Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 97

Extracurricular Match (2)

There were several hypotheses as to why Jujutsu became obsolete.

Most were based on scant evidence and a great deal of speculation, but the most prevalent hypothesis was:

Jujutsu disappeared because Japan, its country of origin, embraced Western culture indiscriminately and prioritized Western magic.

This was the most widely accepted theory within the academy.

Supporting this, records of Jujutsu mysteriously vanished even from the archives of the historically prominent Japanese Imperial Family and other high-ranking families.

Even at the main family of the Cheonho Baekga, considered the birthplace of Jujutsu, where the first techniques were said to have originated.

It was even claimed that Tamamo-no-Mae’s [a legendary fox spirit in Japanese folklore] Jujutsu was lost to the sands of time.

Jujutsu, it seemed, had been deliberately erased.

Adding a motive to the circumstances made it the most plausible hypothesis.

And such Jujutsu, in modern times, only survives in the form of fragmented inscriptions etched onto ancient artifacts.

The number of these inscriptions barely reaches one hundred.

And that Jujutsu.

Now, it has been revived in this place.

“You learned something like that? No wonder your recent actions have been unusual.”

“Jujutsu is difficult to deal with because information about it is so scarce. I suspect Efnell’s flower garden incident and the terror attack were somehow accomplished using Jujutsu.”

While some assistant instructors voiced blunt opinions on Jujutsu, which they were encountering for the first time, most of the professors were visibly excited.

In particular, scholars specializing in magic engineering, who had dedicated their lives to magic, showed immense interest.

Professors with a passion for relics and archeology were prime examples.

“Jujutsu! Which country’s Jujutsu is it from?!”

“It’s not from the South. I believe it’s Japanese?”

“Japanese Jujutsu… Could it be the original Jujutsu?!”

“We don’t know yet! We can’t determine if it’s the original or a derivative, but it’s undoubtedly one of the few complete forms of Jujutsu remaining in modern times!”

They produced thick-rimmed glasses and magnifying glasses from seemingly nowhere and began to scrutinize me. They could have simply used magic to enhance their vision.

They confirmed the survival of Jujutsu, which had been buried in the distant past, and their excitement grew, some even snorting in anticipation.

From a distance, they looked like perverts.

Ah, I wonder if they look like perverts even up close.

“Professors, you’re undermining the dignity and composure you’ve maintained until now.”

“Professor Yacheol, I admired your dignified demeanor and tone, but now you resemble my animation-obsessed brother…”

“Still, it must be incredibly significant for them to be acting this way, right?”

“No, what exactly is Jujutsu in the first place? Isn’t it essentially the same as magic?”

The students were starting to feel uncomfortable with the professors’ behavior.

The professors were beside themselves with excitement, abandoning all pretense of decorum.

If their excitement stems from unknown knowledge.

Here, where their voices do not reach.

The inside of the arena was filled with a completely different kind of excitement.

A primal sense of excitement born from struggle and combat.

Mugung, having lost his reason, was completely consumed by that excitement, while I was excited on two fronts, simultaneously gathering data on Jujutsu usage and experiencing the thrill of the fight.

‘I sensed it during our confrontation. There’s no need to combine it with magic. Jujutsu alone is sufficient to deal with him.’

The covenant with Tamamo.

One Jujutsu a day, thirty Jujutsu a month. Having learned a total of thirteen Jujutsu techniques so far, I was waiting for the right opportunity to put them into practice.

Fortunately, a good opportunity presented itself, though I never imagined I’d be demonstrating it against such a berserker.

‘…Even better.’

Mugung, who possesses exceptional abilities but lacks the mental discipline to see through clever tactics and strategies, was the perfect training dummy.

People say that if you’re physically strong, you don’t need to be smart.

But that only applies when you’re facing a weaker opponent.

Against someone who can skillfully manipulate the situation, brute strength becomes meaningless.

…Of course, if your physical strength is overwhelmingly superior, it doesn’t matter.

‘Mugung isn’t quite there yet.’

Among the various levels of judging a warrior, he’s at the peak of the upper class.

Seo Yerin, as well as Sung Yeonhwa, possessed a wealth of experience accumulated over thirty years that couldn’t be ignored.

It wasn’t enough to covet an impregnable fortress that did not allow even a single defeat.

The only thing that can be compared to an impregnable fortress is the sky above it.

Even the sky above the sky.

Only the Outer Heaven.

And as far as I know.

There are not even five people in this world who have that talent.

‘Actually, that alone is amazing.’

A genius refers to those who are born with a talent that the heavens love and at the same time are jealous of.

That’s why there’s even a joke that geniuses are hated by the heavens and die young.

But the talent of the Outer Heaven.

A talent so high and amazing that even the heavens cannot do anything about it.

This world had as many as five talents that are born once in a century.

‘Even so, this world will see more than tens of millions of people die as the scenario progresses.’

I could once again feel how ridiculously high the difficulty of this novel was.

Five Outer Heavens.

Even if five heavens gather, sacrifice is inevitable.

How am I trying to change such a world?

I’m so foolish.

‘But I can’t help it.’

However, there are things that you cannot give up even if you know it is foolish.

For me, that is the oath.

The oath not to die and to save all mankind, made with the blood and sacrifice of my comrades.

For that oath.

I will do anything.

Even if it means destroying the impregnable fortress that I have built up over a lifetime.

I have to save people.

Eventually, I have to save the world.

Only that was the reason for the existence of the name ‘Baek Seungwoo’.

* * *

Mugung’s mind was clouded.

His physical abilities were enhanced by several levels by wearing armor made of shadows, but in return, his reason evaporated.

Even in the midst of that, he was able to grasp one thing.

“This is so frustrating!!”

A clumsy tone with drawn-out words.

Within that clumsiness was hidden madness and anger.

Baek Seungwoo, who had been scurrying around like a rat since earlier.

After that, he imitated the technique he had put his whole life into. When he hit me with the intent to kill, I felt an empty, hollow feeling like a cicada’s shell.

If you had that ability, you should have revealed it from the beginning!!

Why, do you give me confidence that I can win and then mock me?

Mugung shouted at the frustrating situation.

It was a sincere feeling.

“Show me your true feelings!!”

“…Really?”

Eventually, as if his sincerity had reached me.

I nodded.

Then, it’s okay to be serious according to your words, right?

I was about to finish it anyway.

I didn’t bother to say the rest out loud.

Because it was faster for it to reach his body than to say the words.

There was no need to say it.

Whoosh──!!!

Fast.

It’s not teleportation or folding space to run.

By giving up reason, the extremely enhanced leg strength caused vibrations on the floor of the arena by kicking the ground once.

Mugung instantly took my back like that.

The moment his huge fist aimed at my small skull.

Stagger.

I walked to the side.

Into the blind spot where his fist could not reach.

Stagger.

It had been a long time since I had escaped the blind spot where his fist could reach.

Even after a few seconds and a few more steps, his fist did not come down on my head.

In the first place.

“Let go!!”

“You told me to be serious earlier, right?”

Mugung did not move.

Even though his feet were not tied by anything, his position had been fixed in place since earlier.

Something invisible was restricting his movement.

Mugung, the person involved, was only struggling because his reason was faint, but the professors who had been watching the scene from the beginning were convinced.

“It’s gravity magic.”

“By the way, is it because it’s Jujutsu? If it were normal gravity magic, the floor around him would have collapsed due to the influence of the gravity field.”

“It’s certainly amazing. It feels like he manipulated the gravity acting only on Mugung, not around him. Is that the mystery of the forgotten East?”

Their analysis was accurate.

Mugung’s body seemed to be much heavier.

A skill that is difficult to perform with ordinary gravity magic.

Professor Emilia drooled at the sight and coveted it.

“Ah, I’m dying to research it! Would he tell me if I offered my chief aide or the position of my direct disciple as collateral?”

“Isn’t that too skewed an exchange ratio? You should at least guarantee the position of professor.”

“No… I don’t have the authority to do that, so I wouldn’t offer such ridiculous conditions.”

“That’s what I said. It’s Jujutsu that has retained its complete form for the first time in 1,000 years of magic engineering history. Don’t you get it? The protagonist of the magic engineering conference to be held next year has already been decided. Maybe even for the next 10 years.”

The professors highly praised my Jujutsu.

Well, it’s natural because 1,000 years has that much value, but well.

My Jujutsu is not that great in terms of ability.

Like the cicada’s shell-like prosthetic body and the Jujutsu that swaps the positions of two objects, this Jujutsu that involves gravity could also be learned in a day.

The same goes for gravity.

The art of attraction.

The art of repulsion.

Two Jujutsu that together form gravity.

Jujutsu that handles gravity is unique in that there are few that exist, so it is a Jujutsu with unique utility and value.

‘I didn’t expect them to treat them separately.’

Two combined into one Jujutsu.

But that also means that the two that are not combined can be seen as separate Jujutsu. Therefore, I consumed two of the 30 free usage rights.

It was a regrettable expense, but the two Jujutsu had more value than the expense.

The calculation is not difficult, and you can do anything if you invest a lot of magic power.

Look at Mugung right now.

His powerful leg strength, enhanced by the power of berserker, is stuck in place without even resisting.

I don’t think I need to reveal any more new Jujutsu.

‘The total number of Jujutsu I have used so far is 4.’

I only revealed some of the 13 Jujutsu I learned from Tamamo.

I judged that I needed to use two or three more to subdue Mugung for sure, but I felt a little sorry.

Jujutsu was a hidden trick that only I knew in this modern era.

The more you reveal the types and numbers of these things, the more the opponent comes up with countermeasures, and the meaning of ‘hidden’ fades.

So I wanted to save it here if possible.

It doesn’t consume little magic power, so my blood vessels, which are already narrow, were filling with magic power, and my breathing was getting rougher.

‘I’m still stopping him by giving 「attraction」 and 「repulsion」 to his body and the floor respectively…’

I’m getting tired of just tying his feet with these two Jujutsu.

Not only that, but I can’t win against Mugung unless I take out the remaining Jujutsu.

All the Jujutsu I’ve taken out so far are not for combat.

The situation requires me to use magic to finish this match.

There was a perfect magic for that.

No matter how you use Jujutsu that handles gravity, it had good synergy with [telekinesis].

Designated target, range, power, etc.

It created a synergistic effect in all applicable categories.

That means.

「Pyrokinesis」

It means that it becomes stronger when mixed with my unique magic.

The tangible flame with shape and texture was now free from the influence of gravity. The red, blazing flame was divided into two strands, each engraved with the concept of 「attraction」 and 「repulsion」.

If the two strands become one and form a huge flame, it naturally forms a great combination of magic and Jujutsu that forms 「gravity」.

It would be even better if I mixed in 「Foxfire」.

There was no need to go that far.

‘Because I’m going to end it with this.’

When gravity, telekinesis, and fire met, there was no more heart-pounding match.

There was only one-sided violence from one side.

Whirrrrr─!

Every time he was hit by the tangible flame with his ankles tied, Mugung suffered burns and physical damage.

Seeing Mugung in such a tattered state, the judge, Namgung Seongjin, stood up from his seat. In his hand was a microphone with [voice amplification] magic cast on it.

─Well, with Mugung’s knockout, the winner of this match is Baek…!

Namgung Seongjin’s voice was heard not only in the wide audience seats but also in the arena below. Hearing his voice, I suddenly sensed it.

Mugung, whose arm was still twitching.

That he had not given up.

You’re so persistent.

You should know when to give up at this point.

─…As per the original purpose of the match, we will ensure that the performance evaluation is not retaken!

Namgung Seongjin, his superior, did not see Mugung’s appearance.

The fight was not over yet.

This match would not end until one side was on the verge of death.

So, I turned my back on Namgung Seongjin, who was talking loudly.

And the arm of the guy who was twitching and trying to get up.

Crack─!

I broke it off.

Since I cut it by vibrating it with [telekinesis], the cut surface was clean and easy to attach.

Mugung, who had completely collapsed after losing one arm.

Seeing him like that, I finally felt the victory.

“I finally won.”

A perfect victory without any doubt.

There is no more foothold for a comeback.

It is not the referee who determines the outcome of this game, but only me.

Thanks to that, the gaze that looked at me like I was crazy was a bonus, but anyway, it’s my victory.