It’s an Academic Fact That Rankers Are Model Students – Chapter 122

Chapter 122: The Award Ceremony (2)

“May I take a look around?”

“Of course.”

Kyung-joon began to look around the items, starting with the one at the very front.

The first thing that caught his eye was the one that the other players had been so desperately calling out for.

It was the weapon of the Dragon Demon.

[Dragon Demon – 137th Sword]

▶A failed work, the 137th sword made by the legendary blacksmith, Dragon Demon, who has now disappeared.

▶Passive Trait 『Dragon Penetration』

▶Active Trait 『Dragon Explosion』

▶Item Grade: Unique

[Dragon Penetration]

▶Allows damage to penetrate the dragon’s scales.

[Dragon Explosion]

▶Unleashes the dragon’s power stored in the weapon (784/1000).

“This one is said to be the best.”

This weapon was at the forefront of Seolha Group’s advertising for the Luxemb event.

He wasn’t sure if he would ever get to use it, but it was right to choose the most valuable one first.

[You have acquired the Unique item 『Dragon Demon – 137th Sword』.]

“Ah, as expected!”

“Tsk…… I knew he would choose that one.”

“Two left! Please don’t choose the one I picked!”

“Choose the one he picked, not the one I picked!”

“This jerk?”

The players bickered amongst themselves, begging him to choose the item that someone else had picked, not the one they had their eye on.

Kyung-joon, who had chosen the item that people wanted the most as the first prize.

He then began to look for the next item to choose.

He walked past the item display from left to right.

“Yes! He passed the one I had my eye on!”

“Huh! Oh, no! Why is he looking so carefully?! Pass it! No, please pass!”

“Ugh! Please!”

As Kyung-joon walked along the long table where the items were displayed, the players’ hopes intersected.

Thump, thump.

Thud.

Soon Kyung-joon’s steps stopped.

“Huh? That’s… a book, isn’t it?”

“What kind of book is it?”

The players began to squint from afar to see what kind of item it was.

“Ah, that’s it. The World Language Encyclopedia.”

“I heard it’s a Tamer-only item.”

“But aren’t Tamers a little……”

“It’s a Unique item. And PigeonEatRice, the rank 99th, is a Tamer.”

“That’s just speculation, nobody knows. He only says coo, coo, coo, so who knows who he is? Only he knows.”

Leaving the players’ conversation behind, Kyung-joon checked out the item he might choose second.

[World Language Encyclopedia]

▶A language encyclopedia consisting of a total of 50 volumes. It contains a variety of languages including Elf, Fairy, Dwarf, Beastkin, Orc, Ogre, Silva, and more. You can infuse it with mana to check the sounds and pronunciation.

▶Article 1 All beings are born free… (omitted)…This is the Canton Declaration of Rights. It took 10 years to translate this one sentence into all Canton languages. Hmm? Huma, are you even listening to me? -Rimi Nuhu, the greatest linguist of all time-

▶Item Grade: Unique

It was a book containing all the languages of the World, regardless of whether they were monsters, humans, or Ains.

“Shall I read it for a moment?”

Intrigued, Kyung-joon first opened a random page.

『Elven: Els, Svelom, hi alivet su eda temidi fere sin mile docent anies…… (omitted)……els meden elsal vies.』

『Translation: The Svelom, who appeared in Middle-earth about 50 million years ago, sometimes gathered, hunted, and some through primitive methods of farming, began to put all kinds of processed and convenience foods into their mouths, and through a series of digestive processes that begin with this -according to Nurit de Mereux’s ‘Is Food Culture or Barbarism?’ ‘an unremarkable and crude process’- they sustained their lives by breaking down and absorbing those nutrients.』

The translation felt strangely familiar.

<To summarize, it’s a wordy way of saying ‘I eat.’>

“……It’s like a passage you’d find in a collection of the most difficult CSAT English practice questions.”

<Based on the problem sets that Master has solved so far, if you put a blank in it and make it a question, the correct answer rate would be about 5%.>

“Indeed.”

Kyung-joon flipped through the book a few more times before finally making up his mind.

“I’ll take this one second.”

“Understood.”

A hint of doubt crept into the players’ expressions at Kyung-joon’s choice.

“Huh? He’s choosing that?”

“A Tamer-only book?”

“Hmm…… I wonder what he’s thinking.”

[You have acquired the Unique item 『World Language Encyclopedia』.]

Kyung-joon put the second item he chose into his inventory.

The players seemed confused, but they just figured it was a Unique grade item after all.

In fact.

Kyung-joon had already decided what items he would choose if he came in first place.

Of course, he didn’t just decide on the spot, there was a clear rule.

‘The first one is the most valuable one that everyone can agree on. The second one is the most unique one. And the third one is……’

Thump, thump.

Kyung-joon continued walking to the right.

Every time he passed a certain item, the players would cry out and then relax again.

However.

As he went further to the right, the grade of the items began to drop, and soon the excitement died down.

When the grade dropped from Unique to Rare, Rare to Advanced, and finally to Common.

The crowd began to stir.

“What the, where does he think he’s going?”

“All the items over there are trash.”

“He’s probably just taking a look around.”

“No, you can tell just by the color of the item status window, why is he going all the way there? There’s no need to go.”

The players couldn’t understand Kyung-joon.

Could he be giving up a Unique grade item for a Common grade one?

“No way.”

“He’ll go back up.”

“He wouldn’t choose a Common grade item, would he?”

Thump, thump, thud.

Kyung-joon stopped at the very end of the item display.

Once again, there was a book in front of Kyung-joon.

However, this book was an unremarkable item that no one wanted or even thought about.

A silent ‘no way’ hung in the air among the crowd.

Soon, Kyung-joon’s low voice broke the silence.

“I’ll take this one last.”

Murmurs.

The silence was instantly broken as people gasped in shock.

“Whoa.”

“He’s choosing that?”

“That’s a dud!”

“He’s…… he’s kidding, right……?”

The first one is the most valuable.

The second one is the most unique.

And the third one is.

[Seolha Publishing House Complete High School Textbook Set]

▶This set includes all high school textbooks published by Seolha Publishing House. With this, you too can be at the top of your class!

▶Unauthorized copying, selling, and distribution of this item in-game is a copyright infringement. -Head of Special Management Team, Jo Hyun-woo-

▶Item Grade: Common

This was what Kyung-joon had wanted from the beginning.

This was the reason why he participated in the Luxemb Defense.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

[You have acquired the Unique Title 『Hero of Luxemb』.]

[Fame increases by 100 due to the title effect.]

[You will be treated as a hero in Luxemb.]

[Favorability with all residents of Luxemb increases by 40-60.]

[You will receive a 50% discount when using the Warp Gate in Luxemb.]

.

.

.

The very next day after the award ceremony for the defense of Luxemb.

The Kingdom of Francois, the Kingdom of Deutschland, and Luxemb were in the midst of diplomacy.

“It seems like luck was on our side during this defense of Luxemb. I had no idea we would be able to defend it so well.”

The envoy dispatched from the Kingdom of Francois, the Turd Pig.

“Indeed. At this rate, we wouldn’t have used much of the war funds provided by our Kingdom of Deutschland and the Kingdom of Francois, would we?”

The treacherous official dispatched from the Kingdom of Deutschland, Ludwig.

‘Sigh… These hyenas.’

And the person sighing inwardly while dealing with these two was Luxemb’s Foreign Minister, Firma.

On the surface, it seemed like three ministers were celebrating the successful defense.

But Firma knew.

Turd and Ludwig’s words had an underlying meaning.

For example, something like, 『It seems like there’s quite a bit of war funds left from this war, right?』

Fortunately, Firma wisely deflected their insinuations.

“War is always a burden, even for the victor. We used to shift that burden to the loser, but the mutated monsters need to be capable of that.”

In short, to Francois and Deutsch’s insinuation about the remaining war funds, Firma responded by saying, 『Although the defense was successful, we cannot demand compensation for damages from monsters, so the losses are still substantial.』

It was a logical statement.

However, Turd and Ludwig didn’t stay silent.

“That’s not necessarily true. There are many solutions. After all, they’re still monsters, dropping items and liyan when killed, aren’t they?”

“Besides, I heard that a group called ‘administrators’ significantly eased the burden?”

Firma immediately countered their rebuttals.

“The goods provided by those administrators are merely a small incentive to attract more Otherworlders. Although the losses were minimized due to their unexpected contribution, we still need to pay them hundreds of billions of liyan for their rightful lives―”

The moment Firma said that.

“Oh my. That doesn’t seem right.”

“No, no. That’s unacceptable, Sir Firma.”

Turd and Ludwig simultaneously interrupted Firma.

And as if they had planned it, they immediately began their refutations.

“Those Otherworlders, aren’t they like undead who never truly die? How can such beings have a price for their lives?”

“Only we, who have been granted one precious life by God, possess such a thing. It’s doubtful whether they even understand the value of life.”

“To think that hundreds of billions of liyan were paid as the price for the lives of such beings……? I must have misheard.”

“I agree. To think that the support funds from our two nations were wasted on those who don’t even know God’s grace…… It’s truly infuriating.”

Turd and Ludwig looked at Firma with smirks.

‘Damn your God’s grace……’

Under their pressure, Firma, while suppressing his anger, had no choice but to make a decision.

“…Even Otherworlders are ultimately human beings. They follow the order of the Cross, and our Luxemb merely provided them with food. Our lord is also a devout follower of the Cross. It’s nothing more than our lord’s personal act of charity.”

Firma was saying this:

‘Supporting the Otherworlders was solely Luxemb’s goodwill and independent decision. Therefore, Luxemb bears full responsibility.’

So, the only thing Firma could say next was this:

“The war funds are still sufficient. We don’t need any more…… support……”

Firma’s lips trembled very slightly.

Turd and Ludwig were delighted by this.

“Hmm, as expected, Margrave Lothar is a merciful man.”

“Having experienced the battlefield himself in the past, he must understand the horrors of war better than us. How admirable.”

“Anyway, as you said, it seems you still have plenty of war funds left, so additional support won’t be necessary.”

“Then, it wouldn’t be a problem if we were to ask for your support a couple more times in the future, right?”

“……Yes. Leave it to us.”

Luxemb couldn’t easily defy the neighboring superpowers, the Kingdom of Francois and the Kingdom of Deutschland.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

In the end, Luxemb was stuck dealing with the mutated monsters in exchange for the measly amount of war funds they received this time.

And that, without any additional support.

It was a painful diplomatic outcome for Luxemb, but on the other hand, it was an extremely good outcome for the Kingdom of Francois and the Kingdom of Deutschland.

“Isn’t it great that Luxemb is still so easy to talk to, Sir Ludwig?”

“Hmm hmm. Indeed, Sir Turd. I suppose it is the owner’s duty to trim the dog’s nails once in a while.”

“Hahaha. Well said.”

The two planned to continue taking advantage of the situation and milk it for all it was worth.

They were pleased that Luxemb, which had become a threat after increasing its military power, was weakening again. They were also glad that they could completely shift the burden of fighting the mutated monsters without having to lift a finger.

“We’ve come a long way to this remote city, and I’m sure you’re tired. How about we go to our usual place, Sir Ludwig?”

“Sounds good. Luxemb may not be much, but at least they have that going for them, don’t they?”

“Indeed. I have to admit, they do have good taste when it comes to pleasure.”

“Kkkkk. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Hufufufu. Likewise.”

The two ministers of the kingdoms chuckled lewdly and were about to head out of the mansion.

At that moment.

“Haaam~”

A man was leaning against the hallway wall, yawning.

He was dressed shabbily in beginner’s clothes.

It was Kyung-joon.

“Isn’t that shabby attire that of a commoner?”

“Tsk tsk…… The standards of Luxemb are truly evident here. To think he doesn’t even show basic courtesy in front of nobles…….”

“It seems the servants of the Margrave’s mansion haven’t even received basic education. As expected of a backwater village in the boonies.”

“Oh?”

Kyung-joon did not bow his head or show any respect to the nobles.

He merely stared blankly at the two ministers who were badmouthing him right to his face.

Turd’s chubby face flushed red with anger at his impertinent attitude.

“How dare you! It seems there’s no other choice! Sir Ludwig, please wait here a moment. In the name of Francois, I shall personally teach that lowly commoner some manners.”

Leaving Ludwig behind, Turd rolled up one of his sleeves and shouted,

“Hey! You, commoner!”

He then strode toward Kyung-joon.

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