Chapter 5 – Reflection

[ Daily Quest ]

[ You have 3 hours left to accomplish your daily quests and earn higher pimp status ]

[ 03 Hrs : 00 Mins : 00 Secs ]

The notification continued endlessly. The system was relentless, making sure I'm aware of every hour that passed.

I knew time was not on my side but that was not something that I couldn't change.

The major obstacle I faced was how to get out of Miss Double D's class... and fast.

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You must be wondering what the 'Daily Quest' was.

Like the name simply pointed out, they are quests that come daily.

I receive them from the system and I'm obligated to do them to earn what the system called the Pimp Points (PP).

Only with the pimp points can I climb higher and earn more pimp status.

Failure to accomplish the daily quests comes with consequences or what I prefer to call punishments. These punishments are reserved for the system to decide and administer.

In my case, I now had less than three hours to carry out my daily quest or face the punishment that follows.

Today's daily quest notification prompts came as I brushed my teeth while Elizabeth waited for me in the living room.

With that, let's take a few hours' trip back in time.

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Earlier today, after I'd left Elizabeth to go and get myself ready for our drive to the academy.

I stood in front of the mirror in my rather large bathroom, my palms pressed again the glassy construct with a mouth full of toothpaste foam as I peered deep at my reflection.

My mind wandered because at this point I had seen the quest.

The prompt was in front of him, on the mirror and that was the reason I looked like I was about to embarrass my reflection with lustful kisses.

[ Daily Quest ]

[ Say 'Hi' To Jasmine Barley To Earn +3 Pimp Points ]

[ Get A Reply Back From Jasmine Barley To Earn +2 Pimp Points ]

I was pained... deeply pained but I brought it on myself when I created the system. As much as I could interfere with it, it would hurt my pride and destroy the purpose of the whole thing.

What do I do next?

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"Umm... Miss Dorian."

My hand went up in the air as I called her attention quickly. There was no other way since I could not just waltz out of the class.

She paused in the middle of her reading and lifted her head slightly to look my way.

"Yes, Mr. Nuttinson."

A peal of nervous laughter escaped from my lips into the serene atmosphere of the class.

"I r-really need t-to go," I said, pretending to stutter from an overwhelming inconvenience.

"... To the restroom."

She stared at me briefly, seeing how I visibly perspired with beads of sweat trickling down from my face and my whole body quivering.

She had no choice but to let me go.

"You can go."

Bingo!

Five minutes. That was the much time I was allowed to be out in the restroom.

That was more than enough to carry out the plan I had in mind.

I zoomed out of the class so fast that Imit seemed like I was really under heavy tension, but it was all part of my glorious acting.

Yes. Call me the King Of Being Dramatic When Necessary.

Miss Double D had fallen for my act.

The minute I left the class, I cooled my body's temperature, stopping the excessive sweating I induced on myself.

I was done with my time in the restroom. It was time to initiate the plan for me to complete the day's daily quests.

I looked at the mirror in the restroom and stretched out my hand towards my reflection and it did the same.

We touched with the mirror being the barrier between us, but that barrier was going to be broken the moment I muttered two magic words.

"Perfect Copy."

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After about three minutes from the five that I was spared by the new teacher...

The door to the Emerald classroom of the second-year mage scholars went open, interrupting Miss Dorian Dandelion a second time in less than five minutes as she read out from a book.

Dickens was definitely going to Miss Dorian's black book.

Dickens walked in, breathing loudly and with a sense of peace and freedom like he had been relieved of a burden.

Miss Dorian looked at him with a confused expression but couldn't figure out what she was confused about.

"Please have your seat, Mr. Nuttinson."

Dickens did not say a word back. He nodded and strolled back to his seat, relaxing himself and getting quite comfortable... maybe too comfortable.

Elizabeth spared him a curious glance for a few minutes but without a doubt, it was Dickens seated beside her.

"Why is Dee acting weird all of a sudden?" she wondered.

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I hoped the clone I created would hold up well enough in class until I returned.

That was an ability from one of my many abilities — Perfect Copy.

With Perfect Copy, I could create a clone of myself from anything I wished through mere contact with the building material, which in this case was my reflection.

I glanced up as I stood outside of the academy but still within its premises.

This quest was getting more difficult with every passing minute while I, on the other hand, got desperate.

As I carefully watched the clouds, I could see something that glinted up there. Though the glimmer was faint and subtly layered, it couldn't escape my peering eyes.

A barrier?

It was the barrier that enclosed the academy. Constructed to look like a covering dome and thinned out to overlap with the atmosphere, appearing invisible and easily unnoticed.

[ 02 Hrs : 52 Mins : 56 Secs ]

Should I crumble the entire barrier and leave while they are busy reconstructing it?

I shook my head in obvious disapproval of my opinion. That was a crazy idea.

The quest had not gotten that serious to require such a scale of action. It would be unnecessary to leave the academy naked and unprotected.

But if I walked through the barrier to the streets of the city, I would be detected in a moment. Unless...

Unless I moved through the barrier while it was not sensing any magical signatures.

My intelligence bewildered even me sometimes. I facepalmed and chuckled at the brilliant thought of mine.

The chuckle came to a sudden stop and it was back to business.

"Time Halt."

With a sharp glare, I cast yet another spell.

Time in the whole of Silver City paused for three seconds, however, my pimp system remained unaffected by this magic — the consequence of a restriction I placed on myself in that regard.

[ 02 Hrs : 52 Mins : 50 Secs ]

Three seconds were enough.

Enough for me to walk through the giant gates of the Zenith Academy For Warlocks & Witches undetected.

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A breath of fresh air.

A breath of freedom.

I relished the smell and the fragrance of the free world beyond the walls of the Zenith Academy.

Walking the street in my white shirt and pair of checkered trousers and my navy blue blazer jacket in my hand, I very much drew attention to myself albeit one of admiration than slight.

It wasn't common to see the mage scholars of such a prestigious academy outside.

Now let's go and find Jasmine.