Chapter 114
Chapter 114
Academy’s Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Chapter 114
The night of the second day since entering the Shadow World had arrived.
Unlike the first day, nothing noteworthy happened on the second.
There were no grueling battles like the fights with mercenaries during entry, nor did she link up with any distant students.
Per their deal with the villagers, Isis, Lee Ji, Sung Yeon-hwa, Seo Ye-rin, and No Yu-ra teamed up to hunt down hundreds of demonic beasts.
Hunting nearly 1,000 of them wasn't easy, but they gladly endured the hardship knowing their kills weren't just for show or proving their skillsthey'd become food and clothing for the villagers.
The most encouraging news was No Yu-ra heading out hunting yesterday morning as a hunter and not due back until tomorrow morning.
Setting that aside, there were no real gains to speak of.
Were the students still too young?
They were pointlessly pure and kind.
I wished they had a bit more ruthlessnesstheir soft judgments left me a little disappointed.
Of course, I was just as soft in those areas, so I had no room to preach.
[Skill, Demon Eye sweeps through the darkness.]
Still, when I did something, I did it thoroughly.
My gleaming violet eyes pierced the gloom.
A dense coniferous forest thicket.
A woman stood amid a graveyard of trees bearing clear signs of freezing.
No, she wasn't worthy of being called a woman.
I crept slowly toward the horned thing.
The moment I did...
"Who are you?"
The yu-ma spoke from the empty forest.
A woman dressed just like the villagers.
But the horns on her head, inverted pupils and sclera in reverse colorsthey screamed demonkin without filter.
No one was near the yu-ma in the dark woods.
Only the presence of nocturnal creatures like owls lingered; no signs of large beings like humans.
"Impressive. You look like a total greenhorn from every angle, but your instincts are sharp enough."
"!!!"
The voice came from right behind her.
A voice sweet as honey, sticky and frail, drawing out languidlyit stirred lust and excitement in the listener.
But the yu-ma felt terror before any seduction.
Where the hell was she hiding?!
The sudden foe.
She'd known someone was lurking.
Never dreamed they'd be right behind her.
The yu-ma's post-transformation instincts were keen.
That's why she'd taunted a hidden foebut imagining them so close? Her face hardened.
At that instant, demonic energy blades flickered in her grasp.
The black blades lunged for the opponent's throat.
Slice!
Something was severed.
Not just flesh like cutting meatbones and tissue crushed and split in tandem.
The yu-ma was a novice swordswoman, fresh as a demonkin.
But relying on her transformation's speed and senses, slicing a human throat should be child's play
"your moves are way too predictable."
Thud. A voice, then something hit the ground.
Not the foe's headher own shoulder.
The blade-wielding arm severed clean at the shoulder.
Indescribable agony crashed over the yu-ma.
Her demonkin body was tougher, surebut no less sensitive to pain.
She wanted to scream, but greater terror loomed before her than the hurt.
"Your movement's B-rank at best. Add that freakishly sharp sense, and you're mid-tier A to S-rank demonkin material, maybe."
A murmur from nearby, but it wasn't her concern.
Thump. She collapsed, strength gone.
A shadow loomed over her, blocking the sole light source in the dark woods: moonlight.
Trembling, the yu-ma slowly looked up.
To see the face of the one who'd mangled her arm.
"...Ah."
There stood an angel.
Beautiful, handsome, noble.
Utterly selfish-looking.
That face and aura, compressing all worldly beauty, shocked away even her momentary fear.
Her mind was already dyed by Nation-toppling Beauty and Charm.
Her gaze and nerves fixed on him, yet the man who'd severed her arm paid her no mindpolishing his shoes instead.
"Blink engraved on my shoes... not working as cleanly as I'd hoped. Space magic's tricky, huh? Needs tweaking."
Blink, or teleport.
A combat-specialized short-range warp, inferior to full teleport or instant movement, akin to space-folding lightness skills.
Channel mana into the magic circle on his shoes for activationa test run this time, but as expected from tough magic...
Lots to fix.
Especially the nausea on warp and the sole's ritual overheating after one use, locking it for ten minutes.
He wanted to fix it now, but...
Priority first.
Crunch!
Bones snapped futilely; her ankle twisted impossibly.
So badly, it turned black-red, shattered fragments piercing tough demonkin flesh.
Even with regeneration, low-grade demonkin needed days of recovery.
"Grrraaagh!!"
A groan from pain she'd never known.
But he wasn't kind enough to let her scream freely. Especially not a demonkin.
"Haha, why the face? Mad you lost with those powers? Coming at me with a sword was your first mistake."
Smooth.
His hand reached her waist.
Under clothes.
Purple, bug-shaped things nestled there.
"Gu poison or spirit insectsspecial lifeforms. Neat. Shouldn't have run wild in front of me with this ingenuity."
Pyrokinesis
Whooshflame hand ignited.
Telekinetic, physics-backed flamesthe culprit that crushed her ankles.
It floated toward her.
Smack!
Lashed her skin hard.
Repeatedly. Her recovery speed and limits became clear. At this rate, severed vitals would only scar over.
Typical C-to-B-rank demonkin trait.
But the bugs at her waist offered more than B-rank utility.
Minimum S-rank.
Potentially higher, depending on use.
Of course, her low skill let me catch her like this.
"I hate things that stop being human most of all."
The woman, skin darkening to demonic hues.
Face full of blood and burns.
Legs crushed, immobile, she begged for death.
"N-No... stop."
"Hey."
"Just... k-kill me."
But sadly, Baek Seung-woo wasn't kind to those who'd abandoned humanity.
Thwack!
He kicked her face.
Borrowing the ring's power for average adult male kick forceher bruised skin turned as purple as demonkin hide.
"Don't whine for mercy after sticking these vile things on kids."
The hard kick to the face knocked her out cold.
A normal person would've died from that force alone.
Demonkin bodies were convenient, indeed.
I stripped her body, collecting all the purple bugs.
Parasites sustaining on others' mana and vitalitynot for scum like her.
With everything taken, the moaning demonkin caught my eye.
What to do with her?
Death was certain, but maybe some use first.
"The kids haven't finished all their graves yet, right?"
Looked like one more slot needed filling.
* * *
Frozen ground thick with blood and flesh.
Snow atop soil froze deepno shovel could dig properly.
Proving it: dozens of shovels lay beside a hundred-odd corpses at the village outskirts' dank spot.
"Not rotting even after a day."
Shouldering a load, Seung-woo muttered alone.
A communal graveyard for the dead, to bury and pray for their souls. Nearby, chilled flesh and frozen bloodcorpses neatly lined.
Wondering why no graves yet, he touched the soil.
"...Frozen solid. Won't budge from the ground."
Gloved hand on dirt confirmed it.
Snow-fused soil, rock-hard. Normal methods wouldn't work.
Pat.
Hand off the ground, Seung-woo lightly spoke.
Mana swirled at his lips.
Lesser incantation speech.
Activation Word trigger.
Coffin Burial
Spoken elemental magic.
Earth Magic specialized for defense, clearing, construction.
Mana rode words, seeped into earth, reshaped along ley lines as desired.
A fitting communal pit beneath the grave.
Enough for one bound humanoid. Bonus: silenced exterior, breathing holemana drain hefty.
Hmm, still, [Flame Magic]'s easiest for me.
"..."
"Hey, get up already. I know you're awake."
"..."
"Should I just kill you?"
"I-I'm up! N-No more... violence!!"
Face ruined, legs shattered, it waved hands desperately.
Begging no more pain.
After implanting life-draining bugs in kidssome nerve.
Then, she felt her pain fading fast.
Like natural regen sped up several times.
Her thoughts were plain on her face.
I smirked, opening my mouth.
"Right before you die, I pushed you into full demonkin."
Full demonkin?
The woman had no clue what he meant.
Her bug senses and demonkin turn were recent.
Actually, last night.
She'd prepped to massacre the hated village, kids first.
Before even one kill, she was doomed.
Unaware, I smiled with lips but eyes full of disgust, continuing.
"Normal demonkin inject beast-serum or byproducts into bodies. Most fuse lifelong skills with beast powers."
People match certain beasts' wavelengths.
Most sync with low-rank 8-10th hierarchy beasts, but some rare high-rank 3rd-4th.
Those resist demonkin fall, ironically.
With external aid, weaklings sometimes become powerhouses.
And nine times out of ten, they turn criminal.
She synced high-rank but imperfectlytalented but underpowered.
I shoved her over the edge.
To full power.
Past human limits into worthless beast-worse-than-livestock trash demonkin.
And the reason? Nothing fancy.
Simple.
"Tell me your desire."
"My... desire?"
"Yeah, the desire you abandoned humanity for."
Humans crave desires.
Everyone has one, enduring days to fulfill it someday.
Obvious fact.
But one thing people mix up...
"You demonkin are brutally honest with desires. More than humans."
"Th-That's the demonic energy...!"
"Ah, guess the one who corrupted you never explained demonkin mechanics."
Demonkin maximize desires.
Demonic energy's the crystallized peakdesire-infused mana, far stronger and efficient.
To gain it, need desire intense enough to drive anyone off a cliff, base or noble.
They exploit that to grow ranks.
Vile breeders worse than rats.
I shared more demonkin lore.
Bottom line.
"I'll fulfill your demonkin-level desire for my goals. In return, I want your powersand your head at the end."
"Madman...!"
"I've always been mad. Nothing new."
Madman labels? Old hat, no sting.
"Y-You were so nice to the kids, but your true nature shows. Imagine exposing it to them...!"
"Try it."
"What would ha what'd you say?"
"If you can, do it."
Whatever last-ditch effort, go ahead.
I was calm.
Knew her state prevented it; never cared much for others' views anyway.
Besides.
"I don't like kids. Hate the noise, actually."
"What...? I saw you!"
What was she on about?
I loathed noisy chaos.
War and kids fit that bill, so I wasn't a fan.
Not hate, but no desire to get too close.
Her response screamed confusion: Then what I heard and saw...?
Everyone wears a mask or two.
Back then, I just wore the kind older brother mask for the kid.