Academy's Gumiho is a Magic Genius

"Hey, what are we going to do about this week's performance evaluations? Is it for real that six of them are overlapping in one week?"

"What else can we do? We just have to do all of them."

"Honestly, isn't it enough to just focus on the major subjects? It shouldn't be a problem for getting a job, right?"

The students were huddled together, chatting away.

Judging by their youthful appearance, they were undoubtedly first-year freshmen.

They had gathered because of the performance evaluations and were sticking together to build camaraderie.

"Everyone's freaking out. The exam scope hasn't even been announced yet. Just study and it'll be fine."

"Oh, right. The second-years went to an uninhabited island for their midterms this time. I heard it's for six nights and seven days."

Their conversation was undoubtedly about academics.

Of course, given that it was Seven Stars Academy, the scale of their discussion was quite large.

"Really? Wasn't that just a rumour? That's what I thought."

"I heard it's true. The professor hinted at it during the lecture yesterday. Since the second-years are gone starting today, he told us not to cause any trouble."

"Oh, and I heard a lot of the third-years also left for guild training or academic conferences. This is totally our world now."

As they talked, something felt a bit off.

Both the second and third years were away for external activities at the same time. That would leave only the first years at the academy. Had something like this ever happened in the academy's history?

An ordinary adult might have found this situation suspicious.

However, to the eyes of these young students, the fact that only the first-years remained on campus was a golden opportunity.

Places they couldn't normally go because of the upperclassmen's watchful eyes were now accessible. The students eagerly spoke up, not wanting to miss this opportunity.

"Should we check out the third-year area? I heard the facilities there are amazing."

"The second-year classrooms have magic barriers installed. Let's go there too!"

"Ha... I can't believe these kids."

Amidst the chatter, one male student scoffed.

A bespectacled student adjusted his glasses and said, "Do you even know how big the academy grounds are? If you wander around aimlessly like that, you'll collapse from exhaustion."

"B-But we can't miss this opportunity! If we don't go now while the second and third years are gone, we'll have to wait a whole year!"

"Exactly. I want to check out the areas we couldn't go to before because we were too cautious."

"That's why I prepared in advance!"

The boy pulled out his phone from his pocket.

As everyone's attention focused on him, a photo appeared on the screen.

It was a drone-captured image of Seven Stars Academy.

"Isn't that just a map? We all have that on our phones."

"Hehe, take a closer look."

"What? This is just a regular map..."

"Guys! There's a small line drawn here!"

"A line...?"

At one girl's exclamation, everyone's expressions changed.

Upon closer inspection, they noticed a red line connecting various points.

The line linked ten locations in sequence.

Each of these places was a famous spot that had been featured on SNS or in the news. Finally, they understood what the red line meant.

It was the order in which they should visit these places.

Wandering around aimlessly would only tangle their route and force them to backtrack, so the line was pre-drawn to avoid that.

"Wow, that's pretty clever. Unexpected."

"I always thought you were just a jerk, but I didn't know you had this kind of preparation."

"Hey, I can hear you, you know?"

"Then let's follow the order of the line! The closest place from here is the second-year classroom."

They immediately set off.

They sneaked into the second-year classrooms and visited a famous hole-in-the-wall shop that had been featured on SNS.

When they got hungry, they had a meal at a snack bar known as a third-year hotspot.

Click!

A girl took photos of the entire process and posted them on SNS.

A boy walking beside her glanced at her phone and shook his head, muttering about her severe SNS addiction.

Before they knew it, the sun had set.

Having visited all the planned locations, it was time for dinner. Given the vastness of the academy grounds, there were all kinds of restaurants.

"How about some hearty soup? I heard there's a great place nearby."

"Who eats soup like an old man? Let's go for pasta, okay?"

"I think chicken sounds good too. What about you, Kyle?"

With so many people, opinions were divided.

Amidst the back-and-forth, the boy who suggested chicken spoke up.

"Huh, me...?"

"Yeah, you. You must have something you want to eat."

"Hey, Kyle! Say something. How about soup? Sounds good, right?"

At his friend's urging, Kyle scratched his head.

He felt uncomfortable in this situation. Kyle struggled with social interactions.

He had only come this far because he was dragged along for a group project.

He didn't feel like answering, but he had to say something. So, he mentioned what he wanted to eat most at the moment.

"Well... I guess... eel...?"

"..."

"...Yeah, eel it is..."

The atmosphere turned awkward.

Kyle, oblivious to the mood, was about to say he wanted eel over rice when—

Thud!

The ground shook.

It wasn't an earthquake. It felt different from an earthquake.

It was as if something enormous was approaching—

"Hey, guys, look over there."

"Suddenly? Did you finally realize the appeal of soup...?"

"...What is that?!"

Something massive was approaching.

It seemed to have caught the students' scent as it began to slowly approach with a sinister grin, its red pupils gleaming.

A startled girl dropped her phone.

It shattered on the spot.

***

The monster's attack was sudden.

It was an evening like any other. As the red sunset painted the horizon, the academy began to be dyed in bright crimson blood.

"Run!!"

"Everyone in the dorms and cafeteria, come out! There's a shelter in the basement of the auditorium!"

"Professor! Where are the professors?!"

"Mom! Save me...!!"

Screams echoed from all directions.

Among them were strange, inhuman cries.

"Krrrk!"

A bizarre sound that no human throat could produce.

Something on four legs darted swiftly and snatched a boy by the waist. A beast with black fur and a body the size of a baby elephant.

It shoved the boy's lower half into its massive maw.

Just as it was about to crush him with its powerful jaws, a sharp spear flew through the air, tearing through the monster's jaw muscles.

It was a powerful throw.

Simultaneously, Seo Yerin moved swiftly, throwing the boy who was caught in the monster's mouth to the ground. The boy, drenched in the monster's foul saliva, looked up dazedly.

"Ah..."

Splat!

A girl who appeared to be his age swung her spear.

As she mercilessly slashed at the monster's joints, she muttered under her breath.

"...Die."

As if her words were a spell, the monster collapsed.

The creature, now a bloody mess, hung its tongue out limply. Its lack of breath indicated it was clearly dead.

A boy who had been watching the scene struggled to his feet and shouted.

"You should run too! The shelter has powerful protective magic!!"

The girl shook her head.

She swung her spear, shaking off the blood, and said, "Not yet."

Not yet?

What did she mean?

There was no time to think deeply. In a situation like this, every second counts.

Just as the boy tried to grab her hand and run—

Crunch!

A long spear blade targeted the monster's neck like a guillotine.

With a crescent-shaped slash, the massive head flew off.

At that moment, the creature's facial muscles twitched. It wasn't the stiff movement of rigor mortis.

It was proof that the monster had been alive just moments ago.

"...What the?"

The boy couldn't help but be amazed.

No, more than amazed, he was horrified.

What on earth was this girl in front of him?

The fact that she was still at the academy meant she was a first-year, just like him.

But her skill with the spear and her ability to see through the monster's feigned death was far beyond what one would expect from someone her age.

The boy's gaze fell to her chest.

There, her name tag was displayed.

The moment he saw her name, everything made sense. Everything fell into place with just that one name.

"Seo Yerin..."

On the first day of school, a rumour had spread through the academy.

A rumour that the granddaughter of the high-ranking Spear Master had enrolled at Seven Stars Academy.

At the time, it was a hot topic, and the students spent days trying to find the rumoured girl. But with 2,000 first-years, it was no easy task, and they soon gave up.

The rumour became just that—a rumour, remaining as hearsay.

He, too, had thought it was just baseless gossip.

But seeing her fluid spear skills and her ability to instantly determine the monster's life or death, the rumour naturally came to mind.

At that moment, Seo Yerin approached the boy.

"Are you okay...?"

"Huh? Ah, yeah. I'm fine."

"Good, then that's that."

If he wasn't hurt, that was enough.

Seo Yerin glanced at the boy and then dashed off in the opposite direction.

Away from the auditorium where the shelter was, towards the second and third-year classrooms and dorms.

The boy stared blankly after her.

He couldn't bring himself to tell her to head to the shelter. The determination in her eyes didn't seem like something that could be swayed by mere words.

***

Meanwhile, Seo Yerin ran at full speed, operating her phone with her left hand.

On the screen was a colourful SNS feed. Despite her quiet nature, she had never used SNS before, but her best friend was an SNS addict.

Seo Yerin bit her lip as she looked at the recent posts.

[yura01- Taking advantage of the professors and seniors being away, I'm exploring the academy with my group project team. We're planning to eat near the third-year classrooms later.

#SneakingAround #Exploring #SevenStarsAcademy]

[470 likes]

"Why would they go there...!"

She felt frustrated and incredulous.

Why would they go to other grades' classrooms or cafeterias to hang out? And of all times, during an emergency like this!

This was truly the worst.

The academy's top professors were all away on external activities, leaving the campus devoid of its strongest defenders. Even the veteran security guards had followed the professors for their own achievements.

If that were all, it might have been manageable.

The third-years, who were next in strength after the professors, could have handled the situation.

But most of the third-years were away for guild training. Only a few remained, fewer than ten, making it impossible to overcome the crisis.

Even the second years were gone.

All the second-years had left for an uninhabited island for their midterms.

Only the first-years remained at Seven Stars Academy—inexperienced freshmen who hadn't even received proper training.

"This is the worst."

There were still some security guards and teaching assistants holding the fort, but could they really protect the entire academy grounds?

She already knew the answer to that.

Of course not.

The academy grounds were vast. They surpassed the size of most universities, comparable to a small city.

The number of teaching assistants and security guards couldn't possibly cover such a large area.

They would naturally focus on securing key points, most likely the first-year dorms and classrooms.

And if that happened...

'Yura will be isolated...!'

She couldn't even ask for help.

Even if she asked a passing first-year for assistance, they would most likely refuse or become a burden. She couldn't ask the security guards either.

Securing the nearby dorms would save more students than risking lives for a few who were far away and whose survival was uncertain.

'Right now, I'm the only one!'

For a moment, she felt anxious.

Seo Yerin tried to calm her burning emotions.

Calm down, crises always come unexpectedly. That's why I've been practising with my spear every dawn without sleep.

She desperately maintained her composure.

It was a technique she had honed over hours of quietly wielding her spear, a way to stabilize her mind and body. The training she had undergone flashed through her mind.

"That's right, this is what I've been doing."

She reminded herself of her training, trying to stay as rational as possible. If only the incident from two days ago hadn't come to mind.

The day she had crossed paths with that parasitic teaching assistant and the floor had exploded, ruining her expensive uniform.

The shock from that day had left a momentary gap in her movements.

And then a monster appeared. It moved like a shadow, targeting only Seo Yerin's weak point.

Slash!

A long tail lashed out like a whip, aiming for her legs.

Unable to dodge, she fell, and the monster climbed on top of her.

"Kyaaak!"

It opened its maw wide, ready to swallow Seo Yerin whole.

She pushed against the monster's mouth with her spear, but it was already on top of her.

"Ugh!"

A pained groan escaped her lips.

Her ankle twisted from the impact of the tail and the fall.

To make matters worse, the monster was now on top of her.

She was barely holding it off with her spear.

'This position is bad...!'

Her body was already in disarray from the fall, and her position was terrible.

If this turned into a battle of strength, Seo Yerin's defeat was inevitable. She tried to think of a way out, but the stench of the fish-like monster made her head spin.

'...Huh? My strength is fading.'

The more she smelled the stench, the weaker her grip on the spear became.

It seemed the monster's stench had a paralyzing effect. Panicked, Seo Yerin struggled, but the monster only opened its maw wider, drawing closer.

One wrong move, and she could die.

Just as Seo Yerin was steeling herself for a final effort—

Whoosh!

A massive flame approached from behind the monster.

The flickering fire made it hard to see clearly, but it seemed to take the shape of a hand. The giant flaming hand twisted the monster as if squeezing juice from a fruit.

The surging flames cooked the creature's flesh, which then fell lifelessly to the ground. It was a white-fleshed fish.

Seo Yerin was stunned by the sudden intervention of a third party.

A man ran up to her. When she looked up and saw his face, she couldn't hide her confusion.

"Why are you...?"

Seo Yerin stared up at him in a daze.

The same position as the boy she had saved earlier, but the roles were reversed.

This time, a man had saved her.

With eyes as red as a monster's but shining like gemstones. Fluffy fox-like ears and tail.

There stood Seung-woo, the new teaching assistant at Seven Stars Academy.

"...I don't know."

He wore an expression that suggested he had done something wrong.

***

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