I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 439

The most fundamental question Baek Yuseol had to tackle was straightforward yet daunting:

"Where exactly is the Witch Queen’s true body sealed, and how?"

That wasn’t the only issue.

Why had the Witch Queen been unable to escape for centuries?

Her magical prowess was indisputably among the world’s highest. If she couldn’t break the seal, how could Baek Yuseol possibly hope to do so?

He rationalized that the Witch Queen’s magic was likely rendered ineffective in her sealed state, leaving her unable to resolve the situation herself.

It was a comforting thought because if that weren’t the case, it would mean that even if he found her, there would be no way to break the seal.

In a bustling adventurer’s guild, loud chatter filled the air.

“Hey, I heard you took down a native monster! You’ve got guts!”

“Made a fortune too! I’m taking the next month off to blow it all.”

“Remember that dungeon we explored? Turns out there was a secret passage with a chest full of gold bars. Damn!”

“Damn it! If only we’d been more thorough...”

The guild, where mercenaries and mages gathered, was the nerve center for all sorts of missions: hunting monsters, escorting travelers, exploring danger zones, or even tracking missing people. Naturally, it became a repository of the world’s most obscure and secretive information.

Baek Yuseol sat quietly in the farthest corner, sipping a cup of coffee.

Normally, he wouldn’t have bothered visiting a place like this. After all, his reliance on the Magpie Glasses for information made this unnecessary.

But now, the situation was different.

“I can’t pinpoint her location.”

The Magpie Glasses had been instrumental in resolving countless incidents.

Sometimes, they had solved cases entirely on their own. Other times, they provided critical insights that would have been impossible to obtain otherwise.

From analyzing enemies’ weaknesses to uncovering hidden paths to foreseeing solutions no one else could conceive, the glasses had been his everything.

So much so that Baek Yuseol often joked that the glasses only lacked the ability to understand women’s hearts.

But now, for the first time, their assistance was minimal.

At best, he had to rely on his memories of playing Aither World Online.

"There are likely locations I haven’t explored."

During his time playing Aither World Online, he had traversed nearly every corner of the continent.

The game’s vast world was infamous for its sheer size, with endless fields and dungeons being discovered daily, even after ten years of service. While this had been a highlight in the game, it was now a drawback.

The sheer volume of information meant there were countless places he hadn’t fully explored.

“The Forbidden Zones are my best bet.”

Places like the Deep Seas of Alamancha, the Eternal Iceberg Mountains, the Burning Cliffs, or the Howling Canyon came to mind.

These so-called Forbidden Zones were infamous for being teeming with monsters, making survival impossible for both Black Mages and humans.

Even as a player, Baek Yuseol had been wary of these areas and seldom visited them. Now, he cursed his younger self.

“Back then, it was just a game. At worst, you’d lose some experience points if you died...”

Had he risked exploring those areas, he might already know where Scarlet’s body was sealed.

The door to the guild creaked open, and a drunken woman staggered inside.

"Found her."

While the Magpie Glasses had been largely unhelpful, they weren’t entirely useless.

For instance, they could highlight individuals who might have information about Scarlet’s whereabouts.

The odds were slim—1% at most—but it was better than nothing.

“Ugh, it’s her again.”

“Out of booze money, I bet.”

“Damn it. I’m out of here before she sets the building on fire again.”

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The woman stumbled toward the guild’s bulletin board, examining missions with a wobbly gait. Most adventurers quietly slipped away, unwilling to deal with her.

Unfortunately, one burly mercenary, unfamiliar with her reputation, frowned and rolled up his sleeves.

“Hey, you! Drunkards can’t take missions. Follow the rules, will you?”

The woman raised her head to glare at him but said nothing. She merely exhaled, unleashing a plume of fire.

“What the—?!”

Despite the proliferation of magical equipment, making even non-magic users formidable, there was still a stark gap between average adventurers and true powerhouses.

The burly man froze, unable to react in time as the flames surged toward him.

But before they could engulf him—

Whoosh!

A figure appeared between them.

“What the...?!”

The adventurers barely registered Baek Yuseol’s movement before he intercepted the flames barehanded and redirected them harmlessly to the side.

The redirected flames landed in a bowl of cold noodles someone had been eating.

The noodles were now hot noodles, but the building remained intact—a small mercy.

“Did he... just catch fire with his bare hands?”

“Wait, was that teleportation? What kind of magic is that?”

“Hold on, isn’t that face familiar...?”

Ignoring the murmurs, the woman scowled at Baek Yuseol, clearly irritated that he had interfered.

Knowing her temperament, Baek Yuseol wasted no time on pleasantries. He pulled out a pouch of coins and held it up.

“Ten million credits. I need a guide. Will you take the job?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the woman snatched the pouch.

“Let’s move, client.”

***

The woman’s name was Fanalet.

Born to a nameless noble family, she learned magic in her youth but lost her parents in a war and drifted into a life as an adventurer—or so she claimed. In truth, she was a witch living under the guise of a common adventurer.

This wasn’t a story she openly shared; her personality didn’t lend itself to self-revelations. Baek Yuseol had only learned about her past through the Magpie Glasses and the accounts of certain players who had discovered this information in Aither World Online.

As he studied the details about Fanalet, Baek Yuseol pondered. If this world were still a game, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Fanalet might have been just another ordinary NPC. So why had some players gone out of their way to uncover her story?

He dismissed the thought and turned his gaze to her.

The carriage rattled along the dirt road, surrounded by vast fields and farmlands.

While modern transportation was common in the larger cities, it wasn’t unusual to see horse-drawn carriages in the rural outskirts. This slow-moving, creaky contraption allowed Baek Yuseol to enjoy a rare moment of leisure, though his mind was far from at ease.

Fanalet, seated beside him with a slightly flushed face, broke the silence.

“Hey, client. What was that thing you did earlier?”

Baek Yuseol glanced at her. She was still sipping from her flask, her cheeks tinged red. At least she wasn’t as inebriated as she’d been when they first met.

“What thing?”

“Catching fire with your bare hands. That’s not something you see every day.”

“It’s magic.”

“Magic? Come on, I breathe fire out of my mouth. That’s magic.”

“Exactly. My method is magic too.”

“There’s a spell for that? Hand-grabbing fire?”

“The world is full of surprises.”

The conversation ended there.

Baek Yuseol wasn’t particularly interested in chatting with Fanalet. He only wanted her to guide him to their destination as quickly as possible.

The carriage slowed to a stop, and the driver spoke up.

“This is as far as I can take you, folks. The rest is on foot.”

Baek Yuseol and Fanalet stepped down from the carriage, the older man offering a cautionary word.

“You two look young, so here’s some advice. Don’t go too deep into the forest. There are dangerous creatures lurking in there. But don’t worry too much—most of them are kept in check by the Witch of the Forest.”

Fanalet burst into laughter.

“The Witch of the Forest? Hah!”

Her amusement was understandable. After all, the so-called Witch of the Forest was standing right there.

Baek Yuseol adjusted his bag and motioned for her to move forward.

“Let’s go.”

Fanalet smirked.

“Aren’t you afraid of witches, kid?”

“The scariest thing in this world isn’t witches. It’s humans.”

She chuckled at his response.

“You’re an odd one, I’ll give you that.”

As they walked through the dense forest, Fanalet hummed a tune, seemingly unbothered by the looming trees and twisted roots.

The Secret Forest was notorious for its enchantments, which caused most people to unknowingly circle back to the entrance. However, Fanalet navigated the maze-like woods with ease, weaving through the distorted paths as if walking in a straight line.

Eventually, they arrived at the heart of the forest.

There, instead of a quaint witch’s hut, stood a grand mansion. Its imposing structure was overshadowed by the figure of a disheveled woman wielding a massive staff, glaring at them from the steps.

“Why are you here again, Fanalet?!”

Fanalet ducked behind Baek Yuseol, her bravado from earlier evaporating.

“Whoa, calm down! What’s with the hostility? Can’t I pay a visit?”

The disheveled woman snarled, dark circles under her eyes.

“Every time you come here, I get prophetic dreams for a week straight! Do you know how annoying it is not to sleep?”

“Why do you only get visions when I show up?”

“Because it’s my duty to keep an eye on witches like you!”

With a flourish of her staff, the woman pointed it directly at Fanalet, who immediately cowered further behind Baek Yuseol.

Baek Yuseol sighed and stepped forward.

“Stop right there. One more step, and I’ll take off your legs,” the woman warned.

Ignoring her threat, Baek Yuseol reached into his bag and pulled out a vial containing a swirling, black substance.

The woman’s eyes narrowed.

“That’s... the essence of a Witch Hunter?”

Baek Yuseol met her gaze steadily.

“No. I’m a Witch Hunter Slayer. And if you don’t help me, you’ll be next.”