I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 92

In truth, the term ‘Familiar Contract Ceremony’ felt oddly misplaced. After all, the bond between divine beasts and mages wasn’t forged out of familial affection but rather for mutual gain.

A general misconception was that once you form a contract with a divine beast, they could be summoned from anywhere. However, it was not that simple.

The relationship between a mage and a familiar hinged on exchanging benefits. Unless both parties desired something more from one another, summoning was simply out of the question.

For instance, a contract with a flame familiar could grant passive enhancements, such as increased casting speed and amplified fire magic.

Yet, achieving the ability to summon the familiar required an exceptional degree of intimacy and trust.

In fact, within the novel, mages who attained the ability to directly summon familiars were exceedingly rare.

And among them, there was one named Eisel Morph.

Flame walked alone on the third layer with that thought in mind. She didn't bring any other friends along. After all, she was entering a slightly dangerous area with the intention of forming a contract with the luminal flower.

In the novel, the luminal flower was an elusive and seldom-mentioned existence. Its extraordinary ability to amplify light-attribute affinity made it the perfect match for Flame.

"Ah, there it is."

Just as she had hoped.

At the edge of a cliff, where sunlight barely reached, the flower bloomed

The novel had described its location, yet actually finding it still sent a thrill of wonder through her.

Floral divine beasts were extremely rare, and at this level, it was safe to say it was close to a 4-star rank.

Calming her racing heart, Flame extended her hand toward the luminal flower.

Whoosh!

Like dandelions fluttering in the wind, the luminal flower spread a cluster of light in all directions. Although there was no communication, it was undoubtedly a sign of affirmation.

“Perfect...!”

Blessed with a strong affinity for light, Flame had believed the process would be smooth.

Contracting with the luminal flower filled her with joy, making her whole body tremble.

Her long journey here had drained her strength, yet with her task complete, the only thing left to do was rest.

"Let's see..."

Spotting a nearby plain that appeared flat and comfortable, she decided it would suffice as a resting place.

However, when she arrived, she wasn’t alone.

"Hello, Flame."

"Oh, hello?"

"Ma Yu-Seong? Eisel?"

A stylish tent had already been set up. Flame couldn’t fathom how they’d managed it.

By the campfire, Ma Yu-Seong was seated, skillfully grilling meat. Next to him, Eisel sat quietly, her expression calm as she watched the flickering flames.

Flame couldn’t help but notice the man’s mysterious charm. Her gaze then shifted to the woman, who made even the campfire’s glow look like the perfect lighting, and she swallowed hard.

It felt entirely different seeing them in person compared to reading about them in a novel. No amount of human description could ever capture their presence.

"What a coincidence, running into you in a place like this.”

"Yeah. Why did you set up a tent in this secluded place?"

“I just happened to pass by and ran into him.”

"I... just wanted to pass the time."

"Ah."

Flame suddenly recalled a detail about Ma Yu-Seong. He possessed a peculiar trait that made divine beasts instinctively avoid him. No matter what he did, they always ran away, leaving him without a single proper interaction.

Knowing that, he set up a tent in a sparsely populated area to pass the time. She felt it was unfortunate, but what could be done?

"Got food for one more?"

Flame glanced at Eisel, guessing she must have stumbled upon Ma Yu-Seong by chance. It seemed he had simply offered to share his meal.

Settling onto a patch of grass across from Ma Yu-Seong, Flame casually picked up a skewer. After rummaging through her backpack, she pulled out some seasoning.

"It's tasteless when you eat it like this. Here. Try sprinkling this on it."

"What’s this?"

"You should always have salt and pepper with you. Just by looking, I can tell you're eating it blandly."

How did she know?

That very question was written all over Eisel and Ma Yu-Seong’s faces.

Recalling how tasteless their meals were in the novel, she shook her head mentally.

Ma Yu-Seong sprinkled the salt on his skewer and said, "Flame, have you made a contract yet?"

"For now, yes."

"Really?"

"Already?"

Both Eisel and Ma Yu-Seong were visibly shocked to hear that she had already formed a contract.

Their astonished reactions left Flame feeling a little uneasy, prompting her to scratch her cheek awkwardly.

‘Come to think of it, I wonder what that old man is up to.’

Her thoughts wandered to Baek Yu-Seol, who had mentioned heading to the fourth layer. That place hadn’t even been described in the novel, leaving it an unknown territory for Flame as well.

Still, she believed Baek Yu-Seol had knowledge of the area, since he’s probably a regressor.

She didn't know what he was going to do there, but it was undoubtedly a dangerous space.

‘Well, he's Baek Yu-Seol, so he probably won't die,’ Flame thought, casually at Ma Yu-Seong's meat.

Boom! Crash!!!

From a little distance away, a violent explosion resounded and spread. The trio immediately stood up and surveyed the nearby area.

"What's that sound?"

"It sounds like there's a battle happening nearby..."

But could a student really create such a deafening explosion?

There was one person who could. Among the first-year students was one person, Hong Bi-Yeon.

Yet, something about the situation felt off.

An unsettling sensation radiated from the site of the explosion, prickling at their senses.

"It's probably nothing. Anyone who’s here in the third layer has to be confident in their skills."

"Yes, that's true, but still..."

Just as Eisel was about to speak, a sudden shiver ran down their spines.

A repulsive energy swept through the air, prickling their skin and sending chills through their bodies.

The moment they felt it, Flame and Ma Yu-Seong instinctively turned toward the source.

"This is...!"

There was no mistaking it… it was dark magic.

'Why?'

Flame was certain that nothing like this happened in the novel. The Familiar Contract Ceremony was supposed to be a simple event, ending with a minor clash between Eisel and Hong Bi-Yeon. Nothing more.

But as soon as the thought crossed her mind, realization hit.

‘What foolish thoughts am I having again? It’s not the first or second time something unexpected has happened.’

Cursing herself for letting her guard down, Flame saw Ma Yu-Seong stand abruptly. Without a word, he launched himself toward the source of the disturbance.

Bang!

"Whoa?! Wha…"

Flame flinched as Ma Yu-Seong shot into the air, leaving a cloud of dust and dirt in his wake. Her expression hardened, and she quickly followed after him.

"Eisel! Let's go too!"

"Yeah, got it!"

Something was definitely wrong.

There was no doubt about it.

Yet, no matter how hard Flame tried, she couldn’t piece together what was happening.

'What on earth is going on...?'

***

The thick smoke slowly began to clear, revealing Hong Bi-Yeon’s silhouette.

Feeling the sensation of something pressing against her chest, she reached out her hand and felt a warm touch.

"Cough...!"

Her coughing intensified as she forced herself upright, finally laying eyes on the figure resting against her.

"Prin...cess..."

"Arshuang...?"

Arshuang lapsed into unconsciousness. Although she was covered in dirt, she didn't seem to have any major wounds.

"What’s going on?"

"Princess!"

Carefully laying Arshuang to the side, Hong Bi-Yeon turned to face the commotion as panicked cries erupted from her faction members.

Thump! Thump!

A shattering sound echoed as fragments scattered in every direction.

Hong Bi-Yeon’s eyes instantly locked onto the source of the destruction.

'The boundary of the fourth layer...'

The barrier that sealed off the dangerous creatures in the fourth layer was completely shattered.

And from the jagged cracks of the breach, a single creature emerged, its form soaring through the air as piercing ultrasonic waves reverberated around them.

Whoosh!

"Aaah!"

"Ugh!"

The students clutched their ears, wincing in pain as they stumbled back.

Yet amidst the chaos, Hong Bi-Yeon stood firm, her gaze fixed on the creature.

Its body writhed in agony, enveloped in tendrils of dark energy. But even in such a corrupted state, she recognized it immediately.

It was the creature Hong Bi-Yeon had been searching for, the frostfire dolphin. 

There was no time to celebrate the discovery.

Sparks of black magic crackled across its skin, leaving it trembling and unstable, as though it could collapse - or explode - at any moment.

'The corruption of a divine beast by dark magic. A thousand years ago, when dark mages ran rampant, this was a common sight. But in this era, divine beasts have long hidden away in the shadows of the world.’

‘Divine Beasts are particularly vulnerable to dark magic, and once they start to be consumed by it, their emotions and magic go out of control.'

'I have no choice but to subdue it quickly.'

Crack!

Hong Bi-Yeon raised her staff, igniting a burst of flames… but before she could act, a massive chunk of ice plummeted from above, striking the dolphin’s back.

The dolphin froze, unable to move. Then, a chain of light fell from the sky and wrapped around its body.

High above, Ma Yu-Seong appeared, his figure illuminated against the backdrop of chaos.

With a roar, he drove a colossal rock fist into the creature, sending it crashing into the ground with a thunderous impact.

Rumble!

Thud!

The earth trembled beneath their feet, and a gust of wind swept through, clearing the dust and revealing the aftermath.

When the haze settled, three figures stood in plain view… a boy and two girls.

Flame channeled mana into the glowing chains, reinforcing them to keep the dark magic contained.

Clang!

The dark energy hissed and sputtered, but perhaps because the corruption had yet to fully take root, it dissipated quickly under her purification.

The dolphin let out a faint cry before its body went limp, its eyes slowly closing.

"Hooh... That was close."

Relief washed over them. The frostfire dolphin, an important creature central to the main storyline, had barely escaped falling into darkness.

Flame took a deep breath and shouted at Hong Bi-Yeon, "Hey! Princess! What's going on here!"

However, before an answer could come back…

Crack.

The red barrier that blocked the fourth layer was crumbling into pieces.

"What is this...?"

Through a jagged crack in the barrier, a figure emerged.

The students instinctively huddled together, weapons raised and ready.

“The finest delicacies are always saved for last. But it seems the plan has taken an unexpected turn.”

The voice echoed chillingly.

The figure stepped forward, and to everyone’s horror, it was none other than Professor Maizen.

"Professor?"

One of the students called out hesitantly, but the sight before them crushed any hope of an explanation.

Red horns curved upward from her head. A membrane of blood veiled her eyes. Her body loomed nearly three meters tall, grotesque bone protrusions jutting out from her flesh.

She was no longer human.

She was a dark mage.

Maizen scanned the students quickly. There were a whopping four students from Class S, and an estimated 18 students from other classes, most likely all Class A.

Her lips curled as she ran her tongue slowly across them.

Poof!

A wave of dark energy burst outward, tearing through the air.

"Aah!"

"Ugh!"

Even without casting a spell, the pressure alone forced the students to stagger back.

'Haah... Yes, this power.’

Maizen was originally an alchemist, and her talent as a mage was mediocre at best, barely reaching the level of a Class 4.

Her shift to alchemy had been a concession, a path chosen out of necessity rather than ambition.

But now, things were different.

If she unleashed her full strength, she could rival the destructive force of a Class 6 mage.

Gone were the days of potions and petty tricks. She wielded real power… the kind that could burn her name into history.

"Well then... Shall we enjoy the feast?"