Chapter 1 – How to Live as a Master of Science (1)
“Nor. Nor. Wake up. It is already morning.”
Third year of slavery in another world.
I finally paid for my sins and became a new person for about half a year. I woke up to a voice calling me.
The feeling of poking my cheeks with a capped fountain pen. The woman’s voice ringing in his ears was familiar.
‘It’s been fucking fucked. Is this the voice of the advisor?’
I was caught sleeping in the lab room, so it looks like a fucking joint. I got up in a hurry as I felt my sleepiness run away in an instant like a neighborhood dog that had bitten off a loaf of bread.
“Guwaaaaak!! Professor Yerna!!”
“What is guwaaak, guwaaak. Anyone who sees it will know that I am bullying you.”
A beautiful woman who reproaches as if dissatisfied. Whenever I look at him, I don’t see him as several times older than me. In any case, elves are a passive race of age impersonation.
“Oh, sorry Professor. It’s a habit from my days as a slave.”
“You need to calm down. Now you are a research student too.”
“It should be.”
A senior researcher at the Archaeological Department of Carmine University. That was my current title.
Isn’t that fucking amazing? I, who was a mere slave, took a super elite course that was as good as when I was on Earth in this other world with a high level of illiteracy.
“Hmm. Anyway good morning. You left for work early.”
“Yes. I also have to prepare for a transfer.”
A blue-haired elf who gave me a smile when I greeted him awkwardly.
The thickly lined robe looks like a cami shawl and has a deep cut in the chest. A graceful figure wearing a long skirt-type robe with shoulders is extremely violent to the newly awakened brain.
This elf, who always looks amazing, was my old master and current advisor, Jerna Gracie.
However, being an advisor was also a title that did not go far. Sooner or later I’ll be getting her decent degree, albeit worse than her.
Most of all, as soon as she has herself, she leaves college. This is because her contract with Carmine University is over.
“Professor Yerna is going to another university, she still can’t believe it.”
“Me too. I only spent 15 years at Carmine University.”
Wow, fuck. Like an elf, the unit of time is different.
3 years was a fucking long time for me, but 15 years seems like a short time to him. They say that they have a much longer lifespan than humans, so by my standards, it must have felt like two or three years.
“I heard that the next advisor has already been appointed.”
“Yes. They had been looking for it since last year, and they said they found it a while ago.”
“Have you hired someone competent enough to replace you? It wouldn’t have been easy, but it seems that our university’s scouting ability was beyond what I thought.”
“He is. I won’t be able to see you for a while, so why do you paint my face with gold?”
“I’m serious.”
Although Yerna is an elf with a long lifespan, her five-year contract cannot have been renewed three times if she hadn’t performed well.
Because he was competent and continued to produce results, the university gave permission to stay here for 15 years.
Of course, what I just said was half flattery, but there is nothing easier than flattery based on facts.
It’s a skill to blow up and fart at your superiors while shaking your mouth. It’s nothing to me, who had been in the Korean army for 2 years.
I don’t see her anymore, but Yerna is a famous gentleman in this industry. You don’t know when you’ll be indebted to him again, so it’s not difficult to flatter him by saying a few words.
Reinforcers also say a word of thanks when their homeroom teacher transfers, but a former slave must be 50 years old and rubbing one or two palms in front of his supervisor before he can use them.
“Therefore? Is this your thesis for the academic world?”
“Yeah. It’s a masterpiece that I was able to create thanks to my learning under the professor. In fact, you could call it a professor’s thesis.”
What Yerna pointed out was a thesis that had been completed overnight over the past few days.
There is still a week left until the submission period, but it is the average in this industry that you can’t say that you have time even if your mouth is torn with only one week.
If this opportunity is missed, the next opportunity will have to wait until next year. That’s why I had to finish it in a hurry with a bloody nose.
“It is a masterpiece. How confident are you?”
“Besides my thesis, I also have several certificates. If things go well, you might get a PhD right away?”
It’s already been half a year since I was freed from slavery.
With his translation skills, he has also obtained a lot of language licenses. With the knowledge he has learned while helping Yerna over the past three years, he has an archeology-related license.
However, only this is an achievement that a middle school graduate passed the GED and obtained 7 language licenses.
It’s a great job, but it’s a level of specs that make a sound to enter the academic world in earnest. Because I’m thinking of going to the Department of Archeology, not the Department of Linguistics.
In this side of the world, degrees are awarded not by universities, but by the general academic community of the department.
Research students who have accumulated achievements will receive a degree as a doctor of ○○ academic field, not as a doctor of ○○ University. In that sense, I have not yet been formally awarded a degree by the archaeological community.
‘Because I’m still just a graduate student.’
Just look at the fact that he is not a researcher, but a researcher ‘life’.
No, fuck it, to be honest, I don’t even have a college diploma, so I’m not even a graduate student, let alone a small business intern. A graduate student on a faraway planet looks like we’re doomed? It seemed as if it could be seen that he was bursting out.
A career built in three years as a slave? There is nothing like that.
‘What kind of fucking professor would write the slave’s name on his thesis?’
A professor is a creature that is condescending even when he puts the names of graduate students he has worked with every day on his thesis.
Nord, a free translation slave, can’t even be included as the first author or co-author, or even included in ‘others who helped me write the thesis’.
But there is only one way for me to get a Ph.D. Right away.
“It’s a thesis that will determine my status in academia, but I can’t write it carelessly.”
Thesis system.
This is, so to speak, a dick that feels similar to a special loan for farming and fishing villages, but it is a method that only foreigners like me can use.
Here at Carmine University, there is a system that allows foreigners to receive a degree examination with only a certificate and a thesis. You can think of it as a system that gives foreigners the opportunity to receive recognition for their degree in this culture.
To compare it to college entrance exams, special admissions such as foreign language essays, not on-time or on-demand.
Or it could be an uncommon means like a transfer test.
If you demonstrate sufficient ability here, it is possible to earn a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and a maximum of a doctoral degree. There are few precedents for getting a PhD in 1Q, but it might be possible for me.
It was because there were so many language-related certifications, and the thesis being prepared this time was being completed with a high quality.
“Um~ Even if you don’t have any educational institutes that you have completed according to the record, if you are a Norr, you can get a master’s degree just by getting a license.”
Knowing my specs, Yerna admitted that too.
My external specifications known to Carmine University are 7 languages fluent and advanced archeology license.
The majority of qualifications are due to translation skills, but they are not the specifications of an ordinary research student.
In particular, two of the language qualifications are Rune and Elun, which are said to be insufficient even for mages and archaeologists to dig into for the rest of their lives. Those are fields that even have specialized departments.
Perhaps, in the eyes of others, I will be seen as a genius who achieved achievements comparable to those of professors who studied for decades at the age of only 25.
In fact, in college, there was a reputation that ignorant ignorant people who studied all their lives must have been caught by a broker and entered the country through illegal routes, and then became slaves after being caught.
“But wouldn’t a Ph.D. Be a bit difficult?”
“Well, I do. In fact, I don’t even want to become a doctor, and I’m going to be satisfied with a master’s silver medal.”
Being a master’s silver medal was a kind of tier.
Here in this world, the specter of the gamechang who lost the Cold War was stuck, and everyone liked to divide the class.
To put it bluntly, it was not enough for scholars to attach ranks to their degrees, so even those common adventurers sat down trembling with damnation, talking about mithril and adamantium on bronze silver gold.
If you teach online games to the kids in this world, they will probably talk about it for a week, asking how the class tier has changed this time around every patch. And in the end, they’ll probably make a table of each other’s amount of damage and classify them in detail from Tier 1 to Tier 10.
This situation also led to the professors’ mishandling and sloppiness.
Not to mention slavery, even I, who became a research student, was not allowed to intervene in the high-level discussions of the rank professors.
Isn’t that content delicious for today’s lunch? Even if it’s the same trivial topic. I don’t know why the fuckers get mad at me for asking if I can go after asking.
The nobles’ dung-gungi, who said they changed their ink, does not end here.
For example, even if there are typos in these bastard papers, I shouldn’t point them out. How dare a bastard who can’t even get a doctorate find flaws in a professor’s dissertation?
Then what do you do? I have to correct the typo and correct it quietly without telling the professor.
‘Fuck, but there is no Word or Hancom in this fucking savage world.’
The thesis here is just a piece of paper written in ink.
Make a backup like a computer file, delete only the typo part, type a few times and finish? There is nothing like that.
If there is a typo on one page of the thesis, the entire page should be copied and only the part with the typo should be corrected.
I fixed it like that, but the professor doesn’t like the font? After a good night’s sleep, he is called out in the middle of the night and his dog is robbed.
It was fortunate that Yerna did not have such vicious hobbies, but if I had lived like that for three years under other professors, I would have been hanged with a knife in their stomachs long ago.
Anyway, the story is a bit derailed, but there is no way that these god-game-chung bastards who have been obsessed with pride and status differences can easily give me a high degree.
‘Even in the original district, transfer was stricter than normal admission.’
It was no wonder that this thesis system was much more difficult than obtaining a general degree.
Perhaps the examiners who read my thesis will be strict, like a company commander who was kicked out by his girlfriend the other day while reviewing a military discipline contest. Even if I write a Nobel Prize paper, I will 100% get caught.
As such, I am not expecting too much and will be satisfied with just getting a silver medal for my master’s degree.
“Can I read it?”
“Yes, whatever. Would you like a cup of tea?”
“Oh, will you? Thanks.”
Look at this. Thank you.
What kind of boss says thank you when a subordinate brings you coffee? I don’t know how many times she thought that she was glad Yerina bought me. This person is really my goddess.
I go for a ride with a happy heart.
But why does this feel like slavery?
“Yes? Was this an archeology paper?”
“Yeah? Oh, right.”
Didn’t I tell you about the thesis? Swallow, if you say that you forgot to mention it here, you will lose points.
Dune 3000% Full Operation! Hold on, it’s my head!
“The professor is also busy preparing for the transfer, but I didn’t want to increase my work for no reason. I was able to do just fine on my own.”
“Whoops. Did you?”
Luckily, a plausible excuse came out.
Fortunately, Yerna didn’t seem to be in a bad mood. It was an impromptu success.
“I thought you would not ask me anything, so I decided to write my thesis down to language studies. It’s to the extent that I have to learn from you to become me.”
“Hehe. My interest in archaeology grew while working under the professor. Runic or Elunic… It is also a bit difficult.”
At first, I also thought about getting a degree there.
The Rune language and its variant, the Elun language, are languages closely related to magic. Fucking Magical Graduate Student Nord. Sooooo AWESOME!
However, this rune or Elun language is like a coding language if I had to express it.
In other words, I was a computer-skilled person who only knew how to code. To make a living as a rune or Elun language scholar, there were many things to learn, starting with magic. It costs a lot of money too.
‘It’s not like I’m going to live here forever.’
I had to find a way to return home someday by laying the groundwork for my life, but I didn’t want to waste time.
And fortunately, there are many ruins and dungeons in this world, so archeology has a great place to study the past.
Another world archeology is an industry with a bright future. If I took advantage of my three years of experience as a graduate student slave here, I would be able to quickly establish my position.
“Somehow, today is the first time I’m showing you. The frame was set up less than a month ago.”
I made two cups of tea and went to Yerna’s side. Yerna was reading my thesis without answering.
“So how is it? My thesis.”
“Uh, huh?”
My question blinded her eyes. Yerna, who was staring at her paper, raised her head belatedly.
“Ah, yes. Yes. I think it’s fine. Did you write hard?”
“Because it’s the thesis that determines my degree.”
It’s like a placement test for another world, but you can’t scrawl moderately.
You have to start with platinum as soon as you start like fucking Faker to become a great elite who makes a name for himself at a young age.
I’m not saying that getting something at the end of the effort is bad. I want to avoid the situation where I can’t achieve results when I’m capable.
“… Yes. It is also a good thesis.”
Yerna looked at my thesis for a while longer before putting it down.
“So, Nor, if you don’t mind, can I help you with the corrections?”
“Yeah? Really?”
It was an unexpected offer. Can I get my thesis proofread by a nobleman whose teaching time is longer than my life?
Originally, that was the job of an advisor, but it was something I never dreamed of because I was ingrained with a slave spirit.
“Yes. You put my name as the first author on a paper of this size, but I can’t help but put my hand on it, can’t I?”
No, you say that there is a graduate student who does not put the name of the advisor professor in the thesis.
That kind of thing was crazier than a rookie director erasing all the sponsors’ names from the film’s staff roll and only listing the names of the sponsors.
“That’s good. I definitely put the professor’s name on it, but it’s only a low-level thesis, so it’s like putting a disgrace on the professor’s face.”
“No. Really well written. After all, a kid who studied a lot is different.”
Yerina smiled brightly and stood up from her seat.
“Then I’ll get some reference books from my library.”
“Ah, let me help you.”
“It’s okay. It’s not very heavy. I’ll be back soon, so wait.”
That’s how we spent our time refining and revising an almost completed thesis.
Add base material to reinforce the completed logic. When the time came, she helped me revise my dissertation, even asking another graduate student to sort her luggage for her.
But when she told me to get down for hours with paper and pen in this world without typewriters, I was quickly overcome with drowsiness.
“… Swoop. Grow up…”
When she realized, she was half-excited and was sitting there drooling. Dobby is now free. I’m going to dreamland
“Whoops. Are you sleepy?”
“… Heck, that’s fine. Sorry for sleeping.”
“No. You can close your eyes for a moment. Come to think of it, he woke me up and made me work. It makes me sleepy.”
After Yerina said that, she got up from her seat. She returns with two teacups from the kitchen inside the lab room.
I wondered what they had brought from a world where there was no caffeinated tea, but what went into the teacup was warmed milk.
“Drink this and get some rest. How many more days are left until submission anyway? When I’m tired, typos increase and work increases.”
“That is also true.”
That was right. Even if there is only one typo, the whole page is wrong. When my head was not working well, it was faster to wake up and do it.
“All right. I’ll sleep soon and wake up.”
“You can sleep well.”
Receiving Yerina’s smile, I drank warm milk. Her body slowly unraveled as her warm milk slid down her throat.
I must have been tired. I hadn’t even drank half of it, but it already felt like my eyelids were drooping like summer blushes.
“Wow. This effect is very… That’s fast…”
After putting down the teacup, my consciousness quickly fell into a daze.
Somehow, in my vision that was winding down, Yerna’s smile was different from usual.
***
I woke up to the sound of birds chirping.
“Tweet! (Sex!)”
“Tweet! (Sex!)”
This fucking translation ability.
I still haven’t gotten used to the flying sex birds who say shit every morning. It is not necessary to translate the language of animals.
“Good morning fuckin’ lab room.”
I got up from the sofa and stretched out.
Looking at the sun outside the window in the middle of the sky, it seems like good morning has passed long ago, but since I just woke up, morning is right now.
Anyway, how long has it been since you slept this well? Even after being freed from slavery, I slept and woke up like turning off my computer multi-tap because I was suffering from licenses and thesis.
“Are you awake?”
“Uh. I slept soundly.”
A lab room slave nearby… Instead, he returned his greetings to his fellow research students and got up from his seat.
But until I fell asleep, I couldn’t see Yerna next to me. Rubbing my eyes, I asked my slave friend.
“Hey, where did the professor go?”
“What are you talking about? You left for the transfer station this morning.”
“What? Without saying hello to me?”
It was surprising, but also very sad. It’s been 3 years since I’ve spent eating a pot of bread (not a typo), but you just walked away without saying hello to me!
“Uh? The professor said he said hello to you last night?”
“… What do you mean?”
Fuck?
It was the moment when I heard the answer from a researcher colleague. An ominous feeling that could not be described in words climbed up my back without a hint.
This is it.
That feeling when you oversleep on the day you have to go to work.
A unique cock-sucking sensation that automatically penetrates your body when you hear the sunlight shining outside the window and the chirping of birds.
I looked at the table. There was not a speck of dust or a sheet of paper on the table, which was clean and tidy.
—A cold sweat broke out on his back.
“… No, thesis. Where the fuck is my thesis?”
“Suddenly, what thesis? Did you not wake up?”
I ignored the frowning colleague and looked around. There were no papers on my desk or in that drawer.
“Hey! What are you doing?!”
Ignoring the threats, I went through Yerina’s drawer.
I didn’t see my thesis there either.
Nowhere in this lab—my thesis was not there.
“… Det?”
I woke up with a clear head that didn’t even stay awake.
Yerna jumped out with my thesis.
