It’s an Academic Fact That Rankers Are Model Students – Chapter 182

Chapter 182: The thesis that Instigates Fire/Disaster (3)

In exact chronological order.

About 3 weeks before Kyung-joon received the letter from Larev.

And right when Kyung-joon had exactly one week left before the midterm exams of the second semester.

“Mr. Ceram. Please take a look at this.”

Kyung-joon was having a private meeting with Ceram, holding a booty that reeked of poop.

“Ugh……! K, Kyung-joon-nim! What in the world did you bring this time?! It smells like straight-up poop!”

Ceram pinched his nose shut as he looked at what seemed to be poop (?) in Kyung-joon’s hand.

Of course, what Kyung-joon brought to Ceram was the item he obtained after catching the Black Leopard.

[Coffee beans from the Black Leopard]s]

▶Coffee beans extracted from the droppings of a Black Leopard after consuming coffee cherries. It has a powerful awakening effect.

▶Item Grade: Unique

After deciding to make coffee with Teemo and the coffee beans… no, study-boosting coffee that makes you insanely good at studying, Kyung-joon immediately ran to Ceram.

Swoosh.

Kyung-joon handed Ceram the poop, no, the coffee beans, and spoke with an extremely solemn expression.

“Mr. Ceram, from now on, we must drink this.”

“Ha, haha…… You’re joking, right?”

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

“No, I’m not kidding!”

Zot said.

“At this rate, the Scroll Department will definitely not be able to withstand the stagnation and will perish! I’m certain of this! In the first place, the Scroll Department is……”

“Ha, haha……! Thank you for your insightful interview feedback! Thanks to you, I was able to hear a completely different perspective!”

The V.O.FE club member forcibly ended the interview with Zot, which was getting longer and longer, and immediately placed a thank-you gift in his arms.

Zot also realized that he was a little carried away and put the gift in his inventory, awkwardly but with satisfaction, having said everything he wanted to say.

“Hmph. You’re welcome.”

Zot’s pride swelled as he gave a similar answer to the V.O.FE club member’s formulaic gratitude.

“……Yes. Thank you very much for the interview.”

Thus concluded the interview with Zot Kalisberg, the representative of the Magic Tool Department.

Although he had some doubts about whether Zot’s opinions expressed during the interview were truly good opinions, it was undoubtedly a good example of an interview.

‘As expected of the Magic Tool Department…… It seems to be true that they don’t get along well with the Scroll Department……’

The Scroll Department and the Magic Tool Department, both belonging to applied magic, had a long history of development and were often intertwined.

The relationship between the two departments was similar to that of Korea and Japan, or England and France.

Of course, they both belonged to the Fairy-Elven Magic Academy, so they didn’t openly antagonize each other……

But there was something…… indescribable, a subtle rivalry between them.

Of course.

Not all Magic Tool Department students reacted as petty and sensitive as Zot.

“So, what about your friend next to you? What do you think?”

The V.O.FE club member changed their target and continued the interview, holding out a magic tool engraved with recording magic to the man next to Zot, who seemed to be his friend.

After all, the more opinions you gather from various people, the better the interview.

<Magic Tool Department Student>

▼Keron Funes (NPC)

“Y, Yes, me?”

Keron was momentarily flustered when the interview target suddenly shifted to him.

However, the V.O.FE club member was used to this situation. They asked Keron again, with a more specific question.

“Do you also view the recent 10 billion liyan scouting incident of the Scroll Department negatively, like your senior?”

“Uh…… well……”

Keron, who had been friends with Zot since they entered the academy as freshmen.

He didn’t view this scouting incident entirely negatively, unlike Zot.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing……”

At least Keron, unlike Zot, knew how to think properly without being bound by factional logic.

Of course, there was no way Zot, the representative of the Magic Tool Department and Keron’s friend, would let that slide.

“Huh?”

Zot frowned at Keron’s timid comment from beside him.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You?”

Zot’s voice was laced with discomfort.

Keron flinched with a small yelp.

“W, What? No, it’s just…”

Although timid, Keron wouldn’t lie.

“It’s…… Well…… Since it’s a Scroll Department graduate who got scouted…… Maybe they’ll come back to the academy later and, you know, do this and that for us. So, I just……”

He cautiously voiced an opinion contrary to Zot’s.

Of course, choosing his words carefully so as not to hurt the feelings of his friend, Zot.

“Ha, Keron! That’s not the point!”

However, such a timid approach had no effect on Zot, who had already been steeped in various dark emotions during his three years at the magic academy.

“They’re acting all nonchalant and pretending they don’t care from the start, so good for them! Honestly, if I were the Representative of the Scroll Department, I would have known about it beforehand and intervened when they met to make some kind of agreement!”

“Uh, um… Is that so?”

“Of course it is! Can’t you see it?”

“Ah, yeah. I guess you’re right…… You’re so smart, Zot.”

In the end, the indecisive Keron once again abandoned his own opinion and went along with Zot’s.

This only served to further inflate Zot’s ego.

“Humph! This is so basic! What’s wrong with the Scroll Department if they can’t even think of this? Idiots.”

“Hahaha….”

Keron , timid, could only laugh awkwardly at Zot’s ceaseless criticism of the Scroll Department.

On the other hand, Zot got more and more worked up and continued to spout harsh words.

“Hmph! This is basic stuff! You made the right choice following me to the Magic Tool Department, Keron! Honestly, the Scroll Department is nothing without that 10 billion liyan this time. Maybe if they were fairies, it’d be different, but honestly, elves like us should go for the applied magic side rather than pure magic. And in applied magic, scrolls are already over!”

“Ahaha… Y, Yeah. There’s definitely a lot to do in the Magic Tool Department. I guess, in a way, scrolls are a part of that too.”

As always, Keron couldn’t even think about expressing his own opinion in such a situation.

The most he could do was to agree with Zot without lying.

Zot seemed pleased with Keron’s agreement and chuckled.

“Right, exactly! Scrolls are ultimately just one type of magic tool. Those fools don’t even know what comes first. They’re getting all excited just because they achieved some results, tch!”

Anyway, that was the general sentiment.

Apart from Zot, there were others who viewed this scouting incident negatively and tried to criticize it in any way possible.

No, not just a few.

To be honest, there were quite a lot of them.

The Fairy-Elven Magic Academy was a place where only the cream of the crop, those who had competed and honed their skills since birth, were gathered. It would be strange if there weren’t many.

To have overcome that competition and come this far, they were all exceptional on average. So why?

No, it was the opposite.

It was precisely because of that.

‘Competition’, a process originally intended to produce better outcomes.

Beneath that name lay a deep and ugly well of dark emotions.

Something far darker than mere jealousy or envy.

It was like the heart of a serpent.

So you could call it this.

Because it’s the heart of a serpent, it’s called 『Snake Heart』.

.

.

.

And.

[Corrupted Black Magic Stone of Wisdom: 3rd Stage]

━Khehehe, I can tell at a glance that this one will be perfect this time.

A black magic stone that corrupts its target.

The ‘Demon King’s Will’ residing within it was very, very fond of such Snake Hearts.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

The article about Ezeri’s 10 billion liyan scouting published in the Fael Newspaper.

The place it had the biggest impact on was, of course, not the Combat Magic Department or the Magic Tool Department, but the 『Scroll Department』.

The Scroll Department!

And scroll magic!

It originated from the ancient elves’ imitation of fairies, who imbued their words with mana.

If fairies cast magic by imbuing their words with mana.

Elves, who couldn’t do that at the time, imbued ‘writing’ instead of words with mana.

Therefore.

Unlike the typical case of starting with speech and ending with writing.

Elven magic began not with speech, but with writing.

It was the elves’ very own first magic, and the beginning of scroll magic.

In other words!

Scroll magic, the elves’ unique magic developed independently after stealing the existence of magic from fairies hundreds of years ago!

Contrary to popular belief, scroll magic was a magic with a tremendous history and tradition!

“What good is it! Scroll magic is already over! It’s over! Gulp, gulp!”

The top of the Scroll Department tree.

It wasn’t as grand as the World Tree that ended up in human lands 700 years ago.

But even at the top of the Scroll Department tree, there was a space for one person to sit and enjoy the view while drinking honey beer.

Gulp, gulp, gulp!

A man was chugging down honey beer without stopping, as if he was doing a one-shot.

<Representative of the Scroll Department>

▼Edict Hooli (NPC)

“Phew~! Ugh.”

Edict wiped his mouth rudely with his sleeve and burped vulgarly.

He looked quite drunk.

One might worry about him falling from the top of the tree, but there were railings installed where people could climb, so it was safe.

Fairies didn’t care whether there were railings or not, but they were installed for the elves who couldn’t fly and the few human exchange students.

“Keke. Kekeke.”

Edict looked down at the people who looked like ants below and laughed.

“Tradition! History! What good are those things! It’s already a sinking ship, a setting sun!”

Edict lamented the sad reality that scroll magic currently faced.

No matter how much they researched, what was the point?

What was the use of clinging to tradition and history, treating it as some noble art?

It was already a finished field.

Everything worth researching had already been researched, and there was no more development to be had.

Stagnation, pure stagnation!

It was just as stagnant as the situation the Fairy-Elven Alliance was in.

“It’s over! It’s all over! Scroll magic is no longer an academic discipline! We have to admit it! Ugh!”

An academic discipline exists through study and research.

If that was no longer possible, how could it be called an academic discipline?

“Graaagh!”

Edict clutched his chest again, thinking such lofty thoughts, and roared towards the sun like a dragon.

Just then.

“Oh, for crying out loud…… Stop being so dramatic……”

The door near the tree trunk creaked open, and someone else’s voice could be heard.

A black-haired elf with almost the same hair color as Edict, but with a slightly bluish tint.

Being of the opposite sex, their hair was much longer than Edict’s.

At least long enough that their back was occasionally visible as the wind blew their hair.

<Scroll Department Student>

▼Teclyn Uo (NPC)

“And it’s not scrolls that are over, it’s your GPA! Go study instead of drinking!”

As if they were close friends, Teclyn rebuked Edict without a hint of awkwardness.

But Edict, who was equally close to Teclyn, wouldn’t be hurt by such a rebuke.

He acted even more ridiculously at Teclyn’s words.

“Ha! What meaning do exams have in this situation! Gulp, gulp!”

He started chugging down the newly brought honey beer with all his might!

“Are you crazy?! We have an exam tomorrow! T’ lon d ‘ alba! sa det! (Tree, hit this idiot’s head!)”

Teclyn exclaimed in surprise and cast a spell towards Edict.

Cuckoo, thud!

A tree branch shot out diagonally, striking the back of Edict’s head!

“Oof?!”

The honey beer he was drinking sprayed out of his mouth and the mug, falling down below.

And a moment later…

Splash!

━What the–?! What was that! Which b@stard splashed water from above!

Translator’s Blog

Blog

• The Great Balls-Scratching Debate: A Smell-tastic Journey
• Acel World: I Was That Fat Kid
• Do Your Gym Bros Think You’re a Weirdo? (Secret Signs You’re the Gym Oddball)
• Is My Brain Turning Into a Pile of Mush From All This Light/Web Novel Reading?
• My Therapist Told Me to Stop Saying “Back In My Day” – Unrelatable TikTok Kids got me STRESSED