I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 7

This world exists within a game called Aether World. However, further explanation is necessary.

The game Aether World was inspired by the original romance fantasy novel, Do Not Love the Unfortunate Princess.

The novel follows a young girl named Eisel, who loses her father and family at a young age. She grows up at a magic academy, enduring the schemes of the villainess, Hong Bi-Yeon. Eventually, her journey leads her closer to one of the male protagonists… or something along those lines.

In the process, Eisel's desire for revenge fades away. Once a powerful and commanding heroine, she ultimately retreats, relying on the male protagonist. The story ends tragically, earning a great deal of criticism. Nevertheless, the game Aether World adopts this world directly.

However, the game’s content was completely different from the original novel.

A new character named Flame was added to the game, and she became the actual female protagonist.

The game's premise isn’t particularly unique. In this setting, Flame is a modern-day woman who enjoys reading the romance novel Do Not Love the Unfortunate Princess. She accidentally transmigrates into its world.

As a result of being pushed out of her role as the main heroine, Eisel was dubbed ‘Fake Female Protagonist’ because the protagonist of this setting is Flame. She also became a playable character in the game.

'So, all I have to do now is be careful of the one named Flame.'

Murmur!

Hearing the loud sound, Baek Yu-Seol raised his head, only to see a massive auditorium filling his vision.

An elderly man with a beard that reached his waist stood at the podium, holding something resembling a microphone. Speaking passionately, he even sprayed saliva as he declared:

“Ahem! Even right now! The dark mages are causing havoc in the magical world! A mage’s destiny is to protect the world from the forces that lurk in the darkness!"

The voice that sounded like an echo was both familiar and strange.

“Ugh, the vice principal is so boring.”

“A pep talk as soon as this?”

Looking around, Baek Yu-Seol noticed over a thousand students lined up in five columns. They wore the Stella Academy high school uniforms: black with intricate gold embroidery.

After rehashing the story a few times, it was a scene Baek Yu-Seol often saw because this was Stella Academy’s entrance ceremony.

‘… It feels really strange.’

What he once viewed in a 3D game had turned into perfect reality. Every student here was alive, with feelings and emotions.

His gaze shifted, searching for the girl called Flame.

The short girl with pretty ebony hair was calmly surveying her surroundings.

She was so adorable that many comments like ‘lovely’ were used in the game, and everyone, regardless of age or gender, was secretly staring at her.

‘She’s also from the modern era.’

At first, Baek Yu-Seol considered approaching her to confirm whether she truly came from the same reality he once knew.

It seemed logical to ally with someone familiar with the modern world to figure out how to survive here, or how to escape.

Wouldn’t they have a natural bond and be able to support each other, having shared the same era?

However, not knowing what kind of person she was, he abandoned the idea. She might stab him in the heart to eliminate the possibility of another transmigrator who knew this world. If that happened, he would die without anyone even realizing it.

‘I need more information.’

Baek Yu-Seol saw no need to rely on her. Flame had transmigrated through the original novel, while Baek Yu-Seol had entered through the game itself, a step beyond her. Even if he was just an extra with a role similar to a local shop NPC.

“So, I hope all freshmen will continue to devote themselves to defeating the dark mages today and tomorrow! That’s all!"

“Following that, the four students admitted with high grades, and the freshman representative will take an oath."

The freshman representative and the students ranked second through fifth went to the podium. They were Hae Won-Ryang, Eisel, Flame, and Hong Bi-Yeon.

“Wow, how are they all so smart and good-looking?”

“I know right…”

There were always standout individuals who everyone admired, unlike Baek Yu-Seol, who ranked last out of 1,141 students.

The five of them could be considered exceptional students with outstanding talent, but one stood out.

"Freshman representative, Ma Yu-Seong!"

It was Ma Yu-Seong, a freshman representative who became the head of Stella Academy’s first year.

He was the perfect embodiment of the phrase supreme excellence. 

With the rare potential to reach the divine realm of 9 stars and a natural aptitude for mastering all magical attributes, Ma Yu-Seong immediately drew Baek Yu-Seol’s attention.

Even if he could not achieve the true ending, he had to bring Ma Yu-Seong to the good side to avoid the bad ending.

It was the female protagonist Flame’s role to lead the way, while his role was to support the main characters from behind the scenes.

“This concludes the entrance ceremony.”

Cheers erupted after the entrance ceremony was completed. Meanwhile, he finished the opening ceremony by watching the main characters.

[Episode 2 ‘Enroll in Stella Academy’ has been completed.]

[A small amount of EXP is acquired.]

—

Thinking school was all fun and games was nothing more than a child’s fantasy.

Hanging out with friends, enjoying heart-racing fireworks displays of unrequited love, those were just daydreams.

Reality was midterms, finals, mock exams, assignments, and homework, repeated endlessly.

‘It’s been a while since I graduated from university, but I’m back to high school.’

Stella Academy was said to be more challenging than most universities in Korea, and his prospects already seemed grim.

The most important thing in school wasn’t dating, making friends, or attending festivals… it was the exams.

The Stella Academy also held a test on the first day of classes. It was far too simple to be classified as a test.

The famed Class Placement Test.

This written and practical magic test reevaluated rankings even after students had passed the notoriously difficult entrance exam. Students were assigned to Classes F through S based on their rank.

Most of the main characters naturally ended up in Class S. Meanwhile, Baek Yu-Seol was almost guaranteed to land in Class F, with his poor grades and weak combat skills, perpetually left out of key events.

In the game, he used to go to the library or reading room and activate an auto-study system to boost his grades. But that wouldn’t be possible in real life.

As a result, he was staring blankly at the exam papers on his desk.

Wasn’t it enough just to look at the test in the first place?

Or it might not be the case.

‘Since I’m already enrolled by default, I can just hand it in blank, right?’

‘Surely, I won’t get expelled.’

As Baek Yu-Seol pondered over his options, he noticed a boy sitting nearby, staring blankly out the window with a lifeless expression. Unlike himself, who at least pretended to be taking the test, this boy seemed utterly uninterested.

Ma Yu-Seong, the model student.

Even with his disheveled black hair, his side profile glowed under the sunlight, exuding an effortless charm. Despite his dazzling appearance, his face looked dull and apathetic.

‘Has he already become like that?’

That was Ma Yu-Seong’s main issue. Even though he wasn’t yet an adult, he was already bored with life.

For him, life was too easy, too predictable.

Born into the world’s most powerful family, blessed with an extraordinary mind and unparalleled talent, Ma Yu-Seong lived a life without challenges, a life so devoid of obstacles that nothing could hold his interest anymore.

The trajectory of his story could change drastically depending on how the female protagonist interacted with him.

Ma Yu-Seong might occasionally be on the side of the evil or righteous faction.

For someone whose biggest problem was the monotony of life, the Dark Mages’ declaration to annihilate humanity was bound to pique his curiosity.

‘He has the most serious family history issue in the first place.’

Baek Yu-Seol glanced at Ma Yu-Seong’s test paper and noticed that all the answers were already filled out.

'Wow, he has already solved everything?'

Unlike Baek Yu-Seol, who didn’t have a clue about any of the questions, Ma Yu-Seong had completed the entire test with ease.

At that moment, an idea struck Baek Yu-Seol.

‘Wait, isn’t this exam recorded in Sentient Specs?’

Back when he played the game, he frequently visited the library to read books and gain various bonus skills. He was confident that the Sentient Specs stored plenty of useful information.

With that thought in mind, he took out his specs, and at that moment, he felt a hand grab his wrist from behind.

“Wait. What are those specs?”

“Yes, eh?”

Caught off guard, Baek Yu-Seol stammered, and an instructor snatched the specs from him to inspect them closely.

“You were supposed to have your glasses checked in advance if you planned to use them during the test.”

'Ahh. Come to think of it, I have heard that there are quite a few mages cheating with suspicious magic enchantment on their specs. It would never work in Stella Academy.'

‘What should I do?’

As Baek Yu-Seol was pondering, a message appeared in his mind.

[Loss of the item ‘Sentient Specs’ has been detected.]

[Would you like to get it back?]

‘… No, you can’t do that! What if I really get expelled because they thought it was enchanted with magic!’

As he stood still, the instructor nodded stiffly, looking around at the spec.

“There’s no magic in it. Be careful next time.”

“Uh, yes…”

He put the specs in his hands and sat down. He did not seem as thrilled as he thought.

‘Wow, this would have been a real disaster if the original functions were still there.’

The once powerful functions of the Sentient Specs had been ‘downgraded’ and were no longer detectable. If not for that, the magical enchantments might have gotten him expelled.

He slid the specs back on, pretending to be a seasoned mage who had worn them for decades.

‘Oh…'

Answers began appearing on the test paper before his eyes. He quickly started jotting them down, but he managed to solve only three questions before the instructor’s voice interrupted him.

“The exam is over. I’ll take the answer sheet.”

“Uh… huh?”

The answer sheet flew out of his hands, landing neatly in the instructor’s grasp. Other students’ sheets floated up as well, accompanied by collective sighs of disappointment.

‘Oh, I thought I was finally going to use some of its functions.’

With a magic pen in Baek Yu-Seol’s mouth, he knocked on the desk.

As Baek Yu-Seol absentmindedly tapped his desk with a magic pen, the supervising instructor’s expression suddenly darkened while reviewing the answer sheets.

Fuming, he stormed over to Baek Yu-Seol with a menacing glare.

“You give me those specs!”

“Huh?”

“Now!”

Baek Yu-Seol almost lost his mind. The threat of a real mage could, however, make his heart sink.

Startled by the instructor’s furious tone, Baek Yu-Seol quickly handed over the specs. The instructor examined them closely, pouring mana into them.

'What’s wrong with him? I purposely wrote down the process of solving it in detail so that it wouldn’t be misunderstood as cheating.'

“… Ummm.”

Perhaps it wasn’t the result he wanted. He tilted his head, saying, “This can’t be true,” and called an assistant waiting before him.

“Bring Dr. Greyan.”

The assistant quickly left the classroom, and soon, a doctor wearing a white gown and specs appeared.

He was Dr. Greyan, a professor of the Department of Magic Engineering at Stella Academy and recognized as an authority worldwide.

“How is it, Doctor?”

“Well….”

The doctor, who was quietly observing Baek Yu-Seol’s specs, looked at the exam paper and his eyes widened.

‘Did something really go wrong?’

The doctor groaned for a long time. Looking at Baek Yu-Seol’s face, specs, and test papers alternately, he finally opened his mouth.

“The way this student solved these questions… I can’t help but doubt it.”

“As expected, he’s cheating…”

“But it’s not cheating. I don’t feel any magic enchantment in these specs or in this student’s belongings. I’m sure he solved it with pure skill.”

Dr. Greyan smiled broadly.

“Huh, this is very interesting. It’s something worth living for a long time. As expected, this year’s freshmen are amazing.”

He returned the paper to the instructor as if he had finished his examination. Then, Dr. Greyan tapped him on the shoulder.

“Anyway, Professor Lee Han-Wol, please apologize to the student and guide him well.”

“… I see.”

The doctor also tapped Baek Yu-Seol on the shoulder and walked out. 

When Baek Yu-Seol put back the specs and looked at the instructor blankly, he shook his head slightly at him.

“I misunderstood. I apologize.”

Even though Baek Yu-Seol had technically cheated, the specs were so perfectly disguised that no one could detect their enhancements. If even Dr. Greyan couldn’t tell, it was safe to assume that no one else could either.

If it were such a perfect trick, wouldn’t it be his skill and not a trick anymore?

So, Baek Yu-Seol stiffened his shoulders and said, “Anyone can make mistakes. Just be careful next time.”

‘After all, I’m a generous man.’