Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 104

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius – Episode 104

Otherworld (4)

I buttoned up my clothes tightly and, just in case, strapped the Sword of Kusanagi to my waist belt before heading out. I immediately felt people’s attention turning towards me.

Normally, their gazes would be solely on my face and tail.

But today, their attention was also drawn to the sword.

Feeling their eyes on me, I figured the conspicuousness around my waist was understandable.

“Did they instinctively sense how dangerous the Sword of Kusanagi is? They’ve all got good instincts.”

—Well, the curse of Orochi bound to the sword is still alive, so it’s only natural, right?

Her tone was so familiar, as if calling out to someone she knew well, and I turned my face towards her.

Come to think of it, both of them were active in the same country and are recorded in mythology.

Perhaps Tamamo and Yamata no Orochi knew each other.

Although they lived in different eras, Tamamo, who had lived with a hundred faces, might have lived even in that distant ancient time.

“You sound like you know him? Were you acquainted with the original form of this sword?”

—Original form, huh? Haha… Isn’t that a bit harsh? Even so, that guy once drove the archipelago to the brink of destruction as a sea serpent.

“I don’t really get it even if you say that. It doesn’t seem that strong to me.”

I chuckled and stroked the snake with my hand.

The small snake, coiled around the sword in spirit form, stared blankly at me, surprised that it could be seen as I stroked its head.

It quickly seemed to regain its senses, shook its head from side to side, and then bit the finger I was using to stroke its head.

—It seems to have injected a cursed poison.

Cursed poison.

A technique that refers to poison containing a curse.

It shares roots with other curses and poison arts, but the system of curses itself became obsolete a thousand years ago, so it is only passed down as a legend.

[The ancient poison, ‘Kusanagi’s Cursed Poison,’ has invaded your body!]

[All the ki [life force/energy] within your body is scattered, and even the blood that carries the ki is plundered!]

‘How sly… Is this the poison and curse that turned the auction house employees into mummies?’

I felt strange as my blood vessels turned mottled.

It stung a little, but honestly, it didn’t have much of an impact.

That’s because creating antibodies to detoxify was much faster than being poisoned.

[Based on the hundred poisons recorded in 「Body of a Hundred Poisons」, the analysis of ‘Kusanagi’s Cursed Poison’ is in progress.]

[Progress rate: 4.9%]

[Progress rate: 19.4%]

[Progress rate: 36.3%]

……

[Progress rate: 99.9%]

[You have perfectly analyzed the ancient poison, ‘Kusanagi’s Cursed Poison!’]

[Immunity and antibodies to all lower-level cursed poisons, including ‘Kusanagi’s Cursed Poison,’ are implemented in 「Body of a Hundred Poisons」!]

I was starting to react to poison almost instantly.

I wondered if I was reaching the realm of a poison master that the Sichuan Tang Clan was yearning for, so I opened the status window.

[Loading the current status of 「Body of a Hundred Poisons」 included in the skill, ‘Weak Constitution Resistance’.]

[Currently, you have antibodies for approximately 477 types of poison with 「Body of a Hundred Poisons」.]

“…At this rate, I might become immune to all poisons before long.”

The blood vessels slowly subsided.

It was quite anticlimactic to detoxify a cursed poison from the ancient era that was only passed down as a legend.

Tamamo, who was floating in the air, and the little snake, coiled around the sword in high spirits, were greatly embarrassed by the sight.

Is it because it’s small?

It has a pretty cute expression.

* * *

Time passed, and the time for the midterm exams was approaching.

At the Seven Stars’ training grounds, 1,991 first-year students and the temporary teachers who would be leading them came fully armed.

“Hey, did you all pack your supplies?”

“Of course, Professor. Main weapon, backup equipment just in case, armor, five potions, water, emergency rations, and even a tent.”

“What about medicine? I taught you in the last lecture that potions alone can’t handle all kinds of injuries.”

“Of course, I brought medicine too. Oh, and just in case, we brought breakfast and we’re all eating together. Want to join us?”

“Of course. Wow, this kimbap [Korean seaweed rice rolls] is delicious! Who made it?”

“We bought it from the snack bar across from the second-year dormitory.”

“No wonder it’s so good.”

Midterm exams usually have a serious image, but the students waiting for the exam looked like they were on a picnic.

The way they exchanged breakfast and chatted was no different from high school students of their age.

But don’t be mistaken.

The place they are about to enter is a dungeon.

An unknown place full of all kinds of monsters and natural environments.

They are smiling and laughing at each other now, but in their hearts, they are holding on to the string of tension, and the students prepared for the midterm exam, which would last for a week, with their own resolutions.

Some to make up for the ruined performance evaluation with the midterm exam score.

Some to get the attention of the top guilds who will be watching the exam as observers.

And some were revealing contradictory emotions of expectation and worry with stiff faces and tails wagging like puppies.

“So, this day has finally come.”

A low, deep voice echoed through the training grounds, and in an instant, everyone around swallowed and closed their mouths.

At the center of it, a handsome man with a black-haired tail swaying was walking. He was wearing his usual suit.

But Baek Seung-woo, who wore a coat over it, had a charm that made people stare blankly.

“Is everyone just staring at my clothes? I guess it suits me well.”

Seung-woo didn’t know.

Because he was excited about wearing new clothes, the restriction of 「Charm」 was lifted, and in addition, 「Hundred-Faced Golden Haired」 and the characteristic, 「Beauty of the Nation」, built into the ring began to harmonize.

His charm had long since captivated the training grounds in an instant.

—This… even I can’t help but be drawn to it.

“Really? It seems like the clothes suit me quite well.”

—That’s not all there is to it. Hehe… Well, it’s kind of cute that he doesn’t know.

“……?”

He looked at her as if he didn’t understand what she was saying, but there was no answer.

He was curious about the meaning, but Seung-woo, who didn’t care much, pretended to be calm over his curiosity, but his tail was still bent in the shape of a question mark, as if curious.

Kyaaaaa!!!

People who saw that, especially female students, female assistants, and men who had opened their eyes to homosexuality, screamed.

The expression and sound they make when they see something really cute or lovely.

Seung-woo suddenly felt a chill down his spine and turned around, but instead of his tail bent in a question mark, he only saw Tamamo, who was covering her mouth.

“…What’s with everyone since earlier?”

Seung-woo, who had no idea that the gazes were directed at his waist, only thought that all these gazes were directed at his clothes.

But the reaction was too much for that, so he wondered what was going on.

Do they hate me that much?

As he questioned again in his mind, his tail once again revealed his question and monopolized people’s attention.

Feeling the attention constantly focused on his back, he came to where his students were.

“Are you all ready? What about the supplies?”

“Oh, Professor, don’t you think you’re treating us like little kids? We’ve already prepared everything two days ago.”

Noh Yoo-ra patted her huge backpack.

The backpack she was patting was so huge that it was strange to see it as a normal backpack.

“It’s a subspace backpack. The space-to-efficiency ratio doesn’t seem that good, but it must cost at least tens of millions of won [Korean currency]. Where did you get it?”

It has less space volume and is bulkier than the ring Seung-woo has, but considering that there is drinking water, food, tents, etc. in that backpack, it is a very ideal start.

“But is it okay to take something like that to the midterm exam?”

“Hey, didn’t you see the midterm exam evaluation criteria? How can you take the exam without seeing that?”

“Was there something like that other than the performance evaluation?”

Isabelle, who couldn’t hide her frustration at Lee Ji’s question, picked up her phone and showed it to him.

A messenger with a yellow background.

There was a long notice written on it.

“There’s a notice posted in this group chat. Sigh… I can’t believe someone like him is in charge of the team’s shield. I can’t trust him.”

Isabelle, speaking in a sarcastic tone, handed her phone to Lee Ji.

He read the notice with the heart of a sinner who bowed his head.

It was quite long, but the contents related to this were clearly stated in the evaluation criteria and items.

“The higher the grade of the dungeon the team challenges, the more the number of items that can be brought in per person increases, and the restrictions decrease.”

“In the case of challenging the Otherworld like us, you can bring in personal weapons, including tents and food.”

“Then the other kids will be wearing academy-made weapons and equipment.”

“Are you just realizing that now? No matter how indifferent you are, aren’t you too uninterested in the exam?”

Isabelle’s heart was heavy at the sight of Lee Ji, who realized the contents that all the students had known a week before the midterm exam.

Even swallowing a bunch of sweet potatoes wouldn’t be as stuffy as this.

Seung-woo, as a teacher who leads students, couldn’t stand still and stepped in to stop her, although he knew her meticulous and planned mind.

“How about you two stop for now?”

“What do you know as a supervisor? This is clearly our team’s business, so I wish you wouldn’t interfere.”

Seung-woo was impressed by Isabelle’s sharp reaction.

It hasn’t even been a month since they formed a team.

Now she had a sense of responsibility as the head to lead the team.

It is a very pleasing situation from the teacher’s point of view.

But I hope you can bear with it a little now.

“We’ll start entering through the gate in 10 minutes. You should wait calmly rather than scolding.”

“But if I don’t scold you properly here, the team’s discipline….”

“You can catch it after you go in. And look at Lee Ji’s eyes now. He must have slept late last night because he was working part-time.”

His dark circles are clear, so can you hear what you’re saying properly in this situation?

Seung-woo smiled and stroked Isabelle’s head.

Because he knows how hard she is working, even though there are thorns in her words. He has also suffered a lot because he has taken on the responsibility of leading people at a young age.

I don’t know if she knows that mind.

She blushed and lowered her head, saying one word with difficulty as he kept stroking her head, saying she was great.

“…Okay, I understand.”

Seung-woo smiled at the sight.

Is it because she’s a heroine for sure?

Her tone and personality are sharp.

She’s not a bad kid.

Rather, she’s a thoughtful kid.

As he stroked her head in the sense of doing well, Isabelle, who would have hit her hand saying what are you doing, lowered her head even more like a well-ripened rice plant.

Noh Yoo-ra glared at Isabelle with envious eyes, and Lee Ji looked around with a look of not understanding what was going on after being scolded.

This strange sight continued until the guide who would lead us to the dungeon came.

About 10 minutes must have passed.

By that time, my hands were sore too.

* * *

The deepest part of the Seven Stars.

Beyond the gate was a huge cavity.

There was not a single light in the huge and empty cavity where not a single ray of sunlight entered.

However, it wasn’t so dark that I had to light a fire or Isabelle had to create light.

Rather, now was just right.

“What is this place… ?”

“The night sky? No, why are there stars on the ceiling of the cave?”

“Teacher! What is that?!”

“Ah, the students may not know.”

The guide laughed, hearing the students’ exclamations.

He seemed to know a lot about those stars.

Of course.

Those were the destinations that the guides guided.

“What are all those stars? It’s like… they’re emitting light on their own like real stars.”

“Because they are stars.”

“Yes? Are you serious?”

Isabelle, who handles light, is knowledgeable about light and light sources.

Even she couldn’t understand what the light those stars were emitting was.

Those lights were not ordinary lights.

Starlight itself.

Well, what could be normal in a cavity full of starlight beyond the gate, but what was there now was a mysterious area that could not be explained by fixed ideas.

The sum of mysteries that even she, a genius magician who dismantles mysteries and explores the truth, raises her hands and feet.

The identity was clear.

It’s just a star.

“Those are stars. The world we live in, the land called Earth, is a star. Everyone knows that, right?”

“Of course.”

“Then you shouldn’t have any difficulty understanding.”

The guide’s explanation was simple yet difficult.

His words contained a direct explanation of why dungeons are called ‘fragments of a destroyed world’.

There were many theoretically difficult points for students to understand the difficulty yet.

So much so that I gave up explaining this part to Tamamo.

Because the more you dig into it, the more there is to explain.

“Do you know why dungeons are called fragments of a destroyed world?”

“…Well. Is it because that’s the only way to explain the existence of ecosystems and monsters beyond space?”

“That’s not wrong, but to summarize the main points, dungeons and other worlds are broken stars. All the dungeons we enter are just meteorites that have fallen from one huge origin.”

“Then does that mean that the dungeon was originally one world?”

“It could be one, or it could be two. However, what is certain is that there are several common denominators that can only flow out of the same ecosystem in several dungeons.”

The beginning of all dungeons is one of the largest stars, a planet.

It started there and was destroyed and spread all over the world.

“Because of that, we and the academy treat dungeons as a kind of starlight. In fact, it takes that form here.”
The walls of the cavity are filled with starlight.

White, black, red, blue, etc.

Those stars that shine with various lights are the dungeons that the Seven Stars are proud of. And among them, there are particularly big stars.

A particularly huge red starlight that is as red as flowing blood and resembles my red eyes that sparkle like jewels.

That is the Otherworld we are heading to today.

Commonly known as ‘Eternal Winter Ruins, Temil’.

According to the advance team, it is the lowest level of village level among the other worlds, and it is said to be a world of north winds where the cold wind does not stop because it was winter just before the destruction.

“Well, we’ve arrived, so please go inside right away. I pray that the goddess of luck smiles on your strategy.”

The guide bowed and left to lead the next students.

In the meantime, we looked at the stars above the sparkling cavity.

Those are fragments of a world that has already been destroyed.

It’s like looking at a star.

The stars, even though their lifespan has expired and they have met their death, the stars that come into our eyes are still shining the brilliant last starlight of Hoegwangbanjo (回光返照) [a Buddhist term referring to the final burst of light before death, like a dying ember].

They split into several branches and show us the world just before destruction like meteorites divided.

Some places contained natural environments and monsters that had already been crushed under the name of dungeons.

And some places revealed the lives and conflicts of people who had already been forgotten under the name of the Otherworld as NPCs [Non-Player Characters; characters controlled by the game, not by other players].

Those who are struggling to maintain their lives on that star today do not know.

That their lives, their world, have already come to an end.

Anyway, they don’t believe it even if I tell them.

They were just living today silently.

Just like the star in the distance.

Their lives are also the scenery of hundreds of years ago, the light of the past illuminated by the dead star in the distance.

A world that will not change no matter what you do.

Nothing changes.

A fragment of a world where destruction is certain.

We entered the Otherworld.