It’s an Academic Fact That Rankers Are Model Students – Chapter 141

Chapter 141: Herbs on the Cliff (2)

Munch munch.

Chew chew.

Ceram was savoring the weeds, chewing them this way and that as if he were a sommelier.

” Uh, Mr. Ceram……? “

Even though he was a mutant earth-attribute Silva, Ceram doesn’t eat dirt, so why is he suddenly eating weeds?

It was an incomprehensible act.

‘Perhaps the stress from his skin color had finally gotten to him……’

Just as Kyung-joon was wondering how to continue the conversation.

Ceram swallowed the weed and spoke.

His voice was serious.

” ……Kyung-joon-nim, from which forest dweller did you receive this herb? “

” This? Oh, I got it from a monster called a Cat Monkey. “

Cat Monkey.

A monster from the Whale Forest with the face of a cat and the body of a monkey.

Kyung-joon had made them a box to befriend them, and they suddenly gave him the weeds as a gift.

” I thought it liked boxes since it’s some sort of a cat, but seeing it give me a pile of weeds, I thought they were angry because they didn’t like it…… Is there something special about these weeds? “

” I believe I’ll know once I take a closer look. “

With that, Ceram picked up another weed that the Cat Monkey had left behind.

He didn’t taste the weed like he did before.

Instead, his hand was enveloped in earth-attribute mana.

It was one of Ceram’s unique skills, 『Herb Appraisal』.

As his mana scanned the weed, the status window changed before their eyes.

From a low-grade weed to a rare-grade herb.

[Sky Cliff Mint]

▶A mint that has endured harsh winds while growing on a Sky Cliff. It has a strong fragrance.

▶Item Grade: Rare

” Wow…… This isn’t a weed? “

” Indeed. It’s easy to mistake Sky Cliff Mint for a common weed. I believe they need to have a tenacious vitality like weeds to survive the harsh winds on the towering Sky Cliffs. “

” Oh, that makes sense. But to think you even know about this kind of stuff…… You seem to know a lot, Mr. Ceram. “

” Haha. I initially thought it was just a weed, but I was suddenly reminded of my old master’s teachings. “

” Your master? “

” Yes, my master. The one who helped me survive on my own. “

As he spoke, Ceram’s expression turned slightly nostalgic.

However, he quickly regained his usual gentle expression and began examining the weeds the Cat Monkey had brought again.

” There are many other medicinal herbs as well. Here, take a look. “

Ceram appraised three more weeds besides the Sky Cliff Mint and showed them to Kyung-joon.

[Sun Basil]

▶A basil that has grown under the sun for 24 hours a day. It has an intense fragrance.

▶Item Grade: Rare

[Shade Rosemary]

▶A rosemary that has grown in the shade for a long time. It has a subtle fragrance.

▶Item Grade: Rare

[Wind Lavender]

▶A lavender that has grown while being exposed to the breeze. It has a refreshing fragrance.

▶Item Grade: Rare

Then, Ceram made a suggestion to Kyung-joon.

” We can make something quite interesting with these. I don’t remember the recipe perfectly since it’s been so long…… but as a token of gratitude for accepting me, may I try making it? “

” Oh, sure. But what is it? “

” Haha. I’d like to leave that as a surprise for when it’s finished…… “

Ceram gathered the herbs from the floor and added,

” It’s a tea that my master used to make and share with me when I was learning languages as a child. “

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

Ceram steeped the herbs to make tea, and Kyung-joon helped him.

As a result, Kyung-joon’s mythical skill was imbued into the tea.

[Mythical Skill 『Infinite Reading (Lv.2)』’s effect is imbued into the tea.]

[It’s a unique item.]

“Phew……! The effort was worth it!”

Ceram wiped the sweat off his forehead with satisfaction.

Kyung-joon had also worked hard.

There were a lot of trials and errors because Ceram didn’t remember the exact recipe.

“To be honest, I think it’s too much to match it to the second decimal place…… but it’s worth it.”

This four-color herbal tea must be precisely measured to two decimal places to maximize its effect.

Ceram said that even his master discovered this recipe after a lot of trial and error.

But Ceram didn’t think to write down the exact recipe, so he almost couldn’t make it.

However, thanks to Kyung-joon’s scientific techniques and Teemo’s measurement skills, they succeeded in restoring it to the second decimal place.

“Yes. This is much better than what I drank before. I’m really surprised.”

Ceram couldn’t help but marvel at the tea’s ability, which was far superior to what his master had made for him before.

Kyung-joon, who was looking at the status window with a satisfied smile, felt the same way.

[Ceram-style Four-Color Herbal Tea]

▶A herbal tea that can only be completed by accurately matching the recipe of Ceram to the second decimal place. The taste is subtle.

▶Contains all kinds of rare herbs. 『All stats increase by 2% per second』

▶A clear head is like a blank sheet of paper on which you can write anything. 『Memory +50%』 『Concentration +50%』

▶Duration: 60 seconds

※After the duration expires, you will suffer a side effect of -50% to all stats for the entire day.

▶Item Grade: Unique

“Yes. I don’t know how it was before. But this is really crazy effective.”

It didn’t have a permanent effect like unique bread or other existing study buffs, but the instantaneous buff itself was superior to any other.

A tea that is no different from a stimulant.

Anyone would think there were drugs in it.

In fact, considering the instant boost to memory and concentration, and the subsequent massive side effects, steroids or drugs do come to mind.

Of course, that didn’t mean Kyung-joon wasn’t going to drink it.

“Even if it’s just once a day, it would be great to drink it when you get stuck while studying. But what kind of herbs has this effect…… No, where did they get the herbs?”

He could ask the Cat Monkeys to get it for him in the future, but he wanted to know once.

Where do those poppy-like things grow?

“Hmm? Do you want to go see for yourself? Shall I show you?”

Ceram showed an unexpected reaction to what he had just said casually.

“Huh? You know?”

“Yes. My master once took me there, saying that it’s not right to be stuck in the cave all the time.”

“Oh! Great. Take me there now.”

“It’s not an overnight trip, but it might be a bit of a long way. Is that okay?”

“It’s okay. Just for a day. And studying doesn’t always work out just because I’m sitting in a chair all the time.”

As Ceram’s master said, it’s not good to just keep studying.

Once you’ve put knowledge into your head, it’s good to take some time to refresh yourself so that it can be properly organized.

Kyung-joon had plenty of time to put knowledge in his head thanks to the Dimensional Study Room, so half a day was no problem.

“Then follow me this way. I’ll escort you safely.”

“Okay. I’ll leave it to you.”

And so, Kyung-joon followed Ceram’s small back into the Whale Forest to refresh himself and gather ingredients that would help him study.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

━Hmm? My lord, where are you going?

━Yes. I think I’ll be away for a while today. Kingyear, please tell Liant for me as well.

━Understood. By the way, about the materials you received from the monsters, if you don’t have any particular use for them, would you like me to make something useful for you?

━Oh? What do you have in mind?

━Haha! Of course! I may not look like it, but back in my day, I even worked with dwarves on crafting…….

．

．

．

Ceram was leading the way, with Kyung-joon following close behind.

It was a strange path they had never been on before, despite having visited various monsters.

They were constantly zigzagging, hiding here and there, cutting through bushes, stopping briefly, and then moving again……

It was completely random guidance.

But there was a reason why Ceram was doing this.

“There are forest dwellers who can be reasoned with, but there are also many who can’t. For example, the predatory dwellers.”

“Ah, is that why you told me not to go too deep when I came to you for monster advice?”

“Yes, that’s right. The outskirts of Whale Forest, near the plains, are fine because there are fewer of those dwellers, but you have to be careful as you go deeper.”

Ceram, having personally explored every corner of Whale Forest, demonstrated his skillful guidance.

Especially.

‘We haven’t encountered a single monster so far. He changes direction right before we’re about to encounter one.’

Thanks to Teemo, Kyung-joon could also easily determine whether there were monsters nearby.

However, as he followed Ceram and constantly checked his minimap, he noticed that Ceram would change direction right before a monster appeared on Kyung-joon’s minimap.

It seemed like Ceram had a much wider detection range than Kyung-joon.

‘Amazing. So all the mana I’ve been feeling from the ground was Ceram’s.’

It wasn’t as detailed as Kyung-joon’s mana, which could interfere with the nano world, but the thin and wide mana field spread out underground was enough to surprise even Kyung-joon.

He was a wild Silva, but as expected of a fairy like the Fairy race, he had excellent mana manipulation skills.

‘It’s a waste to keep him as just a language tutor…… Yeah. I’ll have to try to persuade him more later.’

Kyung-joon thought he was really lucky to have brought such a talented person to his territory.

The small and young Ceram’s back, which he was following, seemed more reliable and trustworthy than anyone else’s.

As they continued to follow Ceram’s guidance.

Thud.

Suddenly, Ceram stopped in his tracks.

Then, he suddenly lowered his nose to the ground and sniffed.

“This is…… It can’t be helped. We can’t go back like this.”

With that said, Ceram started to rub his whole body on the ground.

As Kyung-joon looked on with a puzzled expression, the dirt-covered Ceram offered the same to him.

“Kyung-joon-nim, please apply this as well.”

What Ceram handed him was dirt.

It was dirt that had a strange, pungent smell.

An ordinary person might have refused, but Kyung-joon immediately followed Ceram without a word.

Kyung-joon had done something similar once before.

When he first witnessed Ceram trading with the monsters from behind a tree, he had also covered himself in dirt.

The reason was to eliminate his scent.

“……..”

Ceram silently gestured upwards towards the tree.

“……..”

Kyung-joon nodded silently.

Then, starting with Ceram, they climbed the tree.

They were very careful and cautious not to make any sound of branches shaking.

As they climbed to the highest point of the tree, almost out of breath, Ceram crouched down, hiding himself among the leaves.

Swoosh.

Kyung-joon also followed Ceram’s posture nearby.

And not long after.

“Grrrr….”

The growl of an unfamiliar animal came from below.

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