I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 20

The first dungeon practicum had finally come to an end.

There were 39 dropouts out of a total of 141 students from classes A and S.

Despite securing second place, Hae Won-Ryang felt defeated and couldn’t shake off the bitter aftertaste. That evening, he headed straight to the Class S training ground.

‘Even if Eisel had not interrupted at the last minute, a victory would have been difficult.’

Though Ma Yu-Seong had been on the brink of exhaustion, he could have quickly recovered with a short break. Meanwhile, Hae Won-Ryang had almost depleted his mana, leaving him uncertain about the outcome had the battle continued.

'Am I... truly incapable of beating that guy, no matter what I do?’

Was the wall of talent really this thick and insurmountable?

Ma Yu-Seong was careless in most things, but when something piqued his interest, he poured all his effort into mastering it.

Then? Ta-da!

The results would surpass even experts who had focused solely on one field for over a decade.

Ma Yu-Seong had always been like this. As a result, he lived a life favored by everyone.

‘Sorry, I did it for fun, but I did it better.’

It was a sincere apology. Never even intended to make fun of the other person

So Hae Won-Ryang became even more enraged. The limitations of not being able to win even one battle against a guy who made no effort ignited his ego.

‘… No, I don’t have time to blame myself. I need to push myself to the limits.'

Taking out his staff, he stood before the towering training dummy. His magic power flared wildly as he unleashed one spell after another. The training dummy didn’t even have time to activate its defensive mechanisms before being reduced to a pitiful state.

“Hae Won-Ryang, why don’t you take it easy?”

“Princess Hong Bi-Yeon.”

Hae Won-Ryang, who had been madly burning his magic power for a long time, finally calmed down thanks to Hong Bi-Yeon’s call.

He had already cast several high-cost spells, leaving his body drained.

No matter how much he trained his stamina, studied magic formulas, or practiced tirelessly, he couldn’t surpass the natural limit of mana his body could store.

While wildly calling forth her flame-attribute magic, Hong Bi-yeon stood next to Hae Won-Ryang and reminded him to calm down.

Despite being unable to use as many attributes as Hae Won-Ryang and possessing less raw talent, she could still perform remarkable Class 3 spells due to her vast mana reserves and her inherited royal techniques.

“Did the Princess get beaten by someone too?”

“… Too? Did you also get defeated?”

Hae Won-Ryang flinched at those words. He had slipped up, which was unusual for his personality. 

But Hong Bi-Yeon remained silent. She wasn’t one to be bothered by trivialities.

“I did. And from last place in the entire first year. It’s killing me.”

She had plenty of excuses.

The terrain was constantly shifting, her spells were predictable because of her fame, and her skills prioritized destruction over accuracy. Meanwhile, her opponent excelled in speed.

In the end, however, excuses were just excuses.

The fact that Hong Bi-Yeon lost because she was not good enough did not change.

Then, she got a point stick and finished third. Despite the fact that she did not win first place, her mother was rather satisfied.

But when she realized she had only ranked third because Baek Yu-Seol didn’t keep the point sticks, frustration welled up inside her. She slammed her staff into the ground.

To be honest, it felt suffocating to hand over the point sticks to Baek Yu-seol out of pride.

Bang! Bang!

The target ahead was completely burned down.

'What would have happened if Baek Yu-Seol had truly snatched all of the Point Sticks? What would I have done if I hadn’t made it into the rankings?'

She could recall how relieved her anxious heart had been when he returned them.

'So annoying!’

She did not like it. Not that she disliked Baek Yu-Seol. She just hated herself for being scared, anxious, relieved, and ecstatic at every action of a mere commoner.

‘One day, I’m going to set that annoying face on fire.’

When she imagined that stupid dummy’s face as Baek Yu-Seol’s, the destructive power of her offensive skill increased unexpectedly.

Suddenly, Hong Bi-Yeon remembered the special lecture that happened a few days prior.

‘Pretending to be a good commoner. Hmph.’

To her surprise, her magic abilities had improved after trying to think differently while solving the three tricky questions presented during the lecture.

She could direct the flames in more varied directions and devise a more deliberate strategy for defeating the enemy. She was still not confident in solving the three devil’s questions, but she had made progress.

Hong Bi-Yeon's staff stopped when her thoughts reached that point.

Baek Yu-Seol might have been a mere commoner with poor grades and an unpleasant personality, but… he was the only person who could address the one flaw she had.

None of the teachers in the royal family had ever proposed a unique method like Baek Yu-Seol’s.

“Princess.”

At that moment, Hong Bi-Yeon’s escort magic knight Yeterin appeared with a small box.

“Yes. What happened?”

“A parcel has arrived from the craftsmen. The modification for the staff ‘Teripon’ has been completed. Shall I inform him right now?”

“Uh, yes. That would be best.”

“Then, I will deliver it.”

Seeing that Yeterin was about to leave the training ground, Hong Bi-Yeon subconsciously grabbed her shoulder.

“What’s wrong, Princess?”

“Uh… No, leave it. I’ll give it to him. I happen to have something to do on the way.”

“I see.”

As Hong Bi-Yeon received the box, she sighed deeply.

‘I’m crazy…’

She didn’t even know what she was thinking when she offered to deliver it herself.

In any case, since she said she would do it, she couldn’t take it back now.

She made her way to the Second Main Tower, where Baek Yu-Seol was.

***

Stella Academy’s exterior resembled a grand mansion, but with its 12 Main Towers and 24 Star Towers scattered throughout, it resembled an imposing castle.

The First Main Tower served as the academy’s main building, housing Stella Academy’s magic knights order, principal, vice-principal, and board of directors, while the Second Main Tower housed the faculty’s laboratory.

The fact that he went to the Second Main Tower suggested that he went to meet a professor.

'Is there anything worth asking the faculty from the start of the semester? I’ve been thinking about it, but I’m still not sure.'

“Student Hong Bi-Yeon. Please fill out the entry form.”

“…”

Hong Bi-Yeon, who was about to enter the Second Main Tower, came to her senses.

‘Why am I doing it myself?’

She could easily meet Baek Yu-Seol on campus or at the training grounds. Coming all the way here made it seem like a royal was chasing after a commoner.

It was humiliating.

“No. I’ll go back.”

Hong Bi-Yeon walked out of the Main Tower entrance and sighed. “He really annoys me in many ways, that commoner…”

“Princess, is something wrong?”

At the same time, when she heard a familiar voice, Hong Bi-Yeon smiled brightly and raised her head.

“Ah… Teacher Hameryl, it’s been a while.”

“Hehe, I’m just a humble professor now.”

Professor Hameryl, who had once taught magic to Hong Bi-Yeon at the royal palace, was someone she deeply admired. With her gentle personality and mastery of elegant magic, she wasn’t just a role model, she was a true life teacher.

Hong Bi-Yeon had been saddened when Hameryl left the palace, but seeing her again here at Stella Academy was a pleasant surprise.

“What brings you to the Second Main Tower?”

"Oh, I had a little errand, but now I'm heading back."

“Really? Well, the professors in the Second Main Tower are all going insane right now.”

“Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened. It’s just because of that student named Baek Yu-Seol. Mages came to visit him, so it’s very chaotic.”

That name again.

Hong Bi-Yeon asked nonchalantly, pretending to be uninterested, “What’s the matter with the commoner?”

“Hmm, I hesitate to say this, but you’ve sparred directly with Student Baek Yu-Seol, haven’t you, Student Hong Bi-Yeon?”

“That’s right.”

“He did not use any magic.”

“Yes.”

Lowering her head in shame, Hong Bi-Yeon recalled the battle. Even though her opponent hadn’t used magic, she had still been defeated. It felt humiliating, especially in front of her favorite teacher.

“You don’t have to be ashamed. He was serious while fighting.”

“What…? But he didn’t even use magic skills?”

“It’s because of his belief.”

“A belief? What is it…?”

“After seeing the training today, the principal left a message in person.”

Hong Bi-Yeon gulped. The great archmage, Elthman Elwin, had watched the training. Furthermore, he even left a message.

“Perhaps that student is aiming to revive the chivalry that disappeared in the old days.”

“C-Chivalry…?”

The word felt antiquated, almost out of place in the modern world. Yet, its legacy endured.

This was because most of the heroes in fairy tales who stood up against all odds and fought evil to protect the world wielded swords.

Even in this world where everything revolved around magic, the dream of being a knight who could wield a sword was still alive in their hearts. But in the end, it was all a dream.

Everyone fell for its charm, but in reality, the sword was really of no use.

In this day and age where mages could command thunder, call forth the power to split the earth, and fly in the sky, they would not waste their energy to sharpen blades.

In other words, chivalry was regarded as a joke these days.

“Please don’t joke,” Hong Bi-Yeon wanted to say, but...

‘… That commoner didn’t actually use a magic against me.’

He treated the point stick like a sword and defeated her with only Flash. That was pretty cool too.

In other words, Baek Yu-Seol did not play a prank on her but faced the situation with a sincere heart while adhering to his beliefs.

Besides, not long ago, in exchange for giving a special lecture, he requested that his staff be converted into a magic sword.

'Would he ask me to remodel that precious, upper-intermediate grade staff just for fun? He wanted to wield the sword even at the cost of giving up all other magic skills.'

'But I did not know that  and I became furious, telling him not to joke around with me.'

“It’s absurd, isn’t it?”

“A little… Yes. Yes.”

Anyone speaking of chivalry would be mocked to no end.

What was chivalry in this day and age?

However, being born a commoner, he worked hard enough to enter the world’s most prestigious Stella Academy and even made it into Class S. He had the strength to fight against her, who ranked fifth…

He wasn’t joking. He was genuinely pursuing chivalry.

“But, there will be huge penalties for not using magic skills in a magic academy, right? During training, he will inevitably receive penalty points, and that…”

“Yes. He knew that and decided to walk this path. Isn’t it simply great? He’s pursuing a path that others are too afraid to take.”

As Hong Bi-Yeon’s expression became complicated, Professor Hameryl continued, “Student Baek Yu-Seol has already achieved the great feat of controlling the uncontrollable magic, Flash. Even if he walks the path of a mage in this way, his name will undoubtedly become well-known. Still, to allow him to achieve great heights… we have no choice but to believe in his belief.”

Hong Bi-Yeon remained silent as Hameryl apologized for the lengthy conversation and took her leave.

As the sun dipped lower, Hong Bi-Yeon stood motionless for a long time, her thoughts swirling.

“What are you doing here?”

“Uh…”

Baek Yu-Seol walked out of the Second Main Tower’s main gate, chewing on what looked like a medicinal herb root.

His unruly and carefree stride didn’t match the image of chivalry at all.

‘Chivalry, my foot.’

Hong Bi-Yeon shook her head to disperse her previous thoughts. After all, he was just an annoying commoner.

“I’m not here because of you.”

“Who said you did?”

“Take this.”

“Oh, Teripon? Hey. Can I have the box? It should fetch a bit of money if I sold it.”

Hong Bi-Yeon ignored Baek Yu-Seol.

If she lingered any longer, she feared she’d get swept up in his infuriating pace once again.