I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 66

Silence.

Jecky, who had remained silent for some time, suddenly jerked her head unnaturally.

And then.

"Wh-What is this? Disgusting. Disgusting! Disgusting!!! Ahhh! No, no, no, no, no, no, no. This is not meeeeee! Ahhhhh!!"

Clutching her head with both hands, she ripped at her hair and screamed, blood spilling from her lips.

Yet no matter where her eyes fell, her grotesque limbs invaded her vision.

"Give me my arms back! Please! This... this is too disgusting! I don't want to live like this!!!"

While screaming, she suddenly looked at Flame.

Tears of blood streaming down her face, she crawled toward Flame with terrifying speed.

"Flame... Please... Save me... I'm begging you..."

But there was no way.

Her transformation into a dark mage was complete, leaving no chance of undoing it.

The students instinctively stepped back. Though they pitied her, their faces betrayed revulsion.

Both noble NPCs and students recoiled in silence.

‘This... this can’t be happening...’

Jecky trembled and stammered in despair. She tried to cover her face, but her twisted, blade-like fingers refused to obey her will.

"Please, please... Flame, please. You... You can fix this."

At first, there had been hope. If the corruption had been caught early, purification might have been possible.

But now, it was far too late.

Flame pressed her lips tightly together and lowered her head.

"... I'm sorry, Jecky."

With those words, the final judgment was cast.

"Hahaha. Hehehehe. Hehe, hehe... hehehe. Hihihihi...." Realizing the real culprit behind her condition, Jecky began to cackle.

"That's right."

‘If it weren't for Flame…’

"It's all your fault."

"What...?"

"It's because of you. You, you, you! It's because of you!! If it weren't for you! If you didn't exist at all!"

Shrieking, she swung her blade-like arm at Flame, but… 

Whoosh! Sizzle...!

Blazing fire and icy shards shot out from both sides, piercing through Jecky’s body.

"Gah... Ugh...!"

Her power had been the ability to control minds. But with her own mind in ruins, how could she wield such strength?

Already gravely injured and drained by the collapsing barrier, her remaining power crumbled. Even that feeble attack had cost her dearly.

“No... Why... me…?”

Whoosh! Boom!!

Without mercy, Hong Bi-Yeon launched another fireball.

She stepped forward, her patience clearly at its end.

"Wait, stop! It’s dangerous..."

"Be quiet. You’ve done enough." Brushing off Flame’s attempt to stop her, she stood coldly before Jecky.

Hong Bi-Yeon examined Jecky’s face and spoke with an emotionless expression. "How pathetic."

"You...!"

"Your inner ugliness is even worse than your outward appearance."

For her, physical beauty had always been secondary. Hong Bi-Yeon, who once bore a similarly hideous form, understood this truth better than anyone.

“What do you know? Kyahhh!!”

Whoosh!!! 

Before Jecky could say anything, Hong Bi-Yeon used her flames to burn her.

"Don't you dare speak informally to a princess. You're no longer my peer, so there's no reason to tolerate your insolence."

"W-Wait! Stop! She’s still sane! If we just find another way...!"

“A way?”

"... Huh?"

As Eisel hurriedly shouted, Hong Bi-Yeon turned her head and locked eyes with her.

Unlike when looking at Jecky... there was a mixture of pity and indescribable anguish in her gaze.

That’s right.

The coldness she showed toward Jecky was a mask.

Realizing this, Eisel stopped in her tracks.

"Even if we searched endlessly, could we find one?"

Once a person had succumbed entirely to dark magic, there was no salvation. The only way to stop it was to defeat the darkness before it took root.

"Still..."

"Ha, your kindness surprises me. Fine, I'll give your friend a chance."

Hong Bi-Yeon’s voice dripped with mockery.

"If you repent sincerely and apologize for your mistakes, I'll spare your life. Kneel and kiss my feet."

“What?!"

It was an unbearable humiliation.

Yet no one, not even Flame, dared to stop her.

No one could.

Had Jecky succeeded... all fifteen students might have died.

Offering her mercy now was almost generous.

“Grr...!”

Jecky gritted her teeth, knelt down, and slowly approached Hong Bi-Yeon while bowing her head.

However…

No matter how she thought about it.

No matter how much forgiveness she begged for.

She couldn’t imagine living a proper life from now on. Twisted beyond recognition, robbed of any trace of her former self, how could she go on pretending to be human?

Jecky’s blood-red eyes gleamed as she lowered her head in submission.

Hong Bi-Yeon Adolevit.

A princess born with beauty so radiant it seemed otherworldly. A girl whose flames burned brighter than the sun itself. Born with extraordinary talent.

Her future would gleam like a polished jewel, while Jecky’s path would sink deeper into filth and shadows.

‘I wanted that kind of life too.’

If her life was destined to end in ruin, then dragging down the girl who shone so brightly didn’t seem like such a bad way to go.

‘If I can’t have it.’

‘If it’s already over…’

‘Then this is my chance.’

Crawling forward on her knees, Jecky reached Hong Bi-Yeon’s feet and bowed deeply, hiding her expression.

Without hesitation, Hong Bi-Yeon extended her foot.

‘Foolish girl.’

This was her chance.

Feigning submission, Jecky clenched her fist as if to grasp Hong Bi-Yeon’s foot.

Her crimson eyes gleamed menacingly.

“You're coming down to hell with me, Adolevit!”

She sprang up suddenly, her twisted right arm lashing out toward Hong Bi-Yeon.

It would surely be fatal.

That was how it was supposed to end.

"Ah...?"

Crack...!

She couldn’t move.

Her knees froze in place, locking her legs.

Vines coiled around her arms, rendering them useless.

Even as a sharp spider-like blade hovered at her throat, Hong Bi-Yeon remained unshaken, her voice dripping with pity.

"You squandered your last chance. They say people never change, and I see now it’s true."

"Just wait...!"

"I hope you find repentance in death." Flicking her finger as though dismissing something worthless, Hong Bi-Yeon unleashed her flames.

Boom!!!

A towering pillar of fire erupted, swallowing Jecky whole.

Whoosh!!

She perished instantly… without so much as a scream.

And just like that, it was over.

"Ah..."

Flame collapsed onto the floor, drained of all strength.

At the same time, a guideline message appeared.

[You have cleared the Ballroom of Temptation!]

[The story of Duchess Aeron, who wanted to achieve the world’s greatest beauty and popularity, ends here.]

The world began to fold in on itself.

NPCs dissolved into smoke and scattered. Objects crumbled into dust and vanished.

Yet no one could move.

"Ah...Uh...."

Some students sank where they stood, while others stared blankly into the void.

The horror of witnessing a friend’s transformation into a dark mage - and her betrayal - left them paralyzed.

Amidst all that, only one person moved.

Hong Bi-Yeon strode toward the entrance to the clock tower stairs. She paused and glanced back.

"How long are you going to sit like that? Pathetic. There will be rewards behind the stage. Make sure to take them with you."

Her voice snapped the students out of their stupor.

Instinctively, they turned toward the door behind the stage.

Since they had cleared the final stage, there would be various rewards, including magic stones, in that place.

Flame, still trembling, watched Hong Bi-Yeon’s retreating figure and felt a realization settle in her mind.

Her legs wobbled as she rose.

‘No way...’

That’s when it dawned on her.

She, too, wanted to collapse and was still reeling from the shock.

Yet she pretended to be fine, pretended not to falter, pretended to be strong.

She was forcing herself to act.

Someone had to be a support for others to be able to stand up.

‘Was that it...?'

Gritting her teeth, Flame forced herself to her feet.

Hong Bi-Yeon was right.

No one had truly expected Jecky to repent. That was why they’d already prepared spells to bind her limbs.

Hong Bi-Yeon hadn’t trusted Jecky from the start. Instead, she had left a deliberate opening… a calculated move to silence any protests against her actions.

Sharp enough to read and exploit people's emotions... truly a despicable personality.

Yet, at the same time, she was a selfish but selfless person who tried to bear everything herself.

Various thoughts swirled in Flame’s mind.

Perhaps relying too much on knowledge from the novel, she had misunderstood the character named Hong Bi-Yeon.

***

"Team A-6 has completed their training, and the students have come out."

"Evacuate them."

"Team B-3's practice is also over."

The Stella Dome contained dozens of Persona Gates, all of which were artificial, allowing professors to intervene at any time, ensuring there was no real danger.

All but one.

Out of nowhere, a persona gate of risk level 5 appeared in the heart of Stella Academy. In preparation, all present Stella Knights and professors were firmly armed, ready and waiting.

The professors could handle a level 5 persona gate from their positions, but if the persona synchronization phenomenon were to occur, it could distort the surrounding environment and pose a serious threat.

"What's going on? What happened?"

"No idea... Looks like something went wrong."

The students glanced in the direction of the persona gate and followed the assistant's guidance to evacuate.

Lee Han-Wol stood closest to it, his expression grim.

There had been cases where Stella students died during training.

However, no death was easily forgotten. It was most sorrowful and regrettable to see young minds who had entered Stella with dreams of a bright future wither away before they could bloom.

Though he masked his grief, he remembered every name and face.

In particular, Baek Yu-Seol’s name would not be forgotten for a long time.

A boy from humble beginnings, he had entered Stella Academy with dreams of knighthood.

He had proven to the world with his skills that his dream was not empty rhetoric. If he continued to work a little harder, he could surely achieve the most rewarding results in the world.

But to die so meaninglessly in a place like this...

"The resonance is fluctuating! The inside is changing!"

"Prepare yourselves."

When Knight Commander Arein gave a slight nod, the magic knights confidently drew their staves.

Arein didn't need to intervene personally. They were an elite force, so stepping forward to face a mere level 5 persona synchronization was considered remarkable.

Crackle. Creak...!!

The gate trembled, twisting visibly before imploding.

Flash!

When the light cleared, fifteen students in Stella uniforms emerged.

"Ah..."

A collective exhale rippled through the onlookers.

Similar sounds echoed throughout the area… some sighed, some laughed, some hurriedly made calls, while others turned away.

“The ants defeated the tiger."

Arein's expression, surprisingly, showed a hint of astonishment. Then he turned around, mocking himself for making the joke.

"Withdraw!"

"Yes!"

The disciplined knights turned without hesitation, and the mages and faculty members waiting outside erupted into cheers.

"They really conquered a risk level 5 persona gate themselves?"

"I can't believe it..."

"Well, they are Stella students after all."

"Even so, they’re just students."

"Even experienced veterans would find a level 5 gate challenging..."

Lee Han-Wol signaled to a nearby mage who closed his eyes, spun a magic circle, and then announced, "Wave pattern termination. Mission accomplished. Complete victory."

Hearing that, Lee Han-Wol wasted no time, striding toward the students.

But when Baek Yu-Seol stepped forward first, Lee Han-Wol’s eyes widened, and his posture straightened.

Mages who cleared persona gates were required to report to the supervising mage immediately, as per protocol.

And Baek Yu-Seol - wrapped in bandages, yet standing tall - was ready to fulfill that duty, even in his battered state.

"That kid... Is he the leader?"

"I know him."

“He’s been famous for his chivalry since the beginning of the term.”

While the mages were cheering, Baek Yu-Seol, wrapped all over in bandages, somehow managed to stand upright with the staff held vertically against his chest.

It was the salute of a magic warrior.

After Lee Han-Wol acknowledged the salute, Baek Yu-Seol reported. "Reporting completion of the persona gate mission. Total of 16 personnel with one casualty. Fifteen personnel have successfully returned."

Lee Han-Wol’s face darkened at those words.

One loss. While it was miraculous that the majority had survived, the death of even one student was no small matter.

Maintaining his stoic expression, Lee Han-Wol gave a firm nod.

"Well done. Each and every one of you, as magical warriors, has achieved remarkable results without any shortcomings. I'm proud of you. I'll immediately assign a healing mage. So all of you should get some rest."

Despite the bittersweet circumstances, their achievement was extraordinary.

One casualty? It was undoubtedly a regrettable event, but the fact that 15 students survived the mission was even more miraculous.

At the center of it all was probably Baek Yu-Seol.

Even though no leader had been officially designated, the fact that Baek Yu-Seol, ranked 1141st, stepped forward and reported meant that all the other students recognized him as their leader.

Lee Han-Wol approached Baek Yu-Seol to offer some encouragement. However, for some reason, he had a distressed expression Lee Han-Wol couldn't quite understand.

‘Did something happen inside?’

He wanted to say something reassuring, but before he could, a sharp voice cut through the air.

"Haha, what's all this about?"

Lee Han-Wol’s chest sank with a startle. The voice belonged to a rebellious youth, yet it carried a weight and authority that made even seasoned warriors hesitate.

Elthman Elwin, the principal of Stella Academy and a Class 9 mage, had personally come and checked the situation.

Elthman Elwin looked around the students slowly and finally turned his gaze toward Baek Yu-Seol, his eyes flashing with interest.

"Well, it seems like something interesting happened while I was away?"