I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 471

The Central Hall of Seven Stadium.

In the vast space, 100 students from the five prestigious schools stood in a pentagonal formation, their gazes fixed on the central podium.

On the podium stood Crown, an 8-Class Archmage who served as both the head of the Five Schools Alliance and the principal of Kaon Magic Academy.

“Everyone, thank you for gathering here. From now on, you will enter the dungeon to prove your worth as students of these prestigious schools. However, there is one thing to keep in mind. The dungeon is not an illusion. Everything that happens within is real.”

Crown’s speech carried a weighty tone. Despite the absence of a microphone, his voice resonated throughout the entire stadium.

It was amplified purely through mana waves without the need for any incantations or gestures.

“Of course, I’m well aware. I know that the reason you are here is not merely for practical training but for your own personal desires. For some, it’s about grades; for others, ambition.”

At Crown's blunt statement, a few students visibly squirmed with discomfort. Among them were the sons and daughters of high-ranking nobles, though none dared to show overt displeasure.

After all, Crown was an 8-Class Archmage and the principal of a prestigious academy. In this world, a high-ranking mage wielded as much power as noble bloodlines, if not more.

“I am deeply concerned about the complacency of your generation. Do you think the era of struggling for survival and fighting against the Black Mages is over? I fail to understand why the new generation of magic warriors fights solely for personal desires, wealth, and honor.”

Crown punctuated his statement by tapping his staff on the floor.

Boom!

The stadium floor rumbled. Moments later, five enormous temples rose majestically from the ground.

As murmurs spread and the students stepped back, Crown looked at them with a stern expression.

“These dungeons will test your resolve. Do you think this is the same as before?”

He scanned the crowd, his tone making it clear that they shouldn’t underestimate what was ahead.

“In the past, this might have been as easy as a child’s play. But this year, I am in charge, and it will be anything but simple. Prepare yourselves.”

With his words, the temples fully emerged. Crown concluded his speech and stepped back.

“That’s all.”

The hall erupted in murmurs.

“What’s that?”

“Did he just summon temples?”

“I thought it’d be some kind of dome for the dungeon...”

“Where did these temples even come from?”

The sheer scale of the temples left everyone astounded. Such structures had never appeared during joint practice sessions in previous years.

Even Eltman Eltwin, one of the representatives at the event, was equally stunned as he observed the scene from the highest seats reserved for the principals of the five schools.

“...What is this?”

Eltman frowned and glanced at the other principals occupying the seats.

“Was this discussed beforehand?”

“Yes, it was. Didn’t Stella Academy also sign the agreement?”

No such thing had been agreed upon. However, Stella Academy’s principal was often absent, leaving important matters to be handled by the vice-principal, Aki Hayden.

Aki Hayden...!

Eltman grimaced. While he permitted Aki Hayden to handle less critical matters, sensitive issues like joint training were always held for his personal approval.

He had never granted Aki Hayden the authority to approve something of this scale.

Could Aki Hayden have signed off on this without realizing its implications?

Unlikely. Aki Hayden feared Eltman too much to overstep boundaries.

If Aki Hayden had secretly approved this, then...

“Something stinks.”

Eltman stood abruptly. “We must halt this practice immediately. I have a bad feeling about this.”

Predictably, his suggestion was met with cold stares from the other four principals, including Crown, who had just returned from his speech.

“So, it’s true. The rumors about the Stella principal delegating his duties to the vice-principal were not unfounded.”

“This has already been agreed upon by all schools, including Stella.”

“...I deeply apologize for the sudden objections. However, something feels wrong. This does not sit well with me.”

“And you want to halt the practice because of a ‘bad feeling’?”

“Will you explain to the high-ranking noble parents and countless magic affiliates here that it’s being canceled due to ‘Eltman’s bad feeling’?”

“We can investigate afterward and provide a reason for the suspension.”

“And what if the investigation reveals nothing? Your personal accountability won’t suffice to shield us from the repercussions.”

Eltman scanned the other principals. They appeared tense, their fingers trembling slightly. It wasn’t hostility but fear—genuine fear of Eltman’s abrupt shift.

While all the principals were 8-Class mages, Eltman was in a league of his own as a 9-Class Archmage. Even if they united against him, victory was unlikely.

Their resolve to oppose him stemmed from a need to safeguard themselves. Should Eltman act unilaterally, they could later claim they had resisted.

“Do you think we’ll continue tolerating your whims, Eltman?”

Amidst the tension, Crown alone remained unshaken. Smiling faintly, he addressed Eltman.

“Even you cannot halt the practice without solid evidence. If you understand that, please take your seat.”

Using force to stop the session would only worsen matters. Acting preemptively without /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ an incident would make Eltman a pariah in the magical community.

Reluctantly, Eltman sat back down, his gaze heavy as he observed the five temples rising in the center of the stadium.

“If something happens, I’ll intervene.”

For now, all he could do was prepare to act swiftly if the situation spiraled out of control.

“But if even that becomes impossible...”

Eltman’s expression turned grave as he contemplated the worst-case scenario.

The towering temples, which had risen from the ground, astonished the 100 participating students as well.

However, they all tried to maintain a composed demeanor. No one here was inexperienced enough to show surprise over such “minor” details.

“...What’s this? This wasn’t mentioned.”

Hong Biyeon, standing in the front row as a member of Stella’s S-Class, gazed at the temples. They seemed like ancient structures straight out of a jungle, with peculiar architecture. Not only did they have main entrances on the ground floor, but there were also doors scattered in mid-air.

As she examined the countless entrances, Hong Biyeon glanced behind her.

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh, huh? Oh...”

Eisel stood there, gripping her staff tightly with both hands, her head lowered like a turtle retreating into its shell. She looked visibly anxious.

“The great Eisel, nervous?” Hong Biyeon teased.

“...It’s nothing,” Eisel muttered, averting her trembling eyes and letting out a sigh. After a brief silence, she spoke quietly.

“...Something is going to happen.”

“Something? What do you mean?” Hong Biyeon raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“I don’t know exactly,” Eisel admitted hesitantly. “But... there’s a high chance something bad will happen during this practice.”

“How would you know that?”

Eisel’s face stiffened at the pointed question. “I just... found out, by chance.”

“Hmm...”

Even with such a vague warning, Hong Biyeon didn’t seem particularly fazed.

“Well, it’s not like this is our first time in real combat, is it? If something does happen, we’ll just stay more alert.”

“That’s... true.”

“The difficulty’s just been bumped up from practice to real combat. We’ve done this countless times before. Why are you so nervous?”

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It was a fair point. Over the summer, both Hong Biyeon and Eisel had amassed substantial practical experience. Not to mention, they had faced numerous unexpected crises, including ambushes by Black Mages.

Among the young mages of their generation, there were only a handful in the world with as much real combat experience as they had.

“...That’s right. No need to panic.”

Eisel steadied her nerves. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again, only to lock eyes with someone in the audience.

The person waved at her with a bright smile—a smile she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Baek Yuseol...”

“What? That damned commoner is here?” Hong Biyeon’s voice bristled as she followed Eisel’s gaze.

Baek Yuseol, catching Hong Biyeon’s piercing glare filled with accusations of tardiness, scratched his head awkwardly and took a step back.

“...At least he showed up,” Eisel murmured, her anxiety gradually melting away. Somehow, seeing his face reassured her that, no matter what happened, things would work out.

As she clenched her fists to regain composure, Baek Yuseol wiped the sweat off his brow and quietly moved to another seat in the audience.

“This won’t be easy...”

The intensity of Hong Biyeon’s glare wasn’t just his imagination. The longer he had been absent, the sharper her gaze had become. He couldn’t help but feel aggrieved.

“Hey, hey, Princess Hong Biyeon is looking this way!”

“She’s looking at me! I swear, we locked eyes for five seconds.”

“No, it was me.”

Ignoring the murmurs of delusional students, Baek Yuseol lightly activated his sixth sense to locate the person with the most distinctive presence in the area.

It wasn’t hard to pinpoint. Among the crowd in the stadium, only one individual radiated mana of this magnitude.

“Baek Yuseol! You’re finally back!” a familiar voice called out.

It was Scarlett, who had already sensed his presence and was running toward him.

“Keep your voice down. What if the other students hear? And call me senior, like I told you.”

“Yeah, yeah, senior. But why are you so late?”

“Well... a lot of unexpected complications.”

Who could have predicted that a simple mission would lead him to encounter both the Black Kingdom and the Black Magic Cult Leader?

“So? Huh? Did you meet Toa? Was he nice?”

Scarlett’s face lit up with genuine excitement as she asked, clearly eager for her student to connect with Baek Yuseol.

But he couldn’t give her the answer she wanted.

“...Not yet.”

“Oh, really? That’s disappointing.”

“Let’s check out this practice session first, and then we’ll go together this weekend to meet the Green Tower Master.”

“Together... with me?”

“Yes, with you.”

At Baek Yuseol’s confirmation, Scarlett beamed with joy, her happiness so pure it made his chest ache.

“I wish... Toa Regon weren’t truly a Black Mage.”

But that was nearly impossible, and the thought weighed heavily on Baek Yuseol’s mind.