Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 55

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius – Episode 55

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius 55

Teacher (5)

“Let’s start by trying this.”

I took out a bag from the envelope. Each bag had detailed information about the herbs and toxins it contained. Let’s see.

“‘Flalotte’s Bud,’ can be harvested from the 7th Circle plant-type monster, Flalotte. It contains powerful mental stabilization components, but it can cause sepsis due to its strong toxicity.”

Its effects would definitely kill or ruin the body of someone without poison resistance. I wondered why the botanical garden was dealing with something like this, but then it occurred to me.

Someone like me would buy it. Without further ado, I tore open the bag.

Flalotte’s bud, resembling an underdeveloped plant bud, emitted a unique, harsh chemical odor.

The scent blatantly screamed, ‘I’m poisonous, don’t eat me,’ but I chewed it without hesitation.

As I chewed and swallowed the juice, my eyes and throat stung for a moment.

“…I’m still okay.”

The stinging in my eyes and throat was unpleasant, but I felt the sharp, knife-like pain dulling.

Even the pain that had been tormenting my body was fading, allowing me to fully invest my brain’s processing power into magical calculations. Just as the man had explained, the pain relief effect was significant.

But the problem started now.

Gurgle, my stomach began to churn.

My breathing became rough with abdominal pain. The poisonous herb’s effects were affecting my lungs.

[You have ingested ‘Flalotte’s Bud.’ The poison is flowing into your lungs!]

My complexion turned pale in an instant.

My already pale face became even paler.

However, I didn’t panic even in this state of poisoning.

[Based on the hundred poisons recorded in 「Baekdokjiche」 [Encyclopedia of a Hundred Poisons], analysis of ‘Flalotte’s Bud’ is in progress.]

[Progress rate: 7.9%]

[Progress rate: 23.8%]

[Progress rate: 55.1%]

……

[Progress rate: 100%]

[You have completely analyzed ‘Flalotte’s Bud’ that has invaded your body!]

[Antibodies and resistance to ‘Flalotte’s Bud’ are implemented in 「Baekdokjiche」.]

This is it.

It happened exactly as I thought it would.

The skill, 「Yakchae Naeseongjiche」 [Herb Resistance Knowledge], integrated with 「Baekdokjiche」, had the ability to easily adapt to toxins below the level of its origin, ‘Godok’ [Supreme Poison]. Judging by how quickly it adapted, even stronger poisons should be fine.

Still, there might be unexpected side effects.

I shouldn’t eat more than 10 types of poisonous herbs a day.

If I ate more than that, I thought all the fluids in my body might become toxic, leading to the realm of a perfect poison person (毒人) that the Sacheon Tang Clan [a fictional clan specializing in poisons] pursues.

That realm is a bit troubling.

“I’ll eat the poisonous herbs like that, and the ones with weak effects that aren’t very meaningful to eat, I’ll dry them later and smoke them like cigarettes.”

Swish, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and thought.

As expected of poisonous herbs, the taste is quite toxic.

It was too toxic to eat.

However, processing it for absorption into the body would reduce efficiency. Among the various poisonous herbs I bought, I should dry the ones with weak effects and smoke them like cigarettes.

This was solely to receive the pain-relieving effects of the poisonous herbs handled by the botanical garden.

“Pain and poison resistance are done, next, should I get some equipment?”

Before the next scenario or unexpected quest occurred, I needed equipment as soon as possible.

Not cheap stuff produced in factories, but top-quality items made by artisans.

And coincidentally.

As the middle-aged man from the botanical garden said.

There was a suitable person nearby.

* * *

The day after buying the poisonous herbs.

Since it was Saturday, I immediately put on my going-out clothes and left the academy grounds.

The place I’m going today isn’t that far.

It’s right nearby.

It was right next to the building where I bought the poisonous herbs.

“…This, I’m nervous because it’s been a while since I went out. I hope no one recognizes me?”

“You’re wearing a mask, so they probably won’t recognize you. Ah, of course, I would have recognized you even if you were wearing a mask, Instructor.”

“Isn’t the mask meaningless? In this neighborhood, with your innate height and proportions, and wearing the same suit every day, there’s no one else like you.”

I had gotten used to the glares from students, teaching assistants, and professors at Chilseong Academy.

However, receiving cold stares from ordinary people was a bit uncomfortable.

Honestly, it’s unfair to be criticized for something I didn’t do.

I wanted to complain to the students, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything because the victim was right in front of me.

What on earth did the owner of this body do before I possessed it?

When I looked at Isabel, her eyes sharpened as she sensed my gaze.

“What are you looking at? Are you going to call me ugly again?”

“…When did I ever say that?”

“At the Gucheon Sega’s [Nine Heavens Family] meeting two years ago. Why, should I tell you the exact date and what you said?”

“Sorry I brought it up…”

Isabel openly disliked me.

I was now used to this dynamic.

If that’s the case, I wish she hadn’t come to my group in the first place. I don’t know why she came under me and is acting like this.

Is she planning to pay me back for what she received?

As my head became complicated, Seong Yeon-hwa stepped between us.

She spoke with her unique, clumsy tone and bright expression.

“Stop fighting, you two! Today is a good day. But Teacher, why are we going with you to get your equipment?”

“I’m going to get you guys one each while I’m at it.”

“Wow! Really?”

Seong Yeon-hwa jumped up and down, delighted at my words.

Clatter, clatter, the sword hanging from her waist also shook.

The famous sword that Seong Yeon-hwa’s father, the head of the Jecheon Seong Clan [another fictional clan], gave to his successor.

Even though she carried a sword that anyone could tell was a masterpiece, she was overjoyed at the thought of me giving her a weapon.

I couldn’t bring myself to say that it would be difficult to find a gift comparable to her sword.

Still, a gift is about the thought, not the money.

…Well, that’s what people without money usually say.

“Teacher, really? You’re really going to get us equipment too?!”

“Not a full set, just one piece of equipment each that you need.”

“Hey, we’re not that shameless. We’d be grateful for just one piece of equipment!”

Lee Ji was overjoyed, and the students next to her were also happy.

They were all elites enrolled in Chilseong, but they were still students.

Player equipment required a lot of money, and the thought of receiving a gift of one piece of equipment each was very welcome to them, as they didn’t have a proper means of earning money.

Lee Ji was especially happy, jumping up and down.

However, don’t be mistaken.

Not all students lack money.

“How can we believe that? What if you’re trying to rip us off or put us in debt?”

Isabel opened her mouth with a somewhat blunt tone.

Everyone’s faces hardened, but it wasn’t wrong.

There had been a case in the past.

It was said that there was a professor who offered to give weapons five years ago, but he defrauded the students and disappeared with a large sum of money.

It was said that the professor was caught in a few days, but the students who had suffered a lot during that time couldn’t concentrate on their studies and ruined their performance evaluations.

“There’s no way I would do that. I’m already getting all sorts of criticism, what confidence would I have to add another crime to my record?”

“Well, you’ve got a thick face.”

“In the first place, I don’t lack money, what benefit would there be in scamming students?”

“Well, I guess that’s true.”

Only people without money commit fraud.

Baek Seung-woo, the head of the Cheonho Baekga [Thousand Lake Baek Family], wouldn’t be so short of money that he would commit fraud, even if he was just a nominal head.

Even if he was short of money, his aristocratic pride wouldn’t allow it.

He would rather take it openly.

Baek Seung-woo wasn’t that sly.

I, who possessed that body, was the same.

“Um… I’m not doubting you, Teacher, but can we really trust you?”

“Ji-ya, do you want to get hit?”

“Anyway, Teacher! Who are we going to see then?”

“It’s an artisan you’ve all heard of at least once.”

“Well, I won’t worry about that part. If it’s the head of the Cheonho Baekga, he’ll only use guaranteed items.”

Isabel nodded, acknowledging my discernment.

She may not trust Baek Seung-woo’s personality, but she seems to trust his aesthetic sense.

Even if she didn’t trust my eyes, there aren’t any blacksmiths with bad quality in this area. Those places would have gone out of business by word of mouth.

‘This is that kind of alleyway, after all.’

The vicinity of Chilseong Academy has many places that sell and handle player-related equipment and miscellaneous goods, making it easy for students and active players to come and go.

However, it is said that business is not doing well recently due to the increasing franchiseization.

As a prime example, the success of ‘Cheonho Pharmaceutical’ for potions and ‘Hephaestus’s Hammer’ for equipment has had a great impact.

They extended their influence not only in Korea but also around the world, sweeping up all the money. As their business became more active, existing blacksmiths were losing their footing.

However, some blacksmiths were steadfastly maintaining their positions despite the changing times, as workshops had to be found separately to create items tailored to the client’s tastes and preferences.

The place I’m heading to is one of those places.

‘I’m sure I know it’s around here?’

There were several blacksmiths with various signs lined up around.

The downtown area was bustling with Chilseong students and players who came from outside to commission weapons for the hot Friday night.

What I wanted wasn’t here.

It seems difficult to go to the blacksmith I want in this crowd.

So I opened my eyes wide.

My red eyes turned purple, and the colors of the world became monotonous.

It wasn’t easy to catch what I wanted in the magic that filled the air and the various colors of magic flowing through people’s hearts.

But I tried to find a special and heterogeneous color as I scanned left and right.

The place I’m looking for must be run by a special person.

─What kind of person would be good to run a blacksmith?

─Geez, that’s a useless question. You should ask the blacksmiths in the rear, not me.

─I haven’t really talked to those artisans much. On the other hand, you’ve talked to several blacksmiths while commissioning various weapons. What’s the point of having a good friend? Help me out, please?

─No.

─Hey, if you keep acting like that, I’m going to carry a fox tail and follow you around? Ah, maybe a rabbit tail would be better…

─Well, the person who runs the blacksmith has an impression that the more good-natured the middle-aged man or the older the grandfather, the better the skills.

─You should have come out like that from the start.

Even though Eve had unilaterally talked about novels.

There were few cases where she asked me for advice.

She, who was praised as a great mage and worked as a commander in the military, knew more than she didn’t know.

Even in the hellish disadvantage, there were many experiences where she followed her extraordinary strategies and saved her life.

In the military country, Eve was truly a symbol of wisdom and knowledge.

It was a rare occurrence for her to ask for advice from me or others.

‘Except when she gets advice from me about novels.’

Starting with the approximate personality of the blacksmith, how to describe swordsmanship and other martial arts. What is the feeling of a soldier who is drafted into a monster-infested battlefield with only one sword, etc.

Eve, who heard experiences that could not be known just by reading books at her desk, actively reflected them in her novels.

What was born in that way was the blacksmith I was going to meet now.

He could be seen as my child.

‘No. I didn’t write the novel myself, I just answered Eve’s questions. Then is it right to see it as a plastic surgeon rather than a parent and child?’

I just carved out a character based on my experiences in Eve’s draft, so I just shaped a character.

It was closer to the relationship between a plastic surgeon and a patient than a parent and child.

More than anything, if he was made according to my answer, he must be a ‘patient.’

I went into a secluded alley.

I couldn’t feel any sign of people, but my eyes were pointing here.

A blacksmith shop without a sign, blocked by iron bars.

With conviction, I broke the iron bars with flames and went inside.

“Hey, are you Gu Yaja [likely an alias or code name]?”

In the corner of the blacksmith shop, an old man was lying on a chair.

As soon as I saw him, I called out his alias to confirm.

His cheekbones were prominent and his eyes were sunken, and he looked like a *paein* [a Korean term for a person who is extremely withdrawn and頹廢 (tuí fèi,頹廢) -頹廢 means dispirited/depressed/ decadent] who was about to collapse at any moment.

“…Huh?”

Did I come to the wrong place?