A Fresh Start
That was when I finished writing the solution.
Ding-dong-dang-dong—
Right on cue, the bell rang to signal the end of class.
But the teacher was still standing there, completely dazed.
"..."
It looked like class would never end at this rate, so I spoke up.
"Teacher?"
"Huh?"
"The bell rang."
"Ah, right. Okay, that's all for today."
The teacher then walked out of the classroom, stiff as a broken robot.
Creak, creak.
The classroom instantly erupted into the noisy, bustling atmosphere of a typical high school—something I hadn't experienced in a very long time.
Kids were chatting, either on their own or gathered in small groups.
"Wanna hit the snack bar?"
"Did you hear the new song by Triple S?!"
"I finally hit Platinum yesterday!"
In the midst of the chatter, two boys approached me.
"Hey, Ji Hyunwoo, what was that?"
"Wow, have you been studying behind our backs? I'm disappointed."
I remembered them.
Oh Yunsung, Jang Junyeob.
They were my close friends back in high school.
Although we had lost touch after I finally got my act together and started studying for the college entrance exam again.
It's been a while, you guys.
It was good to see them again like this.
But since they didn't share my memories, they seemed to find my sudden outburst bizarre.
As they teased me about it, I reached back into my memories and replied in a similarly playful tone.
"Yeah. I did a bit of studying."
"No way, you? Didn't you just copy the answer key?"
"My solution was different, though."
"Wait, so you actually solved it yourself?"
I just shrugged at the bewildered Junyeob.
He tilted his head in confusion.
"Who is this guy? I don't think this is the Ji Hyunwoo I know..."
On the other hand, Oh Yunsung asked, seeming half-convinced.
"Oho, if that's true, can we look forward to next week's exam?"
"Right! We'll find out then."
As the two of them chatted, I chimed in.
"Exam?"
"Yeah, midterms."
"Isn't that why you were studying?"
"Ah... right. Yeah."
Looking at the calendar, it was April.
Given the timing, it had to be the first semester midterms.
It's still the beginning of my senior year.
Thank goodness.
The further back I've returned, the more opportunities I'll have.
I chatted with them for a bit longer.
"Anyway, PC room after school?"
"Crazy bastard. The exam is next week."
"Exactly! It's not this week."
"Seriously, you... Hey, you know what? If Hyunwoo escapes last place, you're the new dead last."
"Yeah, not gonna happen."
"It might."
"Oh, look at this confidence."
"Nah, no way. No matter what, Ji Hyunwoo is the bottom of the school. I'm above him. Got it?"
It was a childish conversation, the kind I hadn't had in ages.
But it's not really that fun.
I might look like a kid on the outside, but my mind was far from it.
I made a quick excuse to slip away.
"I'm going to the restroom real quick."
I walked down the hallway.
Tap, tap.
The school from my memories unfolded before me.
The noisy hallway where kids ran around, and the view of the campus outside the window.
"Hey, stop right there!"
"Catch me if you can, idiot! Mwahaha!"
However, that wasn't the only thing I could see.
Total Karma: 222
This was the Karma I had just gathered by solving that math problem.
With this, I could access the Divine Library through my skill and acquire knowledge.
Divine Library Access Authority: Science & Technology
The problem, however, was that the amount of Karma required varied depending on the level of knowledge.
For example...
Search again. Plasma Control System.
Plasma Control System
Required Cost: 48,620,000 Karma
Below the description, the Karma required as payment was displayed.
Forty-eight point six-two million Karma.
48.62 million.
It was an absurd number.
Especially since I only had a measly 222 Karma right now.
But that's just for now.
I could always gather more Karma.
There were various ways to accumulate it, so earning it wouldn't actually be that difficult.
Since distance doesn't matter.
For instance, if someone on the other side of the world was influenced by me through a broadcast, I would still receive Karma.
Besides, that 48.62 million Karma isn't a fixed value.
The required cost was calculated based on who I was at this exact moment.
It was priced by taking the user's knowledge, situation, and background into account.
Therefore, if someone with no scientific knowledge tried to acquire it, they would need far more Karma.
Or if someone from the past, when science was less developed, tried to access it, the cost would be even higher.
The reverse is also true.
If my own knowledge increased, the required cost would decrease.
And as Earth's scientific technology advanced, the cost would drop even further.
So, what I do from now on is crucial.
First, my immediate goal was to get into college.
In my past life, I got my act together very late, only managing to get into an average university after retaking the entrance exam.
Though starting now isn't exactly early either.
But at least now, I could enter college at the normal age.
My GPA was already ruined, but I just had to ace the CSAT.
By doing that, I would go to the best school.
Namely, KAIST.
KAIST's official name was the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.
True to its name, it was the cradle of academic excellence representing South Korea's scientific prowess, holding the top spot as both an educational and research institution in the field of science.
It was also where I had completed my master's and doctoral programs in my past life.
If I can go there starting from my undergraduate years...
Naturally, I would be able to grow much more in a better environment.
I would also be able to meet various brilliant minds ahead of time.
Therefore,
I will go to KAIST, no matter what.
To do that, first...
I need to get a stellar score on the CSAT.
Since my current GPA gave me absolutely zero chance for early admissions.
Furthermore, the ratio of regular admissions for KAIST was incredibly low.
At most, they only accepted about twenty students through regular admissions.
To break through that bottleneck, I essentially had to get a near-perfect score on the CSAT.
Across all five sections: Korean, English, Mathematics, Science, and Korean History.
First of all, science and math were non-issues.
CSAT-level science and math were child's play to me.
I wasn't particularly worried about English either. I had already read countless English research papers far more complex than anything on the CSAT, so I just needed to brush up on some vocabulary.
Korean was the same. It wasn't like I had only read foreign papers all my life. I was confident in my speed-reading, and the other questions shouldn't be too difficult.
Is the problem Korean History?
I was patriotic, but I had never gone out of my way to study Korean history. There had been no reason or need to.
Even on the CSAT in my past life, Korean History was an elective, so I hadn't chosen it.
But still.
It's just a matter of memorization.
It shouldn't be that hard.
Let's do this.
The next class was English.
"You all know midterms are next week, right? A lot of what we cover today will be on the exam, so pay attention."
"Yes~"
"Alright, open to page 58. Since it's a new chapter, let's look at the key vocabulary first."
While the teacher lectured, I fell into thought.
I should gather as much Karma as possible.
Since I never knew when or how I might need it.
There was no need to force it, but it was better to grab it whenever the opportunity arose.
And right on cue, another opportunity presented itself.
"Now, moving on to the passage. Would anyone like to read?"
I quickly raised my hand.
"I'll do it."
"You?"
The English teacher looked surprised.
It had been a rhetorical question, yet someone had actually volunteered.
And it had to be me, of all people.
Even if she wasn't my homeroom teacher, she probably recognized the face of the school's dead last student.
"Well... alright, go ahead."
Still, the teacher gave her permission without much hesitation this time.
After all, simply reading an English passage wasn't a difficult task.
Now, let's see...
I began to read the passage.
I read it with the fluent, native pronunciation I had used during my presentations at American academic conferences in my past life.
"Climate change poses a significant threat to biodiversity worldwide. The gradual rise in..."
The kids reacted first.
They stared at me in shock, whispering among themselves.
"Whoa?!"
"What's up with his pronunciation?"
"He sounds like a native speaker."
"That's insane."
The teacher also looked at me with a strange gleam in her eyes.
"Oh...!"
Regardless, I kept reading.
"...and concerted efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect vulnerable ecosystems."
As soon as I finished, the teacher clapped lightly.
Clap, clap, clap.
Some of the kids joined in.
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
The teacher smiled and asked.
"Did you study abroad?"
"No."
"But how is your pronunciation like that? You sound like a native speaker."
"I just studied hard on my own."
"On your own?"
The teacher muttered, looking bewildered.
"...Can someone really get that good studying alone?"
But it was the truth.
In my past life, when I was younger, some British guy had mocked my English during a conference. Out of spite, I had focused solely on accent correction for a while until I perfected it.
The next time I saw him, I put him in his place.
"I'm good at English now, but do you speak any foreign languages?" I had told him.
In any case, thanks to that, English was no hurdle for me.
At the same time, notifications of earning Karma kept popping up.
You have acquired Karma! +84
You have acquired Karma! +3
You have acquired Karma! +5
You have acquired Karma! +4
"Anyway, well done. You must have practiced a lot. Impressive."
"Thank you."
"Alright, take a seat. Let's continue with the lesson."
The class went on.
"Look here, since we have a past participle, what should go in front of it?"
However, I didn't get another chance to show off my English skills.
Since the exam was next week, the teacher was rushing through the material at a breakneck pace.
"Right, the verb 'to be'."
Soon, English class came to an end.
Next is Korean History.
There wasn't much I could do in history class.
I simply listened to the lecture with a solemn attitude.
"Listen up. Originally, the Bibyensa was a temporary consultative body established to prepare for invasions by the Japanese and Jurchen. However, through the two major wars..."
There's a lot to memorize... but once I memorize it, that's it. It's doable.
Honestly, it would be better if they focused on deeper content to help students reshape their patriotism and historical perspective, testing their understanding rather than just rote memorization.
Our country's education system was heading in a rather unfortunate direction.
Anyway, it shouldn't be too hard.
Thus, history class also came to an end.
Now, it's time for math.