Chapter 69
Chapter 69
Academy’s Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Chapter 69
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The explosion rune carved into the Killing Stone detonated.
The shockwave caved in the floor of the central stage and shattered the stone to pieces. If only that had been the end of it.
But the explosion's aftermath didn't stop there.
"M-My arm...! My arm...!!"
"I-I can't see. It hurts! Help me!!"
"Damn it all! Everyone, watch out for the stone dust! It's poison!!"
The massive Nine-Tailed Fox replica made of Killing Stone scattered in all directions the moment it exploded.
That was the highlight of this blast.
The fragments of large and small Killing Stones spread like shrapnel from a landmine, propelled by their sharp edges and the explosion's force. It was like a Claymore, no doubt about it.
Explosions like this always hit those nearby the hardest.
Seung-woo's condition, in particular, was too gruesome to call anything but awful, even politely.
Stone dust clung to his body, and sharp fragments were embedded all over his skin. His veins were visibly swollen from the poison, looking ready to burst at any moment.
[The 'Killing Stone's miasma has invaded your body.]
[The miasma corrupts your blood and internal organs through your veins!]
[The miasma reaching your brain unleashes the Nine-Tailed Fox's curse!]
Seung-woo pulled out the stone fragments embedded in his bodyespecially the ones crammed into his right armfeeling a deep dizziness. This poison was nastier than he'd thought.
The fragments themselves weren't a huge threat.
He'd instinctively shielded his vital organs and weak points with both arms, so blood loss was minimal.
"...Hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, dizziness, nausea as basics. And on top of that, mental disruption. It's got every damn toxin imaginable."
The poison embedded in the stones was the real problem.
The Killing Stone was a rock infused with thick poison and curses.
Being the closest to the explosion was the only reason he was still alive.
If anyone else here had been in his place, they'd be dead for sure.
A clean instant kill.
[Skill, 'Drug-Resistant Constitution' integrated with Hundred Poison Body has begun detoxifying the miasma.]
[In 05 minutes 47 seconds, you will acquire complete resistance to the Killing Stone's miasma!]
Ten Poison Body had evolved into an acquired immunity granting resistance to a hundred poisons: Hundred Poison Body.
For a poison type he'd never encountered before, his body had panicked at first, but he could feel it starting to break it down bit by bit.
His swollen limbs subsided.
The veins that looked ready to rupture calmed down.
Feeling the resistance spread through his body, Seung-woo scanned his surroundings and analyzed the situation.
'Hundreds of demons. Precisely 126. One S-rank demon, twelve A-ranks, and the rest are small fry.'
They weren't unbeatable.
He had no idea why these demons were causing chaos in the auction house at this exact moment, but that could wait until after the incident was over.
First things first: he had to kill them all.
"Ha, what a pain. So many damn civilians."
The underground auction house had plenty of security guards for protection, but they couldn't handle all the demons alone. At least Isabel, Isis, and the other students were fighting back.
No one among the students here had come armed, though.
Well, who could've predicted a demon terror attack?
If they had, they'd be demons themselves.
"This is bad. Really bad."
Seung-woo rubbed his temples.
Hundreds of demons, unarmed students resisting, fat-cat civilians loaded with cash. And above all...
His shattered Killing Stone.
This place was disadvantageous for Seung-wooway too disadvantageous.
Even alone, it was a coin toss if he'd win.
But with all these people to protect...
No aces up his sleeve came to mind.
Right then, Seung-woo's senses snapped to the Status Window.
'If only I had that Point Shop and Trait Catalog... maybe...!'
The quest rewards listed.
He didn't know exactly what they were, but more options meant more possibilities.
Seung-woo flicked his fingers, summoning the Status Window into thin air.
To anyone watching, he looked like he was just standing there dazed.
But Seung-woo was in quite a hurry.
Even now, the explosion's aftershocks were wreaking havoc everywhere.
People poisoned, fragments lodged in vitals causing agony or fatal bleeding.
Their screams and groans plunged the situation into further chaos.
And the demons didn't miss their chance.
As Seung-woo's students, the guards, and attendants fought desperately, the demons triggered the walls damaged by the blast, trying to crush everyone here.
Just as Seung-woo stared piercingly at the quest window in frustration...
[Main Quest: Killing Stone]
[Description: You have put in considerable effort to twist the scenario up to now. Now it's time to see the results of that effort. Whether your preparations were sufficient or still lacking will be decided by the outcome.
Your goal is singular: seize the 'Killing Stone' from the underground auction house. The method doesn't matter. What counts is the choice you make with that stone.]
[Clear Conditions: 1. Obtain the 'Killing Stone', 2. Leave no room for other competitors to take it.]
[Success: 'Point Shop' unlocked, 'Trait Catalog' granted, 'Author's Reply']
[Failure: Nothing happens. Instead, nothing changes.]
The quest hadn't given any rewards.
Meaning he hadn't cleared it yet.
"Figures. Half-baked success, huh."
From the moment it was auctioned off, the Killing Stone had been his property.
Even though the demons' cowardly trick had turned it to fragments and dust, the owner was unequivocally Baek Seung-woo. But the second condition...
"Leave no room for other competitors to take it."
That phrasing stood out.
He didn't know what rigid grading system this was.
Apparently, winning it with an overwhelming 100 billion won bid hadn't eliminated the possibility for everyone else here to snatch it away.
If overwhelming money wouldn't do it, then...
There was only one way left.
Roooar!
Seung-woo thrust out his hand.
With a whoosh, sparks flew in the air, forming a massive flaming hand that blocked the crumbling wall.
The fiery giant propped up the collapsing wall like a hand, eliciting cheers from the people and grimaces from the demons.
"W-We lived! Run while we can!"
"Go! There's a shelter underground!!"
"Someone kill that mage! The humans are slipping away like eels!"
"What are those kids doing?! Block them! What can a bunch of brats evenargh! My wrist...!!"
The people seized the chance to flee to the underground shelter, throwing the demons' plan to bury most of the tycoons alive into disarray. The demons scattered in panic, splitting into groups.
In the chaos, some tried to kill him to bring down the wall, while others figured they'd just slaughter everyone manually if burying failed.
In the midst of it all, Seung-woo's gaze turned right.
A spot with no civilians, no demon mobs, no students he'd taught. In the VVIP seat where Grandpa No. 3 had sat, one demon lounged.
"I can leave the small fry to the kids for training. I'll handle that one myself."
The others could go to the students, but not that one.
* * *
The demonstrictly speaking, an S-rank demon and branch chiefstrolled leisurely through the auction house.
The guards resisted fiercely, but victory would ultimately be theirs.
Sinking into a plush chair, he reflected on the past few days' hardships.
Bribing and blackmailing select tycoons to lay the groundwork for the terror attack.
Carving explosion runes into the Killing Stone, and so onmeticulous preparations all around.
Sure, the demons mobilized for the job were all low-tier C to B-ranks. But with such thorough planning, Dorudo was confident.
Even with unforeseen variables, the 12 hard-earned A-rank demons plus himself made failure impossible.
This would allow Pandemonium's Korean branch to recover from past mistakes starting with the 'Mage Hunter' and soar once more.
The tycoons from various countries dying here would be the signal flare.
Or so it should have been.
"What the hell is that guy?"
As he lounged in the soft chair, something contradicting his grand plan caught his eye.
The plan to collapse the wall and bury most of the tycoons alive. It had gone smoothly up to triggering the wall, but the rubble didn't pour down.
A massive flame in the shape of an arm was plugging the wall.
And it wasn't stopping therethe flames were melting the falling debris and forcibly patching it back. An utterly irrational, mystical display of magic.
"...No way. He's blocking the explosion and holding up the collapsing wall?"
Dorudo, unwittingly impressed, looked down at the culprit.
Their eyes met in that instant.
"......"
"......"
Judging by positions and circumstances, the board was overwhelmingly in Dorudo's favor.
Yet his instincts and senses, honed as a demon, screamed at him.
Run if you want to live. You can't kill that pyro-mancer even with demons everywhere.
How bizarre.
This enclosed space was utterly disadvantageous for the pyro-mancer. Oxygen was scarce.
Obstacles littered everywhere, innocent civilians screaming in terror.
An S-rank demon like him losing in these conditions?
Absurd.
Beyond nonsenseit would be a stain on his honor.
"...What's your name?"
"I don't reveal my name to a demon not even worth a dog's."
"Cocky bastard. Let's see if you say that after I rip out your guts. Oh, by the wayI'm Dorudo."
"Dorudo. Fittingly ridiculous name for a demon."
Baek Seung-woo chuckled and dusted off his hands.
Sparks flew, spinning like a wheel.
Nameless magic. Just a simple trick, but the fiery wheel engulfed Dorudo in an instant.
Kaboooom!
Dorudo, struck by the flames, was hurled back into the wall.
He grimaced at the stinging pain in his back.
"...What the."
hell is this?
Before he could finish, Dorudo's body was shoved backward again.
Demon skin was tough enough to shrug off burns from flames like these, but it didn't nullify the impact.
Rightimpact.
"You take impact every time you let a flame attack through?"
Flames were just intangible energy, a phenomenon.
Far from physical blows.
Why was his body getting knocked back with every hit?
As he pondered deeply, Baek Seung-woo murmured lowly from behind.
"You know who owns that Killing Stone you bastards blew up?"
"...Crazy son of a!"
The disorienting high heat disrupted his perception, unwittingly exposing his back. He moved his legs fast, but the flame serpent writhed faster, lashing down at Dorudo.
Zzzzzap!
Dorudo flew far, smashing through the floor.
And new flames targeted him from behind.
"That's mine, you bastard."
"Ah......"
Dorudo sighed, facing the man whose rage had boiled over.
Somethingsomething was very wrong.
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