I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner – Chapter 285

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟖𝟓

Guimei continued to speak with a sly smile, even though I had asked her a question but didn’t seem to expect an answer.

“To put it bluntly, there is definitely a way for the existence of this place to ascend to the outer layer. However, the subject should never be yourself.”

“That means. . . . . .”

“Yeah. You have to think not about how to snatch it, but how to 「𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙥」. That’s why I don’t intend to harm Oppa.”

That’s why Guimei had only taken on the role of a bystander and hadn’t plotted anything.

Her words were too vague to be believed right away, but they certainly made sense.

“I have several methods in mind, but they’re still just hypothetical. I need to review them a little more. So let’s make a deal.”

“A deal?”

“I will help Oppa achieve his goal in every possible way, so if I can secure the means, will you cooperate with me to go outside?”

It was a refreshing proposal in a different sense. Other great youkai such as Xue Laifu and Baekryeo only thought about confronting us and taking everything.

However, putting aside my personal feelings, I expressed my skepticism.

“It would benefit me, but I can’t be sure if it’s the right thing to do. The situation outside isn’t good in the first place, so I’d rather not cause unnecessary chaos.”

Even if this answer made me one more powerful enemy, I couldn’t help it. It was what it was.

However, Guimei didn’t seem disappointed by my answer.

“I trust you more because of that. At least it means you don’t intend to use me falsely. As expected, I like Oppa.”

“. . . . . .”

“So I’ll give you a little more detailed explanation. First of all, I have never killed an innocent human for my own selfish desires.”

She doesn’t particularly feel affection for the human race. Guimei said that youkai are not much different from them.

“I’m neutral, to be exact. I think we should all live our own lives.”

Guimei also said that my concerns would be meaningless.

“As I said, nothing has been decided yet, but even if you go outside, it’s unlikely to be in a straightforward manner. So what Oppa is worried about is unlikely to happen.”

Guimei even seemed a little bitter as she said that, so I could tell that she was sincere.

If she said so, I had no reason to refuse.

I nodded and informed Guimei that I accepted the deal.

“Instead, I’ll make a decision after hearing the opinions of the others. And if the method is complete, you must share it all with me without hiding anything.”

“Yeah. That’s fine. Just know that it probably won’t be applicable to anyone other than me.”

After finishing the conversation, I waited for dawn and called everyone in the Jinyeon Mountain party to review Guimei’s proposal.

“Well, it doesn’t matter, does it? . . . . . . She says she’ll accept any kind of restriction, and we have nothing to lose.”

“Hmm, I find it more suspicious that she’s being too humble. She even leaves it to our discretion whether or not to cooperate with her method. It’s too much in our favor.”

Guimei answered Sophia’s question with a smile.

“That’s because it’s meaningless for me to be the subject in any form, Sister. Let’s say it’s an irresistible force.”

“. . . . . . . Stop acting and just go back to your original self.”

“Huh? I’m not acting. I’ve always been like this.”

“Ugh, suspicious as ever!”

Sophia seemed somewhat dissatisfied, but soon Ho-chung declared that he would cut off any potential connections just in case, and she accepted the proposal.

So Guimei officially became a partner with us and immediately began to prove her competence.

“Although it may not be exactly the same as a human’s. . . . . . Most of the techniques I use can be taught to others. So it should be helpful enough to improve your spell system.”

Her claim that she had mastered a thousand techniques was not an empty boast. Since she joined, our training has definitely accelerated.

Even Ho-chung admired Guimei, so there’s no point in explaining further.

We were also able to get a lot of useful information from her.

“So, you are wondering why you couldn’t see through me even with the ability to sense the essence?”

“That’s right.”

Of course, I remember seeing a few cases in the game where the sentiment function didn’t work, but I couldn’t determine exactly what method Guimei used.

“From my point of view, it’s more surprising that you have such an ability. . . . . . Maybe the reason is surprisingly simple.”

Guimei said it was just because she was So-yul right now.

“What do you mean? To put it simply, think of it as if both sides are my true self and I’m covering one side as needed. In this state, I can’t use any of my abilities as a youkai.”

I didn’t fully understand, but at least I could see how she had deceived the sentiment function.

If what she said was true, then the sentiment function probably just relayed information about 「𝙎𝙤-𝙮𝙪𝙡」 as it was.

「. . . 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙧.」

She also had a lot of other knowledge, including some about the great youkai Taotie.

“Taotie is still bound by restrictions. . . . . . Yeah. It’s possible. At least it’s almost certain from the looks of things.”

If so, we can rest assured for the time being.

I soon pulled out the information I had obtained from Xue Laifu and asked for additional advice, and Guimei added as much detail as possible.

“. . . It’s all true, but it’s a little short-sighted. If you just listen to the explanation, Taotie seems like a physically powerful youkai who’s just a brute, but that’s not really the case.”

“Are you saying he’s also proficient in other types of combat?”

“His spellcasting ability is not inferior to mine, and his wisdom is also outstanding. As far as I know, there’s nothing Taotie can’t do, even if he doesn’t do it.”

That was just too absurd.

I pride myself on being proficient in the entire exorcism series, but it was hard to find a youkai of that level even among them.

Despite being surprised, I found it somewhat interesting, so I asked Guimei a question.

“If I’m not mistaken, it sounds like you’ve actually fought him before.”

“. . . Huh? Of course, Oppa. I’ve fought Taotie a few times. I haven’t even met him since I made a pact with Seo Cheon-ye, so I don’t have much to refer to.”

Guimei also briefly recalled the past and then added a word as if she had suddenly remembered something.

“And this is just speculation, but. . . . . . Taotie might be hiding another form besides the two known forms.”

“Another form?”

Previously, Xue Laifu had said that Taotie usually lived as a human-shaped horned ghost and transformed into a strange beast when he was serious.

But Guimei was saying that there might be another form besides those two.

“I’m not sure either. It’s just that one time, Taotie was furious to the point of losing his mind, and I just had a bad feeling.”

Even so, it was a story that couldn’t be ignored, since it came from someone who had experienced it.

I memorized the information Guimei gave me and continued to train relentlessly for the fight against Taotie that would come someday.

And so, two more months passed, and we finally met Seo Ji-an, who had come to visit Jinyeon Mountain.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

“. . . I’m sorry I’m late. Everyone. I heard some news, but it took longer than I thought.”

“What happened?”

Everyone asked curiously, and Seo Ji-an answered with a faint smile.

“I went to see my father.”

“. . . . . .”

At least I realized what that meant in an instant.

Seo Tae-hu, who had come to the present through the Scapula Chamber and became Seo Ji-an’s parent. It meant that he existed in the present day.

As I hesitated to speak easily, Seo Ji-an opened her mouth again, as if she had considered it.

“I expected it, but he was really stubborn. When I first saw him, I thought about just exorcising him again.”

“Hmm. . . . . .”

It was a harsh word that was hard to believe came from her, but at the same time, Seo Ji-an laughed lightly. It was a carefree expression that I had never seen from her before.

“Still, I feel like a lot of things have been sorted out thanks to it.”

Certainly, the ending of Seo Ji-an and Seo Tae-hu was not good, even in empty words.

Seo Tae-hu was cold and indifferent to the end, and Seo Ji-an also ended up taking her own father’s life with her own hands.

But she was different now.

Even the fact that she called Seo Tae-hu “father” in the first place felt like a big change to me.

“. . . Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I only realized it now, but I think my father loved us quite a bit, even though he didn’t know it.”

If she felt that way, then it was probably true.

I nodded in satisfaction, feeling that Seo Ji-an had been compensated in some way.

And I couldn’t help but be amazed when I checked her information through the emotion function.

【Seo Ji-an】

▶Level 74

▶Ability Scores

【Stamina: B】

【Spiritual power : S-】

【Spellcraft: S-】

【Mental Strength: A】

▶Traits (9/10)

【Water God (S)】

【Geomancer (S-)】

【Torrent (A+)】

【Nature Affinity (A)】

【Mutation (B+)】

【Growth Acceleration (B)】

【Daughter of the Wind (B-)】

【Heiress (B-)】

【Hawk Eye (C+)】

It was truly an amazing growth.

Of course, she had achieved a high level after inheriting Seo Tae-hu’s power in the past, but now she was at an even higher level.

“. . . What kind of training have you been doing?”

“It’s nothing special. I just went to the territory of the Qiangji tribe, learned how to use my power, and made various achievements.”

From her words, I could sense another fact.

Certainly, the youkai species called Qiangji was said to kill and take the power of their aging kin when they reached a certain age, turning them back into soil, right?

“No way. . . . . .”

“Yeah. If there was anyone who met the conditions, I turned them all into soil. They’re violent anyway, so why should I spare them?”

In the end, it meant that she had caused a lot of chaos one way or another, so I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Seo Ji-an had been constantly increasing her power by training in the Qiangji tribe’s natural energy techniques and exorcising the aging individuals.

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