I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 58

The next morning.

Few students stirred at dawn, just as the sun began its ascent.

That was why Hong Bi-Yeon favored this hour.

Splash!

Hong Bi-Yeon immersed herself in the Class S exclusive swimming pool, diving deeper and deeper. The cold water enveloped her, quelling the heat that burned within.

Phew!

After lingering beneath the surface, Hong Bi-Yeon emerged, gasping for breath.

Drip, drip…

The sensation of water droplets flowing down her cheek from the ends of her hair was vivid.

She wiped her fair white skin.

Once, her body had been marred by burn scars… marks she had despised.

But now, those hateful memories surfaced unbidden.

She remembered her childhood, engulfed in flames.

No… she had been forced to walk through fire.

‘You were born with the blessing of fire.’

Mother, it hurts.

‘Can't you endure this much?’

Please, it hurts too much.

The child she had been had sobbed, forced to burn her own flesh, to survive within the inferno, to devour the flames.

‘You can do it.’

I can't.

‘This is all for your sake.’

It's too painful.

The child screamed, pleading for mercy… for it to stop.

But her mother never relented.

Whoosh!

In her memory, red-hot flames danced, leaving nothing but dreadful scars.

"Ugh..."

Suddenly, her legs gave out. Hong Bi-Yeon sank to the ground, her body trembling.

"Haah, ha..."

Her hands touched her skin, feeling the smooth, unblemished surface.

Though the burns had long since healed, the memories still lingered, searing her soul with wounds that refused to fade.

Wounds that might never heal in this lifetime.

The reason she always enjoyed diving deep into the water was because of that past.

Whenever she swam, it felt as though the invisible scars etched into her heart were being washed away.

Stepping out of her swimsuit and into the shower, she let the water cascade over her. Her swollen face reflected back at her from the mirror.

It was the price she paid for shedding countless tears last night.

'Has it still not gone down…?'

She thought briefly of the memoir [Dear Mother] by Baek Yu-Seol but shook her head to banish it from her mind.

After finishing her shower and returning to the dormitory, she dressed neatly in her school uniform and turned her attention to the vanity.

The table was cluttered with luxurious cosmetics, yet she rarely touched them.

But today, she felt a bit plain... No, very haggard. Blaming it all on that insufferable commoner, Hong Bi-Yeon dabbed blush onto her cheeks.

She tapped the blush that she never used on her cheek and sighed.

What was she hoping for? It was her own fault.

As she touched up her appearance, her eyes wandered to her hair.

At the ends of her hair was a very faint hint of red. It was so faint that it could only be seen under the light. 

It bothered her.

After quickly finishing her makeup, she checked that there was still some time before class and headed toward the classroom bulletin board.

It was time to choose a team for the persona gate.

Several practice gates were already full, evidence that most students had submitted their applications. However, there were still some practice gates with available spots.

‘Hmm…’

She slowly looked through the list of applications for the practice gates.

[Team A-3]

[Hamilla, Amila, Karujin...]

Hamilla and Amila, the sisters of Team A-3.

Hamilla from second-year Class S and Amila from first-year Class S had a high chance of successfully breaking through the gate together.

Unfortunately, their positions overlapped.

Just like Hong Bi-Yeon, if she were to target the same gate as the girls who mainly used firepower-based magic, they would only end up competing against each other and reducing each other's scores.

[Team B-6]

[Pung Harang, Dale Locke, Pa Chae-Ryeong...]

Here, a student named Pung Harang caught her eye. He was a first-year Class S knight, known for using aggressive and predatory wind-based magic, unlike the composed and suppressing magic used by Knight Ma Yu-Seong.

But to Hong Bi-Yeon, he was unreliable. From the perspective of a bishop, he fought too recklessly, making it burdensome.

Despite that, other mages seemed captivated by his beast-like nature, and he had amassed a large following. However, she couldn't understand it.

Apart from that, there was Kyle, ranked 17th in Class A, who efficiently utilized strategy and tactics, and Hae Won-Ryang from Class S.

She was slightly drawn to the gate they belonged to, but as soon as she discovered another list, all those thoughts came to a halt.

[Team C-7]

[Flame, Eisel... and Baek Yu-Seol.]

'...There he is again.'

That boy, Baek Yu-Seol, seemed to orbit Eisel.

Recently, they even started a club together, frequently ate meals, and shared many classes. They often ended up in the same group projects or practices, leaving no doubt that there was some kind of relationship between them.

It irked her.

Of all people, it had to be Eisel from the Morph family.

Baek Yu-Seol was a talent she coveted. If he ended up in Eisel’s grasp, reclaiming him would be troublesome. Thus, Hong Bi-Yeon swiftly made her choice.

[First-year Class S, Rank 5, Hong Bi-Yeon.]

[You have chosen the C-7 practice field.]

She turned away with a satisfied expression. This action didn't hold much meaning.

It was merely an effort to recruit talented individuals into her kingdom, as a princess should.

***

The day of the gate training had arrived.

All the first-year students gathered in Stella Dome.

The dome resembled a fractured plain, its vastness marred by cracks.

These were the persona gates… or rather, entry points to the practice gates.

They gave off an eerie feeling.

All those numerous persona gates were nothing but fakes for training, except for C-7.

Flame took a deep breath. ‘Phew, I'm nervous…’

Eisel faced countless hardships in the original story.

With no one to rely on and everyone standing against her, she had to conquer the real persona gate.

But now, things were different.

Eisel wasn't alone anymore.

Flame caught a glimpse of Baek Yu-Seol.

Beside him stood Ma Yu-Seong, radiating a calm and composed presence.

“It’s a pity. I wanted to enter the same gate,” Ma Yu-Seong remarked.

“Stick to your role,” Baek Yu-Seol replied flatly.

"Still, it's fortunate. Hae Won-Ryang and I made a bet."

"Do you know you're seriously addicted to gambling?"

"Haha, really? I can bet money on the fact that I'm not addicted to gambling."

“You’re insane.”

Judging by their banter, it seemed the bet between Hae Won-Ryang and Ma Yu-Seong was unfolding as expected.

While Ma Yu-Seong outshone him in raw combat strength, Hae Won-Ryang had scored higher thanks to his sharp strategies and leadership.

The greatest combat mage, Ma Yu-Seong.

The greatest strategic mage, Hae Won-Ryang.

This fact was taken for granted in the original story. 

But this world was no longer bound by the original script. A massive irregularity - Baek Yu-Seol - had entered the scene.

‘Hmm…’

That thought lingered in her mind.

Could Ma Yu-Seong and Hae Won-Ryang still maintain their dominance with Baek Yu-Seol around?

His intellect had already surpassed Hae Won-Ryang’s, and his combat skills rivaled Ma Yu-Seong’s.

A knight who wielded both the blade and the mind with equal brilliance.

‘He’s like someone out of a romance fantasy novel.’

The thought brought an unexpected chuckle to her lips.

"Now, everyone, please move to your designated positions!"

The instructors busily directed the students to their respective gates.

Flame noticed a familiar friend who was quietly waiting in front of the C-7 gate and approached her.

"Jecky, we're in the same group, right? Let's do our best."

Flame tried talking to Jecky, the tall girl with short black hair that resembled her, but she only briefly made eye contact and turned her head without saying a word.

Flame looked at her with a bewildered expression.

"What a brat."

Lately, Jecky had grown distant, even pushing away the commoner friends she used to hang out with.

When Flame asked others what had happened, they responded with irritation and resignation.

‘I don’t know. I’m so done with her. I’m just going to leave her out.’

‘She’s acting like she’s better than everyone because she’s in Class A. But it’s funny how she still can’t treat you, a student from Class S, carelessly. Before you came, she was acting like the boss.’

‘Why do you care so much about her?’

‘Ugh, Flame, you're unnecessarily kind.’

In truth, as Flame listened to her friends' words, her annoyance level reached its limit.

‘I wish I could just pretend not to know or care about Baek Yu-Seol’s words…’

But something inside her - some instinct - warned against abandoning Jecky.

— Starting now, the first-year students will begin their persona gate training.

— All students, please enter the persona gate.

It was time.

Flame and the students of Team C-7 stood in front of the Persona Gate, and the assistant activated the gate.

Whoosh!

As their bodies were slowly sucked into the gate, a strange sensation that felt like the world was collapsing swept over them.

Clank! Clank!

The sound of collision echoed.

Lalalala~♪♪♪

A haunting mechanical melody followed.

When they opened their eyes, the vast field of Stella Dome had disappeared without a trace, replaced by a grand mansion welcoming Flame.

"Welcome to the Aeron Estate."

In front of her, a butler bowed and greeted her.

Indeed.

This was the persona gate, a world separate from reality but resembling it so closely that even the wisest mages could get lost and become part of a fairy tale.

It was a very dangerous place.

She reminded herself—

‘The person in front of me may seem real, but I have to be cautious.’

Taking a deep breath, Flame steadied her nerves.

By now, other mages would be analyzing the patterns of the persona gate, trying to identify keywords. The discovered keywords would be lined up to literally guide them on how to clear the persona gate.

But Flame didn't bother with that.

“The dress and shoes I’ll be wearing are ready, I assume?”

With her head held high, she spoke confidently, and the butler nodded in agreement.

“They will be to your liking.”

"Take me to the dressing room."

Without hesitation, he led her through gilded hallways to a luxurious dressing room, where four maids awaited her arrival.

The masquerade of temptation.

She already knew how to break through this place, but she didn’t need to step forward. Eisel, the protagonist, would shatter this illusion and triumph.

Her role here was clear: to minimize the friction between Hong Bi-Yeon and Eisel. If she succeeded, this episode would pass without incident.