I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 49

After clearing the path to Divine Spirit Leafanel’s resting place, Baek Yu-Seol departed and returned to the academy.

Although Instructor Lee Han-Wol cast him a suspicious glance, he refrained from taking any action.

‘I should take Eisel to some authentic restaurants soon to clear suspicion…’

With that decision settled, Baek Yu-Seol hurried back to the world tree and trained diligently for several weeks.

[The trait 'Mana Leakage Delay' has leveled up!]

At last, he was seeing tangible results.

[Mana Leakage Delay Lv.3]

• Physical Strength: +8%
• Agility: +12%
• Senses: +20%
• Sixth Sense: Activated by consuming the user's mental strength, it detects mana phenomena within a radius of 24m and activates cognitive acceleration. Automatically triggered when the user is deemed to be in danger.
• Blood Mana Circulation Rate: 2%

He swiftly examined the improvements, and the effects were astounding.

Most notably, Baek Yu-Seol was thrilled by the slight increase in his mana circulation rate.

<Baek Yu-Seol>

• Stats

[Physical Strength: 2 stars (49%)]

[Sense: 2 stars (34%)]

[Agility: 2 stars (33%)]

[Stamina: 2 stars (07%)]

[Endurance: 0 stars (97%)]

[Mental Strength: 1 star (59%)]

[Magic Power: ~]

Baek Yu-Seol’s ability stats also rose rapidly, nearly reaching the midpoint of 2 stars.

However, this progress was far from remarkable.

On average, first-year Stella students boast physical strength and agility above 1 star, while mental strength, senses, and mana stats often exceed 3 stars.

The main characters would even have several 4-star or higher stats.

By comparison, Baek Yu-Seol’s abilities were dismal. He still had a long journey ahead.

While others focused on mana as their defining strength, his priority lay in physical prowess.

Yet he wasn’t even halfway to 2 stars in that regard.

He needed to press forward relentlessly, enduring pain, shedding blood, and pushing his body to its limits.

Conquering the pressure of the divine spirit, he drew out the Teripon Sword and took a deep breath, unleashing the full force of his blade.

Ziiiiing!

Although its length hadn’t increased, the density of the beam had intensified, making it slightly but noticeably more robust and unyielding.

"Huff...!"

The pressure within this space remained challenging to withstand, but thanks to his heightened control over mana leakage delay, he had now become capable of wielding the sword with confidence.

Up, down, left, right. He maneuvered his sword without any foundational style or technique.

It was not a joke.

Swordsmanship typically revolved around clashing blades, but that held no value for him.

Rarely would he face ordinary sword fights. What he needed was the ability to confront magical attacks head-on.

Regrettably, no master in this world could teach him such techniques.

Unlike other characters who found mentors and achieved enlightenment, he had to carve his own path.

It was a daunting task.

He was still unsure of the best way to use Flash. In the game, teleportation allowed for quick thrusts or slashes, but reality demanded precision.

He recalled his duel with the necromancer. A missed strike that failed to hit a vital spot resulted in a counterattack and left him gravely injured.

At that moment, he thought...

'...In the end, there’s only one thing I need to master.'

A straightforward technique… thrusting and slashing with deadly accuracy.

To master it, he had to swing the sword repeatedly, sharpening both speed and precision.

Training under this pressure would surely amplify the results, much like wearing weighted clothing in martial arts training.

Lacking formal techniques, he mimicked what he had seen in movies and comics.

Then, all at once, it felt as though a hole had opened in his lungs.

"Cough... Gulp!"

Mana erupted violently from his heart, and an unexpected message appeared:

[You have partially mastered a special mana breathing technique.]

[Skill acquired: 'Breath of the Spirit.']

The world turned yellow and began spinning around.

Feeling heavy, it became difficult to maintain his balance. Sensations all over his body became overly heightened, leading to a rising sensation of nausea, and even his ears felt clogged.

The world started to feel distant.

"Ugh...!"

Baek Yu-Seol’s legs began losing strength. If he collapsed, the pressure of this space might suffocate him.

Grasping desperately at the ground, he forced himself into a seated position.

Suddenly, a voice echoed. ‘Hey, what are you doing? Can't you hear my voice? Can you hear me? You can’t? I wish you could.’

"Ah! What the...? You scared me!"

Suddenly, the world snapped back to normal. The nausea vanished, and his breathing, which had been strained moments ago, returned to normal.

"Haah, haah..."

A faint whisper lingered in his ear.

That was undoubtedly the unmistakable voice of a ghost.

It was the voice he constantly heard from the horror drama he watched when he was young, The Haunted Village.

— Huh? Did you hear my voice?

"Huh?"

And it spoke the exact lines from the show!

He quickly looked around, but there was nothing there.

— You heard me, right?

“Who are you... Where are you?”

— I'm here. Look this way.

Slowly turning his head to the source of the voice, there was indeed someone there.

Divine Spirit Leafanel.

"...Huh?"

‘No, wait.’

‘Really?’

‘Did Leafanel really speak to me?’

"What…? A corpse is speaking?"

— I'm not dead! You wretched human!

"What the heck? How are you able to speak?"

— I've been talking all along. You must be deaf.

"No... Then why couldn't I hear you before?"

— That's because you're becoming more like me. Maybe that's why.

"What?"

— Just now, you exhaled in the exact same way as me. That's impossible for humans. It's a breath only divine spirits can do.

‘Now that I think about it... a message did appear.’

[Breath of the Spirit Lv.1]

[Description: Through the breath of the spirit, one can harmonize with nature. However, the exchange rate of mana in the bloodstream amplifies tremendously, leading to the occurrence of divine erosion.]

[Effects]

[First Form: Physical Strength enhancement by 107%]

[Second Form: Agility enhancement by 125%]

[Third Form: Sense enhancement by 147%]

[Fourth Form: Endurance enhancement by 101%]

[Maximum duration: 15 seconds]

[Divine Beast erosion rate: 1%]

"What is this...?"

He had gained an incredible skill.

Although the duration was short, it temporarily boosted his physical stats to a 4-star level… far beyond his current capabilities.

But the cost was staggering.

The Divine beast erosion.

In essence, it meant losing his humanity.

Divine beasts sustained their existence with mana. For someone like him, whose mana leaked uncontrollably, losing his physical form would mean death.

It was a powerful trump card, but using it would slowly shorten his lifespan.

— It’s fascinating. This is the second time a human has exhaled the breath of the spirits. You, too, have such a faint presence. There seems to be no mana within you as if you don't exist in this world.

"What does that mean...?"

— It would be best not to stay here for too long. You are currently harmonizing with me. If you continue like this, we might eventually become one. I wouldn’t like that. Neither would you.

The rapid influx of information made his head spin for a moment.

‘... I have a rough idea what she means, though.’

There was not a trace of mana within his body.

In a world where everything was sustained by mana, that made his existence weak and fragile… his lifespan unnaturally short.

All lifeforms and objects needed mana to define their identity. Even when surrounded by external mana, they retained a sense of self due to their internal energy.

But he didn’t have that ability. If the mana of the meadow rushed into him, he would become the meadow. If the mana of the sea rushed into him, he would become the sea.

This vulnerability - being swept away by external forces - was called mana leakage disorder.

He was aware of it, but experiencing it firsthand felt quite strange.

‘... Anyway, it's true that I gained a good skill that can be used in emergencies. Let's think of it positively.’

‘It's what they call a decisive blow.’

His eyes met with the spirit, Leafanel. Though her body remained still, her presence felt oddly aware, as if she were watching him.

"So why did you suddenly start talking?"

— Well, I have about 1,269 things I want to say, but where should I start?

“Start with what’s important to me.”

— Well, that's a shame. Then, here's the first question! Why do you wriggle on the floor like that?

‘What?’

"Training."

— Training?

"I can't use magic. I have mana leakage disorder. So I practice swordsmanship."

— Then why are you so bad at it?

"... And what do you know?"

— I know everything! I've seen someone just like you before. That person was skilled with a sword. They could cut through magic and divine spirits alike.

"W-What...?"

He’d never heard such a story. Even in the game, there was no mention of a swordsman with that ability. If they were skilled enough to cut through magic, they must have been quite powerful.

Was it possible for such a person to exist?

It was not impossible.

Baek Yu-Seol had already proven he could slash low-level spells with Teripon despite his limited training.

Perhaps in ancient times, when overpowered weapons didn’t exist, there had been others with mana leakage disorder who trained their physical bodies to the extreme.

Not everything was revealed in the game, after all.

Keeping that fact in mind, he asked, "Who is that person? Can I meet them?"

— No, you can't. They were killed by the twelve disciples of the Progenitor Mage.

"The Progenitor Mage..."

He was a person who lived in a much older era than he thought.

— I was close to that person.”

"... So?"

— I saw their swordsmanship a lot. They were excellent. You're just mediocre.

"I know that already."

Baek Yu-Seol wasn’t sure what to make of this new information.

— I can teach you that person’s breathing technique and their movements. I recorded everything.

"... What? Really?"

— In return, there's one condition.

Of course, there was a catch.

But if what that divine spirit said was true, and if he could learn it, his growth would undoubtedly change dramatically.

It was a rare chance… an opportunity to meet the master he thought he’d never have.

No matter what the condition was, he was ready to accept it.

— Save me.

Except for absurd conditions.

"How can I save you? Should I perform CPR? Oh, you don't have a heart, so that won't work. Too bad."

— Don't make fun of me, you evil human.

"What can I do for you then?"

—  I can’t leave this place, and no one else can understand me. I’m half-dead.

"So?"

“A heart…. Get me a heart.”

When the answer came, he was engulfed in deep disappointment. It was an impossible request.

Leafanel, just before becoming a divine spirit, had immense power. How could he possibly acquire the heart of another divine spirit?

"I'm sorry, but that's impossible."

— It doesn't have to be a divine spirit's heart. Just... a pure heart of a divine beast…

"If you use that, you’ll lose most of your powers, you know?"

At those words, Leafanel’s voice softened.

— It's better than being trapped here forever...

For some reason, her words struck a chord within him.

Forever, alone.

He couldn’t even begin to imagine the depth of her solitude, trapped in this place for countless years. A heavy weight settled in his chest.

"Well, if it's just an ordinary divine beast’s heart... it might not be completely impossible."

— Really?

"Yeah."

After all, the reason why he came here and went through all this training was because of the upcoming Familiar Contract Ceremony. At that time, he would meet countless divine beasts for sure.

Hostile, friendly, and neutral divine beasts.

But even in a gathering of such beings, obtaining a heart worthy of Leafanel’s needs would be no simple task.

‘It’s much more achievable compared to finding a divine spirit’s heart.’

‘If it can fill the only part that is missing in her, I’m willing to put in the effort.”

"I'll do my best."

— Thank you! I'll be waiting!

Leafanel beamed at him, and despite her centuries-long existence, her smile was so pure and innocent that it caught him off guard.

— Oh, by the way, I have something for you. It's a token of our promise.

"A token?"

— Yes! Check the pillar I’m standing on.

Dragging his heavy legs, he approached the pillar and spotted a necklace woven from flowers and grass.

"What's this?"

— It's proof that you're my friend.

"Oh? What does it do? Can I get discounts at luxury stores with it?"

— It means you’re my friend.

"... Uh, okay."

He had never heard of such an item in the game. It seemed simple, but if it was given by a divine spirit, it had to serve a purpose.

‘At the very least, it can be used as firewood if there was no fire…’

‘Wait a moment.’

‘A token from a divine spirit?’

Divine spirits were legendary beings in this world. No matter how plain the necklace looked, it would surely play a critical role in the future.

***

Late at night.

Stella Academy. Alterisha’s research laboratory.

The once chaotic and cluttered space had been transformed into a proper research environment, thanks to Baek Yu-Seol’s constant cleaning efforts.

Tick, tock.

It was already past 3 a.m., yet Alterisha continued her research. The presentation was tomorrow, after all.

The Alchemical Engineering Cross Technique.

Three hundred years ago, an alchemist had declared, “I’ve found a formula that solves everything! But first, I need the restroom!”

He died in that restroom.

If this formula was correct, it would be such a tremendous discovery that it could turn the entire alchemical academic community upside down.

Since then, countless scholars had tried and failed to complete the formula, leaving it unsolved and deemed impossible.

However…

That formula...

"Ah!"

Had finally been solved.

In the cramped research lab and in the dead of night, Alterisha had finally solved it.

Thud.

Alterisha, who had successfully completed the verification process,collapsed to the floor, drained of all strength.

"I did it..."

Her vision blurred, and her mind spun.

‘This can’t be a dream, right?’

She pinched her cheek, wincing at the sharp pain that brought tears to her eyes.

Turning her head, she spotted a boy dozing in the corner… Baek Yu-Seol.

The boy who visited her every day while she worked tirelessly to solve the formula.

The boy who had been the greatest help in making the impossible possible. Baek Yu-Seol.

She wanted to wake him up right away and boast about her achievement, but she refrained.

After all, he looked so exhausted.

Instead, she added one more name to her paper.

[Co-author: Baek Yu-Seol]

No matter how she looked at it, this discovery wouldn’t have been possible without him. It was only right that his name stood beside hers.

"Hooh!"

She took a deep breath.

Her heart raced with excitement and fear as tomorrow’s presentation loomed.

But she wasn’t alone.

Not when someone had believed in her and worked just as hard for her success.

Clutching the paper to her chest, she whispered softly.

‘The Alchemical Engineering Cross Technique.’

How many scientists dreamed of a new era when alchemy and magic engineering, once considered impossible to harmonize, merged together?

If that was the case, then tomorrow...

The world would awaken to the dawn of a new era.