I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 8

Stella Academy boasted a vast number of faculty members, far more than just many. The first-year student count alone reached 1,141, divided into 23 classes. Each class had a professor in charge (combat instructor) and one to three assistant professors, in addition to a magic researcher and numerous subject-specific professors.

At the start of the semester, with the arrival of new students, the focus of the many faculty members centered on one topic of interest.

‘How many special freshmen have shown up?’

Princess Hong Bi-Yeon of the Adolevit Kingdom belonged to one of the most prestigious families in the Aether World. The kingdom was nicknamed ‘Crimson Kingdom’ or ‘Kingdom of Flame’ due to its strong affinity with the fire attribute.

Crown Prince Jeremy Skalven ascended to the title of crown prince of the ‘Skalven Empire’ at the tender age of 12 after outmaneuvering all his older brothers in the imperial family, where power was solely determined by magical prowess.

Hae Won-Ryang, the successor of the Great Tower Master of the best magical tower , the ‘Full Moon Tower’.

This year, elite students from mighty families entered Stella Academy one after the other, making even Stella’s faculty nervous, and the world’s attention was naturally drawn to the Stella Academy.

As a result, the faculty adopted a slightly unconventional yet distinctive approach for this year’s Class Placement Test.

Students, accustomed to standard study methods, faced not one but three exceptionally challenging questions right at the start of the test.

And those were the first three questions. There were many reasons, but one reason was to evaluate the students.

A flexibility test was a type of test where students could skip questions they didn’t know and quickly move on to the next question.

In other words, it was an admission strategy.

Boldly move past unsolvable problems! Lingering too long on them might cost valuable points that could otherwise be earned by tackling subsequent, easier questions.

However, this reasoning was merely superficial. The true purpose lay elsewhere.

‘Will the students be able to solve a problem that is not covered in the textbooks they have been studying?’

All of the freshmen who entered Stella Academy were children referred to as geniuses worldwide, and they would have studied strategically and completed all of the magic formulas up to the university course.

But what if the problem extended beyond their studies? What if the memorized formulas ingrained in their minds proved useless?

What if there was a problem that could only be solved through creativity, logical reasoning, and critical thinking?

The era of battling with cold steel was long gone. Now, the age of magic warriors had dawned.

Understanding the opponent's magic and crafting appropriate responses had become critical. This lack of creativity was a growing issue in an era where magic had evolved into a versatile tool.

“Hmm…”

The Class 7 mage and Class S Professor, Lee Han-Wol, drooled while checking the students’ grades.

Then, an old female professor, Edel Tyman, who was passing by, noticed Lee Han-Wol and approached him.

“Oh, it seems that Lee Han-Wol is very interested in the grades of these freshmen?”

Edel Tyman was a professor at Stella Academy’s Senate. Frankly speaking, she was one of the pillars of the academy, being in charge of overseeing its policies.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“It’s creating quite a buzz. Isn’t this year particularly exciting?”

As she remarked, the faculty was already abuzz with the results of the freshmen’s first test.

Lee Han-Wol nodded and continued to check the results of the test paper again.

The first three questions were deliberately set as traps, never meant to be solved.

Consequently, over a thousand of the 1,141 students left those questions blank, reflecting the fact that most Stella students relied on strategic methods to gain admission.

However, magic was not just a strategic study. One could only become a true mage by thinking outside the box.

In that sense, the hundred students who tried to solve this problem were unique. 

Most students who tried to solve the problems also got average scores on the Placement Test, so they were assigned to the highest class called Class A, but most did not get even one of the three questions right.

'Wasn’t there a single student who answered all three questions correctly? Who was it again?'

'There were.'

'In fact, there were three people.'

Ma Yu-Seong, a boy of mysterious origins who emerged like a comet and swept through the magic world, hailed as a once-in-a-century genius.

Flame, a commoner girl recognized for her special ability and talent comparable to Ma Yu-Seong, enrolled at the recommendation of the Great Mage and Principal Elthman Elwin.

And…

‘Baek Yu-Seol.’

Lee Han-wol could not comprehend it.

Since Ma Yu-Seong and Flame were already geniuses, even if they solved all three problems, it would be convincing to say, “Ah, yes, they are geniuses.”

But it was not the case with Baek Yu-Seol.

He was a student who barely made it into the school by scoring last out of 1,141 on the entrance exam.

But didn’t he answer all three questions? So what if he couldn’t solve any of the other questions?

Edel Tyman laughed as if she knew Lee Han-Wol’s thoughts.

“It’s a problem that you can’t solve even if you know a lot of formulas, but in the same way, you can solve it without knowing anything too.”

“… So, Professor Edel Tyman, do you think this kid could be such a genius?”

“He could be. And it could be a coincidence too.”

Lee Han-Wol sighed as he saw her leave. In the first place, the professor knew better than him that this problem could not be solved by coincidence.

'Does Baek Yu-Seol know that only these three problems have caused a stir for the entire faculty?'

‘A magic warrior student who specializes in flash.’

He burst out laughing as he slowly read Baek Yu-Seol's admission certificate. A student, so shrewd that he told him, a Class 7 mage to “Be careful next time.”

[Appreciating the surprising ability to control Flash, admission under special circumstances is granted.]

This memo was left by the principal of Stella Academy himself. There were so many unusual students this year, so it might be challenging to stand out with just a specialization in Flash…

“We’ll find out soon."

'Did he accidentally ace these questions, or is he really special?'

‘Let's wait and see.’

***

The next day.

The long-awaited class placement results.

From the noble scions of magical families to elite geniuses, everyone was anxious.

The results had been posted on the central bulletin board outside the academy, drawing a crowd of chattering students.

The bulletin board glimmered with magical sparks, resembling a digital neon screen, as the names of over a thousand new students illuminated its surface.

'Ugh, couldn’t they just send out individual letters instead of this?'

Baek Yu-Seol didn’t understand why such a spectacle was necessary, but since it was the academy’s tradition to announce class placements publicly, he had no choice but to accept it.

“Oh, is that Baek Yu-Seol?”

“I heard he got zero points during the magic skill demonstration…”

“It’s unbelievable. If someone like that can get into Stella, how will the academy maintain its reputation?”

“Exactly. With this year’s lineup, who would believe it?”

A few students noticed Baek Yu-Seol and began whispering.

Among the many geniuses who stood out on the first day, there were always a few like Baek Yu-Seol, those who, for one reason or another, attracted unwanted attention despite low expectations.

‘There was nothing I could do about the magic skill demonstration, though…’

Upon entering the school, there was a simple magic skills demonstration to see what kind of magic skill one used as a special skill.

And Baek Yu-Seol used Flash.

It was a basic, outdated magic skill that no one bothered to use anymore.

Because of this, the professor’s expression became cold, and he attentively examined him.

‘More importantly, if I’m being bullied like this, would I have to spend my school life without friends?’

It was a bit disappointing, but Baek Yu-Seol did not intend to be friendly with anyone in the first place.

‘Hmmm…’

Baek Yu-Seol found Class F first.

Class F had the lowest-ranking students, and Class A had the top-ranked students.

Surprisingly, his name wasn’t listed under Class F.

“Eh?”

'What? It can’t be true. Since I only solved three questions during the Class Placement exam, there is no way that I can go beyond class E, so it must be class F.'

'But the fact that my name isn’t in class F… '

‘It's crazy. Did I fail?’

Very rarely, even after entering school, there were cases in which students were expelled for failing to take the exam properly…

No matter how easy it was. Starting from the Placement Test was a bit too much for Baek Yu-Seol.

It was so absurd that he blankly looked through Class F repeatedly. Suddenly, he heard students muttering something as if they were shocked.

“Baek Yu-Seol? That kid with a failing score? Why the hell?”

“What? Isn’t that wrong? Don’t you think there’s something strange about this?”

“It’s absurd… Young Master Yuslek, son of Count Chekobeilen, had been preparing to get in here since he was seven years old. Yet he's in Class A despite being 29th ranked…”

“Kyle, ranked 17th after getting a perfect score in theory, was also assigned to class A. Why?”

Something was strange.

Baek Yu-Seol checked the arrangement of Class S, which he had ignored, and he could not help but open his eyes wide.

[S-0 Class Baek Yu-Seol]

'What?'

'Why is my name over there?'

‘Perhaps it was a mistake…?’

Class S was special. Unlike Class F to Class A, only students with something special would be there.

Historically, Class S had produced many of the most famous and influential figures in magical society. To make it into Class S, you needed to possess something truly extraordinary, mere academic prowess wasn’t enough.

One couldn’t get into that place simply by studying well.

Just like that 29th-ranked student who was transferred into Class A. It meant that not just anyone could get into Class S.

It was very unusual for Baek Yu-Seol to be assigned to class S, the place desired and dreamed of by every student of the Stella Academy, the most prestigious magic academy.

Baek Yu-Seol honestly had no idea if this was a bad thing or a good thing.

Even if he had been placed in Class F, he could have contacted the main characters of Class S at any time if he distributed his lecture timetable well.

However, his time with the main characters would increase if he got placed in Class S. Wouldn't it also increase the possibility of interfering with the protagonists’ plotline? It was a sin he was desperately avoiding. It would ruin his plan to stay lowkey.

‘That’s right, I'm sure I’ll manage somehow, but really…’

Baek Yu-Seol thought for a long time while stroking his lower lip, but he couldn’t shake off Class S in the end, so there was only one answer.

Even as a member of Class S, he needed to act like a hibernating animal, keeping as low a profile as possible while doing what was required of him.

‘Well, it’ll work out somehow.’

Baek Yu-Seol decided to think positively.