I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 64

A lively 3/4 rhythm echoed through the hall as gentlemen and ladies spun in graceful circles, each moving to their own rhythm. Despite their differences, the dances blended seamlessly, weaving a mesmerizing tapestry of motion.

Why was that?

The reason was surprisingly simple.

None of them cared about anyone else's steps.

Only one person mattered.

All eyes were fixed on Duchess Aeron as she glided through the center of the room. Enraptured, they watched, their senses dulled, their wills crumbling under her allure. Her dance ensnared them, captivating their very souls.

'Duchess Aeron only ever dances modern ballroom styles.'

Yet the battle against her was no ordinary duel. It was both a dance-off and a magic duel, unfolding in perfect harmony.

Duchess Aeron wielded Class 4 dance magic, her movements commanding wide-reaching spells.

Conventional defensive magic was useless against her. It felt akin to Dance Dance Revolution… where timing every step was the key to survival.

To counter her magic, the cadets had to perform a dance in perfect opposition to hers, matching the rhythm to repel her attacks.

The fortunate thing was that hints about Duchess Aeron’s dance had been given throughout the numerous stages they had cleared so far.

However, that didn't mean it was easy.

‘This is driving me crazy!’

Casting spells while maintaining precise footwork required absolute focus. It demanded complete synchronization of body and mind… a grueling task.

Bbam~ ♫

The music shifted without warning.

The fourteen cadets adjusted their steps immediately.

‘... Serena's Serene Tango.’

A hint from the Requiem of the Dead Serena had revealed that the opposite dance was the key.

Though the rhythm was identical, the steps required an entirely different style, all while channeling mana through the staff in her right hand.

‘Our chance will come the moment the pattern is broken.’

Bang!

As the cadets simultaneously stomped their feet with their boots, Jecky, resisting the dance, staggered.

In the meantime, the cadets cast spells and attacked, but it seemed ineffective as the music and dance changed once again, nullifying the magic.

Sparks flew with each dance move, lightning struck from the sky with each step, and the surrounding area was filled with crimson sparks, while the ground tilted as the feet synchronized with the beat.

It was a spectacle of dance and magic.

For first-year cadets, the complexity was staggering.

"Ugh!"

“Gah!”

 One by one, the cadets faltered, collapsing under the strain.

"Ugh!"

Flame barely deflected Jecky’s dark wave, biting her lip as she kept her balance. She stepped in time, evading the assault, but the continuous barrage left her struggling.

Stopping wasn’t an option.

If she missed even a single beat, the rhythm would shatter… and Duchess Aeron would devour her.

‘Ugh, this is driving me insane. Did Duchess Aeron originally have such diverse dances? Is it because Jecky possessed her, causing something to change?’

If asked who was the best dancer in this place, it would undoubtedly be Eisel.

Gifted with talent and the [Versatility] trait, Eisel could master any dance effortlessly.

Therefore, Flame thought that Eisel would be able to defeat Lady Aeron without any issues as long as there was no interference from Hong Bi-Yeon.

But it turned out to be completely different.

Realizing the girls were resisting her magic, Jecky twisted Aeron’s dance even further, weaving complex and unpredictable patterns.

Ironically, Hong Bi-Yeon ended up helping the cadets. If it weren't for her, the dance battle would have ended in defeat long ago.

Though labeled as a risk level 4 persona gate, this felt far beyond that.

‘This has to be level 5... at least!’

Thwack!

Jecky struck the floor, sending another dark wave surging forward. The cadets spun, shields raised, countering the attack.

"Argh...!"

At that moment, Jecky’s movements trembled ever so slightly.

'Now!'

An ice spear shot out from Eisel’s staff, but unfortunately, it collided with a fireball from Hong Bi-Yeon.

Boom!

Luckily, the collision of opposing mana caused an explosion that affected Duchess Aeron, but it wasn’t enough.

"Hey, idiot! Get it together!”

"You’re the one who interfered with my attack!"

Although there were a few trial-and-error moments, their attacks began to land.

Bit by bit, the cracks in Aeron’s magic began to show.

‘At this rate...!’

Suddenly, Jecky’s voice shifted.

"Tch, even here, you're being a nuisance!" Suddenly, the rhythm of the music doubled in speed, and two extra legs popped out from under Jecky’s skirt.

Watching Jecky start dancing with four legs, the cadets couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

"What on earth is that…?"

***

Clang!

The commander blade spider scraped along the ceiling and walls, rushing toward Baek Yu-Seol with terrifying speed.

The legs of the blade spider were not only sharp but also capable of moving freely, making its agility even more remarkable than one would expect.

But Baek Yu-Seol refused to fall behind.

[Flash]

After instantly moving to the wall, he raced along the wall and approached the blade spider, slashing one of its legs with the Teripon Sword.

Crack!

Green ichor splattered, though the wound barely dented its armored shell.

Screeech!

The spider lashed out wildly, its legs stabbing and slashing. But Baek Yu-Seol weaved between its strikes, tilting his head and shifting his body just enough to avoid each blow before driving his blade into its abdomen.

Baek Yu-Seol wiped off cold sweat and glanced at the slightly slippery floor. 

‘Ugh, the oil makes it really slippery.’

He already knew the weakness of the commander blade spider. It couldn't maneuver properly on slippery terrain, so he took advantage of that and spread oil on the ceiling and platforms.

He also occasionally threw potions with sparks into the spider's webs, causing electricity to disperse in all directions.

By utilizing the fact that the webs could conduct electricity, he disrupted its movements as much as possible.

The attack had zero effect since it was merely sparks from potions created with alchemy, not actual magic.

Fortunately, he wore shoes that offered some resistance to slipperiness and electricity, so he wasn't greatly affected. However, the spider was already staggering.

Clang! 

But he couldn’t afford to let his guard down. Struggling to maintain balance on the treacherously slick surface, he deflected the spider’s leg and flashed toward the front web in a desperate bid to escape.

‘Damn it.’

The room was a labyrinth of razor-sharp webs, where a single misstep - or a misplaced teleport - could spell disaster.

It was a precarious situation.

Yet, retreat wasn’t an option. This challenge was worth the risk. Most importantly, he needed the reward dropped by the commander blade spider.

In truth, defeating the spider wasn’t even required to clear the persona gate. The main objective could be accomplished through the dance battle in the ballroom.

Most players opted for that easier path.

Only a rare few ignored the dance battle entirely and instead hunted down the commander blade spider, uncovering the secrets buried within this place.

It was like peeling back the layers of a hidden narrative.

The ballroom’s strange events, the source of the duchess’s hypnotic dance, and the origins of her power… all of it tied back to this monster.

Yet, those revelations were easily overlooked. Many players saw the duchess as nothing more than an extra boss and chose to bypass this story entirely.

‘Wasn't the commander blade spider actually set as the Duchess's husband, Duke Aeron...?’

He vaguely recalled the theory but hadn’t paid much attention to it at the time.

For lore enthusiasts, this was compelling material… something meticulously cataloged in his Sentient Spec.

‘I’m not here to watch extra story content.’

Baek Yu-Seol poured a healing potion over a gash on his arm, his focus locked on the pink petal clinging to the spider’s forehead.

‘The enchanting tree's petal.’

It held the power to influence the hearts of living beings.

That was how Duchess Aeron could mesmerize and manipulate others with her seemingly harmless dance.

If he absorbed the enchanting tree's petal, his [Mental Strength] stat would increase significantly.

And that stat was vital - not only for enhancing cognitive acceleration, a side effect of mana leakage delay - but also for fine-tuning the precision of the Sentient Spec.

After all, hunting a risk level 4 monster alone was impossible.

But striking the barrier on its forehead was possible.

The petal was connected to Duchess Aeron. Weakening her would also weaken the barrier protecting it.

The moment that shield faltered, a single critical strike could shatter it.

Every blow to the barrier would send ripples through Aeron, disrupting her performance in the ballroom and giving the cadets a fighting chance.

It was a strategy lifted directly from the original game’s [Episode 6, Jecky’s Dark Mage Corruption Route]—one discovered only after countless retries and failures.

Kkaaang!!

Kkirrrrrng!!

“Good! That’s it!”

Baek Yu-Seol swung his sword forcefully at the forehead of the staggering commander blade spider while struggling between the spiderwebs.

The creature couldn't regain its senses and continued to stagger.

He didn't stop there. He kept striking its forehead.

Kkaaang! Kkang! Kkaaang!

The terrain and space completely became his, tailored for the commander blade spider.

With his ability to use Flash three times consecutively, he dominated the space, turning the clock tower into his personal arena.

However…

In reality, there was one variable here.

Unlike the game, he had access to a broader arsenal of potions. This was his first time experimenting with the slip potion and the spark potion.

Sliiide—

“Huh?"

It wasn't him slipping.

The commander blade spider finally lost its balance.

Its movements faltered, the finely tuned precision of its steps unraveling in an instant.

For a creature that relied on its webs, never once touching the ground, this collapse was completely unexpected.

"Wait... hold on."

As Baek Yu-Seol watched that grotesque body swaying and plummeting, he muttered absentmindedly.

“Isn’t that... the ballroom down there?”

[Flash]

He didn't need to think anymore. Almost instinctively, he flashed down toward the base of the clock tower.

If the protagonists battling below were crushed, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Sshhwack!!

It was absolutely impossible for him to block the commander blade spider, accelerating at 9.8 m/s² every second as it fell.

‘What should I do…?’

The ground raced closer. If he didn’t act fast, both he and the spider would crash.

Then he saw it—

The trajectory of the commander blade spider.

And the target below.

‘…In that case.’

He had one choice.

‘I have to throw myself at the commander blade spider and adjust its trajectory.’

... Kwoong!!

The impact roared through the ballroom, shaking the very foundation of the stage.