Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 247

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Episode 247

Doppelganger (2)

Outside, it might have been a fleeting moment, but the time I spent reading the diary felt infinitely slow.

This was the mental world.

Now, instead of ‘his’ pure white world that had vanished, and the black world of the Gumiho with its chilling red eyes glaring at us, a dense gray city filled the space. Not a single building was intact, and the sky was gloomy, creating an inherently unpleasant feeling.

Is this what a destroyed world feels like?

That thought came to mind as I saw a massive skyscraper in the center of the city. It was an unusually tall skyscraper, as if trying to pierce the sky.

The tall building was slowly collapsing.

Fragments of the skyscraper fell from the sky, partially destroying the buildings below.

The scenery created an inexplicable sense of unease. I read the diary against that backdrop. I felt like I had been speed-reading for 10 hours already, but the content kept going.

Somehow, the diary seemed endless. Of course, this wasn’t an ordinary diary written by hand; it was more like a historical record of someone’s entire life, so it was only logical that the content would be vast, but this was a bit much.

“Goodness, what is this volume?”

The content written in the diary was excessively vast. It was something a 20-year-old could never possess.

How could the density of a life of just over 20 years be so high that there was so much content? Moreover, there wasn’t a single unimportant detail.

I quickly skipped over trivial life stories, but after realizing that they were actually foreshadowing, I started reading even the mundane details meticulously.

Several hours passed like that. Only after listening to the sound of the skyscraper’s debris falling and the buildings collapsing from the impact as if it were music, I was finally able to finish reading it. It took longer than I thought.

“…What on earth did this guy do during those 20 years?”

Finally finishing the diary, I sighed and tilted my head back. My neck was sore from reading for so long. After a brief neck stretch, I recalled the contents of the diary I had just read.

‘There were so many things written in one person’s life. And only the most important, essential things.’

The diary had no content to discard.

Knowledge, wisdom, events, relationships, etc. If I could encompass everything written in his diary, I could definitely take a step towards my goal.

‘No, not just one step. Two, three steps. Maybe even ten steps forward. It’s not an exaggeration to say that.’

The first thing that came to mind was the black-furred Gumiho [Korean nine-tailed fox spirit] in the mental world. The diary meticulously described its past, identity, abilities, and characteristics.

Even its physiology was written down, making me momentarily feel like I was reading a zoological dictionary. I recited and organized the meticulously written content.

“First of all, that guy is a conceptual being.”

Records of the black Gumiho’s appearance existed since a thousand years ago. And records of its death also existed a thousand years ago.

Considering that after its death, black foxes were killed or persecuted as ominous omens, preventing them from growing into Gumihos, the black-furred Gumiho had never appeared since then.

In other words, the black Gumiho in the mental world was the same individual who had been rampant a thousand years ago. It was determined why it was in ‘Baek Seung-woo’s’ mental world.

The black Gumiho, with only its resentment and soul remaining after its body died, continued to be reborn. However, its descendants killed any black foxes suspected of being the black Gumiho’s reincarnation.

But exceptionally, a certain head of the family and his wife took in a black fox as their child. This time, a foothold for proper growth was prepared. The black Gumiho planned to take over the mental world and then ‘Baek Seung-woo’s’ body.

However, that plan was easily thwarted because ‘Baek Seung-woo’s’ mental strength was more robust and solid than expected.

But his mental strength only stopped the black Gumiho’s plan.

He couldn’t bring himself to kill it. The Gumiho’s mental strength, which had been trying to survive by parasitizing its descendants for a thousand years, was also beyond imagination. That’s how a tense stalemate continued for a long time.

“But since I appeared here, everything has gone up in smoke.”

A rubber band stretched to its limit stretches surprisingly far. But at the same time, it can break even with a small stimulus. What happens if you apply a large stimulus instead of a small one in such a situation?

There’s no need to think deeply. Of course, it will break. In this place, ‘Baek Seung-woo’ disappeared, leaving behind a will, and the stalemate between the two eventually tilted towards the black Gumiho.

It was only a matter of time before it took over the body, so it chuckled, but from my point of view, it was just nonsense from an insignificant guy. The Gumiho was huge, but it was an empty shell. Its substance was poor.

Whether its mental strength had worn out over a thousand years, or whether its mental strength was originally like that, the Gumiho, with mental strength weaker than mine, could not run wild.

Rather, I lightly crushed it, like swatting a flying mosquito. That’s how the long battle of nerves came to an end by a third party.

But after reading the entire diary, my thoughts changed.

I even felt a sense of relief that it had ended so anticlimactically. The Gumiho in its prime, as written in the diary. Even if its mental strength in its prime didn’t reach my toes, the problem was its abilities.

The part about analyzing and imitating all mysteries made me think, ‘Well, I also have the fraudulent trait of 「Magic Circuit」, so it doesn’t matter.’ But the part about casually scattering curses that instantly sickened national-level land made me doubt my eyes.

A curse that sickens the land of an entire nation?

Did such a curse even exist in the first place?

If it did, wouldn’t it be a realm beyond even grand magic?

Besides that, the part about being able to manipulate the climate or weather on a national scale made me want to close the diary altogether. What kind of strange monster is this? Moreover, this was said to be a basic ability.

No, what on earth happened 1,000 years ago that such a monster lived? Moreover, it was killed by a Ten-Tailed Fox (天狐) [Tenko in Japanese, a celestial or divine fox] before it could even run wild properly.

Also, if it was that time, Tamamo would have been alive.

Perhaps the earth was a paradise for monsters. The black Gumiho, it was a living witness to such a crazy world. I was even in a state where I had to express joy and gratitude for crushing and killing it like a bug.

“It’s especially fortunate that I eliminated it before it could use its ability to understand and imitate magic or mysteries.”

The black Gumiho’s power. The decisive force that made it infamous among the white foxes was its ability to thoroughly analyze, understand, and imitate the magic or abilities of others.

Perhaps the original version of 「Magic Circuit」.

It’s really fortunate that I killed it before it could use that. The more I read the diary, the more relieved I felt. Let’s stop talking about it here.

Every time I recall the Gumiho’s story, I feel sick. Recalling other contents of the diary, I delved into past relationships.

Among his relationships, there were many people I expected, and there were also unexpected connections.

For example.

“Leona Leonhardt. I never thought this woman would have such a close connection with me.”

Leon means lion.

The woman who put the name of the lion twice was Leona Leonhardt. She has as much pride in her family as her name.

A female student who always appears with incredible speed and unbelievable strength in the novel Baek Eun-ho read, or in the recollections I recall.

As I remember, a main character. A strong person who Baek Eun-ho read as the protagonist.

She was so strong that I didn’t know why she entered the academy.

She was already a complete being from the first grade. Of course, there was still room for growth, but even considering that, she already had skills that were unmatched by other students.

She had already decided on her path.

Unlike her peers in puberty who listen to the classes of various professors and study, *gominhaneun* [Korean for ‘worrying’] whether to become a prosecutor or a magician. I don’t know why she entered Chilseong Academy, but Leona was already *hyeonyeok* [Korean for ‘active duty’] enough to work in the field without any problems.

I carefully examined her. And I recalled what I had read at that time even after leaving the mental world.

Because she was in front of me.

“Who are you?”

“That’s what I want to say. Why are you copying me?”

“Hey! You must be copying me!”

“What are you talking about! You’re the one who copied me!”

Also, two of them.

* * *

A remote alley. I lured 「Vepar」 and 「Vine」.

This was a semi-enclosed space. Just as I was about to finish them off here.

Thud!

Something fell from the sky, and a strong wind swept through the area with dust. I instinctively covered my eyes to protect them.

I quickly took my hands off and looked to see what had fallen, and what do you know.

“You…! Where did you come from?”

“Me? I’ve always been in the underground of this country.”

“Underground? No, what are the uncles in charge of this area doing?! That’s exactly like me! Not just similar, but completely identical!”

What fell was a person. It was also a familiar face. Even if we didn’t have a close relationship at the academy, we often ran into each other while passing through the *bokdo* [Korean for ‘hallway’].

No, it wasn’t strange that Leona was here because it was her hometown.

But it was strange that there were two of her.

Two identical people. Two people with perfectly identical appearance, scent, personality, and temperament.

Were they twins?

I thought, but Leona is an only child.

All of her siblings are younger than her. There may be a younger sister who looks just like Leona but a little younger, but there couldn’t be someone who looks exactly like her.

「Vepar」 and 「Vine」’s gazes were also directed at the two of them due to their sudden appearance. But somehow, 「Vine」’s gaze was a little strange. It was like she was in shock.

I wondered what was going on.

Ah, I know what it is. I realized why there were two of the same person.

“I don’t know why that’s here, but it’s good timing.”

This is killing two birds with one stone. Not only can I kill and capture two demons, but I can also achieve my goal of coming to Germany.

I don’t know how the situation is flowing, but it’s good.

It was very good for me.

“I was worried about how to find it, but I didn’t expect it to come on its own. Or did someone release it? I’m the only one who’s grateful.”

“Ah, there! Assistant Instructor! Can you help me?! It moves exactly like me, so I can’t kill it!!”

“Wait a little bit. I’ll help you after I catch the two here first. But did you just say ‘Assistant Instructor’?”

“Ah, haha! D-Did I say that? No matter how much I think about it, I don’t think I did, but anyway, *gamen* [A respectful Korean term for ‘mask’ or ‘masked person,’ but used here as a playful nickname] Oppa! Please help me quickly! Okay? You have to help me quickly!!!”

How noisy. Still, I can’t just stand by and watch a student get hurt, so I have to intervene quickly.

And well, her opponent was someone I had to recover.

My purpose for coming here. A housekeeper I can trust to take care of the children was right in front of me.

If there is no one I can trust to take care of the children, I just have to work ‘twice’ as hard. That’s why I came here.

The 「Doppelganger」 who will fall into childcare hell with me.

He was facing Leona.