Chapter 94
Chapter 94
Academy’s Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Chapter 94
One by one, the next students took their practical evaluations.
Just like before, hardly any succeeded on the first try.
No, there were none at this level.
After Seo Ye-rin, out of the 1,000 students who followed, only three made it.
Even at moments when both students and TAs thought the bar for first grade would drop, some stepped up boldly to take the test anyway.
"Leona. You supported the log with one hand and shattered it in a single blow with the other."
"So, what grade is that?"
"First grade."
The lion beastkin named Leona snapped the log clean in half with her bare hands, without a shred of mana or weaponjust overwhelming grip strength and raw power. Her physical prowess outstripped even the massive Kim Su-ho.
The evaluating TAs scratched their heads over it, but upon seeing Namgung Seong-jin's hearty laugh, they awarded first grade without hesitation.
'If you got caught in those hands, you'd be torn to shreds.'
Contractor, you would likely be ripped apart like jerky.
'...I get it without the jerky metaphor.'
That girl was a promising talent too.
Not a heroine, but as the second daughter of the Leonhardt family, she possessed a lion's heart and abilities. In terms of physical stats, she and Kim Su-ho would stand as twin pillarsno doubt about it.
Average B-rank physical abilities, at least.
Or higher.
It was the kind of envy that made my blood boil.
I had to deck myself out in rings, earrings, necklaces, and all sorts of accessories just to scrape freshman average.
"Lee Ji. Come forward."
The 1,458th student.
Quite far back in the lineup, Lee Ji managed to fell a massive bamboo stalk after twenty swings with the axe.
Like the others at first, she wasted her initial five chances striking fancy poses.
Once she got serious, she needed another fifteen or so swings to finish.
"Twenty swings... that puts her between fourth and fifth grade, I think."
"Depends on how many succeed overall. If over 4% hit first grade, it's sixth; if first and second fall short, fourth. With luck, she might snag third."
"By the way... what are you doing here?"
"What, can't I be near my ex-fiance? You discriminating against me and the other students?"
"Do whatever. But you know your turn's coming up soon, right?"
"Of course."
Isabel brimmed with confidence.
Was it because her major was magical engineering, so she could half-ass this eval?
Or did she have something special prepared? Hard to say.
Soon, it was her turn.
"Isabel. You chose a thin rapier for the test. Any reason for picking a thrusting weapon like that?"
"Do I lose points if I don't answer?"
"No way. Just curious why you'd go for a rapier over the easy axe."
"Then I don't need to answer."
"Fair enough. No need if you don't want."
She finished the eval in a flash and flashed a bright smile.
The male students blushed and clutched their chests at her beauty. But something told me that smile was aimed at me, and it sent a chill down my spine.
"I'll stay quiet, then."
"Right, Isabel. One strike clears itfirst grade."
And with that, her evaluation ended in first grade.
Tamamo, who had watched the whole thing, piped up in confusion.
Did you catch that? It was a blur to me. Oh, but... heh, I definitely saw the girl's smile.
'Speed wasn't the issue. It was her breathing.'
Tamamo eyed me and Isabel back and forth, sensing something was up.
I ignored her.
Isabel had pulled it off using her body to its maxwithout magic or [Body Reinforcement]. The key was her breathing.
But handling breath that fluidly was a martial artist's domain.
One of considerable mastery, at that.
You'd need Seong Yeon-hwa or Seo Ye-rin level to pull it off.
'Extremes meet, sure.'
Master magic, master martial arts too?
Absurd.
I'm a freak case myself. Without Magic Saint, I wouldn't have picked up magic this fast.
As my head spun, Namgung Seong-jin bellowed.
"Alright, that wraps all pre-midterm practical evals. We've tallied first-year grades on-site. Time to announce."
Chilseong efficiency was top-notch.
Grading criteria for practicals had long been shared with students and TAs. They finished scoring during the evals.
"Calling the one-shot first-graders first, then the rest to fill the 80 slots."
Hearts pounded across the room.
Seong Yeon-hwa and Isabel stood tall, expecting first grade as a given. Seo Ye-rin, already locked in, still fidgeted anxiously.
Worried her name might not be called?
You're first grade, girl. Chill.
She trembled like an aspen.
"...Sabel, Seong Yeon-hwa, Kyle Iris, Choi Jin-cheol, Kim Su-ho. And Seo Ye-rin. That's your 80 first-graders."
Only after her name did she relax.
No, it was confirmed from the start.
My group snagged three first grades.
Half the team? Nice teaching, me.
That smug thought hit just as
"Hold on! I object!"
A man shot up, planting himself between me and Namgung Seong-jin. The sword at his waist marked him as martial arts department.
"Mugong? What's this about? Did I miss something?"
Mugong. Namgung Seong-jin's pick for senior TA, a martial arts heavyweight.
His shadow rippled briefly at his feet.
Feeling all eyes on him, Mugong grinnedespecially at me.
...What, a signal?
His smile creeped me out.
* * *
"Professor, this can't stand."
Mugong whined to Namgung Seong-jin.
His voice had a magnetic pull, but Namgung wasn't one to sway easily.
"Like I keep saying, Mugongget to the point. This is an official practical eval. You're not my bro right now; you're senior TA."
Senior TA: closest to the professor.
Top of the TA heap.
Most TAs were Chilseong grads, so senior TA demanded real skill and track record.
Mugong had both.
"TA Baek Seung-woo. Half his students hitting first grade? Ridiculous."
"So? Point?"
"If they all majored like him, fine. But swords, spears, axes, magic? Worlds apart. He 100% hired tutors for eachcash."
Thinking about it, yeah.
Temp teachers usually grabbed kids in their field for quick training.
Like me, hauling in experts per category?
Probably not.
Mugong latched onto that.
One guy can't coach that many fields to top scores simultaneously.
So, he shelled out for pros. That was his stancea delusion.
No real evidence. Just stitched-up fantasies posing as logic.
Hollow inside.
But folks started nodding along. Evidence didn't matter.
Who said it did.
Mugong: trusted senior TA.
Me: newbie temp TA, three-for-six first grades, shady rep.
Odd not to buy his pitch. Agitation starts that way.
'...That voice rings a bell.'
Mugong's timbre.
If memory served, first met at the auditorium.
When picking students as temp teacher.
He'd muttered beside me: 'Teach well, rack up results, step toward professor.'
Not word-for-word, but that vibe.
Probably.
Or not.
Me jumping in to refute? Crowd's not on my side.
I sat quiet, mind wandering.
Sidenote: not Mugunghwa's Mugung, nor infinite Mugung.
Martial () endless () Mugung.
Meaning: end of nothing.
Whoever named him, parents were players or fight nuts.
If here, they'd dig this.
Watching?
Your kid didn't hit "endless," but his fightin's endless.
Took a swing at me.
Haha, what a pain.
'...Yeah, didn't expect everything to go my way.'
Life doesn't.
Even tight plans crumble on one snag.
Bigger the scheme, one slipped cog wrecks it.
I plan for dozens to hundreds of variables.
Obsessive, battle-hardened paranoiaearned me the mad "war god" title.
Some Mugong blocking my path? Within expectations.
One snag, though.
'Where'd this clown crawl from?'
Couldn't pin his origins or motives.
Why me? No clue.
"I get what you're saying, Mugong."
"Then...!"
"But even if you're right, it doesn't mean retesting my eval. You know that."
Namgung Seong-jin bent to eye-level with his senior TA.
Mugong flinched backtill gripped firm.
Squeeze!
Namgung clamped Mugong's shoulders.
No retreat.
"Even if he bought help, after four years under me, you know what I'd say."
Mugong nodded.
He knew.
Everything ran on power.
Namgung Seong-jin's mantra, martial world born.
But his "power" wasn't just fists.
Everything: power included.
'Money's power too,' he figured.
So Baek Seung-woo buying experts? Just skill.
"But if you insist it's unfair, there's a way."
Martial way: prove with your own power.
That was Namgung's worldview.
"Want it? Fight to prove."
"...You won't hear my side?"
Why're they talking over me?
Hand up.
"TA Baek Seung-woo. You cool with retest? Mugong's way might screw your group."
"...Gotta."
"Done!"
Namgung clapped my backnearly dislocated my shoulder.
I clutched it, glaring.
[Martial World]'s eight families.
Namgung house heir, Namgung Seong-jin.
His fix was barbaric, undignified.
In [Martial World], it'd draw flak for solo calls.
But Chilseong, not there.
His prof authority absolute in evals.
Even chairman couldn't buck his spar push.
None here could anyway.
Spar on.
Today.
I eyed Namgung pushing sudden duel.
His old net nickname: Anhui Province Mad Dog.
Dogfight lover.
Rumors said Anhui folks still PTSD at his name.
"Always wanted to say this."
True, not rumor.
Namgung Seong-jin: real psycho.
Prof acts up, senior TA follows.