I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 473

The joint practice of the five prestigious schools progressed rapidly, clearing the second and even the third floors.

With only three floors remaining, the spectators who had gathered to observe the performance of the schools could already predict the outcome.

Unlike last year, when the competition was neck and neck, this year lacked the nail-biting race to see who would reach the summit first or defeat the final boss. The balance of competition had been entirely disrupted by a group of overwhelmingly skilled individuals.

“This is... unbelievable.”

“The other schools are performing exceptionally well, truly. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call their results the best in years.”

“But...”

“Stella Academy is simply too dominant.”

“To be precise, it’s the four from Stella’s S-Class.”

Mayuseong, Huiyeon, Eisel, and Hong Biyeon.

The skills demonstrated by these four were comparable to, if not superior to, seasoned veteran mages. Some mages in the audience, who had come to enjoy the show of younger talents, found themselves blushing in embarrassment upon realizing that the students outperformed them.

It was a humbling reminder of how little effort they had put into self-improvement.

However, not all senior mages felt shame.

Some of them openly expressed their dissatisfaction.

“They must be using artifacts.”

“Hmm, could it be a royal artifact test?”

“Maybe they’re just trying to evaluate the performance of new magical items.”

“That’s plausible. It’s impossible for teenagers to display such power otherwise.”

“I’m fine with testing items, but is it really appropriate to do so during a joint practice like this?”

“No matter how favored they are as disciples of the Full Moon Tower Master or as princesses of Adolevit, this time they won’t escape criticism.”

Some firmly believed that Huiyeon and Hong Biyeon were relying on their positions of power to flaunt magical items, even in an official setting like this.

To support their claim, they referenced a recent demonstration by Altairsha—a magical device that allowed non-mages to cast 5-Class spells once. However, that device was enormous, nearly the size of a house, and required vast quantities of mana crystals. Altairsha herself had stated that mass production was at least two decades away.

The Stella students, practically empty-handed in comparison, were clearly not using such devices. But these critics, combining fragments of unrelated facts with speculative evidence, were determined to believe their own baseless theories.

Of course, such unfounded comments were quickly silenced by the sharp glares of others.

“They’re doing far better than I expected.”

Full Frame, watching Eisel on the monitor, felt a small sense of relief. She had been worried about Eisel’s condition, but she seemed to be holding up well.

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The group was about to reach the critical fourth floor. If Eisel’s condition deteriorated, things could become complicated.

“Ah!”

“Eek?!”

Deep in thought, Full Frame was startled when someone suddenly grabbed her shoulders. She flinched violently, only to see the culprit smiling casually.

“Baek Yuseol?”

Realizing it was none other than Baek Yuseol, her eyes widened in surprise, and her reaction became even more pronounced.

“What’s with the overreaction? I didn’t know you could make noises like that.”

Noticing the strange sound she had made, Full Frame lowered her head slightly, her cheeks turning faintly red.

“I was focused on the match...”

“It’s a break period right now.”

“Still...”

Baek Yuseol plopped down in the seat next to her and spoke casually.

“Worried?”

“Well... a little.”

A massive monitor in the center of Seven Stadium displayed the movements of the students inside the dungeon, allowing spectators to watch their every move in real-time.

Staring at the screen, Baek Yuseol said, “If you’re worried, want to go?”

“...What? Go there?”

“Where else?”

“How? We’re not participants.”

“You know as well as I do that something’s about to happen. I have a feeling it’s going to be... significant.”

While Baek Yuseol didn’t have definitive knowledge of the future, his experience told him that the scale of the incident would surpass the original storyline.

“It’s already diverging from the source material. The stakes are likely higher.”

He needed to be prepared in advance.

Moreover, there were likely individuals who had already noticed the anomalies and had the power to intervene but were constrained by their social positions.

Eltman Eltwin came to mind as a prime example. He probably understood that something was amiss, but his status made it difficult for him to interfere openly.

“With the principal’s help, we can get inside without issue.”

The challenge, however, lay in timing.

“When and how we enter will determine how effectively we can assist.”

With those thoughts swirling in his mind, Baek Yuseol led Full Frame toward Eltman’s location, strategizing his next move.

***

Seven Stadium Training Ground.

Fourth-floor resting area of the temple.

As the rest period ended and it was time to depart, the students from all five schools stood up simultaneously.

This year, the competition dynamics shifted slightly starting from the fourth floor.

While the first through third floors featured identical dungeons for each school to clear under the same conditions, the fourth floor brought all schools into a single dungeon. From here, the race was about which team could clear the dungeon the fastest.

“This is it...”

Dana Lin gripped her staff tightly.

Her chest burned with frustration, simmering like an uncontrollable fire.

The overwhelming sense of defeat from the sheer difference in skill crushed her. Those she had once considered rivals, whom she thought she could surpass if given the chance, were so far ahead that catching up seemed impossible.

Dana °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° Lin stared at the backs of Hong Biyeon and Eisel, her eyes dull and heavy.

Mayuseong? Huiyeon? She acknowledged their skills but never saw them as rivals since they were men.

It was those two women in front of her that were the problem.

“No, you can surpass them!”

When she closed her eyes, an inexplicable strength seemed to well up from within her.

I can win. I can surpass them.

That confidence kept bubbling to the surface.

“I’ve grown stronger too...”

Dana Lin was convinced that clearing the earlier floors and closing the gap with Hong Biyeon was proof of her growth.

Otherwise, with how much mana she had expended so far, there was no way she could still feel so energized.

“We will now proceed to the fourth level of the ‘Ancient Temple Avatar.’”

The announcement echoed as five doors opened, and the students from each prestigious school rushed in to begin.

The only school that didn’t seem hurried was Stella Academy, and even their calm demeanor was infuriating to watch.

But Dana Lin did her best to maintain her composure.

“I’ll find the correct path faster than Stella. That’s something anyone can do. With my abilities, I can reach the end before they catch up.”

While they had lost on the first three floors, winning on the higher levels would bring greater prestige.

Without hesitation, Dana Lin dove into the path she believed was the shortest.

She didn’t even consider conserving her mana.

For some reason, her mana felt limitless, bubbling over in abundance. There seemed to be no need to hold back.

Fwoosh! BOOM!

“Ahh! Dana Lin! Your fire is spreading to us!”

“Please control the intensity a bit...”

Her newfound strength was so overwhelming that she could no longer control it, unintentionally harming her own teammates in the process.

“Why does that matter?”

Ordinarily, a mage would feel embarrassed for failing to control their power, but Dana Lin felt pride instead.

It was proof that her abilities had grown so much stronger.

“Yes, just like this!”

Though an irritating voice buzzed in her mind, she shook her head to dismiss it. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on hallucinations.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Dana Lin advanced through the dungeon, practically demolishing everything in her path, feeling a strange exhilaration with every destructive spell she cast. The act of breaking things, something she couldn’t have done before, now brought her a twisted sense of pleasure.

“Yes, this is it. With this power, I can win.”

Stella Academy had started later than Dachelri. Dana Lin was certain the path she chose was the fastest, guaranteeing victory for this level.

She thought as much... until she arrived at the final destination of the fourth floor.

“...What?”

Her steps faltered as she saw Hong Biyeon, already seated at the destination, leisurely fanning herself and looking completely at ease.

“Why?”

Her mind filled with questions.

“Why did I lose? I should’ve been the fastest. My route was supposed to be the most optimized...”

Thump. Thump.

Dana Lin’s heartbeat pounded in her ears as her rationality began to crumble.

The pride she had in her skills and knowledge came crashing down, leaving her vulnerable to the devastation of failure.

“Why did you lose?”

“You already know the answer.”

“It’s because... you’re weak.”

She flinched at the voice echoing in her mind. Shaking her head in denial, Dana Lin tried to reject the truth.

But denying it didn’t change anything.

Deep down, she knew.

Even with her newfound strength, Hong Biyeon was on an entirely different level, possessing power far beyond hers.

“So what are you going to do?”

“What do you need to do?”

The answer was obvious: gain even greater power.

“That’s right! Accept our power. Unleash your rage!”

“You’re perfectly suited for it—an ideal flame mage fueled by wrath!”

Thump!

Deep within Dana Lin, the seed of the Black Mage began to awaken her darkest emotions. Among all negative feelings, hers was one of the most dangerous: jealousy.

Dana Lin lacked the mental strength to resist the tidal wave of envy crashing over her. Had the situation gone unchecked, she might have already lost control and erupted in a fit of rage.

But... something intervened.

“Still, there’s a more entertaining way.”

“This temple...”

“Do you really think it’s just an artificial set?”

The voice caught Dana Lin’s attention, snapping her out of her spiraling thoughts.

“...Ah.”

She glanced around, noticing something she hadn’t before. The temple walls were covered with cracks, inscribed with symbols. They weren’t ordinary symbols—no human could read them.

They were black runes, decipherable only to Black Mages.

“Use the temple’s power.”

“Accept it.”

“It will make you stronger—strong enough to become a true avatar of flames!”

The voice faded.

“I... I...”

Dana Lin’s hands trembled as she gripped her staff.

She vaguely realized something was wrong, but her mind couldn’t fully process it. Overwhelmed by a crushing loneliness darker than the abyss, all she could do was hold herself and shake uncontrollably.