Academy's Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Chapter 7
"Aigoo, my back. I've finished my morning work, so I should take a short break."
"Um, what about my tasks..."
"Oh dear, oh dear, look at me! I still have those documents to sort!"
"..."
I called out to a woman in a suit passing by, but she ran off without even listening.
I'd clearly heard her mutter something about needing a break.
At first, I thought I'd misheard, but it wasn't just her.
No matter which TA I spoke to here, none of them responded.
They just scurried about with their own work.
Only then did I realize I was being ostracized.
Is this what workplace bullying feels like?
It felt unpleasant, but not as uncomfortable as I'd expected.
Because no one was giving me any work to do.
'Even if they're shunning me, at least give me something to do.'
Sitting alone in this vast lab doing nothing made me self-conscious and wasted time. With nothing else to do, I might as well read the textbook.
I'd already finished the magic tome I'd borrowed from the library, so I planned to check out another on my way home later.
The textbook's content was remarkably solid and systematic.
Makes sense, since it's designed for students. Even I, with no prior knowledge, could vaguely grasp it.
I'd intended to start with magic-related textbooks, but somehow I ended up reading every one I could get my hands on.
Guardian studies, martial arts studies, hunting studies, and more. About an hour into dipping into various genres...
Tap tap.
Someone patted my shoulder.
It felt completely different from when Bang Seok-hun did it yesterday.
I turned my head and saw Nam Hwa-yeon.
"Studying the textbook diligently, huh? Interested in the lectures?"
Her gaze fell on the book's title.
[First Steps in Magic], a textbook authored by Nam Hwa-yeon herself. If my memory served, it was the material used in her lectures.
Reading this must have piqued her interest. If I were her, I'd probably tap the junior on the shoulder and ask the same if they were slacking off to read the professor's textbook.
"No, it's not that I'm interested in the lectures... I just had some time on my hands..."
"Hm? You seem awfully free."
"..."
I had nothing to say to that.
Truth be told, up until yesterday, the atmosphere hadn't been so hostile.
The only thing that could have changed everyone's behavior overnight was the rumors swirling around me.
They'd swoon over my face at first, but once their eyes drifted down to my tail, they'd get scared and bolt.
Curious why, I searched the internet for [Baek Seung-woo]. It started with assaulting and verbally abusing my fiance, then escalated to embezzling tens of millions from the family company or committing random acts of violence.
Of course, truth and lies were so artfully mixed that it was impossible to tell what was real, but my conversation with Bang Seok-hun yesterday seemed to have sparked new gossip, making everyone avoid me.
Swish swish~
My tail, oblivious to all this, swayed happily back and forth. Anyone would think I was in a good mood.
Of course.
My eyes aren't on my back, so the tail kept swishing, drawing everyone's attention in the office.
The TAs, well aware of the rumors, tried their best to ignore it, but the temptation of a fox tail waving like catnip was hard to resist. It'd be better if they just openly admired it.
Caught between admiration and the rumors, they were in a bind.
Nam Hwa-yeon, unable to stand it any longer, stepped in.
"If you have nothing to do, want to try this?"
She snatched a document from a passing TA's hand and handed it to me.
It was the same format as the one I'd seen yesterday.
A lecture script.
"P-Professor, that's the script I was working on..."
"Come on, the junior has nothing to do. You're not about to argue with me, are you?"
"N-No, of course not! Haha, then I'll just get going..."
The TA fled with a forced smile at her words.
He clearly didn't want to deal with her. She tilted her head, seemingly oblivious.
"Why's he acting like that? Does he need the bathroom urgently?"
"...Yeah."
A chill ran down my spine at Nam Hwa-yeon's casual tone.
Was she genuinely asking? Or enjoying the situation?
I didn't want to know. I vaguely agreed and changed the subject.
"Professor, when is this script due?"
"I'll give you three hours."
"...Pardon?"
Three hours was way too tight.
Was there some reason?
"That script. I'm lecturing on it this afternoon."
"..."
This is insane.
Yesterday she dragged me to the lecture and made me ask questions, and today it's a script in three hours.
Bang Seok-hun wasn't the one with a grudge against me it was Nam Hwa-yeon.
Various thoughts crossed my mind, but in this situation, I had only one response.
"Understood..."
"Good. I'll come pick it up in three hours."
She left the lab with leisurely steps.
The moment Nam Hwa-yeon was gone, the surrounding TAs' gazes turned to me.
They'd ignored me just moments ago.
Hah, my heart was a mess, but first things first I needed to write the script. I opened [First Steps in Magic] and compared the passages in the script to find the relevant sections.
Maybe because it's only been less than a week since enrollment, the scope wasn't broad or difficult.
But the content was crucial.
It was a foundational chapter for the knowledge they'd learn over the next year. Mastering it deeply would build a solid base. And that was today's lecture.
'This is a heavier responsibility than I thought.'
Half-assing the script wouldn't just get me in trouble with Nam Hwa-yeon it could affect the protagonist and key characters.
They were still in their first week, a critical growth period.
If I ruined that, it might trigger a butterfly effect. I had to do my best.
Flip!
I immediately opened the textbook and dove into the lecture section.
For a moment, Magic Saint crossed my mind, but I shook my head.
The world Magic Saint let me glimpse was highly intuitive and subjective.
It didn't align with a lecture students needed to mull over.
I wrote the script based strictly on the textbook, within the bounds of what I could recall. Where needed, I found Nam Hwa-yeon's referenced papers, simplified the integrable parts for clarity, and edited them in.
It wasn't easy, but it kept my mind occupied, so time flew by.
As I finished a draft and revised it three times, the lecture time approached.
I printed the script, and Nam Hwa-yeon took it without checking and headed to the classroom.
Thankfully, no order to stand beside her today.
But I felt oddly uneasy and uncomfortable.
Ah, maybe I should have revised it once more.
I felt a pang of regret.
* * *
The lecture hall buzzed with chatter.
With 17-year-old boys and girls gathered together, the room was always lively before the professor arrived.
But that never lasted long once the professor entered.
Chilseong Academy was a world-renowned institution.
One of the world's top five academies, its prestige was immense.
To teach there, one needed substantial achievements and active-duty level skills. Thus, professors at Chilseong Academy were untouchable figures.
"Huh? Where's that cute TA oppa from yesterday?"
"Whoa, he's really not here. I was only looking forward to this class today."
"Hey, what's the big deal about that pretty-boy parasite type? He looked kinda sleazy."
"Parasite is the highest compliment a guy can give another guy. Honestly, even I thought he was handsome."
"Must be fun living with a face like that. I wanna be handsome too."
"You'll never be handsome in this lifetime. Be content with what you have."
But not today, apparently.
Nam Hwa-yeon, eavesdropping on the students' chatter, could see exactly how Seung-woo's looks affected these teenagers in their prime.
'Well, beauty always draws admiration, no matter the era or circumstance.'
Everyone is drawn to beauty instinctively.
Men or women, young or old it's human nature. Especially if that beauty is nation-toppling.
Then curiosity struck.
I wonder if they knew.
That Seung-woo's charm wasn't just superficial, from his face, but some power at work.
'Not something simple like pheromones or perfume. At least an A-rank skill, maybe even higher.'
The combination of Nation-toppling Beauty and Charm was intriguing even to a grand archmage like Nam Hwa-yeon. Though Seung-woo himself had never paid much attention to those skills.
Suddenly, she wondered.
What if Seung-woo mastered his abilities? What would happen to these students?
Would they abandon all reason like King Zhou enthralled by Daji? Or pine away like Emperor Toba after meeting Tamamo?
As she amused herself with such thoughts, she remembered she was on the podium and began the lecture.
"Alright, yesterday I gave you a special lecture to help you out. Today, open your textbooks."
Today's topic: 'Ways and Forms of Handling Mana'. One of the earliest and most vital chapters in the first-year textbook.
How well they grasped this would shape their academy life ahead.
Nam Hwa-yeon opened the script.
Same format and intro as usual. She'd given it to Seung-woo on a whim, and it turned out decent.
About on par with what the other TAs usually produced.
"...?"
Before reciting, she skimmed it, and her eyes curved into crescents. She muttered softly, inaudible to others.
"...This is unexpected."
She'd expected something average like the others', but Seung-woo exceeded that, delivering a script she actually liked.
As if she'd written it herself.
Inspired by yesterday's script, perhaps?
That could be.
The worn script he'd read in the lab was one she'd made herself, full of her personal touches.
"Everyone should have page 21 open. The formula at the top shows how efficiently you can save mana by substituting the Hernos Function into the incantation."
Her lecture stuck closely to the textbook.
When tricky parts came up, she'd call on students to present, fostering an active atmosphere.
"If you plug this formula directly into a magic circle, what disaster might occur? Anyone?"
"First-year Class 3, Number 57, Sin Cheol-su! Since the incantation wasn't verified with the Hernos Function, excess mana supply will cause a dud."
A male student stood, announcing his class, number, and name.
As he rose, a TA noted his details and presentation content.
Chilseong Academy had 2,000 students per year.
Too many for professors to memorize names, so stating class, number, and name before presenting was standard protocol.
"Good answer, but 'self-detonation' is more precise than 'dud'."
Nam Hwa-yeon snapped her fingers, and the textbook incantation manifested exactly.
Formulas crammed into a circular magic circle. Swollen with excess mana, it teetered on the brink of explosion, just as described.
All students watched, expecting it to burst.
At that moment, Nam Hwa-yeon added,
"But there are always exceptions."
Everything froze, like a paused video.
She raised her finger, and the magic circle floated into the air. It began reverting from near-explosion to its original form.
Not time reversal or restoration.
It was reassembly.
Transferring the contents into a new framework.
"Even without verifying via Hernos Function, you can adjust by substituting it inversely midway."
This contradicted everything taught so far.
Confused students checked their textbooks.
There was no mention of inverse midway substitution. Naturally.
It wasn't in the textbook only in the script.
'Too advanced for first-years; normally covered in second or third year.'
If her memory was right, it'd be in the second semester of second year.
Putting that in a first-year script?
Reckless.
Though it came with the caveat of 'if not adjusted to first-year level'.
'Boldly cut parts to match freshmen eyes. A bit challenging, but learnable.'
And he did it in just three hours.
Curiosity and excitement bubbled deep within her.
Maybe this genius could breathe life into her professor life, tied down by a debt to the chairman.
Just watching him was bound to make things interesting.
As she continued the lecture with those thoughts, students diligently noted the content absent from their textbooks.
That day, they instinctively sensed it.
They'd need to prepare hard for this year's first midterm.
Someone had skyrocketed the lecture difficulty.