Chapter 29
Chapter 29
Academy’s Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Chapter 29
A flower garden was a term for a hill planted with flowers.
'Epfnel's Flower Garden' lived up to its name, blooming with all sorts of flowers in every direction.
But as the saying goes, every beautiful flower has its thornssome of the flowers in this garden were poisonous. Or more precisely, every living creature here carried venom.
From small, cute animal-like magic beasts to pretty blossoms and grotesque insects.
A dungeon where every creature bore poison.
That's why some interpreted this dungeon not as a flower garden (), but as a fire source ().
And I was teaching that fact to a dim-witted student.
"Plants that grow wild here will definitely make you sick if you eat them raw. You have to process them or neutralize the poison before they become medicine."
"B-but this is an expensive herb..."
"Idiot, of course it needs processing. Eat it like that, and you'll drop dead without a sound."
"Y-yes, sir! So, Teaching Assistant, when will you give my flower back...?"
Lee Ji stared at the flower in my hand.
This was a moon tear flower. I didn't know where he'd gotten it, but it was incredibly dangerous.
Its blue petals shed clear, crystalline tears like moonlight, instinctively drawing in anyone who saw them. Grab one with your bare hands and try to eat it, and it would parasitize your body.
Process it right, though, and it became a spirit medicine brimming with yin energy from the moonlight.
Not some legendary elixir, but enough to raise Lee Ji's mana by a whole level.
"You were trying to boost your mana with this, right?"
"...Yeah, that's why I went looking for moon tear flower."
"Guess you don't know. To eat this properly, you have to dilute its effects at least tenfold. Done right, it's medicine. Done wrong, it's poison. That's the trial of this dungeon."
"No way..."
Thud.
Lee Ji plopped down on the ground.
He'd come for this flower because his mana was so low, but hearing it needed processing had crushed him.
Can't blame him.
Refining and crafting spirit medicines wasn't easy.
Only skilled alchemists could do it, and there weren't many good ones worldwide, so the prices were steep.
If my memory was right, way beyond what a student could afford.
A twinge of pity hit me.
I had plenty of mana, so I didn't need elixirs. But this kid did.
Maybe I could help him out a little.
"I'll take this."
"...Huh? N-no! That's my flower!"
"I'm not stealing your flower. Just give me one bloom. You can't even afford to process it anyway."
I hit him right in the wallet, and with no choice, he handed over a single bloom. The moment I took it, a cool, refreshing chill spread from my hand.
The moon tear flower's yin energy was stimulating my skin.
Eat me quick. Take me in by consuming me.
It was seducing me like that.
What a bewitching flower.
A mere plant daring to tempt me and try to parasitize me. Infuriating.
[Pyrokinesis.]
Whoosh!
Fierce flames took root in the moon tear flower. The blue petals, heavy with cold moonlight tears, couldn't withstand the heatthey reddened, then blackened as they burned.
Even charred black, the flower hadn't burned away completely.
It kept its shape, slowly charring from the outside in.
"What are you doing?!"
"Hm?"
Snatch. Unable to watch it burn, Lee Ji yanked the flower from my hand. He didn't care about burns, brushing off the flames with his bare hands.
As he patted it, the flower's outer skin peeled away.
Something glistened through the cracks in the blackened husk.
Once the outer layer was fully stripped, Lee Ji's face filled with shock.
Inside the moon tear flower gleamed a bead-like core, holding all its yin energy intact.
"The flower bud...?"
"Eat it just like that."
"What?! How do you know it's safe?! It came out of a half-burned flower!"
"You want the elixir or not? Here, if you don't want it."
"Huh...? T-this is the elixir?!"
Lee Ji gawked at the medicine in his hand.
He couldn't believe I'd made an elixir like this. Honestly, even I was surprised it worked on the first try.
I didn't think it'd succeed right away.
This was unexpected for me too.
A spirit medicine in the form of an unbloomed, verdant flower bud.
It preserved the moon tear flower's yin energy perfectlya method glossed over in passing in the novel, and I'd nailed it.
Moon tear flower was a lump of yin energy.
To process it, you stripped away the danger using the opposing force of yang energy.
Not an easy task.
Usually needed experts and specialized machines.
Such delicate work.
And I'd done it barehanded.
I felt it before, but Double Helix works better than I thought.
In processing the moon tear flower, I'd used [Double Helix].
Normal flames wouldn't cut it, so I'd boosted efficiency. I'd worried it might fail, but...
The result was the opposite.
Seems like my growing tails have some special synergy with [Double Helix].
Curiosity's killing me now.
Clear this dungeon quick and grab all the family docs on tails.
Now that I've found Lee Ji too.
I was about to tell him to follow me as payment for processing his flower.
But what's his deal?
"What are you..."
"I'm sorry for doubting you even for a second, Teaching Assistant!"
"No, why are you kowtowing on the ground?"
He'd cut me off to slam his head on the dirt.
The soil was full of grass and flowers, damp with moisture.
Lee Ji's head got muddy and wet.
I told him to get up, and he rose carefully.
Why's he suddenly so polite?
Not used to this.
"Listen, I have something to say..."
"Teaching Assistant! Can I follow behind you?!"
"..."
He'd said exactly what I wanted first.
But I wasn't thrilled.
How many times is he gonna interrupt?
"...Follow me."
"Yay!"
Lee Ji jumped for joy at my okay.
I shook my head at his unpredictable energy.
Fine, do whatever.
* * *
Wandering fields and woods, one fact hit me.
"This place is loaded with valuable herbs."
Most were hard to get due to their toxicity or potency.
Hard to find, and even harder to harvest. Strangely, Lee Ji harvested them easily.
"Waaah! This flower bit me!"
"Cut it off quick before the poison spreads."
"P-poison?! Nooo! Die! Just die!"
Of course, he fumbled the unexpected parts.
He knew harvest methods but not which plants were poisonous.
Imbalanced knowledge.
He knew plants even I, who'd memorized countless papers, didn'tand was clueless on basics. Like he only knew the money-makers.
Eh, no need to dig deeper.
Student safety was my job, not family drama.
No need for more intel, so I scanned Lee Ji's form.
He chopped stems and roots with a hand axe that fit his grip perfectly.
Precise movements then, but sloppy against passing magic beasts. Awful technique.
Not skilled or experienced.
A total beginner's stance.
How'd he even get into the academy like that?
Maybe some other talent.
Checked just in caseno sign of anything impressive.
Even weak-looking Yu-ra could read emotions and senses; Lee Ji seemed weaker.
Pitiful, really.
"...Should I teach him some axe work?"
A question to myself.
Just musing aloud, but Lee Ji shot his hand up.
"D-do you know axes well too, Teaching Assistant?!"
"...If I had to say, an old master taught me a few basics back in the day."
I'd learned axes before, but shallower than other weapons.
Compared to spear or sword arts, I was a beginner with axes.
Still, better than Lee Ji.
"Want a demo?"
I snatched the hand axe from his hand.
Snug little thing.
But heavy. No ordinary metal.
Long time since I took stance.
Straightened my back, rooted my lower body, gripped firm.
[Strength Enhancement]
The perfect weight felt lighter now.
One enhancement wasn't enough for easy throws, though. But power wasn't key here.
The wrist snap was.
Minimal wrist strength sufficed.
Quiet as flowing water.
Flexible motion in that stillness
Throw.
Whish. The axe flew far, slicing thorny vines upward in a clean arc. I reached out, and...
Snick, back in my hand.
The basic trick of axe arts.
No mana used, naturally.
"..."
"Think you can do it?"
"T-that was a basic technique?!"
"Obviously. Basics of the basics."
Axe arts were simpler than other weapon styles.
Unlike versatile swords for defense or spears for multi-use, axes were just for smashing down.
"Anything else?"
"I could teach hooking shields, armor, or flesh with the blade tip to yank, or deflecting attacks with the broad side."
"..."
Lee Ji went quiet, face serious.
Tough for beginners, sure, but easier once learned. Axes weren't complexhow hard could it be?
Plus, he was a Chilseong Academy student.
Mana sucked, but he had some talent.
"...Teaching Assistant."
"Why the grim face?"
"That technique just now. Can I learn it?"
Hmm, couldn't promise for sure.
Even basics take forever without talent.
But that's not what he wanted.
He craved firm assurance from his TA.
Dunno why an elite student looked so desperate, but I don't sugarcoat.
I could offer lessons instead.
"Give it a shot. I'll guide you."
"...!!"
"But if you brag around that I taught you, you're dead."
No special treatment drama.
We halted for a bit.
Pointed at his hand axe, gave basic knowledge.
"Know the essence of throwing?"
"Uh... just chucking it?"
"Not wrong, but not what I mean."
Throwing was profound.
Two principles: () and ().
Not just hurling with brute force.
Profound principles blend in myriad ways; quiet throws hold motionhow could it not be wondrous?
"No helping it. I'll make you feel it with your body."
"With my body?"
"Can't grasp it with your head? Learn with your body."
Throwing mixed and too, but...
Concepts like these? Body over words.
"Close your eyes, focus your mind."
"Yes!"
"No talking."
"..."
He shut his eyes and mouth on cue.
But eyelids and lips twitched.
Not good enough.
"Empty your mind, steady your breath."
Big exhale, deep inhale.
Trying for calm, but...
I saw he wasn't focused.
Smack! Tapped his neck.
"Ow! What?!"
"Eyes closed, no talking."
"...Tch."
He flinched, but whatever.
Enlightenment in minutes? Impossible.
What I taught was a shortcut.
Mind needed clearing for it.
No reacting to every stimulus.
Smack smack. Kept tapping his neck.
Varying power, angle, area for stimuli.
At first, he flushed, unadapted.
Then he ignored them, even flowed past.
Oh, Chilseong elites are different.
Enlightenment faster than expected.
Even extras shine if they got in.
Not perfect, but ready for next step.
"Alright, up now."
"...Already done?"
"Nah. Time to axe."
Lee Ji gripped his hand axe.
Combat axe would've been better.
Oh well, fine for practice.
Stood beside him, pointed at a log ahead.
Dead fallen tree with tight growth rings.
"Aim dead center on those rings."
"Huh?"
"Hit it once with the blade, then it returns to your hand, right?"
"What?!"
Sudden difficulty spike drew a whine.
Sitting for meditation, now throw? Absurd, apparently.
"I-is this right?"
"What's wrong?"
"Obviously! Meditate then pull off that trick? You sure you're teaching?"
"Duh."
I stood behind him.
Unbelievably scrawny for a high schooler.
Grabbed his thin wrist, corrected stance.
"I'll fix your form as you throw. Just toss."
"This is teaching? Too brute force!"
"I know martial arts way better than you. Shut up and throw."
Shut his mouth, made him keep throwing.
Started sloppy. But each time, I locked his formgot better bit by bit.
Nothing beats hands-on shortcuts.
Principles needing tons of training and study...
Skipped via direct correction.
Normally impossible.
Muscles, density, joints differ per person.
Without precision machines, it'd ingrain bad habits.
But I could.
Teaching forms was familiar.
No different from basics.
Two solid hours later...
Whish. Axe traced a line, buried in a magic beast's forehead.
Beast dropped dead. Instant kill.
"Nailed it again!"
"Yeah, you're getting good."
"One more?"
"As many as you want."
Hooked on throwing and retrieving now.
Lee Ji cleared every beast in the path.
I didn't lift a finger.
"This is convenient."
Beasts died left and right as he moved.
Like having a great mining tool.