January 13th, 9:00 AM sharp. The third day of winter break.
In the bedroom, the warm winter sun streamed through the window, bathing the desk in light.
Li Wen sat bolt upright, his fingertip tracing a page in a thick textbook titled *Galactic Common Tongue (Basic to Intermediate Edition)*. His brow was slightly furrowed and his lips moved silently as he struggled to sound out a complex set of syllables.
On a report card lying next to the book, his final grades were starkly displayed: Five subjects—Excellent; Foreign Language (Galactic Common Tongue)—Good.
"Hiss... These prefix syllable rules are such a mouthful." Li Wen rubbed his throbbing temples.
Even with the thirty-percent comprehension boost from [Absolute Concentration], learning this language had been an arduous journey, proving just how weak his foundation had been.
