I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 101

Ha Tae-Ryeong wasn't exactly renowned for his exceptional writing skills.

His research spanned vast territories of knowledge, often tangled in layers of convoluted details.

He would meticulously document his findings, only to hastily erase and revise sections upon stumbling upon new revelations, leaving behind fragmented passages that defied easy understanding.

It seemed almost absurd to think he intended his work to be read, yet amidst the disarray, one couldn’t help but feel a peculiar allure… something undeniably captivating.

Within Ha Tae-Ryeong’s research papers was an abundance of historical accounts that had never been documented in official records. They even surpassed the knowledge of renowned historians.

Ha Tae-Ryeong himself was a character that wasn’t mentioned in the game.

Still, his influence carried a weight that was impossible to overlook. As one of the twelve disciples of the progenitor mage, he stood at the pinnacle of significance.

This was an era teetering on the edge of catastrophe, a time when demons and dark mages loomed as threats to the world’s survival.

In such an age, mages rose as humanity’s champions.

They wielded powers akin to gods, capable of vanquishing invincible entities with thunderous force and earth-shaking abilities.

Born in an age when the chaos of war had come to an end, Ha Tae-Ryeong entered a world now graced by peace.

Dragons had retreated into their lairs, demons had vanished into distant domains, and dark mages had fled to forsaken lands.

Humanity had emerged victorious, paving the way for a world brimming with dreams, hope, and laughter.

In reality, even the prologue of Aether World depicted such an idyllic setting.

However, reality often diverged from appearances.

Following the war, the society of humans found stability, but something quite natural occurred—a world dominated by mages.

For who could possibly stand against beings wielding the might of gods?

Bloodlines and social status paled in significance before the prowess of magic.

In this world, intelligence and mastery of magic determined one's standing, and the progenitor mage himself concealed his whereabouts, leaving behind twelve disciples who would ascend to the highest echelons of power.

This was a story Baek Yu-Seol was also familiar with.

The influence of these twelve mages persisted even to the present day, their names frequently echoing through the main episodes.

Adolevit, the Fire Mage; Morph, the Ice Mage; Hollow, the Void Mage; Talc, the Metal Mage; Starflower, the Nature Mage; and many others. They stood as the most eminent twelve families in the world, exuding unparalleled authority.

"Interesting..."

As revealed in Ha Tae-Ryeong’s accounts, they systematically transformed the magical society into a class-based hierarchy, akin to the 21st-century Earth's modern civilization.

This document sought to explain why the world they constructed retained an aristocratic system, seemingly impervious to change.

"So this damn class system is all because of these bastards?"

Fearing the suffering his descendants might endure under this hierarchy, Ha Tae-Ryeong courageously confronted the twelve disciples of the first mage.

But Baek Yu-Seol already knew the conclusion of this tale.

Leafanel had told him everything.

— He met his end at the hands of the first mage’s twelve disciples.

Realizing this, He began to grasp how long Leafanel had lived.

She had been involved with almost all of history.

Spending much of her time hidden and slumbering, she was unable to fully recall the events she witnessed.

"Interesting..."

Despite its chaotic structure, the research paper held a wealth of fascinating historical accounts, meticulously recorded.

Though its style differed from modern writings - somewhat disordered and tangled - it drew him in, compelling him to unravel its mysteries.

The span of one’s life, it explained, was intimately tied to the duration mana remained within their body.

— Mana is, after all, the essence of life itself. The reason why seasoned mages maintain their youth is due to their proficiency in retaining and preserving mana.

But those with mana leakage delay have no mana in their bodies, hence they die young.

However, they continuously absorb natural mana. It’s just that the amount of mana they absorb is so minuscule that they die young.

This got me thinking: What if I could find a way to hold onto even the tiniest trickle of mana passing through my body for an extended period?

Could this lead to transcending mere longevity and possibly achieving immortality?

With that notion in mind, I developed a technique of breathing in mana throughout my entire being. —

And at last, the method was born.

— Although mages also employed breathing methods, theirs mainly focused on accumulating mana in their heads, hearts, and lower abdomens—ineffective for those like me dealing with mana leakage.

I, however, had long recognized the value of proper breathing and diligently trained through aerobic exercises to expand my lung capacity, allowing me to inhale as much mana as possible.

Internal Art.

That is the name I gave to this technique. As the name suggests, it’s not merely a series of breathing exercises.

It demands mental discipline - a harmony with nature - and the ability to embrace the flow of the world itself.

That is the foundation of this breathing technique. —

‘Internal Art…’

The name sounded as if it had been plucked straight from the pages of a martial arts novel or the sacred scriptures of an esoteric cult.

After all, even the concept of magic itself bordered on the surreal.

Amidst such considerations, the mention of Internal Art seemed no more extraordinary.

Even if immortality sounded fantastical, the idea of enhancing the flow of mana within one’s body to amplify abilities was grounded in logic.

‘Should I give it a try?’

Following the instructions laid out in what felt like a secret manuscript, Baek Yu-Seol settled into the most comfortable position he could find.

He closed his eyes.

***

On weekends, Hong Bi-Yeon occasionally left the confines of her daily routine.

Not for idle walks or relaxing picnics, but to make her way to the Adolevit Royal Tomb.

This revered place served as the final resting ground exclusively for the Adolevit royalty.

Countless tombs stretched across the land, yet only a handful bore any direct connection to Hong Bi-Yeon.

She felt no particular attachment to the distant relatives buried there.

Instead, she considered it a quiet blessing, one that spared her the weight of unwanted obligations.

[Hong Erin Adolevit, like a flower adrift in the wind…]

Her elder sister, Hong Erin, often expressed with a warm smile, "When I'm gone, please ensure these words grace my tombstone."

In the end, that remark became her final epitaph, leaving Hong Bi-Yeon unable to muster a smile.

No one could have laughed at such a cruel jest.

Hong Erin had always been a loving and understanding elder sister to Hong Bi-Yeon.

She exuded maturity, warmth, serenity, and compassion like no one else.

Memories of her were filled with all the goodness she embodied.

When Hong Bi-Yeon thought of Hong Erin, the image of a flower-filled meadow with her radiant silver hair dancing in the wind immediately came to mind.

It seemed almost surreal and distant, like a dream.

During those days, Hong Bi-Yeon had been adrift, isolated from the rest of the kingdom.

Her body bore the marks of intense training to heighten her affinity for fire, leaving her covered in burns.

Her once luscious hair had been singed, forcing her to wear a hat always, and her skin resembled something grotesque, almost as if it had decayed.

Hong Bi-Yeon, who was naturally pessimistic about her disgusting and repulsive appearance, gradually developed a passive personality and suffered from low self-esteem.

Her older sister, Erin, always approached her first.

Even on the mornings when Hong Bi-Yeon fled to the quiet shores of a secluded lake, Erin would find her.

“Let’s do our best today too!”

Her sister’s cheerful voice still echoed in her mind.

How could she forget?

Every day, Hong Erin always reached out to her like that.

Yet Hong Bi-Yeon had pushed her away, convinced that no one could ever understand her suffering.

No one could possibly endure a life as miserable as hers.

One day, she found out that her eldest sister, Hong Erin, had an incurable disease.

“It's unlikely she'll survive past this year. You should prepare yourself…”

Although the cause and nature of the illness remained a mystery, it was a dreadful condition that caused her body to gradually erupt in flames.

At that moment, Hong Bi-Yeon’s love for her elder sister grew exponentially.

She realized that her sister bore the same pain, or perhaps even greater suffering, as herself.

Hong Erin knew how horrifying and agonizing it was to have her body and soul consumed by fire.

Living like a ticking time bomb, having to keep everyone at a distance, she understood the loneliness and desolation of that fate.

She was the only soul in the world who could truly understand Hong Bi-Yeon’s pain.

But it was already too late.

"Bi-Yeon, you’re here?"

Her sister lay there, pale and weak, unable to venture outside due to the sporadic flames erupting from her body.

And for the first time, Hong Bi-Yeon found the strength to move for someone else.

Despite her own scarred and wretched appearance, she mustered the courage to face the world.

For unlike Erin, her body did not ignite without warning.

She poured her heart into creating memories with Hong Erin, eagerly recounting every experience they could share whenever they were together.

Her elder sister always listened with a gentle, radiant smile.

"Did you?"

"Is that so?"

"That must have been tough, my little sister."

Their time together was painfully brief.

For that reason, Hong Bi-Yeon clung desperately to each moment, determined to make the most of every second they had.

Those cherished memories with her elder sister brought her a sense of being truly alive.

However, that blissful time didn't endure for long.

Hong Bi-Yeon placed delicate pink flowers on the gravestone. The events of that time were still vivid in her memory.

In her final moments, even amidst the blazing inferno, she could remember the smile directed towards her.

"I wish for your happiness."

Having loved and lost someone so dear, Hong Bi-Yeon understood the agony of that parting.

It was a pain that seared far deeper than fire, scorching her soul beyond measure.

Incurable disease.

Those words struck a deep, unsettling chord.

Despite the incredible advancements in magic, why hadn't humanity completely conquered illnesses yet?

Recently, she had come to know about mana leakage delay, a condition where one couldn't naturally accumulate mana from birth and faced a tragically short life.

Not even a year ago, such a condition had seemed irrelevant to her.

But now, everything had changed drastically.

But now, everything had changed.

She had hoped that such events wouldn't repeat in the future, but once again, someone had entered her life and taken up a significant place.

And like her first love, his time was running out.

Perhaps on Stella's graduation day, when he turned 20, he would succumb to it.

"I don't want to endure such pain again."

Throughout history, no one had managed to cure mana leakage delay.

However, the Adolevit Royal Family descended from one of the twelve disciples of the founding mage and possessed a special heirloom known as the Flower of the Fire Spirit. 

Legend spoke of this treasure's fragrance bringing forth the incarnation of fire within the body.

While it granted immense mana, failure to control the fiery incarnation could result in a catastrophic blaze, leading to its prohibition.

"But it can save him."

To manifest the incarnation meant to be touched by the divine… to possess an endless wellspring of mana within one’s body.

Thus, the Flower of the Fire Spirit held the promise of curing mana leakage disorder.

Although it was secluded deep within the palace, accessible only to the king...

"I will become the queen."

She had been relentlessly striving to claim the throne, a dream shared with her elder sister.

However, from this point on, she would pursue this goal with even greater determination.

Her aim was to ascend to the throne before his life ended, before graduation day.

Hong Bi-Yeon clenched her fist so tightly that her nails dug into her palm.

She was resolute in her decision.

"I... must become queen.”