Chapter 566: The High(1)
Chapter 566: The High(1)
I don't think much of it now, but I’ve always felt that South Korea’s compulsory education system was incredibly inefficient.
At least, it was back when I was in high school. I didn't even have time to breathe because I had to attend private academies on top of regular school.
The problem was that even with all that, only the people who were going to study actually studied. I knew a guy who never stepped foot in an academy but still got into a top-tier university.
When I asked him his secret, he said he just solved workbooks. If he got stuck, he just looked at the answer key and figured out the logic.
Hearing that made me think he was a real piece of work. Anyway, back in high school, I was by no means a top student.
People might ask if my Korean grades were high since I eventually became a web novel writer.
'I got a grade 5 on the CSAT, so what do you think?'
That was the kind of thing I heard every time I told someone I wrote novels. Writing and solving multiple-choice questions are two completely different things.
If anything, I was better at English. My reading comprehension naturally improved from playing games all day, and my English skills followed suit.
The one saving grace was that my parents never forced me into anything. One of my friends switched to a basic flip phone as soon as he hit his senior year to focus on studying.
Of course, he wasn't exactly destined for scholarship either, so he secretly carried a deactivated smartphone around. People who don't want to study simply won't, no matter what.
"Now, if we substitute the cosine value here..."
After a scene of me ditching night self-study—a feat reminiscent of The Shawshank Redemption—the vision shifted to a mundane classroom. A math teacher was listlessly lecturing at the chalkboard.
His face was almost forgotten, but seeing this scene brought the memories flooding back.
Regardless of the lecture, more than half the students were fast asleep on their desks. The teacher continued the lesson, unbothered.
"...It looks like a literal prison. Is this really a school?"
Mari asked in a dubious tone, taken aback by a sight so different from Halo Academy.
the others, especially my lovers who were currently attending Halo Academy, wore similar expressions.
The scene I was showing them now was my high school years—the reality of the South Korean education system.
Students trapped in the prison of 'compulsory' education, listening to lectures they had no interest in. Only a tiny minority were actually paying attention.
"It's a school. Just think of it as the mandatory education one receives before entering an academy."
"Even if it's mandatory, I didn't think it would be this oppressive... Leona, what was your education like? Since we're all nobles, we had private tutors, but I don't know much about commoners."
"It's just like you've heard. I received basic education at the Animus and then took the academy entrance exam. I just happened to be lucky enough to pass."
In this world, mandatory education is also implemented, except in rural areas where hands are needed for farming.
However, given the era, it only covers basic knowledge, including history.
Furthermore, because of the existence of monsters, there is a very strong cultural emphasis on martial prowess. Far more students focus on physical training than academics.
Originally, Halo Academy also had more martial studies students than literature students. It was only because the Xenon Chronicle acted as a bridge that the number of new literature students skyrocketed.
Moreover, the core goal of mandatory education in this world is to eliminate illiteracy. Conveying simple common sense and basic knowledge is considered sufficient.
"You said your world doesn't have monsters, right? Is that why you revere knowledge so much?"
Cecile, who had been watching the tedious lesson, chimed in with a question. I shook my head.
She had a point, but the South Korean education system was an outlier. Only China had a level of educational fervor that could rival Korea's.
In Europe, people sometimes protested if school ended later than 3:00 PM. Japan had a very robust after-school club system, making it feel quite free.
"That's part of it, but South Korea is just an extreme case. You were literally forced to learn. Not that I actually did, though."
"Hmm... I always thought you were the diligent type, but I guess that wasn't always the case?"
"I don't do things I don't want to do. Especially back then, since it was forced, I hated it even more."
Thinking back, I wonder how I even survived that period. Maybe it was because I had some idiot friends to keep me company.
Anyway, I wrapped up the mandatory education segment and moved on to my university years. University life is very similar to an academy, so it was easier for them to understand.
Though it only lasted a year. Like most Korean men, I followed the path of finishing my freshman year and then immediately enlisting in the military.
"Um... Yuhwan."
"Yeah?"
"What... exactly is our relationship?"
And that was when I had my first girlfriend. I let out a bitter smirk at the image of the girl acting shy while giving me a confession that wasn't quite a confession.
I remember her. The girl who acted so innocent but ended up dumping me the moment I went to the military. It remains one of the shittiest memories of my life.
The saddest memory was...
"Isaac? Don't tell me that woman..."
"..."
"Ahem. Anyway, is there anything else to see?"
Even Mari, who was usually sensitive about such things, caught the look on my face and quickly changed the subject. She really is quick on the uptake at times like this.
I pushed aside the brief, bitter memory and moved to the next scene. Now, instead of my personal past, I intended to show them 'civilization' properly.
For example, boarding an 'airplane,' the pinnacle of modern civilization. I had memories of going to Jeju Island for a school trip, so that was perfect.
I closed my eyes and recalled that time. It was a period when school trips were being debated due to a tragic accident that had shaken the country a few years prior.
When I opened my eyes again, a cramped but somehow familiar space unfolded.
"Hey, hey. Can you let me have the window seat?"
"Why? Is this your first time on a plane?"
"Yeah. First time."
"Geez, you country bumpkin. Fine, since I'm such a nice guy, I'll move."
Back then, I had managed to snag the window seat by pestering my friend. Looking at the perspective, it was first-person rather than third-person.
In other words, my family and lovers were experiencing the flight through my own eyes.
[Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. XX Air is preparing for departure...]
As I stared out the window, an announcement informed us of our imminent departure.
A pretty flight attendant was politely giving instructions at the front, but I was too busy looking outside to care.
Before long, the plane gave a great shudder and began to move slowly.
"Ooh! Here we go! It's moving!"
"Gosh, what a bumpkin."
As I got excited, my friend reacted as if I were being cute. Regardless, I was preoccupied with staring out the window.
My family and lovers were the same. They must have found it incredible that a massive hunk of iron—a human creation, no less—could fly through the sky.
The sky was the domain of the gods, a space where only the chosen could soar freely.
And yet, ordinary humans—commoners of no high birth—were traversing it.
"Whoa..."
That was the exclamation escaping my past self's lips.
"Whoa! This is incredible! It's actually flying in the sky?"
"Without magic, using only science... This was actually possible."
"Will something like this appear in our world someday?"
The rest were exclamations from my loved ones. For some reason, I felt a swell of pride.
I suppose this was how my friend felt when he gave up the window seat for me. Every single one of them was preoccupied with the view outside.
At some point, the perspective shifted from first-person to third-person, making it easier for them to watch. It was a thoughtful assist from Mora.
But the true splendor of an airplane wasn't just this.
"Oh! Cl-clouds! Those are clouds, right?"
"Are we... above the clouds right now?"
The experience of looking down at the clouds, rather than up at them.
"Wow... it's beautiful."
"This world stays bright even at night."
The ecstasy of looking down at the nightscape from above the night sky, and so on.
Through the airplane and the brilliant night views, I was able to clearly demonstrate Earth's civilization.
'I'd love to show them space too, but...'
The pinnacle of science is undoubtedly anything related to space. From astronomy to aerospace, it is the zenith of scientific achievement.
It marks the stage where humanity, once confined to a planet, begins its 'independence' in the truest sense.
It also served as the springboard for the gods of Earth to cross over to other worlds.
They were already gasping in admiration at just an airplane; if I showed them the cosmos, their reaction would go far beyond mere shock.
However, there was one thing I was worried about. I looked at my family and lovers, who were marveling at the night view, and asked Mora.
'Is there a chance their faith might be shaken? There's a perception that the sky is the realm of the gods.'
[You needn't worry about that. If anything, they will revere us more. Do you think we reside in a 'physical' space?]
It was a very god-like answer. Hearing that, I couldn't help but be impressed.
Indeed, transcendent beings would belong to a realm that mortals 'dare' not imagine.
Even though Earth's existence cannot be confirmed from space, let alone the sky, people still hold strong faith.
It's likely because they firmly believe the divine exists somewhere beyond physical space. And in reality, they do.
'I understand. I'll save that for the very end, then.'
[Please do.]
Having received Mora's permission, I moved on to the next cultural display.
"You can create so many different types of music with various instruments. I guess music really is a universal language."
"It's not just music, but songs that sound like they're being sung by a bard... It somehow pulls at the heartstrings."
"You can listen to songs like this every single day? I'm jealous."
Starting with music, the famous 'legal drug' of the world.
"So this is what a 'comic' is. They're just simple drawings, but they feel so alive."
"The imagination isn't just a wave; it's hitting me like a tsunami."
"That part could only be done with magic."
Moving beyond simple drawings to manga and animation.
I showed them almost everything deeply connected to modern culture. All of it was borrowed from my memories.
In the case of manga, they were particularly stunned, likely because manga itself is the crystallization of imagination.
Limbs stretching like rubber, ninjas performing magic (...) with hand signs, a man with a chainsaw for a head, and so on.
Everyone was dazed by the tsunami of culture that was not just diverse, but overflowing. Every time they were surprised, I felt a sense of satisfaction.
"Queen Arwen. Did you see that part where they cast magic using hand techniques?"
"Did you feel it as well? I think it might be worth researching. There was something similar in the Xenon Chronicle, wasn't there?"
"Yes. It's the theory Mary created to manifest magic through specific movements. That seems even more systematic."
"..."
I was a bit taken aback by their occasional attempts to turn manga into reality, but that was relatively tame.
"Hmm. It's flashy for no reason. Why would anyone use such sword techniques?"
"You think so too, Father?"
"Yes. It's incredibly inefficient. If it were me, I would have kicked them out immediately."
My father and brothers were looking through the manga one by one, judging them based on efficiency. Most of their critiques were that the techniques were useless and full of vanity.
This reminded me once again. This world was a 'fantasy' world, far removed from the ordinary.
These were people for whom manga-like phenomena were 'reality.' I felt like the tables had been turned on me, making me feel strangely awkward.
"...Well, let's stop with the manga here. Let's move on."
"Could you perhaps teach me a bit about that hand-sign magic?"
"Me too. Me too. Can you teach us?"
Before moving on, Arwen and Cecile asked me with sparkling eyes. I shook my head.
Unfortunately, I had stopped watching that manga halfway through, so I didn't know. There was a reason people called it the 'Eyeball Wars.'
"Sorry. I didn't finish that one, so I don't know."
"Ah... I see. That's a shame, but it can't be helped."
"Then it would be best if we researched it ourselves."
I hope a mage doesn't end up turning into a ninja later. Though, come to think of it, they are basically mages in that manga.
I gave a wry smile, wondering if I had spread a weird culture. But what came next was the 'real' deal.
I expected Arwen and Cecile to be particularly moved. I closed my eyes and imagined the scene.
It was a movie I had seen as a child, but the masterpiece was deeply etched into my mind. When people talk about 'fantasy,' this movie is discussed forever.
"Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden!"
As I opened my eyes, a thunderous cry rang out.
"Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered!"
A massive host of cavalry unfolded before us.
'Time to inject some real hype.'
Even in a fantasy world, no one can resist The Lord of the Rings.