Chapter 18: From the Bottom to Being on Par with the Top Student?! (2)
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[Your Intelligence has increased by 1 through continuous studying..]
[Your Intelligence has increased by 1 through continuous studying..]
[Your Intelligence has increased by 1 through continuous studying..]
[Intelligence: 157→194]
It had been a week since Kyung-joon, armed with a 40% buff to his tenacity and creativity, had taken on the creativity problem assigned by his math teacher.
Kyung-joon was still at the Study Villa.
Scribble, scribble.
He wrote down equations in his notebook, his eyes hollow from several sleepless nights.
And yet, strangely, his handwriting exuded a confidence stronger than ever before.
He then added one last sentence at the bottom right corner of the notebook.
『Q.E.D. Proof complete.』
” I… I did it… Finally…”
<You’ve worked hard all week.>
” Yeah… Thanks for your help too…”
<Don’t mention it.>
<^.^>
Kyung-joon had finally emerged victorious after a week-long battle with the creativity problem.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
Class 2-7 of Cheongshin High School.
Today, Kyung-joon’s 4th period class was math.
Usually, the 4th period, right before lunch, was a time for slacking off or general chaos.
However, Class 7 was currently enveloped in an unusually solemn atmosphere.
“Now, the day of the creativity problem given by the teacher has finally arrived. I guess everyone has been thinking hard about it, right?”
” ……. “
The students were silent.
It was a natural reaction.
After all, the problem was actually taken from the 15th year Calculus II final exam of KAIST, Korea’s No. 1 science and engineering university.
And that wasn’t all.
It was the most difficult problem on that very exam, with a correct answer rate of less than 20% even among the top 1% of science students in the country.
In fact, it was said that the only students who actually solved this problem were those who were majoring in mathematics.
‘There’s no way a mere high school sophomore could solve a problem like that. Sure, it’s technically within the high school curriculum on the surface, but honestly, you’d need to have a head start in university-level math to even stand a chance.’
Nevertheless, the math teacher had his reasons for assigning this problem.
He was actually looking for a ‘special student’ while teaching the sophomore advanced math class.
‘A candidate for the principal’s recommendation to Seoul National University…’
Cheongshin High School was known for its principal’s recommendation, which held significant weight in the university admissions process.
It was so influential that as long as you had a recommendation from Cheongshin High School, you were practically guaranteed admission to any university, unless you swore at the interviewers during your interview.
‘……The principal asked me to narrow down the candidates beforehand.’
This was because the selection process for the principal’s recommendation was already underway behind the scenes.
This involved secretly identifying promising students for the principal’s recommendation starting from their sophomore year.
The evaluations of the students who emerged from this process would inevitably be included in the principal’s recommendation letter.
University admissions officers who read the recommendation letter would have no reason not to admit such an outstanding student, and they would often accept them on the spot.
Thanks to this process, Cheongshin High School, despite being an ordinary general high school in Seoul, was able to produce at least two Seoul National University admits every year without fail.
‘I may get a lot of flak from the students for showing off my knowledge with things like creativity, problem-solving skills, and stuff that doesn’t even appear on the CSAT…… but it’s all for the sake of the principal and the school.’
The ‘creativity problem’ that the math teacher had assigned was also part of the process of selecting promising students in advance!
‘An average high school student would definitely find it nearly impossible to solve. But if there’s a student who can solve it…’
That student would definitely be anything but average.
” You all look disheartened. It’s alright. Teacher isn’t looking for the right answer. I just want to see how much you’ve all used your brains and demonstrated your creativity. “
The math teacher smiled, wondering if such a student would emerge this time.
” But before I collect your homework, anyone who’s feeling confident, come forward and explain it to everyone. Raise your hand if you’re up for it. “
Unfortunately, not a single student raised their hand.
‘Tsk. So much for being the ‘Ultimate Grade’.’
” No one? Then I’ll start collecting the homework from the back……”
Before the math teacher could even finish his sentence…
Swoosh.
A girl sitting in the front row raised her hand.
” I’m not confident, but…… could I give it a try? “
” Oh! Yoo Seol-ha! Of course, go ahead. Come to the front. “
‘The ultimate overachiever, Yoo Seol-ha! I knew you’d be the one to raise your hand!’
Yoo Seol-ha was the biggest reason why the current sophomore year was dubbed the ‘Ultimate Grade’!
She consistently ranked in the top 10 nationwide and topped the school in every mock exam.
She truly lived up to her nickname, the Ultimate Daughter!
And so, she stood at the blackboard, chalk in hand.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Yoo Seol-ha began to write down equations on the board.
The white chalk dust swirled around her, as if snow was falling, just like her name.
” This problem…… (Omitted)……is like this. “
And so her explanation began, and soon came to an end.
” I believe this is how the proof is completed. Am I correct, Teacher? “
” Gasp. Y, Yes, that’s right. To think you actually managed to complete the proof……”
The math teacher couldn’t hide his astonishment at Yoo Seol-ha, who had actually solved the problem.
” She solved it? “
” It seems so. Teacher said she’s right. “
” I have no idea what’s going on. “
” I bet the only ones who understand that are Yoo Seol-ha and the math teacher. “
” One thing’s for sure, though. That’s not going to be on the CSAT, and I’ll never have to see it again even if I go to college. “
The students, on the other hand, were indifferent.
Content that was too difficult, content that they couldn’t even begin to comprehend, only evoked a vague sense of aversion.
That was exactly how the students in Class 7 felt right now.
” Seolha, you can go back to your seat now. “
Yoo Seol-ha gave a slight bow and returned to her seat.
” Anyone else want to present? It doesn’t have to be as perfect as Seolha’s. Just tell me what you thought. “
The math teacher asked the students again.
Fortunately, a student raised their hand as soon as he finished speaking.
This time, it was a boy.
” Heh heh, I’ll give it a shot. “
” Alright, Kim Chul-soo! Good for you! Go ahead and explain it! “
” Heh heh heh! “
The Human Calculator, Kim Chul-soo!
Once, the teacher had bought ice cream for the class, and it was incredibly difficult to calculate the total price because everyone wanted something different.
That’s when Kim Chul-soo suddenly appeared and completed all the calculations in just one second!
Since then, Kim Chul-soo had become known as the Human Calculator among his classmates.
‘He’s quite a bit behind Yoo Seol-ha, but he still maintains his position as the 2nd best student in the science track. He’s definitely a talented one.’
But the talent didn’t end there.
” Teacher. Could I also give it a try? Could I? “
” Go ahead, Park Young-hee! You too! “
The student who raised her hand this time was none other than the Polyglot, Park Young-hee!
As her nickname suggested, she was a brilliant liberal arts student who could actually speak five languages.
However, she was so offended by Kim Chul-soo’s comment that only idiots chose liberal arts that she decided to choose the science track out of spite.
And in the midterm exams, she surprised everyone by securing 3rd place in the entire science track.
” Heh heh…… (Omitted)……Heh heh heh! “
” It is…… (Omitted)……holy shit! “
After a while, their explanations also came to an end.
” Good, good! There were a few logical flaws, but you both did a pretty good job. I’ll give you both extra credit, just like Seolha. “
” Heh heh, thank you. “
” Oh my kimchi! I’m so happy! “
And so, the Human Calculator, Kim Chul-soo, and the Polyglot, Park Young-hee, also received extra credit like Yoo Seol-ha and returned to their seats.
” Ugh, when will this be over? “
” Didn’t you understand it a bit this time? “
” A bit? Anyway, what’s for lunch today? “
” I heard it’s braised codfish. “
” Kill me now. “
The students’ reactions were still lukewarm, though better than they were during Yoo Seol-ha’s presentation.
Yoo Seol-ha, Kim Chul-soo, and Park Young-hee were all too distant, too different from the average student.
” Snooore~ Sniffle~ “
A strange sound echoed through the classroom!
It was the sound of Kyung-joon snoring.
” Hey, Lee Kyung-joon! Just because we’re not having a regular class today doesn’t mean you can sleep so soundly! “
The math teacher’s shout jolted Kyung-joon awake.
” Snooore~ Hmm…? Ah, I apologize. I couldn’t sleep last night. “
Kyung-joon apologized as he came to his senses.
“That’s…… I stayed up all night yesterday solving the creativity problem Teacher gave us.”
“Oh my, no matter what, that’s not good. I’ve heard you’ve been studying hard these days, but it’s not good to stay up all night…… Wait, what?”
The math teacher, thinking he had misheard, asked for the reason again.
“I said I stayed up all night solving Teacher’s creativity problem.”
“What? Really? And you solved it?”
“Yes.”
“Right, you couldn’t have solved it. Even the top student in the school barely managed to solve it after staying up all night, so if you could solve it just by staying up a bit, that wouldn’t be a creativity problem…… Huh? What?”
Once again, the math teacher thought he had misheard.
“I said I solved the creativity problem Teacher gave us.”
However, Kyung-joon was saying that he had definitely heard correctly.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
” I thought to myself, there’s no way this is high school level math, but there must be a way to solve it using high school level concepts. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a creativity problem, just a test of prior knowledge. “
Kyung-joon stood in front of the class, explaining.
” So I tried to find a similar problem. The Rational and Irrational Numbers chapter from our freshman year, Chapter 10-A. There’s a problem there that asks you to prove that the square root of 2 is an irrational number. It’s the same type of proof problem, so I thought it would be the biggest hint. You all remember proof by contradiction from freshman year, right? “
Kyung-joon’s explanation didn’t include a single word that was outside the high school curriculum.
He presented his entire explanation using only words that a high school sophomore would understand.
” If you don’t remember, go back and review the freshman year material. I had to do it too because I forgot everything. Honestly, who remembers everything they learned in freshman year? “
” Hahaha! True! “
The students laughed and agreed with Kyung-joon’s lighthearted joke.
It wasn’t just the speaker who was enjoying himself; the listeners were also actively engaged.
” So, I’ve prepared a very easy-to-understand explanation for all of you who have forgotten everything, and it’s really amazing. It’s……”
Kyung-joon’s explanation wasn’t just a dry recitation of logic.
Every sentence he spoke was infused with a story.
The story of the joy and despair he had experienced over the past week.
The story of his own struggles, building up his understanding from the ground up, starting from a place of utter ignorance.
All of this was vividly conveyed in every word he spoke.
” Wow… So that’s how it works. “
” Teacher Kyung-joon! I have a question. If that’s the case, then what about this? “
” Teacher Kyung-joon is the best! “
The students’ reactions were more enthusiastic than he had ever seen.
Some genuinely understood what Kyung-joon was saying, while others only half-listened.
But one thing was for sure: they were all listening to him.
There was something intensely compelling about his words, something that resonated deep within them.
And his relatable way of explaining things, combined with the passion that shone through, drew the students in and made them want to understand.
Yoo Seol-ha, Kim Chul-soo, Park Young-hee.
They had been brilliant from the start, and they could never achieve what Kyung-joon was doing right now.
He, on the other hand, had not been gifted with their innate talent. He had started at the very bottom.
But he had never forgotten his experiences there, and he had clawed his way to the top through sheer hard work and determination.
That was why he was able to create this scene before their very eyes.
Here, Kyung-joon was both their teacher and a fellow student who understood their struggles.
His explanation was drawing to a close.
” To summarize everything we’ve discussed so far, we can conclude the following: If we integrate this strange function, we’ll definitely get a number greater than 0.5, probably a number very close to 1. And after a quick search on the internet, I found that the answer is indeed 1. “
Tap, tap, tap.
Kyung-joon picked up a piece of chalk and began to write something on the board in large letters.
” So, although it’s a bit incomplete, I’ll write this down. “
It was a phrase he had already written once this morning…
『Q.E.D. Proof complete.』
……And with that, the proof was complete.
It was written on the blackboard.
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