Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 14

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius – Episode 14

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius Episode 14

First Episode (4)

An explosion artificially triggered using “Pyrokinesis” [the ability to control fire with the mind].

It tore through the surface in an instant. However, it wasn’t enough to damage the tough hide of a high-ranking monster.

However, if its center of gravity was off, it was possible to knock it over.

‘This guy seems stronger than I thought.’

Its skull must have been shaken greatly by the impact of that fall just now.

Yet, it’s staring at me with its huge eyes as if nothing happened.

At the same time, I realized from the oppressive feeling that began to constrict my body.

This guy is on a different level from the monsters I’ve been killing until now.

‘So, high-ranking monsters are different, huh.’

Monsters are classified from 10th rank to 1st rank according to their power and danger.

This ranking is very fluid. Since humans artificially assign them, there are monsters whose ranks change frequently.

The prime example of this is the goblin.

When considering a single individual, it’s just a minor creature of the 9th rank, but due to its habit of living in groups and the danger of reproducing by assaulting humans, it has been classified as the 7th rank.

Like this, the ranking changes frequently depending on the perspective, but from a certain point, it’s not easily changed.

That is the rank symbolizing the high-ranking, from the 5th rank.

‘Based on 10 ranks, it’s the reference point that divides the upper and lower levels.’

From the 5th rank, they are difficult to deal with.

They wield the authority of ‘Pier’ [likely referring to a powerful magical ability or status] and often possess intelligence equal to or greater than humans.

Clearly, the monster in front of me must also possess considerable intelligence.

“…Is it because it’s dark? I can’t see well.”

A few days ago, I read a paper on the types and characteristics of monsters in preparation for the worst.

Thanks to that, I thought I knew about most monsters. But I have no idea what this monster is.

It would be different if it had a unique appearance. The only feature that can be visually confirmed is its huge outline.

There are so many huge monsters.

“Oops…”

While I was staring at the fallen guy and thinking.

Something huge aimed for my head.

It was the monster’s forefoot.

The attack of the huge guy was quick, not befitting its size.

Even though my agility is slow, I barely managed to avoid it.

“A huge body and quick forefeet. A monster with enough intelligence to play with people’s lives…”

Thirty-seven candidates came to mind with that attack.

However, when I delve into the details, it’s a completely different monster from what I know. Is it a monster not listed in the paper?

Thump, thump, the monster unleashed a barrage of physical attacks using its huge body.

Since it was no longer an attack I could avoid, I created flames.

The wall of fire collapsed with a single forefoot attack, proving to be disposable, and the thorns and spears of flame failed to penetrate its tough hide.

An act that only buys a moment’s time.

But that short time was enough to figure out the guy’s identity.

Keen senses gathered information.

It was a monster I had read about in a paper.

While defending against the heavy attacks, I raised my head, and the huge monster was looking down at me.

Eyes that looked like they were looking down on prey.

It was quite unpleasant.

“…A monkey, of all things.”

“…!”

The monster reacted with a big flinch to my muttering.

It seems my guess was correct.

That huge body is not its real body. It’s just a kind of illusion.

‘That’s why reading papers is different from experiencing it firsthand.’

5th rank, Illusion Monkey.

A malicious monster that uses illusions to deceive people and drive them into a corner. Its martial power is only in the lower ranks, but the fact that it manipulates illusions has established it as a high-ranking monster.

The paper simply states that it deceives opponents with illusions, but after experiencing it directly, the monster’s ability was not just deception.

Not only that huge appearance, but also the fact that it broke the ground by swinging its huge forefeet is also part of the illusion.

“Ordinary students would be helpless.”

Fortunately, in my case, thanks to the high sense of S-rank, I was able to catch the strange sense of incongruity.

If I had made a mistake, hundreds of students might have been in danger.

Kaaaah───!

Perhaps dissatisfied that I had figured out its identity, the monster made a unique monkey cry.

It seems it has no intention of hiding its identity anymore.

A dark shadow looms over my head. It was the huge monster’s forefoot.

Not only that.

Huge feet flew in from all directions, front, back, left, and right.

An attack that does not allow for even an inch of retreat. Even though I knew it was an illusion, I felt a sense of crisis. I thought there might be a real one among them.

At that very moment.

My eyes turned purple. Purple eyes flickering even in the darkness shone eerily.

Without even a slight blink of the eyes, I looked to the side.

There, a monkey was waving its hand.

Not a huge forefoot.

It was a monkey’s hand the size of a person.

Before that hand could touch my body, I dodged to the side. At the same time, flames erupted from where I had been.

There was a clear look of embarrassment in the eyes of the monster engulfed in flames.

To be honest, I was also taken aback.

I never thought I would use this ability for the first time in a real battle.

「Yoma Eye(妖魔眼)」[Demon Eye]

Rank: A

Description: One of the yokai’s [supernatural monsters in Japanese folklore] powers derived from legends throughout the Orient. When used, it allows you to see what you could not see before, and based on this, it helps you establish a new vision. It is said that the forgotten ancient race used this to build up spiritual wisdom.

*Spirit Eye(靈眼) [ability to see spirits]

You can observe the flow of mana and spiritual concepts.

*Gap Capture

It enhances vision and allows you to see what you cannot see, like the ‘gaps’ in objects or targets.

Unlike “Double Helix,” it was a skill I had since I was possessed.

I wanted to use it every time I practiced at dawn, but I didn’t use it because of unnecessary anxiety. I didn’t think I could control an A-rank skill when I couldn’t even handle the C-rank “Double Helix” properly.

And that thought was exactly right.

‘Even if I can see well, I can see too well…’

The world peeped at by 「Yoma Eye」 was achromatic(無彩色) [without color].

A world made up of only white and black. If there is a unique color in it, it is the blue mana.

The way the blue mana moved was all visible. That alone was enough to overload my thinking ability.

In addition, the ‘gap’ was also visible, and the capillaries in my eyes began to burst.

As expected, A-rank skills are definitely different.

Comparing it to “Double Helix” is embarrassing. I suppressed the pain that felt like my eyes would burst and glared at the monkey burning in front of me.

The purple eyes pierce through the false and the true.

The truth and falsehood that cannot be grasped with the naked eye are distinguished. Now the monster was desperately rolling its body on the floor.

A struggle to put out the embers on its body. It was the opposite of making the students tremble with a huge illusion.

Ha, a sneer flowed from my mouth.

“Students die from a guy like this?”

It’s a pathetic sight for a trigger to awaken an incompetent protagonist.

It’s a waste of time to waste time on a guy like this anymore. I made a long spear with fire, one spear.

The sound of a thud echoed in the monster’s heart.

Its body is getting cold. It’s natural because the heart that carries blood throughout the body has burst.

──Kua…… Kueeek!

The monster let out a rather pathetic death cry.

The pain of a bursting heart was something even a 5th-rank monster could not endure.

But I had no intention of ending it there.

I raised the spear of fire. This time, I aimed for the spine.

The hard bones were difficult to cut, but I melted them with the burning heat.

The monster screamed as if it felt its limit.

──Hiee, Hieu…… Kkieeeeeeeeeek!

It was a desperate and pathetic scream.

It was hard to believe that it was the same guy who played with the lives of the students. I turned my head towards the students.

Everyone was looking at me and the monkey guy.

It seems that the energy to maintain the illusion has decreased because the heart and spine were hit. But it’s still alive even after breaking the spine.

I have to finish this for sure.

It was that moment.

The monster saw a monster through its blurry vision.

It was the monster itself, but it felt a deep fear from the opponent that could not be expressed in words.

The vision was blurry, and the black hair and clothes had long been assimilated with the night sky. In the monster’s eyes, only a pair of amethyst-like sparkling eyes came into view.

Purple eyes that do not feel any emotion.

The monster trembled in fear and barely exhaled the breath left in its lungs.

The moment the monster, who instinctively sensed its end, was about to utter its last death cry.

The blazing flames became a sharp spear and cut the guy’s neck.

“……It’s dead now.”

The blood splattered with a pop as the neck was cut.

The heat of the spear instantly evaporated the blood, as if not leaving a single piece of corpse.

It burned fiercely and violently.

A brutal hand.

But it was clean.

Just as the monkey skin was all burned, I heard the sound of a coin falling on the floor. When I bent down to check, it was not a coin but a blackened stone.

“……Ah, I didn’t recover the magic stone.”

There is a substance called magic stone inside the monster’s body.

It is a major resource of this world and a major source of income for players. The stronger the monster, the better the quality of the magic stone it drops.

A 5th rank would be worth a lot.

I put the magic stone in my pocket.

I can sell it later or use it as a medium for magic.

“……Instructor, Teacher?”

“Hmm?”

While dusting off the soot on the magic stone and putting it in my pocket.

The students approached me. I didn’t know when I was fighting, but there are more students than I thought.

Including the injured who were badly injured and supported by the children on both sides, there are 10 people.

Everyone except one of them was destined to die.

I scratched my head with an unpleasant feeling.

“T, thank you……. H, how should I repay you.”

“Kids don’t say things like that. I don’t need a reward, so go to the shelter quickly.”

“Then, what about the teacher……?”

“L, let’s go with us! What if we run into another monster while evacuating……!”

“No, I have somewhere to go.”

The students were trembling.

Among them were mature students who mentioned rewards, and students who felt fear of the existence of monsters.

Really, how did I come to this world?

Swish, swish, I bent down and stroked the head of the female student standing in the front.

She was the student who had fallen on the floor earlier, so her head was covered with dirt and dust, so I shook it off. Her face blushing at the sudden contact was a girlish appearance befitting her age.

‘How can they force such young children to fight?’

It was a fundamental question about this world.

That’s how the academy genre is. They are children who have not yet become adults.

Putting children who still have a lot to learn in danger.

I didn’t feel anything when it was the content of the novel, but I got angry when I experienced it directly. Maybe it’s because I’m from a child soldier background.

“You guys run away quickly. I have to go catch the mastermind of this incident.”

“T, that’s something you can do after the surrounding guilds come to support you……!”

“No. It’ll be too late then.”

In the original work, the ‘wizard hunter’, the mastermind of the attack, leaves as soon as he witnesses the protagonist’s awakening. At the same time as his awakening, the 5th-rank monster was shattered, and he instinctively felt threatened.

However, my awakening became a bubble as I saved the students.

I made a big accident.

The protagonist will still be incompetent, and the culprit of this situation will not leave.

Well, what can I do? It’s the path I chose.

‘I was going to take responsibility from the beginning.’

I decided when I went up to the roof.

I will take responsibility for my choice while watching the students die.

It’s just that the subject to be responsible has changed.

“There’s a road if you go that way. It’s the road I’ve been running while cleaning, so don’t worry and run.”

“T, then we’ll ask the security guard or other assistant teachers for help!”

“I don’t need help, so go quickly.”

“B, but……!”

“Hey, Noh Yura! Let’s go quickly. He said he has something to do.”

I politely refused the words of the female student who shook off the dirt on her head.

I appreciate the thought, but it won’t help if other people come. Rather, it will only be a burden.

That’s the kind of guy the ‘wizard hunter’ is.

Well, of course, my survival rate will increase if other people come.

My safety is important.

However, my beliefs are just as important.

I just have to not die.

‘In the original work, he’s a mid-boss that you can barely catch in the middle part.’

Dealing with the ‘wizard hunter’ is not an easy task.

It’s not yet time to fall into a demon, so there’s a possibility of dealing with him, but.

It won’t be easy.

Even so, I’m going to do it.

Even if it means stopping the protagonist’s awakening and taking all the responsibility myself.

‘I will survive.’

Like I’ve always done on the battlefield.

I will definitely survive this time too.

I turned my back on the students and tried to move to a higher place. While doing so, someone grabbed my sleeve.

I turned my head to see who it was, and it was a student who couldn’t even stand properly. Judging from the limping appearance, it was the guy who was hit by the wall by the monster’s attack earlier.

The male student, who was shedding blood and a sweet smell from his mouth, opened his mouth with a difficult expression.

“I, I also…….”

What does he want to say?

Suddenly, out of curiosity, I scanned the male student’s name tag.

The name was covered with dirt, but the silhouette that was faintly visible was enough to make my mind go blank.

“……Fi……Fight…… I want to…….”

This is the guy.

A name tag that is longer than others.

There, it is faintly written as Kyle Iris. It was the protagonist’s name.

‘……Is it the protagonist’s spirit?’

The protagonist, Kyle, was not in a condition to fight.

He seemed to have suffered a big wound while hitting the wall. Furthermore, as he is now, he would not be of any help even in perfect condition.

“No, run away with your friends.”

“……I, I can fight too. Y, you can throw me away if I get in the way. So I also……!”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Kyle closed his mouth tightly at the firm answer.

He was trembling with his fists.

Is it because he lost a lot of blood and is cold? Or is he ashamed of his weakness?

I didn’t want to know in detail.

Because of that, I said firmly.

“You are not helpful. You’re annoying, so run away with your friends.”

“……B, but even a guy like me!”

“Hey, Kyle, what are you doing to the person who saved us?!”

“I’m sorry! We’ll be on our way!”

The students who grabbed Kyle’s arms and took him away.

He tries to resist, but there’s no way he can do anything with his injured body. I turned my back again.

Kyle’s blood-mixed voice was heard from behind.

“E, even a guy like me is a student of the academy……! I can fight!”

“B, blood is coming out. Let’s go to the infirmary quickly!”

“Will the infirmary be open in this situation?! There will be a health teacher in the shelter, so let’s go quickly!”

Was the protagonist such a righteous character?

I had a question for a moment, but I didn’t have the time to resolve it.

“……A guy who can’t do anything even when his friends are dying says he can fight?”

So I had no choice but to say this.

Kyle’s voice is heard from behind, but I ignored it and continued to speak.

“Hey, students can get help from adults. Run away with your friends in this gap. After all, you can’t save anyone with your skills.”

It was cruel but true.

The current protagonist cannot save anyone.

Unless he awakens.

‘I’ve already ruined the scenario. It’s a meaningless assumption.’

I don’t know what kind of past and story he has.

I haven’t read the novel, so I only know it from Eve’s mention.

All I know is that he will no longer awaken as the protagonist.

He will not fight on the front lines, nor will he lose his friends in front of his eyes.

He will remain as one student.

What will happen to this world full of chaos in a world where the protagonist does not exist?

It was too funny a question.

I just have to take on all the roles.

In the process, Kyle’s opinion is not important.

Because nothing is more precious than human life in this world.

By the time I had deepened my thoughts.

I didn’t feel any sign of anyone behind me.

It seems that everyone has moved to the shelter.

I turned my head and confirmed that Kyle had headed to the shelter.

A blue window popped up in my retina.

[Main Quest: Responsibility]

[Description: You saved the lives of the students and neutralized the protagonist’s awakening. You have chosen the former between morality and ending. It remains to be seen whether this choice was the right choice.

However, before watching, you have a responsibility to bear the weight of the protagonist. Protect the freshmen by killing the ‘wizard hunter’ who invaded the Seven Stars Academy in the distorted scenario.]

[Success: Agility +1 stage]

[Failure: Agility +1 stage]

*Nothing will change no matter what choice you make!

When I checked, the ‘Sub Quest’ had changed to ‘Main Quest’.

Now I’m slowly realizing what I’ve done.

I am now at the center of this scenario.

By dropping the protagonist.

Ha, my stomach hurts.

I sighed in frustration and put my hand in my pocket.

I felt something hard.

It was the magic stone I recovered earlier.

Is there a way to use it somewhere?

While I was thinking about it, a good idea came to mind.

I immediately threw the magic stone on the floor and used it as a medium for magic.

This magic stone will now be bait and a trap to lure prey.

Immediately after finishing the preparations, I hid in the nearby grass.

I held my breath, killed my movements, and erased the presence of people. Then, about 10 minutes later, the hunter appeared.

As soon as he arrived, he showed interest in the bait laid on the floor.

Now, it’s time for the hunter to be reduced to prey.

I looked at the man’s back and muttered quietly.

“Really, it’s a pain in the ass…….”

It’s been over 5 years since I was discharged from the military, but my body still remembers those days. It was a day with nothing good, but it is an undeniable fact that those days made me who I am now.

……That’s why wounded soldiers suffer from PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder].

Memories and experiences that can never be forgotten.

I moved quickly, recalling the memories of my days as a child soldier, with my waist bent. There is no sound even if you step on dry branches or piles of stones.

It is as secretive and quiet as a skilled assassin.

Occupy the enemy’s rear in an instant.

I poured out the A+ grade magic power with all my might and created flames.

The flames that warm the cold night breeze aimed for the enemy’s neck.

「Pyrokinesis」[fire manipulation]

「Double Helix」[skill name]

The best strike I can make now.

The trap laid on the floor responded to my magic power.

The flames with mass and shape were amplified by the resonance of “Double Helix” to create a huge wave of fire.

The overflowing flames covered the man.

“……Ha, I didn’t think it would cause significant damage.”

The man walks out calmly from the sea of fire.

It seems that he has not been damaged at all.

At best, his clothes may have been slightly scorched.

Even that is not certain.

“Should I run away now?”

I sighed and unfolded the next magic I had prepared.

I’m out of breath, but I can handle this much.

Just a little, let’s hold on a little longer.

I stretched out my hand upwards.

「Pyrokinesis」[fire manipulation]

「Fire Arrow」[skill name]

A barrage of fire arrows hung like cobwebs in the night sky.

The barrage of arrows was shot down to the floor according to the preset path and broke the floor.