I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 445
Swoosh—!!
Amid the pouring rain, a gloomy gray temple stood tall.
It wasn’t an ancient structure.
Baek Yuseol examined its exterior and could easily estimate when it had been built.
‘The enchantments on the defensive statues at the entrance are roughly 70 years old. Back then, this kind of mobile defense technology was considered groundbreaking.’
Scanning the temple’s walls and the surrounding magical sigils, he muttered, “Doesn’t seem like much of a threat.”
“Really?”
Finarette, wearing her waterproof hood and still on guard, glanced at Cyclen, who was already striding ahead.
Despite having crossed what should have been a defensive perimeter, the temple made no reaction.
It was as if the place were entirely deserted.
Splash.
Each step on the marble-like floor sent small splashes of water flying.
Baek Yuseol surveyed the temple with a peculiar look. The magical formations and barriers seemed simple enough, but there was an odd sense of wrongness in the air.
‘The interior feels... overdone.’
Walking along the seemingly straight path, Baek Yuseol found himself tilting his head in confusion.
“Hey, miss. This is supposed to be a straight path, right?”
“Of course it is. It’s straight.”
“Then why does it feel like we’re veering off to the side?”
“What nonsense... Wait a second.”
As Baek Yuseol frowned at the ground, trying to make sense of his surroundings, Finarette suddenly realized something.
“Where’s that crazy woman?”
“Huh?”
Baek Yuseol jerked his head up at her words. Cyclen, who had been walking ahead just moments ago, was nowhere to be seen.
She hadn’t used magic—there was no sign of mana being activated.
‘Wait... hold on.’
Baek Yuseol abruptly stopped in his tracks, causing Finarette to do the same.
“What now? Why are you stopping?”
“Just a second.”
He pulled back his hood, letting the rain soak his hair. Ignoring the cold water dripping down his face, he closed his eyes and raised his head.
Swoosh—!!
As the storm raged around him, Baek Yuseol extended his spatial awareness, casting his senses far and wide.
[Sixth Sense]
His ability to blend with nature allowed him to perceive his surroundings with absolute clarity, unaffected by rain or wind.
Ordinarily, Baek Yuseol suppressed this heightened sensitivity to live a normal life. But when he unleashed it in emergencies...
Flash!
He opened his eyes, now calm and sharp, and stared at the temple.
“Forget what I said earlier.”
“Huh?”
“They’re not amateurs.”
Instead of looking at the straight path leading to the temple, Baek Yuseol’s gaze shifted to the side—a rocky area filled with scattered pebbles.
“This whole area is distorted.”
“Like that mansion in the crazy woman’s forest?”
“No. This is on a different level. Cyclen created an illusion to make it seem like the space was warped, but this is the real deal. The space itself has been reshaped into a labyrinth.”
The vast space had been entirely twisted, carved into a maze to the creators’ specifications.
Even someone as powerful as Elderman Elthwin wouldn’t be capable of such precision.
‘This is getting more and more interesting.’
Although their primary goal was to find Scarlet, discovering someone with this level of expertise in Lunar Eclipse magic piqued Baek Yuseol’s curiosity.
After all, the Lunar Eclipse was destined to become one of his most formidable adversaries.
But more than that, what intrigued him was why people with such advanced technology had remained hidden from the world.
‘From what I’ve heard, they’ve gone to great lengths to conceal their existence...’
According to the mercenaries they had interrogated earlier, this temple wasn’t necessarily tied to the Gray Moon Church. Instead, it functioned more like a mafia organization.
These people facilitated illegal transactions in the area, protected their clients from law enforcement, and ensured that anyone who broke agreements or tried to escape would be dealt with.
In other words, only a select few knew their true identity as the Gray Moon Church. Even Baek Yuseol might have missed it entirely if he hadn’t expanded his spatial awareness here.
“So, what’s the plan?”
“They don’t seem aggressive. If they were, they would’ve already used this space to launch some sort of attack. It looks like they’re just trying to keep intruders out.”
“So, you’re saying they’re like Cyclen? Crazy but not outright hostile?”
“I wish. Based on what we’ve learned about their mafia-like operations, it’s more likely they’re hiding something.”
“Hiding what, exactly?”
“Something shady, obviously.”
The level of spatial distortion here was such that even a highly skilled grand mage would struggle to break through it.
According to the mercenaries, even reaching this area was a privilege reserved for a chosen few.
That they had managed to arrive here at all was thanks to Cyclen’s expertise as a former witch hunter.
‘Which makes this all the more suspicious.’
Baek Yuseol’s lips curled into a smile, prompting Finarette to step back in alarm.
Though she still clutched her ever-present bottle of liquor, she sensed the situation was growing increasingly dire. Finally, she holstered the bottle at her waist.
“So, since they’re blocking us...”
“You’re thinking of leaving, right?”
“Nope. We’re pushing through.”
“Ugh, I hate dangerous stuff.”
“Stop whining and follow me.”
Instead of continuing straight, Baek Yuseol veered off the path, navigating the labyrinthine distortion. To move forward, they had to abandon the apparent straight road and take a winding, seemingly nonsensical route.
As Baek Yuseol slowly advanced, weaving through the maze, Finarette asked in amazement, “How do you even know where to go?”
Baek Yuseol simply smiled.
“I can see it.”
***
At the same time, inside the Gray Temple.
“How does that kid even know where to go?”
The question, identical to Finarette’s earlier one, was asked by one of the men seated in the temple.
Unlike its dreary exterior, the temple’s interior was an explosion of vivid, mismatched colors. The garish decorations were so over-the-top that even the famously opulent bedroom of Hong Biyun wouldn’t seem as wasteful.
In this gaudy room that was more chaotic than beautiful, three men and a woman sat watching a large screen projected through a crystal orb.
“Well, he’s an unusual boy,” Cyclen replied nonchalantly to the man clad in gray priest robes.
Having somehow entered the temple ahead of Baek Yuseol and Finarette, Cyclen was already being treated as an honored guest by the priests.
“Tch, this is a problem. If you don’t tell me properly...”
“I’ve already earned enough of their scorn just by leaving them behind. If I spill any more information, I’ll end up in trouble myself.”
“Scorn? Scorn? You, a witch hunter, afraid of being hated by humans? Don’t make me laugh. Drop the jokes.”
Cyclen smiled faintly.
“I’d recommend not provoking me further. Even I’m not sure what I might do if I lose my temper.”
“Tch. Ridiculous.”
The man in the priest robes clicked his tongue and pulled back his hood, revealing a pair of crimson horns sprouting from his forehead.
That’s right—the priests were none other than demons.
Or, to use the modern term: Darklings.
“A demon masquerading as a priest of the Lunar Eclipse. Wouldn’t the world be shocked if they found out?”
Cyclen glanced at the screen, observing Baek Yuseol and Finarette navigating the maze.
Or rather, not navigating—Baek Yuseol’s ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) progress was startlingly smooth.
The first condition for entering this temple was simple: "Carve your own path."
Though the labyrinth was designed with the complexity of a 9th-Class magical construct, its challenge was straightforward. Anyone, even a normal person, could theoretically pass if they possessed determination, courage, and the wisdom not to be deceived by what they saw.
Of course, meeting all those conditions was no easy feat. Even grand mages often lost their way here.
However, if someone managed to overcome the labyrinth, the Gray Moon Church extended hospitality to them, no matter who they were.
Even if that person was the infamous Darkling Hunter Baek Yuseol.
“A Darkling Hunter is on his way, and you’re not even worried?”
“Well, we’re not so weak as to be killed by a kid like him,” one of the priests replied dismissively.
“Ha, plenty of Darklings who underestimated their enemies ended up in coffins,” Cyclen retorted with a smirk.
“Tch. You’re insufferable.”
But Cyclen hadn’t forgotten her true purpose for coming here.
“So, can you find the Witch Queen?”
“There’s a record of a witch hunter making a similar request 400 years ago. If we follow the same method, it shouldn’t be difficult. But you know Baek Yuseol has to reach this place first, right?”
“Of course.”
“To locate the Witch Queen, we’ll need the most cherished possession of the person who shares the strongest bond with her. If he doesn’t pass the trial, there’s nothing we can do to help.”
For most people, the word “trial” would have sounded ominous, but Cyclen smiled confidently.
“That should be easy enough.”
As she observed Baek Yuseol striding forward without hesitation, the priests clicked their tongues in irritation.
“Every last person who comes here is a pain...”
If nothing unexpected happened, Baek Yuseol would arrive at the temple within one to three hours. The priests were certain of it and settled down to wait.
“Wait, hold on. What is that kid doing?”
“Huh?”
Something unusual appeared on the screen.
“He’s... drawing a sword?”
That’s right—Baek Yuseol had drawn Cheongpung Myeongwol, aiming the blade at empty air.
One of the priests squinted at the screen.
“Hey, don’t tell me that kid’s planning to...”
Another priest finished the thought, his voice filled with disbelief.
“...Cut through the space itself?”
It was an absurd leap in logic, yet none of them could deny the possibility.
Because there was no other way to explain Baek Yuseol’s actions.
“Turn on the sound!”
The priests hurriedly adjusted the crystal orb, and Finarette’s voice came through.
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“Hey, you lunatic! What are you doing?!”
“Well, now that I think about it, why should I bother following a path someone else went to the trouble of twisting up?”
“Huh? You’ve got a point...”
“And if you think about it, space distortion is just another form of magic, isn’t it?”
“...Fair enough?”
“So let’s just cut through all this nonsense. We don’t have time to waste on these annoying gimmicks.”
“Wait, hold on—”
Before the priests could react, Baek Yuseol swung his sword.
Slash!
The distorted space ahead of him split cleanly in two, like the parting of the Red Sea. The labyrinth’s hidden true path was laid bare.
One of the priests collapsed to his knees, his face pale.
“How much work is it going to take to restore that barrier...”
Even Cyclen, who usually enjoyed mocking others, couldn’t laugh at this.
“...He cut through space?”
Her eyebrows twitched in disbelief.
She had always known Baek Yuseol was an extraordinary boy, but this... This was something else entirely.
He had turned the impossible into reality.
There were many mages who specialized in space manipulation, but none had ever destroyed the magic itself. Space wasn’t just another magical element; it operated on a level beyond ordinary understanding.
And yet, Baek Yuseol had effortlessly done what no one else could.
“Is that... even possible?” Cyclen muttered, her heart racing with a strange mix of awe and apprehension.
Meanwhile, on the screen, Baek Yuseol had stopped moving.
“Hey, Baek Yuseol! Why are you just standing there? Baek Yuseol!”
Finarette’s frantic voice went unheard.
Because at that moment...
“Stop, Baek Yuseol. That’s far enough.”
A voice echoed in his mind.
It was familiar yet unfamiliar, and Baek Yuseol immediately recognized its owner.
‘...You’re kidding me.’
The voice belonged to none other than himself.
“That’s right. It’s me.”
His other self—from another dimension.
