Chapter 104
Chapter 104
Academy’s Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Chapter 104
I tightened my clothes securely and, just in case, strapped the Heavenly Mass Cloud Sword to the belt at my waist before heading out. I could feel the eyes of the people around me turning toward me.
Gazes that would normally only fix on my face and tail.
But today, some of those stares were scattered toward the sword as well.
Feeling their attention, I thought it made sense given the bewitching aura around my waist.
"Instinctively sensing how dangerous the Heavenly Mass Cloud Sword is? Even ordinary folks have sharp instincts."
Well, of course. The Orochi's curse entwined in that blade is still very much alive.
The tone was so familiar, like calling out to an old friend, that my face turned toward her.
Come to think of it, both were beings who operated in the same country, recorded even in myths.
Tamamo and Yamata no Orochi might actually know each other.
Even if their active eras differed, with her having lived a hundred lives across countless faces, she might have existed even in those distant ancient times.
"Your tone sounds oddly familiar. Were you acquainted with this sword's original material?"
Original material? Haha... Isn't that a bit dismissive? For all its faults, that guy was once a sea serpent that nearly wiped an entire island chain off the map.
"Even so, I have no real sense of it. Doesn't feel like that big a deal."
I let out a hearty chuckle and stroked the serpent with my hand.
The little snake, coiled around the sword in its spirit form, stared at me blankly as if it never expected me to see it, only tilting its head when I petted it.
As if snapping out of it, it shook its head side to side and thencrunchbit down on the finger stroking it.
Looks like it injected you with its cursed venom.
(Cursed Poison).
A sorcery term for poison infused with curses.
It shares roots with other curses and poison arts, but the entire system of sorcery died out a thousand years ago, leaving it as mere legend passed down orally.
[Ancient poison, 'Kusanagi's Cursed Venom,' has invaded your body!]
[All energy within your body scatters, and even the blood carrying it is plundered!]
'Naughty little thing... So this is the poison and curse that mummified the auction house staff.'
My veins bulging red felt strangely odd.
It stung a bit, but honestly, no real impact.
Because my body produced antibodies and neutralized it far faster than the poison could spread.
[Interpreting 'Kusanagi's Cursed Venom' based on the hundred poisons recorded in Hundred Poisons Body.]
[Progress: 4.9%]
[Progress: 19.4%]
[Progress: 36.3%]
...
[Progress: 99.9%]
[You have perfectly interpreted the ancient poison, 'Kusanagi's Cursed Venom'!]
[Hundred Poisons Body now implements immunity and antibodies against 'Kusanagi's Cursed Venom' and all related lesser cursed venoms!]
My reactions to poisons had reached the point of near-instant response.
At this rate, I might actually hit the pinnacle that the Sacheon Party of [Martial World] dreamed ofa true Poison Immortal. Curious, I opened my status window.
[Retrieving status of Hundred Poisons Body within the skill 'Drug Resistance Body'.]
[You currently possess antibodies for approximately 477 types of poisons via Hundred Poisons Body.]
"...Might not be long before I reach Thousand Poisons Body."
The bulging veins gradually subsided.
For a legendary ancient poison from antiquity, it was neutralized rather anticlimactically.
Tamamo, floating idly in the air, and the real serpent proudly coiled around the sword were both visibly flustered by the sight.
Makes sense, given its size.
Pretty cute expression, actually.
* * *
Time passed, and midterms were upon us.
On Chilseong's training grounds, 1,991 first-years gathered, fully geared alongside their temporary instructor escorts.
"Hey, you all got all your gear ready?"
"Of course, Professor. Main weapon, backup gear just in case, armor. Five potion bottles, water, emergency rations, even a tent."
"Medical supplies? I taught you last lecture that potions alone can't cover every injury type."
"Brought those too, naturally. Oh, and just in case, we grabbed breakfast from that snack place and are sharing it. Want some?"
"You bet. Hey, this kimbap is good! Who made it?"
"Bought it from the snack shop across from the second-year dorms."
"Figures it tastes so great."
One might expect a solemn atmosphere for midterms, but the waiting students looked more like kids on a field trip.
Swapping breakfasts and chattering away, they were the spitting image of typical high schoolers their age.
But don't be fooled.
The place they were about to enter was a dungeon.
An unknown realm teeming with monsters and harsh natural environments.
Smiling and laughing now, these students were gripping the strings of tension in their hearts, steeling their resolve for the week-long ordeal ahead.
Some to offset botched performance assessments with midterm scores.
Others, as observers, to catch the eye of top guilds watching the exams.
And some revealed their mix of excitement and anxiety through stiff faces and tails wagging wildly like puppies.
"The day has finally come."
A low baritone voice echoed across the grounds, and in an instant, everyone swallowed and fell silent.
At the center strode a handsome man with a sleek black tail swaying. Same suit as always.
But with the coat draped over it, Baek Seung-woo exuded a demonic allure that left people staring blankly.
"Everyone just staring at my clothes? Guess they do suit me well."
Seung-woo had no idea.
Excited about his new outfit, he'd unwittingly released the restriction on Charm, and now the White Face Golden Fur embedded in his ring harmonized with his trait, Nation-toppling Beauty.
His allure had long since engulfed the entire training grounds.
This... Even I can't look away.
"Right? The clothes really do fit perfectly."
That's not all there is to it. Heh heh... Well, your clueless look is pretty cute anyway.
"...?"
He shot her a puzzled glance, but got no reply.
Curious but not overly so, Seung-woo feigned calm atop his intriguethough his tail betrayed him, curling into a question mark.
Kyahahahaha!!!
Those watching, especially the female students, female TAs, and men newly awakened to their tastes, let out shrill squeals.
The faces and sounds you make when seeing something utterly adorable.
Suddenly chilled down his spine, Seung-woo turned, but saw only Tamamo with her hand over her mouth instead of his question-mark tail.
"...What's with you since earlier?"
Having no clue the stares were aimed at his tail, Seung-woo figured they were all for his outfit.
But the reaction seemed over the top for that.
Do they hate it that much?
As fresh doubts bubbled up inside, his tail once more broadcast his confusion, monopolizing the gazes.
Feeling the stares piling up behind him, he reached his assigned group's spot.
"You all set? Got your gear?"
"Come on, TA, you treating us like little kids? We've had everything packed for two days already."
No Yu-ra patted her massive backpack.
It was absurdly huge for a normal pack.
"Subspace backpack, huh. Efficiency per space isn't great, but still worth tens of millions at least. Where'd you get it?"
Smaller capacity and bulkier than Seung-woo's ring, but considering it held water, food, tents, and more, it was an ideal start.
"But is it okay to bring something like this to midterms?"
"Dude, didn't you check the midterm criteria? Taking the test without even looking at that?"
"There's rules for midterms beyond performance evals?"
At Yi Ji's question, Isabel didn't hide her exasperation and shoved her phone in his face.
A yellow messenger background.
With a long announcement pinned above.
"It's right here in the group chat notice. Ugh... How's a guy like this our team's shield? Hard to believe."
Isabel's sharp tone accompanied thrusting her phone at Yi Ji.
He read the notice with the demeanor of a condemned man.
Long as it was, it clearly outlined evaluation criteria and items, including this.
"The higher-grade the dungeon a team challenges, the more items per person they can bring in, with fewer restrictions."
"For teams like us tackling a Hidden World, we can even bring tents, food, and personal weapons."
"So others will gear up with academy-made stuff."
"You only checking now? Even for someone as oblivious as you, isn't this taking exam apathy too far?"
Seeing Yi Ji realize info every student knew a week ago only on the day, Isabel felt her chest tighten.
She wouldn't feel this stifled even choking down a mountain of sweet potatoes.
Understanding her meticulous, planner's mindset, but as their escort instructor, Seung-woo couldn't just stand by.
"How about you two knock it off?"
"What would a mere overseer know? This is blatantly our team's business, so stay out of it."
Seung-woo inwardly admired Isabel's edged response.
It hadn't even been a month since they formed the team.
Yet she already bore the leader's sense of responsibility.
Music to a teacher's ears.
But best to hold off now.
"Gate entry starts in ten minutes. Better get in position than scold."
"But if we don't straighten them out here, team discipline will... "
"We can handle that inside. And look at Yi Ji's eyes. He probably pulled an all-nighter at his part-time gig again."
Dark circles stark under his eyesthink he'd really hear you now?
Seung-woo chuckled and patted Isabel's head.
Her words had thorns, but he knew how hard she was trying. He'd endured his share of hardships leading people young too.
Whether she sensed it or not.
Continuously petting her head in praise, the blushing girl finally ducked her head lower and squeezed out words.
"...O-okay."
Seung-woo smirked at the sight.
Definitely because she's the heroine.
Her sharp speech and personality aside.
She's not a bad kid.
Deep thinker, even.
Stroke, strokepraise via head pats. Normally she'd swat his hand away with a "What do you think you're doing?", but Isabel bowed her head further like ripe rice stalks.
No Yu-ra glared enviously at Isabel, while Yi Ji, half-scolded, looked around in confusion at the turn of events.
This bizarre scene persisted until their dungeon guide arrived.
About ten minutes, I'd say.
By then, even my hand was getting sore.
* * *
Deepest part of Chilseong.
Beyond the gate lay a vast cavern.
No sunlight pierced the enormous, empty void, and not a single lamp lit it.
But it wasn't so dark I'd need to light a fire or have Isabel conjure light.
Just right, actually.
"What is this place...?"
"The night sky? No, why are there stars on a cave ceiling?!"
"Teacher! What is that?!"
"Ah, students wouldn't know, of course."
The guide chuckled softly at their awed tones.
Clearly very familiar with those stars.
Naturally so.
They were the very destinations these guides led to.
"What are those stars? They... shine on their own, like real stars."
"Because they are stars."
"Huh? You serious?"
Isabel, a light manipulator, was an expert on light sources.
Even she couldn't fathom what light those stars emitted.
It wasn't ordinary light.
Starlight itself.
What normalcy could exist in a cavern filled with starlight beyond a gate? Yet these defied fixed preconceptions, a realm of pure mystery.
A total mystery that even a genius mage dismantling enigmas for truth had to surrender to.
Its true nature was crystal clear.
Just stars.
"They are stars, yes. The world we live in, this planet called Earthit's one giant star. Everyone knows that, right?"
"Obviously."
"Then understanding should be simple."
The guide's explanation was straightforward yet profound.
It directly addressed why dungeons were called 'shards of fallen worlds'.
Too theoretical for students to grasp yet.
I'd even given up explaining this bit to Tamamo.
The deeper you dug, the more there was to unpack.
"Do you know why dungeons are called shards of fallen worlds?"
"...Well, no better way to explain ecosystems and monsters beyond space?"
"Not wrong, but simply put: dungeons and Hidden Worlds are fragments of shattered stars. Every dungeon we enter is just a shooting star broken off from one massive origin."
"So dungeons were once full worlds?"
"One, or two, maybe. But what's certain is multiple common denominators emerge from identical ecosystems across various dungeons."
All dungeons trace back to one colossal star, a planet.
Born there, it perished, scattering across worlds.
"That's why we and the academy treat dungeons as a form of starlight. They manifest that way here, after all."
The cavern walls brimmed with starlight.
White, black, red, blue, and more.
Those twinkling stars in varied hues were Chilseong's prized dungeons. And among them, the especially large ones.
A vivid crimson like flowing blood, sparkling like jewelsresembling my own red eyes, an enormous red starlight.
That was our Hidden World destination today.
Dubbed 'The Ruins of Eternal Winter, Temil'.
Advance scouts recorded it as the lowest-tier village-level among Hidden Worlds, a realm of ceaseless north winds, winter at its end.
"Alright, you're here. Proceed inside. I pray the goddess of fortune smiles on your conquest."
The guide bowed and soon left to escort the next group.
Meanwhile, we gazed at the glittering stars overhead.
Shards of already perished worlds.
Like gazing at stars.
Though their lifespans ended and they met their end, the stars we see still radiate their final, brilliant death throes in return light.
Shattered into shooting stars across branches, they reflect dying worlds into our eyes.
Some, under the name 'dungeon', cradle long-crumbled natures and monsters.
Others, as 'Hidden Worlds', reveal forgotten lives and conflicts through entities called NPCs.
Those barely clinging to life atop those stars today know not.
That their lives, their worlds, have already met their doom.
No point telling them anywaythey wouldn't believe it.
They simply live on in silence.
Just like that distant star.
Their lives too are scenes from centuries past, illuminated by that far-off dead star's ancient light.
A world unchanging no matter the frenzy.
Not a single thing alters.
A shard of a world doomed to extinction.
We entered the Hidden World.