Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 45

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius – Episode 45

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius 45

There’s No Such Thing as a Good Team (5)

Lee Ji and his team members often bumped into each other due to overlapping classes.

However, a subtle distance remained between them. They recognized each other but weren’t close, leading to awkward moments of deciding whether or not to greet each other.

Therefore, before heading out for the courage training, they gathered for a meeting to break the ice.

“Okay, you wanted an iced Americano, I got a vanilla latte for myself, and that’s a caramel macchiato over there…”

Lee Ji arrived with his hands full of coffees.

He had pre-ordered the drinks at their agreed-upon meeting spot and was waiting.

But why were two of them missing?

I specifically asked them what they wanted to drink.

“Huh? Aren’t Yerin and Yeonhwa coming?”

“Didn’t you check the group chat? They said they couldn’t make it because of their schedules.”

“…Ah, right.”

[Seo Yerin─Outdoor lecture, so I don’t think I can make it on time… Talk without me. 4:11 PM]

[Star Yeonhwa─I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can make it today either! 4:15 PM]

Even though they’re in the same grade, not everyone takes the same classes.

Class schedules tend to vary slightly depending on the specific courses.

If I had known they couldn’t make it, they should have told me in advance.

I just wasted precious money.

At least Seo Yerin asked for a relatively cheap hot chocolate, but Seong Yeonhwa asked for something expensive called an Iced Strawberry Banana Double Shot Smoothie—I don’t even know what that is.

And why is the name so long?

“This is such a waste. I wonder if I can get a refund?”

“A refund? Are you not going to drink it?”

“Of course not. My vanilla latte is enough for me.”

“Then give it to me.”

As Isis reached out, Lee Ji hesitated for a moment before handing over the long-named drink. If I can’t get a refund, it’s fine if someone else drinks it for me.

“You ordered a caramel macchiato too. Aren’t you drinking too much sugar?”

“I can handle this much. I don’t know about the calories, but I can get enough sugar.”

“Isn’t that more like consuming it to a fatal level, rather than getting enough?”

Even as he said that, the drink was already in her hand.

Lee Ji stopped worrying as he watched her suck on the straw with all her might, as if afraid of losing it.

Yeah, get diabetes if you want.

Leaving Isis, who was clutching sweet drinks in both hands, behind, Lee Ji looked ahead at Noh Yura and Isabel, each sipping their drinks.

For a moment, he thought they looked like they were in a photoshoot just by drinking coffee.

But something about their atmosphere seemed tense.

Just like last time with the teacher and Isabel.

“So. What do you want to say to me?”

“Oh my, anyone would think I called you out on purpose. We’re just gathering with friends.”

Noh Yura approached Isabel with a gentle tone, but Isabel’s words were stiff.

However, that gentle attitude somehow gave off an ominous feeling.

“Huh, friends? After starting a fight with me on KakaoTalk [a popular Korean messaging app] yesterday?”

“A fight? I don’t see anything like that anywhere in the group chat.”

“I’m not talking about the group chat; I’m talking about the private chat. You told me to stay away from that guy. Why are you trying to decide that for me?”

“Ah, you’re talking about the teaching assistant.”

Lee Ji felt a chill in the air from their conversation.

Even though there were no sharp objects anywhere, their words felt like cold blades.

Ugh, I can’t just jump into that conversation.

“Yeah, why do you keep associating me with that kind of guy?”

“…That guy?”

Noh Yura suddenly glared coldly at Isabel.

Then she covered her mouth with her sleeve and chuckled.

“Oh my, you keep calling the teaching assistant ‘that guy.’ Didn’t Sirius teach his children any manners?”

“What did you say?”

“Just saying. Do you still have feelings for the teaching assistant? Is that why you’re acting so prickly? Do you think he’ll look back at you if you do?”

“C-Crazy?! Why would I have feelings for that guy…!”

The atmosphere is heating up.

Lee Ji was startled and opened his mouth to stop them.

“L-Let’s calm down a little. We’re disturbing other people…”

“Stay out of this.”

“I’m talking to her right now.”

“…Sorry.”

Lee Ji closed his mouth without even getting a word out.

One person he missed came to mind.

‘I miss you, Teacher…’

Lee Ji blankly stared at the ceiling amidst the two female students’ battle of wills. (There was no blue sky or twinkling stars because he was inside the cafe.)

At first, he liked being surrounded by girls, but now he hates it so much.

Meanwhile, there was one more person silently watching the series of events.

“Oh…”

Isis, who was munching on her Iced Strawberry Banana Double Shot Smoothie, unintentionally exclaimed.

“This is delicious.”

The team’s battle of wills was not her concern.

She was immersed in the complex and subtle taste of the refreshing strawberry, smooth banana, and bitter flavor mixed together, and she sucked on the straw.

Only Lee Ji is having a hard time.

He wanted to see Baek Seungwoo soon.

At least if the teacher was here, things wouldn’t be so difficult.

He suddenly wondered what he was doing and where he was.

* * *

On the very day he decided to secretly uncover the truth of the ghost stories at night.

Since I didn’t have time to read the magic book tonight, I’m using my work hours in minute increments.

Let’s see.

‘I’ll finish writing the report in 12 minutes, read pages 87-102 for the remaining 8 minutes, print the report, and take it to the professor’s lab…’

After reviewing the general schedule, I immediately started typing on the keyboard.

I looked through various files and wrote down the organized data in a coherent manner.

I finished the report when I felt pain in my fingers.

I transferred the completed report to a USB and immediately started printing.

The printer made a loud mechanical noise as it printed the report on A4 paper.

Since there were more than one or two reports to print, I read the magic book that I had taken pictures of on my phone in advance.

I didn’t even have the luxury of carrying around bulky books in the faculty room.

“How did my life turn out like this…”

I let out a sigh along with a lament.

Even in the midst of that, I was scanning the magic book saved in the gallery.

I was lamenting and being pessimistic, but I couldn’t waste the time I spent reading the book.

Perhaps it’s because of my way of thinking, which uses time with the precision of a knife, something that a normal person wouldn’t have.

Before I knew it, my appearance had become like that of a worn-out graduate student.

Nam Hwayeon even praised me, saying that she felt a decadent beauty even in that appearance.

If someone is attracted to my appearance right now, that person is definitely a pervert with abnormal sexual desires.

‘If I keep this up, won’t the kids think I’m a ghost when they see me?’

Suddenly, that thought came to mind, and even while reading the magic book, I checked my current appearance with the camera app.

White skin, ruby-like red eyes, and black hair.

In addition, my appearance, which was on the verge of being skin and bones, had a certain aesthetic, but depending on the situation, it was highly likely to be mistaken for a ghost.

I have no choice.

I should eat before meeting the students and take a 30-minute nap before meeting them.

I planned an additional schedule and quickly moved my eyes to read the magic book in time.

Beep beep!

Just as I finished reading the designated page, the printing was finished.

Now I just need to deliver this to the professor.

I put my phone in my pocket and moved with the pile of documents.

“This is heavier than I thought…!”

Is it because the volume exceeds hundreds of pages?

The documents were much heavier than I thought.

So much so that my legs were so numb that I might fall──

─Thump!

“…Huh?”

Did I just fall?

Why couldn’t I keep my balance?

No matter how tired and heavy I am, I shouldn’t have become so weak that I suddenly fell.

“A-Are you okay…?!

“Haha, I’m fine. I seem to have fallen by mistake.”

“But you fell pretty hard…”

Because I fell so hard in the faculty room, some of the teaching assistants couldn’t help but laugh at my appearance.

The rest wanted to laugh too, but they were desperately trying not to laugh because they didn’t want to catch my eye.

Only the woman in front of me was worried about me.

Ah, it’s the colleague I saw back then.

A person I remembered.

The woman who asked me to help her with work a few days ago.

I haven’t run into her since she was scolded by her senior. I didn’t expect to meet her like this.

The moment I was about to express my gratitude for her sincere concern.

It was that moment.

Ugh!

A foreign substance felt in my throat.

I couldn’t help but vomit, but I couldn’t throw up here.

At least I have to get to the bathroom…!”

“Uwaaack! Ugh!”

I desperately ran to the bathroom.

But maybe it’s because my legs are weak, but running isn’t going well.

I ended up collapsing on the floor and throwing up something stuck in my throat.

What the heck is it? I clearly skipped breakfast today.

I haven’t had a normal meal for the past few days because of work and training.

Even so, I threw up something from my throat and stomach.

Tears came out, and I was short of breath, so I was gasping for air.

Something strange caught my eye.

“U-Uwaaack… W-What is this.”

There weren’t even any food scraps on the floor.

The vomit was full of stinging stomach acid and blood as dark red as burnt charcoal.

I took a rough breath and maintained my composure as I felt a sudden lack of oxygen.

“…”

The blood I vomited was more than I thought.

Is it a common hemoptysis [coughing up blood]?

No, the blood is too murky to see it that way.

Judging from the fact that there are no organ fragments or debris, it is not that the organs are damaged.

Then why did I throw up such dark red blood?

The questions in my head twisted and wriggled.

‘A dark red color like charcoal that has been burned…’

I swept the blood on the floor with my hand.

Then, a burning sensation was felt on my hand.

At that moment, I unintentionally came to understand the current situation.

“…Was it a time bomb?”

My blood is full of yang energy because of the 「Solar Meridian Block」[a fictional condition].

As a result, I have tremendous affinity for fire magic.

It’s like my body itself is a huge piece of firewood. It’s only natural.

In return, my blood has less ability to carry oxygen than others, and I suffer from the side effect of not being able to increase my physical abilities.

That’s what I’ve been judging so far.

But that’s where I was wrong.

“The stagnation of physical ability was not the problem.”

[You are the owner of the Solar Meridian Block (太陽絶脈) [Tae Yang Jeol Maek in Korean, literally “Sun Meridian Severance”], an incurable disease in which the blood vessels are blocked, twisted, and damaged due to the enormous amount of yang energy. There are restrictions on the growth of all physical abilities, and you will not be able to reach a certain level of ability. If left untreated, there will be something wrong with your life.]

*The fine blood vessels are gradually becoming blocked! If the fine blood vessels are completely blocked, the yang energy that could not escape through the blood vessels will explode from within.

‘If left untreated, there will be something wrong with your life. And it will explode from the inside…? This is a disaster, really.’

A terrifying phrase that had not been seen before has been added.

The restriction of physical ability was only a minor side effect compared to the latter.

This is a big problem.

“I have to figure out how to treat this body somehow.”

Even the elixir that heals all diseases as long as you don’t die couldn’t do anything about the 「Solar Meridian Block」.

There is no other way.

The only thing that comes to mind is the simple idea that if I have meridian blockage due to yang energy, I can neutralize it with yin energy.

You can get as much food or inner core containing yin energy as you want if you have money. But an incurable disease wouldn’t be incurable for nothing.

You may be able to use strong yin energy as a temporary measure.

It is impossible to cure the disease itself.

“…But I have no choice but to find a way.”

Otherwise, I will be stabbed to death by the main character.

I will lose my life due to illness (病死) [byeongsa in Korean, meaning death by disease] before reaching the mid-boss or the final boss.