Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 90

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Episode 90

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius 90

Preparing for Performance Evaluation (5)

My daily life remained largely unchanged even with the martial arts performance evaluation looming.

I wrote lecture scripts for Nam Hwayeon, studied magic by reading magical texts, and taught students as a temporary instructor.

Every day was the same routine.

Of course, it wasn’t as if nothing had changed compared to before.

The elements added to my hamster wheel of a life included having various conversations with Tamamo, exchanging knowledge and information, and teaching Seo Yerin about spears and righteousness.

Plus, being worked as a disciple by Nam Hwayeon every other day.

That was about it.

To manage that schedule in a single day, I had to cut back on everything from meals to sleep.

However, today, I put aside all my plans and headed down a back alley.

I went deep into an old shop, opening the door and shouting,

“Gu Yaja, it’s been a while. You’ve been waiting for me, right?”

“Didn’t wait, you brat! It hasn’t been that long, you punk. You barged in with those kids last Saturday.”

“Ah, was it only that long ago?”

Having spent quite a bit of time in the inner world, my sense of time has become a bit ambiguous. Especially with the elderly, who experience time more quickly, the gap seems to be larger than others.

I felt anew that Gu Yaja had aged.

I should give the old man some money to buy health supplements so he can live a long life.

[100 million won has been deposited into your account.]

“…What are you doing right now?”

“I gave you money.”

“Why?”

“So you can stay healthy and live a long life, spending money on nutritional supplements.”

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

I wondered if I had done something wrong, trying to reflect on my actions.

Thwack!

A hammer was embedded in the floor as Gu Yaja walked towards me.

“Supplements my ass…! I’m healthier than you, you skinny gigolo.”

“…I guess so.”

It seemed the elder was sensitive about his health.

Realizing this, I nodded to Gu Yaja, who lightly tossed the hammer with one hand, showing off his bulging muscles, even at his age.

He’s definitely healthier than me.

I didn’t want to admit it, but I had to acknowledge his physique.

“So, why are you here today?”

“You know, the material we talked about last time.”

“Don’t tell me… the Killing Stone?”

The bag on my shoulder.

When I took out the ingots and fragments of stone from it, Gu Yaja’s eyes sparkled.

It felt like giving a Children’s Day gift to a young nephew.

He was that happy.

However.

“…Hey.”

“What is it?”

“Why does this Killing Stone look like this?”

Ah, you’re talking about that.

“It exploded.”

“What did?”

“Someone carved runes into the Killing Stone and blew it up as an act of terrorism.”

“These goddamn bastards!!”

After confirming that most of the Killing Stone had turned to powder, Gu Yaja focused on the larger stone fragments, but soon his gaze shifted to other items next to them.

He must be more interested in the intact items than the fragmented Killing Stone.

Ingots, daggers, jewels, and so on.

There were several items that caught his eye.

Among them, his gaze was fixed on a huge bolt of fabric.

A pure white fabric that seemed to easily dye any color.

It was, in fact, “Arachne’s Silk.”

“Please make some clothes with this.”

“To think the day would come when I’d make clothes out of ‘Arachne’s Silk’ in my lifetime. It pays to live long.”

Clothes made from “Arachne’s Silk” boast high magic resistance.

Although its durability and performance cannot compare to armor or plate armor, within the realm of clothing, there is no fabric in the world that can surpass “Arachne’s Silk” in all aspects.

Unless you tear off the hide of a 1st Circle monster.

“The condition is also top-notch. How much did you say you got this for at auction?”

“7.5 billion won.”

“That’s practically a steal. The condition of the silk and fabric is the best. This is worth more than twice the minimum bid.”

A value that doesn’t fall behind even with bids in the tens of billions.

That is the true nature of “Arachne’s Silk,” which boasts top-quality.

“But with this level of quality, wouldn’t it be better to go to a tailor than me? I can do tailoring, but my specialty is blacksmithing.”

“Can’t.”

“Huh? What do you mean, can’t?”

“If I go to a skilled tailor and commission it, it will definitely be taken away.”

“By whom?”

“By the family.”

I’ve spent almost all my money at the auction, and my position within the family is weak.

If the elders have bad intentions, I could be scammed with my eyes open.

If I were to present these items to a famous artisan and commission equipment, the Fifth Elder and his cronies would offer even more money to steal or ruin my items.

They would probably bribe people with a huge sum of money that holds value beyond mere trust.

“That’s… probably true. No matter how principled an artisan with a craftsman’s spirit is.”

“They become gentle sheep in the face of a lot of money. Especially if it’s a very large sum.”

“Goddamn it, so you’re entrusting these to me?”

Gu Yaja ended his sentence with a question mark.

Was he asking for more money?

I spent most of my fortune at the auction, leaving me with little money, but I wouldn’t skimp on the money for the person who would make my equipment.

I’m not that stingy.

[100 million won has been deposited into your account.]

[100 million won has been deposited into your account.]

[100 million won has been deposited into your account.]

…

A total of 1.2 billion won was deposited into the account.

Gu Yaja, unable to bear the continuous notifications, shouted.

“You crazy bastard! I don’t mean give me more money! Don’t insult me with money!!”

Ah, that’s what he meant.

He should have said so earlier.

I thought he wanted more money.

“Of course, I was planning to entrust it to Gu Yaja.”

“You crazy bastard, save some money. So, what parts do you want?”

“Gloves, dress shirts, pants, socks, shoes, underwear, coat, and armor.”

“You want a full set. Are you aiming for a set effect?”

The special resonance of equipment that can be obtained when wearing equipment born from the same environment, the set effect.

The effect varies greatly depending on the materials and power of the equipment.

Moreover, the artisans who can infuse this into equipment are among the top three in the world. One of them is the old man Gu Yaja in front of me.

I confidently demanded of him.

“It would be nice to have.”

“This guy. He only has the knack for twisting words when asking for something.”

“So, won’t you do it? Your armor would surely protect me from the claws of the Nine-tailed Fox and the Thousand-Eyed White Fox, and provide a stepping stone to land a blow, right?”

“…You sly bastard.”

Gu Yaja glared at me once and went inside the workshop with the fabric.

That means he’ll make it.

Meanwhile, I picked out relatively large pieces of stone from the Killing Stone powder. Gu Yaja, feeling uneasy at the sight, said quietly.

“What’s that for?”

“My students need weapons. You have the designs they drew last time, right?”

“Weapons? Why do you need that? Can’t you make them slowly?”

“No, I need them within a week. I’d appreciate it if you could make the clothing made of ‘Arachne’s Silk’ by next week as well.”

“You crazy bastard. Six weapons and clothing from top to bottom within a week? Is that what you gave me the money for?”

Oops, I got caught.

But even if I got caught, it wouldn’t have any impact or meaning.

“Why by next week, anyway?”

“Because the midterm exams start next week.”

“So, why do you need my weapons before the midterm exams!”

“Well, I need to borrow even the power of items, let alone a cat’s paw.”

“So, why! Why do you need my weapons for the midterm exams!!”

Suddenly, Gu Yaja burst into anger.

What’s wrong, is it menopause? I wondered why he was like that.

Then it occurred to me.

‘Could it be that he thinks the students are trying to use his weapons to get high scores on the midterm exams?’

If so, his pride as an artisan might have been hurt.

His assumption wasn’t wrong, but without Gu Yaja’s equipment, the difficulty of the midterm exams would definitely skyrocket.

That’s because.

This midterm exam’s difficulty is a bit crazy.

“Dungeon clear.”

“…What?”

“Dungeon clearing is the midterm exam assignment. If you don’t have the weapons you made, the balance will be a mess.”

It’s not for nothing that I said I need to borrow even the power of items, let alone a cat’s paw.

Considering the difficulty of the midterm exams, the weapons made by Gu Yaja are not an option, but a necessity.

It’s a must-have.

“Cough, cough! If that’s the case, you should have said so earlier! You’re making me feel awkward for no reason.”

“I see. I’m glad you accepted the commission.”

“By the way, those Seven Stars guys are completely insane. How could they even think of giving such an assignment to first-year students as a midterm exam?”

Gu Yaja nodded at the difficulty of dungeon clearing, which far exceeded the level of assignments that could be given to academy students.

He seemed to understand to that extent.

…Well, in fact, it wasn’t the Seven Stars who were going to raise the difficulty, but me.

I didn’t even breathe a word about this part.

“Anyway, I’ll make whatever you want, even if I have to stay up all night. My body is getting old, so I don’t sleep much at night, so I’ll be able to make it just in time.”

“Ah, and I’d like to commission a weapon as well.”

“Oh, for God’s sake.”

“Then I’ll take that as a sign that you’re accepting the commission. I don’t have any pre-prepared designs, so I’ll draw them on the spot.”

With those words, I focused on several large sheets of paper.

Weapons that I had used frequently in the past, such as swords and spears, I remembered the detailed weight and length of.

But for equipment that I hadn’t held in a long time, I had no choice but to rely on the faint sensation remaining at my fingertips. In that way, I revived old memories and drew designs.

Spears, swords, shields, guns, axes, bows, whips, daggers, maces, clubs, chain sickles, and so on.

It was as if I had commissioned all existing weapons, regardless of East or West, ancient or modern. Among them were also weapons of bizarre shapes that could not be seen anywhere else.

Thus, the equipment I commissioned, excluding armor, consisted of seventy-five types of weapons alone.

Of course, some of them were consumables like daggers, bullets, and bombs, but there were far more polearms that could be used semi-permanently depending on maintenance than consumables.

Geez, he commissions so much.

And yet, the time he demands is short, and he draws the designs of the weapons so well that I get angry for no reason.

“This damn brat. He’s trying to suck the old man dry.”

“If that’s the case, then what.”

[1 billion won has been deposited into your account.]

The sound of another deposit.

I smiled and continued.

“I have to pay that much.”

I’ve felt it before.

Spending money is exhilarating.

Gu Yaja, with his bank balance increasing again, had no more energy to be happy or angry. Now he had been given so much money that it was hard to say anything.

Insult or whatever.

Gu Yaja was so dazed by the overwhelming amount of money that he couldn’t come to his senses. Money is the best after all.

* * *

Two days had passed since the start of the hellish performance evaluation week.

The students receiving instruction from Seungwoo gathered at a large cafe to exchange information. After ordering their drinks, the children started talking with laptops or A4 paper.

“Did everyone do well on the hunting performance evaluation? I messed up.”

“Ah, our class is at 3 PM today.”

“You have to prepare and manage the bait and traps well. I was careless and only caught three.”

Lee Ji lamented.

He had taken three performance evaluations so far, and received average scores on all of them. Yu-ra smiled and said as he lamented the ambiguous scores that were neither good nor bad.

“It’s a performance evaluation for the study of hunting and teaching. Of course, you have to thoroughly prepare the bait and traps. So, what did you catch?”

“Three grizzly rabbits. It seems I caught a family.”

“If it’s a grizzly rabbit, it’s definitely…”

What Circle was it?

I remember hearing it in a lecture before, but I can’t recall it.

It was the same for Lee Ji.

As he hesitated, Isabel opened her mouth.

“A single individual is 8th Circle, a family of 20 or more is 7th Circle, and a group of 100 or more is 6th Circle. Don’t you guys even know this?”

Isabel’s tone implied that they didn’t even know this simple thing.

Others might think it’s a provocation, but after spending a month together, I’ve gotten used to it.

Besides, she gave us the answer.

Yu-ra thanked her instead.

“Thanks, Isabel. I remembered it thanks to you.”

“Don’t mention it. I just told you because I knew it.”

Isabel calmly accepted the words of gratitude.

After that, various information and conversations about the performance evaluation took place.

Suddenly, Yu-ra noticed that Seo Yerin’s wrist was red and swollen.

A mark that looked like it had been hit.

As Yerin covered it with her sleeve, Yu-ra hurriedly grabbed her hand.

“Y-Yu-ra? Why are you suddenly like this…?”

“Why is your wrist like this?”

“!!!”

Yerin was startled when her hand was snatched. Yu-ra, feeling suspicious at the sight, rolled up her sleeve.

Then, her red and swollen wrist was revealed.

The exposed wrist wasn’t as bad as I thought, but it looked quite painful.

“Tell me honestly. Who did this?”

“W-Well, that’s…”

Yerin’s mind became hazy, as if it were foggy, due to Yu-ra’s sudden questioning. Yu-ra is her one and only friend.

Of course, the students in the same class and the same group are also friends.

But even now, when I think of the word friend, I can only think of Yu-ra, my first friend, above all else.

And she’s questioning me.

Her mind became hazy at that fact.

I have to answer Yu-ra’s question, but I couldn’t bring myself to answer.

There are things that you can’t tell even your friends. No, there were things that you couldn’t tell even more because they were friends.

Therefore, Yerin had no choice but to explain indirectly.

Closing her mouth altogether could hurt Yu-ra, who is her friend.

As indirectly as possible.

“You know… I’ve actually been taking additional lessons? No, training from the teacher recently.”

“What?”

“While handling the spear, I accidentally…”

“Wait a minute, before that.”

“Wh-What?”

Yu-ra’s tone seemed somewhat displeased.

Yerin’s mind was becoming increasingly hazy, wondering if her one and only friend was angry. Whether she knew Yerin’s feelings or not.

Yu-ra continued to ask questions.

“1:1? Private tutoring?”

“Y-Yes…”

“Just you and the teaching assistant. Is that true?”

How could you do that when you know my heart?

Yu-ra glared at Yerin with a reproachful look. She didn’t even open her mouth even after receiving her glare.

I can’t say it.

I can’t say that I was intoxicated by the changing appearance of myself as I wielded the spear, following my grandfather’s spearmanship that didn’t suit my level, and accidentally hit my wrist on the end of the spear shaft.

I can’t say that Seungwoo had a look on his face asking what I was doing.

I’m too embarrassed to say it.