It’s an Academic Fact That Rankers Are Model Students – Chapter 31

Chapter 31: The Beginning of Studying Starts with Finding the Right Materials (1)

Kyung-joon was able to hear a lot about the college entrance exam, which he didn’t know before, from his math teacher.

First, there’s the regular decision and rolling admission.

Regular decision means applying to college solely based on the CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test) scores.

On the other hand, rolling admission refers to all other admission processes besides regular decision.

There are various types, such as student record-based, essay-based, admissions officer-based, and principal recommendation-based admissions.

‘The math teacher said I should prepare for rolling admission first……’

The math teacher didn’t really recommend regular decision to Kyung-joon.

Currently, the college entrance system in South Korea consists of 70% rolling admission and the remaining 30% regular decision.

Moreover, students who retake the exam two or even three times flock to regular decision.

It’s becoming increasingly hyper-competitive.

However, the exam questions aren’t even that difficult.

Due to the strong opinions of parents saying, 『Students these days have too much to study!』, the government is continuously making the CSAT easier.

This is where the problem arises.

Because of the trend of the CSAT becoming easier, regular decision is no longer about differentiating students based on their true abilities, but rather on who makes fewer mistakes.

In the end, if you’re a high school senior, focusing solely on regular decision is a recipe for disaster.

You need to distribute your efforts well, including rolling admission.

‘It’s a selection process based on the admissions officer’s recommendation and the school principal’s recommendation…’

The math teacher suggested trying to prepare for these two.

Both admissions officer-based and principal recommendation-based admissions are essentially the same as applying for a job.

Admissions officer-based can be compared to general recruitment, while principal recommendation-based is similar to being nominated.

Then what’s the most crucial factor when applying for a job?

The answer is the applicant’s specs.

In other words, their abilities.

Kyung-joon needed to prove that he was the most suitable candidate for this university, meaning he had to demonstrate his abilities.

First of all, his potential has already been proven.

‘A student who used to be at the bottom of the class started studying due to family circumstances and rose to 2nd place in the entire school in just six months. Even I have to admit, the story is amazing.’

From last place to the top ranks, it was a tremendous rise!

It clearly demonstrated that he’s a student with great potential.

Now that his potential has been proven, he had to show it through actual achievements.

Kyung-joon recalled a few pieces of advice the math teacher had given him.

━I’m not saying you have to beat Yoo Seol-ha, the unyielding first-place student. Just maintaining your current second place is enough.

━However, you’ll definitely fall behind based solely on your academic record. It’s better to build other specs.

━There are various specs you can work on. Yeah, yeah. English proficiency tests like TOEFL or TOEIC are good.

━There’s one important thing here. Even your specs need a story. Simply piling up random specs won’t be convincing.

━Kyung-joon, you solved that creativity problem amazingly last time, right? You’re smart enough. You could definitely win an award if you prepare for the Olympiad.

━But it’s too late to start preparing for the Olympiad now…… Instead, how about this? Why don’t you try studying for it during this vacation? Your science scores were much higher than your math scores in the finals.

『Science Certification Exam Information』

『Hosted by: Korean Physical Society, Korean Chemical Society』

『Subjects: Physics, Chemistry』

『General Course (Physics, Chemistry): Middle School Level (5th, 6th Grade), High School Level (3rd, 4th Grade), College Level (1st, 2nd Grade)』

『Expert Course (Physics): Classical Mechanics, Electromagnetism, Quantum Mechanics, Thermal and Statistical Physics, Optics』

『Expert Course (Chemistry): Physical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry』

The math teacher said,

Preparing for the science certification exam by studying science in advance would naturally prepare him for both high school coursework and future college entrance essays.

Also, occasionally, there are extremely difficult questions on school exams or the CSAT with a correct answer rate of less than 10%.

He said that knowing college-level content surprisingly makes many of these questions quite easy to solve.

“So that’s why those top students were studying their butts off at academies and with private tutors……”

Advanced learning that’s impossible without attending academies or receiving private tutoring.

There’s a limit to how far you can climb without paying a fortune for academies and private tutors.

It’s not for nothing that students from wealthy families excel in their studies and get into good universities.

━But sometimes, there are those who reach the top without attending academies or receiving any private tutoring, just by studying on their own. Just like you, Kyung-joon.

Kyung-joon had never been to a private academy in his life.

Of course, it wasn’t by choice, but due to his family’s financial situation.

Nevertheless, Kyung-joon had come this far by studying independently.

‘The stage is set.’

It’s finally summer vacation.

Dimensional Study Room, Infinite Reading.

He had the perfect environment to dramatically enhance his study efficiency.

‘My parents have given their permission.’

When he brought up the topic of wanting to go to college, his father initially opposed it.

His father’s retirement was less than a year away.

He was already going from place to place, trying to find work.

It’s a recession, and it’s uncertain whether things will work out.

While they wouldn’t starve, they didn’t have the money to cover the annual college tuition, which amounted to tens of millions of won.

He showed his report card to his father and said,

He told him he would take care of the tuition himself.

Seeing his son like that, his father slammed his hand on the floor and apologized profusely.

I’m so sorry, my son……!

I’m such a failure…… I haven’t done anything right for you, and you’ve grown up so much without me realizing it.

You’re truly my pride and joy.

Don’t worry about the money.

I’ll work my fingers to the bone, sell my kidney, whatever it takes.

You just keep doing what you want to do.

You’ve been through a lot as the eldest son.

He received permission along with this tear-jerking melodrama.

‘Studying alone isn’t enough.’

The summer vacation is a little less than a month and a half long.

During that time, he had to not only study but also secure a foundation for earning money.

Fortunately, he had the ability.

By utilizing the Infinite Knowledge Seeker ability, he could study not only school subjects but also things related to games.

In this era where professional gamers are rampant,

In other words, it’s an era where you can earn money through games.

If he studied hard using this ability, he would also be able to earn money through games.

He had already sown the seeds.

He had earned nearly ten million won just from the chair.

Currently, he’s making 70,000 to 100,000 won per sale of the unique bread he occasionally bakes, after deducting fees.

He had to expand his money-making avenues based on this foundation.

Of course, all while keeping up with his school studies.

Juggling both would be tough.

But he had to do it.

He’s on a roll.

He had to ride this momentum.

He had to climb as high as he could while he had the chance.

The wretched poverty.

He didn’t want to experience another melodrama like yesterday.

Poverty is a curse.

It’s an era where people say dragons no longer rise from puddles.

The poor can’t afford to study, play games, or do anything.

They are deprived of even the opportunity to choose, something everyone else takes for granted.

On the other hand, the wealthy can enjoy, work hard, and excel at anything.

That’s the kind of world it is.

A golden opportunity presented to him in this messed-up world.

Therefore, he made up his mind once again.

The words he had repeated countless times before the finals.

“I will rise higher, higher than ever before.”

Kyung-joon steeled his resolve and put on the connection gear.

To connect to the game and begin his new studies.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

After logging into the game, Kyung-joon started planning his vacation schedule.

Teemo, who had been listening, spoke up.

<It seems your tasks can be broadly divided into two categories: those in reality and those in this world.>

“Yeah, but I guess I should focus on the ones in reality first.”

By ‘reality’, he meant maintaining his second-place ranking in school.

However, that wasn’t enough.

To climb higher, he had to go above and beyond what others were doing.

It would be ideal if he could surpass Yoo Seol-ha and take first place, but that girl was a monster.

When Kyung-joon scored 94.2 on the finals, Yoo Seol-ha scored 99.4.

The math teacher had said,

Seoul National University offers two principal recommendation spots per school, not just one.

He didn’t necessarily have to beat Yoo Seol-ha.

The important thing was to solidify his lead over Kim Chul-soo and Park Young-hee, whom he had surpassed in the finals.

The Science Certification Exam.

Maintaining second place in school and obtaining the certification would demonstrate a clear difference in ability!

This was Kyung-joon’s current academic strategy.

“I can always study for the second semester of my sophomore year later. So during the vacation, I need to focus on the Science Certification Exam.”

Simply reviewing the material would be enough for his school studies during the break.

However, the Science Certification Exam was different.

If he didn’t study properly during the vacation, he wouldn’t have time during the semester.

<What’s the scope of the Science Certification Exam? Is it beyond what you’ve already studied, Master?>

“Yeah, it covers up to the third year of high school, and I need to at least have a grasp of college-level material.”

<I see. It seems we’ll be quite busy.>

“Indeed.”

As Kyung-joon nodded, further solidifying his plans, Teemo spoke up again.

<There’s one problem.>

“Huh? What problem?”

<It seems the Beginner’s Village library doesn’t have any books from this world that cover the high school third-year or college-level material you mentioned.>

“What……? Really?”

<Yes, I’m certain. While you were busy solving problems on your own, Master, I took the liberty of uploading all the books from the Beginner’s Village library…… but I couldn’t find anything relevant.>

<-_-a;>

Kyung-joon, who had encountered an obstacle even before finalizing his vacation plans, was taken aback.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

Beginner’s Village was vast.

It was an inevitable setting considering that The World was a global game.

As such, it had everything one could need.

While there wasn’t a wizard’s guild for game balance purposes, there were bakeries, carpentry workshops, blacksmiths, general stores, libraries, and everything else essential for the NPCs’ lives.

It had it all, except for a few things.

Tucked away in a secluded residential area far from the bustling plaza of Beginner’s Village, there was an old bookstore.

Its name was 『Bibliotheca Antiquarian Bookshop』.

“Excuse me? Is anyone here?”

A young man pushed open the worn wooden door and stepped inside the bookstore.

It was Kyung-joon.

The musty smell of old books, absent from the library, filled his senses.

This was what an old bookstore should feel like, he thought.

Inside, a woman with a jet-black ponytail was engrossed in a book.

He wondered if she wasn’t hot wearing long sleeves despite the approaching summer.

The woman, noticing his presence, looked up from her book.

Her bespectacled gaze seemed to say, ‘Yes, I’m the owner of this bookstore’.

▼Siri (NPC)

“What an unexpected visitor. To this secluded place, no less.”

“Ah, yes. I was referred by Ray, the librarian.”

“Ray? He’s the librarian now? What about Libra?”

“She’s been replaced. I heard she’s receiving treatment at the monastery.”

“So the rumors about her being cursed by the demon were true……”

Siri nodded in understanding and continued.

“But why would you come to this out-of-the-way bookstore? This is the first time I’ve had someone refer an Otherworlder to me.”

Kyung-joon caught the slight frown on Siri’s face when she mentioned “Otherworlder.”

“Well, I’m looking for a specific book, and the library didn’t have it.”

“Ah, I see. You’re looking for a book. Then there’s no better place than an old bookstore. What book are you looking for? Tell me, and I’ll see if I have it.”

Siri was unexpectedly kind.

He had thought she disliked players from her earlier frown, but it seemed he was mistaken.

Kyung-joon began to tell Siri the names of the books he was searching for.

“Do you have books on general physics and general chemistry?”

“General physics? General chemistry? Are those perhaps books from your world?”

“Yes, that’s right. They’re books from my world.”

“I see……”

Siri’s expression suggested she had heard those titles before.

However, her response was far from positive.

“……Why would you look for those here? Most books from the Otherworld came along with the players a year ago. There’s no way they’d be in an old bookstore.”

Siri spat out the words ‘general chemistry’ and ‘general physics’ as if she had a personal vendetta against them.

With a look of utter exasperation, she said,

They didn’t deal with those kinds of books in her bookstore.

If he was done, he could leave now.

As she shooed him away with her hand, a status window popped up before her eyes.

[The God of this World informs you:]

▶The Otherworlder before you, ‘Kyung-joon,’ is a user with a reputation exceeding 100 and is well-known in Beginner’s Village.

▶Many residents have come to know him over the past year, accepting him as one of their own.

▶Rumors about him have increased rapidly in recent months, with sightings of him independently mastering magic and wielding mana within Beginner’s Village…… (omitted)

▶Bread from the bakery mentioned that he uses mana and knowledge from the Otherworld to create unheard-of baking techniques…… (omitted)

‘Could this be…… a quest notification?’

Siri was familiar with this phenomenon.

The God of this World, who governed and managed this world,

A year ago, he had bestowed upon the residents of this world the authority to issue ‘quests’.

Quests were contracts, mediated by the God of this World, between residents and Otherworlders.

We could request something from the Otherworlders and, in return for fulfilling our requests, provide them with rewards.

The fact that information about this Otherworlder, Kyung-joon, had appeared before her meant one thing:

‘The unique Otherworlder who can accept my quest…… has finally appeared.’

Siri decided to use her once-a-year opportunity to issue a ‘Unique Quest’ to Kyung-joon.

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