Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 28

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Episode 28

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius 28

Efnell’s Flower Garden (3)

After dealing with the conspiracy, I headed straight to the dungeon.

Although time was wasted unnecessarily, fortunately, the dungeon wasn’t far from here.

It took an hour by taxi.

“There are more people than I thought….”

“Well, of course. I guess you’re new here, young man?”

“Ah, yes. I am.”

From the taxi window, I could see several groups of people wearing armor.

Feeling intense magic and fighting spirit, they were all players. They didn’t look particularly strong, but their spirit was definitely that of players.

As I stared at them intently, the taxi driver asked.

“If you’re here too, young man, is it because of the dungeon?”

“Of course, I came to clear the dungeon.”

“Hahaha, I’ve driven many customers like that. Has it been three years already?”

The driver laughed heartily at my words about clearing the dungeon.

Rather than trying to ridicule me, it seemed my words were genuinely amusing.

There was still some time left before arriving at the dungeon’s main gate. I spoke to satisfy my curiosity.

“Have there been many customers like me?”

“Ah, of course! Imagine how much attention you’d get if you cleared an uncleared dungeon.”

“And that attention would turn into wealth and fame.”

“Hahaha, this young man knows a thing or two! You can’t imagine how many players have rushed in like moths to a flame for that.”

The taxi driver seemed to have made this trip several times.

And each time, he must have seen players rushing to clear Efnell’s Flower Garden. If so, I understood his laughter just now.

“But can you really clear that dungeon, young man? No offense, but it doesn’t seem easy for a handsome young man like you.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, I have experience. I’ve driven various players from F-class to A-class, but they all failed. I don’t think you can do it with that thin body.”

That was a perfectly valid point.

It was a dungeon that even A-class players couldn’t clear. It was reasonable to think it was impossible for me as I was now.

If it were a normal dungeon.

“Does clearing a dungeon necessarily require force?”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing. People say you should buy hardships when you’re young, right?”

“Hahaha, I guess so. This old man said something too unromantic.”

“Then goodbye.”

While talking to the driver, I arrived at the dungeon entrance.

I handed over a card and paid.

As I opened the door, the driver lowered the window and waved.

“Then good luck! Clear it so this old man can use it as a topic for drinking!”

As if he didn’t need an answer, the driver immediately closed the window and drove off.

He was quite a unique and talkative person, but personally, I didn’t mind him.

I wished my driver was that old man instead of that rude guy.

It was a meaningless thought, so I walked towards the dungeon entrance.

The dungeon, Efnell’s Flower Garden, wasn’t owned by a guild or corporation, so anyone could enter with an application.

Because of that, there were quite a few people standing at the entrance.

Everyone had baskets on their backs.

If it weren’t for their energy, I might have mistaken them for herbalists.

Of course, not everyone had weak energy.

One person, in particular, had strong energy. He was also carrying a large basket, a small hatchet, and a neatly pressed school uniform.

‘School uniform……?’

A white shirt and black pants.

On top of that, a red tie and a tailored jacket with a golden embroidered apple tree.

It was a uniform that anyone in this industry would recognize.

Because──

“─Why is a student from our school here?”

Because that uniform was from Chilseong Academy.

I widened my eyes, wondering if it might be a fake.

The pupils split vertically, and amethyst shone.

「Yoma’s Eye」[A skill that enhances vision and perception].

The enhanced vision observed the material of the uniform.

The result was genuine. The uniform there was definitely from Chilseong Academy.

Chilseong Academy’s uniform had basic defense magic and recovery magic woven into it, so it wasn’t easy to counterfeit.

Moreover, judging from the faint magic signature on the uniform, he hadn’t borrowed it from his brother or bought it used.

As I stared at the student’s uniform, my gaze suddenly went to the name tag.

Two letters written in neat cursive.

Lee Ji.

“Lee…… Ji?”

Was his surname ‘Lee’ and his name ‘Ji’?

Lee Ji. Quite a unique name.

But was there such a name among the first graders?

I wracked my brain, but it wasn’t a name I remembered. At least, it was certain that he wasn’t an important supporting character.

At best, he was an extra like me.

“Ah, move! Move!”

See, just like an extra.

Lee Ji cut in line to enter the dungeon, showing off his uniform.

He boasted that he would clear this dungeon, that all the herbs in this dungeon were his.

“……Hey, do you know who that grumpy kid is?”

“Can’t you tell? It’s Chilseong Academy.”

“Ah, that place where the incident happened recently.”

“He must be a bit… off. Let’s be considerate.”

The reaction of the people to him was warm.

Perhaps because he was a student of Chilseong Academy, which had been appearing in all kinds of media recently, they gently overlooked his various boasts.

Well, even I thought he needed a warm gaze.

I closed my eyes for a moment and stood in line to enter the dungeon.

If I took out the teaching assistant certificate in my back pocket, I could cut in line like Lee Ji.

But there was no need to do that.

Because it wouldn’t take long to clear the dungeon anyway.

As I closed my eyes and meditated, my turn soon came.

A blue crack rippling in the air.

As I put my hand there, the system reacted.

[Do you want to enter the dungeon ‘Efnell’s Flower Garden’?]

A blue window appeared in front of me with [YES] and [NO].

I pressed accept without hesitation, and my vision flickered.

* * *

With a sensation of floating, my mind was momentarily dazed.

When I opened my eyes, I was already inside the dungeon.

The strange sensation just now seemed to be the process of entering the dungeon.

I immediately looked around.

It was dark and damp all around.

Tap, tap, when I tapped the wall, the sound spread everywhere.

──Tuuuuk.

──Tuuuuuuk.

“It’s a cave.”

Judging from the echoing sound, it seemed to be a rather deep cave.

I felt the rock wall with my hand and gauged my location. The air was humid, and the walls were full of moisture.

‘……Should I get out first.’

I looked deep into the cave and thought.

I knew roughly where this was. If I got out of the cave, there would be a lush forest or a wide field.

If so, I knew this cave.

To think I’d fall into a place like this.

“I’m lucky.”

This cave was the most important place to clear ‘Efnell’s Flower Garden’. If I wanted, I could wake up the guy deep inside and end the dungeon.

Should I get the hidden piece right away and close the dungeon?

Or should I look around to see if there were any useful materials outside?

Lost in thought, I suddenly remembered one thing.

“Ah, right. It’s a headache if an academy student gets involved…….”

What was his name?

It was quite a unique name.

I didn’t have a hobby of memorizing people’s names, so I quickly forgot.

Still, when I recalled his small stature and the hatchet he was holding, his name came to mind.

Lee Ji, yes, it was definitely such a unique name.

‘If I wake that guy up here, Lee Ji will get caught up in it too.’

If so, clearing the dungeon right away was out of the question.

I had to ensure Lee Ji’s safety before proceeding.

I couldn’t lose a student in a place like this.

Deciding to go outside first, I floated a flame on my palm.

Whirr, the small spark burned the floor like a laser, leaving a trace. It was a signpost I made with my magic.

As I walked towards the cave entrance, I saw a bright light.

I tightly closed my eyes and looked outside, and a beautiful sight greeted me.

It was full of all kinds of plants.

However, you shouldn’t really think of the Amazon or a large forest that we know.

This place was a dungeon, a place where all kinds of unrealities were condensed.

The field was full of all kinds of flowers, and the trees looked magnificent, as if they came out of a game. Below, animals and insects were visible.

There were various animals such as snakes, toads, and birds, and there was no need to mention insects.

“It’s peaceful.”

A gentle breeze greeted me.

Warm sunlight was shining from above, and a beautiful and diverse ecosystem was formed below. A dungeon where you didn’t feel any danger.

This is how Efnell’s Flower Garden lured people to their deaths.

Stomp, stomp, I moved towards the field full of various flowers.

At that time, a flower swaying in the wind brushed my foot.

──Whirr!

At that moment, a blade of flame cut the flower that brushed my foot.

It was a flower with a familiar appearance. Like the information of monsters, the information of plants and animals in this world was also important, so it was knowledge acquired by searching through papers.

It wasn’t a particularly dangerous flower.

Hmm, was I being too sensitive?

‘But I can’t help it. I don’t know when this dungeon will change.’

The people of this world, who don’t have the knowledge of the original work, didn’t treat Efnell’s dungeon as dangerous, but I knew what this place was like, so it was an unavoidable reaction.

As I walked through the field, I encountered the people I had seen earlier.

Everyone was engrossed in collecting plants.

Among the plants that grew here, there were some that were special or sold at high prices, so players often came to collect them like that.

Everyone’s goal wasn’t to clear the dungeon, but to collect.

It was quite a funny sight.

Players, who were supposed to explore and investigate dungeons, came to collect plants to make money.

Well, considering that most players joined guilds aiming for money rather than a spirit of sacrifice, it was only natural.

I couldn’t help but feel sorry.

Leaving them behind, I walked through the field and stopped in my place.

It was a sparsely populated area. A flower blooming there.

The brightly shining flower made me think of the expression ‘burning’ without realizing it.

A flower that burned in the form of a flame that people commonly think of.

It really had the shape of fire.

Because of the heat emitted by the flower, there wasn’t even a single blade of grass around.

Only the blazing flame existed.

“It’s a more precious specimen than I thought. I wonder how much I can sell it for if I take it?”

Among the plants I read about in the paper, it was a rare flower. The official scientific name was also ‘Flame’.

It’s a very intuitive name, but unlike the name, its value was considerable.

Due to the nature of the flame made of fire, it was difficult to cultivate and difficult to propagate.

If so, the only way was to obtain it naturally, but because the surroundings were scorched due to the heat, only one flame was placed alone, making it easy to find.

To think I’d find this here.

I didn’t really need it, but should I take it?

That’s what I thought.

“Move, move! That’s mine!”

Right then, someone desperately hugged the flame.

He blocked it with his body so that no one could collect it.

Although he was small, there was no accident of fire spreading to his body.

That child’s behavior was unique, but he was definitely a student of Chilseong Academy.

“Hey, the guy I saw earlier! I’ve already marked this flower. I can’t give it to anyone!”

“Well, I don’t know if you were next to it all the time. I don’t know about suddenly shouting that it’s mine and claiming ownership.”

“Oh, I can’t help it! To touch this flower, I have to pick this.”

Lee Ji’s hands were holding white flowers.

Unnamed weeds. But their efficacy was excellent.

Even I, who have learned several papers, am unfamiliar with the plant.

Lee Ji squeezed those plants with his hands as if it were natural.

The juice dripped from his hands, lowering the firepower of the flame.

“Do you know a lot about plants?”

Judging from his expertise in botany, was he a wizard who handles plants?

But the magic power felt from his body was insignificant to be called a wizard. Roughly, the amount of magic power didn’t even reach the average for his grade.

If so, he wasn’t a wizard.

But how did he get that knowledge?

Just in time, Lee Ji said.

“Will you give up if I tell you?”

“Isn’t that too much like a gangster? A flame of that size would cost at least 10 million won [Roughly $7,500 USD].”

“Then I won’t tell you. I don’t want to work hard on something that doesn’t make money.”

“Yes, I don’t care about money anyway. Do whatever you want.”

The wealth of the Cheonho Baekga [One of the wealthiest families] is enormous.

I don’t know how much of it I can use, but even if I sold the flame, it wouldn’t be as much as a speck of dust in my property.

When I gave up the flame, Lee Ji’s face brightened.

I don’t know if he’s naive or if he believed my words as they were, but Lee Ji collected the flame and put it in his pocket. In the process, the plants he collected in his pocket came into view.

Among the various plants in the pocket, the blue color was particularly noticeable.

Just in case, I took a closer look and it was Wolru flower.

I could recognize it at a glance because it was a flower I often gave as a gift to my teacher or teachers.

To think that flower is also in the novel.

That’s quite expensive.

Whether I do that or not, Lee Ji puts the flame in his pocket.

I kept it as it was.

“……?”

“Why do you keep looking at me? Is it because I didn’t tell you?”

“I’m not very interested in your knowledge…….”

“Then what? Are you asking for some attention?”

I wasn’t really interested in him.

The fact that he has a lot of knowledge about plants was also a fleeting curiosity.

But why is Lee Ji, who has knowledge that I don’t even know, doing this?

“It’s not good to carry the flame for a long time.”

“What, you might get burned? I know that too. I’m preparing for it.”

“No, you’ll get addicted to the flame soon.”

Lee Ji, who hadn’t paid much attention to my words, suddenly turned his head.

His face wasn’t so much shocked as it was a look of disbelief that he couldn’t believe.

What, you really don’t know?

“Not a burn, but an addiction? What do you see this as?”

“Well, it’s a flame.”

“Yes, a flame. A pure flame flower that burns endlessly.”

“At the same time, it’s nothing more than a crystal of fire poison.”

“……What?”

Lee Ji’s expression turned red and blue.

Lee Ji, who was excited about the fact that he knew for the first time, leaned forward and spoke eloquently.

“That can’t be. There’s poison, this is a paradise for medicinal herbs! That’s Efnell’s Flower Garden!”

“Is there a paradise in such a disturbing place?”

“What? What’s so disturbing about it?”

“If you don’t know, take a closer look around.”

The surroundings were full of green.

Grass, flowers, trees, etc. It was full of grass, and animal-shaped monsters were running around in between.

At first glance, it was a peaceful scene, but if you looked closely, you could find something strange. Dewdrops flowing along the leaves.

The moment it fell on the flower.

Chiik.

A hole was drilled in the petals along with the sound of something burning.

It was proof that there was poison in the dew.

“Why, why is there a hole…….”

“There’s no way there’s a dungeon like heaven in the world. This place is hell disguised as a flower garden.”

“H-How do you know this……?”

It’s a pointless question.

I know it vaguely because Eve keeps talking about the novel every day, and the guilds with large sizes know it as much as the uncleared dungeon.

However, the guilds are reluctant to share information with the outside, saying that they will clear it first and gain fame.

“Well, that’s it.”

Rustle, rustle, I rummaged through my pocket.

Cards in my wallet.

I took out the card that was used as an ID card inside the academy.

Originally, I didn’t really intend to take it out, but I can’t help it because his tone is so annoying.

“Be polite to the teaching assistant. You rude bastard.”

I held the teaching assistant ID card close to Lee Ji’s face.

At that moment, Lee Ji’s expression was filled with shock.

Because the performance evaluation period is coming soon.

Even if the professor is in charge of creating the questions, the grading of the essay questions is at the discretion of the teaching assistant.

You’re dead now.