Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 376

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Episode 376

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius 376

I didn’t expect to see you here. (1)

Eve. My friend.

My only surviving comrade.

—Didn’t you say you’d kill me if you ever saw me again?

And that I’d deserve a hard punch if we ever met again, you son of a bitch.

‘To think you put me in this crazy world.’

I’m grateful for the chance to fulfill my dream, but seeing a world that’s just as messed up as the one we protected makes me want to punch you even more. But it’s not like I ever truly wanted you dead.

—I thought you did before.

Stop ruining the mood.

Besides, you’re the kind of guy who’d survive even if I *did* try to kill you.

When I reached the pinnacle of martial arts with just a sword, the only ones who could match me were Adam, who had completed his Ascension among the Calamities [powerful, world-altering beings], and Eve, who controlled all the space around her with her magic. Just those two.

Not that I ever lost to either of them.

I won against Adam in a grueling battle of attrition, surviving to the end, and Eve’s mysteries made it impossible for me to inflict a fatal blow. It’s only possible because we have bad synergy.

‘Especially Eve is special.’

Her magic is incomprehensible.

A mystery that cannot be deciphered.

Even I, who have made a name for myself as a mage, can’t help but feel awed when I recall her magic that adorned the sky.

—Is she more amazing than that woman?

‘Professor Nam Hwa-yeon?’

—Among the sorcerers, no, mages I’ve seen, there’s no one who surpasses her dedication. Even I, who was once obsessed with sorcery and research, couldn’t immerse myself in knowledge like she does.

‘You’re surprisingly humble.’

—Of course, if I were to sincerely dedicate myself to accumulating knowledge and wisdom, it wouldn’t be impossible. But living like that would be boring.

A boring life. That’s how Tamamo describes Nam Hwa-yeon’s life, trapped in the three shackles of work, research, and magic.

That’s how dedicated Nam Hwa-yeon is to magic, but.

‘Even she can’t compare to Eve.’

—Hmm? I’ve never seen the magic that Eve woman wields, but is she really that great? To the point where even Nam Hwa-yeon can’t be compared?

‘Well, when Eve was using magic on the battlefield, I had no knowledge of magic. I can’t objectively say who used more amazing magic.’

—But you still rate Eve higher, don’t you?

‘Ah, that’s because…’

It’s nothing much.

I muttered, caressing the glass tube where a woman who looked exactly like Eve, but was definitely not Eve, was sleeping.

‘Her firepower is different.’

—Firepower?

‘Tamamo, you…’

The woman visible beyond the glass tube.

And in my eyes, reflected on the surface, I could still vividly feel the magic that Eve boasted. Eve, who wielded various magics. The moment she unleashed a wide-area fire magic to wipe out the demon army.

‘Have you ever seen the world burn?’

I witnessed a threat greater than the Seven Calamities.

* * *

We were each other’s first friends.

And the only friends who remained until the end.

As the people around them died, Seungwoo and Eve honed their skills, desperately trying to protect those within their reach.

I pride myself on knowing her better than anyone because we went through thick and thin together.

“She resembles Eve, but this woman is not my friend.”

The person in the glass tube is completely different.

Her appearance was clearly Eve herself, but the essence that defined her was completely different from Eve. If the essence surrounding Eve was as vast as the wide universe, the essence of the woman in the glass tube was transparent.

So pure and transparent that it couldn’t be felt at all.

There is no person without essence.

But I couldn’t find any essence in her.

Where she was born, how she lived, what talents she had, what she learned. Not a single clue revealing her life could be felt.

As if.

‘As if she never existed in the first place.’

That’s absurd.

Even a newborn baby is born with the essence inherited from its parents. For example, if a half-elf is born between an elf and a human, the essence that represents that baby will primarily be human and elf.

If that elf had learned spiritism, they would have an aptitude for spiritism.

If they had a contract with the fire spirit, the baby would have a slight aptitude for the fire spirit. Perhaps the abilities of a distant ancestor were passed down to later generations, and they were born with an overwhelming talent completely different from their parents.

In this way, essence is proof and an ID card that reveals the person.

Even a newborn baby possesses its own essence, but a person who doesn’t feel that essence at all…

‘It’s like being born alone without parents or ancestors. No, if that’s really the case, then the expression “born” might be less appropriate than “created.”

My head is getting more and more complicated.

I want to concentrate on thinking to organize these clues, but the fact that the woman in the glass tube looks like Eve makes it impossible to concentrate.

Sigh, I really don’t know what to do.

Just as I was sighing in frustration.

“Could it be that you guys are from the underground research lab too?”

“……Huh?”

“I couldn’t understand how you became the Tower Master less than a month after joining, but if you’re from here, it makes sense! Wow, the Tower Master has finally found and selected a successor.”

—I think she’s misunderstanding something?

I think so too.

But there’s no reason to clear up the misunderstanding.

Not when the atmosphere is this good.

“I don’t know why you tied me up, but if you’re someone who properly calls ‘her’ Eve, then you’re someone I can trust.”

I think there’s something up with her?

For an extra who’s just been kidnapped, about to spill information and get killed, she seems to know a lot.

“…….”

After a moment of silence, I opened my mouth after some thought.

“You. What should I call you from now on?”

“Huh? You can just call me ‘Researcher’ or ‘That guy’ like you do now.”

“It makes me uncomfortable. Me.”

It seems like there’s more information to dig out of this guy.

In that case, I can’t keep calling him Researcher.

How many researchers are there in this tower right now? I, who just took office as the new Tower Master, am also a researcher, and Luna, who follows me around as an assistant, is also a researcher. It was time for some differentiation.

“U-Um, just call me Low-Ranking Researcher 48.”

“Low-Ranking Researcher 48? Is that your name? That’s unique.”

“No. It’s just like a code. I’m the 48th low-ranking one.”

“It’s too annoying to call you that. Just tell me your name. Surely your name isn’t so long that even you have trouble saying it, is it?”

A name that’s so long it’s hard to say.

I’ve only seen it once in my life.

It was probably over 64 characters in Korean. That’s almost a sentence.

He would say his name like a machine gun. It was impressive how his name would change slightly every time he introduced himself. But every time he said his name, there was an important emphasis, so I memorized that part.

‘In the end, that guy died quickly on the battlefield, so there was no need to memorize his name.’

I remember being anxious that they would misspell his name on the tombstone because it was so damn long.

‘Surely this guy isn’t from the same tribe as him, is he?’

I really don’t want to hear it if he is.

I’m confident I can just call him Low-Ranking Researcher No. 48.

“I have a name, and it’s not that long!”

Thank goodness, he’s different from that guy.

Yeah, there’s no way there’d be another crazy name like that.

Seeing one in my life is enough.

“But it’s not a good name. It doesn’t have any meaning.”

“What’s wrong with that? There are many names without meaning these days.”

“Ah, is that so? I’m an orphan, so I made up a name that looked cool myself. But unlike the other classmates, I’m the only one whose name doesn’t have a meaning…….”

I don’t need useless information like being an orphan.

—Anyway, I’ve lived for over a thousand years, so I’ve forgotten my parents’ names.

“I lost my parents too, so I’m alone.”

Same here.

Everyone here is an orphan, so I wasn’t particularly moved.

—Huh? You said you have parents in the outside world.

“……Ah.”

Oh, that’s right, I almost forgot.

I’ve been in this body for almost a year, so I got confused.

The ‘I’ who doesn’t have parents is Baek Seungwoo in this world, and my real parents are alive and well. Now that I think about it.

‘I’m the only one whose parents are alive?’

I suddenly felt heavy.

What is this thorny seat? I feel a prick in the corner of my heart, even though I haven’t done anything wrong.

“So everyone is in the same situation as me. We’re all people who know the sadness and pain of not having parents, so at least loosen the rope on my shoulder. Could you retighten the rope on the shoulder a little looser? It’s, it’s tied too tight and it hurts!”

“Oh, sorry. I thought you meant to tie it tighter.”

“Who would ask to be tied tighter when they’re already tied up!”

“There are some people somewhere in the world, though?”

It’s irrelevant to us who don’t have lovers, though.

As I tightened the rope with a blank expression, Tamamo whispered in my ear.

—You did that on purpose to change the subject, didn’t you?

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

—I heard everything in your mind earlier.

‘Yeah, what can I hide from you who uses mind-reading?’

—It’s not mind-reading, it’s because we’re spiritually bound by the ring, okay? And I’m not the only one who knows.

‘……?’

—Look over there.

‘…….’

Tamamo pointed to a certain place.

I looked there without much thought.

“……Ha.”

Luna was glaring at me with a cold look.

What’s with that look.

‘Why is she like that? Like she’s been betrayed.’

There’s no reason for her to have that look all of a sudden.

Ah, wait, betrayal?

No way.

‘She thought there was an invisible consensus between us, but after overhearing Tamamo’s words, that consensus was shattered?’

Ah, really. It sounds like a really weird thought, but it seems right.

No, what kind of consensus do you have about not having parents?

She’s a strange kid too.

—You’re one to talk.

“Whatever. You. Finish telling me your name.”

“Ah! I was in the middle of talking about my name.”

Still, let’s change the subject since the atmosphere is weird.

“It’s a little embarrassing, but I made my name two letters long.”

Two-letter names are good.

It’s easy to name them too.

“I considered many names, but I call myself Simon.”

“Yeah, Simon is good.”

Simon. It was a familiar name.

A follower of the Demonic Cult. A fanatic. That guy had that name too.

Later, I found out that he was the personality of the system itself.

Thanks to that, it became an unforgettable name.

And now I’m hearing that name again here?

“……Hey. What did you say?”

“My name is Simon. Actually, I considered the name Adam too, but Simon appealed to me a little more.”

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Ah. Please.

This is really layered.

“For reference, I also raise a pet snake.”

That crazy name that drives people crazy.

“My favorite food is…… Let’s see. If I had to pick, I like apples the most. Have I revealed enough about my identity?”

—……Could it be this.

‘Don’t say anything.’

—……Okay.

There was one here too.