I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 474

One of the basic qualities of a magical warrior is to cultivate mental fortitude as much as mastering magic.

The reason is simple: if a mage succumbs to the corruption of dark magic, they will be reborn as an incredibly powerful Dark Mage.

Magical warriors were the strongest weapon against Dark Mages, but they also posed a dangerous threat, capable of turning their deadly blades toward humanity at any moment.

As such, those who graduate from academies and become veteran mages are rarely corrupted by dark magic.

Rarely, that is.

Even now, countless mages have reached great heights only to fall prey to dark magic's overpowering allure. Many succumbed unwillingly, while others deliberately accepted dark magic to reach greater heights.

If so many veteran mages have fallen to dark magic, what hope is there for teenagers who are only beginning to learn?

Young mages are under strict mental care as part of their academy’s special curriculum, but even that is not foolproof.

For example, young mages who surpass ordinary geniuses and attain extraordinary levels of magic at an early age are almost impossible to shield through any curriculum.

"Entering the Fifth Floor."

Dana Lin bit her trembling fingernails anxiously.

"No, not yet... Not yet..."

She couldn’t identify the source of the buzzing voice in her head, but one thing was clear to her instincts:

She must not listen to it.

But the time for reasoning was already long past.

If only her mental strength had been proportionate to the magic she wielded, she might have recognized this as the process of dark magic corruption and fought to suppress her emotions.

But if it were that easy, there wouldn’t be a single corrupted mage in the world.

Dana Lin’s current state was far from normal. Yet, strangely, her magic was growing stronger by the moment.

The flames bursting from her fingertips displayed power far beyond her imagination, and the fire energy surging within her body brought an intoxicating pleasure.

As long as she kept using magic, she couldn’t resist becoming more and more addicted to it.

"This feeling..."

As though entranced, Dana Lin’s pupils became slightly unfocused.

Voices praising her power came from all around, but they no longer mattered to her.

With this power, with these flames...

[First Place, Fifth Floor - Stella Academy]

“...Ah.”

That moment was all Dana Lin needed to embrace dark magic.

Whoosh!

"Ahhh?!"

"Kyaa!"

Suddenly, intense heat erupted in the center of the temple, throwing the students into chaos and forcing them to collapse on the ground.

Dana Lin’s body was engulfed in swirling red and yellow flames. Her magic now surpassed the levels of a 4th or 5th Class mage and was perhaps even reaching the overwhelming strength of the 7th Class.

The problem, however, lay in where this explosion occurred.

If it had been directed against monsters, such power might have been commendable. But this was the resting area for students, where they had gathered for a break.

“This is dangerous...”

Eisel gripped her staff tightly, cold sweat running down her face.

She should act immediately.

“‘No matter what happens, stay still. If you do, you’ll get what you want.’”

The voice of the man she met on the airship flickered through her memory, causing her to hesitate for a moment.

“What are you doing? Didn’t you anticipate something would happen? Act.”

“...You’re right.”

Eisel quickly regained her resolve at Hong Biyeon’s words.

"How could I let my mind waver over something like this?"

Shaking her head, she looked at Dana Lin. Floating in the air and radiating flames in all directions, Dana Lin had already terrified the students from Dachelri Magic School, who had fled into the corners in panic.

“How can she wield such power...?”

Dana Lin, who had barely mastered the 3rd Class and had just started casting a single 4th Class spell, now radiated magic power exceeding 7th Risk levels. It was an almost grotesque transformation.

“Her dark magic levels... They’re still rising.”

Mayuseong approached, spinning his wand casually as he observed the scene.

“Then the sooner we deal with her, the better.”

On the other side, Huiyeon stepped forward. With him, their group now included four mages capable of 6th Class spells—a formidable lineup.

Even so, facing a 7th Risk Dark Mage was no easy task.

Especially one who had just succumbed to dark magic and was still rapidly growing stronger—a corrupted magical warrior was far more dangerous than most monsters.

“This is why proper mental education is so important.”

“...Hearing that doesn’t sit well with me, considering I nearly succumbed once too,” Huiyeon admitted with an awkward laugh, already casting a spell.

“Do you have a plan?” Mayuseong asked.

Huiyeon answered simply, “Let’s knock her out first and figure it out later.”

Mayuseong grinned, seemingly satisfied with that answer.

“Sounds good.”

With that, Mayuseong charged toward Dana Lin, unleashing a series of 6th Class spells in quick succession.

“What is this...?!”

“I just came to watch the practice...”

For the students who had only just reached 2nd or 3rd Class, the spectacle unfolding before them was nothing short of a thunderbolt from the blue.

***

Meanwhile, the chaos outside the temple was no less intense.

“My daughter is in there!”

“What on earth is happening?!”

“D-dark magic corruption? Are you saying it’s dark magic corruption?”

“How could anyone have such power...?”

Some were panicking because their children were trapped inside the temple, while others were drawn by curiosity at witnessing such an unbelievable display of magic.

As a result, many mages failed to grasp the severity of the situation.

Parents who had sent their children into the temple were undoubtedly consumed by anxiety, but with so many elite magical warriors present at the Seven Stadium, there was a prevailing confidence.

The belief that a single corrupted young mage could easily be dealt with kept many from taking immediate action.

Of course, not everyone shared that sentiment.

In the top tier of the spectator stands, where the five school principals were gathered, a small incident was unfolding.

“...You owe us an explanation.”

Eltman had magically grabbed Crown, the principal of Kaon /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Magic School, by the collar and lifted him into the air.

The other principals stood frozen, gripping their staffs but unsure where to aim them, visibly uneasy.

“Keh-heh-heh, Eltman, my friend. If only you had been doing your job properly as a principal, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Even while being held by the collar, Crown smirked and spoke with a calm demeanor.

“Isn’t it fascinating? The simplicity of human nature. A little jealousy, a bit of pride, and they’re so easily tainted, purified into blackness. Humans are just that easy to corrupt.”

“Purified? You mean corrupted.”

“No! Purified is correct! Eltman, have you ever seen a chicken turn back into an egg?”

“Enough nonsense.”

“Keh-ha-ha! And have you ever seen a Dark Mage revert to being human? But humans can become Dark Mages.”

“Do you understand the implication of this?”

Crown was claiming that Dark Mages were the evolved form of humanity.

“What drivel...”

“If I’m wrong, prove it. Show me a single way in which humans are superior to Dark Mages, Eltman Eltwin!”

Crown shouted as he broke free of Eltman’s magic and floated into the air.

“A-ah!”

At that moment, a horn sprouted from Crown’s forehead, and dark magic began radiating from him in waves, causing the faces of the other principals to turn pale.

This was no ordinary dark magic.

At least 8-Risk... no, higher.

A 9-Risk Dark Mage had appeared in their midst.

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Eltman floated into the air as well, his face twisting into a grimace.

“Your arrogance is astounding. Do you truly believe you can survive alone?”

“Alone? Oh, but I don’t think I’m alone.”

Crown gestured toward the temple, where Dana Lin was ablaze, transformed into an avatar of fire.

“Only a 7-Risk... no, wait. Could it be...?”

Eltman clenched his teeth as he finally realized something was wrong.

“The temple...”

The temple had been Crown’s design and plan from the very beginning. It wasn’t surprising that dark magic was embedded within it.

Now fully abandoning his human form, Crown’s skin turned red, and grotesque goat-like horns protruded from his head as he burst into laughter.

“So, even the great Eltman Eltwin failed to notice! Finally, you’ve figured it out. The five temples are altars designed to summon the avatar of fire by using mages as sacrifices! And where better to carry out this feat than Arcanium, the center of magical society? Truly, what a sight, you pathetic mages!”

“Damn it...”

Eltman ground his teeth in frustration, but he couldn’t spare the temple any attention—he had to deal with Crown.

“Your students are impressive. Even now, they’ve managed to restrain her without releasing their full power.”

Eltman glanced toward Hong Biyeon and the others. They were holding their ground remarkably well against Dana Lin’s rampage. However, Dana, empowered by the temple’s dark magic, was nearly invincible.

Eventually, the mages would tire, and when that happened, the fire avatar would fully lose control.

“Foolish mages. If you had acted even a little sooner, things wouldn’t have gotten this far...”

Crown sneered as he mocked the mages.

“Humans are truly fascinating creatures, aren’t they?”

Finally, Crown unfolded his demonic wings, revealing his complete form, and spread his arms wide.

“Now, stop me, Eltman Eltwin. But I wonder, how many casualties will result from our battle? I’m already curious!”

Cold sweat dripped down Eltman’s face. Crown’s words rang true; he could neutralize Crown with his power, but doing so would inevitably cause massive casualties.

And this place was filled with the future of humanity, countless young talents.

If they were all lost...

“There will be no future for humanity.”

As that thought crossed his mind, something flashed.

Zing!

A streak of light shot through the air and aimed directly at the fire avatar.

Even without looking, Eltman knew who it was. There was only one person in the world who could move at such incredible speed.

“Baek Yuseol has returned...”

If he was back, the situation might shift slightly. It was, at least, a glimmer of hope in a dire situation.

But stopping Crown’s rampage seemed nearly impossible...

Boom!

As Eltman thought that, a beam of light streaked past his cheek, striking Crown directly and sending him flying hundreds of meters away.

Eltman whirled around to see the source.

Standing there was a small girl with white hair, her expression furious and unrestrained.

“I was having a sweet and lovely time with my friends, and now some pest with no manners shows up to ruin it?”

The girl was none other than the Witch Queen, Scarlet.

With a chilling smile, she looked at Crown, who had barely managed to regain his senses after being flung far away.

“You’d better start begging me to kill you, little brat.”