Magic Academy’s Genius Blinker

After school, during the free activity time.

Normally, Eisel would be studying in the self-study room, but today she could not.

‘Baek Yu-Seol…’

Her mind was a mess.

It was true that she managed to break through Maizen’s trap thanks to his help. 

But what about her?

Fortunately, she had been able to do one of the things Baek Yu-Seol had instructed her to do, so she was not entirely useless.

‘On the spot… He made that recipe on the spot?’

It was unbelievable. With her own ideas and talent, she was unlikely to reach that far.

Although alchemy was not mainstream, the problem was that his knowledge was not limited to alchemy.

Rumors had already spread throughout the department.

‘A genius who came in without any preparation.’

Baek Yu-Seol had answered all the unsolvable questions in the class placement test.

It would be natural if the questions were at the level of an ordinary student, but Stella’s class placement test was comparable to most college tests.

A student who studied normally and entered high school would be unable to solve college-level problems. 

However, Stella’s students were all gifted, and solving them was natural because they had received early education.

Baek Yu-Seol, however, did not have that luxury. He had gone in without the slightest preparation and solved the three magical questions that others could not.

In addition to that, even though he was lagging behind others, he studied negligently and was already standing out.

He wasn’t stuck in any subject, and his ideas were admired and acknowledged by all faculty members.

“Hah…”

Eisel clasped her face with both hands.

‘My daughter.’

Suddenly, she flashed back to her father’s death.

‘My beloved daughter… One day, you too will learn the truth…’

Her father, who disappeared like the morning dew with the stigma of a traitor, had left behind those confounding words.

She still could not understand his final words. However, the reason she was still alive was for her revenge.

‘Adolevit.’

The filthy family that turned her father into a traitor and hounded him until his demise.

She could not forget the face of that damn woman who killed her father.

She had to exact her revenge.

She had to plunge the sharpened blade of vengeance into the hearts of those who drove her and her father into the abyss.

To do so, she needed to be the best.

‘Because I’m a prodigy. Because I’m a mage from the heavens known as the unparalleled genius.’

There was only one means of revenge left for her, who had lost everything.

To become a greater and superior mage than the two princesses of Adolevit and to reach the heavenly realm.

If she became the best mage who controlled all of the magic world, she would be able to return all the shame, pain, and adversity she had suffered.

However…

‘This time, what was my role?’

‘Wasn’t she just a burden, relying on another student’s quick thinking and knowledge, merely shaking a potion like a novice?’

She needed to become the best, yet she had done nothing.

At that moment, she had not been able to think of anything. Before that, she had thought that she could overcome any hardship or adversity she faced.

‘I must… change even more.’

Eisel gritted her teeth and stood up. There was no time to wallow in shame. Even at that moment, Baek Yu-Seol would be climbing higher than her, and Hong Bi-Yeon, who was once her rival, was already standing higher than her with the elite education of the royal family.

No more. She would not fall behind anymore.

“Slurp!”

Since Baek Yu-Seol enrolled in Stella Academy, there was something he had always wanted to do: drink americano elegantly at Stella Cafe.

Drinking coffee brewed with high-quality coffee beans while admiring the night view on a spacious terrace was truly akin to living a luxurious leisure life of aristocrats, wasn’t it?

“Hmm. I’d like another cup.”

But Baek Yu-Seol drank it all in one gulp without saying anything. 

Honestly, he didn’t even know what it tasted like. The mixed coffee he used to take from the vending machine for 300 won was more delicious.

“Hmm, it’s terribly expensive and tastes rather bland.”

After settling down on the chair, he pretended to take in the night view while he activated his Sentient Specs.

[Maizen Tyren]

[Dark Magic Corruption Progress: 37%]

Despite being humiliated in the last group assignment, the corruption progress was still a mere 37%.

‘How can I raise this further…?’

Over time, the corruption would naturally increase, but by then, it would be too late. If an incident caused the professor’s corruption to spike, it would trigger an event before he had time to respond.

Baek Yu-Seol’s goal was to make it 50% so that the Dark Mage Slayers would become aware of Maizen’s existence, but it was not going as planned.

‘Is this destiny going as it’s supposed to? An incident will occur within the next three months.’

Professor Maizen’s dark magic corruption would randomly affect one student.

Baek Yu-Seol did not know exactly who it would be.

It was not because he did not have the story memorized, but because there were many branches in one episode, like a simulation game, and it was impossible to confirm the future of this world.

Still, there were fixed candidates.

Jecky, Flame’s friend. 

Arshuang, the girl from the Hong Bi-Yeon faction. 

And Hae Won-Ryang.

‘It would be worse if Hae Won-Ryang is caught up in this.’

Few people saw Hae Won-Ryang’s dark magic corruption among the hundreds of thousands of players. 

However, one had to be especially careful of it. His dark magic corruption immediately resulted in a bad ending.

“But there’s a person I can roughly predict.’

Jecky.

She was the most suspicious. There was no particular reason, but she had become a dark mage 90% of the time. 

Of course, it was not confirmed yet and there was no way to find out.

‘Sigh. Instead of worrying about it, why don’t I go work out?’

With that thought in mind, he got up.

As Baek Yu-Seol left the cafe and slowly walked toward the training ground, someone was sitting in the garden, staring at him.

‘Flame?’

She stared at him for a while before leaping up and walking toward him. She approached him close enough for it to become uncomfortable, waved her short black hair, and asked sternly, “Who are you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You didn’t answer me properly last time. Your identity.”

‘This again?’

In fact, after the group project, he had been thinking about it.

The future information he and Flame knew were different; she remembered all the little stories while he hardly knew any of them.

However, if he could gain her trust, he could combine the two pieces of information.

‘Should I just go for it?’

Though he had not yet discerned her true intentions, the temptation of an easier path was a deadly allure.

But what stopped him was not his conscience.

[Warning! Narrative Power is lacking!]

[Warning! Don’t tell the person you’re a Transmigrator.]

[Warning! Do not share the knowledge and information you know with the person.]

‘I’m really going to be crazy.’

Certain restrictions suddenly appeared.

Baek Yu-Seol did not know what would happen if he ignored the warning, but it did not look good.

Therefore, he had to make excuses again.

“There’s a famous saying that the Progenitor Mage said while teaching magic. Do you know?”

“I know.”

It was very simple, but it was the most famous line.

‘Mages, let the world only see half of your true form.’

Back then, mages fought against beings from another world to protect their world, but they were few in number.

So mages were almost worshiped as gods. However, what would happen if people found out that these beings, who were practically their gods, endured immense pain behind the scenes to train their magic?

Mages always had to present a perfect image to the public. They had to be impeccably dressed, never show exhaustion even after using powerful magic, never fall ill, and always display unmatched courage.

That was why the Progenitor Mage said that.

“Let’s only show half our true faces and reveal half our feelings. You and I have secrets we don’t want to reveal.”

“Alright. Fine.” Flame quickly agreed and asked immediately, “You know the future, don’t you?”

That was a serious remark. 

He decided to tell her half the truth.

No matter how much she deduced, she would not know that he was a transmigrator with the knowledge of a romance fantasy game. It would be enough if he didn’t reveal it; after all, she had already realized that he had some future knowledge.

Perhaps she would come to think of Baek Yu-Seol as someone who had read the original romance fantasy novel.

Originally, he didn’t want to reveal this to her, but now he had no choice.

He didn’t reveal it right away, though. While answering, he could freely infer what information she had.

“For you to ask this… you mean you’re the same?”

Baek Yu-Seol affirmed by saying “the same,” and Flame affirmed by not answering.

He already knew she was a transmigrator, but he could not pretend to know that. By deliberately hiding how much he knew, he wanted to have an informational advantage.

“My turn. What’s your purpose in the academy?”

Honestly, he didn’t need anything else. After all, most people know Flame’s story. He was, nevertheless, still curious about what she thought internally.

She hesitated for a moment, but then her lips softened. “…To steer the world away from destruction. This world is on the brink of collapse.”

Baek Yu-Seol didn’t know if it was true or not, but this was still a pretty positive answer.

Even in the original romance fantasy novel, the dark mages existed and he had heard that it was a sad ending. She didn’t seem to want such an ending either.

“Next, my question. Why are you behaving like that?”

Baek Yu-Seol pretended to be agonizing over an answer while Flame waited patiently.

However, the problem was with the question. 

‘What the hell is she talking about?’

Baek Yu-Seol did not understand what behavior she was talking about. 

But could he say he didn’t know? 

What if she discovered he didn’t know the original novel with this trivial question?

That would not be good. He had to avoid being informationally disadvantaged.

“Because I think it’s best this way.”

Baek Yu-Seol thought it was a fairly satisfactory answer.

Suddenly, Flame’s pupils shook violently. “What…? Such… Why…?”

‘What?’ It was not the reaction he expected.

Flame hung her head low and shook it as if thinking about something. Then, slowly, she looked up straight into Baek Yu-Seol’s eyes.

“I can’t believe it. How can a person be so stupid? There must be something… A purpose, something you want.”

“There’s nothing like that.”

“Hurry up and say it!”

‘Isn’t it my turn to ask a question now?’ He was a little offended, but he realized he could simply ask two questions later, so he answered, “If you ask what I want… Well, I really don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure there’s something, but I’m not sure if it’s right.”

He was still unsure whether or not finding the twelve moons was the right way to the true ending.

“So I guess for now… I just want to live. That’s all.”

Wasn’t that what everyone wanted?

“You… want to live…?” Flame’s eyes widened, and then she smiled in despair. At that moment, Baek Yu-Seol couldn’t help but be confused.

‘Why?’ 

Why was there sadness and compassion in those eyes?

‘What’s this? Are you sure you’re not misunderstanding something?’

“I suppose so,” she muttered to herself. She stood silently for a long time with her head lowered, then abruptly raised her head and met Baek Yu-Seol’s eyes with tears in her eyes. His heart ached at the sight.

“I’m sorry. I was out of line.”

After saying that, she turned around and ran away.

“Huh…?”

It happened so suddenly that Baek Yu-Seol couldn’t comprehend anything.

‘Wasn’t it my turn to ask questions?’

Feeling incredulous, Baek Yu-Seol stood in a daze until a voice from behind broke his reverie.

“Baek Yu-Seol.”

It was a strange but familiar voice. When he turned his head, he found Hae Won-Ryang staring at him with a terrifying expression.

“What were you talking about just now?”

“Uh… It was nothing. Why?”

He was a little nervous that Hae Won-Ryang, the rival of the devilishly strong Ma Yu-Seong, was giving him such a cold look.

‘I’m not going to be dragged into a mess, am I?’

“Answer me correctly. Why did Flame run back crying?”

With those words, Baek Yu-Seol realized that there had been a misunderstanding.

‘Come to think of it, wasn’t it canon that Hae Won-Ryang had a crush on Flame in the game?’ 

He still remembered it because there were a lot of players who took the Hae Won-Ryang’s route.

“Nothing happened. Especially not what you think.”

Although he wanted Flame to be closer to Ma Yu-Seong, he had to resolve the misunderstanding as he did not intend to interfere with Hae Won-Ryang’s love life.

Unconvinced, Hae Won-Ryang continued to stare at him, but he soon looked away and said, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m sorry for prying into your conversation. I apologize for trying to infringe on your privacy.”

“Oh, yeah…”

With that, Hae Won-Ryang headed back. Somehow, Baek Yu-Seol felt sorry for his drooping shoulders.

No, rather than feeling sad, he found it weird.

“Isn’t he that kinda guy?”

The Hae Won-Ryang he knew was more cynical, cool-headed, cold-blooded, and cold-hearted than anyone else. 

His current appearance seemed awkward and unstable because he was the personification of the word ‘chauvinist’ of this era, someone who would not reveal his true feelings even to the woman he loved.

‘It’s rather unsettling…’

Baek Yu-Seol had a bad premonition, but he tried to shake it off.