It’s an Academic Fact That Rankers Are Model Students – Chapter 104

Chapter 104: The Rule of Distinguishing Between Friend and Foe (2)

“……My territory will be ruined? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Kyung-joon narrowed his eyes and asked.

What was his intention in saying such a thing?

As Kyung-joon racked his brain trying to analyze the situation,

Chairman Yoo saw right through him, as if he had read his mind.

“Ahem. What are you scheming about in that head of yours? Didn’t I clearly say it was advice? It’s good to always try to read between the lines, but you need to be selective about who you do that with, don’t you think?”

Chairman Yoo chuckled, amused by the audacity of the young man in front of him.

Kyung-joon, feeling a little uncomfortable at having his thoughts read, frowned slightly.

But soon, he quietly exhaled and closed his eyes for a moment.

‘Don’t try to read the opponent’s intentions, the hidden meaning……’

What did Chairman Yoo mean by saying such a thing?

‘No, I’m thinking too much again. Let’s keep it simple.’

Kyung-joon decided to take Chairman Yoo’s words at face value.

Don’t try to figure out the hidden meaning or intention behind the words.

In that case, just accept them as they are.

So, the important thing right now was…

“If my territory is going to be ruined, then why would that be?”

Accept the uncomfortable truth that Chairman Yoo is saying.

First, accept it, then think about and analyze why the territory would be ruined.

This is the core of the current conversation.

Whether it’s true or false, or what Chairman Yoo’s intention was in saying such a thing, it’s all secondary.

Smirk.

Chairman Yoo smiled at Kyung-joon’s change.

“Haha. It’s good to see you catch on so quickly. You’re the complete opposite of my granddaughter.”

“Opposite?”

“My granddaughter prefers debate over discussion. She never backs down until one of us is completely destroyed. That’s why she doesn’t even bother trying to go up against me. Haha.”

“Aha…… I think I understand.”

The mood lightened for a moment.

Kyung-joon was the first to start the discussion.

“Considering your position and all, I’m sure you already know most things about me.”

“Yes. I’ve been enjoying reading your reports every week.”

“Okay. Then let’s get right to it.”

The discussion about 『If things continue like this, Kyung-joon’s territory will be ruined.』 began.

“I think there are two main threats to my territory. Internal threats and external threats.”

“Indeed. That’s right.”

“First, internal threats. The most common example is a riot caused by dissatisfaction with loyalty and satisfaction. There are also internal food problems, disease problems, and so on.”

Chairman Yoo nodded his head with his arms crossed at Kyung-joon’s words.

“And the things that try to intervene in these internal threats and do something about them would be external threats.”

But most of these have already been overcome.

“For now, I am treated as an incarnation, or at least a hero, in the territory. In the first place, internal threats caused by loyalty and satisfaction have already been prevented. Also, high loyalty greatly reduces the possibility of external intervention. As for the food problem, we are currently pursuing self-sufficiency, and since we will continue to manage and develop the waterway purification system, I don’t think acts like poisoning the well will be very effective.”

“Hmm. Indeed, the waterway purification system I read about in the report was truly innovative. To think you would use slimes. I was so impressed while reading it at night that I slapped my thigh.”

“Then all that’s left is direct intervention from external factors. I see this as three main things.”

First, the case of monsters attacking.

The wolves of the grasslands fall under this category.

Second, the case of humans, not monsters, attacking.

For example, there are bandits from the nearby Black Secret Village.

They haven’t attacked yet, but still.

And third, players could attack.

Just like with BlackChef.

“However, BlackChef was able to do that because he had a special title that allowed him to bypass the Beginner’s Village entry restrictions. Most players wouldn’t be able to access it due to the system. That leaves only the two cases of monsters or something like the Black Secret Village.”

He had some countermeasures in place for both.

The Energy Tower was one of them.

However, considering the recent case with BlackChef, it wasn’t much of a deterrent against someone truly skilled.

He even used the Energy Tower to cook japchae.

If stronger monsters than the prairie wolves were to attack, there was no guarantee that it would hold up.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t done any technological development on the Energy Tower since I first created it. I’ve only increased the number. Moreover, I haven’t even established a code of conduct for the residents in case of an external invasion.’

Perhaps this was what Chairman Yoo wanted to point out.

“Thanks to this, I was able to realize what I was lacking. Since I just finished making the air conditioner, I can apply that technology to upgrade the Energy Tower……”

As Kyung-joon was about to draw his own conclusion,

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

Chairman Yoo suddenly clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“No, no. That’s not it. You still don’t understand. Not at all.”

“……What?”

“Do you really think you can protect your territory by doing that?”

Chairman Yoo didn’t even give Kyung-joon time to answer before continuing.

“I’m not denying the capabilities of your Energy Towers or the various ingenious technologies you’ll develop in the future. In fact, I don’t know much about those things. My area of expertise is in recruiting people and seeing the bigger picture, not in research and development. However.”

Chairman Yoo’s voice became lower.

“That’s why I can dare say this. Nothing in this world can be achieved alone. Don’t you already know that?”

To become the Kyung-joon he is today……

Thinking back, there was always help from those around him.

If it weren’t for Libra, he wouldn’t have even thought about studying magic.

Thanks to the Magic Memory Stone that Burari gave him, there is the current Energy Tower.

It was because he inherited Sever’s legacy that he was able to accelerate the fusion of magic and science.

That legacy even reached the Fairy-Elven Magic Academy.

If he hadn’t conducted joint research with Ezeri there, the current Kyung-joon air conditioner would have been a distant dream.

Because he had partied with DPSPaladin, he was able to clear dungeons easily.

His contract with Limurimu eventually led to the territory’s purification system.

The confrontation and cooperation with BlackChef made the Ogopogo cart possible.

Of course, it was thanks to the residents of the territory that the mass production of bread was possible.

Thanks to his previous relationship with World’s Best, the distribution problem was easily solved.

Of course, Kyung-joon didn’t just receive help in all of this.

They needed each other, so they trusted and cooperated, and each achieved what they wanted.

Like this.

There was nothing in this world that he could do alone.

Even his studies were only possible because Teemo helped him get started.

Chairman Yoo spoke again.

“Yes, the world is a society. You’re always intertwined with someone. Nothing is ever achieved alone. The only things a person can do alone are eat, fight, sleep, and…… well, you know…… at night.”

“No, the last one is a bit……”

“Anyway. Right now, your territory is like a remote shepherd’s village, so no one pays attention to it, let alone knows it exists. But it will be different in the future. You’ve already turned the river upside down, and now merchant carriages will be coming and going. Do you think you can continue to live peacefully like you are now? Just because you’ve built hundreds of turrets in your territory? No, no. Kyung-joon, you need to understand now.”

Chairman Yoo continued.

“The world you’ve stepped into is not a place where everyone can get along and have a peaceful win-win situation. World, as the name suggests, is a world. Just like there’s Europe, Asia, America, Africa, and Oceania, World is the same.”

Chairman Yoo suddenly reached out and picked up a plate.

An empty rib plate with sauce stains on it.

“First, the Holy Cross Faction, made up of dozens of human kingdoms, including François, Vitaria, Spain, Deutsch, Holland, and Greece.”

Chairman Yoo placed the empty rib plate he was holding on the lower part of the table.

“Next to it is the Humanity Cantons, consisting of seven cantons, including the Fairy-Elven Alliance.”

This time, he picked up a sirloin steak plate, smaller than the rib plate but still medium-sized, and placed it on the left side of the table.

“And in the center is the contaminated land of the Demon King. Beyond that, to the north, is the kingdom of Chuburian in the permafrost.”

The sherbet bowl that had come out earlier was placed on the table above the grill in the center.

“Is that all? Kyung-joon, the Whale Forest to the east of your territory is a place where all kinds of monsters gather and form their own societies. Orc tribes, ogre tribes, ancient creatures that have lived for hundreds of years. Even if all the players gathered together, they wouldn’t stand a chance.”

As he spoke, Chairman Yoo gathered all the side dishes that had been served on the right side of the table.

Each side dish represented a different monster tribe society.

“And the place where your territory, Beginner’s Village, is located……”

Gulp, gulp!

Chairman Yoo chugged a glass of water.

Thud!

The now-empty glass was roughly placed in the middle of the table.

The sirloin steak plate on the left – Humanity Cantons.

The rib plate at the bottom – Holy Cross Faction.

The numerous side dishes on the right – Whale Forest.

The grill and sherbet bowl at the top – The contaminated land of the Demon King and the Chuburian kingdom.

And right in the middle of it all.

The water glass – Kyung-joon’s territory – was placed.

Chairman Yoo, without taking his hand off the glass, slightly raised his head and looked straight into Kyung-joon’s eyes.

“Do you understand what this old man is trying to say now?”

Kyung-joon leaned back in his chair with a resigned look on his face.

His expression showed no sign of worry or alarm.

He just chuckled nonchalantly and said,

“Yeah. It’s a total hot spot.”

“Right?”

Gulp, gulp.

This time, Kyung-joon picked up his glass of water and quenched his thirst.

Seeing this, Chairman Yoo repeated the same words he had said at the beginning.

“If things continue like this, your territory will be ruined.”

This time, Kyung-joon didn’t deny it.

He didn’t narrow his eyes or furrow his brow.

He just swallowed his water and nodded his head several times.

Confirming this, Chairman Yoo asked again,

“Then, Kyung-joon, let me ask you this. What can you do for this territory that’s about to be devoured by its surroundings? What will you do, and how will you do it?”

Gulp.

Kyung-joon finished his glass of water and…

Tap.

He placed it on the table.

The place where it was placed was 『the sirloin steak plate – Humanity Cantons.』

Chairman Yoo’s eyes widened slightly at the sight.

“These are my friends.”

Kyung-joon declared the Humanity Cantons as his friends.

And……

“One of these two will become my ally, and the other will become my enemy.”

Kyung-joon pointed to the large rib plate and the place where the numerous side dishes were placed.

It was the Holy Cross Faction and the Whale Forest.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

Afterward, Yoo Geun-chul parted ways with Kyung-joon without much further conversation.

Naturally, Yoo Geun-chul covered the entire meal cost.

On their way back, Yoo Geun-chul and his granddaughter were alone.

“That friend of yours, Kyung-joon, he’s the 2nd Place in your grade, isn’t he?”

“I suppose so.”

“Didn’t you know?”

“We’re in the same class, so I’m aware, but…… rankings can always change.”

Yoo Seol-ha seemed unconcerned.

It was as if she were the unyielding first place, radiating an immense confidence that showed she cared little about what went on below her.

“Really? Hearing that makes this old man a bit envious, haha.”

Yoo Geun-chul was rather curious to see what kind of expression his confident granddaughter would make if she ever lost her top spot.

“Are you saying you want me to lose first place, Grandpa?”

“Well, consistently being first is great and all, but experiencing a drop once in a while can be beneficial. First place isn’t permanent, and you’re bound to lose it sometime.”

Seolha Group wasn’t always the undisputed number one.

They had steadily climbed their way up from the bottom.

In that sense, his granddaughter, Yoo Seol-ha, lacked experience.

She was born after Seolha Group had already reached the pinnacle of success and was raised within that environment as number one.

Her 18 years of life had been like an unyielding reign at the top.

Ironically, this was precisely why Yoo Geun-chul was worried.

If a building was built too rigidly without any flexibility, it would inevitably crumble in the face of strong winds.

He wasn’t telling her not to strive for first place.

He just wanted her to be aware of what lay beneath as well.

Of course,

Yoo Seol-ha wasn’t entirely indifferent to Kyung-joon.

‘……Hmph. It’s not like I’m some stuck-up girl who only cares about being first.’

Her moment of true acknowledgment towards Kyung-joon came during the presentation of their creative mathematics homework.

It was then that Yoo Seol-ha felt a sense of defeat for the first time.

Objectively, it wasn’t a loss.

Her explanation and logic were far more mathematically sound.

However, during that presentation, she couldn’t shake off the feeling of defeat.

While only the math teacher grasped her explanation, Kyung-joon’s presentation captivated everyone, even the students who normally showed no interest.

This was a clear defeat……

‘……No, math isn’t a subject everyone understands. It’s just a difference in level. If I were presenting in front of math professors, I’m sure I would have received a much better response.’

So, Yoo Seol-ha spoke with even more confidence.

“Who’s in 2nd, 3rd, or 4th doesn’t matter to me. I’m always going to be first.”

And with an added touch of arrogance, she concluded.

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