I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 25

“Ha…”

Self-Study Room, Class S Training Ground

Flame swung her staff half-heartedly, feigning training. After a while, she sighed heavily and walked into the lounge. She couldn’t focus at all.

“Is there something wrong?”

Hae Won-Ryang entered the lounge with a tired expression, wiping sweat from his face before sitting beside her. If she remembered correctly, he had been undergoing intense training that would challenge anyone.

“No, not at all.”

“Is that so? If you have any concerns, feel free to tell me.”

"Wow, you sound like an old man. I'm three months older than you, you know?"

Hae Won-Ryang laughed at Flame’s words. He liked her style of speaking.

“Phew. I’m exhausted. What’s going on, anyway?”

Hae Won-Ryang looked around momentarily before replying, “Have you not seen Ma Yu-Seong?”

“What, your boyfriend?”

“He’s not my boyfriend, but a rival.”

“Well, it seems you’re always looking for him. I almost thought you were going out with him.”

“He’s a rival, so…”

"Sure, if you say so. He’s always wandering around after class, so why don’t you just look for him?"

Hae Won-Ryang opened his mouth hesitantly. “The thing is, recently, after academy hours, he doesn’t go anywhere and just disappears.”

 “Hmm? That guy hates staying still more than anything, so I doubt he’s holed up in his dormitory.”

Flame paused, trying to recall the details of the original story.

But she couldn’t remember anything significant happening around this time.

"Maybe he’s going through puberty."

In the end, she couldn’t help Hae Won-Ryang.

‘What am I worried about?'

Her mind was more preoccupied with Baek Yu-Seol than Ma Yu-Seong. Suddenly remembering something, she asked, “Hey, do you know Baek Yu-Seol?”

“Yeah.”

“What do you think of him?”

“What do you mean?”

“No, it’s just… You have a good eye for people.”

“I’ve never thought about it like that.”

“You really do. So tell me what you think.”

Hae Won-Ryang looked puzzled, but Flame knew. In the future, the people he singled out would go on to achieve great things.

“Well… He seems like a bit of an unusual student.”

“Really?” She said, falling silent again. 

Hae Won-Ryang asked, "Does Baek Yu-Seol... bother you?"

“Yes, he bothers me. A lot," she answered, frowning.

Hae Won-Ryang’s expression faltered slightly, but Flame didn’t notice.

"What exactly about him bothers you?"

“He's just so weird. His belief in pursuing chivalry in this day and age. His personality is unique, his actions are unusual, and…”

“And?”

She had almost mentioned the original storyline but quickly stopped herself.

“Maybe he’s just like me. But I can’t tell you what I’m thinking because I’m afraid he might be different from me.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Hae Won-Ryang stood up abruptly.

“Huh? You said you’d listen to me.”

“Something came up.”

“What? That’s not fair.”

Flame dashed after Hae Won-Ryang when he left the lounge, but he vanished so quickly that she could not catch up to him.

“What’s wrong with him?”

She watched his retreating figure when, from a distance, Jecky approached her with a serious look. The timing was so perfect it felt deliberate.

“Flame.”

“Uh, hello.”

Flame still found it awkward to be alone with Jecky. It was easier when they were with other friends.

“What happened?”

“Wait, I have something to give you… By the way, have you been with Hae Won-Ryang all this time?”

“Oh? Yeah. You don’t have to say it like that. We’re classmates.”

“Oh, no… Hae Won-Ryang is the heir to the Full Moon Tower.”

‘So what?’

Jecky, who had been staring blankly at the spot where Hae Won-Ryang disappeared, snapped out of her thoughts and quickly handed Flame a note.

“This… A boy named Herick asked me to give it to you. It’s about alchemy.”

“Really?”

Flame opened the note and read it immediately. It wasn’t part of the original storyline.

[Notice: The practical exam task has been changed from 'D Vitality Potion' to 'Tyren Point Potion.' Please take note of this change.]

Of course, there was nothing special about it, but this was a sign that the main story was about to begin. As Flame’s expression hardened, Jecky looked at her and hesitantly said, "Oh, and there’s something else... They said not to tell other students. You should understand what that means. What does it mean?"

"Nothing special. You don't need to worry about it."

Jecky’s expression stiffened at those words, but Flame didn’t notice, still focused on the note.

‘Seriously. The professors at this school are more childish than the students’

She chuckled, realizing the other students couldn’t share the information with Baek Yu-Seol’s Group 12.

‘Should I just stay quiet?’

Flame considered telling him but quickly stopped herself.

‘Come to think of it, no one in the original told Eisel about this.’ 

In the Alchemy Department, Eisel had been ostracized. The other students had deliberately kept silent to suppress her, even though she was in Class S and had excellent grades.

This incident had caused Eisel to close herself off, suffering deeply. But as the protagonist, she had ultimately overcome it.

‘I don’t have to help her.’

This was all for a good cause.

To prevent a disastrous ending, she had to maintain her distance from Eisel and subtly alter the original storyline.

‘Besides, the current Eisel is not alone.’

‘Baek Yu-Seol.’

If he knew the ‘original’ as well as her, he could prevent this incident in advance.

The main ingredient needed for the original assignment was the severed tail of a fire-attribute lizard.

However, the main material required for the new assignment was the shell of the atarix spider.

‘If it were me, I would prepare the shell of an atarix spider, not the tail of a fire-attribute lizard.’

'And I’d laugh at Professor Maizen Tyren’s embarrassed face when her plan to mess with her failed’

In other words, if Baek Yu-Seol brought the Atarix spider shell, he had to know the story as well as she did.

‘It’s a chance to test that bastard.’

Flame made up her mind.

***

On weekends, Stella Academy was closed. 

During this time, most students focused on training or self-improvement activities like self-study, while others enjoyed leisure activities, including the magical world’s most popular sports event, the League of Spirits.

For Baek Yu-Seol, that was impossible. Though he wanted to participate in the League of Spirits, his lack of strength made it unaffordable. He didn’t need more studying, and his training had reached its limits in terms of progress.

This was why he spent his weekends differently. Instead of heading to Arcanium, he used the warp hole to travel to another city.

Shoo!

For an instant, he felt like he was falling from a cliff as the scenery blurred around him.

— Welcome to Dairyble Stadium!

A voice rang out near his ears, signaling that he had successfully passed through the warp hole.

“Ugh, I feel dizzy.”

Baek Yu-Seol shook his head, trying to dispel the dizziness. When he looked up, he saw a massive apricot-colored barrier towering high in the sky.

Dairyble Stadium

The stadium, built a century ago for the world-renowned singer Dairyble, had a troubled history. On the night of its inaugural performance, dark mages attacked, forcing its transformation into a fortress rather than a venue.

Although most of the dark mages had retreated, a few still lingered in hiding.

As Baek Yu-Seol descended the warp hole’s scaffold, a mage hurried over to greet him. The mage nodded upon noticing Baek Yu-Seol’s uniform coat and the golden pocket watch hanging from his waist.

“Welcome to Dairyble, Mage Baek Yu-Seol!”

“I’m not yet an official mage, but a cadet.”

“Haha, Stella’s cadets deserve the same treatment as regular mages."

This was the Stella Effect.

Using a warp hole was typically expensive, costing at least 100,000 credits per use. However, with a Stella cadet pass and a Stella pocket watch, it was entirely free. Moreover, even beyond the Holy Empire, Stella cadets were treated with great respect.

“Hey, look over there. It’s a Stella Cadet.”

“It’s true… I’m seeing Stella’s uniform for the first time.”

The uniform, a cloak resembling a long coat, prominently displayed the academy’s golden pentagram emblem, making it unmistakable to anyone.

It seemed almost designed to showcase its wearer as a member of Stella Academy.

‘This is the reason why K-University students always wear uniforms in Korea.’

Feeling more confident, Baek Yu-Seol walked with his head held high, occasionally fluttering his coat for effect. He couldn’t help but feel like his shoulders had grown as wide as a soccer field.

“Where are you going? If it’s your first time, we’ll guide you.”

“No. I’ve been here a few times.”

Since enrolling at Stella, Baek Yu-Seol had used the warp hole every weekend to explore nearby cities or go hunting. He wanted to test whether the knowledge from his past world applied here.

So far, the results have been promising. While there were some differences due to the world’s reality, most core elements remained consistent.

Over the past few weeks, he had been hunting low-level creatures classified as Level 1 Risks.

It wasn’t particularly difficult. 

He believed it stemmed from his recent experience of dealing with people who revealed killing intent towards him.

***

Today’s target was the fire-attribute lizard of level 2 Risk. 

While only slightly stronger and more durable than an ordinary beast, it was classified as Level 2 due to its magical defenses and swift movements, requiring combatants to be at least Class 2 or higher.

Baek Yu-Seol had raised his physical attack power, and there was no problem because he excelled in speed.

‘It should be around here…’

He ventured out of the stadium and wandered through the swamp for a while. The dense trees overhead blocked much of the sunlight, casting the area in darkness.

Despite this, his senses remained sharp.

A red-skinned lizard about a meter long darted past the other side of a bush.

[Sixth Sense]

Baek Yu-Seol pinpointed its exact location. All monsters contained some mana within their bodies, making them detectable with his ability.

It began moving faster. 

‘Should I use Flash to chase it?’

‘No.’

Although Baek Yu-Seol’s instantaneous speed surpassed the lizard’s, it had the advantage in sustained movement. For now, it was better to let the creature perceive him as prey.

When it thought it had finally had an opportunity, it quickly charged.

Whoosh!

Using a tree as a springboard, it leapt toward his side with incredible speed.

However, Baek Yu-Seol didn’t even look away and lazily stretched out Teripon.

Kak!

Keeek! Keek!

The blade pierced the lizard’s snout with precision, killing it instantly.

He stood still for a moment, surveying his work.

Baek Yu-Seol thought back to the flawless motion of his strike.

‘Um… I think I just looked cool.’

Baek Yu-Seol stretched out his sword and pierced the leaping lizard without hesitation. 

‘I must have looked like a master of martial arts.’

He held the pose for as long as possible, hoping someone was watching. But supporting the lizard’s weight with one arm proved challenging, and his hand started trembling.

“Ugh, stupid lizard, what did you eat to make you so heavy?"

Reluctantly, he dropped the lizard on the ground and cut off its tail.

"Ugh, what a hassle."

Hunting in this area was inconvenient, as the monsters were scattered far apart.

‘If I go to places like Rekin Town, I’ll find stuff like this everywhere.’

But the journey to Rekin Town was far too long, as not every city had warp holes. It reminded him of KTX trains in Korea, fast but limited in coverage.

{TN:- KTX:- Korea Train Express. They are high-speed trains but are sparse in Korea, and they do not run in every city.}

"It can’t be helped..."

Baek Yu-Seol stood up after freezing the lizard tail in a space expansion backpack.

The hunt wasn’t particularly difficult, so it didn’t take long.

***

Alchemy was not the main subject in Stella. 

It was considered an auxiliary skill, much like taking a sewing class at an art school.

However, students who took alchemy lectures often pursued it as their major, aiming to become full-fledged alchemists.

For this reason, having alchemists from the prestigious Alchemy Castle evaluate Stella students’ assignments was considered a significant opportunity.

“Everyone, have you prepared your ingredients?”

At Eisel’s question, the group members retrieved their prepared materials. Baek Yu-Seol opened a frozen wooden box he had brought and revealed its contents.

“This…”

Furrowing her brows and examining the tail of the fire-attribute lizard, she had a startled expression on her face.

“It’s fresh. Is it…?”

“Of course.”

Baek Yu-Seol had hunted the lizard just the day before, ensuring the ingredient came directly from the source.

“You seem to have a good eye for quality ingredients,” Eisel remarked, clearly pleased as a slight smile appeared on her lips.

“Did you study the recipe in advance?”

“Of course.”

“Yes, of course.”

“Good. Now, the only thing left to do is make it perfect.”

Just then, the classroom door swung open, and three alchemists entered, accompanied by Alterisha and Professor Maizen Tyren.

“Before we begin the test, allow me to introduce three esteemed alchemists from the Alchemy Castle,” Maizen announced.

She introduced each alchemist, though none of them were familiar to Baek Yu-Seol. However, judging by the glint in the other students’ eyes, they clearly recognized them.

‘Seems like these guys are competent alchemists.’

Eisel clenched her fists, her enthusiasm overflowing.

However…

That enthusiasm was shattered before the test even began.

“The potion we’ll be making today is the Tyren Point Potion. Have you all prepared the ingredients?”

The other groups of students nodded, but Baek Yu-Seol’s group didn’t.

 “Professor, may I ask something?”

“What is it, Eisel?”

When Eisel raised her hand, Professor Maizen responded with a very friendly voice unlike before. She felt uneasy, but she could not help but ask.

“This task… It’s supposed to be the D Vitality Potion.”

“Oh, it was. But didn’t you get the notice? I changed it to a Tyren Point Potion.”

With a sad expression on her face, Eisel’s lips quivered.

“That’s… I wasn’t aware.”

“Really? But I made a clear announcement. Right, everyone?”

All the other students nodded their heads in agreement. 

Watching this, Baek Yu-Seol couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

‘Seriously? You’re really going to play this kind of game?’

He had anticipated that Maizen might try to pull something underhanded, but he hadn’t expected it to be so blatant.

Baek Yu-Seol recalled that there was a backstory connecting Maizen Tyren to the Skalven Empire, making her someone difficult to challenge even within the academy.

‘Even so, this is way out of hand.’

While grades didn’t matter much to Baek Yu-Seol personally, the stakes were different for the others.

Eisel was trying to build her career, while Maliwan and Kasahun had ambitions of becoming alchemists. A setback like this could have serious consequences for them.

'Was there something like this in the original novel?'

When Baek Yu-Seol gave a sideways glance to Flame, she looked at him with a puzzled face for reasons unknown to him.

Maizen smiled slightly and said to Eisel, “Wait, don’t tell me… you failed to prepare the ingredients?”

“…”

“Hm, that makes things difficult.”

Eisel and her teammates grew visibly paler, the weight of an unthinkable consequence creeping closer.

“For an alchemist who has to weave through innumerable branches of possibility and craft it into a single truth, losing concentration and messing up the ingredients is the biggest sin.”

“Ugh…”

There was, however, nothing they could do. As students, they had no choice but to accept any changes made by the professor.

“I guess I have no choice. Group 12 is—”

The word disqualified was just about to leave Maizen’s lips when—

“Is the Tyren Point Potion all we need to make?”

Baek Yu-Seol stepped forward.

“…What?”

“We just need to make the potion, right? Using the materials we have?” he clarified, a challenging tone in his voice. “You mean the famous potion you invented, Professor?”

He began sifting through the vast library of information in his Sentient Spec. Alchemy had been one of his main focuses during his gaming days, and he had meticulously recorded even the smallest recipe details.

One of Baek Yu-Seol’s favorite recipes.

[Tyren Point Potion Type B]

This was a recipe that Maizen Tyren had only invented later in the timeline of the original story. Baek Yu-Seol hadn’t intended to bring it up yet, but under the circumstances, he had no choice.

If the professor wanted to play dirty, he would respond in kind.

“I’ll make it. A potion made of different materials but with better performance than yours.”

Maizen’s expression darkened as the weight of Baek Yu-Seol’s words sank in.

“As always.”