I was laying on my bed while reading the new chapter of a novel that I followed since two years ago.

It was a story about a destroyed world full of undeads walking, there and here.

A sudden sleepiness attack me and I fell asleep.

And when I woke up, I was in a classroom full of students reviewing their textbooks.

I'm one of those students sitting in their specific sit, reading their textbooks.

Then one day, I know that this is fucked up.

After arriving back at home he recieved another mission from the system.

[Mission Received - Exercise for 1 hour per day for 7 days.]
[Sitting in front of a computer all day isn't healthy and getting exercise is good for you, therefore you should get at least 1 hour of exercise per day.]
[Reward - $100, Skill: Running Level 1.]

'Hey, what's up with the reward, you don't specify that I will have to do 1 hour of running yet the reward is still a skill for running, this doesn't make sense, can you please explain?' Ronan was reasonably upset.

[Simple, running is one of the most popular ways to get the exercise that and with the skill you would be able to run slightly faster, and the only exercise you currently get is walking so why not go onto running, besides I doubt you can even lift a coffee mug.]

'Did you call me fat or anorexic? or just straight up weak, because I know I'm not weak, unlike a system that doesn't actually exist.'

[Really? I'm fairly sure that I do exist and for that, I'm going to double your mission.]

[Mission Cancelled - Exercise for 1 hour per day for 7 days.]

[Mission Received - Exercise for 2 hours per day for 14 days.]
[Sitting in front of a computer all day isn't healthy and getting exercise is good for you, therefore you should get at least 2 hours of exercise per day.]
[Reward - $50, Skill: Running Level 1.]

'You know I was joking right? How could the most supreme system in the world be so petty?' Ronan was depressed, running 1 hour was fine, but now running 2 hours is sad, he has to run for 2 hours per day for 14 days to get money and it half than what was promised originally.

[Too late, now do it before I decide to make you suffer for 28 days doing 3 hours of running.]

'Really? I thought the mission is optional.' Ronan was borderline depressed now.

[Oh, yeah, your right, but still do it and then you get rewards, you need the rewards right?]

'Well, it has a point, I suppose I can still do it, after all, I get a skill and then I can get some more money.'

[You know I can hear your thoughts right?]

'Huh, I seem to have forgotten because you didn't speak for like 3 days.'

Ronan and the system had a bit of catching up to do, in the end, Ronan made a schedule for it, 2 hours of running per day at 7 AM just after he wakes up, then he can spend the day doing whatever he wants to do, in the meantime, Ronan went back to the textbooks, he had a deal with Jake all of them done in 5 days then he will get paid.

He started on the textbooks.

Several hours later and he had done 1/4 of them and he went to sleep.

Over the next few days, Ronan had gone running for 2 hours, completed the textbooks and gone back to editing the code of his app to improve it, he improved the user interface, the app was not as taxing as it was earlier on the users phones, and he had rented several servers, now his app had over 50k downloads with approximately 7k online at all times of day, providing him with a steady income, the most users online at a single time was 20k, but that was the day after he contacted Jake about spreading it, he also received several hundreds of helpful reviews on how to market the app and now he was looking for online advertisements to advertise his app.

"Hello, is this Approval Advertisements?" Ronan had just contacted an advertisement agency to see if he could get some online exposure.

"Yes, who is this?" Replied the voice on the other end.

"My name is Ronan, I'm calling to ask about your prices for advertisements, all kinds."

"Sure, its $500 for a total package, you will get all sorts of advertisements on all sorts of different websites, you can specify what types of advertisements you want and on what websites, we also offer advertisements on different apps, we have many companies selling us advertisement space on their apps, for the original price of $500 you can have either, but if you pay $650 you can have both."

Ronan spent some time deliberating over the various companies he had called and contacted, but the one with the best offer and reputation was by far Approval Advertisements, Ronan only gets paid at the end of the month for the advertisements so currently he only had the original $1100 from the missions.

"Okay, where do I sign?" Ronan asked.

When Ronan asked, He went through the procedure to rent the advertising space and also paid them an extra $100 for creation of the advertisements.

After everything was done, he was told that it would take 2 days for the advertisements to be made then they would be put up the day after, and he wouldn't be charged for the first week.

He went back to completing the textbooks, the month ended in 5 days and 2 textbooks needed to be completed for tomorrow, fortunately, they were the easiest ones to complete.

After a couple of hours, Ronan looked at his clock.

20:00

An hour before he was set to sleep, he was even more tired since he had to run 2 hours every day and it was important that he at least didn't feel tired when running his app and completing the textbooks.

After another hour of working on his textbooks, he put them down and went to sleep.

Waking up the next day he went for a run, got a shower and prepared his bag, putting all the textbooks into his bag.

Ronan Atkins is a 20-year-old student, he studies Business Administration at Trinity College, it is considered as one of the best colleges to learn Business Administration in the world and in order to obtain a scholarship Ronan had to pass many tests, most of which have nothing to do with the actual course he was studying in, after passing all those tests he was finally given the scholarship he dreamed off, but even after getting the scholarship his life was hard, he had to work several jobs in order to pay for food and accommodation.
Until one day, when he is working part-time at a convenience shop something happens...

----------------------
Power Stones (Chapters released on the Monday)

Top 500 - 1 chapter
Top 250 - 2 chapters
Top 100 - 3 chapters

One time only bonus chapters (Chapters released day after) 
25 Power Stones - 1 chapter
50 Power Stones - 1 chapter
100 Power Stones - 2 Chapters. 
200 Power Stones - 2 Chapters. 
250 Power Stones - 3 Chapters.

It's been ten years since we met and she still looks the same.

Maybe, she really is a ghost.

I stood in front of my bedroom mirror and adjusted my tie.

"Is this some sort of fancy private school?"

"Yup." I answered.

"And you're going to be gone the whole day, everyday?"

I buttoned up my shirt's collar and pulled up my tie until it was a snug fit. 

"I'll be free on weekends."

I fished my shoes from under my bed and looked up to see that her supple lips were pursed and her mesmerizing eyes were filled with apprehension.

Hamu was lying on top of my bed. She had already put on my high school uniform, as if to  encourage me. 

Her pants looked really baggy and the shirt she wore was so big it was downright comical.

"What's the point? You might move away tomorrow. Might as well study on the internet. If you ever need to know something just Moogle it."

"I can't live off the internet."

"Tell that to your mom. Isn't she doing online spamming now?"

"It's Marketing. Online marketing. C'mon don't make fun of her. She's doing this for us."

Hamu batted her pretty eyelids mischievously and said, "You mean she's doing this for you. According to her I'm just an imaginary friend that you won't get over!"

I ignored her provocative words and packed some exercise books, a couple textbooks and my laptop into my backpack.

"Why are you carrying all that junk? Are you aiming for a retro vibe? Can't you just download the textbooks and record the lessons with your smartphone?"

I sucked in a few nervous gulps of air and tried to steady my thunderous heartbeat.

"I'm really nervous." I confessed. "This is the first time I've gone to school."

Hamu knitted her brow. "But didn't you register just last week? Or did you go to city hall to do that?"

"Ha." I laughed lightly. "I'm going either way, you can't stop me."

"Why would I want to stop you? If you want to become a cog in the machine and allow private industry to turn you into a mindless wage slave, have at it."

I sighed, deeply.

Last week, when I received my admission letter, I had nervously begun to fill out the registration papers when Hamu floated behind me and started chattering non-stop.

I gave her the book, 'Capital' by Karl Marx, hoping that it would keep her busy. Having little to do in the lead up to my new semester, she practically swallowed it in two days and I've been regretting it ever since.

I went into the bathroom and picked up my comb, but Hamu plucked it out of my hand.

She expertly styled my hair until it was not as ruffled as it was usually. She then straightened my tie and properly zipped up my bag.

"Thanks mom." I said with a silly smile. 

"Your welcome sweety." She crooned and shot back an impish smile of her own.

I laughed quietly, and then hesitantly asked, "I thought you didn't want me to go?"

"Who says I don't want you to go? You're so annoying! You know what? I think I'll take a vacation. I've been babysitting you for ten years. If you add up all my off days I should get at least half a year of downtime."

Tomoya was only five years old when he learned that his father had died in a freak car accident.

Torn by a mixture of grief and confusion, he ran away from home only to return late in the night, to the relief of his teary-eyed mother.

But he was not alone.

The ghost of a teenage girl had somehow drifted into his life and over the course of ten years the unlikely duo had grown to be inseparable.

Together, they stumble across a series of clues that shed light on the truth of his father's disappearance, only to have their desperate search overshadowed by another, more dangerous conspiracy.

Tomoya couldn't help but ask himself, 'If she is a ghost, then how did she die? And why has she never left my side?'

The day after the announcement of the Potion Master Trial, a strange atmosphere surfaced around the Mansion of the Dead.
It seemed like each and every one of the players was carrying a set of thick books and lowering their heads as they diligently studied the pages with solemn expressions. Their eyes seemed to be blazing with determination, desperately wanting to reach for the sky.
Even the interactions between the players had strangely altered.
Passerby A: "Brother, where are we going to level up today?"
Passerby B: "I'm not going, stop disturbing me while I'm studying!"
Passerby A: "Brother, I discovered an island at the Void Ocean today, there might be treasures there!"
Passerby B: "I'm not going, stop disturbing me while I'm studying!"
Passerby A: "Brother, we haven't cleared the Instance Dungeon today, let's head out now!"
Passerby B: "I'm not going, stop disturbing me while I'm studying!"
... 
An even more laughable fact was that some of these players extremely abhorred studying when they were students in the past. However, all of them had transformed into studious and diligent little darlings, merely to advance into a Potion Master. They would even occasionally gather in groups to discuss the contents of the potion crafting books.
According to a certain player, if he had studied so diligently in school, he could have entered Harvard with ease.
The players had no option but to dip their heads in their new textbooks and study seriously since the officials were so uncompromising. After all, there was no shortcut to achieve it. If they really wanted to become a Potion Master, they could merely study industriously and nothing else.
Thus, a huge number of players had given up on their daily activities such as killing monsters, collecting spiritual materials, and fishing. They had completely dedicated their hearts and minds to studying, diving deep into the sea of knowledge.
A player even recorded these happenings and edited them into a video, before uploading it to the country's most popular video game website, which garnered great attention from other netizens who fervently discussed it online.
[There's no future in playing games. Look at us, high-quality players from Battle Online. We only love studying here. (bold emoji)]
In the video, the figures of the players could be seen reading studiously in every corner of the Mansion of the Dead. Some of them were even clustered in groups and arguing their heads off until their faces were flushed with anger, simply because they had conflicting views on the book contents. It was as though these players were a faculty of academics.
Players who had never played Battle Online were understandably flabbergasted by this unusual sight.
Sword_Dance_In_Red_Dust: "I've always heard that Battle Online was very evil, but I'm completely impressed this time. Studying in a video game, isn't it simply seeking pain? (laughing with tears emoji)"
MC_Player: "Shudders. Is this game so scary? How did it make all these passionate players study so obediently?"
Lazy_Cancer_Patient: "Splutter! I was drinking water when I watched the video, so I couldn't help but spat out a mouthful of liquid! Isn't this too amazing? During their school days, these stupid students with poor results abandoned their education because they were addicted to video games. This is really my first time seeing all these video game addicts so immersed in studying. As expected, Battle Online players defy all our common sense. (kneeling emoji)"
Terrain_Changing_Mighty_Sword: "Can we say that Battle Online is forcing the standard of domestic video game players to change? Hahaha!"
Spring_Water_Commander: "This rocks! How did Battle Online manage this feat? My curiosity is killing me…"
Crayon_Shinchan replied to Spring_Water_Commander: "Hi, just a Battle Online player passing by in the comments. Don't speculate or doubt us, we're merely trying to enrich our knowledge and polish our virtues. (laughing emoji)"
... 
Compared to the avid discussion happening in the external forums, the exchange in the Battle Online forum was even more heated.
This time, the contents no longer consisted of a miscellaneous collection of meaningless ramblings about the game contents, but was completely covered with posts about questions or opinions from the players regarding the potion textbooks.
With nearly 30,000,000 players competing for just 10,000 spots, the acceptance rate was even lower than applying to be a government agent.
However, this didn't discourage the players. In fact, all of them wanted to have it a go because everyone was equal. They were all starting from zero without any basic fundamental knowledge about it.
However, these complex and difficult potion crafting books tormented the players terribly. Many players would have hit a dead end if they didn't discuss the content with one another.
Thus, everyone was united in their feelings toward the Battle Online devs - they wanted to kill all of them!
The players simply couldn't comprehend what the expectations the Battle Online team had when they cherry-picked these three complicated encyclopedias to torture them. While perusing the boring pages and pages of words, the players became so drowsy that their souls had left their bodies.
One thought lingered in every player's minds. If they have so much leisure time, why don't they invent some game settings that can help the players improve?
A fact that pained them even more was that the content of these books was quite reasonable and logical. Actually, some players with medical knowledge found that much of the information in the books could be applied in real life.
Even though they couldn't find spiritual materials in real life, they could relate to some of the viewpoints in the books.
Thus, all of the players came to the conclusion that the devs of Battle Online were all terrifying monsters.
It was because the knowledge and information that appeared in the game spanned across different fields, from the previous battle skills that could be applied in real life to the situation now. Time and time again, the developers of this game implemented settings that were curiously realistic.
Hence, the players gave the devs of Battle Online a nickname, the Wicked Mob. It meant that each and every one in the dev team was wickedly intelligent.
The players were painfully helpless in the face of the Wicked Mob, hence they could only be forced to study diligently.
Undoubtedly, a group of players had also become truly engrossed in studying during these three days.
At first, they forced themselves to read the pages, because they didn't believe that these books would be too difficult for them.
However, they were utterly mistaken. Even though there were only three books, the contents were so vast and all-encompassing that the players felt they couldn't finish them entirely even in a few months' time.
These passionate players became truly immersed in the process. By following the instructions in the books and using the spiritual materials in the game, they even slowly started to practice crafting potions.
However, the results were a complete mess. Without extensive experience or necessary knowledge, it would be impossible to successfully craft potions with mere luck.
Needless to say, overexcited people like these had always existed throughout history. While most of the players gave up on further experimenting, a few adamant players continued to make multiple attempts.
On the third day, some players managed to craft an elixir from fire, causing a shockwave of surprises in the Battle Online community.
[First Grade Green Elixir (Low-quality)]:
Elixir Details: Beginner's level elixir. It has too many impurities, so there is a risk when consuming it.
Elixir Special Effect: 30% probability of permanently increasing strength attribute by one point, with a 70% chance of being poisoned and losing 5 health points every second. The maximum amount of strength attributes that can be increased by this elixir is 10 points. After that, the player would be immune to the elixir and it will have no effect anymore.
Potion Master Mark: Feng Xiaoqi (Player)
The emergence of the elixir sent the entire gaming community into a frenzied furor.
It was because they discovered that the elixir crafted by a Potion Master actually had a permanent effect.
No matter what, this meant that the future of a Potion Master was limitless!
Elixirs with the ability to permanently increase attributes were priceless. Furthermore, as the Potion Master's level increased, they would surely be able to craft elixirs with stronger and more powerful effects.
The appearance of this elixir even stunned the players that were leveling up by farming monsters as they doubted the future of a Potion Master.
Instantly, they moaned and groaned in exasperation, lamenting the fact that they had missed such a golden opportunity to become more powerful.
Hence, a huge congregation of players hastily swarmed the Mansion of the Dead at the last minute, trying to join the group of players studying to change their fate.
The sounds of people studying echoed endlessly in the Mansion in the Dead, never ceasing even in the night.
Leveling up, Instance Dungeons, and exploration… none of these were of any importance to them anymore.
At that moment, all the players wanted to do was study, not even the Heavens could stop them!


Lu Wu, an aimless video game developer, had been feeling perturbed ever since he found out he was the direct descendant of a king from the underworld. Other than the title, His Excellency, his ancestor hadn't passed down anything else to him. On top of that, all of his ancestor’s subordinates had rebelled against him and completely usurped his inherited territory.
Under the circumstances, Lu Wu built a battle game server with the help of his new mysterious friend and transported gamers from the real world straight to the underworld using virtual reality. They then created the main quest, the character classes, the Instance Dungeon, the storyline, and the non-player characters for the game.
Relying solely on these video gamers’ strengths, Lu Wu began his expedition to reclaim his rightful inheritance. What could possibly go wrong?

At 9 in the morning.
Back at home.
Zhang Ye deactivated the Lucky Halo. When he saw the consumed Reputation Points, he felt pinched and squeezed. He did not know about the progress of the meeting, nor how the discussion went. All he did was activate the Lucky Halo (Upgraded) at close to 8 AM and keep it on for close to an hour. The Reputation Point consumption rate of the Lucky Halo was extremely heavy, with 100,000 Reputation Points needed for every second it was activated. Even with the large amount of Reputation Points Zhang Ye had accumulated by now, it was difficult to bear. He was lucky that he had only used up a portion of his total Reputation Points during the lottery draw the other day and still had some left for today's purpose.
Just how did it go?
Only God would know!
Whatever! However it turns out, so be it!
Zhang Ye opened the door and came out of his room.
"What were you doing in your room?" his mother asked.
Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Handling some important business."
His father asked, "How did it go?"
Zhang Ye shrugged and said, "I suppose we'll find out tonight."
His mother rolled her eyes at him. "What are you being so secretive about? The most important issue at hand is the curriculum revision! That's right, isn't your girlfriend from the education sector? She was the vice president of Peking University and has even worked at the provincial education department. Why don't you check with her? You have to take the initiative."
But Zhang Ye said, "Aiya, don't bother her with such things. Mom, I'll help you to make lunch. After eating, I'll have to head to work." Since Zhang Ye had nothing better to do, he decided to help out with whatever chores there were around the house. In reality, it was to divert his attention from the national textbook curriculum revision so that he wouldn't have to keep thinking about it.
In the afternoon.
They were still discussing it on the Internet.
"The changes to the English language curriculum seem to have been set in stone."
"Yeah, I heard that the middle school textbooks will get more difficult."
"The revisions for the math curriculum aren't out yet."
"What about the Chinese language textbooks?"
"I don't know."
"Even though they're calling this a curriculum revision, the majority of the content will still remain the same. There won't really be much change, and this has been talked about before."
"Let's see whose essays will get chosen this time."
"It's gonna be amazing for whoever gets to have their work published."
"It's going to be more than amazing. They'll become famous."
Elsewhere.
Zhang Ye arrived at the studio.
He had just stepped into the office when Elder Qian arrived a moment later. "Is this Little Zhang's Studio?"
Little Wang opened the door to greet him. "Yes, may I ask who you are?"
Zhang Ye hurried outside when he heard the voice. "Aiyo, Elder Qian, what a rare guest."
Elder Qian chuckled, "I was nearby when I remembered you saying that you had set up your studio not long ago, so I came over to have a look. Am I welcome?"
"Of course you are." Zhang Ye told his studio staff, "This is Elder Qian, a most distinguished person in the literary field. If I'm not around when Elder Qian comes to visit, remember to give him the best reception."
Little Wang said briskly, "Understood!"
Elder Qian said happily, "Kid, don't try that with me."
"Come in, let's talk inside." Zhang Ye and Elder Qian went upstairs.
After glancing around the office, Elder Qian suddenly looked at him. "Is your relationship with Wu Zeqing quite good?"
Old Wu?
Zhang Ye was taken aback for a moment. "Ah, it's not too bad."
Elder Qian gave an "oh" in response.
Zhang Ye wondered, "Why do you ask?"
Elder Qian said, "Your old boss is pretty good to you. I have a friend in the education field I spoke with recently, someone from Fudan University who's also taking part in this education reform. Wu Zeqing contacted him some days ago to ask if he could help you out a little in the Chinese language curriculum revision. When Wu Zeqing was heading a department in the education sector, she had helped that Fudan University friend of mine out quite a bit. So he didn't reject her request. Later on, my friend came to ask me about what kind of a person you were. I told him not to believe the rumors out there and that you were really quite a nice person. He acknowledged that without saying anything else."
Zhang Ye really did not know about this. He said in surprise, "There was something like that?"
This Old Wu! Why didn't she tell me about this!
Zhang Ye had only found out about the exact time of the curriculum revision meeting yesterday, but who knew that Old Wu was already well aware of it way before he was? And she had even helped him pull some strings?
Elder Qian blinked and said, "You didn't ask Chief Wu to put in a word for you? Then you better thank her properly. She really went through a lot of trouble for you. It seems she values you a lot. Although Wu Zeqing has now gone on to oversee the entertainment industry, her network in the education field is still there. Quite a few Peking University alumni are also in the textbook revision work group. In recent years, you're the only professor from Peking University to have any involvement in the literary field, so they'd definitely support you. Together with Fudan University's support, you probably stand quite a good chance this time, especially with 'Ode to Young China.'"
Zhang Ye chuckled. "Then I'll hold you to your auspicious words?"
Elder Qian said emotionally, "Kid, you're really going to skyrocket soon."
Yes, he wanted to skyrocket in popularity. But before that, Zhang Ye's essay would have to be selected for the revised edition of the textbooks. Until the final moment, no one would know how it would turn out!
Zhang Ye was waiting to find out.
The studio staff were waiting to find out.
The education and literary fields were waiting to find out.
The media reporters were also eagerly looking forward to it.
…
At 7 PM.
The studio staff hadn't left work yet.
Little Wang said anxiously, "Will they announce it today?"
"I don't know." Wu Yi was browsing the news online. "There aren't any updates. The English language and chemistry textbooks' revisions have already been confirmed, but there's still no news about the Chinese language textbooks."
Ha Qiqi said, "Wait a little longer."
"Hey, there it is!"
"What?"
"Where, where?"
"Look at the news, the changes to the Chinese language textbooks have been finalized!"
In a flash, the studio staff all gathered around. Zhang Ye also ran down from upstairs to join them.
"Is Director Zhang's name in there?"
"I'm looking for it!"
"An excerpt of Sun Fang's novel has made it in?"
"Meng Han's poem will be featured in the eighth grade's second semester textbook?"
"Who else is there?"
"I'm still looking, don't rush me!"
"Ah!"
"I saw it!"
"Holy shit! There's Director Zhang's name!"
"An excerpt of 'Ode to Young China' has been selected! It's going to be in the middle school textbook!"
"Oh my God! He really made it in!"
"Director Zhang! It's in! We've made it in!"
"Wait, why is there another one?"
"Holy fuck!"
"'Tribute to the White Poplar'?"
"What's that?"
"When did Director Zhang write an essay titled 'Tribute to the White Poplar'?"
"I know this one! I've read it before! It was written by Director Zhang!"
"Th-This one made it into the elementary school textbook? We didn't only have one essay selected, two of them actually made it into the textbooks?!"
"Tribute to the White Poplar"?
Startled, Zhang Ye suddenly remembered it. This prose titled "Tribute to the White Poplar" was written back at the parent-teacher conference at Chenchen's school. At that time, the teachers wanted the children to write an essay, but Chenchen did not know how to and kept asking Zhang Ye to write one for her. This was also that very well-known essay that made it into the national textbooks back in Zhang Ye's previous world! Zhang Ye had still not made a name for himself when he brought over this essay to this world. On top of that, the circumstances in which it had been brought out made it relatively unknown here since there was hardly any publicity. That was why this essay was not well-known over here. In fact, many people didn't even know that Zhang Ye had written the essay. So Zhang Ye was astounded that "Tribute to the White Poplar" had made it into the elementary school textbooks. This was indeed an unexpected gain!
He was very happy for himse—
Oh, he was very happy for Mao Dun!
The studio staff started cheering!
"Director Zhang the Mighty!"
"This is so impressive!"
"He's made it into the national textbooks!"
"There won't be any more changes, right?"
"No, the announcement said the selected works are final! It's been decided!"
"I thought it was exceedingly lucky to have one work featured, but there were two in the end? How generous of the education field to give so much face to Director Zhang! It looks like he hasn't offended as many people as we thought he had!"
"That's great!"
"The third milestone in our 'Reach the Summit' plan has been achieved!"
"Yeah, we didn't even think that the third milestone could really be achieved!"
"And it was even achieved beyond our expectations!"
Everyone was shouting and screaming!
Zhang Ye was also quite happy with the outcome, but thought to himself, Do you guys really think that it was the education field's people who gave me face? If it weren't for my Lucky Halo and Old Wu's help, much less "Tribute to the White Poplar," even "Ode to Young China" might not've been selected!


Zhang Ye was originally a mundane college graduate with aspiring dreams to become a star, but unfortunately has below average looks and height. However one day, he woke up and suddenly found himself in a parallel world! 
It’s like the same world, but wait a minute…many brands, celebrities and even famous works from his world changed and are gone in this new world! Armed with the profound literary knowledge of his previous world and a heaven-defying Game Ring that gives him magical items, stats and skills, Zhang Ye embarks on a journey to pursue his life-long dream of becoming famous!
Follow Zhang Ye as he takes the new world by storm, one plagiarized piece at a time, to hilarious reactions!

August 30, Monday. Since his visit to the Writers' Guild office, Tayaw's two weeks was filled with fruitful events. Just three days after he sent his query letter to the agents through e-mail, 9 out of the 13 agents in the list Ms. Lei gave him responded. 7 of the 9 who responded expressed their regret of being unable to work together with him because of prior arrangements, and the remaining two agents asked for the complete manuscripts for their consideration, which Tayaw sent in .pdf format to their respective e-mail addresses.
A day later, the two agents expressed their interest in working with him. Both agents currently have their primary clients in their hiatus giving them free schedules which was great news. This however also gave Tayaw a difficult decision to make. His choice ultimately fell upon which of the two agents is a native of Ouigab City. This left one agent in disappointment, and the other in gloating which means the two agents know each other. Tayaw also agreed with the agent's final offer of 18% share in whatever Tayaw makes from his Grimm's Fairy Tales – Vol. 1. Normally, a book agent takes 12 - 15% of a client's earnings but because the agent Tayaw hired had more than 25 years of experience in the industry and has plenty of connections, Tayaw took the offer.
Matters regarding the book aside, after Tayaw hiring his agent in the 21st, he found himself having more spare time. Rudy, the boss of ROH Factory had not contacted him at all as a substitute for any gigs. He then decided to read his textbooks in advance on the major subjects he enrolled for the coming semester. As a civil engineer for almost two decades in his past life, he did not buy the text books of subjects he considered himself to be skilled in like Plane/Spherical Trigonometry and Engineering Drawing. Subjects like College Algebra and General Chemistry, on the other hand, he needed to brush up on or learn in advance.
On the 27th, his contract with the online tutorial company also ended. Before that, he was also able to save as much money as he can by increasing his quota, asking for co-workers for some of their regulars in exchange for shares of what he makes from their students.
On the 28th, Tayaw's dorm mates also arrived and moved in with their things. Because Tayaw this time, chose a different dorm than his previous life, also got strangers for dorm mates. Their dorm room is big enough for two bunk beds for four students. Tayaw, considering moving to another place to occupy solo after his deposit in the dorm is used up, did not bother getting to know his dorm mates aside from their names.
11 am in the morning, and Tayaw was rudely awoken by his ringing IPhone. He stayed up all night to learn as much as he could from his textbooks before the start of the term. Picking up his phone, he realized it is a call from his agent. It has been 8 days since his agent notified him that he started looking for a publishing firm.
"Mr. Rotala, what's up?" Tayaw answered the call, curious about what the call is about. Chala Rotala, the independent literary agent Tayaw hired, is a man in his late 40s. Despite being a veteran in the industry, Chala did not give the impression of being an agent at all. If someone would talk to him, they would think that he's just friendly, well-dressed neighborhood uncle who will often treat you to a beer. He also talks to strangers like they're already acquaintances regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or even the status of the person he's talking to. Chala with his friendy demeanor and casual style has the ability to make any person who he talks to have a favorable impression on him. Tayaw noticed this during the day they met to sign their contract. It doesn't matter if Chala talks to a security guard, a waitress, or a lawyer, they always treat him favorably shortly after talking to him.
Chala's current demeanor, however, is comparable to a kid who just got a surprise gift from his parents. "Tayaw! I can't believe it! It's only been a week since I started pitching your book, and there are already two publishers interested! I didn't call you last Saturday when I got a call from a small company, but this call I got today, is from Topaz Publishing!" Chala's voice was loud it was distorting the internal speaker of Tayaw's phone.
"That's good news! Why does Topaz sound familiar to me though?" Tayaw replied, also feeling happy and excited. "You probably saw their name many times. They publish language textbooks of grade-school up to college levels!" Chala explained. Tayaw was enlightened at this. He retraced his memory of his current self and realized that he indeed had English and Teungebian Language Textbooks.
After calming down, Tayaw assessed what Chala told him about Topaz and said "I'm happy of the news. I'm confused though. Why would a textbooks publisher be interested in my book?" "Ah, I understand. You see, they have actually published numerous children's books in the past. It's just that they could only publish the same stories in different looks for so many times until their sales of their children's books were no longer worth the effort and gave away that pie to small publishing houses. Because of this, they have not published any children's books for almost ten years now. This is also the reason why Topaz is one of my priority firms to approach. I'm honestly feeling great about myself right now. Aside from my primary author, I have not worked so smoothly like this in years." Chala replied, with obvious pride in his voice.
Tayaw is also happy with Chala's work and satisfied with his decision of choosing Chala over the other agent who contacted him. "So, what's next?"
"I will head over to Topaz this afternoon to see what they would offer. You're not busy, are you? Would you like to join me?" Chala said and offered Tayaw to join him. Tayaw considered actually wanted to go, but decided not to after some consideration. His currently physical age is 16, which is basically but a child in any creative industry. In addition to being a debut author, Topaz may also use his age against him to further lower their starting offer. Tayaw, despite publishing as a debut author, knew that the value of Grimm's Fairy tales deserve much more than a debut author's pay.
"I won't join you. Mr. Rotala, I know you often disregard people's backgrounds, but other people may not. Topaz might lowball us when they see me, so please prevent them from asking questions about my age." Tayaw replied. Chala, hearing this, was surprised at Tayaw's foresight and was forced to acknowledge his own inexperience. In his 25 years of experience in the industry, he never worked for an author of Tayaw's age. Realizing this, he further realized that he has never heard of an author Tayaw's age. He was relieved to have realized these facts before going to the negotiation. Sure, publishing firms only care about whether an author is new or has previous works but if he slipped up and bragged about Tayaw's age in comparison to the quality of his work, who knows what the consequences are.

A/N : Alt Title - Jack of Entertainment 

Title : Jack of Arts

Synopsis:
Tayaw is a talented musician who never got to fulfill his potential. After losing his purpose in an unfulfilled life full of regrets; he is given the chance to go back in time and do everything over again.Along with a mysterious gift and an unclear mission, Tayaw starts a new life, this time making his mark to the world.
"Tayaw is a once in a hundred years musical artist! I just wish he was born in my generation"
- Buddy Rich, two-time Gramophone Award winner
"I admit he's a good musician, but he's an author first and foremost. He is changing the world of literature for the better."
- Helena Paddington, Outcault Prize for Fiction winner, Sohlman Prize for Literature winner.
"Despite being a musician and an author, he is to me, the greatest blessing to the film industry. This is his era."
- Heo Dong-jun, two-time Academy Award winner for Best Director and three-time nominee.

"I don't like him. Why does he use actors who didn't train and grind on the stage? He says he doesn't like my acting? What the hell does the kid know about acting? I've won awards for f*cks sake!"
- Merrell Street, five-time Academy Award winner for Best Actor, three-time Toby Award winner for Best Actor.




---------------
A ground work for a novel idea in the future.
---------------
English is not my first language so excuse my limited vocabulary and bad grammar. thanks

Eve was in class.
It was an ordinary class.
On an ordinary day.
On an ordinary week.
Her teacher was droning on about inferences or something.
"And what, Evelina, can we infer from this?"
"Um… This suggests that Source A has a positive, trusting attitude because it constantly talks about their achievements and 'they're trustworthy' is repeated multiple times throughout the text." 
"Thank you, moving on.."
The teacher's words became a buzz as she fell back into her thoughts.
This didn't really interest her as she already knew all of this stuff.
What she wanted to learn was history.
History had always been an interesting subject as she never really seen it around.
The lack of textbooks, school refusal to teach it properly and the odd way it was approached when it was brought up really interested her.
Adults always got weird when asked about it.
Schools curriculum only taught of the more recent events from a few decades ago.
A history of magic was more than useless when it came to historical events.
A loud ringing signifying the end of class yet again interrupted her from her thoughts. Packing her belongings into her bag she walked down the hallway.
"Eve!" Her best friend called. 
"Yeah?" 
"You goin' out tonight?"
Tomorrow, I've got a meeting."
"Alright, usual time at park tomorrow then?"
"Sure, see you tomorrow."
"Cya."
Eve walked towards the atrium where the ambassador and prefect meeting was taking place. It was about a world partnership with a school somewhere else in Europa.
***
After walking home from a fulfilling meeting, Eve set down at her desk to start her homework.
Seriously, who needs to know this? I'm interested to see what normal person needs to know the elements of the Periodic Table in their day to day life?
***
After another gruelling session with the all beloved Periodic Table, Eve swivelled around her chair. 
Hopping online, she hoped she might find a a friend to play a game with.
Getting on Chess.com, she noticed that Rosalina was online too. She quickly sent her an invite and they got playing.
***
After utterly destroying Rose in chass and moving on to beat the maths teacher in multiple rounds of chess and checkers, Eve finally hopped offline.
She decided that it was a good time to sleep, and she'd see Rose tomorrow anyway.
Laying down, she turned to face her blazer that was hung on the door. She admired the badges she'd accumulated. The 4 golden star attendance badges, the circular globe ambassador badge, the numerous house champions badges, the prefect badges. Each one she looked at, she wondered what had to happen way back in time, all those wars that must've happened for them to make their way to her lapels, for her to be laying right there and then.

Knowing little of the world away from home, everything the Eveshine thought she knew suddenly turns out to be a lie when she stumbles across an abandoned shack. Will she let loose the secrets hidden within, or will they remain untouched forever?
***
This book is also available to read on Quotev and Wattpad.

Nishant was nervous about playing online game with Shradha's friends. He had not played this game before and group game was also very new experience for him. To add to the nervousness, he was going to play the game without Sheela's knowledge ; So technically he was lying to his parents. 

Shradha was in her room and as usual, no one was interested to come to her room. She had logged in early and was chatting with Nishant. Other two joined quickly and they started the game. 

The game was really entertaining as Nishant was making a lot of mistakes while Shradha was covering him most of the time. @sorry_bro and @what!? Continuously pulled their leg about this. Nishant thoroughly enjoyed the 1 hour of game. He felt those 2 were really entertaining, at the same time, protective of Shradha. Although they never met each other personally, three of them really cared about each other.

"We should really do this again" said Nishant. They had finished playing, but simply chatting about other things. 

@sorry_bro: Oh no.. I really thought we hit it off. But now he says we should do this again. 

@what!? : Bro, what is this? How can you break our heart like this? 

@Nishant123: huh ! What are you talking about ? 

@bella_trix: lol they are quoting Friends again. 

@Nishant123: friends ??????????? 

@what!? : what ?? You don't know friends? 

@bella_trix: dude it's a very famous American sitcom. About 6 friends.

@sorry_bro: and in the dating lingo, we should do this again means 'you are never going to see me again' 

@bella_trix: that's what they discuss in one of the episodes. 

@nishant123: oh… 

@what!?: looks like we need to teach you a lot of things … 

They chatted for a while and after deciding time for the next game, everyone logged off. 

Nishant sat there on his bed, thinking there was a lot, that he did not know. He was immersed in textbooks so much that he failed to keep track of the real world.
***

****Ongoing re-write****


‘Agar Tum Saath Ho’ means ‘If you are with me’ in Hindi. These simple words could explain how shradha felt about Nishant. He was her sole source of energy; He was the only person who could sense her emotional distress and calm her down easily. He was her best friend, her guide, and also whoever she wanted him to be. To Nishant, Shradha was like a breath of fresh air. She always pushed him beyond his comfort level and helped him rediscover himself. She was his strength and also his weakness. 

Shradha was the girl who was considered as ‘bad influence’, while Nishant was the ‘good guy’, who was role model to many students and even parents. They had nothing in common except for the fact that both of them were lonely and maybe a little broken. 

Nishant and Shradha came together by coincidence. Their relationship started with simple friendship, which slowly grew into strong bond. He could show his silliness only in front of her while she could afford to show her real self only to him. Despite constant opposition from their family, Shradha and Nishant had continued to be ‘best friends’ and nothing else. 
They were each others ‘first’ in many things and even when the whole world could see how they were already in relationship, Nishant and Shradha could not see the obvious.
When they finally realized they have been in love the whole time, all it took was changing the status on social media.

****

The other freshmen might have been oblivious to it, but Xiao Lin became increasingly aware of how their batch of freshmen were treated differently.
From the unprecedented attendance of the dean at the opening ceremony, to the sophomore year leader representing the student union and taking over the class monitors' course selection duty from the instructors, it was surprising that the freshmen would be taught by someone with such high qualifications. It was a little overkill.
Xiao Lin remembered what Chen Yu said the previous night. The substitute teachers for freshmen were usually third-year or fourth-year students. After all, freshmen courses were very basic, and senior students were more than capable of being up to the task. Even if the courses were slightly more advanced, any ordinary graduate could shoulder the responsibility.
"My surname is Dai. You can call me Professor Dai." The young man opened up the heavy textbook, which immediately triggered a raucous protest.
"Professor? Are you kidding me? You look like you're the same age as us, maybe even younger! The academy can't be pulling our leg, right!" Some people were not convinced of the professor who looked so young.
The young man did not get angry and simply placed both hands on the textbook. "I'm a hundred and twenty this year. As the saying goes on Earth, I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice!"
120 years old!
Everyone was stunned yet again, but before they could question him further, the young man waved his hands, "Also, I personally hate when people talk in my class without my permission, so this is a little bit of punishment for you!"
Professor Dai effortlessly threw a dark-green orb of light, which then entered into the mouth of the boy who spoke earlier. The boy began dancing to dance around. To his horror, he discovered that he could not say a single word.
"The Taciturnitas spell lasts for half an hour. If you don't stop, I'd be happy to temporarily turn you into a statue."
The authenticity of those spells was a good deterrent. The entire classroom fell silent at once.
Professor Dai patted his belly with satisfaction and reopened the textbook. His voice resonated all throughout the hall. "Norma is actually a transliterated name. It's derived from the humanoid language of Planet Norma. Based on verifiable history, Planet Norma has been around for twenty million years since the birth of its sentient intelligent beings."
Professor Dai was just about to speak enthusiastically when a girl sighed. "We don't seem to have any textbooks."
The girl knew that she had made a mistake and hurriedly covered her mouth. However, Professor Dai's lecture had stopped and he smiled, "I never distribute textbooks in my classes. If you really need them, you can head over to the Logistics Department and exchange points for them after class. I, for one, don't recommend it!"
Professor Dai's tone became stern and he lifted the heavy book up. "Everything you're learning now is preparation for your future. Are you going to bring such a thick textbook to the New World?! Again, let me state the rules: do not interrupt when I speak!"
Professor Dai did not have the slightest pity for the girl; the green orb from the Taciturnitas spell emerged from his palm and the girl could only stare dryly with an open mouth.
Xiao Lin looked at the poor girl and could not help wiping off the cold sweat from his forehead. He had nearly complained about not having a textbook earlier, but lucky for him, he held it back.
Xiao Lin turned his head and glanced at Gu Xiaoyue out of habit, then silently noticed that she had a pen and was engrossed in writing at breakneck speed. She had a light-yellow notebook placed on the table.
In fact, there were pens and papers in the dormitory, but out of the 60 people in class, Gu Xiaoyue was the only one who brought a set. In fact, most people had not fully come to terms about actually being in a school with classes, let alone take notes.
… 
The freshmen were very quiet. Even the sound of Gu Xiaoyue's writing was drowned out by Professor Dai's loud lecture. Although the book on Professor Dai's desk was open, he lectured fluently without ever looking down. He did not pause at all, as if Planet Norma's history had been etched firmly in his mind.
Xiao Lin had to admire the man. He may have looked mediocre, but he was no doubt a man of substance. It was hardly surprising that he was a 120-year-old professor, but Xiao Lin felt like ridiculing the professor for bringing such a ridiculously huge book to class when he already memorized the text. Did the man not feel tired at all?
The question was answered fairly quickly. When Professor Dai introduced the racial makeup of Planet Norma, he paused, looked down for the first time, and said, "In order to for you to better visualize each race more vividly, I'll show you some virtual images."
Professor Dai lifted his finger suddenly and a brilliant band of colored light was drawn out of the book. The light quickly spread throughout the surroundings and finally formed a lifelike holographic image of the creatures. Even more amazing was that the images blinked and made low growls.
The creature of that race was tall, sturdy, and looked truly quite hideous. It had wild boar-like fangs and resembled a gorilla, while its gray-black skin was covered with dense and terrifying scars. It was extremely realistic, just like from a real creature from a movie.
The few girls sitting in the front row cowered in fear, but they seemed to be even more afraid of Professor Dai's Taciturnitas Spell and swallowed the screams that approached their lips.
Although the rest did not say anything, their eyes all lit up. Compared to Planet Norma's history, everyone was obviously more interested in the magical displays that Professor Dai conjured.
However, Professor Dai did not explain the spell and simply pointed to the ugly creature. He raised his thunderous voice again, "This creature is called an Orc. They are one of the oldest races on Planet Norma. Orcs are barbaric, savage, and extremely aggressive. They live in a tribal society and survive by looting and hunting. They are fond of scars and often regard the scars gained from battle as symbols of honor."
Many people had already guessed that when they saw the magical image of that race. When Professor Dai affirmed it, they all had weird expressions, as if wanting to say something, but they were hesitant to speak.
As a veteran otaku, Xiao Lin was naturally very familiar with that image. After battling in various major video games, it would be an insult to his title of Gaming Nerd if he did not know what an Orc was.
However, Professor Dai told everyone that the Orcs were actually the inhabitants of Planet Norma and were ancient creatures of another planet. In that case, what could be said of all those similarly-shaped orcs in Earth's various video games?
Xiao Lin could not contain his confusion and finally raised his arm up high. With two people serving as lessons, he did not dare to talk without permission in Professor Dai's class.
Professor Dai looked up at Xiao Lin and nodded. "Do you have a question?"
Xiao Lin brought up the question which many people had. Why was the appearance of Planet Norma's Orcs so consistent with the depiction of Orcs in Earth's online games?
Professor Dai remained silent for quite some time after hearing the question. With a look of confusion and befuddlement, he asked slowly, "I haven't been to Earth for more than half a century. Can anyone please tell me what an 'online game' is?"
The class fell silent. Even some of the girls, who never played video games before, looked at Professor Dai as though they pitied how out of touch he was.


What would you do if you were transported to an academy where becoming immortal was possible? Where magic spells and swordsmanship were your courses and fighting zombies and wars were your exams? Dawn Academy was no ordinary learning institution and Xiao Lin was about to find out how mysterious and exciting this magical academy really was. 
Join this self-professed gaming nerd as he embarks on a journey that takes learning to a whole other level. With flying dragons, high-tech systems, and alien livestock that makes your bowels explode, Xiao Lin’s freshmen adventure is just the tip of the iceberg.


A young Hispanic man was laying on a bed while browsing through Medical textbooks. He finished the book and added it to the pile that was 290 books high. Michael had been going through all of these textbooks for the past two months. He had read nearly all the credible textbooks available in the medical field. He could now be classified as the top expert in anatomy and epidemiology. 

This time Michael did not forget about Technical skills and bought Intermediate Medical expertise from the store for 10 million credits. The skill helped him learn decades of knowledge within a couple of weeks. Michael did not think it was necessary to upgrade the skill to a higher tier. He had already learned all the information discovered by modern medical science. 

Of course, Michael did more than just studying, he finished all his classes for the rest of the year. Furthermore, he started investing again; This time his 250 million dollars had grown into 700 million dollars. Michael could keep this money himself since he still had the 550 million credits from selling the servers.

Eminence gaming has been showing remarkable profits too. Last month's net profit was an astonishing 60 million dollars. So far they had released two additional games that made a remarkable debut. They still had 13 games to release; therefore, Michael had big expectations for this year's profit numbers. 

Empyreal holdings also finally started showing profits; The initial 55 million dollar fund Michael assigned to the traders had ballooned to 152 million dollars. Michael was confident that the traders would grow into remarkable performers that would earn him plenty of profits every year. 

Michael got up and walked downstairs to the garage. He had been using the garage to practice flying for the past two months. At first, it was quite difficult; He could barely hover a foot above the ground. However, he slowly got used to it and started flying around the house. Michael was still reluctant to fly outside because he was worried about being discovered. But he knew that one could not cower with fear forever. Besides he had enough practice flying inside. It was time to spread his wings and fly under the blanket of the sky.

He decided it was time to buy the stealth suit.

[ Congratulations on buying:

Z-22 Stealth Flight Suit (100 million credits): A full body suits that helps user avoid detection when flying. 

Intermediate Aircraft Operation (10 million credits): Allows host to quickly learn techniques to operate all types of aircraft.

Deducting 110,000,000 credits. Remaining Credits: 438,130,000 ]

Michael tried on the suit; It was completely black and looked like a modern day ninja suit. There was also a face mask that prevented his face from being recognized. This was good news since he could use the mask to hide his face when flying. Of course, he would still need to be cautious of satellite images; if he flew straight home then it would give him away; mask or no mask. 

He bought the aircraft operation skill because he wanted to buy his own plane. He could only use his flying skill in special circumstances; in most situations, he would have to use a normal plane like everyone else. Furthermore, he could not carry anyone else while flying; so a personal aircraft was absolutely necessary. 

Michael drove to the local flight academy and met with the owner. 

Patrick Coles had been operating Austin Aviation Academy for twenty years. It was started by his father and passed on to him in his late twenties. He met with a young man that claimed to be here for flight lessons.

" Hello, I am here to get pilot's License." Michael declared. 

Patrick looked at the young man like he was joking. " Sir, It is not easy to get a pilot's license. The FAA has many regulations. It will cost a lot of money and take quite a bit of time. Are you sure you are ready for the investment?" He did not want to waste his time with dreamers who underestimated the effort that went into being a pilot. 

" Yes, I am sure that I want to get a license." Michael confirmed. He had looked up all the requirements online and was prepared to spend the time and money necessary to get airborne. 

" Well, Do you know which license you want to get? There are multiple certifications depending on the type of aircraft and the number of engines." Patrick asked again. 

" I want to get all the certifications. Also, do you teach helicopters?" Michael asked. 

Patrick was flabbergasted by Michael's response. He could not imagine one person trying to get all the certifications at once. It was best to break them into different parts because there was so much information to learn. 

" Yes, we do have helicopters. Let me check the course availability. I am not sure we have all the courses scheduled anytime soon. You might have to get private lessons; which will be more expensive." Patrick tried to find the schedule. 

" I am willing to pay as long as you can try to get them all arranged on the same days to save time." Michael declared. He was confident that he could afford the fees for private lessons. 

" Sir, That would be too much info for you. You will not be able to learn appropriately. Do not underestimate flying. You can always pull a car over, but there is no such option in the sky." Patrick warned. He felt like this man was too hot-blooded; He reminded Patrick of his own youth.

Michael smiled at Patrick's attitude; He appreciated the man's honesty and affection. However, how could he explain to Patrick that he had superhuman learning capabilities and skills? " Why don't we start the training and then if you are not satisfied with my learning speed; you can spread the classes out." Michael tried to compromise. 

Patrick finally succumbed to Michael's persuasion and agreed to start training him. He calculated the charges and the bill came to $65,000. His eyes nearly popped out when Michael agreed to pay the full amount up front. Patrick walked Michael to the Cessna 175 that was used for training at his academy. 

" Is this even an aircraft?" Michael asked after looking at the tiny aircraft. It only had two seats and looked like the smart car of planes. 

" This is the best aircraft you can start on." Patrick went on a mundane lecture about the advantages of learning in small planes. Michael zoned out and got in the cockpit. He watched Patrick fly around for a while and then took control. 

Patrick watched with astonishment as Michael completed his first landing perfectly; It was only the first day and Michael had already mastered flying the plane. He had never seen anyone with this much talent for flying.

Michael spend the rest of the week taking personal lessons from Patrick. By day three he had already moved on to twin-engine aircraft. By day four, he was flying small jets. He learned to fly helicopters over the weekend. It took him just one week to get all the certifications for planes and helicopters. 

Michael thanked Patrick and walked out with his licenses. He drove to the airport to catch a flight to Wisconsin. He was planning on attending the annual Oshkosh. Oshkosh is one of the largest gatherings of flight enthusiasts in the world. Every year nearly 600,000 people and hundreds of aircraft manufacturers would descend to Wisconsin. It was the perfect event to break into the aviation world. Michael was finally gonna get some jets.

Michael was just an ordinary boy living in modern-day America. He grew up in an orphanage with a bleak future. One day he acquired a mysterious package only to inherit a system. Join Michael as he changes his fate and conquers his destiny; armed with a mysterious system that tries to convince him to take over the world.

This is my first novel so I would appreciate any constructive criticism and support.


This novel will also be posted on RoyalRoad.

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