly, Ensen smiled and took his time to exit the car before following them slowly.


    Entering the building, Ensen walked into the cafeteria where all of his students were nearly encircling Flora.


    ¡®This is¡­ weird. Oh, seems like Leah and Brian got here early.¡¯ Ensen thought as he looked over what was happening.


    Deciding he should stop it here to properly introduce her later in class, Ensen stepped forward.


    ¡°Okay guys, there will be official introductions later for her. Please don¡¯t crowd around her though, it will make her feel overwhelmed.¡± Ensen said.


    Although all of the students had rejected faces on, they complied with Ensen¡¯s plead and slowly backed off, although Anabella stayed next to her.


    ¡®Well, that¡¯s¡­ good. Anabella is usually civil.¡¯ Ensen thought.


    As the students split off into two groups and began talking to each other, Ensen headed towards the teacher lounge to wait for Gerhardt to arrive.


    Luckily, Ensen¡¯s timing was impeccable as nearly right when he closed the door the tear in space appeared.


    After a few seconds, he became conscious and looked at Ensen and greeted him. ¡°Greetings Mr. Principal. Were you waiting for me?¡±


    ¡°I was going to, but I just walked into the room myself. Anyways, I just thought I should let you know that there will be a new student starting today and she is from another world, like you.¡± Ensen said after pondering for a moment.


    He had hoped that Gerhardt would keep an eye on her just to make sure she wouldn¡¯t say anything about being from another world. Although even if she did say so, she would probably just be looked at weirdly for a bit which Ensen would like to avoid. After all, student body unity was an important part of his mind.


    As they both began to talk lightly to pass the time, they noticed that time quickly passed and it was soon time for English class.


    Heading to the classroom together with Gerhardt, they soon arrived and noticed that Flora was sitting in the front row next to Anabella.


    ¡®That¡¯s an unexpected development.¡¯ Ensen thought as he walked up to the front of the classroom with Gerhardt.


    ¡°Good morning everybody, as you probably noticed we have a new student.¡± Ensen began.


    After waiting for the classroom to calm down he continued. ¡°She is a foreign student that will be learning at the Academy for the next two months before returning to her country. I hope everybody will be kind to her and help her if needed.¡± Ensen said to the class.


    ¡°Flora, would you like to address the class? You don¡¯t need to.¡± Ensen said while bending down slightly to be more level with her eyes.


    Nodding hesitantly after thinking for a few seconds, she slowly stood up from her seat and turned around to face the students. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Moving to the side so she would have the spotlight, Flora began to speak softly. ¡°H-hello, I¡­¡±


    ¡®Seems like she has stage fright, which isn¡¯t very surprising.¡¯ Ensen shrugged as he walked back up to the front and began speaking to take the attention away from her.


    ¡°Anyways, now that the introduction is over let¡¯s move on to English class. Gerhardt, if you will please.¡± Ensen said before walking towards the door.


    With her face bright red in embarrassment, Flora slowly sat back down and faced the front. Turning her head slowly to face Ensen, she smiled in relief at him to thank him.


    Holding back his laughter from Flora¡¯s action, Ensen nodded towards her with a smile and walked towards his office.


    After the English class had completed, it was time for music class.


    Walking into the room, Ensen knew he needed to accelerate Leah¡¯s learning speed if he wanted to complete the first chain mission.


    As the lesson started, Ensen kept thinking about how to properly do it in the back of his mind.


    Time quickly passed, and the class was approaching its end.


    Deciding to rap up his class at this point, he spent the next few minutes doing so.


    As everybody had begun to stand up to leave, Ensen said with a calm tone ¡°Could Leah and Stephen stay behind for a minute?¡±


    With everybody looking at the two as if they were both getting in trouble, they looked pitiful as everybody else excited the room.


    Leah and Stephen walked up in front of Ensen looking nervous.


    Ensen stood there quietly with his thoughts running wild. As various ideas quickly flashed in his mind, he realized something.


    ¡®Why would I need to brainstorm ideas? Leah is passionate about the piano, and although Stephen doesn¡¯t seem to have the same level of passion, he certainly is interested in it.¡¯ Ensen thought as he nearly laughed at himself.


    With the two students looking at Ensen weirdly as he was holding back his laughter, he began to speak. ¡°Do you guys remember in the first class when I asked if anybody was interested in the piano?¡±


    Seeing them both nod, Ensen continued ¡°Since you guys were interested, I thought I would offer some more detailed and practical lessons on playing the piano. Of course, the other students could join if they want.¡±


    ¡®They sure look excited.¡¯ Ensen thought as he looked at Leah¡¯s shining eyes and Stephen¡¯s slight smile.


    ¡°However, the class would take place during your break period because I have to drive the others home.¡± Ensen clarified, hoping that it wouldn¡¯t sway their choice.


    ¡®Oh, well there goes Stephen¡¯s smile, but Leah doesn¡¯t seem deterred by that.¡¯ Ensen noticed as he waited in silence for them to voice their opinion.


    Almost instantly, Leah raised her head quickly and said ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    Nodding at her with a smile, he turned his attention to Stephen who seemed rather conflicted.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to decide now Stephen, take your time if you need,¡± Ensen said kindly.


    He had somewhat expected that some students would be unwilling to give up their break in order to learn more. In fact, Ensen was already satisfied that Leah had agreed so quickly.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll do that, thank you, principal,¡± Stephen said with an uncertain tone.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Ensen said as he watched Stephen turn around and head towards the door.


    As he waited for him to leave the classroom, he asked Leah ¡°Would you like to start today, or do you already have plans?¡±


    With an awkward expression, Leah said ¡°I¡­ uh was going to go talk to Anabella and Flora.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, you can go do that for today. We¡¯ll start tomorrow, does that sound alright?¡± Ensen asked, not being bothered by her being busy.


    Ensen knew that while the missions the system gave him were crucial for developing his Academy further, he knew that they simply did not compare to his students and their feelings. Even if it didn¡¯t seem like a big deal at this point, he did not want to set a precedence for matters in the future.


    With a bright smile on Leah¡¯s face, she quickly said goodbye to Ensen and made her way to the hall to meet up with her friends.


    As Ensen was talking back to his office to do some work in his break, his phone began to ring.


    Knowing it was Emilia, his former boss calling, Ensen answered the phone calmly.


    ¡°Hey Emilia, how is the school?¡± Ensen asked, not waiting any time.


    ¡°Oh, that was fast. It¡¯s been rather peaceful here actually. How has your Academy been?¡± She asked curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s been great so far. My students have been good, no real issues on that front.¡± He said.


    ¡°Oh yeah? I should come to visit and see if I can change that then.¡± She said as she laughed evilly.


    ¡°You want to come to visit?¡± Ensen asked, not expecting that.


    ¡°Of course I do! You know how curious I can be. I want to be there for the entire day to see if your claim about your students is true.¡± Emilia said in a teasing voice.


    ¡°You do realize you¡¯re a principal too, right?¡± He said suspiciously.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah. I can take a day off. I deserve it.¡± She said cheerfully.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do. Visiting for the day is fine with me honestly. I would ask for your help with teaching just I can¡¯t do that.¡± Ensen said in a joking manner.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, we can¡¯t help the competition.¡± She retorted.


    ¡®That¡¯s not the reason, actually, you never know. The Ocean science teacher could be an alien, it would explain a lot.¡¯ Ensen thought before letting out a slight laugh.


    ¡°What? I¡¯m right. Anyways, when should I visit?¡± She teased before going into a more casual tone.


    ¡°Well any day this week would be fine honestly, so it¡¯s up to you,¡± Ensen said.


    ¡°Hmm okay¡­ then I¡¯ll visit on Thursday. There¡¯s a teacher meeting that day and I do not want to be there!¡± Emilia declared.

 Chapter 59: An unusual call

    Speechless at Emilia¡¯s declaration, Ensen paused for a moment before saying ¡°Well¡­ I guess that works.¡±


    After they talked for a little while longer Emilia had to handle some business on her end.


    Hanging up the phone, Ensen continued walking towards his office, passing by Warren and Brian who were seemingly roaming the hallway.


    Deciding to take a quick peek into the cafeteria to see if the girls were getting along well, Ensen noticed that they really were. While Flora still seemed shy and nervous around them, it was noticeably better than earlier in the day.


    While Ensen worked in his office, time quickly passed until it was time for gym class. As the activity for today was going on, Ensen noticed that Flora was surprisingly fit. In fact, she was the most fit out of all the students¡­ and him. He wasn¡¯t sure about Gerhardt though.


    Once the class ended, Warren sprinted off into the distance while Brian followed behind him, exhausted.


    ¡®They do know we are leaving soon, right?¡¯ Ensen thought as he looked at the four remaining students who were laying on the grass, also exhausted.


    ¡°How was class today?¡± Ensen asked, making casual conversation with them.


    ¡°It was good,¡± Leah said with a tired tone of voice.


    After waiting for a few minutes, everybody got back on their feet and prepared to head home for the day.


    ¡°Think your ready for the piano lesson tomorrow?¡± Ensen asked Leah, curious about how she felt.


    ¡°I hope so.¡± She said excitedly.


    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± Flora hesitantly asked, her curiosity peaked.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll be helping Leah learn the piano more, the musical instrument.¡± Ensen clarified just in case she didn¡¯t understand.


    Luckily it seemed like she understood it.


    ¡®Now where did they go?¡¯ Ensen thought as he began walking away to look for Warren and his sidekick.


    Deciding to check the school first, he spent a few minutes taking a glance into most of the rooms. Realizing they weren¡¯t inside, he returned to the exterior of the building and began to walk around it.


    While Ensen didn¡¯t thoroughly check every place in the clearing, he was nearly certain that they weren¡¯t here either.


    ¡®Did they go into the forest again?¡¯ Ensen sighed as he looked towards the area that they had gone previously.


    Heading back to the other students who were waiting, Ensen turned to Leah and asked her if she knew where Brian would have gone.


    ¡°Umm¡­ I don¡¯t think I heard him say anything.¡± Leah said after a moment of thought.


    As Ensen was about to turn around to head into the forest, Leah remembered something.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Wait! I think Brian asked dad earlier if he could bring a friend over.¡± She said.


    Pausing his footsteps, Ensen asked Anabella and Stephen if they heard anything about that. Noticing they both shook their heads, Ensen pulled his phone out of his pocket and quickly called the director of the orphanage.


    Only after hearing that Warren had asked her earlier in the day did Ensen relax.


    After making idle talk for a moment, Ensen hung up.


    ¡°It seems like he went to your house.¡± He said as he sighed in relief.


    ¡®How annoying, I¡¯ll need to speak to both of them about this. They can¡¯t just disappear without telling me, I am responsible for their safety after all.¡¯ Ensen thought as his mood soured slightly.


    Since there was a seat that just became available in his car, Ensen offered to drive Leah home, although she kindly refused it.


    With Flora in the front seat and Anabella and Stephen in the back, Ensen began to drive towards the siblings¡¯ house to check if he could see Warren walking with Brian. Luckily they managed to catch up pretty quick.


    As everybody waved towards them as they passed, Ensen let out a light sigh as he began walking his way to the orphanage.


    After dropping the two off, he turned towards Flora.


    ¡°How was your first day of school, Flora?¡± Ensen asked.


    ¡°It was fun. I¡­ I thought people would be a lot meaner.¡± She said in a pitiful voice.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that, you know they aren¡¯t mean now. Anyways, it seems like you¡¯ve made friends with Anabella.¡± Ensen said as he began driving towards the apartment.


    ¡°I guess so,¡± Flora said quietly.


    Although he could very faintly hear her mutter quietly ¡°But I¡¯ve never had a friend before.¡±


    Shaking his head silently with a smile, Ensen soon dropped Flora off at the apartment building before going to pay the next two months of the rent for the apartment.


    Although he had gotten some strange looks when he was paying for rent in the apartment they believed Kaitlin still lived in.


    To try to clear it up, Ensen uttered the first thing that came to his mind when questioned: ¡°I¡­ Uh lost a bet to her.¡±


    Seeing the suspicious eyes turn into eyes of pity, Ensen did not know how to feel.


    After finishing up matters there, he returned to his room and checked his school status.


    [School Name: Evergreen Academy]


    [Student population: 6]


    [Faculty population: 2]


    [Happiness: 90]


    [Diligence: 55]


    [Respect: 40]


    [Spirit: 35]


    [Species Demographic: Human: 100%]


    [Rules/Conduct: Forbidden Forest]


    [...]


    ¡®Well, seems like all of the stats raised slightly over the past week or so that the school has been open which is nice. The respect statistic is still rather low in my opinion, but I¡¯m sure it will gradually increase over time.


    Spirit is low as well. I imagine the students still feel the Academy is inferior when compared to the bigshots in the town, SilverLeaf, and Littlewood which is¡­ fair but honestly not true. While we are lacking in a few areas I feel as if our school has nothing to feel inferior about. Well¡­ maybe funding.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself as he analyzed the screen.


    Noticing that there was a new rule, Ensen tilted his head in confusion.


    ¡°Hey system, what does ¡®Forbidden Forest¡¯ mean?¡± Ensen asked.


    [Forbidden Forest is the title of the rule.]


    After a slight pause, a new blue screen appeared with information about the rule.


    [Forbidden Forest]


    [This edict outlaws the students from entering into the forests surrounding the area unless under direct supervision from a staff member. If this rule is violated, a notification will inform the host of the infraction. Although the location and the student violating the edict will not be relayed due to restrictions.]


    [Punishment: Principal Fuente¡¯s responsibility]


    ¡°What¡­ am I looking at?¡± Ensen muttered out loud. Although he fully read the explanation, he did not expect this sort of function from the system in the slightest.


    [Don¡¯t be dumb. I was nice enough to make an official edict for you and this is how you say thanks?!]


    Taking a moment to recollect this thought, Ensen said casually ¡°Yeah, yeah. Thanks. How do you make more rules?¡±


    [Each rule has a base cost of 100 education points plus however much depending on how complicated it is. Do you think points grow on trees? Even I don¡¯t have an infinite amount of points.]


    ¡°I wish points grew on trees! So are the restrictions there because they were expensive?¡± Ensen asked, imagining what he could do with those rules.


    [That¡¯s right, host. Luckily the rule isn¡¯t too complicated, so it can cover the borders of where the forest begins around here. However, if they enter through the road where the rule does not have influence, they will not be detected.]


    Nodding in understanding, Ensen realized that if Warren and Brian had gone into the forest earlier than it would have notified him. Ensen stared at the blue box, annoyed at himself that he did not notice it sooner.


    [What?] The system wrote, thinking that Ensen was staring at her.


    As Ensen was about to respond, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, Ensen checked the caller ID, but he didn¡¯t recognize it.


    Answering the phone, Ensen said ¡°Hello, this is Ensen. Can I help you?¡±


    As the person on the other side remained silent for nearly five seconds, Ensen had begun to think that they didn¡¯t mean to call them. When he was about to hang up, a very shy and reserved voice that he had not heard in a little over a week came through the phone.


    ¡°H-hello Ensen, I know it¡¯s been a while since your offer to me to go to your school. But¡­ is that offer is available?¡± The voice asked nervously.


    ¡°This is¡­ Alina, correct?¡± Ensen asked in confirmation.


    He had met her while he was searching for his first initial students. While he had eventually found five, Alina was the third potential student that did not call.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. So¡­ is it available still?¡± She asked in an even more nervous tone.


    ¡®Is she alright?¡¯ Ensen thought to himself.


    ¡°I have no problems with that. When do you think you can start attending school?¡± Ensen asked.


    ¡°Oh¡­ thank you.¡± She said gently before continuing. ¡°Is¡­ Wednesday alright?¡±


    After confirming it was, Alina hung up the phone.


    ¡®She sounded¡­ different compared to the last time we talked. I can¡¯t tell what changed though.¡¯ Ensen thought suspiciously.

 Chapter 60: Systems task

    Although the call with Alina was still in his mind, he tried to rid the thought for the moment. After messaging his sister Julia with plans to get together for dinner on the weekend, Ensen spent the rest of the night reviewing some work mixed in with a little relaxing.


    The following morning, Ensen did his usual routine. Make some simple food for his students and drive most of them to school.


    It was a relatively calm morning. Both Brian and Warren seemed rather tired from hanging out at Brian¡¯s home last night.


    With Warren looking out the window, Ensen began teaching his math class. Although he was on autopilot with his mind elsewhere. Specifically, his mind was split between Warren and Alina.


    ¡®Okay, I need to take this step by step. I can¡¯t let myself be overwhelmed.¡¯ Ensen thought to himself as he knew he should focus on Warren, as he would have to talk to him today.


    After sighing slightly, he realized that class had almost ended already.


    Not knowing where the time went, Ensen quickly wrapped up his class just as Gerhardt opened the door to start his.


    Beginning to walk towards the door, Ensen raised his voice so everybody could hear him and said ¡°Warren, can I talk to you outside for a moment?¡±


    As Warren began to get up, Leah and Stephen both laughed slightly as they thought he would be in trouble. The other students weren¡¯t much better, as nearly all of them did their best to stifle their laughter, except Flora who just looked around in confusion.


    Leaning against the wall in the hallway, Ensen waited for a few seconds before Warren exited the classroom.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, principal?¡± Warren asked, slightly nervous.


    ¡°I was told you went to Brian¡¯s yesterday. Was it fun?¡± Ensen asked.


    ¡°Yeah, it was good,¡± Warren said slowly, growing ever more nervous.


    Looking at how nervous Warren seemed, Ensen decided to stop beating around the bush and said directly ¡°You should have told me if you were going to his house. I am responsible for your safety while you¡¯re at school. If you just disappear then what am I supposed to think?¡±


    Freezing for a few seconds to think about what Ensen had said, Warren soon realized that Ensen was right. ¡°Yeah¡­ you¡¯re right I should¡¯ve told you.¡± He said, slightly disappointed in himself that he forgot.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve. Of course, that¡¯s only while I am driving you home. When there is a transportation service for our school, you can go wherever you¡¯d like. But you still need to be safe.¡± Ensen stated.


    After pausing for a second to let Warren digest his speech, he let Warren return to the classroom to make sure he didn¡¯t miss the English class.


    Once the class had ended, the break period had officially started. As such, Ensen and Leah both arrived at the music room together to start the first lesson.


    As Ensen was setting up a few notes, he asked her ¡°Do you still feel the piano trying to talk to you?¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Yeah, I do. I wonder what¡¯s it¡¯s trying to say.¡± Leah said before sinking deep into her thoughts.


    After pulling out the notes, Ensen walked over to the piano and stood beside the bench.


    ¡°Come sit down, we¡¯ll begin the lesson now.¡± He said calmly.


    Once Leah slowly sat down onto the bench, she asked excitedly ¡°So what are we gonna play? La Campanella?¡±


    ¡°Wow, slow down there Leah. You first need to get a good foundation before you can try harder songs, let alone La Campanella. We will work on your form today.¡± Ensen said, trying to rid the thought out of her head as fast as he could.


    Although she seemed slightly disappointed, she nodded slightly.


    For the remainder of the break, Ensen did his utmost to help her with the very basic things.


    ¡°Sit a little farther back on the bench.¡±


    ¡°Try to relax your shoulders.¡±


    ¡°Straighten your back more.¡±


    Close to when the period would end, Anabella and Flora entered the classroom together. Although they were going to leave once they saw Leah and Ensen working, he told them they could stay.


    They spent most of the time left for class just observing the two, seemingly curious about his teaching.


    As more and more of the students had entered the room, Ensen looked at his phone and realized that class was just about to start.


    After telling Leah that time was up for today, she slowly got up from the piano bench and stretched her hands.


    Turning around and looking at her fellow students looking at her curiously, she felt a little awkward although it didn¡¯t bother her too much.


    Quickly cleaning up after the lesson, he soon began his music class.


    ¡®I should go talk to Gerhardt after class today, I haven¡¯t checked on him in a while.¡¯ Ensen thought.


    Ensen knew that Gerhardt¡¯s world was currently in a state of unrest, while he was concerned about potentially losing an English teacher if things got too bad, he was even more concerned about losing a friend. Although they weren¡¯t particularly too close, it didn¡¯t change things in his mind.


    Most of the class seemed strangely inspired towards learning music this lesson. Although Leah was sitting in the back looking a bit tired, which was understandable. Trying to make the lesson slightly easier so she could properly follow alone, the time flew by as the class ended.


    After sending the two siblings on their way home, Ensen walked towards the staff room, hoping that Gerhardt would be there grading papers. However, when Ensen got there, he realized that Gerhardt had already left for the day.


    Deciding he would talk to him tomorrow, he headed to the car with the students.


    After dropping everybody off and arriving at the apartment with Flora in the passenger seat, they both went to their own apartments.


    ¡°Hey system, you said that Flora met the minimum requirements for the Academy, but what is her grade exactly?¡± Ensen asked curiously.


    [Why are you asking?] The system responded.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not too sure. There¡¯s just something satisfying about finding talented students. I know I¡¯ll do my very best to help them learn, so who knows what they¡¯ll go on to do.¡± Ensen said after a moment of contemplation.


    [That¡¯s fair, I feel the same way. However, did you forget that Flora is returning to her world in just two months? You heard a bit from her about how complicated her world was. Aren¡¯t you nervous about letting her go back?] The system asked curiously.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m nervous, but I believe my student will do well. Besides, there isn¡¯t anything I could do even if I wanted to. She¡¯s Karina¡¯s apprentice after all, so I¡¯ll just do my best to make sure she can make it.¡± Ensen said.


    He was slightly dreading the day when he would have to send her back to her own world. Although he knew he would have to get used to it, there would be more otherworldly students after all, and they¡¯ll have to leave too eventually.


    [I¡­ I would help you, but I really can¡¯t right now. I just checked if her rank met the requirements. Examining her exact talent rank takes more resources then I can currently use.]


    ¡°You really are low in points, huh? What are you using the points for anyways?¡± Ensen asked curiously.


    [Remember when I told you there was a system that was catching up to me quickly? I¡¯ve been trying to find out how he¡¯s been doing so. But scanning the universe for his host is such a big expense.] The system wrote in resignation.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just ask your friends if they know where his host is?¡± Ensen asked logically.


    [That would be a good idea¡­ but I don¡¯t really have friends, just one. But the Supreme Sect Establishment System isn¡¯t in a good position to help me out right now. He¡¯s too occupied with keeping your friend safe. After all, she wasn¡¯t sent to a peaceful world. It¡¯s considerably more effortless for both hosts and systems when it¡¯s a peaceful planet.]


    Nodding in agreement, Ensen prayed in his heart for Kaitlin¡¯s continuing safety.


    ¡°Well, what can I do to help you?¡± Ensen asked, hoping he would be of use.


    [Just keep growing the Academy to become a bigger influence on the world stage and eventually, the universal stage. Let me deal with this guy, even though he¡¯s gaining on me I¡¯m sure I can hold him off for a bit.] The system wrote confidently.


    Looking at the message in front of him, Ensen pondered for a moment before saying gently ¡°Be careful.¡±


    As Ensen sat on the couch in silence, he looked up towards the ceiling and simply just stared at it for nearly an hour.


    ¡®I need to keep advancing my missions. I just hope they won¡¯t take too long.¡¯ Ensen thought as he kept staring, hoping for the success of the system in finding the other host.

 Chapter 61: Exhausted

    Although Ensen wasn¡¯t certain about the benefits both him and the system gained from being a part of the Supreme ranking, he was sure they were significantly impressive at the very least. While they obviously weren¡¯t necessary because of all the other systems ranked beneath them, it would surely simplify matters.


    The problem with his missions was that they were rather long-term. Even though the first part of the chain mission with Leah lasted only three weeks, there was no telling how long the entire mission chain would take.


    The main mission was simply a waiting game in reality. He needed to properly catch the students up, which didn¡¯t have a specific time as it all depended on how well the students learned. While he imagined it wouldn¡¯t be too long because of the rather decent talent ranking required to enter the school, it was still a hindrance although it was a necessary step.


    Knowing that Alina would be going to be one of his students starting tomorrow, Ensen smiled.


    Although he knew that this would most likely be the last student for a while, he didn¡¯t particularly mind. There were only two faculty members after all. Besides, while Gerhardt was a seemingly great English teacher, he spent most of his time either grading the students¡¯ work or back in his own world which left the majority of the other work resting on Ensen¡¯s shoulders.


    It wasn¡¯t as if Ensen was ignorant of the massive stack of work that would be piling on his shoulder once he opened his Academy so he wasn¡¯t surprised by this. But it didn¡¯t change the fact that the massive amount of work certainly took a lot of time out of his day.


    Knowing that he was slacking a bit on his work today, Ensen decided to spend the rest of the night trying to catch up. Finally, after 9 pm he managed to make decent progress


    After picking up both Flora and the students from the orphanage, he arrived at school.


    Ensen knew that Alina would be walking to school today so he wasn¡¯t worried about that front.


    Getting out of the car and unlocking the front door of the building, Ensen headed to the staff room in wait for Gerhardt to arrive.


    Behold, after a few minutes of resting on the couch Gerhardt had appeared.


    Slowly standing up, Ensen walked over to him and greeted him. ¡°Hey Gerhardt, how was your morning?¡±


    Looking up confused, Gerhardt said in a tired tone before sighing ¡°I¡­ It¡¯s been rather busy Principal.¡±


    ¡®He seems exhausted. Did he even get any sleep last night? Something big must¡¯ve happened.¡¯ Ensen thought reasonably as he looked at Gerhardt.


    ¡°I understand¡­ is it bad?¡± Ensen asked, trying to be rather vague to make sure Gerhardt would feel slightly less uncomfortable talking about it.


    Looking downcast, Gerhardt said ¡°... It¡¯s pretty bad. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep coming here each day to teach my students.¡±


    As the room turned silent and awkwardness began to overtake them, Gerhardt said ¡°Do you mind if I relax in here until my class after the break period, principal?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, you deserve the opportunity to rest. I¡¯ll leave you alone now then.¡± Ensen said lightly before turning around and leaving the room.


    Heading to the classroom, Ensen quickly arrived and entered the room. Scanning the room, he quickly turned confused when he didn¡¯t see Alina anywhere.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Did anybody see the new student today?¡± Ensen asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s another new student?!¡±


    ¡°Just the people in the room.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡®Hmm.¡¯ Ensen thought as the class had officially begun.


    ¡°Alright everybody, let¡¯s start off the class today with a simple math worksheet to start the day. While you guys are writing I will go look where the new student is. Maybe she got lost.¡± Ensen stated before quickly leaving the classroom.


    Passing by the staff room on his way to the front door, Ensen stopped for a moment and stared at it before shaking his head.


    ¡®No, he needs his rest.¡¯ Ensen thought as he headed towards his car.


    Quickly hopping in, Ensen didn¡¯t really have a clue about where to begin. As such, he started with driving to the road and took a left, as turning right would lead to the city.


    With an eye on the side of the road to make sure he was constantly checking it, he began to drive around slowly, however, there was no luck.


    As minutes passed by and the allotted time for the students to finish their worksheets came closer and closer to ending, Ensen knew he needed to head back to teach. On the other hand, he had no idea where Alina went.


    With Ensen getting even more worried, he was conflicted about what to do when his phone began to vibrate in his pocket.


    Taking his phone out, Ensen quickly answered it.


    ¡°Who is this?¡± Ensen asked, doing his best to hold back his annoyed tone. After all, he could be searching instead of taking the phone call.


    ¡°Umm¡­ hey Principal. I know I said I wanted to start today but¡­ something came up so I can¡¯t come. Is that alright?¡± The voice said nervously.


    As Ensen heard the voice on the side of the phone, he sighed as he thought ¡®So she was too busy then?¡¯


    ¡°Principal?¡± Alina said over the phone in an even more nervous voice.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine. Just remember to tell me earlier if you can¡¯t make it to class, okay?¡± Ensen said after a moment of consideration.


    As the phone call finished, Ensen turned around and began to make his way back to the school. Luckily due to the lack of traffic, he had arrived back in the classroom rather quickly, just in time as the students were finishing up the worksheet.


    Sitting down in the teachers chair, Ensen tried to focus on doing some work before he began teaching but he was too side-tracked with Alina.


    The students finished the worksheet a few minutes later. Deciding to grade them later tonight, Ensen quickly announced to the class that the new student would be joining the class some other time before starting their lesson.


    It went rather smoothly this time, although Warren seemed a little disappointed in the back for some reason.


    As class ended, Warren and Brian scurried out of the room down the hallway.


    ¡°They do know there¡¯s music class now, right?¡± Ensen muttered as he saw them going down the hallway.


    ¡°Don¡¯t run down the hallway!¡± Ensen raised his voice to make sure they could hear him.


    It seemed they did hear him as they slowed their steps considerably after that.


    Music class started a few minutes later after and surprisingly both Warren and Brian had arrived on time. The class today was relatively simple, just some exercises for Ensen to grade and help them improve on.


    After class had ended and their break had started, Ensen quickly headed to the staff room before starting his little teaching session with Leah.


    Slowly opening the door, Ensen noticed that Gerhardt seemed to be passed out on the couch. Trying not to make any voice to wake him up, Ensen decided to come back a little later to wake him up.


    Heading back to the music classroom, Ensen entered the room and noticed that both Leah and Anabella were here.


    ¡°Does Anabella want to learn the piano too?¡± He asked Leah, knowing that Anabella wouldn¡¯t want to speak.


    Anabella shook her head lightly towards Leah.


    ¡°No, she¡¯s just interested in watching. Is it fine if she stays?¡± Leah said while looking towards Anabella to gauge if she had said the right thing.


    Seeing her nod her head in agreement, Leah looked towards Ensen.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, let¡¯s begin now though. I need to end a few minutes early today.¡± Ensen said as he began his lesson.


    Time passed by relatively quickly as Leah focused on doing her best to learn, Ensen doing his best to teach,  Anabella doing her best to both read her book and pay attention.


    As the lesson approached its end for the day, Ensen quickly excused himself before returning to the staff room.


    Opening the door quietly again, Ensen walked in with silent feet as he pondered how to safely wake Gerhardt up.


    After thinking for a moment, he decided to take a little precaution and stood a few feet in front of Gerhardt.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ Gerhardt, it¡¯s time for you to teach.¡± Ensen said in uncertainty, unsure of what to say.


    ¡®... He¡¯s not moving.¡¯ Ensen thought as Gerhardt stayed completely still.


    After a few more attempts of waking him up, he eventually succeeded.


    As Gerhardt opened his eyes, he quickly scanned the room before locking his eyes onto Ensen.


    ¡°What time is it?¡± Gerhardt said, lacking his usual elegance.


    ¡°It¡¯s just about time for you to teach your class. I was going to wake you up sooner but¡­ you were completely passed out. I thought I should¡¯ve given you your rest.¡± Ensen said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine Principal,¡± Gerhardt spoke as he slowly got up from the couch.

 Chapter 62: Overexertion

    As Gerhardt did his best to fully wake himself up, Ensen went into his office to work a little bit.


    However, as he began to get bored with the absentminded work, Ensen began to let his mind wander.


    ''I wonder what caused Alina to miss today. She seemed so excited when I told her she could still attend school.'' Ensen pondered as he began thinking up fandom theories, most of them absurd.


    ''No, she can''t be an English spy or anything. I wonder if she has a job?'' Ensen thought, trying to think realistically.


    While her having a job was possible, it shouldn''t have been a problem for Alina to inform her employer that she was starting school which instantly crossed that off his list.


    Knowing that speculation was useless if he didn¡¯t do anything about it, Ensen did his best to remain on focus as he continued his work.


    After school had ended for the day, Ensen drove everybody home before continuing his work late into the night with barely any breaks.


    When Ensen woke up the next morning, a heavy pounded attacked his head viciously.


    ¡®I probably worked too much yesterday, and now my head pays for it.¡¯ Ensen sighed as he slowly got out of bed, trying to ignore the massive headache.


    Slowly getting dressed, Ensen knew that he needed to be there consistently every day until there are a few more staff members at the very least. After all, he was the teacher for 75% of the courses there at the moment.


    ¡°Emilia will be coming a little later in the day too, so I need to do my best,¡± Ensen muttered as he walked out of his apartment.


    Walking over towards Flora¡¯s, Ensen knocked on her door lightly.


    The door quickly opened with Flora standing there prepared to head out.


    As Flora looked at Ensen, her face turned concerned as she said ¡°Are you okay, Principal? You seem a little pale.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, nothing to worry about. Just a little headache. Now come on let¡¯s go. There¡¯s a friend visiting the Academy later.¡± Ensen said, quickly ending the conversation.


    After they had arrived in the car, they began to head over to the orphanage in silence.


    As they pulled in front of the building, Ensen decided to stay in the car this time to save his energy.


    ¡°Can you go knock on the door Flora? It would be a big help.¡± Ensen said while trying to ignore the piercing pain.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Flora said simply before heading towards the door.


    A few moments later the other students appeared and headed towards the car together.


    Ensen turned towards them and greeted them all once they entered the car. Although they all had similar reactions as Flora did earlier. Even Anabella pitched in slightly which surprised him by quite a bit.


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    ¡°Are you okay Principal?¡±


    ¡°Principal! Are you dying?!¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry guys. I just have a little headache. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll go away soon.¡± Ensen responded.


    As all of his students stared at him with both suspicion and concern in their eyes, he made his way to the Academy.


    ¡®This is awkward. I know I¡¯m a bit pale but¡­ they¡¯re just staring at me.¡¯ Ensen thought self-consciously, beginning to wonder if there was some of his breakfast left on his face.


    After they had pulled in to the parking lot Ensen quickly parked the car before nearly bolting out of the car towards the main entrance. After unlocking the door Ensen headed towards the staff room to grab a bottle of water to try to help with the pain.


    Once he entered the staff room Ensen swiftly headed towards the small fridge. Although right when he was about to be in front of the fridge, a sudden tear in space appeared causing Ensen to fling himself backward in panic. After all, he had no idea what would happen if he touched it.


    As Ensen was forced to wait for Gerhardt to appear through the portal, he leaned against a nearby wall and tapped his foot in impatience.


    ¡®At least Gerhardt is teaching his class first.¡¯ Ensen sighed as he tried to think of something to distract himself from the pain, however, it was no use.


    ¡°Hey system, what¡¯s wrong with me?¡± Ensen asked, slightly concerned since he had never had a headache this bad before.


    [This is a simple headache from overexertion on your part. After all, you did work for well over eight hours yesterday and didn¡¯t get much sleep either. Not even mentioning the fact that you have not drank a significant amount of water or ate much either. You need to take better care of yourself.] The system concluded.


    With a slightly awkward expression, Ensen realized what the system said was true.


    Luckily Gerhardt had just appeared from the tear in space, so Ensen could now access the fridge. Grabbing a bottle of water and a little snack he had put in there prior, he headed towards the couch.


    With one hand holding his forehead and the other holding the now opened bottle of water, Ensen slowly took a drink as Gerhardt had regained consciousness from his teleportation.


    ¡°Morning principal,¡± Gerhardt said casually as he began to walk over.


    However, similar to the others, he also noticed that Ensen looked rather unwell. ¡°Are you feeling okay Principal? You seem to be in pain.¡±


    ¡®How many times have I heard that?¡¯ Ensen sighed pitifully as he regretted his actions from yesterday.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, I just kind of neglected to eat or drink yesterday and now I¡¯m paying the price,¡± Ensen said.


    Gerhardt left Ensen to himself as he didn¡¯t want to disturb him further and instead headed towards the classroom.


    As he left the room, Ensen took out his phone and called Emilia.


    A few seconds later as the phone continued to ring, Emilia picked it up.


    ¡°Hey Ensen, I was just about to head over there soon. Why¡¯d you call?¡± She asked with a tone of excitement.


    ¡®She really is curious about my Academy, huh?¡¯ Ensen smiled at the thought.


    ¡°Oh, are you? Think you¡¯d be up with having breakfast somewhere first? I kinda¡­ forgot about it.¡± Ensen said in an awkward tone of voice, hoping that Emilia wouldn¡¯t understand his intentions.


    ¡°I was just going to grab something on my way¡­ but sure, we can eat somewhere first. Is it alright to leave the Academy, though?¡± She asked curiously.


    ¡°Yeah it¡¯s fine, all of the students are in a class right now and we¡¯ll be back before it ends.¡± Ensen clarified.


    ¡°Well, then that¡¯s that.¡± She said before picking a place for them to dine.


    ¡°Yeah, that place sounds nice. I can be there in just a few minutes, it¡¯s not too far away.¡± Ensen said as he began heading to the car, remembering to take his bottle of water with him.


    After hanging up with Emilia, he began to make his way there. It was a local restaurant that had pretty good reviews for a restaurant in the countryside. Emilia picked this place specifically because of its relative closeness to the Academy, which Ensen thought was nice.


    Pulling into the parking lot rather quickly, Ensen parked as he looked at the rather new construction. A large glass window at the front of the store revealed a few other people dining inside.


    After entering the restaurant and asking for a table for two, he was quickly led by the waitress and given a menu.


    A few minutes later as Ensen was looking over the menu, Emilia had arrived. After parking her car she entered and walked over towards Ensen¡¯s table.


    ¡°Hey Ensen, it¡¯s been a long time hasn¡¯t it?¡± Emilia greeted him as she took a seat.


    ¡°It really has, Emilia. You seem excited to see my Academy, but I¡¯m sure you know it¡¯s not anywhere near as impressive as yours.¡± Ensen said with a half-joking and a half self-deprecating tone.


    Emilia looked thoughtfully at Ensen for a few seconds before speaking honestly ¡°It¡¯s a different circumstance. I¡¯m just a principal of an already existing Academy. But you, on the other hand, are the founder of a brand new one. In terms of achievements, I¡¯d say you already passed me.¡±


    As Ensen finished hearing what she had to say, he stared at her speechlessly for a few seconds before smiling gently.


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that. I know just how hard you work to make sure the school runs smoothly. Besides, I¡¯m sure you could establish your own Academy if you wanted too.¡± Ensen responded.


    ¡°Well¡­ maybe, but that¡¯s too much work for me. Besides, I hope to be the principal of SilverLeaf for a long time. It¡¯s¡­ fulfilling, you know?¡± She said in contemplation.


    ¡°It¡¯s not even been two weeks since my Academy opened but¡­ I know. I just wish there was some way to help the students more.¡± Ensen sighed as he thought about the living conditions of the majority of his students.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you can fix that with time,¡± Emilia said with a bright smile.