<93 - Food for Thought>
What’s the scariest problem in school life?
Is it the “Select all that apply” type question where you don’t even know if there are 2 or 3 correct answers?
Or the ones that make you want to smack the professor on the head for asking questions outside the syllabus?
I, Oknodie, am sure of it.
The scariest problem isn’t any of those; it’s a problem where the answers aren’t listed at the back of the test!
“Class 980, Second Year Contract Scammer Velocasio.”
What this person does is so dangerous that even beginners would be left in tears, but for players who have gone through multiple attempts and have learned the strategies, it isn’t that threatening at all.
You can figure out how the Student Council operates, and sometimes, ignite conflicts with other dangerous students.
“I know not one, but five solutions!”
But this is different.
“The items on the contract are typically not so diverse.”
“Still, I can roughly guess which supplies are needed for each lecture. If we use Seoguyeon’s connections, we might be able to do something similar.”
“Your capabilities as a noble young lady are impressive. The problem lies in targeting a lecture for monopoly, but depending on our choices, we might indirectly manipulate the grades of specific lecture students…”
Arcadia and Jezel.
A combination that has never been seen even after multiple runs.
The emergence of a completely new character named Jezel.
This is meant to synergize with the multi-talented icon Arcadia.
Looking at the discussed matters, it seemed that a new villainous duo would soon be born within the Academy.
“What are you two doing from the weekend afternoon?”
Peeking.
As I poked my head out from the window sill, Arcadia and Jezel immediately reached for the table, sweeping plans and pens off with a crash.
“We were stretching.”
“Ehh. That’s a lie.”
“A good child would answer, ‘Wow! You were stretching!’ at this moment.”
“Wow! You were stretching!”
“Well done.”
It looked so pitiful, like a parent caught in the act, trying to explain they were just wrestling with their child.
I let it slide because it was comically desperate.
“Dee. Aren’t we going to the beach to build sandcastles today?”
“A Giant King Crab warning has been issued.”
The Giant King Crab can slice through steel with its pincers.
Arcadia seemed to realize this wasn’t a good idea and suggested another location instead.
“How about hiking since the weather is nice?”
“I don’t have sunscreen.”
Doh!
On a day like this, hiking would burn your skin!
It was a point Arcadia couldn’t argue against since they were hiding indoors from the sun.
“Then how about checking out the library? I’ve heard rumors that it exists somewhere in the school, but nobody has ever reached it.”
“Why do you keep trying to send me elsewhere? Am I uncomfortable here?”
Pretending to be sulky, Arcadia gasped, clasping their hands nervously.
“No, Dee. How could I be uncomfortable with you? It’s just that it wouldn’t be a good time right now as we’re talking about secret business.”
“I know how to do business too!”
“Really? Then let me pose a simple question. If you answer it correctly, I’ll allow you to eavesdrop on our conversation.”
[Arcadia’s Exam Event]
Arcadia has a keen business sense.
Passing her test may provide a great opportunity to gain profit.
“Alright!”
“Let’s assume you’ve decided to jump into the snack market that you like.”
“I love chocolate-flavored teddy bear cookies!”
“Hehe. Sure. You want to make chocolate-flavored teddy bear cookies, but if you make too few, they’ll sell out and disappoint customers, and if you make too many, there will be leftover cookies, right?”
“I’ll eat the leftovers!”
“Then the nearby patisserie, which dominates the local market, will conspire against your shop, saying it won’t sell enough cookies even if you’re open all day.”
“Then just knock them out, right?”
“There’s a better way.”
Arcadia said with a mature smile.
“Analyze the competitor’s revenue, main products, customer age groups, and peak sales times, then target those age groups and times for the events.”
After creating a table filled with customer age group usage times, popular products, and average revenue, Arcadia twirled the pen and handed it to me upside-down.
“To maximize profit with minimal investment, write down which age group, what time, and which product to target to gain market share, in about 500 characters.”
This is too serious.
Holding the pen, I bit my lip, thinking hard about the answer.
(>﹏<。)o尸 “…What is this?” “It’s a forfeit…” “Sorry for making you suffer with a difficult problem. It was probably too early for you.” [Failed to complete the surprise event for Arcadia’s exam.] [You cannot participate as a partner in Arcadia’s business.] If it were about rote memorization, that would be one thing, but it requires actual intelligence to solve the problems on this test, there’s no way I could manage that. There might be brainiac veterans somewhere out there in reality, but I tend to rely on physicality. “Oh right. You’ll find Isabel and Son Ohchun in the annex.” “What are they doing there?” “They failed the test earlier and are depressed.” “…” Is this a gathering spot for failure? “Are you too?” “Yep.” In the end, I came. To the gathering spot for failures. “People who think too much shouldn’t be this way. They look down on others when it only comes to their expertise.” Son Ohchun looks down on others whenever it comes to physical work. I almost said something but stopped myself since I didn’t want to pick on fellow failures. “Is Isabel not upset?” “Not particularly? If I stress over things like that, I’ll just end up with a headache. There’s a special person on the expedition team who deciphers puzzles, and a separate swordsman for fighting off rusty-armored zombies.” “What did Isabel do?” “She was the expedition leader’s exclusive assistant.” “Wow.” Being the lead assistant feels like the next generation’s ace, right? Son Ohchun looked at Isabel with newfound respect. “I only thought of her as a kind one who cooks for us, but she surprisingly has skills.” “…I won’t cook dinner.” “Haha. Just kidding, just kidding.”
“I’m not joking.”
“…I’m sorry! Please forgive me!”
Son Ohchun, often receiving penalties for his reckless behavior, is in no position to feel safe no matter how many points he has.
“Anyway, since it’s the weekend and we finally have extra time, do you want to go look for the library together?”
“Is Isabel looking for it too?”
“I heard a significant amount of assignments will be pouring in next week. I figured if I don’t find the library by then, there won’t be time to search.”
That’s true.
“Is Isabel the type to focus on the process or the result?”
“Suddenly? If I had to choose one, I’d say the result is important.”
“Really? I thought that on expeditions, finding treasures while overcoming trials with comrades was more important.”
“If we find treasure while suffering, we starve.”
“Aha.”
Survival of the fittest is critical.
It would be pitiful if we struggled through it but couldn’t make money for crafting the items.
Above all, this is a world where monsters exist.
Once you step outside the village, goblins shooting poison darts live on the nearby mountains, and we compete with such beasts in nature, meaning the wild animals are upgraded at least a size.
Civilians can hardly visit other villages, and the food available is the same old stuff from our neighborhood.
“So, if we kill a pig and butcher it, it’s like having a festival in the village or ringing a golden bell by paying someone else’s tab at the tavern.”
In a hard era, there’s no beauty in the process.
Therefore, I decided to share the results first.
“The library.”
“Yeah.”
“If you order a book from the shopkeeper in the corner of the main building’s first floor, they’ll lend it to you.”
“Eh??”
“Then you don’t even need to look for the library.”
“No, no, no. Wait a moment.”
Isabel staggered and leaned against the wall.
“Why would they lend books at the shop?”
“There’s a food corner at the shop.”
“I’m not sure why that exists, but so?”
“Books are food for the soul!”
“…Really? Just because of that?”
“If you don’t believe me, go check it out.”
Even when told, she still doubts.
“1 point per day. If you return the book by the deadline, the points will be returned, but if you go over the deadline, then 10 times the points will be deducted, so be sure to return it on time.”
Isabel couldn’t hide her disbelief while holding her major textbook.
A shop that sells meal kits where food is automatically cooked when placed on the mana board.
As she awkwardly walked past the students enjoying hamburger steak meal kits or risotto kits, they didn’t pay her any mind.
“How do you like it? Perfect, right?”
“…I don’t know whose idea it was to set up a rental system, but I see now that trying to find the library was a complete waste of time.”
“Still, the books you can borrow here are only the ones that have the ‘menu name’ written accurately. If you say things like ‘give me this’ at the shop, you’ll be lucky if you don’t get cursed at.”
But if it’s just borrowing the books for assignments from professors, it’s more than enough to profit from here.
Isabel felt relieved, knowing she could pass the upcoming challenge comfortably thanks to Oknodie, but she couldn’t help but voice her curiosity.
“How did you know all this, Oknodie?”
“I asked for everything I could get points for that was listed on the menu, so I ended up receiving a ton of books…”
“…That seems plausible.”
Oknodie likes trying new foods.
“What about the borrowed books?”
“I was so mad that I chewed up the paper and ended up with a fine.”
“Hahaha! Little rat, from now on, I should call you a goat.”
Son Ohchun burst into laughter.
Isabel had to force herself to remember sad thoughts to keep from laughing.
