It’s an Academic Fact That Rankers Are Model Students – Chapter 225

Chapter 225: Those Who Hate Vested Interests Are Not Vested Interests Themselves

The final, fifth qualifier.

Now, only its announcement remained.

“Then, here is the fifth and final qualifier!”

Gulp……

Everyone gathered in the plaza held their breath, hands clenched tight.

“Ugh! Our Scrollpia team has to make it and Kyung-joon-nim can’t fail……!”

Edict, in particular, was incredibly nervous, his hands trembling.

However, his worries were completely unfounded.

[Scroll magic that utilizes the method of scroll creation, Scroll-less Magic, Scroll Magic]

It was Kyung-joon’s idea that was announced.

The fifth qualifier for the preliminaries was none other than Kyung-joon, without a worry.

“Uh…… uh……”

Edict stared blankly at the status window in the air, his mind blown.

Next to him was Teclyn.

She chuckled and teased him, 

“What was that? 『Our Scrollpia team has to make it and Kyung-joon-nim can’t fail……!』? Pfft. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“……”

Despite Teclyn’s playful mockery, Edict remained silent, a shadow cast over his eyes.

His cheeks flushed slightly red, seemingly out of embarrassment.

“You were all ‘Kyung-joon-nim, Kyung-joon-nim’ before, but you knew you were going to win all along, didn’t you? Oh my. You’re so predictable.”

Teclyn clicked her tongue, watching Edict’s reaction.

“Now, we will announce the three judges who will be in charge of the evaluation from the first announcement to the final announcement!”

“Wow! Teclyn! They’re announcing the judges!”

In the end, Edict changed the subject, pretending not to hear Teclyn’s scolding.

“As you all know, this World’s Top Magic Competition is different from previous competitions.”

The host continued.

“Not only is it on a much larger scale than before, but most importantly, the otherworlder Kyung-joon is participating.”

For the other students, this competition was an opportunity to establish a stable magic tower, a long-awaited dream.

This was also true for Kyung-joon, but for him, this competition held even greater significance.

“In that sense, this competition is nothing less than an opportunity for the otherworlder Kyung-joon to officially demonstrate and gain recognition for his skills and abilities. And considering the tremendous controversy surrounding him over the past three weeks, a fair judgment that is neither biased towards him nor unconditionally rejects him is essential! We have selected the judges with ‘fairness’ as our top priority.”

The host’s words caused the crowd to buzz with anticipation.

“Speaking of fairness in the Fael Alliance, it’s all about the 『Fairy King, the Council, and the Magic Towers』, a three-way system! The three groups cooperate and check each other for the development of the alliance. Therefore, it leads to the fairest and most reasonable judgment. We have applied this principle to the selection of the judges for this competition.”

A figure from the Fairy King’s side, who actively supports Kyung-joon.

A figure from the Council, who opposes the Fairy King’s side.

And a neutral figure from the business world, not belonging to either side.

These three backgrounds would be represented in the judges for this competition.

“Now, the first judge! A person chosen directly by the Fairy King and also a longtime friend of hers!”

Click, clack.

A woman with a gentle impression walked onto the stage.

“I’m Teina Sebra, honored to participate as a judge in this competition. Please treat me well~”

Her voice was soft, trailing off at the end of her sentences.

However, an extraordinary aura that could not be underestimated emanated from her bright smile.

“Ms. 『Teina Sebra』, Honorary Professor of Healing Magic at Fairy-Elven Magic Academy and Master of the Magic Tower Mother Teina! Please give her a big round of applause!”

Waaaaaaaah!

Clap clap clap clap clap.

The Scrollpia members applauded enthusiastically at the host’s introduction.

Teina was already known as one of Fairy King’s close friends.

And contrary to her gentle appearance, she possessed a very sharp personality.

Anyone who had seen Teina heal the sick even once would agree.

She would surely give Kyung-joon a good evaluation without being overly biased.

“Next, the second judge!”

Thump, thump.

A middle-aged elf with a very sharp and dignified air stepped onto the stage.

His movements seemed unwavering.

“A man who was once a professor in the Magic Tool Department at the Magic Academy and was known as the ‘Immovable Wizard,’ and currently serves as the Supreme Elder of the Council! He is none other than 『Larev』!”

The second judge was Larev, the Supreme Elder of the Fael Alliance Council.

“And finally, the third judge! The owner of several Grand Magic Towers, including Edes Meruk, Locarkaca, Arc-en-Ciel, and shares in dozens of other towers, the pinnacle of the Alliance’s business world!”

Flutter, flutter.

A fairy flew onto the stage, scattering sparkling magic dust.

“It’s 『Siam Tinya』! Please give her a warm welcome!”

Waaaaaaaah!

Clap clap clap clap clap!

“Wow…! No wonder they didn’t announce the judges right away, they were busy recruiting these big shots!”

“Ah, I’m so jealous…… The teams that passed the preliminaries already get to rub shoulders with these amazing people.”

“Teina-nim from Fairy King’s side! Supreme Elder Larev from the Council! And Siam-nim, the legend herself, who practically controls half of the Alliance’s business world! Wow! What an amazing lineup!”

Most of the students were satisfied with the judges chosen for this World’s Top Magic Competition.

“Wow! Siam-nim is the majority shareholder of Grand Magic Tower Arc-en-Ciel!”

“Teina-nim is a longtime friend of Fairy King-nim, so she won’t give Kyung-joon-nim an unfavorable evaluation.”

The Scrollpia members felt the same way.

“Well… With these three, there’s no need to worry about fairness.”

“Yeah. We have Larev from the Council, and Siam-nim doesn’t just own Arc-en-Ciel, she also has shares in numerous magic tool towers. I think it’s fine.”

Even Those Who Tear Paper, who had been most concerned about the judges’ selection, did not have any major complaints.

However, what those gathered in the plaza did not know was…

<……Master. The three people on the stage keep glancing at you.>

<-_-a;;>

“Yeah, I saw it too.”

The three judges selected for this competition.

Supreme Elder Larev of the Council.

━He was the one who had asked Kyung-joon to come to the Magic Academy in the first place.-

Teina Sebra, belonging to the Fairy King’s faction.

━A close friend of Fairy King, who actively supported Kyung-joon, and had helped him prepare for his bio-training evaluation this time.-

And Siam Tinya, the top of the Fael Alliance’s business world.

━The one who had proposed they do business together once magic engineering technology was restored.-

All three of them had met Kyung-joon before and had some kind of connection with him……

“Winning first place in this competition will be a piece of cake, won’t it?”

……Except for Kyung-joon and the three judges, no one else knew.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

Kyung-joon had temporarily logged out of the game and was on his way to the living room bathroom when…

“Dad, are you watching the news?”

“Yeah.”

Kyung-joon’s father was glued to the living room TV.

Curious about what had captured his attention so much, Kyung-joon saw that the news was on.

『Seolha Group’s R&D-focused subsidiary, ‘Bio Is Very Safe,’ or ‘BIVS’ for short, has announced that it will be possible to completely conquer human aging within the next few years.

A representative from the company said, “We have succeeded in restoring the telomeres in the DNA of lab rats, and those rats have lived well beyond their average lifespan of 18 months, and are now over 32 months old (equivalent to 100 years in human age), and they still look young, with shiny fur.”

Telomeres are a part of the body related to aging and cancer, and while there has been a lot of research on them, there have been few concrete results, making this research a world first, not just in Korea…』

“Hmm? Bio Is Very Safe?”

Kyung-joon tilted his head at the company’s peculiar name.

“Yeah. BIVS for short. It’s a bio company under Seolha Group, and they’ve been really hot lately.”

“Hmm. How much?”

“Their stock has gone up more than 10 times in the past year.”

“Wow. 10 times?”

“Yeah, 10 times. And it’s still soaring. I bought some.”

“Oh, really?”

Even at the mention of a 10-fold increase, Kyung-joon’s expression showed more anxiety than joy.

Kyung-joon’s father was planning to retire at the end of the year.

He had been looking into stock investments as a way to manage his finances after retirement.

He had some experience working in finance, but frankly, Kyung-joon was worried about how well he would do.

After all, stock investment was known to be a risky business.

“But I’m thinking of selling it soon.”

Click.

Kyung-joon’s father turned off the TV.

“Huh? Why?”

“When news like that starts coming out, it’s a sign that it’s almost over.”

“Aha. I see. But still, 10 times is a huge profit, isn’t it?”

“It’s not like I bought it a year ago. And I didn’t invest that much.”

No matter how much experience Kyung-joon’s father had in finance, he couldn’t just invest a large sum of money recklessly.

If he lost it all, their family would be on the streets.

He had to be cautious.

“That’s why I’m worried about when to sell it.”

“Wouldn’t it be okay to sell it now?”

“Well, usually after this point, it goes up 10 or 20 times more. Selling is harder than buying.”

One of the characteristics of stocks is that it’s harder to know when to sell than when to buy.

Kyung-joon just nodded silently at his father’s words.

He hadn’t studied stocks himself.

“Don’t do anything too risky, Dad.”

So that was all Kyung-joon could say.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to lose everything just to make a little more money.”

Even though his father said he understood, Kyung-joon couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease.

‘This feels like a cliché……’

He couldn’t help but imagine his father losing all his investment money in a few days or weeks and getting scolded by his mother.

“Well, I’m going back to my room.”

Kyung-joon decided to just watch and see what his father would do.

“Okay. Don’t study too late.”

“Yes.”

Creak. Thud.

Kyung-joon returned to his room.

Buzz. Buzz.

His phone on the desk vibrated.

“Ah, it’s time for my appointment with Teina.”

He had made plans with Teina a few days ago when they had coffee together with Siam at a cafe.

He was supposed to visit her lab later this evening.

Sigh.

Kyung-joon turned off the vibration on his phone, put on his connection gear, and lay down on his bed.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

The Department of Healing Magic at Fairy-Elven Magic Academy.

At the very top of the building was a memorial floor, built with the support of the magic tower 『Mother Teina』.

It was a space to commemorate Teina, a great senior of the department, and to secure talented individuals for the magic tower from their student days.

The place Kyung-joon was headed to was Mother Teina’s private laboratory, located on this floor.

[Lock released.]

[You may enter.]

As Teina had instructed, he released the magic lock on the door.

Creak.

He opened the door and stepped inside.

“Teina, I’m he━”

The moment Kyung-joon opened the door.

━Kyaaaaaaaaak!!

Fwhoooooosh!

The arm of a giant tentacle monster shot towards Kyung-joon!

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