Magic Academy’s Genius Blinker

Chapter 25

Group Project (3)

“Haa…”

In the self-study room, S-Class training ground.

Flame, who was waving her staff around in a non-training manner, sighed deeply as she entered the break room. She just couldn’t focus.
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“Is something wrong?”

Hae Wonryang, with a face full of fatigue, walked into the break room, wiped his sweat, and sat next to her. Recently, Hae Wonryang had been undergoing rigorous training that was challenging even for ordinary people.

“No, not really.”

“…Is that so? If you have any troubles, feel free to share.”

“Geez, you sound like an old man. I was born three months before you, remember?”

Hae Wonryang chuckled at Flame’s chiding. He liked her prickly way of speaking.

“Ah, I’m so tired. Anyway, what’s going on?”

After glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, Hae Wonryang asked in a casual tone.

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“Have you seen Ma Yuseong?”

“What, your boyfriend?”

“…He’s not my boyfriend, he’s a rival.”

“Hehe, you’re always looking for Ma Yuseong, so I thought you two were dating.”

“It’s because he’s my rival…”

“Sure, whatever. He’s always wandering around after school, so why don’t you look for him there?”

Hae Wonryang hesitated before speaking.

“…Lately, he’s been disappearing even after school.”

“Hmm? He hates staying still more than anything, so I doubt he’s holed up in the dorms.”

Flame thought for a moment. She was trying to recall the ‘original story.’

However, she couldn’t remember any significant events happening at this point.

“Maybe he’s going through puberty.”

In the end, she couldn’t provide any help to Hae Wonryang.

‘Why am I worrying about others?’

Right now, Baek Yu-seol was more concerning than Ma Yuseong. Then, she suddenly remembered Hae Wonryang’s keen insight and asked.

“Hey, you know Baek Yu-seol, right?”

“I do.”

“What do you think of him?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Just in general. You’re good at judging people.”

“I’ve never thought of it that way.”

“No, you are. So tell me your opinion.”

Hae Wonryang might not realize it, but Flame knew. The talents Hae Wonryang selected would become remarkable and outstanding individuals in the future.

“Well… All I can say is that he’s a unique student.”

“Right?”

When Flame fell silent again, Hae Wonryang asked.

“Does Baek Yu-seol… concern you?”

“Yeah, he bothers me. A lot.”

When Flame answered with a furrowed brow, Hae Wonryang’s expression wavered slightly.

Flame, who had her head down, didn’t notice it.

“What part bothers you?”

“Everything. His chivalry in this era is strange, his personality is unique, his actions are peculiar. And…”
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“And?”

She almost mentioned the ‘original story’ but held back.

“…I think he might be like me. But I’m too scared to open up because he might be different.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Hae Wonryang stood up abruptly.

“What? You said you’d listen to my worries.”

“…Something urgent came up.”

“What’s with you? So abrupt.”

As Hae Wonryang left the break room, Flame hurried to follow him. However, he disappeared so quickly that she couldn’t catch up.

“What’s with him?”

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While she was staring at his retreating figure, Jackie approached from a distance with a stiff expression. The timing was perfect, as if she had been waiting.

“Flame.”

“Oh, hi.”

It was still awkward to be alone with this girl. When she was with other friends, they could talk comfortably, but not now.

“What brings you here?”

“I have something to give you. By the way, have you been with Hae Wonryang?”

“Yeah, but you don’t have to be so formal. He’s our classmate too.”

“I can’t… Hae Wonryang is the heir to the Tower of the Full Moon…”

So what?

Jackie, who had been staring at the spot where Hae Wonryang disappeared, suddenly handed over a note as if she had just remembered.

“A boy named Herik asked me to give this to you. It’s an alchemy notice.”

“…Really?”

She took the note and read it immediately. It wasn’t anything special.

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[Notice. The practical exam assignment has been changed from the ‘D Vitality Potion’ to the ‘Tiren Point Potion.’ Students, please take note.]

Although the content wasn’t significant, it was a sign that the ‘main story’ was about to start. Flame hardened her expression, and Jackie, noticing her unease, stammered.

“Also, they said… don’t tell other students. You’d understand what that means. What does it mean?”

“Nothing important. You don’t need to worry.”

Jackie’s expression became even more rigid, but Flame was too focused on the note to notice.

‘Seriously. The professors at this school are more childish.’

She chuckled. ‘Other students’ probably meant not to share it with Baek Yu-seol’s group 12.

‘Do they think I’ll just let it slide?’

She decided to inform him immediately but then stopped.

Come to think of it, in the ‘original story,’ no one informed Aiselle of this. Inside the Alchemy Department, she was practically an outcast, and all the students remained silent to suppress the talented S-class student.

This incident caused Aiselle to close her heart and suffer great pain… but she eventually overcame it. After all, she was the protagonist.

‘…I don’t need to help her.’

This was all for the greater good.

To prevent a disastrous ending, she needed to distance herself from Aiselle and gradually alter the original storyline.

Moreover, Aiselle was no longer alone.

‘Baek Yu-seol.’

If he knew the ‘original story’ like she did, he could prevent this incident.

The main ingredient for the original assignment, ‘D Vitality Potion,’ was the severed tail of the Firemane Lizard.

But the main ingredient for the changed assignment, the ‘Tiren Point Potion,’ was the shell of an Atarix Spider.

‘If it were me, I’d bring an Atarix Spider shell instead of the Firemane Lizard’s tail.’
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And then laugh at Professor Maizen Tiren’s flustered face for failing to mess with me.

In other words, if he brought an Atarix Spider shell for this experiment, it would mean he knew the ‘original story’ like she did.

‘This is my chance to test him.’

Flame made up her mind.

* * *

Stella Academy takes weekends off. During that time, most students either train themselves, study, or engage in self-development. Some enjoy the world’s greatest magical sport, ‘League of Spirit,’ for leisure.

For me, it’s a distant story. I really wanted to try League of Spirit, but right now, I’m too weak to spare the energy, and there’s no need to study, and training has its limits.

That’s why I go out every weekend. Not just to Arcaneum but to other cities using ‘Warp Holes’ for proper outings.

Shuuuuuk!!

It felt like riding a gyroscope, as if my body was falling off a cliff. The scenery changed abruptly.

-Welcome to Daeribl Stadium!

A voice echoed in my ears, proof that I had successfully passed through the ‘Warp Hole.’

“Ugh, I feel dizzy.”

After shaking my head and looking up, I saw the massive peach-colored walls towering into the sky.

Daeribl Stadium. It was built about 100 years ago for the world’s greatest singer, ‘Daeribl,’ but on the day of the first performance, Dark Mages attacked, and it was never used as a stage but as a fortress.

Now, the Dark Mages were gone, and the monsters had quieted down, but various other monsters still roamed.

As I walked down from the Warp Hole platform, a mage in a robe hurriedly approached. He saw my uniform coat and the gold pocket watch on my waist and bowed his head.

“Welcome to Daeribl, Mage Baek Yu-seol!”

“I’m not an official mage yet, just a cadet.”

“Haha, a cadet from Stella deserves the same treatment as an official mage.”

This is the Stella effect.

Using a Warp Hole costs a minimum of 100,000 credits per use, but Stella cadets could use it for free with an outing pass and the Stella Pocket Watch, except in the Holy Empire’s domain. They received such treatment wherever they went.

In this world, mage warriors were regarded as heroes, and Stella produced the elite among them.

“Hey, look over there. A Stella cadet.”

“Wow, it’s true… this is my first time seeing a Stella uniform.”

The Stella uniform, resembling a long coat cape with the Stella emblem—a golden five-pointed star—decorated on it, was designed to be recognizable by anyone.

As if to take pride in being a Stella cadet.

‘I see now why K-University students always wear their department jackets.’

Feeling a boost of confidence, I walked with my shoulders back. I even flared my coat dramatically for effect, feeling like my shoulders were as wide as a football field. I could gather 22 people and have a match here.

“Where are you headed? If this is your first time, we can guide you.”

“No, I’ve been here a few times.”

Several weeks had passed since I started living at Stella, and I had been using the Warp Hole on weekends to explore nearby cities or hunt.

I wanted to see if the knowledge I had worked in this world.

And the results were quite positive. Although many parts had changed due to the reality, the important factors were mostly intact.

Thanks to that, I had been hunting the lowest-level ‘1 Risk’ mobs for the past few weeks. It wasn’t too difficult. Probably because of my experience dealing with humans with murderous intent before.

Today’s target was the 2 Risk Firemane Lizard. Although its health and power were only slightly stronger than an average beast, it had magical defense and quick movements, earning it the ‘2 Risk’ label, requiring at least level 2 combat magic.

I focused on physical attack power and speed, so there was no problem. In other words, we were well-matched.

‘It should be around here somewhere…’

As I walked out of the stadium and wandered the swamp area, the sunlight was blocked by a tree, casting a shadow.

It was quite dark, but my senses were sharp.

Rustle-

A lizard about 1 meter long with red skin brushed past the bushes.

[Intuition]

I could clearly sense its location. Since all monsters contained some mana within their bodies, it couldn’t avoid my intuition.

Rustle, rustle!!

The lizard moved faster. Should I use Blink to chase it? No. While its instantaneous speed was lower than mine, its sustained speed was much longer.

Right now, it’s better to let it think of me as prey.

As I moved slowly, the lizard seemed to think it had found an opportunity and suddenly changed its movement.

Swish

It leaped from a tree, charging at my side with incredible speed.

However, without even turning my gaze, I extended my Terivon Sword.

Splat!!

Screech…

The Terivon Sword pierced directly between its jaws.

With a single blow, the 2 Risk monster was taken down.

Even after killing the lizard, I stood still for a while.
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‘Hmm… I think I looked pretty cool just now.’

Piercing a leaping lizard with a single sword thrust without any reaction felt like something a martial arts master would do.

In case anyone was watching, I wanted to maintain this cool posture for a bit longer, but supporting the lizard’s weight with one arm was harder than I thought, and my arm started to tremble.

Shake, shake, shake… Thud!

“Darn, what did you eat to be so heavy?”

Reluctantly, I dropped the lizard to the ground and cut off its tail.

“Sigh, so annoying.”

The monsters were scattered here, making hunting quite tricky.

‘If I went to a place like Lekin Town, these things would be everywhere.’

But getting there would take too long. There are more places without Warp Holes than there are with them. Think of it like the KTX in Korea. The transfer time takes longer.

“No choice…”

After freezing the lizard tail in a space expansion backpack, I stood up.

Hunting itself wasn’t hard, so it wouldn’t take much time.

* * *

Alchemy was not a major subject at Stella. An analogy would be a sewing machine course in an art school.

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In other words, taking an alchemy course at Stella meant many students intended to pursue a career as an alchemist.

Therefore, Stella’s practice of inviting alchemists from the ‘Alchemy Castle’ to evaluate students’ projects was a great opportunity for the students.

“Everyone, did you bring the materials?”

At Aiselle’s words, the team members took out the materials they had prepared. I also took out my frozen box and opened it.

“This is…”

Frowning as she examined the Firemane Lizard’s tail, Aiselle’s expression changed to one of surprise.

“…It’s fresh.”

“Of course.”

I caught it just yesterday. It’s direct from the source.

“…You actually have an eye for materials.”

Looking quite satisfied, Aiselle even smiled slightly.

“Did you study the recipe in advance?”

“Of course.”

“Of course.”

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“Good. Now all that’s left is to complete the synthesis perfectly.”

Then, the front door of the classroom opened, and three alchemists, along with Alterisha and Professor Maizen Tiren, walked in.

“Before we begin the exam, let me introduce the three alchemists from the Alchemy Castle.”

Maizen introduced them one by one, but I didn’t recognize any of them. However, the other students’ eyes sparkled. They seemed to be quite famous alchemists.

Finally, Maizen announced the start of the practical exam, and Aiselle clenched her fist. She was overflowing with enthusiasm.

But.

That enthusiasm wavered before we even started.

“…Today, you will be making the ‘Tiren Point Potion.’ Did everyone bring the materials?”

While the students from the other groups nodded, our group couldn’t.

“Excuse me, Professor.”

“Yes, Aiselle?”

When Aiselle raised her hand, Professor Maizen responded kindly, unlike before. Aiselle, feeling uneasy, couldn’t help but ask.

“Wasn’t the assignment supposed to be… the D Vitality Potion?”
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“Oh, right. But didn’t I inform you? It was changed to the Tiren Point Potion.”

With a disheartened expression, Aiselle’s lips trembled.

“I… did not hear that.”

“Is that so? But I clearly announced it. Everyone, right?”

All the other students nodded in agreement. Watching them, I couldn’t help but feel exasperated.

‘Really? You’re doing this?’

I was wondering when he would try to mess with me, but I didn’t expect him to be this bold. Isn’t that grounds for disciplinary action?

Well, I remember that Professor Maizen Tiren had connections with the Scalven Empire, making him untouchable within the school.

‘Still, this is ridiculous.’

What to do. While I didn’t care much about grades, the others did.

Aiselle was building her career, and Malivan and Kasahun were dreaming of becoming alchemists. Starting off with a bad impression was not good.

‘Is this part of the original romance fantasy story?’

I glanced at Flame, and for some reason, she was looking at me with a confused expression.

Maizen smiled slightly and said to Aiselle.

“Aiselle? Did you perhaps bring the wrong materials?”

“Ugh, this is troublesome.”

Aiselle and the two boys’ faces grew paler. The least desirable scenario was becoming a reality.

“An alchemist must weave countless possibilities into one truth. How can one lose sight of the goal and confuse the materials?”

“Ugh…”

But there was nothing we could do. No matter what tricks the professor pulled, as students, we had to accept it.

“It seems that Group 12 is…”

Just before the word ‘disqualified’ was spoken.

“Does it matter as long as we make the Tiren Point Potion?”

I spoke up first.

“…What?”

“Doesn’t it matter as long as we make it? The professor’s proud invention.”

I accessed the vast sea of information displayed through the Bulbul Glasses.

Alchemy was always one of my major interests while playing the game, and I meticulously recorded even the smallest recipes.

One recipe caught my eye.

[Tiren Point Potion B-Type]

Originally, this was a recipe that ‘future’ Professor Maizen was supposed to invent, so I didn’t intend to touch it, but given the situation, I had no choice.

If the opponent played dirty, I had to respond in kind.

“I’ll make it. With different materials than the professor’s, but with better performance.”

Seeing Professor Maizen’s expression harden, I added one last thing.

“As always.”

End of Chapter