I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 93

If the first layer embodied a verdant green theme, the second shimmered in golden hues, and the third unfolded in shades of deep violet, then the long-rumored and forbidden fourth layer bloomed in soft pink.

Baek Yu-Seol paused, letting his gaze sweep over the strange and mesmerizing landscape of the fourth layer.

Of course, his admiration wasn’t one born of awe or sentiment. Instead, it was the calculated assessment of terrain and landmarks through the lenses of his spectacles.

"I have a rough idea of the route, but..."

Squeak!

A sharp headache struck, forcing him to pull off his glasses and press his fingertips against his temples.

Two days of wearing the spectacles without rest had drained his mental reserves, leaving him teetering on the edge of exhaustion.

Even his senses feel dull. While other mages could resolve most issues by burning through their mana, he relied entirely on mental strength… and that reservoir was dangerously low.

Depletion of mana would lead to severe headaches, and severe headaches would limit the control of spells to the point of restricting sensory activation.

'Should I take a short break?'

The divine beasts on the third layer had mostly reacted favorably to him, but he wondered if that would hold true on the fourth layer.

He could only hope they wouldn’t lash out without provocation.

Finding a spot that seemed relatively safe, he settled down, closed his eyes, and focused on steadying his breathing.

Though he lacked the refined meditation techniques of seasoned mages, he could still manage to recover a portion of his stamina and mental clarity through sheer concentration.

"Hooh."

After resting for about an hour, the headache eased. He had plenty of time and didn’t need to rush, but given the unpredictable dangers lurking in the fourth layer, it was best to retrieve the heart and leave swiftly.

The absence of clear landmarks only added to the layer’s disorienting nature.

Perhaps this unfinished space was designed with intent, but for an ordinary traveler, it would feel like wandering endlessly through a labyrinth.

Therefore, he took out the hanbaram flower he had asked Flame to create in advance.

Renowned for its unfailing ability to point east, the flower had long served as a compass substitute, especially in areas where strong electromagnetic fields rendered traditional tools useless.

Unlike a conventional compass prone to interference, the hanbarum flower remained unwavering, its petals always turned toward the rising sun.

With the Teripon sword in hand, Baek Yu-Seol proceeded cautiously.

Along the way, he glimpsed an assortment of strange creatures. Some resembled enormous tortoise shells, others soared through the skies like whales adrift in an unseen sea, and one - a deer with eyes like polished gemstones - locked gazes with him briefly before vanishing into the mist.

Unlike the translucent divine beasts below 5-star, those above had distinct forms.

Woohhh!

A low, resonant hum rippled through the air, reminiscent of a ship’s horn echoing across a vast ocean.

Though eerie, the sound carried an almost sacred weight, stirring a sense of reverence deep within him.

As he advanced, his senses sharpened, catching the faintest tremor in the air.

Tingle!

Coincidentally, it was the very direction he was headed.

As Baek Yu-Seol cautiously advanced, the dense forest seemed to part before him, revealing a woman perched gracefully upon a rock, humming a soft, lilting melody.

For a fleeting moment, it felt as though cherry blossoms had erupted into bloom, swirling in all directions.

The world itself seemed awash in shades of pink, and a dizzying sensation overtook him… light and airy, as if he were soaring through a boundless azure sky.

There was a floating castle in the sky, surrounded by cherry blossoms, enveloped in a deep shade of red.

And at the heart of it all, the woman sat serenely. Her white robe billowed gently, complementing her snow-white hair and the pointed fox-like ears perched atop her head.

Drawing a slow, steady breath, Baek Yu-Seol squeezed his eyes shut.

'Not human... Not even a divine beast. That must be the one I’ve been searching for… A Divine Moon, Pink Spring Moon.’

Yet, he knew this wasn’t her true form. It was merely one of the nine avatars she could manifest.

Clearing his mind, he reopened his eyes, and the fantastical illusion faded, leaving behind the real world.

The woman turned her gaze toward him and spoke as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

— Hmm? A human, is it? Have you come here seeking something?

With light, effortless steps, she approached him, her bare feet brushing against the earth like a dancer’s. Her smile radiated warmth, and her face mirrored the ideal beauty he might have conjured in his mind. For an instant, his heart threatened to waver… but he quickly steeled himself, regaining composure.

The figure before him was no human.

He could not afford to be enchanted.

He had prepared for this moment.

'Shoop...!'

Baek Yu-Seol closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The ambient mana flooded into his body, stirring the latent energy within him.

As someone afflicted with mana leakage, he possessed the rare ability to expel all foreign mana in an instant.

Zzzt!

A sharp jolt pulsed through his senses, and for the briefest moment, the woman’s alluring form flickered… revealing a fox in her place.

— Oh-ho?

Of course, resisting her magic completely was impossible with his current mental fortitude, and in the next moment, she reverted to her human-like appearance. Still, he had succeeded in dispelling her charm, however briefly.

Mental enchantments that manipulated mana had no effect on someone like him, whose body naturally repelled magic.

Even enchantments woven from the highest levels of magic could not fully ensnare him, allowing him glimpses of her true form.

She looked at Baek Yu-Seol then deliberately averted her gaze and smiled softly.

— Hmm, you certainly stand apart from the ordinary humans I’ve encountered. If you were like the others, you would have rushed toward me by now.

"Thank you for the compliment. May I inquire about your identity?"

She was a divine moon, one of the beings with the greatest power in the game Aether World.

Even the mighty, fabled dragons were said to pale in comparison to her kind. He couldn’t afford to lower his guard.

— Me? As you can see, I am a yokai. And also a divine beast, a divine general, a divine spirit, and a divine god. Does that answer suffice?

"I see. I understand."

— Hehe, so tell me. What’s your purpose for coming here?

"That is..."

— If you don't speak honestly, I'll devour you.

When she widened her crimson eyes in mock playfulness, his instincts flared in alarm.

One misstep, and death would be inevitable.

"I came to retrieve a heart."

— Oh, really? Whose heart?

"The heart of a divine beast."

— Oh? So, you intend to slay a divine beast and claim its heart?

"No, I do not have the power to kill one. I was planning to retrieve a heart that has been lost by its owner from the Tomb of the Familiars, which exists deep within."

As soon as the words ‘Tomb of the Familiars’ were mentioned, the fox's expression sank.

— There’s no heart there.

“Nevertheless, I must find it."

— Why?

Baek Yu-Seol hesitated, measuring his words carefully. This woman could see through lies as easily as breathing. If he so much as hinted at selfish motives, he knew she would end his life without hesitation.

He needed something that could serve as a reasonable excuse.

‘There’s one. The reason I came all the way here to retrieve the heart was primarily for Leafanel’s sake.’

He reached into his bag, quickly pulling out the damaged wooden pendant… a gift given by Leafanel as a symbol of friendship.

Holding it out for the Pink Spring Moon to see, he declared, "I’m doing this to save my friend."

— That is...!

Pink Spring's eyes widened. Tokens of friendship were sacred gifts, never bestowed lightly by divine beasts.

Even though Pink Spring was not particularly close to Leafanel, the pendant’s presence told her everything she needed to know… this human was the only one who could save her.

— I see... So that's how it came to be... Well, that's interesting. If a human has such a relationship with a divine beast, it must mean that you're not an ordinary human.

Among the twelve divine moons, Pink Spring had a particularly deep affection for divine beings.

It was for this reason that she used her enchantments to draw divine beasts to this sanctuary, safeguarding them from the outside world.

This fourth layer, an enigmatic and ethereal domain, was not merely a space… it was her creation.

From a human’s perspective, it might seem stifling - like a gilded cage or a living zoo - but her judgment had been, ultimately, the right one.

Countless divine beasts had escaped the grasp of dark mages, finding refuge within this sanctuary.

However, as the price for creating this space, Pink Spring lost the ability to venture outside forever.

Though she could scatter fragments of her power and bestow blessings, even that proved to bring misfortune rather than hope.

One such casualty of this unintended consequence was Elf King Florin. Shackled by the overwhelming force of her blessing, Florin was rendered incapable of venturing beyond the sanctuary, never even realizing the reason for her imprisonment.

— Well, fine. If it's for that reason, I can give you a heart. After all, you're a friend of the divine spirit. Moreover, I can faintly smell the scent of her emanating from your aura. It seems you have quite an intimate relationship with her. Hehehe.

She raised a delicate hand to cover her mouth, smirking in a way that felt both teasing and sinister.

‘All I did were breathing exercises beside Leafanel…’

— However.

Suddenly, she relaxed her expression, let out a sigh, and shook her head.

— To be honest, I'm tired of it now.

"Excuse me?"

— I can no longer trust humans.

"No, wait a moment. Why are you sudde—"

— Throughout history, there have been many humans like you. Heroes who fought for divine beasts, fairies, and us... the Divine Moons.

The look in her eyes was distant, yet sorrowful, as if haunted by memories long past.

— But our stories always ended in tragedy. In the end, they betrayed us. Every single one.

"I… I..."

— Why? Do you want to say that you won't be like them? I've heard that story dozens… hundreds of times already. I'm tired of it. The human race.

"Hmm..."

Baek Yu-Seol swallowed hard, expecting this reaction.

After all, even in the original game, Pink Spring Moon had proven one of the most difficult beings to win over.

The method to inherit her abilities was deceptively simple yet infuriatingly challenging… meeting the required conditions of high affinity with divine beasts and extraordinary mental strength.

At present, his abilities were nowhere near enough to fulfill those conditions.

But his objective today wasn’t to conquer her or gain her powers.

He only needed to make his presence known to her… to plant the first seed of recognition.

Yet, even the seemingly straightforward task of retrieving a divine beast’s heart was proving to be a stubborn battle.

"My friend is dying... Please save her."

— You humans have a short lifespan. Even if divine beasts lose their memories, they are eternal. That child will remain asleep even after you die. I will go and save her at that time.

"Wait, then can't you just come with me now?"

— That's impossible. I've expended a lot of power creating this space, so I can't move right now.

‘Ugh. This infuriating woman…!’

Baek Yu-Seol clenched his teeth.

How could she refuse to act, bound not only by her physical limits but also by the chains of her mistrust?

He didn’t remember the story, so he didn’t know how Pink Spring Moon was betrayed by humans and what they did to her. 

— You may be friends with a divine spirit, but that doesn’t prove that you can sacrifice your life for their sake. But...

‘Well, that’s true.’

No matter how noble his intentions were, his life was still precious to him.

— I don't want divine beasts to give their hearts to humans. They’ll eventually be hurt.

"Yes..."

Baek Yu-Seol didn't expect himself to be blocked like this.

‘Maybe... I shouldn’t have come looking for Pink Spring Moon.’

‘No, that’s not it.’

Winning her favor would take time, but persistence was key. Even if she seemed cold and unapproachable now, someday his efforts might bear fruit.

‘... Perhaps I need to find another way to obtain the heart.’

‘What should I do?’

As he mulled over his options, a sudden chill crawled down his spine.

[A variable has occurred in the episode.]

[Episode 7 ‘Arshuang's Dark Corruption Route’ is in progress.]

Such a message appeared.

‘So even Arshuang's route is progressing.’

He had anticipated this much. His very presence had likely triggered the deviation.

Still, there was no need for panic.

Arshuang’s corruption arc was something Hong Bi-Yeon would inevitably resolve, even without his direct intervention.

If it seemed too dangerous, he could just go back immediately.

[The variable has been resolved.]

As expected, Arshuang's dark corruption route was resolved not long after.Baek Yu-Seol exhaled a quiet breath of relief and prepared to turn back to Pink Spring Moon, hoping to press the conversation further.

But…

[Warning! Your storyline interference has caused a significant butterfly effect.]

[Episode 8 ‘Dark Magic Corruption’ is being merged with the current ongoing episode!]

[The difficulty level of the episode has increased significantly!]

"What...?"

[Episode 7-8]

[Familiar Contract Ceremony and the Dark Mage Corruption]

Baek Yu-Seol froze, his breath catching in his throat as the weight of the situation sank in.

Episode 8.

It meant that Professor Maizen would be completely corrupted by dark magic and go on a rampage.

Why was it happening so soon?

He quickly put on his specs to confirm, and he saw that Professor Maizen’s corruption rate had surpassed 50% and was now at 80%.

‘What is this? Why all of a sudden...?’

Episodes were supposed to trigger only when they directly involved the protagonists. This wasn’t supposed to happen here, in an isolated and unexplored region.

Professor Maizen had become corrupted somewhere near the roots of the heavenly spirit tree, where all the protagonists had gathered.

‘Darn it, she's becoming a dark mage here.’

So far, there had been many unexpected variables, but they never had such a direct impact on the episode itself.

But now, the episode was occurring ahead of schedule.

There was no way to know or prepare for this. He didn't know when or how it would happen.

‘This... is because of me.’

He had meddled… made calculated moves to accelerate Maizen’s corruption in order to set the stage for the protagonists.

But this?

He never anticipated that her corruption would spiral so quickly, especially not here.

It was still impossible for the protagonists to defeat her by themselves.

In the original game, Maizen’s strength would gradually be chipped away by allies, creating the opportunity for strategic victories.

However, there was not a single ally here because the location of the episode had changed.

Therefore, it meant that he had to find other allies.

But who else was here? There was no one else to help the protagonists in this place except him.

— What is this...?

Pink Spring Moon also seemed to have sensed the dark magic and was looking somewhere with a bewildered expression.

"Oh, it's not time... Dark magic shouldn't intrude yet..."

She had clearly fortified this realm with powerful barriers, protecting it from dark magic and external threats.

And yet—

Dark magic had breached her domain. The look on her face told him everything. Weakened as she was, Pink Spring Moon was no longer capable of intervening directly.

Baek Yu-Seol snapped out of his panic and turned to her.

"Where is it?"

— What’re you—

"I mean, tell me where the dark magic is detected! I’ll go and stop it!"

— No, it's not possible. You can't stop it at your level. I need to summon my child, Florin, right away.

"We don't have time for that! Quickly tell me the location!"

His voice rang out, sharp and urgent. Even he was startled by the intensity of his tone.

The current Pink Spring Moon, who had most of her memories sealed, seemed unable to maintain composure.

It was truly an ironic situation.

She was one of the Twelve Divine Moons, a being of immense power and influence.

Her greatest weapon had always been her unshakable mental strength, yet here she was… visibly rattled by the mere intrusion of a single dark mage.

Baek Yu-Seol felt a pang of sympathy as he watched her trembling form.

But there was no time to linger on sentiment.

— There... It's over there. The dark magic is corrupting my children from that place.

That was enough information. Holding the artifact, the vengeance branch, in his right hand, he rushed without hesitation in the direction she pointed.