Chapter 108
Chapter 108
Academy’s Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Chapter 108
The students, having finished their battle preparations, dashed straight toward the front lines, each calling out.
"We'll be off then. Take care of us out there, Teacher! Make sure you film us at our absolute best so we look good to the guilds!"
"We'll be right back."
With that, the students raced off to the scene.
I settled into a high vantage point and launched a single drone from my ring.
The weather was clearing up nicely, just in time.
It was all part of fulfilling my role as supervisor.
Weeeeng!
Clank!!
After a few mechanical whirs that clashed with the medieval backdrop, the drone silently took to the skies, capturing the students on camera.
This would transmit the situation here live to the teachers, evaluators, and other outsiders waiting outside the dungeon.
"Now I need to track down the others... Where the hell is everyone? This is harder than it should be."
To evaluate them properly, I needed vivid footage of their situational judgment and combat prowess. I never imagined we'd run into this mess right after entering the Hidden World.
It hit me anew: being a temporary instructor is exhausting.
I already had enough on my plate hunting for the egg of the apocalypse.
Even for me, juggling all this was giving me a headache.
I should wrap this up this semester and resign next term.
Hopefully, they scrap the temporary teacher program altogether by then.
'Whatever happens, I'm never doing this headache-inducing crap again.'
Having resolved to just teach the kids privately after school from now on, I focused on the filming.
Woooong!!
From its high altitude, the drone captured the battlefield below.
In the chaotic melee involving at least a hundred fighters, the students stood out unmistakably.
"Ye-rin! We're here to help!"
"...Lee Ji? ...Isis too?"
"Teacher came along. I'll take the front line, right?"
"...Please do."
Sweeping her hastily grabbed spear in all directions, Seo Ye-rin relentlessly targeted her foes' vital points while defending herself flawlessly, without a single scratcha pinnacle of offense and defense achievable by a student.
"Hey, what the hell is that guy?!"
"Take out that girl first! The one with the spear. We can't block herwhat are youGah!!"
"We're all gonna die like this! Kill the older middle-aged ones first to even the numbers and surround them!!"
"We'd have done that already if it worked. Those sword- and spear-wielding brats make it impossible to get close!"
Mercenaries screamed and bled as they collapsed.
Seo Ye-rin's perfect offense-defense shone especially against foes lacking proper combat training, but they weren't pushovers either.
Facing dozens of armed mercenariesor banditswho were ready to kill, and trading blows near-perfectly? That deserved praise.
"Still inexperienced. I didn't teach her that way... From now on, I need to train them with more real-combat methods."
Of course, I wasn't impressed.
What do you mean? Isn't that impressive enough?
"What's the point of good offense and defense? Her vital strikes are too shallowno lethal hits. True offense-defense... Yeah, those two are good examples."
Where? Where?
"The armored knight slashing through the center of the battlefield, opening a path, and Isis."
The armored knight, Termiya, wielded her sword and shield with expert precision where it mattered most.
No further words needed.
And on the opposite side.
Boom! Boom!!
A sturdy ice barrier enveloped Isis, shielding her completely.
No matter the arrows, swords, or axes from outside, the barrierbuilt with solid mana arrays via her braceletrefused to crumble.
Even if the surface cracked slightly, she repaired it effortlessly by drawing on the pervasive chill in the air.
Absolute defense.
"Even my flames wouldn't melt that easily."
Looks that way. Assuming you only use Pyrokinesis, it'd take more than half your mana.
Of course, with Demon Eye to find weak points, Triple Helix for efficiency and power, and Fox Fire laced with curses, I could melt it without spending a tenth.
But the problem was the climate enveloping us: a biting north wind and blizzard.
The cold and snow boosted [Ice Magic]'s power, efficiency, and chant speed abnormally.
Right now, Isis could claim over 50% win rate against mid-tier mages or A-rank players.
Her ice and frost affinity made this environment her ultimate playground.
As if proving my thoughts.
Thud!!!
A massive hailstone slammed into the mercenaries.
Matching glacier fragments in mass, it flattened men like pancakes.
Without moving from her spot, Isis dominated the battlefield with minimal manalike a witch incarnate.
"I know that face... The, the Frost Witch! The Frost Witch from the mountain lodge has appeared!!"
"What the hell are you babbling about?! If you wanna live, quit yapping and smash the ice!!"
"No, you idiot! Look closelyit's her!!"
"Hey!!! Watch your mouth with the boss around. Why would the Frost Witch be here?! The captain and his crew headed to the lodge less than half a day ago just in case..."
Her sheer presence plunged villagers and mercenaries alike into panic.
Isis's role as the Frost Witch seemed to be a terrifying figure in this world.
Makes senseperfect conditions for her [Ice Magic].
But even more eye-catching was...
"I do teach well."
Yeah... The magic placement and mana allocation are flawless.
"Right?"
It was a technique I'd taught her.
Not every student I taught performed that well, though.
A bad example?
"That said... What the hell is that guy doing?"
There was Lee Ji.
The guy roughly handling his shield and axe failed to properly disperse the mercenaries' mana attacks through his shield.
The result?
Boom! Crack!! Crunch!!
With deafening crashes, Lee Ji's shield and axe shattered.
Exposed bare in the melee, mercenaries swarmed him like bees.
Lee Ji shrank back.
No intention of fighting barehanded.
Fine then. Time to deliver some premium service right to his doorstep.
'Gotta launch these from here to there.'
Reaching into my ring, I pulled out two pieces of gear and hurled them toward Lee Ji.
More precisely, I flung them with [Telekinesis].
They were heavy, and the distance was considerablebeyond my raw strength.
"Here, catch."
"Whoa, Teacher, what the!? Nearly skewered by the axe head!!"
"A warrior should dodge that much."
"Crazy bastard!"
Lee Ji somehow caught the gearone in each hand.
His left gripped a tower shield as big as himself.
His right held a double-bladed axe dwarfing his old handaxe in size and weight.
The golden-and-white gear radiated a holy aura.
Holy Knight's Axe & Shield
Rank: S+
Description: A matching set crafted by artisan Guya for Lee Ji. Though individually merely A-rank weapons infused with a holy aura, they unleash their true potential when used together.
*Shatter
Smashes objects or targets struck by the axe. Based on [Earth Magic], this ability fuses holy essence and magicdrawn from mage Baek Seung-woo's knowledge of other schoolsinto the weapon. Using it more than five times a day risks severe damage to the axe from overload.
*Solar Shield
A shield heated like the sun, reflecting damage. Defense isn't just blockingprotecting allies means preemptively eliminating threats.
"...Haha! Yeah, I should've dodged that myself!"
Gripping the holy shield and double-bladed axe, Lee Ji shouted, "Thanks for the gift, Teacher!" and charged the front line.
His steps were so light and eager, anyone could see he was thrilled. Frisky little punk.
After I tossed the axe, the battle around Lee Ji flipped dramatically.
Blocking blows for himself and the villagers with his shield, he cleaved foes from above with the massive axe's weight, fulfilling his guardian role admirably.
Watching him, Seo Ye-rin swung her spear wide to buy time and reached toward me.
"...Teacher, m-my spear too."
Her voice was too soft amid the clashing spears and shouts; I lip-read to catch it.
Did they all leave their stuff with me?
Feels less like teacher or supervisor, more like pack mule. But as she reached out, a dagger-wielding man lunged from behind, so I blasted him with [Telekinesis].
"Here you go."
Crunch!
The flying spear pierced the man's forehead clean through.
His movements halted instantly.
Instant death.
Seeing the spear's sharpness and penetration, Seo Ye-rin realized it was no ordinary weapon. She politely withdrew it from the nameless man's brow.
Hers was a custom order.
Unlike Isis's bracelet or Lee Ji's axe, it was a plain long spear with no built-in abilities.
Adamantine Pure Spear
Rank: S+
Description: A long spear forged by artisan Guya for Seo Ye-rin. Pure mithril hammered tens of thousands of times, with no additives or runes beyond the metal itself.
Thus, it excels in hardness, durability, and core weapon traits. True to pure white mithril, it readily absorbs external stimuli like spear qi or other energies.
*Adamantine Indestructibility
Like an adamantine body that never breaks, the spear shaft is forged unbreakable yet resilientwith flexibility to bend but not snap.
*Pure White Mithril
Processed pristine like blank white paper. Infuse refined mana for enhanced spear qi; holy power turns it holy, demonic energy demonic.
In plain terms, this "pure spear of adamantine hardness" had a starkly simple design compared to Lee Ji's or Isis's gear.
No frills.
White was the only color.
The blade's elegant shaping was the entirety of its "design."
Hardly design-worthy.
Substance over ruined aestheticsthat's the Adamantine Pure Spear.
It outperformed other spears in every way.
No special magic or powersexactly as I'd requested from Guya. I wanted the ultimate spear, no mysticism.
'Guya chewed me out back then"What kinda crap is this for an old granny?"but money shut him up. Never dreamed it'd birth this masterpiece.'
Money's the best.
Rediscovering that truth, I reminisced.
Seo Ye-rin herself hadn't wanted special abilities, and I aimed to prevent over-reliance on gimmicks over skill.
Thus, maximizing elasticity, durability, cutting power, and weightthe spear's fundamentals.
One drawback: mithril's nature means no prolonged energy infusion.
Overdo spear qi, and the unparalleled cutting edge becomes a peerless treasure spear forever. Holy power too long? It locks as a holy spear permanently.
'Painting on white paper is fine, but oversaturate and it stainscan't paint over.'
Not literal paper, just analogyso once set, it's hard to change.
Practically impossible.
Unless a noble demon lord painstakingly corrupts a holy-locked one into demonic.
Odds near zeroI erased it from my mind.
"Need to get the rest to their owners ASAP."
I rummaged in my ring, pulling out a gun and a sword, then putting them back.
Should've handed them out sooner if I'd known they'd scatter like this.