Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 170

A Small Aftermath (5)

The days of falling asleep and waking up repeated.

It was a routine for a patient, but until a few days ago, it felt strange to me, who would rather read another book instead of sleeping.

“I only need to sleep for an hour a month to be sufficient.”

The body of a superhuman is on a different level from that of ordinary people.

By moving mana greatly along the circuit through which mana flows, fatigue disappears.

Commonly, in the [Murim world], this is called Da Zhoutian [Greater Heavenly Cycle].

It is called regulating breath.

‘A superhuman’s body, especially mine with so much mana, maintains a constant state of regulating breath just by having mana flow through the circuit. But somehow, it feels like a bottomless pit now.’

The movement of mana has almost stopped.

It doesn’t move from its spot.

Thanks to that, the accumulated fatigue has exploded all at once, and my body can’t wake up from sleep. I didn’t need sleeping pills anymore.

Because I fall asleep just by lying still.

“……Ah, I need to gather information and accumulate knowledge quickly.”

A word muttered like sleep talk.

With that, my mind fell into dreamland.

I was so deep in it that I even snored.

And there was a woman watching that figure from the closest distance.

─Goodness, this is the first time I’ve seen him sleep so well.

Tamamo, in a semi-transparent spirit state, was circling inside the private room where Baek Seungwoo was sleeping. She scanned the contractor’s body with an interested look.

The face in deep sleep had a charm that moved even her, who was well-versed in beauty.

The face was like that.

The situation was different below that, though.

─His body is completely broken. Treatment is possible, but the chance of a full recovery is extremely low. Well, he was a patient suffering from severed meridian syndrome from the start, so he was far from a full recovery anyway.

The bones of his entire body were broken, and his skin was burning.

His muscle fibers were torn, and his left arm was cut off.

Injuries that would make an ordinary person give up on life.

However, the developed current technology did not give up on Seungwoo.

A full recovery was impossible, but he could be saved.

─If it’s hard to recover with current technology, should I try to recover him?

Injuries that are impossible to recover with current technology.

Looking at those injuries, Tamamo thought she could recover him to some extent.

The knowledge in her head is at least 1,000 years ahead.

However, it contained wisdom that could not be achieved with time alone.

She was the originator of magic.

A giant who created a discipline and dominated an era.

However, there is a price for everything in the world.

Especially magic was one of the disciplines known to be picky about its price.

─I can heal you. But I wonder what you’ll say when you find out the price.

Tamamo is not particularly good at healing.

She just knows how her contractor can recover naturally. Of course, the limit of recovery is clear, but he can definitely get out of the life of just sleeping in bed like now.

Instead, the price is.

─What would you say if the flesh that makes up who you are now is not entirely ‘yours’?

The Ship of Theseus [a philosophical thought experiment about identity and change].

Shall we experiment?

* * *

Two days have passed since the midterm exams ended.

Seven Stars Academy entered a week-long break under the pretext of students’ recovery. In fact, the real reason for the break is that only key officials and outsiders in the auditorium two days ago know that it is to control public opinion.

“Secretary Jang, how is the public opinion about the academy right now?”

The chairman, who took command in his office.

He collected various information through his secretary and considered countermeasures. The secretary in a neat suit exuded a static beauty and handed him a few documents.

“I have printed out the reactions of major media outlets and citizens regarding this.”

“……It’s not very good.”

“Yes, especially the fact that a demon infiltrated deep into the academy was widely known by the ‘Fifth Tail’ of [Nine-Tailed Fox Guild].”

“That damn fox!”

Thump!

The chairman, who slammed the desk with his fist, immediately grabbed his head.

Omi, one of the top executives of [Nine-Tailed Fox Guild], the largest guild in Korea, leaked information about the demon not when he entered public opinion control. He had already leaked the information on his personal SNS.

Thanks to that, no matter how hard I try to control it.

There were already many people who knew the inside story, so it was impossible to hide it.

“Damn it…… Foresight. Yeah, is it foresight? That’s how it should be to become one of the giant pillars supporting an S-class guild.”

“I don’t think it has anything to do with that?”

The secretary objected to the chairman’s mutterings.

In her opinion, rather than foresight, it seemed that a man in his late 20s who liked SNS unknowingly rolled a snowball that grew without him knowing.

The chairman was furious at this.

“What are you talking about! Don’t tell me you’re saying that I was tricked by a brat who’s crazy about SNS?!”

“……That’s not what I meant, but it would have been a big deal if I had said that.”

The secretary shook her hand at his appearance.

“Yes, he is cunning. As expected of a group that calls itself the tails of a nine-tailed fox. What is the way to counter their foresight?”

This is not a question.

The chairman had already made up his mind.

The secretary guessed the chairman’s intention.

“You’re planning to cover it up with a bigger topic.”

“Yes, that’s exactly right!”

People like to criticize others.

Especially if it is the fall of someone in a high position.

But more than that, people also like stories about human praise.

This bleak society.

There are quite a few people who soothe their hearts with heartwarming stories.

“A hero who saved students from the demon’s clutches. Not only that, but also a compassionate seeker who saves NPCs.”

It is a hot topic, but it does not seem easy to cover up the public opinion in which the academy and the demon are involved. So the chairman is thinking of adding a few more seasonings here.

“But if that hero was Baek Seungwoo, who is famous for being a scoundrel, people’s attention would be drawn.”

“With that face, it’s easy to get people’s attention.”

“Yes, I honestly don’t want to admit it, but he’s prettier than my granddaughter. As such a guy, he can attract public attention.”

“And then, you need to design a story that can stay in people’s minds for a long time?”

“That’s right!”

The secretary and the chairman had a conversation.

There was no great scheme.

Just how can we efficiently and effectively release the narrative about Baek Seungwoo to the public.

Only such conversations came and went.

“After checking all the records and aftermath left in the academy, we confirmed that two unidentified demons and Simon infiltrated the reverse side [a dangerous alternate dimension].”

“But one of the demons was nowhere to be seen. You know what that means to people, right?”

“It is highly likely that he is already dead.”

“Even if he didn’t die, just create a chart showing the remnants of demonic energy left in the academy. There is no evidence that one demon survived anywhere.”

The material was endless.

The preparation was thorough as a topic that was so big had to be covered up, and a bigger topic had to emerge.

“We need to include an article about attacking a city-level reverse side.”

“Ah, yeah, we can’t forget that. They are the seeds that will shine most brilliantly in the future, so we have to cherish them.”

“You know that the word ‘youngest’ must be included, right?”

“How old do you think I am that I don’t even know that? And this can also be linked to Baek Seungwoo. Baek Seungwoo, temporary homeroom teacher, taught the first graders and attacked the reverse side in one month.”

“You can build an image that he has sufficient qualifications as a teacher. Another idea is…….”

The two, who drew up the initial plan, quickly put it into practice.

They made a deal by providing the related data to the media outlets that have ties with Chilseong first.

As a result.

The internet was burning hot that night.

[A more mature hero. What is the truth and background?]

[Breaking! Baek Seungwoo is currently hospitalized on the top floor of Cheonho University Hospital… It seems that his injuries are serious.]

[Seven Stars Academy 1st graders did it! Proudly listed their names in the reverse side attack record, which is only about 100 cases worldwide, drawing attention every day.]

[Crimson flames burning a giant monster. The Magic Society says, “The monster is estimated to be at least 4th level, and the flame is comparable to great magic.”]

[Is it the birth of a new great magician? Or is it the birth of a hero trying to shake off his foolish past and become a new person.]

The starting point was all the content released by the media outlets that have deep ties with the academy.

Baek Seungwoo saved people.

He, who is famous for being a scoundrel.

The shocking article that the scoundrel head of the Cheonho Baekga family [a powerful conglomerate family], who boasts the largest capital and power in Korea, has reformed was the beginning of everything.

“It’s burning very well.”

“As expected, Chairman.”

“Yes, Secretary Jang. You have worked hard too. But I didn’t know that other media outlets would be waiting.”

When a fairly large media outlet released information about Baek Seungwoo.

Like a ghost, other media outlets also wrote articles about Baek Seungwoo.

Surprisingly, most of them were different contents.

Achievements of attacking the reverse side, Baek Seungwoo’s personality, Baek Seungwoo’s skills, etc.

The materials were diverse, and the way they used the materials was also different.

Even a skilled reporter could not do this in one day.

“Everyone had prepared the articles in advance and was watching.”

“Weren’t we the only ones writing articles about him?”

“No. They probably heard from the recruitment members of each guild who were waiting at the scene for a week at the time.”

Chilseong, called the world’s top 5 academies.

Most of the guilds invited to such an academy are large guilds belonging to A to S class.

It is natural for people drawn from such places to have excellent eyes.

“The media outlets that bought the information they grasped waited for the best time. When one media outlet started to report intensively, they swarmed like a pack of dogs.”

“It is resentful that they sold the internal affairs to the media outlets without saying a word, but thanks to them, things will be easier.”

“That’s right! The media outlets make money, we hide what we want to hide, and he, who is illuminated as a hero in numerous articles, truly becomes a hero. And─.”

─Now that interest in demons is waning. Let’s grab the necks of the guys who dared to invade the academy where thousands of students reside without knowing the subject and cut off their limbs.

Daring to invade Chilseong Academy, which he designed and created from the beginning.

The price for invading a place of education for numerous students and a place where they can safely and securely learn will be death.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the chairman offered a bounty to the ‘red-haired demon’ and ‘demon worshiper, Simon’ under the pretext of greatly supporting research funds to professors who had free hands.

As things progressed smoothly, the chairman scanned the internet once.

There were numerous articles there.

There was a small article below.

[Baek Seungwoo, called a hero, his past and the academy’s mistakes!]

An article discussing Baek Seungwoo’s past actions and blaming the academy’s mistakes.

It was clearly a truth without lies, but an article that failed to ride on public opinion was likely to be forgotten.

An hour later.

[Magic Society “That magic has clearly reached a great level.” The magic used by Baek Seungwoo in the released video is?]

A new article was uploaded by the media outlet.

This article received considerable attention.

They realized which articles make money.

In that way, the outdated issue naturally disappeared from people’s minds.