I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 12

The sun set quietly, its farewell marking the arrival of twilight as dusk's gentle hues spread across the horizon.

Hong Bi-Yeon and Baek Yu-Seol found an empty study room where they wouldn’t be disturbed. They sat across from each other with only a desk separating them.

Her piercing gaze was so intense that it made him feel uneasy.

"…I don't understand why you're willing to pay a price just to learn how to solve three questions from the placement test."

"There’s a reason for it. You just need to tell me."

Baek Yu-Seol had predicted that she would say something like that.

“But you got only those three questions wrong. See? You’re smart. I got all the rest of the questions wrong. Aren’t you ashamed to learn from me?”

Baek Yu-Seol was ranked 1,141 in the class rank, while she was a super-elite who conquered the fifth rank.

“I’m not embarrassed. In fact, it’s more humiliating that I couldn’t figure out the answers myself. I’d ask anyone who could solve it.”

'Oh… A textbook model-student answer.'

‘Yet somehow it sounds like you’re looking down on me…'

“Alright then… Let’s take a look.”

Baek Yu-Seol adjusted his Sentient Specs and examined the problem again.

When he first solved it, he hadn’t realized it, but now it became clear… this was an absurd question.

'Seriously? A magic study problem disguised as a nonsense riddle?'

‘How on earth am I supposed to explain this properly?’

Baek Yu-Seol was tempted by the word ‘compensation,’ so he had agreed but did not know if it would work out.

He felt stuck. It was the kind of test that relied on creative thinking, and teaching someone how to approach it was no easy task.

‘How do you actually teach this?’

Still, they were already seated. Backing out now could result in enduring Hong Bi-Yeon’s pestering until graduation, a nightmare he wanted to avoid.

Besides…

‘I want that modification to Teripon. It’d be a waste to give up on this chance.’

Baek Yu-Seol had to think fast. To buy some time, he asked her a question, drawing from his knowledge of her character.

“Before I go into the explanation, let me ask you one thing. Why did you choose to learn from me?”

It was not as if she did not have friends, and considering her status as a princess, if she asked anyone, there would be plenty of people who would readily answer it, right?

She toyed with a strand of hair briefly before responding coolly, as though it was the most natural decision in the world.

“Out of the 1,141 freshmen, there are only three students, including you, who answered all of the three devil's questions.”

“What…?”

What’s that supposed to mean?

“I heard it was a ‘trap problem’ that was designed to not be solved, but you, Ma Yu-Seong, and Flame solved it. That’s why I got a little bit of a headache.”

“No, wait. This was a trap problem. Really? Are you telling me it was not meant to be solved?”

“Yes. Didn’t you know that?”

"This is crazy…”

It was then that he realized the reason behind his selection in Class S and why Flame kept herself on guard around him.

Trap problems. 

They never existed in the game. 

Or perhaps he did not read it.

‘No wonder everyone’s reactions were so strange when I explained those three questions!’

Baek Yu-Seol had played the game purely for enjoyment and never paid much attention to the story details.

However, the setting of the romance fantasy novel Flame had read was entirely different. She didn’t know the game’s plot, but she had a solid grasp of this world’s storyline and mechanics.

For example, at the entrance ceremony, she knew in advance that there would be three trap questions…

Flame easily solved the trap problems with the novel’s knowledge. It was an achievement that only Ma Yu-Seong could grasp, so she might consider emphasizing her ‘uniqueness’ by adding her name to the achievements that only Ma Yu-Seong could accomplish.

A girl who was a different kind of genius compared to Ma Yu-Seong!

But there, an extra that did not even exist in the original plot came out and intervened.

This meant Flame had become aware of his existence as a significant anomaly.

‘The hell…’

A shiver ran down his spine as he imagined the countless conclusions she might have drawn about him.

‘Damn, I should have held back.’

A sigh almost escaped, but he held it in. The damage was already done.

“You don’t look so good?”

“You don’t have to worry about it.”

Hong Bi-Yeon frowned slightly at his curt tone, but he wasn’t too bothered; he had already dealt with scarier people.

“Before I tell you this, you didn’t forget that you said you’d do me a favor, did you?”

“Easily done.”

“It’s simple. You know this staff, right?”

“That’s Teripon.”

“Request the blacksmith of your royal family to convert it into a magic spear… No, a magic sword.”

“???”

In an instant, Hong Bi-Yeon’s expression changed. She was convinced that she had heard it wrong.

“You heard it right.”

“Cold weapons are only used by low-level mercenaries. Why do you, a mage, want to use something like that?”

“It’s my preference.”

She fell silent, clearly baffled by his response, but he wasn’t about to explain, not even the fact that he was a crippled mage.

“I think that’s enough explanation. Do I have to tell you everything about me? Will you turn it into a magic sword or not?”

“Okay, I’ll do it for you. That’s simple.”

The princess’s connections were truly unparalleled.

“Then… I’ll give you a simple way to solve this problem.”

He considered Hong Bi-Yeon’s characteristics. ‘The strongest mage of the fire element.’ Genius mages normally used as few as two or as many as three attributes, but Hong Bi-Yeon had risen to the ranks of the best magic warriors by using only one fire attribute.

But had it always been this way?

No.

In her first year, she was powerful but rigid, and Flame later defeated her.

‘Her biggest weakness was how rigidly she used her magic.’

Using one spell in this situation, another spell in that situation.

Hong Bi-Yeon approached battles as though she were reading from a textbook, and Flame exploited that weakness to secure victory.

That loss led Hong Bi-Yeon to a whole new level of strength by her second year.

‘A shift in mindset.’

Hong Bi-Yeon had always been aware of the fact that she lacked creativity. As evidence, books related to that were piled up in her dormitory.

However, the realization came too late in her second year.

‘I can’t lead her to an epiphany right now, but… I can give her some advice that might help.’

After sliding the test paper across the desk to Hong Bi-Yeon, Baek Yu-Seol asked with a serious expression:

“First of all, do you know that this is a nonsense riddle?”

“Nonsense?”

“Huh. You don’t know?”

“I’ve heard of it… but I don’t know what it is.”

‘Seriously? She’s lived this long and doesn’t know what a nonsense riddle is? What has she even been doing with her life? But then, I reminded myself who she was, Hong Bi-Yeon.’

‘Fair enough.’

In such a home environment, it was definitely possible.

Rather, he quickly attacked Hong Bi-Yeon because he thought it was a good strategy.

“What part of the chicken has the most feathers?”

A sudden riddle. But thinking he wouldn’t ask something pointless in this setting, Hong Bi-Yeon’s expression turned deadly serious.

She closed her eyes and tapped her forearm with her fingers, and after thinking about it for a while, she came up with the answer.

“Tail…?”

“Wrong.”

“Then, back region???”

“Not even that.”

She stared at Baek Yu-Seol with an expression as if she were asking the answer, so he answered quickly.

“It’s body”

“Why?”

“I told you it was a matter of creativity.”

Hong Bi-Yeon opened her lips slightly and looked at him with a terrifying expression.

“No, this is really what this problem is like? Do you want to solve it?”

“Yes.”

“Look at this problem. It’s made up of formulas and tricks you don’t know. You know that, don’t you?

“Of course.”

“It means that you have to solve it only with your creativity. But is it possible to memorize creativity?”

“… No.”

“Right?”

He didn't even give her a chance to argue. Like a rapid-fire cannon, he only fired what he had to say.

“You know what? Mages of the past developed their magic slowly and gradually. But they added a drop of creativity in every small development. Then, at some point, the Grand Mage Era arrived.”

“That’s… that’s it.”

Baek Yu-Seol had read it in a tutorial story, but he never thought he would use it like this.

“Do you know why? Sure, knowing many spells and techniques is important, but the key to being a great mage is thinking beyond.”

“Thinking beyond?”

“Yes!”

Her ears perked up at the familiar phrase. Baek Yu-Seol had guessed correctly, this was something deeply tied to her personal quests.

In other words, her greatest worries were now being laid out before her.

“See the world outside the boundaries of your thinking. History proves that magic can grow explosively even with the smallest changes. But why is your thinking limited to what you see? Is it okay to just memorize a spell and use it away?”

“It’s not… It’s not.”

Hong Bi-Yeon listened to him blankly.

“You may be better than me in your ability to think analytically, to judge rationally, and to remember synthetically, but you lack the creativity that is crucially important to a mage.”

To be honest, it was almost nonsense. They were all Hong Bi-Yeon’s favorite words derived from the trashy comic books he used to read.

“I used some difficult words, but you’re smart, so I guess you understood everything, right?”

“Of course.”

'That’s amazing. Even I don’t understand what I just said.'

But as if she had really understood something, her expression became more serious than before. 

“I’m glad you understand. After all, you are a princess and naturally smart. From now on, I’ll teach you to think beyond. I can explain how to solve this problem, but the next time something like this comes up, you’ll never be able to solve it that way.”

Hong Bi-Yeon immediately nodded as if she understood his words.

“Then let’s get started right away.” 

Hong Bi-Yeon focused on his mouth with an anticipating look on her face. 

He said, “Why did the chicken cross the road?”

In response, her face stiffened.

After such a lengthy explanation, it was another nonsense riddle. Hong Bi-Yeon closed her mouth again, but he did not stop and attacked again.

“Why did the chicken cross the road? It’s simple”

“… I don’t know.”

"To get to the other side of the road.”

Hong Bi-Yeon was noticeably agitated, but unlike before, she did not object to Baek Yu-Seol. The effect was perfect.

At first, Hong Bi-Yeon listened to him with a look of disbelief, but as time went on, she began to focus more seriously on the questions.

“What are two things you can never have for breakfast?”

“… I don’t know.”

“Lunch and dinner.”

“What goes up but never comes down?”

“… I don’t know.”

“Your age.”

Her mental defenses were breaking down under his relentless riddles, leaving her visibly flustered.

It was fun to watch, like he had discovered a new toy. But this time, she didn’t argue back. She seemed to be grasping the point behind his nonsensical attacks.

“What gets wetter the more it dries? A towel. What can one catch that is not thrown? A cold.”

It was interesting. 

It was so much fun. 

He was joking around, so he crossed the line without realizing it.

“What happens when seagulls fly over the bay…?”

Just as he finished speaking, he realized that this was not a nonsense riddle but something closer to the realm of a dad joke.

‘Oh, no. That’s not right.’

She would never understand even if he told her the correct answer. It seemed that Hong Bi-Yeon was doomed to see through his nonsense. 

However…

“… They would be called bagels?”

Hong Bi-Yeon got the right answer.

“Huh? Huh…? You got it right.”

While Baek Yu-Seol answered with a bewildered face, there was a slight smile on Hong Bi-Yeon’s face. 

Wow, this was the first time he had seen her smile in both game and real life.

“Oh, as expected of a princess. Your creativity is extraordinary.”

Hong Bi-Yeon hardened her expression when he flattered her, but seeing that the corners of her mouth were slightly raised, it seemed like she was feeling good anyway.

“Hmm. Give me the next question.”

Like that, he gave a special lecture to Hong Bi-Yeon until late at night.