The High School Graduate Myth

Women are creatures of original sin and inherently have no right to live. They are sinners who once massacred men and drove humanity to the brink of extinction. Therefore, women must spend their entire lives repenting and devoting themselves to men. This is the ideology drilled into them from the moment they enter elementary school.

Janus was especially outstanding and loved men. Watching celebrity couples on TV variety shows, she longed for the day she could pour water for her husband, offer him a lap pillow, and give him an allowance—just like those women. Everyone grows up that way. Everyone has dreams. Everyone tries. Talented women. Beautiful women. Hundreds of thousands are born every year and compete. Unfortunately, only a few are ever chosen.

Janus belonged to the majority. She attended Korea University and went on blind dates with men, but even getting a single glance was difficult, and she had never once become someone's girlfriend. Whenever she tried to get closer and ask for a number, the other principal wives would glare at her as if to say she didn't belong. But she held no complaints. To Janus, those women were simply superior. They possessed talent, looks, and skill that effort alone could never overcome. The top-tier bride candidates at a prestigious university. It was only natural for an inferior person like her to be weeded out.

Within that reality, Janus gradually lowered her dreams. From principal wife to concubine, from concubine to lover. And finally—

"It's a bit awkward to say this, but it seems the gentleman dislikes students. For now, just focus on your university life. There will still be opportunities even after you become a working adult. Understood?"

With the realization that even becoming a lover was impossible, the only thing left in her hands was her academic credentials. That was why Janus refused to tolerate any rebellion from inferior women.

"How dare a worm like a high school graduate...!"

Janus had staked her life on education.

*****

[Low][College Student] Janus: Evidence? Fine. I'll give you evidence. Isn't Tigrius called the father of ancient Greek spiritology? But that's neither ancient Greek nor Latin, so how do you explain that?

Yoo Ji-tae stared at the screen for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.

"...Ah. Seriously?"

For the record, Yoo Ji-tae knew nothing about ancient Greek or spiritology. Yoo Ji-tae was screwed.

EP 2 The High School Graduate Myth

I have no expertise in academics. Ancient Greek and spiritology are even further beyond me. So when I saw Janus's post, I felt completely lost about how to reply.

With my SS-rank skill Hephaestus, I could tell it was the real thing. But I had no way to explain that.

"What do I do now?"

It was ridiculous that I'd confidently offered to help only to get stuck on the very first question. Even if I started studying Greek or spiritology right now, I wouldn't catch up to that guy's knowledge. Knowledge crammed in at the last minute could never compete with knowledge built over years.

"If I drag this out, it's over."

Normally, debates impose a time limit on thinking. If you can't refute on the spot after being questioned, you lose. Even as I thought this, time was passing, and he probably wouldn't wait more than ten minutes. If I tried to dodge with something like [Ah, I already replied? I didn't know~] days later, the backlash that "SadnessEndurer" would have to endure was too pitiful to imagine.

...Honestly, it was just because I remembered being bullied by my older sister as a kid and forcing myself to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠smile that I jumped in. I leaned back in my chair. I absolutely didn't want to run away. If I ran, what would happen to that guy?

"What do I do?"

I scrolled back up and looked at the page of Tigrius's book that she had posted. It really did look like an ancient language. On a whim, I opened a translation app, but of course nothing came up. As I stared at it for a while, something appeared.

"......Hm?"

When I focused harder, a clear form emerged.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa?"

"......Acquirable?"

Wasn't this skill only supposed to make equipment? I checked Hephaestus's information again.

[Hephaestus (SS)]

[Can craft results according to recipes. The result is strictly determined by the consumed materials and process. Cannot create results that defy all causality. However, using points obtained by making women happy can trigger significant synergistic effects.]

"Ah."

Only then did I realize.

[Can craft results according to recipes.]

"...So this includes techniques and knowledge too?"

I checked the time. A minute had already passed since Janus's question. If I ordered those books by delivery now, it would be too late. I went to the e-book page and searched for all of them. Fortunately, most of the books had digital versions available.

Total: 3,410,000

As expected of magic-related books, they were ridiculously expensive. But after purchasing them all, I despaired even more when I saw the page counts. Each one exceeded a thousand pages. Did I really have to read all of this?

Then I remembered the crafting process from yesterday. Come to think of it, the process back then hadn't been anything special either. Besides, if I actually read these, it would be no different from studying and obtaining the knowledge myself.

"...In that case."

I simply placed my hand on the e-book scroll of the Original Spiritology Treatise and scrolled all the way down. In an instant, nearly a thousand pages of explanations and knowledge flowed past with a whoosh. I could feel the foundations of spiritology—the basics, the origins of spirits, the meaning of forming bonds—piling up layer by layer in my mind.

"Wow. This is straight-up freeloading."

Even I was dumbfounded by my own words.

Original Spiritology Treatise (1/1)

"Huu...."

I sighed and repeated the same action.

Tigrius's Biography (1/1)

Tigrius's Interpretation (1/1)

Ancient Greek 8th Edition (1/1)

Ancient Egyptian (1/1)

Ancient Egyptian Spiritology (1/1)

Tap. When I pressed the window with my finger, all the knowledge exploded inside my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠head. The exploded knowledge rebuilt itself from zero, forming a towering spire of knowledge. A realm of mastery that could only be reached when countless pieces of knowledge combined perfectly. My hand had touched that domain.

My heart pounded, and dark red blood trickled from my nose. The pain in my head was intense, but there was also a sense of accomplishment.

"Haha... hahaha...."

That had taken two minutes. Knowledge that would normally require nearly a year of dedicated study had been obtained in an instant. I frantically typed a reply.

- [Beginner][High School Graduate] Hermes: That copy of Tigrius's book is the real thing. I confirmed Tigrius's own handwriting, and the content is accurate. Also, the binding style matches other Egyptian books excavated from that period.

- [Low][College Student] Janus: You're just spouting whatever comes to mind lololololol Tigrius was Greek, so why is Egypt coming up?????

Immediately, a light flashed in my mind.

- [Beginner][High School Graduate] Hermes: At the time, Egypt had achieved a world-class advanced civilization. That's why the upper class of Greece often studied abroad in Egypt. The same goes for Thales and Archimedes, who lived in the same era as Tigrius.

For about two minutes, there was no reply.

- [Low][College Student] Janus: Ah. That's true, but don't you know that Tigrius was famous as a sage of spiritology in Greece?

- [Beginner][High School Graduate] Hermes: In his later years. Tigrius entered as the top disciple of the great Egyptian spirit mage Arcalio at age twelve and devoted thirty years to spiritology. In the first place, this is the final volume of the eight magic books he dedicated to the Egyptian king at the peak of his abilities. Isn't it only natural that the final volume used Egyptian-style binding?

For about three minutes, there was no reply.

- [Low][College Student] Janus: Hmm lolol You must've dug this up from some trash wiki lololol That's not hieroglyphs lololol Don't you even know Egyptian hieroglyphs?

Yeah. I figured as much. I fired back immediately.

- [Beginner][High School Graduate] Hermes: Yeah. Because it's not hieroglyphs in the first place. That's Hieratic, also called the priestly script, a derivative of hieroglyphs. Didn't know that?

- [Beginner][High School Graduate] Hermes: Also. You said the research notes were a mess? It's common sense that alchemist-type scholars encrypt their research records to prevent their secrets from leaking, right?

- Is that real?

- I checked and it seems correct.

- Is he really a high ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠school graduate? Is this a secondary account?

Gradually, the atmosphere began to reverse. Explaining everything clearly for everyone to understand seemed to have worked. Even if the person involved didn't admit defeat, once the tide turned through the atmosphere alone, it was over. Debate wasn't about crushing the opponent. It was about winning the audience's agreement.

After waiting, a reply came.

- [Low][College Student] Janus: Why should I know? It's not even my major.

It felt like I'd been hit in the head with a hammer.

- ......?

- ?

- ......?

- So... you don't have one?

- [Beginner][High School Graduate] Hermes: What's your major?

- [Low][College Student] Janus: Civil Engineering

In that moment, an indescribable pitch-black emotion seized my entire body.

- [Beginner][High School Graduate] Hermes: Ah. I see. So even though it's not your major, you don't know what Egyptian priestly script is, you don't know to whom Tigrius's book was dedicated, and you don't know that the origin of spiritology is Egypt—yet you casually judged someone else's grandmother's heirloom and spewed nonsense?

- [Beginner][High School Graduate] Hermes: You mocked a pitiful child with your half-baked knowledge, and on top of that, you insulted the deceased who devoted their entire life to research by calling them a lunatic? What the hell are you? Is Korean University majoring in parent insults and desecrating the dead?????

- [Low][College Student] Janus: Yeah, but I'm still a college student and you're a high school graduate. That doesn't change lol

I had never hated someone as much as Janus. A thousand fires rose within me. I wanted to forge this pitch-black emotion into a proper dagger and utterly destroy her.

I kept thinking. And thinking. I organized the black emotion flowing in my heart and shaped it into a single blade.

- [Beginner][High School Graduate] Hermes: Even if I were a man, I'd reject a vicious woman like you. Live alone and die lonely.

In an instant, the comment section that had been scrolling stopped, then exploded with a flood of similar replies as if it had multiplied.

- Gasp

- Gasp

- Gasp

- Gasp

- Gasp

- Gasp

- Gasp

- Gasp

- Shit. This is seriously fucked. Someone call the admin.

"Huh? What the..."

When I refreshed, the site lagged. Eighty new comments had appeared in an instant. All of them were from Janus.

[Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutup.]

[What are you? What are you? What are you? What are you?]

[Eh? I can't hear you because you're a high school graduate? Eh, I can't hear you because you're a high school graduate? lololol]

[Bequietbequietbequietbequietbequietbequiet]

[Noisynoisynoisynoisynoisynoisynoisynoisy]

[Answer properly lololol Don't cry lololololololololol]

"What... is this....."

She had been posting at an incredible speed and seemed to have been blocked, as all her comments disappeared. An admin notice appeared immediately. A short notice stating she had been banned from access for six months.

It felt like I had just seen something I shouldn't have. I felt chills. My hands trembled. Yeah. This was the kind of woman I had feared so much. On the internet, you couldn't see the other person's face. That's why chatting through comments felt comfortable. But encountering malice that seemed like it could leap out of the monitor naturally triggered my PTSD. I took several deep breaths and barely managed to calm down.

Ding. A private message arrived.

- [Beginner][Middle School Graduate] SadnessEndurer: Thank you for helping.

- [Beginner][High School Graduate] Hermes: There's a request to purchase Tigrius's book on the request board, so sell it there. It's worth billions, so if they lowball you, say you'll put it up for auction.

- [Beginner][Middle School Graduate] SadnessEndurer: Yes! Big sis!

- [Beginner][Middle School Graduate] SadnessEndurer: I'd like to give you a reward, is that okay...?

- [Beginner][High School Graduate] Hermes: It's fine.

- [Beginner][Middle School Graduate] SadnessEndurer: No! If I don't, I won't be able to forgive myself! Money isn't a problem anymore.

"...Is that so?"

That aside, she was naturally treating me as a woman. Well, there was no need to reveal that I was a man from my side.... I opened the status window and checked my points.

+ Life's Benefactor (50 points)

I had gained points. Instead, I had to give up the money, but in the process, I had somewhat learned how to use the skill. I was about to check the board again when I suddenly felt drained. Selling artifacts. Buying something precious to the owner at a low price without paying its worth, then selling it to someone else.

"......Isn't this a cowardly thing to do?"

If the other party was a dealer, the story would be different. It would be the fault of the one who couldn't recognize the value while competing in discernment. But the people selling artifacts without knowing their value on this board weren't professional dealers. If I had bought Tigrius's book at a bargain price, that child would have missed the last chance at a life turnaround given by her grandmother and continued living a difficult life. People flock to help the rich who don't need help, while the truly needy poor receive no help—or only scammers and thugs come to them.

"......"

I roughly gave her my account number. A few seconds later, a reply came.

- [Beginner][Middle School Graduate] SadnessEndurer: Hermes-nim???

- [Beginner][Middle School Graduate] SadnessEndurer: Hermes-nim. Were you a man???

My mind spun. Account transfer. The recipient's name. That wouldn't work. There could be people with the same name, and there were many women with male names. Was there something I missed?

Then yesterday's memory surfaced.

[Man rescued after 20 years, Yoo Ji-tae.]

Ah. I should never give out my account number again. I ignored the message and thought about my future policy. First, there was something I realized from this incident. Right now, earning money through artifact appraisal was difficult for me. Since I had no track record, even if I told the truth, no one would believe me anyway. This time I won only because the other party acted strangely. If I had clashed opinions with a proper researcher, even if I was right, the advantage would have gone to the opponent.

"...No choice, huh."

Nothing would be solved by just running away. To earn money by clicking away in a corner of my room, I needed a reputation to match.

"I have no choice but to move directly...."

That said, I didn't want to interact with multiple women. No. Rather than not wanting to, my heart couldn't handle it. So if I was going to prove my ability with results, I had to end it in a single attempt.

"This really is the last time."

If I could prove my ability with a single result, then I could earn money through artifact appraisal or anything else. I could even provide recipes and receive royalties. I entered the request board, set several conditions, and searched for requests. The conditions were [Materials Provided] [Workshop Provided] [Any Grade]. Three requests appeared, two of which were beginner and low-grade, and the remaining one was a master-grade request. Without hesitation, I clicked on the master-grade request.

[Master-grade Crafting Request]

[Alkahest Potion Crafting]

[All materials, workshop equipment, and room and board will be provided. If you fail, there will be no responsibility, but please send a 1,000,000 won participation fee first.]

[Participation Conditions: None]

[Reward: As requested]

I sent a message expressing my intention to participate.

[All information related to the request must not be disclosed. Please come to Samjin Hotel tomorrow at 8 PM and say you are visiting for the crafting request on the top floor.]

I knew Samjin Hotel. It was one of Korea's top luxury hotel brands owned by the Samjin Group. Their mango shaved ice dessert was famous. I had thought it must be a request from some very high-ranking person, but suddenly a major corporation had appeared.

...Still, it was right to see this as an opportunity. If the other party was a large corporation, at least their credibility would be high.

*****

"Hm? You said a request acceptance message came?"

The woman frowned at the unexpected report. The secretary standing before her carefully bowed her head.

"Yes. I handled it as usual. However..."

"However?"

"No... well. When I checked the other party, it was listed as a beginner high school graduate, so..."

"Ah. What, is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that it?"

The woman chuckled as if she had worried for nothing.

"...It doesn't matter. Rather, it's better than the previous master who almost reached the point of actual treatment. When that woman reached the point of crafting, I was so anxious."

As soon as she said that, an angry female voice came from the next room. The maid's hands trembled at the voice that was almost a scream.

"Go. She's calling."

"...Yes."

Alone in the office, the woman straightened her back and muttered.

"I'd rather she just die."

The woman hoped her only niece would die as soon as possible, while looking forward to the visit of that beginner high school graduate con artist.