Chapter 43: Mirror Space

When Mei Mumu finished speaking, the entire room erupted; every pair of eyes sparkled with excitement. Beneath those heated gazes, a clear longing was evident.

Mei Mumu continued, “Simply put, true hand speed is the coordination between your brain and your hands—when your brain reacts, can your hands keep up?”

“Method one: Increase the width and resilience of your fingers. Use your left index, middle, and ring fingers to squeeze your right index and middle fingers. Press the base with your left middle finger, and push the other two outward as much as possible to widen the fingers being squeezed. You can use the same method for your middle and ring fingers, as well as your ring and pinky fingers. Of course, you can reverse it, using your right fingers to squeeze your left.”

Since Mei Mumu’s hands weren’t up to the task, he confidently called a dark-skinned friend to demonstrate on the spot.

“Method two: Enhance finger dexterity. The most notable practice is rolling coins between your fingers. This is a basic trick among magic enthusiasts, and it looks quite cool. At first, you’ll probably drop the coin repeatedly, but don’t be discouraged—first, you need to master the technique. You can find instructional videos online.

“In the beginning, practice on your bed so it’s easy to retrieve the coin. Start with smaller denominations; old coins are also a good choice, but avoid coins that are too large or too small. Once you’re proficient, move up to larger coins. After you’ve mastered your right hand, train your left, then alternate between both hands, roll the coin back, then roll it with your palm facing up and down. These exercises are excellent for improving finger dexterity, and they’re foundational for coin magic. Once you master these skills, you’ll find spellcasting gestures much easier to perform.”

“Method three: Increase finger strength and power. Kamar-Taj has similar training—simply put, do push-ups using fewer fingers.”

“Method four: Improve independence of each finger. For example, beginners learning guitar often struggle to separate their left middle and ring fingers—when one presses a string, the other moves as well. Their independence is poor. But since the left hand must press chords, and some solos require fast finger work, each finger must be able to move independently.

“I came up with a solution: Use rubber bands to tie your index and middle fingers together, and your ring and pinky together. Except when practicing spell gestures, keep them tied—even while sleeping. Usually, after a week, when you free your fingers, they can move independently. Inspired by this, if you tie your middle and ring fingers together, you can increase the independence of your index and pinky.”

Mei Mumu spoke at length, and everyone listened attentively; most even took notes.

His explanations were so clear and straightforward, they seemed effective and easy to implement. The atmosphere was lively.

Unknowingly, an hour passed. Even when Mei Mumu announced the end of class, the apprentice sorcerers eagerly crowded him, bombarding him with questions.

After finally sending the students off, the Ancient One approached, smiling: “That was an excellent lesson. You’ve truly filled a gap in Kamar-Taj’s teaching. I’ll establish a hand speed training class in the future. If you’re willing, I hope you’ll be the instructor. Not too many sessions—a few times a year at most.”

“It would be my honor.”

Almost as soon as the Ancient One finished speaking, a system notification appeared.

“Congratulations, Host. You’ve gained 3,000 reputation points with Kamar-Taj. Your current standing is ‘Respected.’”

When he’d first arrived, his reputation was at most ‘Friendly.’ Now it was ‘Respected,’ which would undoubtedly be a great advantage for Mei Mumu’s future here. He didn’t know whether the Ancient One would still die as in the original story.

If that fate couldn’t be changed, then reputation would be a huge asset for Mei Mumu to take control of Kamar-Taj in the post-Ancient One era.

At this moment, Miss Balance appeared. “Hey, Mei Mumu, quickly acknowledge yourself as a teacher in your heart.”

“What?”

“Just do it, don’t ask—there are benefits.”

Being a teacher wasn’t a big deal, so Mei Mumu silently acknowledged it in his mind. Instantly, something miraculous happened.

The system notification came again: “Host has acquired the secondary profession [Apprentice Instructor] and thus mastered the special skill [Basic Instruction]. Host can impart special skills to chosen targets, enhancing their abilities or attributes, earning their trust, and triggering unknown changes in fate.”

What the hell, was this even possible?

Mei Mumu knew exactly how much knowledge he had. Everything he’d shared today was stuff he’d found online in the past. Back then, every college student who loved anime, movies, and games secretly dreamed of becoming an e-sports pro, making millions a month, reaching the pinnacle of life, and marrying a rich, beautiful woman!

Mei Mumu had downloaded tons of articles on how to train hand speed.

Well, knowing is one thing; actually mastering it is another.

He’d never been particularly persistent, and hand speed was highly dependent on innate talent. Exceptionally nimble hands are a gift from your parents; if you weren’t born with them, there’s no way around it. When Mei Mumu realized he couldn’t push his APM above 150 no matter how hard he tried, he gave up.

Arriving at Kamar-Taj, for some reason, in this Marvel world that was so much like his own Earth but just slightly off, there was no such thing as e-sports.

This was a huge stroke of luck for Mei Mumu.

The series of hand speed training methods he offered simply didn’t exist in this world.

In this way, he’d created an oasis in the desert of [Hand Speed Training].

Still, the Balance System making him a teacher felt like a joke.

He could almost hear all the fancy accusations raining down on his head: “leading others astray,” “ignorant and incompetent,” “inciter of mischief,” and so on.

Ah, well! He’d take things one step at a time.

At that moment, Mei Mumu still had no idea what kind of secondary profession he had really gained...

With his improved relationship with Kamar-Taj, the most obvious change was that the Ancient One valued him more. For instance, that very evening, after finishing her official duties, the Ancient One summoned him.

In the Ancient One’s sanctum, a female disciple was brewing tea, another was tending the incense, and a third was moving a hefty stack of dossiers out of Mei Mumu’s way.

“Before I begin my midnight meditation, I have an hour. During this time, I will teach you how to use [Mirror Dimension],” the Ancient One said with a wave of her hand.

Instantly, Mei Mumu saw the left side of his vision shatter into fractured glass, crisscrossed with jagged cracks.