Sweet Freedom and Bitter Chickens
"Finally, some peace and quiet..."
Bukjin walked up to the stone pillar in the center of the plaza and looked up at the statistics. It seemed the final tally for today’s points wasn't quite finished yet, but the preliminary results were already flickering into view.
At the very top was the genius among geniuses, Im Jin. She had secured a single badge, earning her 10 points. Below her, every other student sat at a flat zero. Even the celebrated prodigies of the National Imperial Junior Academy, like Do Man-seong and Yi Do, had come up empty-handed.
"Not a single useful one in the bunch this year," Bukjin thought, completely devoid of any sense of shame.
"Bukjin! You're finally back! Come, tell me quickly. Did you have any luck today?"
As soon as Bukjin stepped into the camp, Jeong Sam-seok appeared out of nowhere, his voice thick with anticipation.
"Luck?" Bukjin replied. "I certainly did. Two of them, in fact."
"What? Two badges already?" Jeong Sam-seok nearly leaped out of his skin. "Is that true? Show me! Let me see them!"
"Who said anything about badges?" Bukjin asked, looking at him as if he were the crazy one. "I was talking about chickens. Two chickens. Look at these—plump, juicy Ice Chickens. We won't have to worry about food tonight."
Jeong Sam-seok froze, his face twitching between bewilderment and rising fury. "You spent the entire day roaming the wilderness... and all you brought back were two chickens?"
"And what if I did?" Bukjin countered. "I was a nobleman! I grew up draped in fine silks and feasting on delicacies! For someone like me to go out into the wild and hunt my own dinner... isn't that incredible personal growth?"
His logic was flawless. Jeong Sam-seok found himself speechless.
"I... I suppose that's true. Perhaps I was expecting too much of you too soon. Besides, you went out alone today... Even students like Do Man-seong and Yi Do, who took large teams with them, came back with nothing. It's only natural."
Jeong Sam-seok took a deep breath, calming his racing heart. He realized he shouldn't put too much pressure on Bukjin on the very first day. His expression softened, and he spoke in a comforting tone.
"The Star Badges were hidden by experts from the Board of Education. The locations are incredibly discreet and difficult to find. Even if you spot one, they aren't easy to claim. There are still nine days left, so don't be impatient. Now, go and report your two chickens."
"Huh?" Bukjin blinked. "I have to report chickens too?"
"Of course!" Jeong Sam-seok insisted. "Star Badges aren't found easily. In previous trials, fewer than twenty students managed to find even one by the end of the competition. Because of that, the remaining twenty spots are filled based on the volume of resources hunted. As they say, even the smallest bit of food is still food. Now, go!"
"Even the smallest... what? Was that even a saying?" Bukjin wondered as he made his way to the reporting station.
"Two Ice Chickens," he announced.
Yeo Nak-yeon inspected the poultry and then looked at Bukjin, her voice gentle. "Any other harvests?"
Bukjin shook his head. He had no intention of revealing the nine badges he had collected today—not yet. He had other plans in mind.
Night fell quickly. All one hundred students had returned to the camp, and the plaza was buzzing with activity. Since the camp provided no meals, the students had to fend for themselves. Dozens of small campfires were lit as students prepared whatever food they had managed to scrounge up.
Bukjin glanced around and spotted Do Man-seong and Yi Do. They seemed to have students acting as their personal chefs; people were cooking and serving them while the two geniuses didn't lift a single finger.
Bukjin looked down at his own situation—specifically, the two chickens sitting in front of him.
"Hmm... if I just toss the whole chicken into the fire, I won't have to pluck the feathers or skin it, right?"
Countless cooking videos from his past life on Earth flickered through his mind. However, he quickly realized he only remembered how to eat the food, not how to make it.
"Man, I wish there was an app for cooking at a time like this."
"Hehe, don't you know how to cook? Brother Jin! Eat what I made!"
A familiar voice rang out. It was Im Jin, currently operating under her 'cute girl' persona. She appeared carrying a plate made of large leaves, piled high with various fruits. They looked delicious.
She sat down beside Bukjin, placing the plate between them. Resting her chin on her hands, she stared at him with sparkling, expectant eyes.
Bukjin gave her a sidelong glance. "Yep... definitely the 'little sister' personality right now."
He couldn't help but think that this girl, hailed as Unmong City's greatest genius, wasn't just suffering from a split personality—she was clearly missing a few screws.
"Why does someone who has everything want to hang around a guy like me?"
He didn't believe for a second that a top-tier talent like Im Jin would lose her mind over a simple crush. Even if the original owner of this body had a good relationship with her, and even if this world was more conservative than modern Earth, surely seeing a guy naked once didn't mean she had to marry him.
"No thanks. I want meat," Bukjin said firmly.
A look of distress crossed Im Jin's face. "But... I've always had others cook for me too, so I don't know how to roast meat. I picked these fruits myself today! They're really sweet, I promise. Just try one!"
Bukjin kept his mouth shut. He was busy calculating how to make this girl leave him alone.
"Should I try being cruel? Cold? Heartless?"
But then he remembered her other personality—the one that felt like a terrifying CEO of a multinational corporation—and his courage failed him.
Just then, Im Jin spoke in a sugary-sweet voice, trying to comfort him. "Brother Jin, are you upset because you didn't find any badges today? It's okay! I'll give you one!"
She reached out with a hand as delicate as jade. Resting in her palm was a Star Badge, shimmering brilliantly.
"You...?" Bukjin stammered, feigning surprise. "You found two badges today?"
Im Jin gave him a smile bright enough to light up the world. "Of course! I reported one, and I saved this one just for you."
The surrounding area fell into a sudden, heavy silence. The other students who witnessed the scene felt like they were going to die of envy. Some had spent the entire day suffering in the wilderness without finding a single badge, yet here was a peerless beauty trying to give one away to Bukjin for free. The collective sense of self-loathing in the plaza was palpable.
However, Bukjin wasn't happy.
"How the hell is this girl so good at finding these things?"
He had found nine because he had a literal GPS, but Im Jin had found two on her own with nothing but her own intuition and skill.
"This is bad. At this rate, she's going to find all the badges herself."
If that happened, his secret plan would go up in smoke. He stared at the badge for a moment before shaking his head.
"I'll find my own badges. I appreciate the thought, but I can't take it."
Im Jin pulled the badge back. "Oh. Well, if you say so."
Bukjin didn't say another word to her. He turned toward the plaza and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"I have two Ice Chickens here! Is there anyone who can cook them well? If you can, I'll share the meal with you!"
Dozens of students who had returned empty-handed felt their hearts flutter at his words.
"Um, Im Bukjin... would I be okay?"
Ak Hong-hyang stepped forward, summoning her courage. She had been incredibly unlucky today. She hadn't found a badge, and because of the injury to her arm, she hadn't been able to hunt even a common magical beast. She had been sitting there with a growling stomach, watching the others eat.
"Of course," Bukjin said.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Bukjin waved her off. "No, I should be the one thanking you."
After receiving the two Ice Chickens, Ak Hong-hyang began to cook with practiced ease. Before long, the two birds were roasted to perfection—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and smelling heavenly.
"Ak Hong-hyang, I had no idea your cooking skills were this incredible," Bukjin said, handing her an entire chicken.
She looked deeply moved, thanking him repeatedly as she took the chicken back to the 3rd Academy's tent.
"Brother Jin... are you ignoring me because of that girl?" Im Jin asked, pouting.
Bukjin shook his head. "What? No. We have no relationship whatsoever."
Im Jin raised a small fist, her expression turning resolute. "I don't mind if you take in concubines."
Pfft—!
Bukjin nearly sprayed a mouthful of chicken across the plaza.
"What does me taking concubines have to do with you?!"
He felt a genuine chill of fear looking at Im Jin, who was acting as if she were already his primary wife. After finishing his meal, he stood up and went to find Yeo Nak-yeon, the head official of the camp. He pulled 10 gold taels out of his pocket.
Im Jin followed right on his heels like a lost puppy.
"Brother Jin, are you trying to use money to buy someone else's badge?" she asked curiously. "That's not a great idea... Even if someone were willing to sell a spare, it would definitely cost more than ten gold taels. Wouldn't it be better to just take the one I'm giving you?"
"It's not like that," Bukjin replied.
"How about this? I'll give you my badge for one gold tael! One badge for one gold! Deal?" Im Jin revised her offer.
Before he could respond, the middle-aged woman who served as the lead instructor for the National Imperial Junior Academy approached rapidly. She shot Bukjin a murderous glare before grabbing Im Jin and dragging her away.
"Finally... freedom," Bukjin exhaled a long, weary sigh.
He turned and headed back to the 3rd Academy's barracks. As he disappeared into the tent, Yeo Nak-yeon, who had been watching the entire exchange from a distance, simply shook her head in disbelief.