It’s an Academic Fact That Rankers Are Model Students – Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Did You Expect Children’s Grades to Improve in This Environment? (2)

After the first period math class, the students in Kyung-joon’s class were in an uproar.

“Argh! The math teacher is at it again!”

“He did it before midterms, and now again?”

“Seriously, what kind of homework does he give to students who just started learning calculus?”

The infamous second-year science math teacher at Cheongshin High School!

He was famous for giving students absurd homework assignments under the guise of ‘creativity tests’.

He had done it once before the midterms, and now, just before the finals, he had struck again.

“There is a function that is 1 when it’s an irrational number and 0 when it’s a rational number……? What is the value when this is integrated? What the heck is this?! How are we supposed to solve this?!”

“Screw it! I’m not doing it! It’s not like this will even be on the CSAT. I’d rather not get the extra points.”

Most students gave up without even attempting the problem.

They knew they couldn’t solve it, so why waste their time?

There was no penalty for not solving it, and only a few extra credit points for solving it.

There was no need to strain themselves.

‘If this were part of our performance evaluation, parents would be storming the teacher’s office with pitchforks.’

Kyung-joon had actually heard that some parents had protested, questioning the need for creativity in Korean education.

‘More importantly, how do you even solve this……?’

Kyung-joon frowned, staring intently at the ‘creativity problem’ the math teacher had given them.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

After school.

Kyung-joon sent his friends home first so he could focus on the creativity problem his math teacher had given him.

He was currently walking home alone.

Unfortunately, even with Kyung-joon’s creativity, the problem remained unsolved.

“Did you know? Yoo Seol-ha goes to her own private villa every time she studies?”

“A private villa? No way!”

He overheard a group of girls talking ahead of him.

They were talking about Yoo Seol-ha, the top student at Cheongshin High School.

“No, it’s true! I heard she has a private tutor, a personal chef, and even a nutritionist, all dedicated to providing her with the optimal studying environment.”

“Wow… She’s a true Ultimate Daughter. What’s her villa called? Sky Castle?”

“Nah, something even better. Maybe Harvard Manor? Or Johns Hopkins Estate?”

“Pfft! That’s perfect.”

Overhearing their conversation, Kyung-joon thought,

‘A private villa…… I guess it’s only natural for the granddaughter of the Seolha Group.’

Yoo Seol-ha was the precious granddaughter of the Seolha Group, a company that held sway over the world.

For her, a private villa for studying was a natural investment.

As the heir apparent to the Seolha Group, she must be receiving an incredible amount of private education.

‘Wait, but I have a villa too?’

Of course, the difference was that Yoo Seol-ha’s villa was a real, physical villa, while Kyung-joon’s existed within a game.

‘Well, there are other differences too. Like, quality. I don’t have a personal chef or anything. I just eat hard bread to fill my stomach……’

Kyung-joon couldn’t help but feel a little envious.

However, it didn’t turn into jealousy.

‘No matter how great Yoo Seol-ha’s villa is, it can’t compare to my Study Villa.’

After all, Kyung-joon’s Study Villa actually increased his ‘studying ability.’

It was clearly displayed in numerical values.

Currently, studying in his Study Villa increased his tenacity by 40%.

This was an ability that couldn’t be replicated even by spending tens or hundreds of millions of won on creating the perfect real-life study environment.

‘Come to think of it, wasn’t The World created by the Seolha Group? But seeing as I became the Infinite Knowledge Seeker…… it seems like even Yoo Seol-ha, the granddaughter, hasn’t heard this information yet.’

If she had, she would have already become the Infinite Knowledge Seeker herself.

But the Infinite Knowledge Seeker wasn’t Yoo Seol-ha. It was Kyung-joon.

She hadn’t heard the information. Even though she was the granddaughter of the Seolha Group.

‘Thinking about it, it makes sense.’

If such illegal information leakage had occurred, it would have been a huge scandal that deceived other ordinary users.

Even though The World had been released for a year, such an issue had never arisen.

Kyung-joon was internally impressed by the surprisingly clean operation of the Seolha Group’s game.

‘First, I need to go grocery shopping, play with the kids, have dinner, and then log back in to study.’

Kyung-joon’s family consisted of four siblings, including himself.

As the eldest son, Kyung-joon had a lot to do besides studying.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

After dinner.

After changing Seung-hak’s diaper and playing with Woo-bin and So-bin, Kyung-joon logged into the game.

To study, of course.

[ Currently Applied Buffs ]

▶ Tenacity +40%

Kyung-joon was staring at the creativity problem his math teacher had given him, empowered by the buff.

“Ugh, this isn’t working. Honestly, I have absolutely no idea, dammit.”

Thanks to the Tenacity buff, Kyung-joon could spend more time pondering over the unsolvable problem.

But it was all for naught if he couldn’t solve it.

『 Creativity Problem 』

『 There is a function that is 1 when it’s an irrational number and 0 when it’s a rational number. Describe the value of the definite integral of this function from 0 to 1. 』

※ Partial credit will be given for logical reasoning even without a precise proof.

Kyung-joon had copied the problem he received in reality onto the notepad in the game.

The fact that he had copied it word for word showed how intently he had been looking at the problem.

Of course, that didn’t mean he could solve it.

“Ugh! Why does that crazy math teacher have to torture us with this kind of homework? Is this even within the scope of high school math?”

< According to the knowledge uploaded to my database, it barely falls within the scope. >

< Irrational and rational numbers are covered in 10th-grade math, and integration is part of the Calculus II curriculum that Master is currently learning. >

< Although I have never encountered a problem like this before. >

“Argh! I give up!”

Kyung-joon jumped out of his seat and ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

“Oh.”

After racking his brains for a while, he looked around and realized how dark it had gotten.

Not only was the sun setting in the game, but his windowless Study Villa made it seem even darker.

Actually, it had been too dark to study comfortably yesterday as well.

He managed to study thanks to the system’s brightness adjustment and the Tenacity buff, but……

“How am I supposed to study in this environment?”

It dawned on him now how important it was to have proper lighting.

“This won’t do. It’s not like I can solve this anyway, so I might as well take care of this first.”

< You cannot craft a lantern with the materials you currently possess. You have beeswax, but you need at least oil, a wick, and knowledge of fire magic to create a flame. >

< A candle could be an alternative. You would need to keep trimming the wick, though. Alternatively, you could return to village and purchase a lantern. >

“Ugh…… I should have bought one when I came here. Totally slipped my mind.”

Making a lantern himself required too much preparation.

Kyung-joon decided to think about it after escaping this dark Study Villa.

As he stepped outside, a perfectly round, full moon greeted him.

“It’s much brighter outside than I thought.”

< The full moon seen from the Beginner’s Village is said to be particularly bright. It will shine even brighter when the sun fully sets and the moon takes center stage. >

“I hadn’t noticed because I’ve been cooped up in the library. Ahh~”

Kyung-joon stretched, gazing at the sky that was beginning to turn a vibrant orange.

Suddenly, a scene from a drama flashed through his mind.

━Did you expect children’s grades to improve in this environment?

It was from “Sky Castle,” a drama about the cutthroat world of college entrance exams in South Korea.

In one scene, a father who was tutoring his twin sons had them study in a completely sealed-off room with no light or sound.

That line was spoken by a college entrance exam coach who witnessed this.

A completely sealed environment with no light.

In such an environment, not only would their grades not improve, but studying itself would be impossible.

< Such a thing happened? But how did they solve this problem in that… drama? >

“The wife, unable to stand it any longer, grabbed a hammer and smashed down the wall. And the single ray of light that shone through…… That’s it! Let’s tear down the walls!”

< Pardon? >

< ^_^;;; >

Teemo was taken aback by the radical suggestion.

Demolishing the house they had worked so hard to build?

Even Teemo, who had grown somewhat accustomed to Kyung-joon’s eccentricities over the past three months, couldn’t comprehend his true intentions.

“I don’t mean tear down everything, just…… make some adjustments! To put it simply, let’s install some windows!”

Windows!

Windows were a crucial element in creating a conducive study environment.

Imagine a room with no windows.

No ventilation, no natural light, just a stifling and depressing atmosphere.

As they said in the drama:

━Father, critical thinking, application skills, comprehension, and creativity all flourish in a free and open environment.

“So, if we create a bright and open environment with windows, maybe it’ll trigger some kind of Infinite Reading effect and give me a Creativity buff! Just like the Tenacity buff! Then I can finally solve this damn creativity problem!”

< I understand. If it’s simply adding windows to an existing structure, we can begin work immediately. >

“That’s the spirit! Alright, let’s get to work.”

[ General Skill 『 Common Construction (Lv.5) 』 ]

Kyung-joon immediately activated his construction skill and began modifying his Study Villa.

The process was simple.

Cut square holes in the walls of the Study Villa and finish the edges.

Of course, he wasn’t going to put windows just anywhere.

“Teemo, like you advised me on desk placement before, is there an optimal position for windows too?”

< Naturally. >

< Having a window right next to your desk can be distracting and hinder concentration. Direct sunlight can also be detrimental to studying. >

“Okay. Then here, here, and here seem like good spots.”

Following Teemo’s advice, Kyung-joon began creating windows in the most optimal locations.

Scrape, scrape.

Whirr, whirr.

After several minutes of work, Kyung-joon finished installing the windows.

Back inside the Study Villa, it was incomparably brighter than before.

It seemed bright enough to read his textbooks without any problems.

“Hmm, not bad. Just right. Not as good as fluorescent lights, but it’ll do.”

That was Kyung-joon’s assessment after pulling out his Korean textbook from his inventory and trying to read.

However, there was still one unresolved issue.

Not only had the Creativity buff not appeared yet, but there was a much bigger problem.

Whoosh~

“The wind’s blowing right through the windows…… Crap.”

Whoosh~ Whoosh, whoosh!

The wind howled through the Study Villa, thanks to the excellent ventilation.

Flap, flap!

The pages of his Korean textbook flipped incessantly.

At this rate, he couldn’t even focus on reading, let alone studying.

“I need glass for the windows.”

He needed modern, transparent glass windows instead of the medieval fantasy-style windows that could only be opened and closed with wooden shutters.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

Obtaining materials for glass wasn’t too difficult.

Why? Because Kyung-joon had Bangwool, the Water Spirit.

Of course, Bangwool wasn’t the one who would get the materials for him.

Someone else was going to do that.

Gathering materials for glass was the specialty of Earth Spirits, not Water Spirits.

“So you’re Bangwool’s gnome friend?”

━Huure…

[ The Low-Rank Earth Spirit, Gnome, slowly nods its head. ]

This was the Low-Rank Earth Spirit, Gnome, whom he had been introduced to through Bangwool.

Just like Bangwool, the Water Spirit, resembled a drop of water, Gnome, the Earth Spirit, looked like a clay doll made of earth.

“I’m also Bangwool’s friend. Would you like to be my friend too?”

━Huure.

[ Gnome, considering Bangwool’s friend as its own, casually nods. ]

“Great. From now on, your name is ‘Mod.’”

━Huure.

[ Mod nonchalantly accepts its new name. ]

[ Contract established with the Low-Rank Earth Spirit, Gnome. ]

[ Acquired Rare Skill 『 Summon Earth Spirit 』. ]

[ Summon Earth Spirit ]

▶ Summons an Earth Spirit. The rank of the spirit depends on the skill level.

▶ Skill Level: Lv.1

▶ Skill Type: Active

▶ Skill Rank: Rare

[ Earth Affinity has been generated. ]

[ Earth attribute affinity: 10 ]

“Mod, I’m sorry to ask this right after our contract, but could you help me out with something?”

━Huure.

[ Mod, although reluctant, agrees to help because they are friends. ]

“Thanks. Then I’ll need you to do exactly what I told Bangwool about.”

━Huure…!

Mud nodded at Kyung-joon’s words and instantly burrowed underground.

Thud! Thud!

Sounds of digging echoed from below.

Then, a notification popped up.

[ Mud is attempting 『 Ore Extraction 』. ]

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