Chapter 65
Chapter 65
Academy’s Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Chapter 65
Magic has incredibly diverse directions.
There are those who pursue the path of magic focused on research, like Nam Hwa-yeon, and there are also mages who specialize mainly in combat or battle-oriented spells.
Seung-woo was clearly the latter.
Isabel's judgmenttrained from childhood under her great grandmother, a legendary magecouldn't possibly be wrong.
No, even someone completely ignorant of magic who had just witnessed that spectacle would have come to the same conclusion.
Seung-woo's magic was that aggressively combat-oriented.
"How can he output that kind of power at mid-tier level?"
Her ex-fianc's spells were all stuck at mid-tier.
His exceptional sense for handling magic far surpassed mid-tier proficiency, but the incantations themselves remained at that level.
To Isabel, it felt bizarrelike a veteran craftsman wielding tools with an underdeveloped physique.
"Of course, it's not impossible to achieve high-tier power with mid-tier spells..."
That scene just now, purely in terms of output and efficiency, rivaled high-tier magic or beyond.
If the lethality were ramped up further, it might even qualify as grand magicor even archmagic treated as mass-destruction spellswhen judged solely on its purpose of 'destruction.'
Well, unless it was Professor Nam Hwa-yeon or her grandmother, reaching even the doorstep of that realm was absurd.
But... what if it was him?
She couldn't help but wonder.
As a mage herself, that had planted the thought inescapably in her mind.
'Impressive as it is, he's still just A-rank at the end of the day.'
Isabel glared at the license in his hand.
The rectangular card emblazoned with his face and a bold 'A-Grade.'
The rank was a bit disappointing, but anything up to S-grade was a smooth highway anyway. Actually, from the upper ranks onward, personality assessments became key evaluation criteria, so it might not be that easy.
In that sense, her ex-fianc might climb to ranker status faster than becoming an S-grade player.
"TA, are we heading out now?"
"Yeah, we've had dinner, and Ji-yi left early for her part-time job, so let's get going."
While Isabel was lost in thought...
No Yu-ra and Baek Seung-woo were chatting.
She glanced at him suddenly.
As he reached into his jacket pocket to pay after dinner, she caught a familiar scent.
It hit her in that instant.
Her ex-fianc heading yesterday to a secretive building outside the academy, down into the basement.
And now, that same grassy vibration emanating from his pocket. Her pupils trembled sharply.
"Why are you staring like that? Got something to say?"
"Oh, no... nothing."
Isabel hesitated to speak.
If he had obtained illegal-looking goods from what seemed a shady establishmentnationally banned grass.
In other words... drugs. What could she even say to him?
No need for long deliberation.
Ruin.
Total ruin, plain and simple.
His TA position, temporary instructor roleeven the family head seat.
Everything would crumble.
The forbidden grass filling her mind right now? Not a shred of doubt it was poison weed.
Who buys poison from a place like that? She didn't entertain such an absurd notion.
Truth didn't matter, whether drugs or poison.
What mattered was her rationalization, not reality.
He was her everything. So deep down, she felt it only fair if he lost everything too.
Still, Isabel had extracted a promise from him.
He'd soon reveal the flaw in the magic passed down from her grandmother.
An outrageous promise, but she didn't want even that shattered.
Because it was that kind of promise.
The first one she'd made with him in so long.
Their engagementthe grandest vowhad broken, but she hoped these small ones wouldn't. Part of her even wished he'd never find that flaw.
Pathetically naive thoughts.
Yes, pathetic.
She knew she was being foolish, but what could she do?
That's how human hearts work.
"Alright, time to head out."
Unaware of her inner turmoil, Seung-woo hailed a taxi and set off for their destination.
On the weekend outing with everyone, the other students chatted away like on a field trip in the taxi, but Isabel's gaze stayed fixed on Seung-woo.
It couldn't be.
Yeah, it won't be.
The girl who still believed in love...
Could only pray.
Please, don't let him have fallen so far as to touch drugs.
Her heart, harboring that wish, remained in the flower field of her childhood.
She'd just grown thorns on the blooms to avoid getting hurt herself.
Nothing had truly changed.
* * *
Night had fallen.
We took a taxi to Jongno, where the auction house that opened at night was located, to buy the Life-Extinguishing Stone.
"Alright, buddy. I can only take you this far by car. Looks like it's a three-minute walk from here."
I paid cash and got out at the driver's words.
"So this is right above the underground auction house? No fluorescent lights aroundfeels more like a human trafficking den than an auction spot."
"Rich folks' tastes are all like that. And you're pretty shady and dark yourself."
"You're a rich girl too."
The coordinates from the old fox led to nothing but massive trees and forest. No flashy vibe fitting the wealthy's gambling den anywhere.
Hm, flip that aroundits grim atmosphere suits the illegal-sounding 'underground auction house' perfectly.
Me and the students headed into the eerie woods.
Deep in the forest stood a man-made structure.
[Welcome to the Jongno Underground Auction House!]
The sign's text translated in real-time into various languages.
Korean, Chinese, Russianour native tongues. Seeing the sign adapt like that, I thought:
Sure, it's all facade, but they've shelled out properly for the rich crowd.
Real-time translation signs aren't rare.
But auto-detecting and translating based on our leaking mana without setup? Not trivial.
Not impossible tech, but it'd cost hundreds of millions.
Maintenance fees alone would be brutal.
"Please show your invitation."
As we approached the auction sign, attendants emerged from a passage beside it.
Obviously from the underground auction.
They nodded politely, trays with letter envelopes in hand and knives for breaking wax sealschecking invites to allow entry.
"No invitation."
"Then entry is impossible..."
"But isn't my face the invitation itself?"
I shoved my face close to theirs.
Up close, my fox ears atop my head and fluffy tail came into view.
The moment our eyes met, my pupils flashed deep purple fox eyes, proving my identity.
Purple irises, foxy slits. And my tail swishing playfully in the moment's fun.
Finally grasping who I was, the attendants urgently radioed back and forth.
They eyed my metronome-swinging tail anxiously, their gazes following left-right helplessly.
Couldn't look away.
After about three minutes, realizing they couldn't leave me outside, they spread their arms and escorted me underground.
"Please stay here, Baek Family Head."
"...Mm."
Separate from others, but it didn't feel particularly luxurious.
"We had no prior notice of your visit today. We'd love to seat you in VVIP, but those are fully reserved. Apologieswe'll have to place you in VIP."
"Fine. Came without an invite, so can't complain."
"Pardon? Oh, yes, Baek Family Head. Thank you for understanding."
I waved them off with a nod, and the servants bowed before neatly greeting other guests.
Still time before the auction.
I reached for the liquor glass and bottle on the table to wet my throat.
As I went for a sip at the perfect chill temp, a hand stopped me.
Isabel, with her ever-radiant golden blonde hair so alluring.
"Are you insane? Don't you know why there's booze at an auction VIP seat?"
Her mouth, though? Not so much.
I brushed off her words casually.
"Yeah, nothing stupider than getting drunk where you're spending money. Booze dulls judgment and financial sense."
"So? What's that you're pouring with your right hand right now?"
"But I'm pretty booze-resistant. A whiskey should be fine."
Not about constitution or willpower.
Players can flush out hangovers by circulating mana body-wide, filtering impurities.
I went furtherwith poison immunity.
Skill Poison Resistance Physique integrated with Hundred Poison Body.
Resistance to a hundred poisons, generating antibodies for equivalent levels. Hundred might seem few, but...
'More than enough.'
I was satisfied.
How many poisons do we encounter daily? No need for more than a hundred resistances.
Sure, villain exceptions wield toxins beyond even thousand-poison bodies. But rare outliers.
Hundred Poison Body suffices for most scenarios.
Even now, my body was building tolerance to the alcohol.
Alcohol poisoning counts as a toxin.
So I won't ever truly get wastedthis is just enough to loosen up.
Isabel, clueless about my abilities, clutched her head and sat beside me.
Snatching the bottle outright. Familiar move.
Looked like she'd yoinked Dad's booze plenty at home.
"Confiscated."
"...Maybe we should talk something more practical than booze right now."
"Ye-rin's right. You might be used to this with your money, TA, but we're not."
"Plus, isn't this place dangerous? Everyone looks tough..."
"Don't worry. It'll be a great opportunity for you all."
Rare chance to observe true elitesnot parvenusup close. I've browsed and bid at these before, so no big thrill for me.
But for them? Different story.
The raw underbelly of the rich life.
Witnessing it firsthand is priceless.
Not pretty for young minds, but solid fertilizer for their personal growth.
And I'll snag the Life-Extinguishing Stone.
Students learn, educator gets what he wantsperfect opportunity.
No other temp instructor could match this curriculum. Mine alone.
"..."
"Teacher, something bugging you? Want me to freeze it?"
"...No."
Icisis spoke, eyeing my expression.
I shot a glare at a passing masked man and replied.
"Just a nasty stench bothering me."
Rotten blood and flesh twisting my nose.
And worsea demonic reek too vile for words.