It was the start of a new week of education. Olek was laid out, face down into his bed as the traumatic iPhone alarm cried out, beckoning him to once again, rise for another day.
"I'm going back to android." He threatened, muffled by the pillow.
Yet, he rose. Yawning and smacking his lips as he turns his alarm off and checked the time: 9:01 AM.
'Why do I check the time every morning? It's like I'm shocked to see that I've awoken at the time I set to awake, crazy.' He grumbled internally.
Pulling aside the curtain he was blinded by the grey rainy weather. 'Beautiful morning.'
He went for a shower, got dressed, had some breakfast, if you could call it that, it was just a can of tuna and a cigarette.
He noticed his dorm mates were all still dead to the world currently. 'Must have afternoon lectures, lucky bastards.' He thought, yearning for the sweet embrace of his blankets once more.
In about half an hour, his entire morning routine was complete, and he was ready to learn some real business strategies. Not that he was going to, no, he was going to learn about why it's bad to discriminate against your own employees for the fourteenth time after 7 years of studying business: from highschool till university, some real fascinating stuff that's paving the way for future millionaires.
As one could imagine he was quaking in his boots, eager to sit through his morning lecture.
Olek began his trek to the campus. At least student accommodation meant the walk was short.
The university was as busy as ever, the campus grounds were bustling with students and lecturers alike, some rushing to their next class while others are idling their time, waiting for their next one.
The smart ones were in the library, spending the time they had in between lectures actually going over the notes and preparing for assignments.
Luckily for Olek, he was a business student. It was notoriously an easy subject, often chosen by people who just didn't know what they wanted to do with their life. But unlike them, Olek actually wanted to learn about business.
'If only we were actually taught business...' He sighed, making his way to the on campus coffee shop that was surprisingly cheap for good coffee.
See, modern day business courses teach you jack shit about making money. He had thought Business Management would teach you how to succeed in managing your own business, but no, what it's really teaching you is how to be a middle manager inside of someone else's business.
The distinction?
'One makes all the money and is the boss of his own world, the other is paid a meager salary and lives to work.' He sighed.
After waiting in line, it's finally his turn to make his order. As the masculine being he was, there was only one real option.
"A large mocha, with a scoosh of caramel syrup please, Carla." He ordered, grinning in anticipation.
'Best part of my day. Honestly, who the fuck drinks black coffee unironically and actually enjoys life?'
Carla, the barista across the counter, chuckles, "The usual then. I'll make your drink then we'll head out for the lecture, I was just finishing this shift."
"Who said you could join me?" He raised his eyebrow.
"So you wanted a black coffee with an extra shot of espresso?" She shot back, not missing a beat.
Olek coughed, "You are, of course, welcome to join me for this fine lecture. In fact, I wouldn't have it any other way."
This was Carla. His friend - or something to that end. She had the habit of inviting herself into his personal life, and threatens him with horrible coffee when he tries to ditch her. Not that she was bad company though.
She was a brunette, a head shorter than Olek, wore glasses and dressed like she was always ready to go to the gym, black leggings, oversized tees, trainers. The only difference between "gym Carla" and "casual Carla" was the brown sweater she threw on top.
After a short few minutes, he got his drink and waited for Carla to take off her apron and cap.
She came out from behind the counter with her sweater and bag ready, smiling at Olek while moving beside him. "Hey Olek, good morning so far?"
"Not too shabby, Carla, could be worse." He sips on his coffee, "First lecture in like 10 minutes, our favorite, Ethics in Business."
"Gods, the one with the Jamaican lecturer? He's a cool dude, but it's so hard to understand him." She groans.
"Yup." He sips again.
'I usually just zone out 10 minutes into the lecture, I just use AI for ethics assignments anyway.'
They walked over to their lecture hall, located stupidly high in the building on the 8th floor. After a cramped, brief elevator ride where he had to raise his coffee up to not spill it, they arrived at Lecture Hall H-27.
Lecture Hall H-27 was known as the biggest lecture hall this university had to offer, but it was also the oldest on campus, and it showed, the lack of technology, wooden seats and tables made it feel kind of like a church more than a modern education facility.
For subjects like Business where there were hundreds of students, they unfortunately had to use this one and rarely got to sit in the newer ones, causing a lot of sore backsides from the uncomfortable seating arrangement.
The found some seats up at the back, Carla got her laptop and notepad out, whilst Olek just kept drinking his coffee and looking at his phone.
Once the students filtered in through the entrances on each side, the middle door banged open. And in strode Professor Solomon Reid, he was tall, dark-skinned, broad-shouldered in a suit and tie. The man was juiced, he clearly took a lot of pride in his body.
His boots echoed on the old wooden floor.
"Alright, mi students, settle yuhself now." His voice was deep, rich with the Jamaican speech.
He waited for the students to settle as he looked around with a teeth bearing smile, the man had pearly whites, and he made sure everyone knew that.
"Last week mi ask yuh dis; Is it ethical fi a man to pay him workers de minimum, while himself pocket de maximum? Some o' yuh seh yes, some seh no, an' plenty o' yuh seh 'Professor, dat's just business mi man.'"
He slammed his satchel on the lectern with a thud.
"But lemme tell yuh someting - 'just business' is de most dangerous phrase in dis world, yuh hear? Wars start wid dem words. Whole heap o'blood spill cause a man seh 'just business.'"
Pausing, he sized up the hall.
"So today, we nah talk theory. We talk power. Who hold it, who tek it, and who suffer when it used reckless."
The projectors start up, slowly revealing the presentation on worker's living wage vs minimum wage.
"As much as he's hard to understand. He is good and pulling attention toward him-" Carla looked over at Olek, who was half asleep, "Well, at least for most people." She shakes her head.
Olek jolts up, waking up from his daze, "Huh? Were you saying something?"
Carla chuckles, "You're hopeless."
"Sorry for not understanding how this lecture is going to make me rich." He said, crossing his arms.
She scoffs, "Is all you think about money? There's more to life than making it rich."
"Yeah, but all of that is supremely enhanced when you are rich, even eating a pot noodle would taste better knowing I have millions in my bank." He argued.
"The grass is always greener on the other side, Olek." She nagged.
He side-eyed Carla, "Hmph, you'll see. Money is power, power to do anything you want, without caring about bosses or rent. To pursue whatever the fuck you want. It is utter freedom."
She raised her eyebrow, "Not if you become a slave to it. Plus, it's so unrealistic, if it was easy, everybody would be loaded."
"Unrealistic to you maybe, but for me? Nah. It's inevitable." He stated, his face confident.
Carla laughed with a smirk, "Whatever you say, mister jobless, broke student."
Olek sighed, "You just don't get it, put your attention back on the lecture if you're so concerned about me missing it!"
Professor Reid had been going on for about 10 minutes about fair wages and ethical practices whilst the two were bickering. They knew they could just see the slides when they were home, which would be easier than deciphering Solomon's encrypted speech.
*BRING*
A shrill alarm like sound rung out in his ears neurotically all of a sudden, and seemingly everyone else's as they all covered their ears.
*BRING*
However, it did naught to block out the noise as it seemed to rattle inside of his head, as words floated in front of him on a game-like message box.
*The Mana Accord welcomes Earth. Starting tutorial sequence... Please brace yourselves.*
Olek's vision went black.
"Huh...?"