Academy's Gumiho is a Magic Genius

Chapter 20: The Mage Hunter [5]

What on earth happened while I was unconscious?

There was no time to ponder deeply.

Despite my injuries, I hurriedly rushed to the scene.

Soon, I saw an arm hanging like a fruit from a tree branch.

"...Where's the rest?"

There was no way to identify the student.

Unless there was a fingerprint scanner, there was no way to guess who it was from just a dangling arm.

Yes, just one arm.

That was all.

The arm was thin and slender, but that alone wasn't enough to guess it was a woman's.

The skin had turned bluish, and blood had dried on it. There was no way to guess the gender from that.

"Any... survivors?"

I definitely heard breathing nearby.

My ears weren't mistaken.

Thinking it might be a monster's breath, I spread my mana wide, but there was no sign of any monsters.

Step by step, I entered the forest using both legs.

The further I went in, the more gruesome the bodies became.

The situation inside was severe.

An arm left behind, intestines hanging from a tree—these were not unusual. Bodies split in half, heads rolling like soccer balls, bodies tangled together so you couldn't tell whose limbs were whose.

And beyond this hellish scene.

"...Ah, it was you?"

There was a student breathing heavily.

I froze on the spot.

The moment I saw the student's face, I felt an indescribable despair.

Why are you here?

"Kyle Iris...?"

"Ha, haha, glad you remember my name. Ah, since we're old acquaintances, can I speak casually for a moment?"

"I clearly told you to flee to the shelter..."

"Ah, right, you definitely did."

I roughly scanned Kyle's condition with my eyes.

The blood dripping down confirmed he was injured. But aside from that, there were no noticeable major wounds.

As expected of the protagonist.

While I was blankly examining Kyle.

He got up. His body seemed heavy, and getting up wasn't smooth.

Seeing him struggle, I instinctively reached out my hand.

But with a slap, Kyle brushed my hand away. He got up without my help and pointed behind him, opening his mouth.

"That, I killed it. How about that? Impressive, right?"

I turned my head. There was no need to ask, 'What am I supposed to see?'

It was so huge, it wasn't easy to see.

A giant monster.

If the Illusion Monkey used illusions to disguise its size, this monster's massive body was its true form.

Its entire body was sliced apart.

The monster was cut up as if by a sharp blade. I knew the details.

'...Why the Blade Wind?'

[Blade Wind]

One of the abilities Kyle learns upon awakening, a skill that shreds everything around him. In terms of pure power, it's on par with or even surpasses my [Fox Fire].

This ability has a prerequisite.

It's when his trait, [Patience], is fully charged and disappears.

Having [Patience] fully charged is synonymous with reaching a new realm.

In other words, Kyle has already awakened.

Even though I eliminated all variables, he awakened as the protagonist.

What does this imply to me?

Swiftly, my head turned to the side.

Looking at the monster's corpse, it wasn't hard to figure out.

A high-tier monster of the 5th rank. The same grade as the Illusion Monkey.

Thud!

At that moment, deep despair overwhelmed me, and my body collapsed.

Until now, I had forced myself to muster energy, but I was reaching my limit.

As I fell, I reached out to Kyle. But he was too far away.

Reaching out was meaningless.

Still, I stretched out my broken shoulder and extended my hand.

At the same time, I thought to myself.

'The Mage Hunter,' was it?

Truly a hunter's skill.

Although one of the prey hunted the hunter, he used his hounds to ultimately succeed in the hunt.

He didn't catch all the prey, but hunting a few affected the entire group.

The implication was clear.

'...I lost.'

I won the battle.

I survived.

But in the fight against me, and against this world, I lost.

Indeed, a novel is just a novel.

No matter how much a minor villain like me struggles, nothing changes.

At that moment, the quest details that had appeared in my eyes suddenly crossed my mind.

The 'Main Quest: Responsibility' I received just a few hours ago.

Its success and failure rewards were the same. At the time, I didn't think much of it.

Moreover, I didn't pay much attention to the sentence emphasized with '*' at the bottom.

*No matter what choice you make, nothing will change!

Now I think I understand what that meant.

It wasn't a warning or a recommendation, but a statement that the outcome was already decided.

Haha, I felt like I was being played by others.

I captured Kyle in my fading vision.

He captured me in his empty eyes.

"Who would have thought I'd see your weak side? This is unexpected."

Hehe, Kyle, who had let out a meaningless laugh, left the spot.

His trembling legs and slumped shoulders spoke volumes about his physical and mental state. I blankly followed that figure with my thoughts.

The episode wasn't over yet.

I had overlooked that fact.

But even if I had pondered deeply, nothing might have changed.

After all, novels are at the author's whim.

Things don't go as I wish.

I'm not the protagonist or anything.

***

I was a child soldier.

It wasn't that I didn't have parents. It wasn't that I lacked money.

I just couldn't stand by and watch the world crumbling.

Fortunately, I had power.

The power to turn the tide of the battlefield.

'Being the youngest battalion commander, isn't that amazing?!'

Many people paid attention to me.

The heroes protecting humanity from monsters on the front lines were interested in me, and those losing hope in life placed their hopes in me.

At first, I was pleased.

I was simply proud of myself.

Bearing everyone's expectations was heavy and difficult, but it was rewarding.

'You can definitely do it.'

'Please avenge my parents...'

'Please help me...!'

Those expectations grew heavier over time.

The attention and hope I once welcomed turned into trust and faith, and my life was no longer just my own.

Was that why?

At some point, I started escaping into a virtual world.

A small world of novels and games. There were various stories, people, and beautiful endings.

I longed for that.

It was better than the dirty and horrifying reality.

"Ah, you're awake."

It was a familiar ceiling.

Of course, it was my room.

Not the leather ceiling of the barracks where I had lived half my life, nor the luxurious ceiling of the mansion I lived in after retirement.

A plain, clean white ceiling.

Since coming to this world, the ceiling of my assigned dorm room came into view.

"...Where did I black out?"

"Well, I'm not sure about that, but the person who found you said you were unconscious in the forest. Given the scene, it's understandable."

It was Nam Hwa-yeon's voice, which was usually annoying but now felt welcoming. I tried to turn my head to greet her.

But my head wouldn't turn.

What on earth is on my neck?

Something like a collar was around my neck.

The collar hindered my neck's movement. And not just my neck.

My entire body was restrained.

"It's a device to restrain and fix your body, so just lie still. Do you even know what condition your body is in?"

"Well, yeah."

"Most of your bones are broken, your blood vessels burst from handling too much mana. Besides that, hypothermia, dislocations, internal ruptures, dehydration, hypovolemic shock, and third-degree burns. You were literally on the brink of death."

Her concise explanation made it easy to grasp the situation.

I had collapsed helplessly on the spot.

I couldn't do anything there.

Neither collecting the bodies of the dead students nor comforting the protagonist who had awakened in despair.

I just lay there.

Recalling that, I struggled to speak.

"...But I'm still alive, right?"

"People like you are called living corpses. You were almost dead."

"A living corpse is much better than a dead one."

"..."

Even a body on the brink of death is better than a dead student.

At least there's a chance.

Death is the end of everything.

The repetitive daily life, the headache-inducing studies, the trivial chats with friends.

Nam Hwa-yeon seemed to understand the intent behind my words and stood silently.

I was grateful for that.

I had thought of her as a nasty professor who dumped a lot of work on her assistant and left, but she turned out to be quite considerate.

I tried to force my restrained body to sit up.

"So, how long do I have to live like this?"

"Medically, it's 18 months. Of course, that's assuming no aid from your family."

She handed me an envelope.

A luxurious white and gold package sealed with red wax. The fox emblem on the back of the envelope indicated who it was from.

The Cheonho Baek Family.

The family of the body I had possessed. A letter from the Cheonho Baek Family.

There was no need to think deeply about who sent it.

It would be one of two groups.

Either my siblings, dissatisfied with the fact that the incompetent Seung-woo was the family head, or the elders trying to control the young family head.

"Not really a letter I want to open."

"Seems like you're quite bullied at home, huh?"

"Well, yeah, that's how it is with puppet bosses."

It's not a position that can be simply described by a title like 'boss'.

But 'puppet boss' is an apt description. Most of the real power lies with my siblings and the elders.

All this body has is legitimacy and position.

"A puppet boss, huh? Unexpected."

"What is?"

"The lecture scripts you usually write are very meticulous and detailed."

"...Isn't that because the professor makes me work overtime?"

"Anyway, you're doing well. So there's no reason for you to be just a figurehead."

I tried to scratch my head at her words.

But my arm couldn't reach my head. Just how much am I restrained?

Seeing my actions, Nam Hwa-yeon spoke up, saying it was okay. Her eyes were still hard to read, but her expression was more serious and heavy than usual.

"Students died."

She was gauging my reaction. There was no need for that.

After all, I was the first to discover it.

"And security guards and assistants died too."

"...How many died?"

"Nine students."

"Besides the students."

"21 security guards, 6 assistants. And about 200 injured."

200 injured. That's only 10% of the 2,000 first-year students.

Fewer than expected. Judging from the scene at the shelter, about half seemed to be injured.

"And there's one living corpse. Fortunately, with the active aid of Cheonho Pharmaceuticals and Cheonho Hospital, you'll recover quickly."

"Let's stop talking about the living corpse."

She said with a smiling face.

But her heart was probably not like that. No matter how dark the dawn was, the academy's attack could have been prevented.

If only the professors and the 2nd and 3rd-year students hadn't been away.

Especially if the professors had been there. If even a few of the professors, the real pillars of the Seven Stars Academy, had been present, the damage would have been significantly reduced.

At the very least, there would have been no deaths.

"Are you okay?"

"Me? I get cursed at a lot. But I'm used to being called a monster."

"...I see."

Well, that's true.

Nam Hwa-yeon is the undisputed top of the current magic academia. In terms of magic, whether it's skill or knowledge, no one can rival her.

A great mage who has mastered numerous academic societies and papers, and elevated the modern magic system for decades.

Truly the king of mages.

Thus, the system bestowed upon her the title of Demon King.

Demon King, Nam Hwa-yeon.

She is one of the strongest in the current academy.

If only Nam Hwa-yeon had stayed in her place, not even an invasion, let alone a raid, would have occurred. That's why people blame her.

Why did you leave your post? Children were dying, what were you doing?

"Still, you're getting good reviews. The news and newspapers are calling you a 'true educator who risked his life to protect the students.'"

"I... I'm not an educator, I'm an assistant."

"To outsiders, anyone who isn't a security guard or a student is an educator. Don't worry about such trivial things, just enjoy the fame?"

Nam Hwa-yeon comforted me while stroking my head.

Stroke, stroke!

She seemed to like my fox ears. She's been touching them since a while ago.

It's not exactly a pleasant sensation, but I can't bring myself to say anything.

If I tell her to stop in this situation, the atmosphere might turn sour. Whether she knows my feelings or not.

Nam Hwa-yeon took her hand off my head and handed me a piece of paper.

I wondered what it was, but it was another letter. The only difference from the previous one was that the outside was pink?

Judging by the colour, it's not from the Cheonho Baek Family.

Rather than that...

"Ah, that seems to be a love letter."

"...What?"

A love letter?

This?

I was surprised once by the fact that someone still writes love letters these days. And surprised twice by the fact that I received one.

Why on earth did I receive this?

It's been almost a month since I came to this world.

All I've done in the past month is make lecture scripts and read magic books.

The relationships I've formed in that process are limited to Nam Hwa-yeon, the librarian, Seo Yerin, and one more person. Who was it?

Thinking hard, one person came to mind.

'Ah, Bang Seok-hoon was there too.'

The muscular senior assistant.

I don't want to receive a love letter from him.

Nam Hwa-yeon laughed at my disgusted expression and got up.

"I'll be going now. I have things to do. Ah, if there's anything interesting in the letter, let me know."

She left like that.

What a mischievous professor.

Anyway, a love letter.

I've never received one in my life, and in this world, of all times, I have to open it in this state.

Tsk, I tore the envelope with my hand.

Then, using my hand, I brought the letter to my eyes while lying down.

[To my brother.

I heard the news that my incompetent brother burned his body to save the students. I didn't expect you to actually burn your body and suffer third-degree burns, though.

Thus, I administered an Elixir to you. It's only natural to elevate the name and status of the Cheonho Baek Family through sacrifice.

The value of one Elixir cannot be exchanged for an incompetent family head. I will come to collect the appropriate price soon.

Ah, you can come to pay the price directly if you want.

Baek Seol-hee, with respect.]

What is this?

Is this a love letter?

Wondering, I checked the envelope and found it was from the family.

I had opened the wrong one.

But why is the content like this?

I unconsciously furrowed my brow.

***

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