Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 5

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Episode 5

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius 5

Became a Prodigal Fox (5)

Late at night, I opened a book.

The book’s title was [Basic Elemental Magic to Read in One Night].

Tonight, I plan to master this book in one night, just as the title suggests.

Elemental magic is a highly potent school of magic, despite its low entry barrier compared to other magical disciplines. Its spells are primarily focused on combat.

As an extra villain who doesn’t know when the protagonist will kill me, it’s a system of magic I must learn.

The book had only four chapters: [Basic Fire Magic], [Basic Earth Magic], [Basic Wind Magic], and [Basic Water Magic], each based on the four elements.

Among these, I especially wanted to learn [Basic Fire Magic].

‘In the original work, Baek Seung-woo was called a promising freshman just with fire magic.’

I don’t know how good a promising freshman is objectively.

He must have been born with an aptitude for fire magic.

Well, in the end, he just gets beaten like a sandbag by the awakened protagonist and relegated to a combat power measuring tool.

Recalling the contents of the novel, I opened the book. Naturally, the page I opened was the first one, [Basic Fire Magic].

[Fire magic is all about burning. But if burning is all there is to it, why bother delving deep into it? You could just grab a torch and throw it.]

A question posed to the reader by the magic tome [a book containing magical knowledge].

It was indeed an appropriate and valid question.

Fire magic is ultimately a school of magic that’s all about burning. It’s a simple and straightforward school of magic, unlike high-dimensional magic that manipulates space or objects.

Is fire magic really just for combat?

I know the answer to that question.

‘Of course not.’

[Fire magic is all about burning. The best you can do with applications is to control the size of the flame or increase its power. However, like other types of magic, the effects and power of fire magic vary depending on what you burn.]

Magic is a supernatural force that defies common sense.

There’s no way fire magic would only burn tangible things like ordinary flames.

[Those who have mastered the essence of fire magic can burn emotions or incinerate the magic in the atmosphere to restrict the opponent’s actions. However, that is a technique that can only be learned by those who have mastered the advanced stages of fire magic, and this book, as a basic magic tome, focuses on how to handle flames. Now, let’s talk about [Flame], the most basic fire magic…]

I turned the page, impressed.

Impressed by the magic tome that didn’t miss even the smallest details, and by my talent for understanding all of its contents.

I’m definitely learning magic for the first time today.

It was as if I was reviewing something I had learned before; I perfectly understood every phrase and content recorded in writing.

Is this the power of 「Magical Divinity」?

「Magical Divinity」

Category: Talent

Description: An absolute talent for magic. It bestows the qualities to become a saint of magic.

Among the various traits I possess, 「Magical Divinity」 seems to be the most useful.

I didn’t know exactly what the phrase ‘bestows qualities’ meant in the description, but now that I’ve opened this magic tome, I understand.

「Magical Divinity」 bestows talent on its owner, regardless of whether it is innate or acquired.

A talent that can easily make a mark in the history of magic.

This incredible talent possessed such immense power that it could make even someone unfamiliar with magic like me understand a magic tome I was reading for the first time.

I must have benefited greatly from this trait when I obtained 「Double Helix」.

‘But did Baek Seung-woo originally have this?’

A detail I had temporarily forgotten because the power of 「Magical Divinity」 was so great.

No matter how similar my physique and appearance are to him, this body is a possessed one. The tail on my back and the fox ears on my head prove that fact.

Then, is 「Magical Divinity」 also a trait that the original Baek Seung-woo possessed?

It’s too much power for an extra villain to have. I don’t know if Eve gave me special powers because she based the character on me.

‘Whatever the case, it’s a good thing for me.’

No need to think too deeply.

Right now, mastering the magic tome takes priority. The book I brought from the library isn’t just [Basic Elemental Magic to Read in One Night].

Hurrying through the book, I read the magic tome, writing down the important parts on paper. Thus, I read three magic tomes throughout the night.

All of them were elemental magic, especially those focused on fire.

The contents were only basic, but it was enough to build a foundation in one night.

[Flame], [Fireball], [Burst], etc. Now that I’ve learned the basic fire magic in my head, it’s time to embody it.

“…It’s too late to sleep, so should I go to the training room?”

After reading the borrowed magic tome in one night, I checked the window and the clock. The sky was still dark, but the clock read 6 a.m.

It’s time for people without morning sleep to start their day.

Since my work starts at 8 a.m., I have two hours to spare.

It’s too short to sleep, so I should check the magic I learned today.

Swish.

I immediately changed into suitable workout clothes for training. The tail on my back was annoying, but I managed to put them on.

Wow, it’s hard enough with just one tail; I’m going to have a hard time getting dressed every time I become a Gumiho [a nine-tailed fox spirit] in the future.

After tidying up my workout clothes, I didn’t forget to put on my black gloves.

Black gloves reminiscent of a gentleman from the Middle Ages.

As I put on luxurious gloves befitting the dignity of a nobleman, I suddenly thought about my family.

Unlike how nobles largely disappeared as people entered a democratic society, in this world, nobles of the Ainu [an East Asian ethnic group] who inherited the blood of foxes like me continued their lineage.

The Cheonho Baekga is one of the remaining nine families.

Due to its uniqueness, various rumors followed the family members, especially me, the head of the family.

These rumors were a mixture of truth and malicious lies.

The family behind the scenes was also playing a big role.

‘I’ll have to worry about the internal problems of the family later.’

Among the most annoying things in the world are political maneuvering and family problems, and Baek Seung-woo has both of those problems at the same time.

The Elders Council aiming for the authority of the head of the family, and the family members aiming for the position of the head of the family.

Just thinking about it makes my head spin.

Let’s postpone the annoying worries for later.

Bang, I opened the dormitory door.

As soon as I opened the door, the cold morning air greeted me.

Oh, it’s cold.

I need to get to the training room quickly.

* * *

The distance from the assistant’s dormitory to the training room was considerable.

It seemed to take about 20 minutes on foot.

It seems that the assistant’s dormitory and the student’s dormitory are separated.

‘In the first place, the training room is a place built for students.’

There is no rule that only students should enter, but that is the general perception.

Anyone can use it, regardless of whether they are guards, assistants, or professors, but usually, in the academy, the training room is the exclusive property of the students. In the first place, training and getting stronger is the role of the students, so it is natural.

So, I feel pressured to use it when there are many people.

Of course, the Chilseong Academy site is large, so there are many places to practice magic besides the training room.

‘But it’s not as good as the training room.’

A large space that can accommodate hundreds of people, with private rooms as standard.

Treadmills, treadmills, and barbells, which are classic training methods, are basic. How can I resist a training room equipped with state-of-the-art magic training equipment that easily costs hundreds of millions?

I have to go even this early in the morning.

“…There are already students who wake up and train.”

I thought there would be no one around at 6 a.m., but there was light in some of the private training rooms. Usually, they would be sleeping at that age.

As expected, the academy, which is one of the top five in the world, is different.

Indeed, the students of Chilseong Academy.

The students’ mindset is so different from the 17-year-olds I know.

Everyone is working hard.

‘Then, shall I go in?’

I watched the students training hard from early in the morning and moved my steps to the depths of the training room.

I didn’t want to run into people, so I went to a deserted place.

“There’s someone here too.”

The training room at the very end.

The lights were on there.

Ah, that’s a little disappointing. I wanted to train there.

I had no choice but to take a seat in the training room next door and emit magic.

The blue magic that flowed out of my body like smoke.

I concentrated this magic on my right hand and lit a small flame.

─Flaring.

A flame similar in size to a campfire flickered on my hand.

Now I have to control it and throw it.

How do I do it?

‘Is it because I only learned it from books? I don’t know how to embody it…’

I know it in theory because I read books all night, but I don’t know how to embody it.

The book clearly stated that the first step was to create a flame and shape it into the desired form.

But I can’t do that.

──Flaring!!!

Even if I try to increase the firepower a little and make it into a spinning circle, I keep making mistakes.

At first, I failed to control the firepower and created a flame that was bigger than my body, and then I tried to make a circle but it became an oval. The same goes for the future.

Really, nothing seems to work out today.

“I thought it would be easy because I have talent. It’s not as easy as I thought.”

I had high expectations because of the talent of 「Magical Divinity」, but I sighed at my lower-than-expected skills. Well, you can’t be full on the first try.

Let’s think of it as building up slowly from the basics.

In that sense, I decided to exclude techniques that require application, such as [Fireball] or [Burst], and focus only on one magic.

[Flame]

The most basic of the basics, creating and manipulating flames.

However, it is also the most essential magic in fire magic.

The power and difficulty of fire magic vary depending on how you handle the flames.

In the end, the element of handling flames is common, so [Flame] is an essential formula that goes into all fire magic.

“…….”

I closed my eyes and stretched out my right hand.

A small flame burning on it. Now I have to increase it to the desired level.

‘The size should be about the size of a human head, and the shape should be a round circle…’

Very little by little.

I increased the size of the flame little by little and neatly trimmed the shape.

The feeling of opening the gas valve and turning the dial on the gas stove little by little.

Have I grown it to the size of a tennis ball? The moment I tried to squint and check.

I felt like I had turned the dial on the gas stove to the maximum without realizing it.

───Flaring!!!

A flame that was bigger than a tennis ball and big enough to turn the training room into a sea of fire.

Fortunately, as soon as it touched the wall, it lost its momentum, hesitated, and was extinguished.

“…Damn it.”

But the fire in my heart was not extinguished and burned fiercely.

I’m really going crazy.

I don’t know if there’s no progress at all. I’m going crazy because I keep repeating the act of almost succeeding but failing unfortunately.

‘……Shall I stop here today and go?’

I don’t have the luxury of holding on to something that doesn’t work for a long time.

The current time is 7:15. I need to get ready to go to the lab soon.

Still, I feel sorry to go.

Since I came to the training room, I should test my maximum firepower and go.

A+ grade magic power.

What will happen if I concentrate all this magic power into one flame?

‘Will it be enough to cause a forest fire?’

A high level of magic power that the protagonist reached in the middle of the novel.

I only know that it is high, but I don’t have a rough idea of how much it is. I hope it’s not as disappointing as I expected, and the moment I condensed my magic power, one skill came to mind.

A skill that resonates with magic power and amplifies it twice, 「Double Helix」.

I can generate higher firepower if I use this.

Woo-woong───!

I twisted the magic power into a spiral shape without much thought.

The two spirals made of magic began to resonate as they intersected, and the moment I overlaid the formula of [Flame] on top of it.

“……!!”

I realized something was wrong.

I hurriedly dispersed the magic power condensed in my hand, but it was already too late.

The large amount of magic power condensed in my hand amplified and caused a huge fire demon.

────!!!

As the huge flame spewed out like a rocket, my body was pushed back by the propulsion.

The flames spread in all directions as if to burn the training room. Fortunately, as soon as it touched the wall, it was quickly extinguished by the defensive magic given to the wall.

“Haa, haa!”

Pushed back and hit the wall, I gasped for breath.

Fortunately, there were no major injuries to my body. It seems that my body was surprised by the sudden shock.

I thought about it while hitting the wall. My body seems to be much weaker than I thought.

My body was pushed back by this much shock, and I was surprised.

Suddenly, I saw the treadmill and dumbbells in the corner of the training room, but I shook my head, recalling my physical condition.

「Solar Meridian Severance(太陽絶脈)」

Grade: Legend

Description: A disease that only appears in legends. The energy of Yang Gang(陽强) is full of the patient’s blood vessels and veins, gradually destroying the balance of the body. It is an incurable disease that cannot be cured by ordinary methods and restricts the growth of all physical abilities.

As long as I have that disease, exercise is meaningless to me.

Because 「Solar Meridian Severance」 is such a disease.

If the Guumjeolmaek(九陰絶脈) [a fictional disease], which is common in novels, is a disease in which cold yin energy fills the blood vessels and veins, then 「Solar Meridian Severance」 is a disease in which burning yang energy fills the body.

Thanks to this, Baek Seung-woo’s body was able to gain a handsome appearance and talent for the fire attribute, but the symptoms of 「Solar Meridian Severance」 are so severe that the advantages are overshadowed.

Not only can he not live long, but he cannot develop his physical abilities.

That’s why his magic power and senses were so high compared to his physical abilities.

Furthermore, the fact that the blood vessels (血脈) and veins (細脈) are full of energy is synonymous with the fact that blood does not circulate smoothly.

If blood does not circulate smoothly, oxygen will be insufficient, and strenuous exercise and difficult actions will become burdensome.

This is why I am still gasping for breath.

“Haa, haa……. I need to find a way soon.”

I can’t be held back by low physical abilities forever.

「Solar Meridian Severance」 is an incurable disease, but there is no way to cure it at all. Someday, the opportunity to cure this disease will come.

Or rather, become so strong that my low stamina is not a weakness, and I can unleash powerful attacks just by standing still.

I have to do one of the two.

I raised my right hand to the sky.

A frail and pathetic forearm.

It’s in a state where it’s hard to take care of itself.

Flaring, a flame rose on my hand.

Compared to the one just now, it’s a small and shabby flame.

But this is definitely my power.

“……If I can perfectly control this power.”

I can live.

At that moment when I was thinking self-deprecatingly.

Something flew quickly towards my neck.

──Whoosh!

I recognized it, but the reaction was slow.

As expected, my agility is slower than the average freshman. It was too slow.

Before I could move, a student came into my sight.

“Who are you…?”

A girl holding a wooden spear and gently pressing on my Adam’s apple.

She sends a look urging me to answer quickly.

No, that’s what I want to say.

What is this, suddenly attacking me?