I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 89

The next day, in the morning.

Hae Won-Ryang awoke in the University Hospital of Sky Flower Cradle and gazed out the window, his expression dazed.

Chirp! Chirp!

The cheerful song of birds tickled his ears. Turning his head slightly, he noticed Flame peeling an apple.

Her expression was strangely animated.

"You know how nurses sometimes peel apples for patients when they wake up? I've always wanted to try that. You woke up at just the right time, didn’t you?" she said with a playful grin, showing off her pearly white teeth.

Bewildered, Hae Won-Ryang asked, "Where’s this...?"

"What? You don't remember? We came to visit Sky Flower Cradle."

To be precise, it was a field trip. Under normal circumstances, Hae Won-Ryang would have corrected her, but his mind was still in a haze.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"I... don't."

"Is that so?"

Flame let out a quiet sigh of relief. It would be better if he didn't remember. The shame of having been controlled by a dark mage would have weighed heavily on him as a mage.

Only five people knew what had happened.

Kaen and Hyejin weren’t the type to gossip, and even if they were, it would have been improper.

Baek Yu-Seol and Ma Yu-Seong decided to keep the fact that he was controlled by dark mages a secret to protect his honor.

If Hae Won-Ryang were to find out that he had become a dark mage, he would be consumed by endless guilt.

In that sense, they truly were kind boys.

"You had a strange fever recently, but it’s completely treated now."

"How...?"

“How did we treat it? I made sure you’ll survive. Even though I look like this, I’m a brilliant mage, you know?”

"Is that so?"

Hae Won-Ryang sighed deeply, touching his forehead.

Somehow, he felt a weight lifted off his chest. The gnawing unease that had plagued him was gone without a trace.

Thinking of Baek Yu-Seol and Ma Yu-Seong, he didn’t feel any bitterness or envy. Instead, a fire of determination lit within him.

‘This is who he is.’

Seeing Hae Won-Ryang's fiery gaze, Flame felt a sense of relief.

Then, their eyes met. The look they exchanged held no awkwardness, only a divine beast warmth.

Feeling apologetic, Flame forced a bitter smile.

‘There are so many pretty girls in the world. Why me?’

The idea that friendship couldn’t exist between a man and a woman was nothing more than a lie.

From a woman's perspective, there were often cases where they genuinely wanted to be friends with men.

Flame had no feelings for Hae Won-Ryang beyond friendship. And that was precisely why she felt uneasy. If he ever confessed, their fragile bond would shatter in an instant.

Should she draw a line beforehand? But how can even a person do that?

‘Maybe because it's a romance fantasy world, I have to worry about relationships here...?’

In her original world, she was so focused on studying and work that such worries were completely undivine beast to her.

"Instructor Lee Han-Wol has taken a look at you. If you want to participate in the divine beast Contract Ceremony, you can, but it's better to rest. The aftereffects haven't completely subsided yet."

"Alright. If you tell me to rest, I’ll rest."

"Oh, just rest. Who knows, the divine beast Contract ceremony might not be a big deal? It's better than getting injured.”

‘Hae Won-Ryang won't be able to make a contract with a divine beast during the divine beast Contract Ceremony. He’ll make one eventually, but that’s still far off.’

"Well then, rest well. I have to go now. It’s almost time for assembly."

As Flame left, Hae Won-Ryang absentmindedly soaked up the sunlight and watched her retreating figure.

The heavy feelings he had carried were completely gone. Though he didn’t know exactly what had transpired, he was certain it had been something unpleasant.

Perhaps Flame had quietly resolved it, trying to bury it without troubling him further.

That was why he didn’t ask. Questioning her would only disrespect the effort she had made on his behalf.

Yet, a faint smile tugged at his lips. He was grateful… grateful that she had gone to such lengths, even if it was just a little.

He knew Flame didn’t harbor feelings for him beyond friendship.

An unrequited love?

It wasn’t about differences in environment, race, or background. It was simply a matter of the heart. Some things just couldn’t be.

Hae Won-Ryang smiled bitterly. He knew, but still, it wouldn't be easy to give up on this love for a while.

It was always like that with teenage first love.

***

The Birth of World Tree Festival came to an end. Before the fantastic afterglow completely faded, Stella Academy's students had to move on to the next schedule.

“From this moment on, you will venture into the roots of the world tree to form contracts with divine beasts. The area is a subspace, and its environment differs from the real world,” the instructor announced.

At the entrance of the heavenly tree’s roots, in a place where even ordinary elves couldn't approach recklessly, thousands of magic disciples were gathered.

Inside the roots was a space where divine beasts could live.  It was said the world tree itself had crafted this space to protect beings highly vulnerable to the corrupting influence of dark magic.

Due to its sacred nature, the area was off-limits to outsiders, and security was exceptionally tight.

Elven guardians were patrolling around the entrance to the roots.

Instructor Lee Han-Wol, representing Class S, briefly explained to the first-year disciples, “You will have exactly one week. The area accessible to you is limited to the third layer of the roots.”

Dangerous divine beasts with aggressive tendencies were confined by the elven guardians below the fourth layer. Everything beyond that point was sealed with magic far beyond what first-years could hope to break through.

"So don't even think about accessing the fourth layer."

Lee Han-Wol's voice carried an unmistakable weight, a mix of warning and authority.

But as a self-proclaimed delinquent, Baek Yu-Seol had no intention of listening.

If events followed the normal flow, all the significant developments would take place in the third layer. However, there were rare occasions when players stumbled upon hidden passages… routes that bypassed barriers and led directly to the fourth layer.

It would certainly be dangerous. But this was a risk worth taking. The heart of a divine beast could only be found on the 4th level, and the Pink Spring Moon was there too.

Luckily, Baek Yu-Seol’s trusty specs had recorded secret paths mapped by countless players, paths carved out through painstaking trial and error. These routes allowed one to slip past the divine beasts’ sharp senses unnoticed.

"Your professors cannot accompany you down there. That means you have to take care of yourselves in that place. Understand? Don't rely on anyone and survive with your own strength. That's all!"

With the instructor’s final words, the students sprang into motion. The eagerness to descend into the roots and explore first was palpable, even though there was no real need to rush.

The elven guardians stepped aside.

As the students filtered through the magical barrier, Baek Yu-Seol lingered at the back, deliberately avoiding the bustling crowd.

He could hear the students whispering.

"I heard it’s safe as long as you don’t go past the first layer."

"Still, I want to check out the second layer. I heard the divine beasts there aren’t that strong."

"Do you want to go together? I have a place I want to visit in the second layer."

Uncertain about the dangers ahead, most students instinctively grouped up with their close friends.

Baek Yu-Seol, however, mused about how the protagonists might move.

The details shifted depending on the storyline, but they often ended up gathering in one spot eventually.

In the third layer, a very unique divine beast would appear… one that nearly everyone would vie to contract with.

But Baek Yu-Seol had no intention of bumping into them.

He planned to tread carefully, especially since there was a confrontation brewing between Eisel and Hong Bi-Yeon, one that Flame would ultimately intervene in.

Although Hong Bi-Yeon and Flame’s personalities had strayed somewhat from the original narrative, Baek Yu-Seol doubted the confrontation would lead to anything too unpredictable.

When the crowd finally thinned, Baek Yu-Seol took a deep breath and stepped through the barrier.

Whoosh!

The flow of air distorted completely, and the scenery changed in an instant.

[Episode 7]

[Familar Contract Ceremony]

"Wow..."

A vibrant, glowing world unfolded before him.

It wasn't an ordinary green.

Even with his limited vocabulary, he could only describe it as fluorescent green… a place where life itself seemed to glow.

Every green plant emitted its own light, and firefly-like creatures hovered leisurely in the air, making the whole world glow even beneath the canopy.

Squish!

"Uh, what is this?"

A shimmering, green, liquid-like substance splattered onto the ground before slithering away, leaving a faint trail behind.

At first, Baek Yu-Seol mistook it for slime, but a closer look revealed it to be a young, unintelligent divine beast. Given time, it would eventually grow and take on the form of an animal.

"Oh... That’s pretty fascinating."

Curious, he gently prodded the soft, gelatinous creature with his finger. To his surprise, it responded by curling its tiny appendages around his hand, as though forming a bond.

It reminded him of the breathing exercises he had practiced with Leafanel. There was no doubt the divine beast had taken a liking to him.

After playing with the soft creature and poking it with his finger for a while, it seeped into the ground and disappeared.

‘That’s enough sightseeing.’

‘There’s work to be done.’

"Alright, let's start."

***

While most students had already entered the divine beasts’ domain, the elven guardians stationed at the root’s entrance were conducting their final headcount.

"1,139 people have entered.”

"Really? Weren't we supposed to allow 1,141 admissions this year?”

“One person is hospitalized, but we are short by one."

"Well, it happens sometimes. No matter how determined they are to become magical warriors, some kids just get cold feet and quit."

"In that case, they shouldn’t have set their sights on being magic warriors in the first place."

"Anyway, the hopeless ones will be filtered out in the second year, right?"

"Is that so? Human schools are peculiar. Our Astral Flower Magic Academy for elven warriors carries on until the end, no matter how weak-willed they are."

"Haha, every culture has its quirks."

"Well, in any case, we have an exchange program with Stella Academy this year. It’ll be interesting to see how that turns out."

The elven guardians chatted while eating oranges. Their mission was to guard this place until the students came out in a week.

"Should we start closing the barrier, then?"

Once the barrier was closed, no one could enter or exit.

However, a senior guardian raised his head.

"Wait, it seems someone else is coming."

"Oh? Really? Maybe they were just late getting ready."

"A Stella Academy student wouldn’t be tardy. They probably needed extra time to prepare."

"That sounds about right. It’s not like they’re trying to run away."

The approaching figure had a slightly peculiar air about them. Their entire body was cloaked in a robe, their face hidden beneath the hood. Upon arrival, they bowed deeply, the movement unnaturally stiff.

The guardians exchanged subtle glances but said nothing, allowing the robed figure to pass through the entrance.

With the academy uniform neatly worn and a pocket watch hanging at her waist, Maizen Tyren’s identity was unquestionable. The elven guardians barely gave her a second glance before waving her through. It was almost too easy.

Slipping past their watchful eyes, she crossed the threshold into the divine realm beneath the roots of the world tree.

'Hah.'

Once she was out of sight, Maizen threw off her robe. A twisted, triumphant grin spread across her face, as if she had already seized everything she had ever desired.

"This was so easy!"

For so long, she had endured.

She had swallowed down her resentment, smothered her anger, and choked back the bitter jealousy and envy toward those who had made her life miserable.

But there was no need to endure anymore.

[Progress of Dark Magic Corruption: 49.99%]

[Progress of Dark Magic  Corruption: 50.00%]

[Progress of Dark Magic Corruption: 71.84%]

Gloop! Gloop!

Her face rippled and distorted, as if made of molten wax, before settling back into its original form.

"Hoo!"

Breaking the enchantment that had been suppressing her dark magic corruption, a refreshing sense of liberation enveloped her body.

A shiver of ecstasy ran down her spine.

"Ah yes, this energy."

Her half-lidded eyes glimmered with dark hunger as she surveyed the glowing realm of divine beasts.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that she, a vessel of corruption, could set foot in this divine space. And yet, here she was… completely unnoticed and entirely unhindered.

It felt too perfect, as though the gods themselves had paved the way for her.

The unexpected death of one student had reduced the count, allowing her to slip in without suspicion.

A fortunate accident, perhaps.

And the enchantment gifted to her by the cult leader had suppressed the corruption just enough to avoid detection by the elven guardians.

Now, her mission was laughably simple. All she had to do was descend to the fourth layer, taint the divine beasts that slumbered there, and shatter the seals protecting the upper levels.

If divine beasts with a minimum Risk Level of 5 were to be tainted and start rampaging, it would be nothing short of a disaster for the first-year students.

But they would have no space to escape. For an entire week, the students would be trapped inside this realm, completely cut off from the outside world.

Maizen licked her lips at the thought. An entire week to bathe in the blood of those gifted mages. Their sacrifices would fuel her transformation, amplifying the dark power within her.

"One week. I can’t wait."

Her eyes glittered with malevolence as she stepped deeper into the roots, her footsteps echoing softly against the glowing earth.