Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 36

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Episode 36

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius Episode 36

Nine Tails Guild (1)

I took a taxi to the headquarters of a certain guild.

The name written on the headquarters was the ‘Nine Tails’ Guild.

It is one of only five S-class guilds in the country, and less than 100 worldwide. As a side note, as the name suggests, it has a very close relationship with the Cheonho Baekga [Thousand Fox Clan].

‘In the era of the previous head, it was an armed group derived from Cheonho Baekga, wasn’t it?’

─The Nine Tails Guild is the strongest guild in Korea. They may have personality flaws due to their strength, but their pure force is the best. Well, it was derived from the Cheonho Baekga’s armed forces.

Um, why was an armed group from one family derived into a guild with no connection? Are you curious about the setting behind this too?!

The Gucheon Se-ga [Nine Heavens Clan], composed of Ains, pass on their own techniques to future generations, but in the case of Cheonho Baekga, they teach it to the guild’s players or executives!

When the previous head founded the guild, he promoted those techniques as the guild’s exclusive property. Thanks to that, they were able to quickly train many strong players. Ah, of course, they’re still too obsessed with power, so they’re destined to fail in the later stages.

Eve said.

The predecessor of the [Nine Tails] Guild is Cheonho Baekga.

It is an armed group built by teaching their techniques.

Therefore, [Nine Tails] receives orders from Cheonho Baekga.

More precisely, instructions from the Council of Elders rather than the family.

They are loyal to the 5th Elder among them.

Because he also serves as the guild leader of [Nine Tails].

The guild leader promotes the logic of power, expanding his position and status.

Thanks to that, [Nine Tails] was able to develop into a global guild.

Was it a problem that they were too obsessed with power?

Power (權力). Force (武力). Wealth (金力).

From the mid-point when they had obtained all the power they could, they slowly declined.

In the later stages, it disappears entirely.

Is it because they reached the highest level that can be reached with power alone?

They crave more power than necessary and fester from within.

Even if the guild collapses.

They never change.

‘They do anything to become stronger. That’s what the players belonging to this guild are like.’

They are different from heroes who selflessly dedicate themselves.

Instead of nobility, they take practicality and profit.

That is the essence of [Nine Tails].

“Since it’s such a place, it’s okay for me to devour it.”

It is a group that will disappear someday.

It is a power that will weaken from a certain point.

So, before [Nine Tails] collapses, I can take it over and manipulate it as I please without any problems.

Step by step.

I stood at the main gate of the guild headquarters.

The guards tried to surround me, but they stepped back in surprise after checking my face.

Having entered the headquarters without a pass, I immediately boarded the elevator.

I wonder if the guild leader, no, the 5th Elder, is on the top floor.

Just then, a voice brushed past my ear.

“C, Chairman……?!”

I wasn’t the only one on the elevator.

There was also a female employee in a suit.

Judging from her weak muscles and low magic power, she seems to be an office worker.

But chairman?

“Was there such a position here?”

“I, Isn’t that what’s on the news right now?”

“Ah, is that what they call it here?”

She was staring blankly at me.

Her trembling pupils were filled with fear towards me.

I see, so that ‘Chairman’ sound was directed at me.

I have so many titles that I didn’t realize they were calling me at first.

Assistant, teacher, head of the family. And even chairman.

Geez, I’ve mastered all sorts of titles.

Still, if the guild employee calls me chairman, I guess this much is possible?

I approached the female employee.

“H, 히يي익……!”

“I’m not planning on doing anything bad. Just let me ask you one question.”

“Y, Yes?! I, I’ll answer anything, so please spare my life……!”

Her condition isn’t good.

I should just ask a question and leave.

“Do you know where the guild leader is?”

“G, Guild leader?”

“Yeah, that 40-something guy with white hair and a white beard. The guy with seven tails on his butt.”

I described what I saw at the last meeting, just in case she didn’t know.

Then her face turned blue.

She has a completely terrified expression.

Why is she making that expression?

I was curious, so I moved closer.

Kyaaak, she screamed and waved her hands.

“I don’t know such a person!”

“No, I’m asking where the guild leader is……”

“T, The guild leader is in the deepest room on the rooftop!”

What, she says she doesn’t know, but she knows very well.

I scratched my head, wondering if my reputation was that bad.

But when I think about it, it’s a bit strange.

If I was that scary, she would have screamed from the beginning.

I wonder why she’s suddenly screaming like that.

Was there anything I said that might have stimulated her?

‘I just told her what the guild leader looks like… Ah, is that it.’

The female employee’s scream is not directed at me.

The middle-aged man with white hair that I described.

That is the guild leader of [Nine Tails].

I knew that guy had the face of a rebel, but.

I didn’t know she would be so startled just by describing him.

Is he suppressing internal politics with fear?

I suddenly became curious.

Then I should satisfy my curiosity right away.

Click, I pressed the elevator button.

The top floor that the female employee mentioned.

When I pressed the 9th floor button, it quickly went to the top.

I recalled her words and reactions and went to the innermost part of the top floor. There, a huge and luxurious door greeted me.

As I tried to pull the door.

Spark, sparks flew from my hand.

I unknowingly took my hand off the door due to the heavy sensation.

Ha, this is déjà vu.

The incident in the morning suddenly came to mind.

‘A huge door, a huge sense of intimidation felt from the outside.’

It felt similar to before entering the conference room.

The difference is that the meeting in the morning was a combination of the energy emitted by the nine elders and two siblings.

Now, he’s filling the intimidation of the other 10 people alone.

I have to be prepared for this.

I took a deep breath in and out.

‘Act confidently.’

There is no need to be kind to the other person.

There is no need to be intimidated.

I am the head of the family now.

I’m just here to meet the elder as the head of the family.

I braced myself and opened the door.

Squeak, the door with the sign ‘Guild Leader’s Office’ written on it opened with a scream. What caught my eye as soon as I opened the door was not a large space or expensive interior.

It was a relatively small man compared to the space.

“Hello, 5th Elder.”

“Head of the family, I heard the news that you were coming. If you had given me advance notice, I would have prepared some refreshments.”

“What advance notice? It’s not like the head of the family can’t come here.”

He responded with a friendly smile.

Looking at him like this, he just looks like a handsome middle-aged man.

But why was that employee so scared?

I was momentarily wondering, but the answer came soon.

‘……Heavy.’

It’s not just the atmosphere that’s heavy.

The air spread throughout the area, and each and every magic power was dyed with his color.

This space is undoubtedly his domain.

Everything was revolving only for him.

It is proof that he has reached a considerable level.

I understood the reaction of that female employee just now.

The man in front of me is someone you can’t help but be afraid of.

An existence that is different from ordinary players.

Whether he’s a boss or whatever, it’s proof that you’re not in your right mind if you’re not afraid.

Ah, of course, I’m not in my right mind, so it’s okay.

* * *

The 5th Elder welcomed me.

No, should I call him the Nine Tails Guild Leader here?

It wasn’t exactly a welcoming atmosphere, but I followed his escort and sat on a large sofa.

He sat across from me.

Then, he rattled the teacups, saying he would brew some tea for a while.

A silent moment when the conversation stopped for a while.

I wondered what was here, so I looked around.

Then something caught my eye.

‘……Is that a nameplate?’

There was a nameplate on the desk.

A common nameplate that lists your position and name.

In a normal guild, they would have written the position of guild leader, but.

He engraved a position on the nameplate that had nothing to do with the guild, contrary to my expectations.

What on earth was he thinking when he engraved that?

It was a bizarre act that exceeded my imagination.

[High Ranker─Baek Seok-ho]

Instead of the position of 5th Elder or the position of Guild Leader, what was engraved on the nameplate was his brilliant achievement.

He was a high ranker.

‘Is he proud of being a high ranker?’

That could be.

Ranker and High Ranker are a type of achievement selected by the system.

Rankers are those who have reached outstanding levels in each field, with the system evaluating their force or achievements.

Among the people I met, Nam Hwa-yeon was a ranker.

She received the title of Demon King along with the achievement of Ranker from the system.

Her record can still be checked by opening the status window.

‘Ranker is a great achievement, but High Ranker is an even higher achievement.’

If rankers are those who have reached outstanding levels in each field.

What High Ranker means is the best in each field only.

Only 100 players can boast that achievement.

‘It’s definitely an achievement worth boasting about, but I didn’t know he would engrave it on a nameplate and brag about it. Was Baek Seok-ho a more self-conscious person than I thought?’

While I was changing my evaluation of Baek Seok-ho in my head.

Baek Seok-ho, who had finished brewing the tea, brought the teacups and opened his mouth.

“It seems like it’s been a long time since the head of the family has come here.”

“Yeah, it’s the first time since the late predecessor passed away.”

“……”

Baek Seok-ho was speechless at my answer.

The guild leader, who was the former owner of this space, was this body’s biological father.

It was the first time I had come since he died.

As an elder of the family, it would have been difficult to answer.

Baek Seok-ho moistened his parched throat with tea and once again led the awkward conversation.

“I saw you at the meeting this morning after a long time. You have really grown in the meantime.”

“Ah, it couldn’t be helped because there was a group that wanted to kill me.”

“Oh my, oh my. You’ve been through a lot in many ways.”

“Haha, I have a lot of enemies.”

The main characters and the Minds [group of antagonists].

And even the man in front of me.

Considering the forces under his command, countless people are after my life.

An environment where I have no choice but to become stronger in order to survive.

Even a lion that drops its cubs off a cliff would not have grown up in such a tough environment.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Shadow.”

“……Could you please explain in more detail?”

“A shadow has been added to the guys who were after me.”

Shadow.

That’s not some kind of slang for assassin.

Literally, the shadow was after my life, wasn’t it?

The materialized shadow with physical power aimed for my breath as coldly as a blade. There are only two groups in my memory that can do this.

“Is it the Assassination Brigade (暗殺旅團)?”

“No, that side is a group with emotions restrained like dolls. The ones I killed definitely had emotions.”

That’s not it.

They are a group that will be after my life in the future, but it was not yet time for a bounty to be placed on that assassin group.

Then the other place must be the answer.

I stretched my head over the table.

I whispered next to Baek Seok-ho’s ear.

“The ability to handle shadows. It looked familiar.”

“……Is that so.”

“So, I thought, huh? It resembled what the elders of the family used to use. Enough to mistake it for the same ability.”

“……”

Shadow. Coincidentally, the shadow had a deep connection with the Gumiho [nine-tailed fox].

The Gumiho is a monster that embraces the moon and shadows.

It fits perfectly with the guild name [Nine Tails].

Of course, that alone is not enough to be evidence.

But this is all the evidence I can present.

So I have no choice but to bluff.

Blind his eyes by bluffing false information as if it were real.

I feel like I don’t have the skills these days, but my guts are growing.

“Right? My guess must be right. No, is it right?”

“Haha, that must be the case. How could we old men do anything wrong to the head of the family…….”

“I wonder if the 1st Elder would think so too.”

1st Elder, the center of Cheonho Baekga and the most authoritative Great Elder.

He was Baek Seok-ho’s nemesis.

Similar talent, equal ability. But the opposite tendency.

I don’t know what kind of feelings the two have for each other.

Baek Seok-ho couldn’t control his emotions for a moment just by hearing about the 1st Elder.

───!!

The air screamed.

The energy emanating from Baek Seok-ho’s body was swirling violently. If it were a normal person, they might have fainted from the sensation of suffocating.

But I was sitting there calmly.

Rather, he said with an unpleasant look.

“Kill the killing intent.”

“……”

“I won’t tell you to reduce your energy, but kill your killing intent. That would be the least amount of respect an elder should show to the head of the family.”

Courtesy.

That one word forced his actions.

I don’t know the exact reason, but as the head of [Nine Tails], who is obsessed with power, he is strangely strict about the law of power.

In addition, it is impossible for an elder to show killing intent to the head of the family.

After hearing my words, the energy emanating from Baek Seok-ho subsided.

Now I can have a proper conversation.

“Oh, I showed a moment of ugliness.”

“That’s okay. That’s how it is when you get old.”

“You’ve been joking too much since earlier.”

“Do you really think so?”

I don’t know well, but I remember hearing it.

When joining [Nine Tails], everyone is taught one skill.

And if you build up achievements and become an executive, they will guide you to evolve into one of nine skills.

There must have been a shadow among them.

I poked at it with the thought that maybe.

“Shall we make a deal?”

“……What are you talking about?”

Baek Seok-ho’s tone, which had clearly turned cold.

It seems like I poked the right answer.

I smiled slightly and replied.

“Put me in your guild.”

‘Your’ guild.

When I named it ‘your’ guild instead of ‘our’ guild, Baek Seok-ho’s eyes closed.

This is clearly testing the waters.

Otherwise, this answer would not be easy.

‘Could it be that he realized that the real power of the guild is in my hands?’

No, that’s not it.

There was no sign or movement.

Baek Seung-woo has no way of knowing what some elders don’t know.

The leash that the former head of the family put on to prevent Nine Tails’ unilateral actions.

Only the highest-ranking executive, ‘Nine Tails’, knows that the leash can no longer bind them.

Even if he knows, there is nothing that powerless head of the family can do.

With this, Baek Seok-ho said with a smiling face.

“Haha, how could the head of the family come under me?”

“Hey, you’re thinking too rigidly. I can go under you with the feeling of doing training.”

“Training…… Certainly, there would be such benefits for the head of the family. But what benefits would there be for me that I would have to accept the head of the family’s proposal?”

“Benefits? It’s over there.”

Baek Seok-ho, who refuses in a roundabout way.

Yes, originally, he would have had no benefits.

If I hadn’t done what I did today.

I got up from my seat for a moment and looked for the remote control.

The remote control to operate the large TV in one corner of the guild leader’s office.

Beep, the power turned on and several news headlines appeared on the clear screen.

I turned it on at a good time.

[South Korea’s 3 Unconquered Dungeons, ‘Efnell’s Garden’ is Cleared. What happened inside the dungeon?!]

[Reports of seeing something huge inside. Was that the boss monster of the dungeon?]

[Lee Ji (16 years old)/Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. ‘The dungeon was cleared alone by the teacher, no, Baek Seung-woo.’ revealed, causing a stir on SNS [Social Networking Services]!]

[Baek Seung-woo revealed to be the person who cleared ‘Efnell’s Garden’!]

“How about this much?”