Chapter 2: Back to college

I quickly put on the first crumpled-up T-shirt I can find and some ripped skinny jeans as I ready myself to leave.

If I remember correctly you can have your mana measured at any local government building, if you have enough of said mana you can even directly be enrolled in the ‘Machia university of Tokyo’.

This is it, the day I finally turn it all around! I still have some savings left from my number 2 Appstore hit, I’ll invest it all in my Machia career! Just like that old man told me, it’s time I fully focus on a single goal: becoming a rich and powerful Machia with a harem of beauties!

I walked for about 20 minutes towards the nearest government building, I couldn’t help but smile the entire way. I did receive some weird looks from passerby’s, but honestly, I couldn’t care less right now.

I clear my throat as I walk up to the counter.

*AGHM* “So yeah, I was recently abducted and wanted to have my mana-pool measured if that’s possible…”

The bored looking official behind the counter did a quick 180 and changed his entire attitude once he heard I was abducted.

“B-But of course sir, right away sir. Please come to the back with me towards our mana-measuring stone.”

Suddenly all eyes were pointed in my direction. Almost immediately, a bunch of people swarmed around me:

“E-Excuse me sir, would like to join our Starfall guild?”

“Sir, right here, from the iron pants guild! Are you interested?”

“Would you care to sign an exclusive contract with our ‘Moose dungeon-equipment store’, we’ll give you a 150 U-Coin sign on bonus!”

I was taken aback by the sudden attention, but it’s probably smart to deny their initial offers:

“Euumm… Sorry, I was actually thinking about going to Machia-college first…”

The official behind the counter stood up and pushed everybody away from me:

“Alright, Alright, enough, let this gentleman take his mana-measurement first.”

He motioned his hand towards a room behind him.

“Right this way sir.”

I entered and laid my eyes upon a gorgeously decorated room with a crystal orb in the middle.

“Alright sir, please place the palm of your hand on our measuring-crystal.”

“S-Sure… ha-ah I’m actually a bit nervous you see…”

I place my hand on the orb and it begins to glow a bright blue color.

“Alright sir, I’ll now look at your resu-“ - He paused and looked a bit shocked before continuing his explanation - *SIGH* “I’m afraid your mana count only reaches 100…”

“100? Is that good? The way you said it, it doesn’t sound that good!”

“I’m… I’m afraid it’s the lowest score we have ever measured in this establishment… it’s just barely enough mana to launch a single fireball…”

Fuck… just my luck…

“R-Right… well, I’m sure I can improve it later on. Is it possible to still register for the ‘Machia college of Tokyo’ with my mana count?”

“W-Wel, we’re not done with the examination yet, could you please show me your gift-cartridge, or an example of the magic it holds?”

“Gift-cartridge?”

“Yeah, it’s the game-cartridge-looking device you woke up with. The color of your cartridge will determine the strength of the magic it holds, from weak to strong it goes: yellow – orange – red – purple – gold – black. However, Nobody ever awoke with a black or gold one, a red colored gift-cartridge is already considered very powerful.”

“I… I’m afraid I don’t have anything like that though, I only awoke with the chip-implant in my chest…”

“Hmm, that’s a first… well I guess you could always just buy a revealed cartridge that suits you in the marketplace. Even if you’re poor, you could probably still buy an unknown cartridge…”

“Sorry, what’s the difference between a revealed and an unknown cartridge?”

*SIGH* “Cartridges can be found in dungeons as ‘unknown cartridges’, when a Machia inserts such a cartridge in his chip-implant, it will reveal a random magic fitting for his affinities and talents. He can then, if he doesn’t want to use that magic anymore, eject this cartridge and give it away or even sell it. This ejected cartridge still holds it magic and is thus called a ‘revealed cartridge’, ya get all that?”

He seems to be a bit colder towards me ever since he measured my mana.

“Yeah, thanks I guess. Anyways, like I asked before, is it still possible for me to join the Machia-college?”

*SIGH* “I’ll give them a call.”

*BEEEP* *BEEEP* *BEE~* *CLICK*

“Yeah … Ah-ha … No …. Only 100 … yeah an immigrant … alright, I’ll tell him.”

“Congratulations boy, thanks to the immigrant subsidies the university will receive if you attend it, they have decided to enroll you. You can pack up your things and move towards the college dorms, you’ll start in the wood [I] class. You’re in luck, their orientation starts tomorrow morning at 11.”

“Thanks…”

Well that was relatively simple, never expected my immigrant status would actually help me one day. My mana count isn’t really satisfactory and I didn’t receive a gift-cartridge either… No, don’t doubt yourself! Just focus on your goal!

I walk out of the mana-measuring room expecting to be swarmed by recruiters again, but... nobody even glances in my direction… guess they must have heard the news about my mana-count… well, not like I would accept their offers anyway. It just bothers me how fast they change their attitude once they decide you’re not worth the investment anymore…

Whatever, let’s just pack up my things from that shitty apartment and head towards the first step of my goal.