Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Academy’s Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Chapter 20
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While I was passed out, what on earth had happened?
I had no time for deep reflection.
Despite my injuries all over, I rushed to the scene.
Soon, I spotted an arm dangling from a tree branch like fruit.
"......The rest?"
There was no way to identify the student.
Unless there was a fingerprint scanner, I had no means to guess who it was from just a lone dangling arm.
Right, just one arm.
That was all.
The arm was thin and slender, but that alone wasn't enough to guess it was female.
The skin had turned bluish, caked with blood. There was no way to determine gender from that.
"Su, survivors......?"
I could definitely hear breathing nearby.
My ears weren't playing tricks.
In case it was a monster's breath, I spread my mana wide, but there was no sign of any monster.
Thud, thud. I ventured into the forest using both legs.
The deeper I went, the more brutally exposed corpses came into view.
The situation inside was dire.
Just a single arm left or guts snagged on trees was nothing major. Bodies split in half, heads rolling around like soccer balls, corpses tangled so inextricably you couldn't tell whose body was whose.
And beyond this hellish scene.
"......Ah, it was you?"
There was a student panting raggedly.
I froze on the spot.
The moment I saw the student's face, an indescribable despair washed over me.
Why are you here?
"Kyle Iris......?"
"Ha, haha, good thing you remember my name. Hey, since we're acquainted, mind if I drop the formalities for a bit?"
"I clearly told you to flee to the shelter......"
"Ah, yeah, you did."
I roughly scanned Kyle's condition with my eyes.
Blood was oozing everywhere, so external wounds were certain. But aside from that, no major injuries stood out.
Protagonist material after all.
While I dazedly examined Kyle.
He rose to his feet. His body seemed heavy; the process wasn't smooth.
I instinctively reached out at the sight of him struggling to stand.
Slap. Kyle swatted my hand away. Without my help, he stood and pointed behind him as he spoke.
"That thing? I killed it. Pretty impressive, huh?"
I turned my head. No need to ask what he meant.
It was huge enough to see clearly.
A massive monster.
If the Illusion Monkey had deceived with illusions about its size, this monster's enormous body was the real deal.
Its entire form was sliced apart.
Cut as if by a sharp blade. I knew the truth behind it.
'......Why Sword Wind?'
Sword Wind.
One of the abilities Kyle awakens and masters, a skill that shreds everything around him. In terms of raw power alone, it's on par withor surpassesmy Fox Fire.
This ability has a prerequisite.
His trait, Late Bloomer, must be fully charged and then vanish.
A fully charged Late Bloomer equates to stepping into a new realm.
In other words, Kyle had already awakened.
Despite me clearing all variables, he had awakened as the protagonist.
What did this mean for me?
I turned my head.
One look at the monster's corpse made it obvious.
A high-rank 5th Hierarchy monster. Same grade as the Illusion Monkey.
Thud.
In that instant, deep despair hit, and my body gave out.
Until now, I'd forcibly squeezed out energy, but I'd reached my limit.
As I collapsed, I reached for Kyle. But he was too far.
It was meaningless.
Still, I extended my ruined shoulder and hand.
And in my mind, I thought.
'Mage Hunter', was it?
A hunter's skill indeed.
Though hunted by one of his prey, he'd used the hunting dogs to ultimately succeed.
He hadn't caught every prey, but he'd taken down enough to impact the whole pack.
The implication was clear.
'......I lost.'
I'd won the bet.
I'd survived.
But I'd lost to him, and to this world.
Novels are novels, after all.
No matter how an extra villain like me thrashed about, nothing changed.
In that moment, the quest details that flashed in my eyes crossed my mind.
The 'Main Quest: Responsibility' I'd received just hours ago.
Its success and failure rewards had been identical. At the time, I hadn't placed much weight on that fact.
Not even the line emphasized with an '*' below it.
*No matter what choice you make, nothing will change!
Now I finally understood what it meant.
It wasn't a warning or adviceit signified a result already set in stone.
Haha, felt like I'd been toyed with by others.
I captured Kyle in my blurring vision.
He captured me in his vacant eyes.
"Who would've thought I'd see your weak side. This is unexpected."
He let out a hollow chuckle and left.
His trembling legs and slumped shoulders spoke volumes about his physical state and emotions. I watched him go in a daze and thought.
The episode wasn't over yet.
I'd overlooked that.
But even if I'd pondered deeply, it might not have changed a thing.
Novels follow the author's whims, after all.
They don't bend to my will.
I'm no protagonist.
* * *
I was a child soldier.
I had parents. Money wasn't the issue.
I just couldn't stand by and watch the world perish.
And fortunately, I had power.
The power to turn the tide of battlefields.
'Youngest company commander everimpressive!'
Many people took notice of me.
Heroes guarding humanity on the front lines showed interest in me; those losing hope in life pinned their hopes on me.
At first, it pleased me.
I was simply proud of myself.
Shouldering everyone's expectations was heavy and grueling, but it felt rewarding.
'You can definitely do it.'
'Avenge my parents, please......'
'Help us, I beg you......!'
Those expectations grew heavier over time.
The initial attention and hope morphed into trust and faith. My life was no longer just my own.
Was that why?
At some point, I began immersing myself in fictional worlds.
Novels, gamesthe small virtual realms with their stories, people, and beautiful endings.
I yearned for them.
They were better than the filthy, horrific reality.
"Oh, you're awake."
It was a familiar ceiling.
Of course it wasmy room.
Not the leather ceiling of the barracks I'd lived in half my life, nor the luxurious one of the mansion after retirement.
A plain, clean white ceiling.
The dorm room assigned to me after entering this world came into view.
"......Where did my memory cut off?"
"Beats me. But the one who found you said they discovered you unconscious in the forest. No wonder, given the scene."
Usually exasperating, but now a welcome voiceNam Hwa-yeon's. I tried to turn my head to greet her.
But my head wouldn't turn.
What the hell was on my neck?
Something like a collar was restricting movement.
Not just my neck.
My whole body was encased in something.
"It's a device to restrain and immobilize your body, so lie still. Do you even know your condition?"
"Guess not."
"Most bones shattered, blood vessels burst from overload of mana. Plus hypothermia, dislocations, ruptured organs, dehydration, hypovolemic shock, third-degree burns. You were one step from death."
Her concise rundown let me grasp the situation easily.
I'd pathetically collapsed right there.
Unable to do a damn thing.
Neither recover the dead students' bodies nor console the protagonist lost in grief after awakening.
I'd just lain there.
Recalling that, I forced out words with effort.
"......But I'm alive, aren't I?"
"We call people like you living corpses. You were nearly gone."
"A living corpse is far better than a real one."
"......"
A body on the brink of death was still better than the dead students.
At least I had a chance.
Death ends everything.
She seemed to understand, standing silently without a word.
I was grateful for that.
I'd thought her a shitty professor who dumped work on her TAs, but surprisingly considerate.
I tried to force my restrained body upright.
"So, how long do I have to live like this?"
"Prognosis is 18 months recovery. Assuming no aid from your family, of course."
She handed me a letter envelope.
Luxurious white and gold wrapping, sealed with red wax. The fox emblem on the back announced the sender.
Heavenly Fox Baek Family.
The family where this body's host was head. A letter from them.
No need to wonder whoit was one of two types.
Sisters resentful of incompetent Seung-woo as head, or elders scheming to manipulate the young lord.
"Not exactly dying to open this."
"Looks like your family gives you a hard time?"
"Yeah, puppet CEOs are all the same."
Not a position definable merely by title like CEO.
But no metaphor fit better. Real power lay with sisters and elders.
All this shell had was legitimacy and the seat.
"Puppet CEO, huh. Unexpected."
"What is?"
"Your lecture scripts are always so meticulous and detailed."
"......Isn't that because the professor piles on overtime?"
"Either way, you're doing great. No need for a figurehead then."
I tried to scratch my head at her words.
But my arm wouldn't reach. How far was I restrained?
Seeing my attempt, Nam Hwa-yeon said it was fine to speak. Her eyes were still hard to read, but her expression was more serious and heavy than usual.
"Students died."
She gauged my reaction. No need.
I was the first on scene, after all.
"Guards and TAs too."
"......How many?"
"Nine students."
"Not students."
"21 guards, 6 TAs. Other injured around 200?"
200 injured. Barely a tenth of the 2,000 freshmen.
Fewer than expected. The shelter scene suggested nearly half injured.
"And one living corpse. He'll recover quick with Heavenly Fox Pharma and University Hospital's full support."
"Enough about the living corpse."
She said it with a smile.
But inside, surely not. Even in the dark predawn, the academy raid could've been prevented beforehand.
If not for absent professors and second-, third-years.
Especially if professors had stayed. With even a few of Chilseong Academy's true pillars, casualties would've been drastically lower.
No deaths at minimum.
"You holding up?"
"Me? Taking lots of heat, yeah. But I'm used to the monster label."
"......I see."
Yeah, makes sense.
Nam Hwa-yeon was the undisputed top figure in modern magecraft academia. No one rivaled her in magic skill or knowledge.
She'd dominated countless associations and papers, advancing modern magic systems for decades.
A grand mage worthy of titles like King of Mages.
The system aptly dubbed her Demon King.
Demon King Nam Hwa-yeon.
One of the academy's absolute strongest.
Had she held her post, no raidhell, no intrusionwould've happened. That's why the backlash targets her.
Why were you gone? Kids dying, what were you doing?
"You got good press, though. News and papers calling you 'the true educator who risked life for students'."
"......I'm a TA, not an educator?"
"To outsiders, anyone not a guard or student looks like an educator. Don't sweat the detailsenjoy the fame."
Nam Hwa-yeon patted and stroked my head consolingly.
Stroke, stroke. She seemed fond of my fox ears, kept touching there.
Not the most pleasant sensation, but hard to protest.
Saying stop now might sour the mood. Whether sensing my hesitation or not.
She withdrew her hand from my head and handed me a sheet of paper.
Another letter. Difference from before: pink envelope?
Not from the family, judging by color.
More like...
"Ah, looked like a love letter."
"......Pardon?"
Love letter?
This?
Shocked people still wrote them in this eradoubly so that I'd received one.
Why me, anyway?
Nearly a month in this world.
All I'd done: prep scripts, read magic tomes.
Relationships built: Nam Hwa-yeon, library curator, Seo Ye-rin. And one more... who?
Pondering, it hit me.
'Ah, Bang Seok-hun too.'
The burly senior TA.
Didn't fancy a love letter from him.
Nam Hwa-yeon laughed at my sour face and stood.
"I'll head out. Got work. Oh, if the letter's got something fun, tell me too."
She left like that.
Really, a spiteful professor.
Love letter, huh.
Never gotten one in my life, and now in this mess of a form, in this world.
Rip. I tore the envelope with my fingers.
Then maneuvered the letter to my eyes while lying down.
[To Big Brother.
I heard the utterly incompetent big brother burned his own body to save students. Didn't expect he'd actually do it and suffer third-degree burns.
Thus, administered Elixir to big brother. Only fitting, as your sacrifice elevated Heavenly Fox Baek Family's name and prestige.
However, Elixir's value cannot be exchanged for an incompetent family head. Will soon collect commensurate payment.
Ah, or you may deliver it personally.
Regards, Baek Seol-hee.]
What the hell.
This a love letter?
Checked the envelopeyep, from the family.
Wrong one.
But this content...
I instinctively furrowed my brow.
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