Chapter 147
Academy’s Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Chapter 147
Right after swinging my sword with full force.
I immediately stepped forward.
But what I stepped on wasn't the groundit was space itself.
By channeling that outline into my foot and advancing, the distance folded in on itself, producing movement akin to instant teleportation.
It was the pinnacle of footwork, something that couldn't be chased or imitated even with the "Blink" and "Haste" embedded in my shoes.
"Pure Step."
One step at a time.
With each forward stride, space and distance compressed.
The profound principle of this mystical gait soon carried me out of the ruins.
A massive clearing visible in the distance.
This was undoubtedly the spot with the flower field full of poison and the sewer outlet.
But now, all that remained was a desolate abyss of churned earth.
Did I swing too hard because it had been so long?
It was a range that could have easily dragged me in if I'd slipped up.
The old me would have shrugged off that level of impact without a scratch, but with this body I have to treat more preciously than flowers, I couldn't endure it.
Still, I somehow made it all the way here.
Good job, my ankle.
Tap, tap.
As I patted it with my hand, something felt off about the sensation.
"Is it broken?"
Crack.
After arriving at my destination.
I'd wondered why there was no feeling in my ankle, and sure enough, the ankle bone had popped out.
At least it was barely holding together thanks to one of the conditional perks of "Conditional Sword Saint"the power of indomitability.
Hmm... I wonder if it'll heal with some rest?
'Doesn't seem likely.'
Eh, it'll work itself out somehow.
In a world brimming with mysteries, what's one little ankle?
Of course, my "Solar Vein Blockage" is the most vicious mystery among countless others in this world, with virtually no curesit's an incurable disease.
But a shattered ankle?
No big deal.
For real.
...Aside from the slight pain, that is.
"The drug's effect is wearing off bit by bit."
Drug? I don't smell any opium on you, young master!
"...That's not what I meant. It's just a figure of speech."
My body was already in rough shape, and with so much on my mind, now I had one more annoying freeloader to deal with.
Haa.
With a sigh, Seung-woo gazed beyond the split clouds at the tip of his sword, lamenting at the starry host filling the sky.
Looked like he had one more troublesome live-in companion now.
Should he just dump this damn sword on Seong Yeon-hwa right now?
He was seriously considering it.
* * *
Before heading back to the estate.
I dipped my foot into the deep abyss for a moment.
"......"
"You managed to survive, somehow."
"......"
At the center of the flower field where I'd swung my sword.
As if a meteor had crashed down.
There lay a naked woman in the deeply gouged crater.
"Looks like her clothes burned clean off. The armor and shield melted away without a trace under the intense heat from the starlight."
Even gazing at the woman's naked form stirred no lust in me.
I'd trained my unmoving heart for over a decade, enough to feel no pull toward even a nation-toppling beauty.
And ever since sending away my first lovemy masterfrom my arms, I'd become incapable of feeling love or any other impure emotions.
My mind was broken when it came to sexual desire.
Or rather, wasn't it more evolved? Free from lust and love among the seven emotions.
Depending on your perspective, anyway.
"No response since earlier. Can't understand speech? Looks like your consciousness has already faded. You're barely clinging to life, huh?"
Can't you just treat her as dead at this point?
"No, take a good look at her cells."
What the hell am I supposed to see...? Huh? Oh... this massive wound is healing on its own?
What is this.
Is this really the same kind of creature as me?
Not ordinary steel, but alloy reinforced with all sorts of runesswept up in my sword energy without leaving a trace.
I'd wondered since her body remained intact despite that attack.
This body's practically immortal, isn't it?
"'Isn't it?' No, it is immortal."
There didn't seem to be any limit to her cellular regeneration.
Her broken body was slowly repairing itself.
Not even ancient heteromorphsthe night nobles, old vampiresor absolute species like ogres and dragons possessed this level of regenerative power.
"Seems like an ogre racial trait. And the principle behind it... perfect timing."
Bubble, bubble.
A sound like boiling water.
The source wasn't far off.
"Fascinating. This has serious academic research value."
Near the woman's severed arm stump, blood bubbled up.
It wasn't boiling from heat.
It started boiling upon contact with oxygen.
"Paralysis poison? Definitely some kind of toxin, but maybe more potent than I thought."
The progenitors touching the heavens with their divine powers: Heavenly Foxes.
The lords of magic: dragons.
The incarnations of martial might and qi: ogres.
Leading the minuscule absolute species, they wielded such immense power that they rarely suffered wounds.
Thus, information on their blood was exceedingly scarce.
But ancient scrolls and primordial stone tablets revealed one common trait in their blood.
Even diluted absolute species blood retains the instinct not to show blood traces to lesser beings, huh?
Their blood was poisonous.
More precisely.
In terms of components alone, it held no toxicity whatsoever, yet their blood acted as a life-devouring poison on humans and other creatures just by existing.
"Good thing she's an ogre descendant diluted to this extent. If she were a pureblood without dilution, death would have blanketed the area the moment her blood spilled."
Even this diluted bloodline would kill lesser foes outright, making it no different from lethal poison to superhumans below a certain level.
Lucky for us it wasn't worse.
If students had been here, it would've been a bloodbath.
Good thing you're my bloodline, right?
"Not your bloodlineheavenly fox descendant."
Still just a foolish mortal who hasn't awakened even half of a heavenly fox's ten tails?
"Ha! I became a three-tail fox in less than half a year. Enlightenment like that is no ordeal for someone like me, who's devoted a lifetime to the sword."
The Heavenly Fox Baek Family's archetype is the Heavenly Fox.
An absolute species like the ogre.
Though my powers are feeble traces of an absolute species, with only three tails, this level of blood posed no threatI resisted it effortlessly.
On the contrary.
"Thanks for the meal."
This much toxicity, I could make my own.
I picked up the severed arm from the ground.
She'd thrust out her right arm to shield her body from my star-infused sword.
Unfortunately, the moment she chose to block rather than dodge a Sword Saint's blade, this outcome was inevitable.
Her severed right arm symbolized reckless bravado.
But it also proved she'd turned her back on retreat and bravely faced my sword.
Crunch.
I bit into the severed arm.
I didn't tear it off outright.
The key was the intent to "consume."
My skill responded to that intent and action, beginning to absorb the arm.
[Skill, "Blood Absorption," consumes the severed ogre right arm.]
[Freshly severed arm! Absorbing fresh blood to secure genetic information.]
The vampire legacy from the auction house.
Its perks: "Transfusion" and "Hemophilia."
In game terms, mana sustain and status ailment inductionbut with proper use, it could analyze foes via their blood.
Of course, that required knowledge.
In my case, "Magic Saint" made analysis straightforward.
['Absolute Species' and 'Transcendent Species' blood absorbed.]
[Exceeds the information capacity of mere vampire powers by leaps and bounds!]
[Trait, "Magic Saint," assists.]
['Ogre Blood' is lethal poison to lesser beings. Skill, "Drug-Resistant Body" within "Heavenly Poison Body," builds resistance.]
[Blood throughout the body changes...!]
[Potent toxicity from the blood...!]
"Ugh... feels like my insides are flipping."
After the black void in midair swallowed the arm.
A boiling sensation surged inside me.
The poison was so intense that even my body, resistant to a thousand toxins, suffered severe pain, chills, and fever.
But I meticulously analyzed the incoming blood data, successfully turning it into my own power.
'The pain's intense.'
Pain that wouldn't even bring tears from me.
Yet bloody tears welled up at the corners of my eyes before I knew it.
Ah, my eyes sting.
It hurt a bit, but not unbearable, so as I prepared to head to the estate with "Pure Step" once more.
Crack.
Something gripped my ankle like a vice.
Shackles dragged at my legs.
My arms grew heavy, as if handcuffed.
No visible anomalies.
"Conditional Sword Saint" hadn't deactivated.
By my mana and stamina limits, over ten minutes remained.
Yet my body felt heavy.
As if to prove it.
Ding!
The same cheerful mechanical tone as always.
But the system's voice, utterly loathsome to me, greeted me.
[Backside world 'Frozen ' data severely damaged.]
[System logs confirm you as the culprit.]
[Administering punishment fitting the severity!]
Zzzzt!!
Midair rippled, sparks flying.
For some reason, I knew the cause.
'The warped universe around the abyss.'
A fragment of a long-destroyed world, damaged by my sword energy.
The resulting gap.
Even if my starry host filled it.
The fact remained: backside world data was corrupted.
As recompense, the system.
[Trait, "Conditional Sword Saint," changed to "Heart Sword Realm" due to internal interference.]
["Conditional Sword Saint"'s physical enhancements and 'Indomitable Will' deleted!]
[Body suffers full damage incurred.]
Took something huge from me.
Ha.
It gave, then took the biggest thing.
If it was gonna do that, why give it at all.
What's the point of giving and taking back.
So I raised my hand high.
"I have a question."
[......]
No response from the message.
Utterly one-sided, as if it couldn't comprehend speech.
Annoying, but I had ways to force a reply.
"You're somewhere nearby, aren't you?"
[......]
"On entering the backside world, I sensed something massive. Brushed it off at first, but now it feels off."
[......]
Still no reply.
Not sure if I'm on the right track, but I pressed on.
"Even if you stripped "Conditional Sword Saint" from me, the omnipotence it grants hasn't vanished. It's just slowly dissipating."
The most primal power I'd wielded.
The ability, "Waves of Starlight."
Using it had nearly shattered my body and mind.
Not visible yet, but soon.
When the limit hit, I'd be in agony.
But with time left.
I had a chance for a big move.
Bigger than before.
"One chance left to unleash my swordsmanship, assuming my life holds. Don't know who you are or if you've seen my peak, but I'll say this: I wield power to hasten this world's end."
[......]
"Better establish our relationship properly? Not sure if you're outside the backside world, but no reply in one minute, and I swing?"
If I swung in earnest, my body would collapse.
The backside world, mere afterimage of the past, would crumble swiftly.
Students would die, Chilseong Academy linking the space would take massive damage, and above all.
"Think I can't lightly tear this space apart? Surely you don't believe my influence stops at the world beyond?"
[......!!]
Young master, what's with the muttering since earlier?
"Stay quiet."
Yes, sir.
Seemed the madman's guise hadn't fully shed.
Acting the lunatic ready to self-destruct if things went south, I felt something approaching.
Like a massive meteor closing in overhead.
The sensation of the entire universe staring at me.
'Whoa, didn't think this would actually work.'
Guess my sincerity got through.
Plain as day it'd end in mutual annihilation if pushed, so eternal sleep together wasn't bad.
I meant it.
Luckily, it could stay a thought.
"Alright then, Mr. System. Or should I say Status Window Sensei? Shall we have a constructive chat, pronto?"
[......Fine, agreed.]
Dingthat damned tone echoed in my head as a voice.
Cleaner transmission than [Telepathy] magic or mind speech like "Sound Transmission Secret."
Got the method now.
Indeed, like this.
[Who'd have thought those noisy alerts were a voice. Or maybe TTStext-to-speech synthesis?]
[......This method suffices from my end. Just reply with your regular voice.]
[Harsh. You're hogging all the fun. I like this way too.]
[......Do as you please.]
Honestly, vocalizing was easier.
Why bother with this mysterious method to communicate?
'Way more entertaining.'
Pure amusement.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Just seemed fun in various ways.
...I realized much later, but the madman's mask lingered, with lunatic thought patterns still active.
No way a suddenly formed dialogue would proceed normally.