I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 42

Eisel Morph’s magical display was nothing short of extraordinary. Her performance was even captured on video and swiftly spread among the crowd.

Naturally, it wasn’t long before the footage was clandestinely shared with magic scholars across the land, all eager to witness her astonishing prowess. Her magic - no, her artistry - created a tidal wave of excitement within the academic world.

Undoubtedly, Eisel’s magic was impressive, but many bishops and other mages also recognized the incredible skill of Baek Yu-Seol. 

From the beginning, he had proclaimed that his tactics were crafted solely for the bishop.

At first, his words seemed cryptic. The monsters were ferocious, and only knights appeared capable of subduing them.

But his words proved true. 

Baek Yu-Seol dedicated himself entirely to supporting Eisel’s magic, never once prioritizing his own safety in the arena.

His unwavering protection moved many mages who witnessed it, and his deft command of magic garnered widespread admiration.

The knight exists for the bishop. 

Wasn’t Baek Yu-Seol, who sacrificed everything for Eisel, the very embodiment of an ideal knight?

Every bishop dreamt of having a knight they could entrust their all to, just as Eisel had.

But such devotion was often just a dream, far from the harsh reality.

Even so, Baek Yu-Seol’s unyielding dedication to Eisel deeply touched the hearts of all who observed him.

[Mock Monster Battle Results]

[First place: Group 32 (Baek Yu-Seol, Eisel)]

[Second place: Group 31 (Ma Yu-Seong, Hong Bi-Yeon)] 

[Third place...]

"We lost completely,” Ma Yu-Seong said with a bitter expression as he looked at the scores on the classroom bulletin board. 

Beside him, Hong Bi-Yeon silently studied the overwhelming results.

First place: 199 points.

Second place: 127 points.

Surpassing 100 points was already considered a monumental feat. Two individuals taking down a large, counter-attribute monster had been unheard of before.

Yet seeing 199 points displayed above their own score was nothing short of staggering.

"I have to admit it. Baek Yu-Seol was more like a knight than me, and Eisel performed the bishop position better than you.”

"... Yeah."

Hong Bi-Yeon reluctantly acknowledged some of it. But there was one thing she couldn’t accept.

‘If my knight was Baek Yu-Seol…’

He existed solely for the bishop. 

Every strategy he devised, every position he took, and even the stage he selected… all were for the bishop to shine.

Ma Yu-Seong was undoubtedly an excellent knight, but in the end, Baek Yu-Seol was better. 

‘If Baek Yu-Seol was my knight, I could have wielded magic as powerful as Eisel’s.’

Yet, a creeping sense of unease took root.

‘Why is that commoner so devoted to Eisel?’

If a perfect knight existed, shouldn’t they serve her, the one destined to be the ultimate queen?

Instead, such a knight was taking care of another woman.

‘I should find out more about Baek Yu-Seol.’

Hong Bi-Yeon held out her hand to Ma Yu-Seong. 

It was the sort of handshake one exchanged to conclude a business partnership, not a gesture of friendship.

"This performance evaluation was tough. You did a good job, though." 

"Yeah, it'd be great to do it together again next time.” 

For some reason, Ma Yu-Seong’s voice seemed powerless, so Hong Bi-Yeon looked at him and added, "Don't be too hard on yourself. You did your best, and getting 127 points means we did well too." 

Ma Yu-Seong forced a bitter smile. 

‘You did your best…’

Did she know that ‘his best’ meant nothing to him?

"Actually, I had fun. It was exhilarating." 

"What?" Hong Bi-Yeon looked at him in surprise. 

"Yeah. Something from the depths of my heart… A burning sensation that makes me want to win immediately. I can’t stand it… Don’t you feel it too?" 

Hong Bi-Yeon looked genuinely bewildered. 

"No. Not at all." 

"Really? That's a shame." 

‘What’s with this weird guy?’

Not sure if he knew what Hong Bi-Yeon was thinking, Ma Yu-Seong said with a light smile, "I'll be going now." 

As he walked away, Hong Bi-Yeon couldn’t stop watching his retreating figure. After a while, she shook her head and turned back, unease gnawing at her.

She was heading back to Class S when she locked eyes with a woman.

Her jet-black hair gleamed like polished silk, her icy expression was unwavering, and her eyes were so pristine it felt as though nothing could tarnish them.

Standing nearly as tall as Hong Bi-Yeon’s 170 cm, she bore a third-year student badge.

‘… Sayeran.’

Hong Bi-Yeon furrowed her brow and looked away. She had no interest in dealing with Sayeran, not after such a humiliating defeat.

Sayeran Orkan.

Hong Bi-Yeon furrowed her brow and looked away. She had no interest in dealing with Sayeran, not after such a humiliating defeat.

She supported Hong Bi-Yeon’s sister, Hong Si-Hwa.

News of Hong Bi-Yeon’s loss to a group of commoners and traitors had surely reached her ears, prompting her to appear… calm and composed, as always.

A vexing woman who maintained her cold dignity even in loss, Sayeran was known to manipulate any situation to her political advantage.

Hong Bi-Yeon changed direction to avoid her. In her youthful inexperience, she didn’t yet realize that even small gestures could be interpreted as weakness by someone like Sayeran.

Luckily, Hong Bi-Yeon had someone she could rely on at times like these. It wasn’t her mother, a friend, or someone else; it was her teacher, Hameryl. 

‘I think I'll go see Teacher Hameryl.’

***

Elsewhere in the school, a group of students were buzzing about the recent mock battle. 

"Hey, did you see group 32? They were amazing!" 

“They were amazing, all right. At first, I thought it was the professors demonstrating magic when they played the video without explanation.” 

"And what about Baek Yu-Seol? That guy took on five monsters all by himself!"

“My Monster Studies professor said that Baek Yu-Seol must have near-expert knowledge in monster studies. It was a win made possible due to the broad knowledge of the traits of monsters.”

Even after the battle, the students couldn’t stop praising Baek Yu-Seol and Eisel.

Despite losing the battle, Flame was feeling relieved and satisfied. She had given it her all, and in the end, that was all that mattered. 

Now it was time for class.

Seated in small clusters, students cast glances at Eisel, whispering among themselves.

Though a sense of distance still lingered between Eisel and her peers, it was no longer rooted in disdain.

However, things were a little different now. 

Before, they simply loathed her, but now, they felt a sense of awe towards Eisel.

‘If things had gone according to the original storyline…’

Eisel Morph’s breakdown should have already begun by now—trapped within Jeremy’s web, unable to break free after the shock of the recent mock battle.

Left to spiral further, she would have eventually faded away, becoming nothing more than a shadow of her former self.

But that future was now completely overturned. 

The Eisel they once knew was gone. In her place stood someone unbroken, laughing confidently and basking in the admiration of her peers.

'Who would have thought... that the crystal flower would bloom so quickly.'

That magic was a trademark and trump card created by Eisel after overcoming all the hardships and challenges in her life. 

And now, she was able to showcase it to everyone so early on. Perhaps it was all thanks to Baek Yu-Seol.

Flame couldn’t deny it.

‘Baek Yu-Seol definitely regressed for Eisel’s sake.’

In the original story, Eisel and Ma Yu-Seong’s romance had ended in tragedy, leading to the world’s destruction.

But what if there was more to the tale… an untold chapter?

Maybe it would be something like this.

Baek Yu-Seol, a nameless extra, had loved Eisel in silence his entire life, never earning her affection. Yet, as the world crumbled around them, he made the ultimate choice… to turn back time and change their fate.

‘Is that too far-fetched?’

Having seen too many romance stories, strange thoughts kept coming to her mind. 

However, in this incident, Baek Yu-Seol created a stage solely for Eisel, something that no one else could do.

How much effort had he poured into preparing for this moment?

Of course, Flame would have been horrified to learn that everything had been improvised on the spot with Sentient Specs. But since she had no way of knowing the truth, her romantic delusion only deepened.

‘It's unrequited love.’

A man who would risk his very existence, erasing himself from memory, to build a future where the woman he loved could be happy.

‘He won't have any regrets in his final moments, will he?’

'Ugh, that’s just too sad….’

Flame felt an inexplicable tightness in her chest. It was one thing to read about tragic love stories in books, but watching one unfold before her eyes was overwhelming.

Baek Yu-Seol said he wanted to live, which probably meant he didn't want to be forgotten. 

And so, Flame made up her mind.

She would find a way to ensure Baek Yu-Seol’s existence wasn’t erased from the world.

‘If not me, then no one can do it.’

A regressor couldn’t reveal their secret, which meant only someone who had discovered that truth, someone like her, could help him.

‘I must find a way.’

All of a sudden, something came to her mind.

He would do anything to fulfill his heartfelt love, even if it meant giving up his existence as the price and turning back time.

‘What would it feel like to be loved so deeply?’ she wondered.

‘… No, why am I thinking like this again?’

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. 

***

The mock battle was a success. He hadn't expected it, but not only Eisel, even he had been given a high score.

Of course, his grades in other classes were so abysmal that securing a scholarship still seemed impossible. But if he could continue improving, he might at least avoid getting expelled from the academy.

He was feeling a bit anxious because his grades were so bad right now. 

[Episode 5 ‘Mock Monster Battle’ has been completed.]

[You have gained a massive amount of EXP!]

[You have successfully led the story in a great direction, and as a reward, you will receive an additional bonus from the Constellation Project.]

“Perfect.”

Baek Yu-Seol grinned. Whenever he deviated from the storyline in creative ways, those shady Constellation beings rewarded him handsomely.

'What should I get this time?'

He had thought about it beforehand, but he still hadn't decided. Although he was tempted to ask for an enhancement of his Flash or Mana Leakage Delay, he thought that would be a bit of a waste. 

Besides, he wanted to get something that would be useful for the upcoming episode, [Familiar Contract Ceremony.]

Obtaining a magical item that could help with this would be ideal.

Having a contract with a familiar was an incredibly rare opportunity in the magical world. Stella Academy provided a chance for magic apprentices to form a contract with a familiar only once, and only a mere 5% to 10% of students were successful. 

There was no guarantee that he would successfully form a contract with a familiar. 

'But items that increase familiarity can only be used once and become useless afterward…’

What he needed was something versatile—an item that could strengthen his Mana Leakage Delay and assist with the upcoming ceremony.

A two-birds-with-one-stone kind of reward.

Suddenly, he thought of a great item. "I'd like an item reward."

[What item would you like?]

“The…”

After a moment of hesitation, he confidently selected an item from his memories.

[Leafanel’s Green Key] 

While it wasn’t as powerful as the artifact-grade equipment his original character had wielded, it was still a rare treasure coveted by high-level players. It had a single purpose… communicating with a divine spirit and unlocking a specific dungeon door.

‘Will its function be downgraded?’

He waited in anticipation. 

[... System review complete.]

[Reward issued.]

"Great!" he exclaimed with delight. 

The item had been granted in its entirety, untouched and unaltered. While some might have felt disappointed by its limited functionality, he knew its true worth.

‘Leafanel’s Green Key... Why didn’t I think of this sooner?’

Leafanel’s Green Key was infamous among players. While it was mostly useless at higher levels, it offered massive experience gains in its designated dungeon for beginners.

Originally, Baek Yu-Seol had acquired the key to train a secondary character, though he never had the chance to use it.

Little did he know that one day, he would have the opportunity to use it in real life. 

All that remained was to figure out how to leave the academy grounds.

‘How am I going to go out?’

Since the necromancer incident, the academy’s security had tightened significantly, making it far more difficult to sneak off-campus.

"Sigh..." 

Baek Yu-Seol ran his hand through his hair, feeling helpless. 

Suddenly, he remembered how he used to go out in a video game where there were similar constraints.

‘So, what did I do then?’

The answer was simple and didn't require much thought. 

‘Club.’

Yes, he had joined a club.