Magic Academy’s Genius Blinker

Chapter 19

Dungeon Practice (6)

“…I wasn’t hiding.”

Flame glared alternately at Baek Yu-seol and Hong Bi-yeon. Having watched the fight from start to finish, her doubts only grew stronger.

“..What’s that?”
T h i s w a s c o p i ed f r o m k i n g m t l .o r g

“What?”

“The Point Stick. How did you break a magic shield with a teaching aid?”

Baek Yu-seol hesitated for a moment. In the game, it was a feature discovered by thousands of players messing around, but it didn’t appear in the original story.

He had no choice but to make something up.

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“This thing is incredibly sturdy.”

“…No matter how sturdy a teaching aid is, do you think you can break a magic shield just by swinging it? Think about why ordinary ‘knights’ disappeared from this world.”

That was true. No matter how much they trained their bodies, ordinary knights’ swords couldn’t pierce mages’ shields.

‘I want to explain that it’s a bug-like magic weapon and that Hong Bi-yeon’s magic shield is weak, but…’

If he did, Hong Bi-yeon might actually try to kill him. That would be scary, so better not.

Not properly explaining only deepened Flame’s suspicion.

She pursed her lips tightly for a while, then suddenly asked.

“What’s your deal, really?”

So it comes to this. Determined not to stand out, and yet, he had come this far in less than a month.

He pondered for a moment.

‘Should I reveal my identity?’

Like you, I’m from the modern world, and I actually know this world is a game, not a romance novel.

But that was too hasty a decision. She still showed no goodwill toward him.

There seemed to be no other way. He had to tread carefully.

“…I’m not a bad person. I’m not someone who will harm you.”

“What? What does that mean?”

“It means just what it says. You might be suspicious of me, but I want to tell you there’s no need. I actually want to help you.”

“Help me…?”

Flame’s expression turned to confusion. This was the moment. When she was deep in thought, it was best to leave.

“I’d like to say more, but we don’t have much time. I’ll be going.”

With that, he turned around. Everything would have been perfect if he could just walk away coolly.

Thwack!!

But something struck the back of his head, preventing him from doing so. The impact was so jarring that tears welled up in his eyes.

Thud!

Four Point Sticks fell to the ground.

“Uh…”

When he turned around, he saw Hong Bi-yeon staring at him with a bewildered expression, having thrown the Point Stick.

“…You can dodge magic and traps flying from blind spots, but you couldn’t catch that?”

There was no helping it. Even the ‘Intuition’ from Mana Leakage Syndrome had its limits.

Point Sticks were imbued with mana, so normally he could have dodged, but the duration of his Intuition was determined by his ‘mental power,’ which was currently depleted.

Since entering the dungeon, he had been subtly using Intuition, and from the moment he encountered Yuslec’s group, he had maximized it, resulting in a severe headache.

If the attack had been a life-threatening one, Intuition might have activated regardless, but it didn’t seem to consider this an emergency.

‘Damn, that’s embarrassing.’

Rubbing the back of his head, he spoke with a grimace.

“So, why did you throw this?”

“Because I lost. Take it.”

It was probably because of her pride. Though the points were important, she didn’t want to quietly accept losing to a commoner.

But Hong Bi-yeon was aiming for 3rd place.

‘If I take these, the ranking will be blown out of proportion.’

The 3rd place reward was useless to Baek Yu-seol. It was an accessory that slightly boosted magical output. And since it was from the school, he couldn’t sell it.

“Forget it. I’ll just take one, and you can keep the other three.”

He picked up one Point Stick and quickly left.

He was curious about what expressions Hong Bi-yeon and Flame had as they watched him leave, but looking back wouldn’t be cool.

Men are coolest when they don’t look back.

“Isn’t he an idiot?”

“His commoner brain must not be working.”

* * *

Stella Dome, in the sky.

Lee Han-wol and twelve professors and instructors watched a hologram map floating in the air.
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The map showing the dungeon where the students were training had 141 red dots displayed.

These were the students from Classes A to S.

Every year, there was always at least one notable student, but this year was special.

There were more than a few students worth paying attention to.

“Mm.”

Lee Han-wol nodded in satisfaction at the students’ disciplined movements. This batch of freshmen was higher in average skill level than any other.

Those who regrouped with their colleagues quickly gathered Point Sticks to match their numbers, while those who failed to do so dueled for them.

“By the way, why is the hologram so unstable?”

“Ah, that’s because many professors without lectures have gathered in the Stella Dome’s control room to monitor this A and S class practice. Also, many officials from the Magic Tower are present.”

“They say they’re monitoring, but really, they’re just here to watch.”

“Well, the professors are curious too.”

Just as he finished speaking, a voice echoed in Lee Han-wol’s ear.

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-Haha, sorry for pulling up the hologram server. Professor Lee Han-wol.

Lee Han-wol’s eyebrows twitched. The voice was familiar but didn’t belong to a professor.

“What brings the elderly of the Mage Council here?”

-Watch your mouth, Professor. How dare you speak to Elder Telricks like that?

This voice belonged to someone else.

‘Zarina Aion of the Blue Magic Tower Council.’

She, too, was a heavyweight mage who rarely moved.

“This is absurd.”

-Heh, you have to move early to identify talent.

-Mm. It’s entertaining to watch. I was better than that in my youth.

-Oh, stop kidding yourself. I still remember when you wet yourself on your first dungeon run!

-Have you lost it? I was thirteen back then!

Hearing the voices of numerous mages echoing in his ears, Lee Han-wol let out a dry laugh.

This was just a freshman’s first dungeon practice. And yet, so many big shots had gathered just to watch this?

Well, it made sense.

Magic Towers, guilds, and various magic institutions could contact students anytime with Stella’s permission.

There were cases where big institutions sponsored students who stood out, which benefited both the school and the students.

This year, the competition was just incredibly fierce. Even though the year’s biggest events like the ‘Stella Magic Survival’ or ‘Stella Duel Tournament’ hadn’t happened yet, these prominent mages had come.

They weren’t moving by choice. They came because they didn’t want to miss out while others moved.
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“Instructor Lee Han-wol, how should we monitor this?”

“What can we do? Focus on Class S. That’s what the elders want too.”

Soon, the 41 students from Class S appeared on screen.

The first one was Feng Hwarang from Class S.

He was a mage who mainly used wind magic but was a unique case who engaged in close combat.

Watching him blow up monsters and classmates alike with wind, the mages let out exclamations of admiration.

Shin Hwalyeon from Class S.

She handled both electricity and wind, possessing a bloodline magic called ‘Electroshock.’ The lime-colored lightning swirling like a storm was not brutal, but beautiful.

The other students in Class S also showed unique magic and exceptional abilities.

Among them, one stood out the most: Flame.

Many humans could handle the natural attributes of elves, the material attributes of dwarves, and the radiance attributes of angels. Plenty could be found even at Stella.

But a human who could handle all three?

That was unprecedented in history.

“Ah, Hae Wonryang and Ma Yuseong have encountered each other.”

The screen naturally zoomed in at the inspector’s words.

It hadn’t been long since the practical started, and already the top two prospects had clashed.

“It looks like they’re talking.”

But only briefly, as they quickly began to duel.

Bang! The screen showed Ma Yuseong exploding mana from his toes and charging at Hae Wonryang.

“Power Jump…!”

Not once, but continuously.

-Oh, he’s consecutively using 3rd-class Power Jump…

-At seventeen, he can do that?
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Typically, an average mage would enter 3rd-class magic in their late twenties to early thirties.

But at seventeen, Ma Yuseong was freely using 3rd-class magic.

As he slightly lifted his Wand, a pillar of earth rose where Hae Wonryang stood. Lightning struck it, and walls of flame approached from all directions.

But Hae Wonryang didn’t stay idle. Using a shockwave of wind, he flew backward, extending his palms forward.

Ice spread on the ground, and dozens of sharp icicles erupted. As Ma Yuseong dodged and fired flames to melt the ice, Hae Wonryang countered with an even stronger pillar of fire.

-They both use three attributes…

-It’s incredible.

Most mages could only handle one attribute. With extensive training, handling two was possible.

But handling three required innate talent. They were born with it.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ice clashed with lightning, flames met flames, wind collided with earth.

For a duel between mere seventeen-year-olds, it was edge-of-the-seat thrilling.

The duel wasn’t easily decided.

Hae Wonryang had already set up his magic circles everywhere, thoroughly preparing to lure Ma Yuseong. But his opponent, known as the strongest in one-on-one, wasn’t easy to beat.

Gradually, Hae Wonryang gained the upper hand. He had prepared meticulously, even at the cost of some points, to take down Ma Yuseong.

Just when it seemed Ma Yuseong would lose.

A giant bird suddenly swooped down from the sky.

-That is…

One of the events the professors had prepared as a joke—a ‘hidden boss.’

Nobody had been told, and no rewards were mentioned, but someone had found it. The giant bird screamed and flew between Ma Yuseong and Hae Wonryang, then fell dead.

Its wing was frozen, and sparks flew from its body. A girl appeared above it.

-Aiselle Morf…

You couldn’t find a hidden boss by chance. It required insight, intuition, judgment, and deduction. Even finding it, defeating it wouldn’t be easy. But she had done it alone.

-Oh, were you fighting? Sorry for disturbing!

Aiselle retrieved a blue-feathered quill from the bird’s body, then disappeared.

Meanwhile, Ma Yuseong also vanished. The dungeon’s terrain twisted and changed, preventing Hae Wonryang from pursuing.

-Hmm, the daughter of the traitor Duke Morf…

-Her bloodline hasn’t gone to waste.

-Pity. If her father hadn’t fallen, her talent could’ve shone brighter.

The mages muttered a few words, then fell silent. Duke Morf’s death had many dark stories, making it a touchy subject.

At that moment, another intense battle began.

Lee Han-wol found it quite intriguing and monitored that area.

-The princess of Adolevit Royal Family.

-Who’s her opponent? I don’t recognize him…

-He looks boring. Change the channel, Lee Han-wol.

“Please wait a moment.”

-Tut-tut. Many tremble at our words, but he isn’t fazed. Bold, indeed.

Grumbling, the old mages focused on the screen.

-Oh..?

-Is that… Blink…?

They witnessed a very peculiar student.

“That student’s name is Baek Yu-seol. He specializes in Blink, a very unique student.”

On screen, Hong Bi-yeon wielded her Wand, scattering explosive flames everywhere.

Though lacking finesse and standout control, her overwhelming output and destructive power at seventeen captivated the mages.

But.

Not a single flame hit Baek Yu-seol.

Using Blink consecutively, he perfectly evaded while utilizing the ever-changing terrain.

He was too fast to track with the eyes. His speed, direction, distance.

The boy controlled it all flawlessly.

Even when he deflected fire arrows with a teaching aid, the mages couldn’t help but exclaim.

-Can you really deflect arrows with your eyes?

Of course, most trained mages could easily block such magic arrows.

Mages always had mana surrounding their skin, and any incoming magic would trigger the ‘Save Barrier,’ automatically deploying a shield.

The critical factors were how quickly mana circulated and how precisely the amount was controlled, determining defense strength.

But no one could see and deflect arrows like that.

Especially at such close range.

The Archmages, who had been outwardly praising Hae Wonryang and Ma Yuseong’s duel, fell silent.

It was an incomprehensible situation based on their lifelong knowledge and values.

‘Blink had infinite potential but was uncontrollable.

For centuries, countless scholars had tried to control this basic magic but failed, dying or becoming disabled in the process.
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Yet here was a student controlling Blink as easily as his own limbs.

-This is…

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Everyone held back their words.

It was a different issue from the overwhelming talents of Ma Yuseong, Hae Wonryang, and Aiselle.

He had value. The potential of the Blink magic he used was limitless.

-But why… doesn’t he use other magic and just play around?

-The duel would’ve ended long ago if he used magic.

-I don’t understand.

As everyone voiced their confusion, a crackling noise interrupted, and a boy’s voice joined in.

-No. He’s fighting seriously.

Lee Han-wol was momentarily startled. The voice was familiar yet unfamiliar.

The principal of Stella Academy, known as the best magic school in the world.
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9th-class Master Mage, Eltemon Eltrine.

-He’s been serious from the start. Can’t you see it?

At his words, the elderly mages of the Mage Council, the Magic Tower’s council members, and the mages of the Grand Tower fell silent.

-Interesting. I read a fairy tale recently, and watching that student fight… it reminds me of the ‘chivalry’ that existed in ancient times.

Eltemon muttered as if talking to himself, leaving the mages bewildered.

In this age of magic, chivalry had long disappeared along with cold weapons.
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But who could argue with him? He was one of the ten sages on the continent.

Even after Eltemon vanished, the mages remained silent. The word ‘chivalry,’ mentioned by the 9th-class sage, lingered in their minds.

End of Chapter