It’s an Academic Fact That Rankers Are Model Students – Chapter 123

Chapter 123: How to Delay a War (1)

Turd was a baron.

But he didn’t have his own territory yet and often went back and forth to different places as a dispatched errand boy.

He was already annoyed and pissed off enough to be dispatched to this remote place, but Turd thought he had finally found a good target in a commoner.

‘I’ll show Luxemb an example and relieve some of my stress!’

“You should bow from the waist when you see a noble, you uncultured peasant!”

When Turd raised his hand to slap Kyung-joon’s cheek.

[Turd is exposed to mana radiation.]

[Exposure dose: 1 mana sievert.]

[Temporary male infertility occurs.]

[Abdominal pain occurs.]

[There is a 5% chance of death in one month.]

“Uh, uh……?”

Ping~!

The moment he raised his hand, Turd felt a slight dizziness in his head.

‘Tsk…… I should ask for a vacation when I get back to the capital. I’ll just finish this quickly and go somewhere nice to get some medicinal water. I’ve been overworking myself too much.’

That’s right. Luxemb is famous for its good water quality and abundance of medicinal springs.

Anyway, Turd, who came to his senses, raised his hand again and shouted.

“Do you know how much stress my body is under because of an uncultured peasant like you!”

“Eek?!”

Kyung-joon screamed like a bird and covered his face.

His covered face was smiling mischievously.

[Turd is exposed to mana radiation.]

[Exposure dose: 2.6 mana sieverts.]

[Immunity is greatly reduced.]

[Hair loss occurs.]

[The risk of acute organ failure increases rapidly.]

[The probability of death in one month increases to 35%.]

“Uh, uh……?”

Thud.

Turd suddenly lost strength in his legs and fell to his knees!

With the shock, his hair scattered around him.

“Ugh, ugh……!”

Suddenly, like a frog, Turd’s cheeks puffed up, and he vomited on the floor.

“Ugh! Ugh, ugh…….”

Turd’s breathing gradually became faster.

“S, Sir Turd! “

Ludwig was startled and hurriedly ran to Turd.

“What’s wrong?! Are you alright?!”

“Gasp, gasp…… I, I don’t know…….”

“You must be overworked! Hey! You commoner! Stop cowering and go get a doctor!”

“Y, Yes, sir!”

At Ludwig’s command, Kyung-joon quickly shouted like a dog with its tail between its legs.

“Excuse me! Excuse me! Someone call a doctor!”

His voice sounded very urgent!

But Ludwig didn’t see it at this time.

Kyung-joon’s face, with its wicked smile.

[Turd is exposed to mana radiation.]

[Exposure dose: 3.4 mana sieverts.]

[Bleeding occurs throughout the body.]

[Permanent male infertility occurs.]

[General weakness occurs.]

[The probability of death in one month increases to 50%.]

“Cough……!”

“S, Sir Turd! “

This time, Turd coughed up blood.

His eyes became bloodshot, and bloody tears began to flow.

Although he hadn’t received any physical blows, red bruises slowly began to appear all over his body.

‘Oops. Did I go too far?’

[Stopping radiation emission.]

Kyung-joon stopped the mana radiation he had been emitting towards Turd.

Mana radiation emission using a combination of the Unique skill 『Multi Mana Control: Nano』 and the advanced skill 『Energy Shooter』!

It was the same skill application he used to find the hidden magic circle in the library last time.

It’s so subtle that it can’t even be detected unless you’re a skilled wizard.

Moreover, radiation is more lethal to living things than anything else.

‘Back then, all the cockroaches and rats in the library were wiped out.’

This time, the target was just Turd.

As if they had been waiting, a doctor and nurses quickly arrived.

“N, Nobleman! D, Doctor……! The doctor is here!”

“Tsk! Take him quickly!”

“Cough, cough……!”

The doctor and nurses hurriedly took Turd and Ludwig to the clinic.

“Oh, what should we do…… what should we do……! The nobleman!”

At the sight, Kyung-joon just kept stamping his feet, not knowing what to do.

Soon, Turd and Ludwig disappeared from view.

“……..”

Silence fell instantly.

As if someone had pressed the stop button.

Kyung-joon was expressionless.

Creak.

A nearby door opened, and several maids wearing white headbands and aprons came out.

They were the original servants of the mansion.

“……We’ll clean this up.”

The mansion’s servants began cleaning up the blood on the floor.

It wasn’t just the servants who came out of the door.

A man dressed in aristocratic clothes walked out from behind the maids.

His face was pale, perhaps from witnessing the gruesome scene.

Despite this, Kyung-joon seemed indifferent.

He smiled at the owner of the mansion, Luxemb’s foreign minister, and said,

“How is it? Going according to plan, right?”

“……..”

Firma couldn’t even give a proper answer and could only swallow his dry saliva.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

The day before Turd and Ludwig, who were dispatched from Francois and Deutsch, came to Luxemb.

And today, after the Luxemb Defense Battle awards ceremony.

Kyung-joon was having dinner at the mansion at the invitation of Luxemb’s Foreign Minister, Firma.

Munch munch. Gulp.

Kyung-joon swallowed the last piece of steak.

This was followed by a glass of bittersweet wine to cut through the grease.

[Rare Skill 『High-speed Detoxification (Lv.2)』 ]

[The alcohol in your body is detoxified.]

Of course, the wine Kyung-joon drank immediately turned into grape juice as soon as he drank it.

‘Because I’m still a minor.’

Kyung-joon was following the rules in strange places.

Clink.

” ……. “

As Kyung-joon put his wine glass down on the table, he saw Firma looking quite nervous.

He was waiting.

He was waiting for Kyung-joon to respond to the request he had made before dinner.

” So. “

Kyung-joon asked Firma for confirmation, not yet putting down his wine glass.

” You’re saying you want me to supply you with the Energy Tower I used in the Luxemb Defense Battle? “

” ……Yes, that’s right. “

After the Luxemb Defense Battle and its awards ceremony ended safely.

Firma immediately invited Kyung-joon and asked him to supply Luxemb with the Energy Tower.

With that alone, they would be able to deal with the mutant monsters that would continue to flock in as easily as they did today.

“That’s a good story.”

“Oh……! Then!”

“But unfortunately, I haven’t made any plans for mass production yet. I’m too busy improving, researching, and reinstalling what’s in my territory.”

Kyung-joon effectively rejected Firma’s proposal.

It was just as Kyung-joon had said.

There are nearly 500 Energy Towers installed in the territory alone.

Considering the size of the territory and the future that will come, the amount installed now may not be enough.

Also, there’s the upcoming Science Certification Exam, and then there’s the midterms.

And on top of that, should I care about Luxemb?

It was a story where the tail was wagging the dog.

At Kyung-joon’s refusal, Firma exclaimed urgently.

“I will of course give you the value you deserve! Please reconsider! If we go on like this, Luxemb……!”

“Rider.”

“Yes?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Kyung-joon chuckled to himself at the ridiculous gag and continued.

“I’m not saying I won’t sell it, I’m saying it’s not ready yet. Once I have some leeway and the Energy Tower mass production system is in place, I’m willing to sell it to you right away. Just give me a little time.”

However, Firma slammed his fist on the table, unable to accept Kyung-joon’s words.

“Luxemb doesn’t have time!”

Firma, as Foreign Minister, knew better than anyone.

That Francois and Deutsch were dumping all the mutant monsters coming at them onto Luxemb in the name of defense subsidies.

And the will to crush the militarily strengthened Luxemb this time around.

But with Kyung-joon’s Energy Tower, it was a different story.

If only they could delegate the defense of the territory to a large number of Energy Towers and turn the rest of their forces into an all-out attack…… they could wage war.

Of course, war was called a last resort and could very well lead to the destruction of Luxemb.

It was far better than being left to die by the mutant monsters.

“Hmm.”

Kyung-joon, who had guessed Luxemb’s intentions from various circumstances.

He thought they needed to cool things down a bit first.

“I understand you’re in a hurry, but if you get the Energy Tower right now, you might end up mortgaging the country.”

“Yes……? What the hell is that…….?”

Firma wondered what Kyung-joon was talking about.

Kyung-joon explained with a straight face, twirling his wine-holding finger upward.

“I’m not going to tell you everything…… but think about it this way. My Energy Towers are all over the walls of Luxemb. But what if they were pointed inward instead of outward?”

“……!”

“You get the gist of it, don’t you?”

The one who made the Energy Tower was Kyung-joon.

So if he wanted to, he could take back control of the Energy Tower, which would be supplied to Luxemb.

“Of course, when we actually sell it, we’ll take separate measures to prevent that from happening in front of you. That’s a fair deal. But considering that, the sale of the Energy Tower will inevitably be further delayed. I understand the urgency of your situation, but there may be other ways, right? So how about we talk a little more?”

Other ways, as if there were any.

Francois and Deutsch would never leave Luxemb alone.

History has shown that.

If they stay put, they will only wither and die.

They had to prove that they were not the small Luxemb of the past through war.

World is such a world.

” ……I understand. I’ve been a little rude.”

Firma sat back in his chair with a much calmer face than before.

He was going to listen to what Kyung-joon had to say first.

Kyung-joon swirled his wine glass and brought up a slightly different topic than before.

His gaze was not on Firma, but on the wine glass.

“What did the lord of Luxemb order you to do, Firma-nim?”

“He ordered me to bring you in as an ally. He said you would definitely accept.”

“Oh.”

Kyung-joon’s eyes widened slightly.

They narrowed again as he asked Firma in return.

“And if not, he told you to put me in jail, right?”

“……!”

Firma could not answer.

Only a cold sweat ran down his spine.

Kyung-joon just smiled brightly and thought for a moment.

‘It’s a country that’s about to go to war. They’ll probably declare war in a few months, whether I supply the Energy Tower or not.’

Luxemb was able to minimize damage in this defensive battle with the support of administrators and players.

But the country’s power would only continue to decline with the subsequent mutant monster attacks.

Then when would be the best time to start a war?

Kyung-joon’s mouth opened again towards Firma.

“The defense battle ended successfully, but the soldiers are still being disbanded under the pretext of cleaning up the bodies. And I heard that the envoys from Francois and Deutsch are coming tomorrow.”

“How did you……?”

“Just. I have some good sources.”

TheWorld’sGreatestMerchant.

He had heard a lot about Luxemb from him.

He wouldn’t have been able to gain the upper hand in his current confrontation with Firma without the information TheWorld’sGreatestMerchant had given him beforehand.

“How about I tell you one of Luxemb’s possible scenarios?”

Kyung-joon continued without waiting for Firma’s reply.

“On the day the envoys from Francois and Deutsch come to Luxemb, ostensibly to celebrate the successful defense. At that time, they capture everyone who came with them and block the information. At the same time, Luxemb had the army prepared in advance thanks to the defensive war. If you try to rush ahead with either Francois or Deutsch, you’ll end up dying from the mutant monster anyway, so isn’t tomorrow the perfect time for war?

Firma, who had listened so far, raised his right hand.

‘Kook……! How on earth!’

Whether it was a guess or a leak of information.

Somehow, vital state secrets had been leaked.

This player, Kyung-joon, could not be left alone.

Snap!

The sound of snapping fingers echoed softly across the ceiling of the conference room.

But nothing happened.

“W, What…….?”

“Hmm, this?”

Well.

The person who just snapped his fingers was not Firma but…….

“Some kind of suppression unit would come down from the ceiling? That’s weird. Why aren’t they coming down?”

It was Kyung-joon.

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