The Genius Tamer of the Academy

Chapter 159

Adela lowered her head, trying to suppress her laughter.

“Pfft.”

Watching me get riled up for no reason seemed to amuse her quite a bit.

“Why are you making excuses? I didn’t even say much.”

Wow. My pride is really taking a hit.

“I’ll buy it.”

Just wait. I’m going to be flying around all the time once I take this potion.

The vendor chuckled heartily.

“Kid, this potion’s a bit pricey.”

“Oh, that’s fine. I’ll buy it.”

“Yeah? Oh, good choice. That’ll be 2 gold.”

The vendor, pleased to have sold the potion thanks to Adela, hummed a tune as he handed it over.

“Sure. Here you go.”

The small potion in my hand cost 2 gold coins. I pulled out the coins from my pocket and handed them to the vendor.

After completing the transaction, the vendor clapped his hands as if remembering something.

“Oh, I almost forgot. You’ve tried something similar before, right? You know what you need to do?”

Memories of the diet potion nightmare resurfaced.

I had to go without food for three whole days.

With a reluctant nod, I responded.

“Ah… yeah. Does this one have the same rules?”

“Yep.”

The vendor nodded and pointed at the potion.

“Except, you don’t need to starve, just reduce your intake. About one meal a day. If you eat too much, the potion’s effects weaken.”

“Light meals?”

That’s manageable.

In fact, those conditions seem surprisingly lenient.

I looked at the vendor with wide eyes, but he frowned, as if it wasn’t that simple.

“Which is why it’s harder.”

“Why?”

“People’s psychology. If you tell them not to eat at all, they can manage. But when you say to eat just a little, they’re terrible at sticking to it.”

…He’s got a point.

When I had to fast for three days, I forced myself to comply out of fear of wasting the expensive potion’s effects.

But with just one meal a day, it’s easy to waver.

The vendor looked exasperated, as if he had dealt with many such cases.

“They end up eating too much and then complain the potion doesn’t work.”

“There are that many people like that?”

“Loads of them. So, I’m counting on you, kid. Hey, you there!”

“Huh? Yes, yes!”

“Keep an eye on him so he doesn’t eat.”

Adela, suddenly tasked with this mission, nodded in bewilderment.

The vendor emphasized his point a couple more times in his gruff voice, looking at Adela.

“One meal a day, for a week. And even that, keep it light. If he doesn’t stick to it, the potion will be useless. Got it?”

“Yes!”

“If you don’t watch him, he’ll definitely eat.”

“Oh, I get it. I’ll do my best.”

With the vendor’s repeated insistence, Adela’s eyes were filled with determination.

When it comes to following orders, no one is more dedicated than Adela.

I scratched my head and muttered under my breath.

“My willpower’s been weak lately.”

“Don’t worry! I’ll keep an eye on you!”

Sparkle.

Adela’s eyes shone intensely, almost unnervingly.

“I’ll make sure you eat only one meal. I’ll do my best to watch over you!”

“Uh… yeah… thanks.”

I was starting to feel uneasy.

* * *

“How is it? Do you feel any effects?”

I shook my head at Adela’s question.

“Not sure yet.”

It was the third day since I’d taken the potion.

Like last time, it wasn’t a potion that showed immediate effects.

But if the potion’s benefits were real, it was something I truly needed.

There might be more times in the future where I have to temporarily tap into the cube’s magic.

I couldn’t afford to collapse from overload each time, so I needed to boost my weak body’s recovery and stamina.

So, I was on my second diet, something I never imagined for myself.

Apart from a single meal yesterday morning, I hadn’t eaten anything since.

“I’ll keep an eye on you.”

“Um, it’s fine. Really.”

And of course, Adela the Spartan was by my side.

Her dietary monitoring skills surpassed those of a typical health trainer.

Swallowing nervously, I nudged Adela.

“Hey, can’t I just eat one thing?”

“Nope, absolutely not.”

To help me avoid the temptation to binge due to weak willpower, Adela was diligently supporting me.

Unless I was in the dormitory, she was practically glued to me 24/7. Thanks to that, I really hadn’t eaten.

Adela clenched her fists tightly, her expression resolute.

“You just need to hold on for four more days.”

“That’s really not reassuring at all.”

It’s only been two days!

“No, you can do it.”

Adela patted my shoulder encouragingly.

“It’s not like you’re fasting entirely, and the conditions are way better than before. Still, they said the less you eat, the better the potion works, so let’s try to eat as little as possible.”

“That’s… easier said than done….”

I shouldn’t have given Adela this kind of mission, given how serious she is about everything.

Ugh, damn it.

I sighed deeply and leaned back in my chair.

The only consolation was that there were no physical training sessions like before.

I frowned, glancing at the clock.

Next class was Han Si-hyuk’s [Magic Manufacturing].

Since it’s a lecture where I could just sit and listen, I planned to lie down without moving an inch.

Class?

Whatever, my brain isn’t functioning right now.

I could take the scolding later; for now, I just wanted to rest my poor stomach.

“I’m hungry… so hungry….”

Adela scratched her head as I mumbled, as if searching for a solution.

“Hmm. If it’s that bad….”

Seeing Adela pondering, I reflexively jumped up.

“How about just one piece of bread? C’mon, just a little bit, it wouldn’t even make a dent….”

“Let’s think of it as having bread.”

“What?”

Scribble. Scribble.

Adela drew Yoon Haul’s beloved red bean bun on her Magic Manufacturing textbook.

What… What is she doing?

What kind of madness is this?

“Ta-da—.”

Scribble.

Having drawn a giant red bean bun, Adela held up her Magic Manufacturing textbook.

“I saw this somewhere. If you look at a picture and imagine how delicious it is, it’ll make you feel less hungry.”

“…?”

“Here, take a look.”

Adela shoved the paper red bean bun in front of my face.

“Looks tasty, doesn’t it?”

“….”

Rustle—

Rustle—

The paper red bean bun wavered in front of my eyes.

Adela’s eyes sparkled as she swallowed her saliva.

“How is it? Does it… help?”

“…Does it look like it would?”

“Ah, I guess not.”

Adela tilted her head, erasing the drawing of the red bean bun with an eraser.

Seriously, what kind of method was that? Even a miser would have cried over it.

I felt dizzy.

I was losing my mind.

I swallowed hard, sighing heavily.

Four more days to go.

How am I supposed to survive this?

With a heavy heart, I buried my face in my desk.

“Hello, Professor!”

Right on time for class, Professor Han Si-hyuk appeared.

He was dressed more casually than before, and I noticed a loosely worn watch on his wrist. Arriving on time was unusual for him, but he closed the front door and nodded.

“Everyone, stand up.”

“Huh?”

Magic Manufacturing was a class that was 100% theory.

I blinked at Han Si-hyuk’s sudden command.

Why is he telling us to stand up all of a sudden?

Around the room, students hesitantly got to their feet.

“What’s going on?”

“Who knows.”

We stood up because we were told to, but confusion was written on everyone’s faces.

Adela pushed her creaky wooden chair back in and looked at Han Si-hyuk.

Han Si-hyuk slowly scanned the students before speaking again.

“I feel like I’ve been focusing too much on theory lately, so today we’re going to try something different.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Understood, Professor!”

Hmm?

“We’ll be doing some artifact-making practice. We can’t do anything too advanced on campus, so today we’ll learn a traditional artifact-making method….”

Han Si-hyuk nodded with a smile.

“We’re going to learn woodworking.”

Hold on.

Don’t tell me.

“…Are we going to be sawing?”

A chill ran down my spine.

* * *

Han Si-hyuk walked among the students with his hands behind his back.

His firm voice introduced today’s practical task.

“For the next two weeks, you’ll be making basic furniture according to the designs you’ve sketched. No need for complicated designs or functions. You’ll be making a simple wooden drawer.”

“Yes, sir.”

“However, we’ll also be practicing how to lay magic circuits on them.”

“Magic circuits?”

“Yes, but because they’re expensive, I’ve prepared something else. Has anyone seen this?”

Han Si-hyuk held up something that looked like wiring.

It was a type of electromagnetic circuit that could be cheaply bought at the market to replace magic circuits. Simply put, it was basically just wires.

The idea seemed to be to lay these on the drawers to add some special function.

Like the common artifact type you see in stores, such as drawers that open automatically.

Yoon Haul, sitting next to me, whispered in my ear.

“Should we make it open with magic recognition? So only the owner’s magic can open it.”

“So, like a fingerprint recognition drawer?”

“I don’t think the circuit will be that complex.”

It seemed she was already picturing the circuit in her head, her mind working rapidly.

Geniuses are truly on another level.

I clicked my tongue and kept my eyes fixed ahead.

Han Si-hyuk surveyed the students and wrapped up his explanation.

“It seems like everyone has some idea in mind. This won’t count towards your grades, so feel free to experiment. Focus on practicing how to lay the circuits.”

“Yes!”

“If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask.”

“Understood, Professor!”

As soon as Han Si-hyuk finished speaking, everyone began bustling around.

“Let’s get started.”

Our group was no exception.

“So, what I was thinking is….”

Yoon Haul quickly explained her design to Adela.

Even to someone like me, who isn’t skilled in this area, her idea seemed quite solid.

A setup where the magic circuit is placed on the handle so that only the owner’s magic can open the drawer.

Yoon Haul’s personal secret drawer.

Listening to her explanation, I started to work with my hands.

“I’ll sketch the design.”

“…?”

“You, Siha?”

Scribble, scribble.

Desperate to avoid sawing, I started scribbling something, anything.

My brain wasn’t working properly because I hadn’t eaten, but still, my design was turning out pretty decent.

It’s just a drawer, nothing special needed.

All I had to do was come up with some sort of handle design, right?

Scribble.

My loosely drawn lines gradually took the shape of a drawer, albeit a crude one.

Now that I looked, the top of the drawer seemed a bit empty.

So, I drew Basilus.

Because dragons are cute.

A few more strokes and the design was complete.

“Hmm… perfect.”

It looked like something that might be commercialized by the 22nd century.

I proudly held it out to Adela.

Her response was quick and to the point.

“Let Haul handle it.”

“That’s harsh.”

Of course, I wasn’t planning on giving up here.

Avoiding sawing was still my top priority.

I raised my hand, looking for something to do.

“I’ll handle the sanding then.”

“Um, no. I’ll take care of that.”

Adela, who quickly shook her head, placed her hand on the rough wooden surface.

A faint blue magic aura swirled around her hand, and the surface instantly became smooth.

It didn’t take long at all.

It was like magic.

Well, it literally was magic.

“You… you can do that too?”

I was almost shocked at how she was like a human sandpaper.

“No, wait….”

So then, what about me?

Clinging to my last hope, I asked Adela.

“Hey, Adela. You can’t cut wood, right?”

“There’s no way I can do that.”

“But you’re fine with sanding!”

“It’s different.”

“How is that different?!”

It’s a problem when your teammates are too capable.

One’s a design genius, the other’s practically a human sanding machine.

As for me…

Yoon Haul, who had been quietly sketching, looked up and delivered the final blow.

“Siha, do some sawing.”

Dammit.