I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 104

After the second exam, Magic Combat Practice was added as a required subject. From that point, there were significantly more practical subjects, filled with all sorts of bothersome things.

For someone like him, who found comfort in nodding off at his desk, this sudden increase in workload was nothing short of discouraging.

Standing at the heart of Stella Dome, Instructor Lee Han-Wol addressed the Class S students.

"Assemble here, those who have united under the sacred belief and duty to eradicate dark mages, for you have become true magic warriors. However, not all warriors hold their beliefs steadfast. Some may choose to betray the magical realm and succumb to a life of crime, while others might find themselves in conflicts between territories and nations, leading to battles between mages."

He continued, "Regardless of the circumstances, if you live as magic warriors, there will come a time when you cannot avoid facing fellow warriors in combat. To prepare for such situations, you shall now practice dueling with other mages."

Suppressing a smirk, Baek Yu-Seol tried to maintain a composed demeanor.

Though he typically loathed attending classes, this particular session piqued his interest.

After all, magic duels, akin to PvP in gaming terms, were his forte during his gaming days.

Even during his gaming days, instead of hunting dark mages as he was supposed to, he spent his time killing players in the field or frequenting the duel arena. He lived for magical battles.

"In this training, I will guide you on various strategies for magic battles and teach you how to wield magic effectively to secure victory."

To Baek Yu-Seol, this lesson felt like advancing through a main story quest in a game, one that would eventually lead them to the duel arenas of an online server.

It was like a tutorial, offering valuable tips for excelling in magical battles.

Only a few days earlier, he might have doubted his ability to break through a magical shield, lacking sufficient offensive power.

However, things had changed.

With the addition of Tae-Ryeong’s Godly Technique and his refined mastery of mana concentration, he was capable of unleashing devastating attacks.

Yet Baek Yu-Seol had to admit that he still couldn't employ Tae-Ryeong's Godly Technique efficiently during real battles.

It required him to stand still and focus for a few seconds to trigger the magic temporarily.

One misstep and the skill would dissipate immediately.

Nevertheless, practice made perfect.

This training was free of life-threatening stakes. Even if he fumbled and appeared clumsy while wielding the technique, failure here would not spell disaster.

He had to use these safe opportunities to hone Tae-Ryeong's Godly Technique to perfection so he could wield it effortlessly during critical battles in the future.

“The most effective training is to face each other with magic, but starting off by fighting recklessly is inefficient.”

Fortunately, it seemed that they wouldn't be pitted against formidable Class S monsters right from the start.

“Magic duels are like soul chess. Knowing how to use powerful magic is good, but more important is how you use different magic effectively in various situations.”

Blindly unleashing destructive spells is the quickest way to defeat yourself in a duel. When two mages wield similar levels of mana, victory depends not on brute force but on strategy. True mastery of magical combat lies in predicting your opponent’s moves, discerning their intentions, and responding with precision.

Magical duels are essentially mind games.

“The first thing to consider in a duel with another mage is not casting a powerful spell. It’s about controlling the distance between you and your opponent and steering the flow to your advantage.”

Shots fired from the caster’s body had a long range but were easy to detect and counter during casting. But targets were different. A mage had to specify the coordinates to create the magic, so it was almost impossible to react to it with normal reflexes.

The downside of target magic was its short range and lower destructive power. However, even if the power was low, getting an effective shot would allow a mage ample time to cast stronger magic, exploiting the opportunity created.

For Class 2 mages, the effective range of target magic varied depending on the element. Short-range elements, such as earth, typically had a reach of less than five meters, whereas long-range elements, like wind, extended up to approximately 15 meters.

At first glance, wind magic might appear superior based on its range alone. However, the effective area of magic differed between elements. Wind spells traveled in a straight line, while earth magic, despite its shorter range, could spread out in a rectangular pattern, covering a wider area.

“The basic principle of magic duels is to consider the different ranges by element and consistently move out of your opponent’s effective range while getting them into yours.”

Additionally, concealing one's range was a crucial tactic in magical duels. In practice, however, Baek Yu-Seol’s Sixth Sense allowed him to nearly pinpoint the exact range of his opponent’s target spells with remarkable precision.

“The wooden dummy you see now will only use target magic and always face forward.”

As the opponent was stationary, overcoming this challenge was easier than sipping a cup of coffee.

“You will use only two shields and aim to either infiltrate the dummy's blind spot, staying safe for five seconds, or endure within its effective range for 30 seconds.”

At Lee Han-Wol’s words, the students tensed up.

Target magic activated instantly. As it couldn’t be seen or dodged, using a shield twice meant disqualification.

‘Use the first shield to grasp the opponent's attribute and predict the range of their magic, then use the second shield to hold your ground and move outside their effective range. Is that what he means?’

Could a student perfectly grasp the timing in that fleeting moment?

Would they truly be competent enough?

Other classes had the luxury of being given shields at least five times.

Baek Yu-Seol couldn’t help but wonder if the students in Class S were being subjected to such intense training because of the presence of elite students among them.

Even if one understood the attributes thoroughly, the range of each magical ability varied drastically.

The wind attribute, for example.

Some mages had a target range of around 12 meters, which was shorter than the average, but compensated with width exceeding two meters.

On the contrary, there could be mages whose target range extended to 18 meters or more, but with a width of merely one meter, turning them into pure long-range attackers.

If the simplest wind attribute displayed such range diversity, one could only imagine how other attributes, each uniquely transforming and manifesting in complex ways for individual mages, would behave.

"Let's commence the practical training."

Four wooden dolls stood before them, and four students promptly stepped forward.

S-Class, knight specializing in wind magic, Pung Harang. 

S-Class, priest specializing in blue fire, Aidan. 

S-Class, priest specializing in barrier magic, Ma Su-Wol. 

S-Class, priest specializing in curses, Millian.

Among these unique individuals, Pung Harang’s presence was especially striking.

Although he had a shaved head, his thick eyebrows and sharp facial features gave him an intimidating look that suggested he was not to be trifled with.

"Use only the basic shield without adding attributes. The magic used by the wooden dolls is Class 2, so remember to release the shield after defending against an attack."

In other words, exploiting a loophole to block two attacks with one shield was not allowed.

"Begin."

All four nodded in understanding, and the test began immediately.

Pung Harang was the first to charge towards his wooden doll.

Since knights could utilize power jump, their mobility did not differ significantly from that of regular priests.

However, Pung Harang’s confidence in his sharp reflexes allowed him to swiftly anticipate the incoming magic.

Plop!

Water droplets formed around him and burst, but he adeptly raised his shield to block them.

Right after, calculations began.

Considering the cooldown and power of the magic fluctuation based on the maximum range, he could roughly estimate the range using that as a hint.

Yet Pung Harang didn't need to calculate.

Plop! Plop!

By the time the second attack concluded, he instinctively grasped the range.

Plop!

Approximately 2.7 seconds later, the third water droplet was generated, but Pung Harang slid on the ground to skillfully evade it.

Then he calmly stood up and counted to five seconds.

Nothing happened.

"Pung Harang, success.”

Though the exact accuracy of his range determination remained uncertain, he successfully moved outside the attack range just in time.

"Oh..."

“He actually did it.”

Some students nodded in awe. Pung Harang’s method of evasion might have been crude, but it was astonishing.

Next, all eyes turned to Millian, who specialized in curse spells.

With his slender physique and a pale complexion suggesting multiple late nights, he appeared to jump and move aimlessly. 

Whoosh!

Suddenly, fire engulfed his body, causing him to panic and quickly deploy his shield.

Despite a slight delay in his reaction, he successfully managed to block the prolonged attack.

The target range of the fire-based spell arced like a rainbow, offering the advantage of covering a broad area at a distance while keeping the caster safely out of reach during close combat.

Moreover, the ever-changing and unpredictable nature of the rainbow pattern and its width made it quite challenging for the opponent to anticipate.

How would he respond?

Whoosh!

Contrary to expectations, the flames surged toward him, swallowing him whole and forcing him to collapse to the ground, rolling frantically to extinguish the fire.

"Argh..."

Even though he had a second chance to activate his shield, he couldn't react in time.

"Sigh."

“Knew he would mess up.”

Millian's behavior seemed pitiful even among Class S, but Baek Yu-Seol knew just how terrifying he could be.

Millian’s reaction speed was sluggish, and his offensive power lacked the punch of destructive spells. However, his ability to bypass enemy shields with crippling debuffs made him a terrifying presence on the battlefield.

Though weak when fighting alone, Millian’s strength flourished when paired with exceptional mages.

He skillfully employed dreadful and deadly magic, gradually and stealthily decimating his foes.

"Next."

Despite Millian's seemingly foolish demeanor, the training continued.

Most attempts ended in failure.

No matter how brilliant or theoretically adept someone was, coping with sudden adversity in real battles remained a challenge.

The scarce opportunities to escape targeted magic like Pung Harang and Ma Yu-Seong were truly remarkable successes.

"Baek Yu-Seol, Kalabin, Ha Ja-Rang, Ha Chareolin. Step forward."

After a while, Baek Yu-Seol’s name was called.

His senses allowed him to intuitively grasp the range of the target.

In the past, during gaming sessions, the range was visually represented, but now, in this reality, he could sense it through his instincts.

So far, he fought by instinctively evading beyond that range.

That way, he could avoid entering the range of the enemy's targeted magic.

Baek Yu-Seol’s approach involved not even giving the opponent a chance to use targeted spells. However, he suddenly felt the urge to test something.

After obtaining Tae-Ryeong's Godly Technique and significantly increasing the mana circulation rate in his blood, his senses had become extraordinarily sharp.

So he wondered. Even if he was within the target range, could he react to the magic and evade it using his instincts?

On average, the activation speed of Class 1 target magic was about 0.2 seconds.

Magic users with high [Sense] attributes were capable of perceiving and reacting to it, and even if their minds didn’t react, they could still deploy a shield through mana response unless it was an intense attack.

However, starting from Class 2, the activation time dropped to 0.1 seconds, making it challenging to react without anticipation.

Moreover, the reaction referred to the act of simply raising a shield to defend against an incoming attack.

The deployment of a skilled mage's shield was completed in a fleeting moment without the need for any additional movements.

However, Baek Yu-Seol was different.

He had to move his sword directly to parry or evade attacks, which demanded a significantly higher sense of perception and quick movements compared to other mages.

Dodging after seeing the target, even if it was only Class 1 magic, was impossible.

However, he was unable to use magic at all.

To be able to achieve what mages considered impossible, he had to reach a position equal to theirs.

An attempt that he couldn't even imagine during his days of playing games.

'Now, I might be able to do it.'

If he failed, it would be a bit regrettable and embarrassing, but it was inevitable.

“Hoo…”

Standing in front of a wooden doll, he concentrated as much as possible in an immobile stance.

The energy of yin and yang and the five elements permeated his body and then dissipated.

He concentrated all that energy on his senses.

Very rarely, true geniuses were said to be able to hear the songs of mana from nature since their childhood.

While he wasn’t a genius, he could vaguely grasp the meaning.

He could hear it and feel it.

The movement of mana.

How those waves fluctuated.

All of those things were whispering to him.

“Begin.”

Finally, as Lee Han-Wol’s command echoed through the training grounds, a sudden chill crept up Baek Yu-Seol’s neck, making him shiver.

Reacting instinctively, he shifted his body sideways, narrowly evading the unseen threat.

Swish-Boom!

As he did, a semi-transparent sphere appeared in the air and then scattered.

'Oh my god, that was close...'

It wasn't an ordinary attribute-magic. It was magic that twisted and distorted space itself, manipulating it unlike the natural world.

And the source of this power?

A simple wooden doll.

‘Wait, is this even fair for a wooden doll?’

The irony wasn’t lost on him. Spatial magic, an attribute even rarer than light, was somehow being wielded by a lifeless training dummy.

With its rapid activation speed and wide range, spatial magic was notoriously difficult to counter.

But there was no time to dwell on such thoughts.

Swish!

Sensing another chill, this time brushing past his shoulder, Baek Yu-Seol twisted his body sharply.

Boom!

The space rippled and then snapped back to normal, leaving his heart pounding in his chest.

Since it was just Class 2 magic, even if it hit, it wouldn’t be painful enough to debilitate him.

Low-level spatial magic was known for its lack of destructive power.

Low-level spatial magic was known for its lack of direct lethality, and with Stella Dome’s protective enchantments, there was no risk of injury.

This realization emboldened him.

Instead of retreating, he decided to take a gamble.

Enduring within the doll’s attack range for 30 seconds was one way to pass.

No one had endured for up to 30 seconds.

Swish!

Another chill grazed his waist, but this time, he stepped aside with a fraction more ease.

Boom!

This time, he had a bit more leeway.

'It has about a two-second cooldown.'

He noticed the slight delay between each cast and took advantage of it, pressing forward boldly.

Swish! Bang! Swish!

Spatial distortions flashed by, targeting his shoulder, knee, arm, neck, and waist in quick succession.

Yet Baek Yu-Seol evaded each attack with fluid steps to the left and right, his movements sharp and precise.

But there was no time to feel proud.

His deliberate pace wasn’t for show… it was a necessity.

Tae-Ryeong’s Godly Technique required complete focus and couldn’t be maintained while running.

But the intervals of the magic were getting faster, and his tension was gradually increasing.

He was starting to reach his limits.

'Yeah, at this rate...'

Desperate to maintain his composure, he focused harder, hoping to find a way to activate Tae-Ryeong’s Godly Technique while moving at higher speeds.

"Baek Yu-Seol, success."

“..."

The doll’s glowing eyes dimmed, signaling the end of the training session.

Lee Han-Wol’s gaze lingered on him, filled with disbelief.

“In all my years, I've never seen anyone like you.”

A heavy silence settled over the room.

When he turned his head to look behind, the other students from Class S were staring at him as if he were insane.

‘Well, I can understand why they would look like that…’

Just when things were starting to get interesting, it was over.

Baek Yu-Seol sighed in disappointment.

“Can’t we go another round?”

"No. Go back."

Lee Han-Wol’s tone was firm.

‘Damn it.’

As he trudged away, Baek Yu-Seol quietly entertained the idea of installing spatial magic training devices at the Class S training grounds.