Chapter 30
Chapter 30
Academy’s Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Chapter 30
Should I call you Master?!
Dont talk nonsense. Deal with the monster in front of you.
B-but, not being able to call my master Master...
Id taught him a few axe swings, and now this guy had been clinging to me annoyingly ever since. That much was fine.
I had no intention of seeing him after today anyway.
But calling me his master was a completely different matter.
Master isnt a title you toss around lightly.
At least, not to me.
Im not some Hong Gil-dong. Cant I just call you Master?
Why would I be your master in the first place? All I taught you was how to swing an axe.
A master isnt just someone who teaches you a skill.
By that logic, youd have to call every professor at the academy your master.
The master-disciple bond isnt some formal, public relationship.
A guide who leads their disciple down the right path.
Thats what I believe a true master should be.
I, too, had studied under such a master.
You taught me that, so I should honor you as Master!
Nah, professors and Master are different.
How so?
Its the sincerity, of course. The academy professors dont even properly look at me.
The elite of the elites from around the world.
Chilseong Academy is where the finest gems gather.
Every year, 2,000 freshmen enroll, and there are no transfers or dropouts. In contrast, the number of professors is limited.
They believe its more efficient to focus on teaching only the very best of the best.
So the professors encourage competition among the students.
Among the shining students, some naturally burn even brighter. The professors lavish those with teachings and privileges.
An educational system perfect for cultivating powerful players to elevate the academy.
Sure, it might be efficient.
But it cant be called education.
You were the first, Master. Your lectures are brilliant, but no one ever showed interest in me personally.
Im not your master.
Even if I cant call you Master, cant I still honor you?
...Hah, all because I taught you one axe swing.
It was an unexpected reaction.
Hed seemed so rude before, I hadnt thought hed go this far.
Teach him an advanced technique, and hed probably hand over his liver and gall bladder.
What to do about this.
Im not the kind of person who deserves to be called Master by anyone.
I might have knowledge to teach, but I lack the ability to guide someone down the right path.
Im different from my master.
The one who taught me the sword.
Even now, closing my eyes brings her image vividly to mind.
A single sword engulfed in crimson flames, and my master. On the days they took to the battlefield, it turned into a sea of fire everywhere.
Unlike that blazing combat style, she always taught and guided me.
I lack both the character and ability she had.
Um... Master.
Call me that, and youre dead.
...TA, can I ask you one question?
He kept calling me Master, so I threatened him.
Im not the kind of person who should be called that by others.
I never want to hear the word Master directed at me.
Then he said he had a question for me.
I nodded.
Then can I call you something else?
Like what?
How about Teacher?
TA felt too stiff, and Master was out since I hated it.
So he proposed Teacher as a middle ground.
Teacher did feel less burdensome than Master.
Of course, there was one teacher in my life who had guided me.
But Teacher I could tolerate.
Some students call TAs TA Teacher or Teacher TA anyway.
Fine, call me that from now on.
Yes! No take-backs later!
Got it, so do something about that monster up ahead. Youre gonna get hit.
Huh? W-wait a sec...!
Boom! The massive turtle-like monster swung its front leg in a sluggish motion.
Even so, its sheer weight gave it tremendous physical power.
Lee Ji dodged to the side and hurled his hand axe, locked in a desperate struggle.
As I watched their fight with amusement,
Something entered my field of vision.
The shadows rippled with the movements, but the edge looked slightly off.
Hmm...
A strange presence emanating from the shadows.
In truth, my senses had already picked it up.
Confirming it with my eyes made it even clearer.
looks like the baits hooked properly.
I need to set the stage firmly.
With that thought, I stepped toward Lee Ji.
He gripped a hand axe in his right hand, breathing raggedly.
Right beside him lay the carcass of the giant turtle. Its thick shell had been shattered by a mana-infused hand axe.
If youve finished it off, lets get going.
Ah, yes, Teacher.
At my words, Lee Ji steadied his breathing and fell in behind me.
Thinking about it now, it felt like Id acquired a loyal little dog.
I moved while gauging the position of the mark Id left in the cave.
Confident steps.
Lee Ji, sensing something odd, asked.
Teacher, um, where are we headed anyway?
Didnt I tell you?
No, you didnt say anything.
I walked toward the cave and said calmly,
To clear this dungeon.
Huh? But this is one of the three unsolved dungeons in Korea for four years now, right?
Koreas three unsolved dungeons: Efnels Flower Garden.
Now it had devolved into a low-level dungeon for newbies gathering herbs, but it had a history of being impregnable.
Not even S-rank players who went in determined or A-rank guilds had cleared it.
Records showed that even after killing all monsters and burning all plants, the dungeon remained unaffected. The ecosystem regenerated on its own days later.
Unless you wiped out the entire dungeon.
There was a rumor that Efnels Flower Garden couldnt be cleared otherwise.
Behind it all was an old conversation with Eve.
Hey, what about a growth-type dungeon?
Again with the novel talk? Cant you drop it already?
I was on night watch with the other squad members.
My partner, Eve, was warming herself by the campfire, chattering about the novel she was writing. I was sick of hearing about it by now.
Of course not. Im designing a dungeon right now, and I just got a great idea.
What is it?
You have to raise the dungeon to clear it.
Eve showed no sign of shutting up.
Even if I tried to shut her down forcefully, shed slip away with her unique magic.
Through accumulated experience, Id learned that just playing along moderately was most efficient. Man, hanging out with the wrong friend made night watches a pain.
Whats that supposed to mean? Raise what?
More precisely, raise the monsters inside the dungeon and have them devour the whole thing.
Eve said with a smile.
An innocent, mischievous grin.
A expression hard to see on a battlefield filled with death and blood.
That day, I just nodded blankly, staring at her.
* * *
From within the shadows, eyes watched Lee Ji and Baek Seung-woo.
Three pairs of eyes tracked their every move perfectly.
Searching for the perfect moment.
Il-yeong, what should we do?
When Baek Seung-woo had burned the Wolru flower, one shadow spoke to another. They communicated not with voices, but directly into each others minds, in utmost secrecy.
I-yeong, stand by. Its not time yet.
The orders from above were to subtly drive the Family Head into a crisis. Subtly and cunningly enough that he couldnt blame the elders for any sudden accident.
That was the core of this operation.
But Il-yeong, why wait for that kid? Whats the big deal?
Idiot, look closely. What academy is that uniform from?
Chilseong, right? Why should we even care about the academy?
Shhhrk. The shadow stretched long, forming a sharp sickle.
The sickle stealthily targeted Lee Jis blind spot. Poised to decapitate him at any moment.
If youre stupid, at least stay still!
Ugh...
Right then, Il-yeong barked.
The shadow sickle aiming at Lee Ji dispersed from the brain-rattling shout. I-yeong looked at Il-yeong with a wronged expression, but his gaze was ice-cold.
The orders from above targeted only the Family Heads life.
A light scratch was fine, but inflicting a fatal wound or permanent injury would spell disaster.
We are shadows. We must not act beyond our orders.
Assassins dont judge for themselves.
They only follow their masters command.
In that regard, I-yeong lacked the qualities and experience of a true assassin.
Targeting an academy student could alert the Family Head to something suspicious. Worse, it might create bad blood with Chilseong Academy.
We could just take them both out cleanly...
Sigh, you still need training. I-yeong, stay put.
At I-yeongs unchanged tone, Il-yeong clutched the back of his neck.
For an assassin, he was overly emotional.
Resolving to train him separately later, Il-yeong followed the shadows of Baek Seung-woo and Lee Ji.
I-yeong trailed behind with a reluctant expression.
Sam-yeong, who had silently watched the scene,
...
Said nothing.
Silent as a stone statue.
In a way, it was the natural posture.
Shadows dont need mouths.
Nor do they need intellect to think and judge.
Shadows merely move as their master moves.
That is a shadows duty and reason for being.
Sam-yeong tracked Baek Seung-woo and Lee Ji without a thought.
Waiting only for the moment they split, leaving Baek Seung-woo alone.
Meanwhile, Baek Seung-woo headed toward the cave.
Lee Ji trailed faithfully behind.
A remote spot far from forests and fields.
Damp, with no plants in sight.
Even heading into such a gloomy cave, Lee Ji kept following.
He seemed intent on sticking with me all the way.
Watching him, Baek Seung-woo asked a question.
Do you know what gu is?
Whats that?
If you dont, better keep your eyes closed.
Lee Ji tilted his head at Baek Seung-woos question.
Hed never heard the term gu.
So he admitted frankly that he didnt know.
Well, itd be weirder if a kid like him did.
I only knew because Id heard about it in the original story.
Normal people wouldnt.
Thats what were here to find.
I thought you came to clear the dungeon, Teacher. Oh, is there a clue in this cave?
Well, if you insist, clearing the dungeon is just a side benefit.
Baek Seung-woos goal here had been one from the start.
Dungeon clear was merely a byproduct. The most valuable thing to obtain here lived underground.
I wanted to take it right away, but you cant pluck a fleas liver.
To eat ones fill, you fatten it up first.
Conveniently, three fine meals had walked right into the cave on their own feet.
I chuckled inwardly and headed deeper into the cave.
That thing lived deep inside, so Id have to deliver the prey right to it.