I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 21

After the practicum, Baek Yu-Seol met privately with Professor Lee Han-Wol in the Second Main Tower.

As he handed over the prize, Lee Han-Wol asked, ‘Why don’t you use other magic skills?’

Baek Yu-Seol knew the moment had arrived.

In the game, there was no storyline explaining why Baek Yu-Seol didn’t use magic. The character ‘Flash Mage, Baek Yu-Seol’ lacked a backstory and was merely an extra at Stella Academy.

Reality, however, was different. Every action he took attracted attention, and he couldn’t keep making personal excuses forever.

Therefore, the honest answer to Lee Han-Wol’s question was, ‘I’m incapable of using magic.’

He had no choice but to be honest.

A student entering a magic academy without being able to use magic? 

Did that make sense? 

The stigma of being ‘a mage who can’t use magic’ could have dire consequences for his academic life, career, and reputation in society.

If he was extremely unlucky, he could even be expelled from the academy. He would not get a second chance because this was not a game.

However, after looking confused for a while, Lee Han-Wol answered, ‘No worries. We’ll respect your beliefs. But you’ve decided to walk a rather difficult road ahead. Yes, it’s admirable, but it’s also worrisome.’

‘... Yes?’

Before Baek Yu-Seol could fully grasp his meaning, Lee Han-Wol reassured him that he understood, encouraged him to keep striving, and sent him on his way.

Though uncertain, Baek Yu-Seol believed the outcome was positive. The fear that his inability to use magic might lead to expulsion seemed unfounded, as Lee Han-Wol had acknowledged him. For now, there were no pressing issues.

Afterward, on the way out, he met Hong Bi-Yeon and she handed over the item he had been lusting for.

The magic sword, Teripon.

‘Look at that shine.’

Though not flashy, its simple design exuded a mysterious charm, as if something ancient lay hidden beneath its ordinary appearance.

That was how Teripon had been described in the game.

It truly was beautiful.

A transparent pearl-like crystal shimmered in bright colors at the tip of the 20cm long silver rod. 

The colors would shift depending on the attributes used.

In his case, he had no attribute, so there should be no change even if he held it.

‘As expected, it took the shape of a formless sword. It’s difficult to find something like this.’

He was relieved to have helped the princess. Even if he pooled all the money he and his family had ever saved, he couldn’t have acquired a magic sword of this caliber.

Now that he had this, he thought he could relax for the next episode.

‘It would have been quite spectacular if Flame had this.’

Flame, the protagonist, was a unique character. Despite being human, she could wield the magic of elves, dwarves, and angels.

While others like Hae Won-Ryang and Ma Yu-Seong eventually mastered five attributes, Flame was a different kind of multi-attribute user.

One characteristic of this staff was its constant mana drain, making it unusable for ordinary mages.

Flame, on the other hand, possessed [Qi Regulation] and the ability to restore mana by praying to nature. As a result, she could use this staff to perfection.

But what about Baek Yu-Seol?

He had no mana.

Due to his mana leakage disorder, mana was constantly being absorbed into his body, only to be discharged before he could accumulate even a speck.

In his case, the faint traces of mana in his breath would fuel Teripon.

[Mana Leakage Delay Lv.2]

• Strength: +05%
• Agility: +08%
• Senses: +15%
• Sixth Sense: Activated by consuming the user’s mental power. Effective within a radius of 18m.

[Once mana is faintly detected, cognitive acceleration will activate. It is automatically triggered when it is judged that the user is facing a crisis.]

[Blood Mana Circulation Rate: 1%]

When he first checked the Mana Leakage Delay skill description, the circulation rate was at 1%. This feature hadn’t existed when he reached Level 2; it emerged after he began breathing exercises.

'It’s only at 1%…'

Next, he checked his stats.

[Baek Yu-Seol]

• Stats

[Physical Strength: 1-star (77%)]

[Sense: 2-star (29%)]

[Agility: 1-star (87%)]

[Stamina: 1-star (55%)]

[Endurance: 0-star (97%)]

[Mental Strength: 1-star (43%)]

[Magic Power: ~]

• Remaining EXP: ~
• Skills

[Flash Lvl.1]

• Trait

[Mana Leakage Delay Lv.2]

While he hadn’t had the opportunity to gain EXP, the increased level of Mana Leakage Delay raised some of his stats. Notably, his Sense stat improved significantly with each EXP investment.

‘It’s hard to train physical strength stats with simple exercises.’

Where could he get the protein? His health and physical strength had seen slight improvement after consuming the root he’d been given earlier, but the effect was negligible.

“Well, I’ve got a weapon now, so I should go on a dungeon run,” he concluded.

Though his mana output was still low and Teripon’s power might not surpass that of the Point Stick he had used earlier, its performance was good enough to remain useful even as his strength grew.

He wondered if this was sufficient to tackle a low-grade dungeon mentioned in Sentient Specs.

But first…

“Should I practice how to use a sword?”

***

Living as a modern man, he had never attended a swordsmanship class, so he had little experience with actual swords. 

Since he lacked any swordsmanship-related skills, his only option was to train by repeatedly swinging the sword.

Class S Exclusive Training Grounds

This place had a training area designed to increase players’ sense stats, akin to a pitching machine that launches baseballs.

Here, trainees practiced dodging and blocking magic bullets fired at varying angles and speeds. This training helped improve their Sense stats.

The increase would be faster if the machine were manipulated by a mage with a high sense stat. 

However, most preferred the convenience of automated training by simply pressing a button.

Since the efficiency was low, the characters had to train themselves rigorously.

“It would be nice to have something like this in real life."

As soon as Baek Yu-Seol pressed the button, a light appeared on the screen in front of him.

[Magic Pitching Machine, Level 1!]

[Respond quickly to the attack by releasing a magic shield.]

Shoo!

A red sphere zoomed toward his left thigh, and Baek Yu-Seol swiftly drew the Teripon.

From the top of the 20cm long silver rod, a pure white flash of light rose almost one meter high.

It reminded him of a lightsaber.

Clang!

As the sphere collided with his magic sword, Teripon trembled. If his breathing faltered, the sword’s power would grow erratic.

‘Concentrate! Concentrate!’

Shoo! Bang! Shoo! Bang!

The paths of the flying magic spheres were unpredictable. They could come from any direction except directly above or below.

Wielding Teripon was no simple task.

[Level 1 Cleared!]

'I hit all 20! Wow, should I sign up to become a baseball player?'

The first training ended in an instant.

Although Baek Yu-Seol lacked swordsmanship skills, the extraordinary reflexes granted by Mana Leakage Delay allowed him to strike the spheres accurately.

When he saw the perfect scoreboard, his confidence soared.

“It’s doable. Please raise it to level five.”

[Level 5. Start!]

Pa! Pa! Pa!

“Oh! Please! Kekk! Argh!”

Amid countless magic spheres dancing around in every direction, he dodged like a madman.

“Hey, hey!”

Maintaining the Teripon’s light field was impossible. On his first attempt, five spheres struck him simultaneously.

The second time he swung it, as many as fifteen magic spheres struck him. 

‘What the hell?’

'How do I block them?'

After lying on the ground to rest, Baek Yu-Seol went back to the machine and pressed the level 5 start button.

Pa! Pa! Pa!

By the end of the day, his body was covered in bruises.

***

"You all have only studied theory during your primary and middle school years."

It was time for the mandatory subject, Magical Defense Techniques.

“During the previous dungeon practicum, many students were unable to properly use their magic. It’s entirely natural. This is due to the fact that proper magic is learned from the age of seventeen in high school.”

While Classes A and S boasted strong students, Classes F through D had only a handful who could competently hunt monsters.

“However, starting today, we’ll have time to practice proper magic and implementation.”

At Verayen’s words, some students’ eyes lit up with excitement.

Magic use was heavily restricted in elementary and middle school, leaving students bored with endless theory on dungeons and magic. But at seventeen, they could finally practice magic, a stage where many began to shine with unique talents.

‘You have to be able to use magic too…’

Baek Yu-Seol lamented inwardly.

Though the course was mandatory, for him, it felt like a complete waste of time.

This class was always available. Students from Class F to Class S attended since it was a flexible, mobile course with open lectures.

Right from the start, Verayen distinguished between ‘exceptional’ and ‘mediocre’ students.

‘He’s clearly favoring the ranked students.’

Lower-class students could learn just as well, but it served Verayen’s image better to focus on Classes B through S, students with higher social potential.

“Come on, let’s all raise our staffs.”

As the students pointed their staffs into the air, Professor Verayen explained, “Once upon a time, there was an era when magic was imaginary. In the days when defense was determined by their will, mages defended against enemy attacks by simply spewing out mana ignorantly.”

Verayen gently shook his staff.

“But not anymore.”

A blue magic circle materialized in front of him, its intricate design tailored for defensive magic.

“A magic shield is like a kind of ragged iron plate. It’s possible to further increase the strength by adding runes related to defense such as strong, hard, resilient, durable, and tough.”

Effective defensive techniques required calculating and chanting increasingly complex magic formulas in a short time.

"Now then, let’s all give it a try."

““Magic Shield!””

Blue light flickered throughout the room as students chanted. Some cast warped shields, others created fragile ones missing essential components. Only a few managed to produce flawless shields.

These students either came from families with early education programs or were naturally gifted.

“Oh! Kowazen, even though it’s your first class, your shield is almost perfect. That’s good. Leprian, you’re good at it too.”

“Haha, thank you, sir.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Verayen lavished praise on students from noble families, even when their shields weren’t particularly impressive.

In the magic society, finding reliable sponsors was as rare as spotting a star in the night sky. As a commoner, Verayen needed the favor of noble students to secure his position.

‘I can’t believe this professor is still in Stella.’

‘Oh, I really hate this.'

'I should have taken another professor's defense techniques.'

Such favoritism was rampant in the magic society, leaving students with no choice but to grumble quietly.

‘This cohort definitely has many promising students.’

As he moved, he heard soft laughter behind him.

Turning, he tried to locate the source but hesitated when he recognized the students as part of Yuslek’s faction.

Verayen was an instructor rather than a professor. A defense instructor. He needed personal connections to stay connected to Stella Academy, and one of those connections was the family of a student named Morso Dorden, a member of Yuslek’s faction.

Some of them were sponsored by the Dorden family, and because they belonged to the Skalven Empire, he could not do anything to them. So, Verayen approached them and squeezed out a smile that was as sweet as possible.

"So, what’s going on here?"

“Oh, Professor. Look at that student over there.”

"Hehe, he’s just standing there doing nothing."

“Shouldn’t you at least give him a penalty?”

“What?”

When Verayen returned his gaze in the direction they pointed, he noticed the student named Baek Yu-Seol standing still and doing nothing.

‘Is he a student in Class S?’

Baek Yu-Seol was already well-known among the faculty. As a commoner advancing to Class S, he had achieved an impressive record, ranking fifth in the Dungeon Practicum and resonating with an upper-intermediate grade staff. Most notable was his adherence to the ancient code of chivalry, which set him apart from others.

Though Baek Yu-Seol was gaining attention in the magic world, Verayen wasn’t particularly fond of him.

‘Chivalry is just... an attempt to stand out.’

While there were people like Lee Han-Wol who acknowledged Baek Yu-Seol’s beliefs, there were also many who did not.

Unfortunately, the number of those who refused to accept his beliefs far exceeded those who did.

Many outright rejected the idea of wielding a sword in a world where magic was the standard.

‘The principal seems to want to leave that student alone, but…’

No directives had been issued to the professors regarding how to handle him.

‘Anyway, that student’s magic is only Flash. He doesn’t use any other magic at all.'

Verayen, who suddenly came up with a good idea, raised the corner of his mouth slightly and approached Baek Yu-Seol.

“Baek Yu-Seol. Why are you doing nothing?”

Baek Yu-Seol pondered the answer for a moment.

Admitting that he couldn’t perform would likely earn him a penalty point for giving up without trying.

Moreover, Verayen had a reputation for mistreating students during their first year. If Baek Yu-Seol became his target, it would be a long, miserable road ahead.

Baek Yu-Seol recalled Flame as the paragon of justice, but waiting for her intervention was impractical. It was better to handle things on his own terms.

“I’m learning other defense techniques, so I don’t need to learn basic magic.”

At first glance, that could seem like an absurd answer, but in fact, it was quite common for students to reject this basic education.

Some students inherited advanced magic skills from their families, far surpassing what the academy taught. This gave them the leeway to reject professors’ lessons.

For example, Hong Bi-Yeon Adolevit refused to learn standard flame-attribute magic at the academy because she studied the legendary bloodline magic of the flame world.

“Oh, is that so? Your own defense skill? I’m curious.”

Of course, such exceptions typically applied only to students from prestigious families.

If all students claimed superior inherited magic to bypass lessons, it would undermine the professors’ authority.

Therefore, there was usually one method chosen by professors to prevent it.

To order a demonstration of magic skill.

“Then, in order to set an example for other students with that great defense technique, how about going up to the podium and demonstrating it yourself? Your opponent will be… Yeah, Morso would do.”

And the typical format for such demonstrations? A duel.

Verayen licked his lips, clearly savoring the opportunity, as Baek Yu-Seol sighed and nodded.

"Fine, whatever."

‘This is fantastic.’ 

It was an excellent chance to test the defensive techniques he’d been honing with Teripon over the past few days.