Academy's Gumiho is a Magic Genius

Chapter 6: Motivation [1]

A girl appeared out of nowhere and aimed for my neck.

Thinking she might be an assassin, I checked her outfit and saw she was wearing the academy's uniform. A black uniform with hints of sky blue.

If my memory served me right, that colour was for first-year students.

'Was she training too?'

Sweat poured down the girl's face like rain.

It was proof that she had been training intensely.

I didn't know who she was or what kind of training she had been doing.

But right now, there was only one thing I could do.

"H-Hey, wait... can you move the spear away...?"

All I could do was plead for her to remove the spear pressing against my throat.

She didn't seem like someone I could handle with my strength, and she was probably much faster than I could cast a fireball. In this situation, talking was the best option. @@@@

──Grip.

But nothing in this world ever goes as planned.

I realized this painfully as I felt the pressure on my throat increase in response to my plea.

"...What if you attack me instead?"

"W-Why would I attack you... ugh!"

"You just did. You attacked."

"What? I attacked...?"

Her speech was somewhat awkward.

Chilseong Academy was a world-class educational institution, so there were many international students. But her tone didn't sound like someone struggling with a foreign language.

It was a short, deliberate tone, clearly indicating she didn't want to engage in a long conversation. However, it was easy to understand because she got straight to the point.

'...I attacked her? Oh, she must be talking about that fireball.'

The [Fireball] I had created because I wanted to test out the magic I had learned.

It was unfair to me, but from her perspective, it could have looked like I was about to attack her. It seemed she had neutralized me because she thought I was trying to harm her.

Then I needed to clear up the misunderstanding quickly.

"I-It wasn't on purpose...!"

"...So, it was a mistake?"

"Y-Yeah! So, can you stop pressing on my throat? It's hard to breathe...!"

"...Liar."

Grip!

Contrary to my expectations, the girl pressed harder on my throat.

What kind of feelings did she have toward me to act like this?

"I'm not lying...! I was just trying to test out some magic...."

"...Testing magic?"

"Y-Yeah! There's no way I could do anything to you with my level of skill!"

I wanted to get angry, but in this situation, the girl held all the power. The best course of action was to appear as weak as possible and get out of this situation.

"Look at my arm. Do you really think someone with a body like this could harm you?!"

I stretched out my right arm toward her as if to prove my point.

The pressure on my throat increased for a moment, but when she saw my thin, frail arm, she loosened her grip.

Then, her gaze swept over my entire body.

A look of bewilderment appeared on her previously expressionless face.

"...How can someone be this thin?"

"I-It's not that thin...."

"...I'll let you go now."

"..."

"Y-you're right... Someone with such a frail body couldn't possibly harm me."

My plan to appear weak and escape had worked.

But why did it hurt so much?

'I'm not that frail...'

Maybe it was because my current body was similar to my real one. I felt unfairly wronged.

I wanted to say something, but the girl had already stood up and started swinging her spear.

It was as if I no longer mattered to her.

I wanted to say something to her, but she had already entered a state of deep focus, swinging her spear.

If I disturbed her now, things would get worse than just having my throat pressed.

"Ugh, what a life."

I stumbled out of the multi-purpose training room.

What a mess.

***

The same routine as always.

But what was even better was that the lessons in the books had no limits.

Unlike professors who wouldn't teach their unique techniques even to their students, or her grandfather who told her to forge her own path, the books offered no such restrictions.

Some books provided shallow knowledge, while others delved deep, opening new horizons for her.

But books weren't always helpful.

"I need... guidance. My abilities alone aren't enough."

There were limits to what reading could do.

No matter how much knowledge was written in the books, they were still just collections of words.

They were only fragments of information.

It was a completely different experience from learning through physical practice.

This was especially true for martial arts, which required physical training.

Seo Yerin felt impatient.

She knew her talent and intelligence were exceptional.

She had proven this by ranking within the top five in both the practical and written entrance exams. But proof alone wasn't enough.

Unlike Seo Yerin, whose skills seemed to have stagnated recently, most of the other students seemed to be soaring by learning from their professors.

For now, she was still ahead, but there was no telling when she might be overtaken. To soothe the anxiety in her heart, she swung her spear from the early hours of the morning.

Hard work was the best she could do.

Swish!

She swung her spear, trying to recreate the vague movements she remembered.

The movements of her grandfather, who had only taught her basic spear techniques despite being called a divine spearman. Seo Yerin struggled to replicate the spear techniques she had seen long ago.

She felt her situation was pitiful.

Other students had family martial arts or masters to help them grow stronger.

But I never have that.

Instead, Seo Yerin had brilliant talent. But because it was so brilliant, it was even harder to find someone who could help her fully realize it.

"...If only there was someone who could teach me, who could give me enlightenment."

I would do anything for that.

It was the clearest and most passionate desire of a student and martial artist seeking guidance.

Just as she was feeling this burning desire and trying to recall her grandfather's spear techniques from memory, a loud noise interrupted her.

Boom!

The training room shook with a loud explosion.

Startled, she immediately rushed out of the training room and confronted the man who had likely caused the noise in the next room. She didn't know who he was, but since he had disrupted the public training room without basic etiquette, she intended to give him a piece of her mind.

"...How can someone be this thin?"

She couldn't hide her shock.

She had never seen such a frail body in her life.

The man's wrists were thin.

Too thin.

Even middle schoolers weren't that frail.

'D-Did I... hurt him?'

The man was the most fragile person she had ever seen.

At first, she had been annoyed, but now guilt began to take over.

The physical gap between them was that large.

To put it bluntly, it was like the difference between a bear and a baby fox.

Because of this, she had no idea at the time.

What kind of relationship she would later have with this frail man.

The idea of her, who craved guidance, receiving teachings from someone even weaker than herself was still a distant thought.

***

A little time passed after that.

As my breathing gradually returned to normal, I left the training room and headed back to the dorm. I threw my slightly charred clothes into the trash and immediately took a shower to wash off the sweat and smell of smoke.

Dressed in the same suit as yesterday, I headed to the research lab where I had been the day before.

***

7:45 AM.

It was a bit earlier than scheduled, but since I had nothing else to do, I arrived early.

I came to work thinking I'd probably be running errands again like yesterday, but...

"I'm bored."

An hour passed, and no one came to find me.

No, I was being completely ignored.

Is this what they call being ostracized?

I'd only heard about it. I never thought it would happen to me.

It really was a day where nothing went right.