Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 319

Race Alliance (4)

A spirit turned into a Rider.

With those words, the elf closed his mouth.

Not only that, but the entire group was enveloped in silence.

It seemed the talk about spirits had dampened the mood.

─There must be a reason they were called companions.

‘Definitely. It’s more like an atmosphere of impending doom than just a dampened mood.’

Well, the mood was ruined, but.

I was able to solidify the information about spirits.

‘Souls dwelling in mountains, rivers, plants, inanimate objects, and natural phenomena.’

In simple terms, animism [the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence].

A spirit faith.

‘I may not know about lower spirits, higher spirits, or the Four Great Spirits, but I do know about spirit faith.’

There are countless stories in the world.

And the best of them is mythology.

Stories have power, and borrowing or imitating figures or weapons from mythology can grant unimaginable power.

My prosthetic left arm is also modeled after that of a chief god from some mythology.

Therefore, countless players and blacksmiths try to imitate everything in mythology. Of course, the vast majority fail.

There’s a reason mythology is mythology.

So most people have given up on imitating mythology.

The only people still obsessed with mythology are generally those who are interested in it.

Commonly known as archaeologists and historians.

They are well-versed in all mythologies, but they don’t know everything.

Occasionally, there are mythologies whose origins are so unclear that even exploration is difficult, let alone imitation. That is, primitive beliefs.

The prime example of this is.

Spirit Faith (精靈信仰).

‘If the spirits are the same as the spirit faith I know, and they have become corrupted and transformed into Riders.’

This won’t be easy.

And I’m not just saying that.

‘I’m going to die.’

There’s a high probability of dying.

No, there’s no need to argue about probabilities.

I will definitely die.

* * *

Around the time we arrived near the alliance camp the elves mentioned.

‘Since I’ve started, I should go to the end.’

I came to a conclusion.

To see the end.

‘I don’t know the ending or the final boss of this world.’

I have other memories, but not the last one.

I had no information about what is commonly called the epilogue.

Baek Eun-ho, who came from the outside like me, also had no information about the epilogue. Rather, he asked me back.

‘He said he saw me.’

Baek Eun-ho said.

That I had proofread her novel.

He clearly said that I, more than anyone else, know about the ending of this world.

‘But what can I do if I don’t remember?’

Memories that don’t come to mind.

Even if I hold onto them, they won’t return from the forgotten, stale memories.

The only thing I can do now is to rush headlong.

‘I’ll figure it out as I go.’

It’s a reckless thought, but.

There was no other way.

I checked my body and stopped in front of a huge wooden building.

“Um… esteemed guest. This is the place we were talking about.”

“Camp?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“This is a camp?”

It’s very different from the camps I know.

A camp for battle. A camp for command.

From my perspective, having experienced both.

“Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to call this a city?”

I couldn’t hide my astonishment.

The camp was made of wood. Not made of wooden planks, but the tree itself seemed to have grown to accommodate many people inside, which caught my eye.

Just in case, I stomped my foot.

Thump!

A small vibration spread.

The vibration spread widely, and rough information about the underground entered my mind.

“There’s a fortress underground, and the building seems to have very deep roots in the ground. To treat this as just a camp…”

The information was shocking.

And this was the same for the elves.

“Yes? How did you know that? Did I mention that too?”

“Oh, our captain. You’ve caused an accident.”

“Captain, the fortress underground is top secret, isn’t it? It’s information that even the residents don’t know.”

“……If I report this to the military police, can I get a promotion?”

The elf archer, Sirius, grabbed his head.

He cursed himself for blabbing all sorts of secrets and classified information to me just 10 minutes ago. And the unit members cursed Sirius.

It seemed they really thought he had blurted it out.

“Don’t worry. You never mentioned anything about the underground.”

“Oh, really?”

“Then how did you find out, Mr. Soo?”

When I defended him, an elf approached with a suspicious expression.

“I stomped my foot.”

“Yes?”

“I read the underground structure through the vibrations caused by stomping.”

“Yes?”

The suspicious expression became even more puzzled. I tilted my head at her.

“Why? It’s not that difficult.”

Sense of magic. Excellent senses.

If you have these two things, you can learn a light trick in a day or two. Of course, the phrase ‘only if talent supports you’ must be added before that.

─What if you don’t have talent?

‘Well, 80 years? Maybe even more.’

This trick relies purely on talent, not effort.

It’s impossible to imagine a case without talent.

The specific number of 80 years was just a rough estimate.

In other words, I’m full of talent.

As if his thoughts were expressed through his body.

The elves lowered their heads and drooped.

They looked like wet laundry.

‘Why are they like that? Aren’t they happier?’

A camp. During war, a camp is like a soldier’s home.

No one would hate coming home alive.

Maybe they’re like that because one person died?

Perhaps the empty space feels bigger because they came home.

If that thought is correct.

‘They’re still young. If you roll around on the battlefield for a few years, the emotional areas are worn out to the point of disappearing.’

─That’s just my opinion, but think about it.

‘Huh?’

Tamamo looked at the elves pitifully and said.

─They seem to be feeling a sense of self-loathing rather than a sense of loss. No, maybe there’s a sense of loss mixed in too.

‘If so, what sense of loss?’

─A sense of loss about the time they’ve been training.

Why did they say that to this monster of talent?

─……Even I can’t handle him.

The progenitor of magic. Even Tamamo, who first established the discipline of magic, couldn’t fully fathom Seung-woo’s talent.

He not only acquires knowledge as he teaches, but also transforms it into his own enlightenment and transforms it into clothes that fit his body [adapts it perfectly to himself].

In a sense, the elves who bowed their heads were foolish.

“……I see.”

I knew the meaning of what she said.

So, they’re not jealous of my talent, but they’re so jealous that they’re frustrated. Hmm, foolish.

‘You have to aim for what you can aim for.’

The elves said.

They said they were in a war that has lasted for over 10 years.

But this side’s war has lasted for more than a generation.

That long time has left countless veterans.

Even those veterans who have lived their entire lives on the battlefield evaluated their remaining lives as miserable when they saw my talent. They gave up their remaining years and taught me, and they gave up their rest and saved me.

A talent that you can accept even if you give up your life.

Rather, it was a talent close to a curse, but.

That’s why.

“How arrogant. Knowing that the difference in skill between me and you is obvious, to be frustrated by such a trivial skill.”

“……!”

“!!!!”

Did they think I was being too harsh?

The elves raised their heads and looked back at me.

After the harsh criticism, I could no longer find any goodwill on their faces, and neither did I.

I don’t know what kind of expression my face is making because I’m wearing a mask, but.

─Are you…… okay?

It certainly wouldn’t be good.

“……Of course I’m okay.”

They’re people I met today in the first place.

They’ve been incompetent since the first meeting.

Having obtained basic information and arrived at their camp.

“I’ve done everything I can.”

I’ve extracted everything I can from those guys.

Now, all I have to do is combine the information I got from the elves with the information I can get from others to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

Step by step.

Just like I came to this world alone.

I opened the door of the camp wide open again and walked in alone.

“Who is the highest-ranking person here?”

I suddenly looked for the highest-ranking person.

“……Um?”

“That mask. Does anyone know him?”

“No, I’ve never seen him before.”

There were really many people inside the camp.

Strong people, weak people.

Humans and beasts.

Elves and dwarves.

They were gathered together to rest.

“Perfect timing.”

I took just one step forward.

I didn’t walk in with a thumping sound.

The moment I tried to step inside the camp.

─────!!!

Murderous intent, magic, divinity. Energies that lumped together all sorts of energies assailed me.

Yes, this. This is it.

‘This is a soldier, and this is an organized soldier.’

Everyone inside the camp is looking at me.

Some people are exhausted, but their momentum is not inferior to others.

Strangers should be careful. The most basic norm on the battlefield.

The elves came to me recklessly because they saved me, but yes.

This is normal.

“……Who are you?”

A man approached me.

A huge physique. As he got closer, his shadow covered the mask.

The incredibly huge man was not human.

‘Bear.’

A beastman mixed with a bear and a human, but infinitely close to a bear.

He spoke informally and did not hide his hostility.

“……Good.”

I can fully understand that a stranger suddenly came and exuded hostility and spoke informally.

But.

“Except for just one thing.”

“Why are you talking to yourself? I clearly asked you. Who are you?”

“Chief! Start with a punch!”

“That’s right! It’s not like the chief to start with a conversation! Start by throwing a punch!”

“Take off that mask. Who knows? Maybe a pretty girl will pop out!”

The overall atmosphere is noisy.

Like the elves, I know what kind of tendency the alliance they were talking about has. It is probably an open and cheerful atmosphere.

Good. Everything is good. Except for one thing.

“But, it’s not right to speak informally in front of a senior.”

Did you say it’s been 10 years since the war?

Did you say it’s been almost 10 years?

Whatever the case, it’s not as long as I’ve been rolling around on the battlefield.

I officially enlisted at the age of 15, but if you add the years I’ve been going to the battlefield and wielding a sword, it’s been over 14 years.

“What does that mean……!”

Thud!

Before the bear beastman could resolve his question.

I punched him in the stomach.

This is a love gift from a senior who has been rolling around on the battlefield for a long time to a junior from a distant land.

“You have to keep the manners.”

Thump!

The bear fell, and silence came to the camp.

I hoped that manners would be kept now, but.

─────!!!!!

The energies surrounding me became more ferocious.

It seems that the remaining juniors also need love.

─……Crazy bastard. Are you beating them up to raise your profile?

She knew my intentions.

I had no interest in manners in the first place, and I was going to show off my power to the alliance group while picking on trivial things.

……Only the first bear beastman became pitiful.