I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 433

Baek Yuseol’s plan was simple.

Based on his predictions, the Persona Gates spreading across the Hawol Plains wouldn’t stop at just 20. At their peak, there could be over 100.

Thus, his goal was to avoid the Core Gates and focus on clearing the smaller Satellite Gates, steadily accumulating experience.

This world wasn’t a game.

In reality, the fastest way to grow stronger was through diligent training, gaining enlightenment along the way.

But that didn’t mean practical combat could be ignored.

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The realizations gained through actual combat, combined with gradual experience accumulation, were crucial for growth—even without shortcuts.

However, his plan slightly derailed with Jellyelle’s participation.

Accommodating her, given her limited stamina, slowed their schedule down a bit.

“Are you tired?”

“...I’ll be fine if we rest for a bit.”

Clearing one Persona Gate took them a mere six hours.

Even so, Jellyelle seemed exhausted. After returning to the real world upon clearing the gate, she quickly headed back to their camp and sat on her cot.

She looked as though she wanted to collapse onto it but was holding back, likely conscious of Baek Yuseol’s gaze.

“I’m tired too. Must be because I’ve been working for days and came straight here. I’ll rest over there, so you should rest too. The researchers will notify us when the next gate is found.”

Emphasizing that he wouldn’t bother her, Baek Yuseol left the tent. Moments later, he could feel Jellyelle drifting off to sleep.

Even though the tent was shielded by magic, its thin material couldn’t block Baek Yuseol’s keen senses.

‘Alright, then I’ll...’

Originally, his plan was to let Jellyelle sleep and tackle the next gate on his own. He had intended to apply the insights he gained during his training with Scarlett in the field.

But he changed his mind.

‘This feels... different.’

Baek Yuseol recalled his battle with Scarlett, remembering the sensation of running as if on mana itself.

It was as though mana had become tangible, no longer an obstacle but something he could grasp and wield at will. That strange, exhilarating sensation...

“Hm.”

Baek Yuseol closed his eyes, meditating quietly, before suddenly snapping them open.

A flash of pure white light flickered in his gaze before disappearing.

Enlightenment didn’t come easily. Being on the verge of understanding something yet unable to grasp it was the most frustrating feeling for him.

‘Sigh. Guess it won’t happen in one go.’

He glanced at his watch. Two hours had already passed.

“Damn.”

When had the time slipped away like that?

While it was proof of how deeply immersed he’d been in his meditation, in a situation where every second mattered, it only made him feel more anxious.

Since Jellyelle still needed more time to wake up, Baek Yuseol decided to tackle another Persona Gate alone. Just as he stood up, the tent’s flap was pulled aside, and Jellyelle stepped out, her expression characteristically indifferent.

“Huh? You’re already awake?”

Jellyelle blinked at him for a moment before speaking.

“...Didn’t you already leave?”

“Where would I have gone?”

“The gate.”

“No.”

She tilted her head, her curiosity evident.

“Why not? Time’s important, isn’t it?”

“Uh, well...”

She wasn’t wrong. Baek Yuseol had explicitly told her that their goal was to clear as many gates as possible. Under normal circumstances, he should have gone ahead while she was asleep to maximize efficiency.

And yet, here he was, inefficiently waiting in front of the tent for Jellyelle to wake up.

“It’s just...”

When he failed to provide a reason and awkwardly brushed it off, Jellyelle stared into his eyes for a moment before turning sharply and taking the lead.

“Let’s go.”

“Oh, uh, sure...”

Baek Yuseol quickly scratched the back of his head and followed her. He couldn’t understand what was going on inside the mind of this girl who, despite being at least a decade younger than him in real-world terms, always seemed a step ahead.

‘Did I do something wrong...?’

He thought she might answer if he asked directly, but his pride wouldn’t let him. Asking her about such a trivial matter felt beneath him.

“Ahem.”

Clearing his throat unnecessarily, Baek Yuseol sidled up next to Jellyelle and asked, “You slept only two hours. Are you really okay?”

“...?”

Jellyelle raised an eyebrow slightly, as if wondering what kind of absurd question that was.

“Two hours is plenty for a good night’s sleep. Who wouldn’t be fine with that?”

Her words, so at odds with what he considered normal, prompted Baek Yuseol to search his knowledge database.

‘Am I mistaken about something?’

Maybe elves or dwarves required less sleep than humans, he thought.

[Most races, including humans, require similar amounts of sleep. However, regional variations exist, and beastfolk may have unique sleep patterns based on their species...]

Nope. Nothing like that.

Elves didn’t need less sleep than humans.

In other words...

Jellyelle was simply an anomaly.

“Uh... okay.”

“Sleeping more than three hours a day is a waste of time. Think of all the things you could accomplish in those extra hours.”

Baek Yuseol was left speechless. He’d always thought of himself as hardworking, but apparently, he’d been wrong.

‘I still make sure to get at least six hours of sleep...’

Even prodigies like Eisel or Hong Biyeon likely averaged at least four hours of sleep a night.

But Jellyelle? She had reduced her sleep to such an extreme and still managed to excel in magic, all while running the Starcloud Trading Company.

‘Two hours of sleep... could I even do that?’

The thought sent a shiver down his spine, and he instinctively shook his head.

Absolutely not.

Living a perfect life on just two hours of sleep required a superhuman level of mental fortitude—something only the most extraordinary geniuses could achieve.

***

Northern Region, Icewhite Mountain Range.

Baekryeong Plateau Fortress.

In recent times, Grand Duke Seolparam, the protector of the northern frontier, had begun displaying a most unusual series of actions.

For centuries, the Icewhite Mountain Range had been designated a "Forbidden Zone," untouched by any living being. But now, Seolparam was systematically conquering it.

Everyone had deemed it impossible. Even the greatest heroes of history had failed to achieve such a feat.

Yet, astonishingly, Grand Duke Seolparam’s progress showed no signs of stopping. He methodically cleansed the Forbidden Zone of its monsters, securing each conquered area before advancing further. Bit by bit, he was reclaiming the Forbidden Zone as human territory.

“Whoa, so that’s the famous Grand Duke Seolparam I’ve heard so much about?”

From the heights of the Second Black Tower, perched on a peak taller than the clouds, two Black Mages observed the grand duke from afar.

The air here, beyond the reach of even snowstorms, was permanently stained crimson. Gigantic wyverns patrolled the skies above, ensuring no intruder had ever reached the tower—until now.

This place, once the domain of Marankalts, a 9th-class Black Mage, now stood abandoned. Its master had vanished.

Thus, the two Black Mages, Azmik and Kalaban, found themselves here, watching Seolparam’s forces with no clear purpose.

“Azmik. You reek,” said Kalaban, who resembled a dwarf.

Azmik paused, removing the fingernail she had been chewing.

“Ah, sorry. My nails have been itchy lately,” she said, holding up fingers stained deep red—not with nail polish, but with the blood of a mage.

“...I can’t believe Marankalts has disappeared. What do you plan to do now?” Kalaban asked, his voice low.

“Who knows? If you ask me, it’s better this way. That guy was one of the Black God Cult’s top lapdogs.”

“Even so, he was among the strongest of the Black Mages. A truly respectable figure, having mastered New Moon Magic as a Black Mage.”

“Hmph. What’s so great about magic? Anyone who depends on it is unreliable. Sure, Marankalts was a master of New Moon Magic, but that was all thanks to black magic. What I want is pure New Moon Magic.”

“It would be nice if such a thing existed, but it doesn’t.”

“Yeah... you’re right. You can’t master New Moon Magic without magic, but it shouldn’t be that way. Magic-tainted New Moon Magic is filthy. It can’t be called true New Moon Magic.”

It was a claim shocking enough to shake the foundations of the magical world.

The idea that mastering magic disqualifies one from mastering New Moon Magic was something no mage had ever discovered.

Only a Black Mage—someone outside conventional magical training—could uncover such a truth.

Azmik stood abruptly, her long fingers twisting idly at her ears.

“Well, we should head back and report this. If we tell the Black God Cult leader {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} that Marankalts is gone, the Black Kingdom might be pleased.”

“Probably.”

As the two Black Mages rose to leave, a black crow suddenly descended from the sky.

It was unmistakably a messenger from their headquarters. If Marankalts were still here, this shadow crow would never have made it through his defenses. But now, with the tower abandoned, it had no trouble reaching them.

—Azmik, can you hear me?

“Oh... and who are you?”

—The previous contact has died, so I’m temporarily filling in. It’s been over a week since your last report. Where are you?

“Ah, right! We’re at the Second Black Tower. We came to see if it could be of use to us, but it’s worthless. Thought it might help with the Persona Gates, but...”

—Hmm... Are you planning to return and report?

“Should we?”

A Black Mage focused on their duties would have said yes.

However, the stand-in sounded uninterested in his own responsibilities.

—Tsk. If I were you, I wouldn’t return just yet.

“Why not?”

—The Black Kingdom is furious.

“What...?”

The Black Kingdom was known for its cold and regal demeanor. The leader, face obscured by a helmet with strange protruding horns, had never shown anger before.

“Why?”

—There’s a peculiar rumor spreading. It’s said the Black Kingdom has secretly allied with a human mage...

“What?!”

It was an utterly unbelievable claim.

The Black Kingdom despised humans more than any other Black Mage. Azmik, who had observed the Black Kingdom up close, knew how ridiculous this sounded.

“With whom?”

—Someone named Baek Yuseol...

“Oh, that brat...”

Azmik recalled her humiliating failure to assassinate Baek Yuseol on a train not long ago.

—You know him?

“Of course. That annoying kid.”

—Then this works out. If you go back now, the Black Kingdom might vent his anger on you. Instead, kill Baek Yuseol before returning.

Click!

“Huh...?”

The crow cut the communication abruptly, leaving Azmik visibly flustered.

“Wait, no, no, no! That’s not fair!”

Her face turned pale.

Assassinating Baek Yuseol.

She had tried before. At the time, his abilities were weak, but his cunning had allowed him to escape her grasp without a scratch.

What about now?

She hadn’t encountered him recently, but rumors alone were enough.

‘They call him the Black Mage Slayer...’

She had heard chilling stories. Supposedly, he lured high-risk Black Mages, slaughtered them, and roasted their remains over an open flame, even seasoning them with salt.

The deranged lunatic known as the Black Mage Slayer. And now she was being ordered to hunt him down.

“What kind of nonsense is this?!”

Azmik shouted indignantly, but her voice didn’t even echo. At this height, above the reach of even the mountain peaks, her frustration dissipated into the air.

Her grievance was swallowed by the void, leaving her despairing in silence.