I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 36

“Wow, they’re generous.”

Back at the dormitory, Baek Yu-Seol pulled out the check tucked inside the certificate, and his jaw dropped. He hadn’t expected a reward as massive as five million credits.

"It's been ages since I last had beef."

For wealthy people like Hong Bi-Yeon or Hae Won-Ryang, it might not mean much. But for people like Eisel and him, who were struggling financially, it was a huge reward.

‘How many chickens could this buy?’

He had been earning a decent allowance through weekend hunting, but it wasn’t enough. This sweet bonus significantly lifted his spirits.

In addition, that was not the end of the stream of rewards for this incident.

'The necromancer's force vessel.’

Force vessels, also known as a second heart, were objects every necromancer created. Only mages who dealt with spiritual forms could create it, and with necromancers’ recent rarity, it was a difficult item to come by. Baek Yu-Seol had received a completely mana-drained force vessel.

He had been ready to demand it if they hadn’t offered it to him, but the other 12 students who participated in the battle willingly gave him the lion’s share of the rewards.

Still, he found such generosity unnecessary, so the spoils were distributed among them.

‘This is enough for me.'

In this world, managing how to carry items was crucial. Baek Yu-Seol planned to equip himself with many items in the future and couldn’t afford to be weighed down.

Thus, he intended to create a ‘subspace’ using this force vessel. Although he currently lacked the materials and technology, he was confident that with Alterisha’s skills, it would be achievable soon. Of course, to make that happen, he’d eventually have to solve a lingering problem.

‘I'll deal with that soon enough.’

Next, it was the reward received from the System.

[Episode 4 'Attack of the Necromancer' has been completed.]

[You have acquired a large amount of EXP!]

[By uniquely developing the story, the Constellation Project promises additional rewards.]

In the game, Ma Yu-Seong single-handedly defeated all the necromancer's skeleton soldiers.

After destroying the soldiers, he even took down the main body on his own.

Baek Yu-Seol had taken a different approach. Instead of going it alone, he worked with the other students to fend off the necromancer while minimizing damage. By his standards, it was quite an achievement.

‘It’s not surprising that the constellation or whatever is offering additional rewards.’

[List of rewards] 

[1. A downgraded version of an item used in-game.]

[2. A downgraded version of skill acquired in-game.]

[3. EXP]

“The same rewards again?”

He wasn’t complaining. He was starting to realize his lack of strength, so these rewards were exactly what he needed.

'What should I get?'

Even downgraded items or skills would eventually return to their original power as he cleared more episodes and accumulated narrative strength. However, that would take time.

More importantly, he had just come to a stark realization: he was too weak. Waiting around wasn’t an option. He needed strength now.

‘I am too weak.’

That was one thing he realized anew while dealing with the necromancer.

The necromancer had already been exhausted from summoning six elite skeletons, yet Baek Yu-Seol had struggled against the weakened opponent all day.

If it had been Hong Bi-Yeon or Eisel, the battle wouldn’t have dragged on so long.

And if it had been Ma Yu-Seong? He could’ve likely defeated the necromancer in a single blow.

However, that wasn’t the case for Baek Yu-Seol. He had struggled all day against a weakened opponent.

'It's no use trying to be the same as everyone else. I have to get ahead as much as possible with the knowledge I have.’

It was still too early to receive the item. Right now, his priority was Mana Leakage Delay and Flash.

Enhancing Mana Leakage Delay would boost his stats, attack power, and even extend his limited lifespan, which could otherwise end before he graduated high school.

However, he had some ideas for strengthening Mana Leakage Delay, so he decided to set that aside for now.

What was left was…

“Use the EXP to upgrade Flash.”

[Rewards are being distributed.]

[The EXP required for the skill [Flash] is met, and the rank is raised.]

[Flash]

[Class: 2]

[Maximum range: 12m]

[Maximum number of charges: 3]

[Cooldown: 3 seconds]

The maximum number of charges had increased to three. While the range hadn’t improved, this was enough for him.

‘It doesn’t matter much anyway.’

'Can I use Flash more freely now…?'

With three charges, the synergy created could be immense. He had been worried the skill wouldn’t rank up as a reward, but luckily, Flash’s experience had been almost full.

'This is enough.’

With this newfound flexibility, he turned his thoughts to the next issue.

‘Eisel isn’t in good shape.’

In the original story, Eisel grew stronger through countless hardships. But the necromancer incident seemed to have left her deeply shaken.

Since he hadn’t read the original work, Baek Yu-Seol wasn’t sure how Eisel overcame such events. He only knew that her struggles were just as bad, if not worse, in the original story.

But he had no intention of leaving Eisel alone.

'Now that Flash’s charge has reached three, I can put my ideas into motion.'

He planned to help Eisel realize the incredible talent hidden within her. Surprisingly, the way to do that was simple. All he had to do was give her a small nudge, helping her talent bloom.

And that moment was coming sooner than expected.

***

Early morning.

Eisel swam in the dreamy world.

She seemed to be hovering in the air.

It wasn’t unpleasant. A cold wind brushed against her cheeks. As she reached out to grasp the wind’s edge, it twisted around her fingers like threads.

'Something is wrong.'

It was as if something was stuck inside her. Subconsciously, Eisel tried to push it out again and again.

— … Sel

Relief. It was as though the suffocating sensation had finally been cleared.

Eisel poured every last bit of her strength into the effort.

— Cadet Eisel!

At the sound of a voice in her head, she suddenly opened her eyes.

She looked around and saw her fellow students, seated cross-legged, meditating just as she had been.

And in the middle of it, the professor of Meditation to the Abyss, Farhel, was staring at her.

'Ah... Did I fall asleep?’

Since meditation class started in the early morning, she would sometimes doze off like this. However, the professor often emphasized that meditation was not the same as sleeping.

A translucent butterfly flew past Eisel's ear, conveying Professor Farhel’s voice.

— Cadet Eisel. How could you use magic during meditation?

…Huh?

Startled, she looked up.

Sure enough, not far above her, a lone icicle hovered in midair.

She had cast magic without even realizing it.

'Oh, when...?'

It was the first time she had experienced anything like this. Stranger still, none of the other students seemed to notice it either.

Professor Farhel urged her through the butterfly.

— If I hadn't woken up and discovered it, we would’ve been in big trouble. Come on, undo the magic.

At those words, Eisel hurriedly canceled the magic. 

Suddenly, she realized the implication behind the professor’s words.

'Even the professor didn't know I was casting magic...?' 

Mages were highly sensitive to the slightest fluctuations of mana. Creating a magic circle typically caused an audible commotion.

For some reason, goosebumps ran through her body.

No mage had ever experienced anything like that before.

'Could it be... Is this also the effect of meditation?'

Baek Yu-Seol had recommended the subject, so she had been curious about it. Initially skeptical, she had to admit that the effects were not just good, they were astonishing.

The other students might have looked like they were simply dozing off or daydreaming, but during meditation, their focus improved rapidly, and their casting speed increased noticeably.

Today was even more surprising. She had only imagined the magic and hadn’t even calculated the formula, yet a complete magic circle had formed.

In this case, it was possible because she had a perfect understanding of the magic in question and was only using simple Class 1 magic, but…

‘Amazing.’

No, it wasn’t just amazing, it was groundbreaking. Magic progressed at a faster rate if one didn’t sit beside a desk from dusk till dawn and memorized magic formulas.

If she had studied normally, would she have been able to witness this level of achievement? No, it was absolutely impossible. There was a limit to growth through study.

Suddenly, she remembered Baek Yu-Seol, who had recommended this subject.

Could it be that he knew this fact and recommended meditation? But didn't he believe that the ancient way of fighting was better?

'... I don't know.’

Eisel’s mind was a mess, and she couldn’t even concentrate on meditation anymore.

Ding! Dong!

When the lecture was over, the students rushed out in groups. 

Eisel was alone.

“What do you want for lunch? I heard a new lunch menu is coming out today.”

“Ah, cheesecake and pasta with lots of red sauce.”

“I’ll have that too.”

"Let's go!"

Easel didn’t head to the cafeteria.

The menu there wasn’t cost-effective… Not because she lacked money.

Instead, she preferred the school store, which sold affordable and inexpensive food. Her favorite was the mini-cup noodles, which cost only 990 credits.

Sometimes, when she felt depressed or happy, she treated herself to red bean buns which cost 1,200 credits.

Today, though, felt like a special occasion. She patted her now-thick wallet, and her cheeks turned slightly red.

Five million credits. For some of the school’s wealthier students, that might be the cost of a single meal. But to her, it was a precious and life-changing amount.

She still remembered the days when she had picked corn stalks to pay for her entrance fees, often going hungry. At least now, she didn’t have to worry about food.

For that reason, she would have a very special lunch.

“...”

As she lingered for a while in the frozen section of the store, Easel found what she just wanted to eat.

Red bean cream bun. It was an expensive item costing 1,500 credits each.

Rumble!

She grabbed it and her hand shook as she tried to place it on the counter. She supported her trembling hand with the other, and after forcing herself to do a quick calculation, she hurried out to an outdoor table and ripped open the wrapping paper.

‘How long has it been since I’ve experienced this kind of extravagance?’

Her mouth watered as she prepared to take a bite, but a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

From her progress in meditation to surviving the necromancer’s clutches, from defeating a dark mageas a first-year to receiving five million credits in prize money…

It was all thanks to Baek Yu-Seol.

With that thought in her mind, she stopped holding back. She took a big bite of the bread into her mouth.

In an instant, all anxiety evaporated.

'It’s sweet...!'

The combination of the creamy filling and sweet red bean paste doubled her sense of happiness.

'I have to do my best in the afternoon too!'

Having devoured the red bean bun with almost military efficiency, she stood up vigorously and stretched herself. 

Suddenly, a voice came from beside her.

“How are you, Eisel?”

Eisel stifled her yawn in surprise and jumped back. "Wh-Wha-What's wrong?!"

Jeremy Skalven laughed lightly as if he was having fun.

His bright, sparkling smile wasn’t overly masculine. It had a pure, boyish charm that made her heart flutter.

'C-crown Prince Jeremy...?'

He came one step closer. “Eisel. Have you joined any club?”

“No, I don't have one.” 

“Really? Perfect timing.”

Perfect timing? For what?

Her brain felt like it had short-circuited, leaving her frozen in place as Jeremy gave her a dazzling smile.

“Why don’t you join our club?”

It was a pretty—no, incredibly—tempting proposition to Eisel.