Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 322

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius – Episode 322

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius 322

Elf (2)

I joined the Union.

There wasn’t any special verification process.

“Even after thinking it over, it’s a sloppy process.”

“Su. That’s because you’ve lived a life disconnected from society.”

“…Su? Ah, right, that’s right. From my perspective, I can’t understand it at all.”

The level of soldiers, warriors, and knights belonging to the Union is considerable.

The grunts were ordinary, but the eyes watching my fight from afar were all sharp. I could feel it just from their gaze.

Trained eyes.

It’s not just a little training.

Despite having several such strong individuals, the procedure to join the Union was just one document.

Writing a single document without any magical processing was all it took. Even the content was absurd.

“Writing a will as a condition for joining is ridiculous.”

“Does it seem that strange?”

“You guys are used to it because it’s been a procedure for 10 years. But not me. I can’t understand it with my common sense.”

The only organization of this scale and power is the Union of Races.

All the countries that existed on this land have been destroyed, and the surviving humans fight against the monsters and Riders regardless of race. In this situation, there would usually be someone who betrays the Union and sides with the monsters and Riders, but.

“The procedure is strange, and the fact that there are no traitors is also strange.”

“…?”

There were no traitors among those who joined the Union.

Not a single one in 10 years.

This was a fact I learned as a result of reading as many documents as I could as soon as I joined the Union.

“Traitors? If you betray the Union, that means siding with the monster forces. There’s no way monsters would accept humans.”

The elven knight, whose tone became polite after I caught her off guard, said.

As she said, there can’t be any traitors.

Monsters and Riders.

Neither cooperates with humans.

For monsters, races including humans, humanity in general, are just food.

Calculating food?

Food that takes their side?

Smart food?

Food is just food in the end.

“…Right.”

It was written in the document.

In the early stages of the war, there were those who betrayed the Union and tried to side with the monsters and Riders.

“…Because they’re monsters. They’ll eat humans whether they betray them or not.”

They approached monsters and Riders to live, to become stronger.

Low-level monsters and Riders can’t communicate with humans, but high-ranking monsters and advanced Riders can communicate with humans smoothly.

The humans who approached them with this in mind all died.

It was the same in the world I was born in.

But.

“But, the Maim are a different story.”

“Maim? What kind of race is that? Is it a completely new race that we don’t know about? If so, it seems like it would help strengthen the Union’s forces.”

Maim are an exception.

It doesn’t seem like Maim exist in this world.

In the world I lived in, there are guys who worship monsters and, in order not to be eaten by them, instead eat the monsters.

They eat the flesh of monsters, inject their genes into their bodies, and transform into beings that are not human. By doing so, they coexist with monsters.

“I’m just spouting nonsense. And there’s no way a race you don’t know about could be alive. If you knew, it would mean they joined the Union.”

“If we don’t know, the race itself must have gone extinct.”

“If you understand, don’t talk to me anymore. I’m busy.”

“So, what have you been reading so much these past few days?”

“…The next sparring match won’t end with just a bump on the head.”

“Hey, I’m not sparring with you again, Su.”

The elf who comes behind me and asks this and that.

It’s a childish act befitting her young appearance, but the girl in my memory who fought with me, wielding spears and swords, was a strong warrior.

That’s why her current behavior is so awkward.

“Luna. I’ve told you so many times. Just shut up.”

I said with emphasis.

The eyes drawn on the fox mask met the gaze of the small elf.

At the same time, the magic power circling my heart disappeared very slightly.

Cognitive dissonance. The ability embedded in the mask and the fox’s traits I possess combined to cause confusion in the opponent’s mental system.

“No, can’t I even talk? I’m your superior.”

However, the elf girl, Luna. Her eyes didn’t waver at all.

“….”

“What did I do so wrong that you’re glaring at me? Ah, now that I think about it, maybe you’re glaring at me because you’re wearing a mask?”

This is a bit of an unexpected result.

A powerful mental strength that easily shakes off my mental confusion.

Unless they’re crazy like me, with one corner of their mind gone, they wouldn’t be able to shake it off so easily.

‘Is it a special item or ability?’

I don’t think Luna’s own mental strength is that high.

But there were no traces of magic or unusual artifacts visible either.

If not, it might be a racial trait.

A trait that prevents mental interference.

“So! I’ve been asking you what you’re reading for the fifth time today!”

─Actually, I was wondering too.

They’re both being a pain today.

It would have been nice if at least one of them had a proper mental breakdown.

Haa… I sighed and pointed to the books on the desk.

“Languages. I was learning the languages of each race.”

“Languages? Why something so boring?”

The various languages and symbols written in the book.

I was memorizing the contents written here and interpreting other books.

Unfortunately, the “Magic Library” that assists my learning doesn’t work here.

I only trusted my memorization skills and memorized the languages whole.

And the next book.

I opened a book written in the language of beastmen, such as bears and mountain goats.

“That’s… footprints?”

“Primitive shamanism.”

The magic that can be used with a body with a broken magic circuit is limited to the lower level.

If you add the talent of my body, the talent for magic related to heat, fire magic is possible up to the intermediate level.

‘Except for shamanism.’

Shamanism. Like other schools of magic, the common method of using magic is to use magic power as a price, but the basis of shamanism is ultimately an equal transaction.

Unlike normal magic that requires magic power to be injected first.

Shamanism is complete from the beginning. To use the completed shamanism, a price is required, and usually this price is paid with magic power.

But if you put it simply, it means the amount of magic power needed.

If you provide other compensation, you can use shamanism.

‘The most efficient resource after magic power is.’

─It’s life force, after all.

‘That’s too high of a price. Bigger than magic power.’

Magic power can be recovered even if it is consumed.

Life force is not recovered once it is consumed.

Life force is life span.

It’s strange if you eat away at your lifespan and it recovers the next day.

─Then it’s health.

‘But I can’t afford to be sick in a faraway land.’

─You have such picky conditions.

‘That’s why I’m reading books.’

I study unknown knowledge to broaden my horizons.

I get what I want through the broadened horizons.

Even if there is a study that opens a new horizon of shamanism.

I’ll do it unconditionally.

With that mindset, I read books and conducted research.

Luna said, knowing that I was busy.

“Who uses shamanism in this day and age? That’s a completely outdated field of study.”

─That, that little brat! She’s just saying anything with that mouth of hers!

“No one uses that kind of thing. Even the field of magic itself is unpopular these days, so how much more so shamanism?”

That’s right.

In this world, swords felt more popular than magic.

Most of the people I saw were warriors who used their bodies.

It must be because of the Riders.

Knights with armor that has considerable resistance to elemental magic, and attacks of the same attribute as themselves don’t work at all. To deal with such guys in large numbers, it would be more efficient to train weapons and bodies than magic.

“Everyone didn’t seem to have much interest in shamanism and magic.”

“Everyone is like that.”

“When I borrowed a book, they even told me that I could have it permanently and even passed it on to me.”

Thanks to that, even if I brought a lot of books, no one said anything.

That’s how much the perception of shamanism and magic has plummeted in this world.

“Frankly, it’s all the better for me.”

“Because there are so many you can read?”

“Of course.”

“You have very unique tastes.”

Isn’t training more fun than boring books?

Luna muttered softly. She seemed to have more to say, but strangely, she was watching me.

“If you have anything else to say, say it.”

“Oh, is it that obvious…?”

“It’s incredibly obvious. So let’s just get to the point.”

I don’t have time to talk to you.

I was analyzing numerous books and drawing a huge map in my head because there was no paper to organize them.

If you have anything to say, say it quickly.

When I urged her, she finally opened her mouth.

“Actually, there was an order from above.”

“What order?”

“Patrol duty.”

“Is it a mission that you and I are doing together?”

“No. It’s my solo mission.”

She then added that she was sorry for not keeping her promise.

Luna’s promise to connect me with a high-ranking person from above if I fought and won against her had not been kept for a week.

I heard that the person she was going to connect me with had left due to an urgent matter. Luna felt guilty about this, but.

“Okay.”

I didn’t care at all.

The reason I wanted to meet the higher-ups of the Union was because of information, but thanks to the people who kept talking to me because my battle with her was somewhat impressive, I was able to collect all kinds of information.

In a way, it’s thanks to her.

“Come back safely.”

I didn’t look back and just moved my lips.

I wasn’t angry. But I felt a little bit of time was wasted.

I don’t know how much time is left in this world, so I completely controlled even the movement of my gaze to do my best now.

I, who focused everything on research.

“….”

Without realizing that pure white light was flickering and watching me, I was immersed in research, believing that what I was doing now was the best.

* * *

Meanwhile, the world without Seungwoo.

“Mom… when is Dad coming?”

“…I don’t know? Maybe he’ll come next week?”

“I’ve already waited a week!”

“Da!”

“….”

It started to crack little by little.

“Hey, did you see the news article?”

“Of course, I saw it. There are so many suspicions, didn’t that person just die? If his name disappeared from the rankings, he’s probably dead.”

“Hey, you never know. Maybe he became a Maim?”

“Hahaha. Why would someone who has everything become a Maim? He probably just died.”

People’s gossip about Seungwoo is overflowing.

“Hey, let’s not listen to such things and prepare for the final exam.”

“…Let’s go find him right now.”

“Who? Where?”

“Of course, we have to go find the teacher.”

“Where are you going to find the teacher?”

“He’ll show up if we look anywhere.”

The cracks that started to appear.

Maybe it’s not just a little.