Published at 8th of November 2022 5:04 am

Chapter 373: 24 Hour Call Back

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Charles was excited as he knew he had a cheat-like ability called [24-Hour Call Back] that allowed him to acquire vivid information from 24 hours from the future.

So, he quickly took one of the books he had just finished reading labeled [The Difference between Fire Elements and Oxygen Generated Fire]. After hours of studying, he barely comprehended twenty percent of the book because it involved the connection between magic and science.

With the new Charles taking over this body, his comprehension could be quantified at 40% since the new Charles had more knowledge regarding science, while the old one came from a distant planet where he had never heard of science before.

Charles then activated his ability with great excitement.

In an instant, 24 hours of knowledge appeared in his mind: it was like he spent every single hour of the next 24 hours reading and studying the book. He had no trouble processing the knowledge after resting for a few seconds.

‘My understanding of this book can be quantified to 70% now,’ he thought excitedly before using his power again. Then, after 48 hours of ongoing study, Charles mastered the book’s content in just a few minutes.

‘I have a future in this terrible world,’ he thought, feeling as if his future was not as dark as he imagined. With elation, he took another book and used his power. And it worked, but soon afterward, Charles felt dizzy and almost passed out.

He then received information inside his mind that he had overused his spiritual/soul strength and would only be able to use his ability after recuperating.

Then, Charles suddenly had an idea if he could use his mana as a price instead of his ability. And to his surprise, it worked. With his Tier 1 Mana, he could use his ability another five times to master a few more books.

Then, he became weak and difficult even to stand. Immediately, he closed his eyes to enter a deep state of meditation to recuperate his mana and spiritual strength.

Three hours later, he returned to his peak state.

‘I feel my soul strength increased. Is this because I depleted and replenished it, or the result of mastering new knowledge?’

Charles felt it was a combination of both, meaning his ability also granted him some other benefits. With excitement, Charles then continued his study. He spent the next two weeks in the library, using his cheat-like ability to master 80% of the first-year course. He became semi-renowned as the kid who never left the library.

Luckily for him, the school-granted robe had cleaning enchantments, so he did not have to worry about hygiene.

He only stopped after feeling an intense hunger after not eating for a week; his mana and [Aura] could no longer sustain him without food. So, he left, heading for the cafeteria.

While heading there, Charles was excited while deep in thought.

‘I should meet the soul requirement to reach Tier 2. I only have to spend some time absorbing mana. If only I had money to buy potions, I could probably reach the required mana in 2 days.’

Charles did not mind his lack of resources. The University has Mana Dense Room for students to use to gather mana at a faster rate. Additionally, the top 100 students received many funds and resources that can help them in their magical journey.

If it were before, Charles would never dare think about these funds. But with his ability, it was only a matter of time before he reached the top of the university and even qualified to transfer to the Bones Advanced School of Magic.

Furthermore, he could send in ideas to acquire Arcane Merit. As a person from Earth, he has many things to draw inspiration from. Even if the Arcane Emperor is from the same place as him, Charles does not believe he has thought of all the ideas.

So, with skippy steps, he went to the cafeteria and used his ID to log in before having a haughty meal. Although the previous Charles had food back in his dorm, he preferred the food cooked by a person instead of a robot. And the new Charles followed the old habit.

After his meal, Charles decided to have some sleep before going back to study. Most of his classes were online, and he could attend them when needed.

Charles followed his memory to head to his dorm. All the students had single dorms with at least two rooms. With Extension Curse, space was not an issue.

In front of his door, he placed his hand on a pad, and he heard a mechanical voice:

“Scanning…Fingerprints Identified…Mana and Aura Unidentified…Soul Fluctuation Unidentified… According to the University Rules, this anomaly will be reported to Campus Police. Please wait for their arrival.”

Charles instantly became scared as he feared that he might have been discovered. His first instinct was to run away, but he knew calmed down as he knew this was the stupidest decision; the anomaly could be an error in the system. And running away would only make things worse. Plus, he did not think he could run far.

And he was right, not even two minutes passed, and two men with Campus Police uniforms came before Charles; he could see they were weary as one had a gun and the other staff.

The one with the staff was a middle-aged man with slightly gray hair in his temple.

“My name is Officer Kevin Pretzels. What seems to be the issue?”

“There seems to be a problem with the lock in my room,” replied Charles, trying to be as composed as possible.

“Errors are possible when it comes to products like this. So, come with me to the office and have a proper scan. If your identity has no issue, you will receive an apology from the university and compensation.”

Charles opened his mouth to ask what would happen if his identity did not match, but he did not dare. He also knew it was impossible to run as he could sense both these officers were Tier 4 Arcanists.

Ultimately, he had no choice but to follow them along. Keven brought him to a room full of machines and conducted some tests, which he did not have access to the result.

Kevin stood next to a young man dressed in a suit in a room full of floating holographic screens.

“So, what’s the result?”

“His mana, aura, and Soul’s fluctuations and frequencies displayed anomalies above the standard deviation, especially compared to his previously registered data. But- -”

“This could mean a sudden mutation, or someone took over his body.”

“Yes, Director. Our equipment is not sophisticated enough to determine.”

“That’s fine. Call the Intelligence Department and report him.”

“Isn’t that a little too rushed? He could be an innocent student?”

“Or, he could be a spy sent to infiltrate the Empire. We are in a time of war, so we cannot take these things lightly.”

As soon as he finished these words, the young man looked at the door as a slightly plum woman walked in the room with a man holding binders behind her.

“Dean Palin, what do I owe this visit?” asked the young director.

“I’ve heard you caught a student with some issue with his identity.”

“That’s correct.”

“There is no need to make a big deal out of this. It’s probably a mistake of the machines. So, just register his new data so he can attend school properly.”

“No, he is an anomaly and must be reported.”

“You must not understand- -”

“No, I understand,” said the young director calmly. “You do not want the university to have a spy infiltration scandal. But your actions can endanger the Empire and its citizen.”

After saying that, the director contacted the Intelligence Department, while Palin left fuming in anger. Not even a minute after the report, two agents appeared: one woman and one man.

The man was Middle Eastern and had a mean face with scars, while the woman was a beautiful woman with brown skin.

“Where is the suspect?” asked Agent Amir directly. After they led him to Charles, Amir immediately placed Mana Sealing Cuffs on his hand, treating him like a prisoner.

“This is just protocol,” said Agent Naya. “As long as we clear your name, you will get your freedom and be compensated. Charles was intelligent enough to understand these two people had a “good cop” and “bad cop” dynamic. Nevertheless, he still felt reassured by her words.

Meanwhile, Agent Amir placed some glasses on Charles’ face, completely removing his senses.

When he regained his sight, he found himself in a chair. Sitting opposite his table was Agent Amir.

“I have a few questions for you. Answer them honestly.”

—-

If someone has a better name for the ability, I’m up to suggestions since I don’t like the one I used.

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