I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 477

It had been a month since the magical world entered a state of emergency following the attack of the Incarnation of Malicious Flames and the 9-Risk Dark Mage.

Time, ever unkind, flowed swiftly, and winter break approached.

The end of the academic year.

In prestigious schools, the second year was practically regarded as the final stretch of life within the academy. By the third year, students would venture into the outside world, focusing entirely on missions and building achievements. Thus, the second year’s end carried unique significance.

As it was the last year for creating memories with classmates, many students took off on impromptu trips as soon as winter break began.

“Trips, huh...”

Unfortunately, Baek Yuseol had to head out on a mission instead of a vacation.

And it wasn’t just any ordinary mission.

This one involved confirming the black magic corruption of the Green Tower Lord, accompanied by none other than Ludric, the Tower Lord of the Waning Moon Tower, and Scarlett, the Witch Queen—a truly heavyweight operation.

There wasn’t much to prepare for the dispatch. Baek Yuseol simply continued his steady training while waiting for the appointed time.

“Lucky them.”

Come to think of it, ever since arriving in this world, he’d never properly enjoyed a trip.

Sure, he’d passed through various tourist attractions and famous cities, but that was always in the course of resolving incidents. It wouldn’t exactly qualify as a vacation.

No carefree exploration of famous restaurants, no photos with friends at well-known spots, no festive fireworks to get lost in the atmosphere of the night...

“Now that I think about it, there hasn’t been a single event like that during my time at school.”

In the usual academy life he’d read about, wasn’t it a given to spend time with a girlfriend in a warm and cozy atmosphere?

He realized he’d been living too busy a life in many ways.

And he likely always would.

“There’s no time to enjoy a proper school life.”

Such things were better left for other students. With his mental age already in his thirties, the idea of enjoying a high school experience suddenly felt absurd.

Baek Yuseol packed his bag with essential items and emergency tools, slinging it over his shoulder. While he could use subspace, opening and closing it took considerable time, and retrieving crucial items was complicated, so carrying them directly made more sense.

“You know how to use subspace, so why bother packing like that?”

Of course, Scarlett had no such concerns. For her, there was no delay in opening subspace, and she could make desired objects appear instantly with mere willpower. Naturally, she found Baek Yuseol’s behavior perplexing.

“Not everyone handles subspace as easily as you do.”

“I don’t even use subspace that often. It drains too much mana.”

That reminded Baek Yuseol of how, during the attack on the Seven Stadium, Scarlett had actively supported Eltman by expending a significant amount of mana.

Even for someone like her, whose mana recovery rate was exceptional, it must have been a considerable sacrifice.

A fleeting judgment to protect others at the expense of her own interests.

Such a sight would have been unimaginable from Scarlett in the past. Feeling proud of her, Baek Yuseol reached out and patted her head.

“W-What’s with you?”

“Sorry, you just seemed like a little sister for a moment.”

“You say sorry, but your hand’s still there...”

Still, Scarlett didn’t brush his hand away, suggesting she didn’t entirely dislike the gesture.

“Now that Scarlett’s here, let’s get going.”

As usual, their departure was scheduled for early dawn. Winter mornings were slow to arrive.

“Ugh, it’s a bit chilly.”

Scarlett was bundled up in thick clothing. Most mages could shield themselves from the cold with mana, but she wasn’t in a position to waste her mana.

“Yeah, I feel it too.”

Baek Yuseol was no exception. If anything, he likely felt the cold even more than Scarlett.

Thanks to his innate condition of magical leakage, he couldn’t use mana to guard against the cold. Adding to that, after inheriting the blessing of the Bronze Twelve Moons, he should have gained immunity to cold.

However, during the battle with Hong Biyeon’s uncontrollable fiery energy from the Red Summer Moon, he’d used the Bronze Twelve Moons to balance her Nine Yang Absolute Veins by absorbing the Five Yin Absolute Veins into himself.

This resulted in a lifelong condition of harboring intense cold within his body.

Though it occasionally made his hands and feet unbearably cold, it wasn’t enough to break someone like Baek Yuseol, who had endured countless pains.

But still...

“If it gets colder, it might be tough...”

Currently, the temperature was minus six degrees Celsius—a chill that most ordinary people would complain about but was still manageable for him. His concern lay with what might happen in the harsher, extreme cold of their destination.

The airship traveled for about an hour before landing at a nearby dock. From there, Baek Yuseol boarded a vehicle, transferring through several warp gates.

“The Pillar of Rasselon.”

That was the term referring to the Green Tower.

The name likely stemmed from an attempt to avoid calling it a “magic tower.”

And why would people avoid calling it a magic tower?

Because it utterly failed to meet the qualifications of one.

With only eight members, including the Tower Lord, it fell short of the minimum personnel requirement. It consistently failed to meet minimum research and magical contribution standards, frequently violated magical laws, and even had members defect from the magical world.

In many ways, it was regarded as a pariah among magic towers.

Unsurprisingly, it was not officially recognized as a magic tower.

Thus, it was named the Green Tower, though people often referred to it as “The Pillar of Rasselon.”

“Well, it’s more like an airship than a pillar, isn’t it?”

Scarlett commented as she munched on grilled skewers.

“True, since it’s always floating.”

“Wow, you’re well-informed.”

“Wouldn’t it be strange if I weren’t?”

“Then again, you seem to know everything.”

Ever since freeing Scarlett from her seal, Baek Yuseol felt her regard for him had noticeably risen.

Though, truthfully, he wasn’t omniscient—far from it.

“A flying magic tower... it’s fascinating, but getting there is a hassle.”

The Green Tower always hovered about ten centimeters above the ground. While that may seem like a minor detail, the Tower Lord, Toa Legron, could, if he wished, make it circumnavigate the world.

No existing manned airship could manage such a feat in a single flight.

And yet, here was an entire magic tower capable of achieving what airships couldn’t.

It was nothing short of a dreamlike marvel of technology.

“Still, touring the world in a magic tower sounds like fun.”

As Baek Yuseol mused to himself, a smooth, soft baritone voice came from behind him.

“Well, if you live like that every day, it stops being so enjoyable.”

It was Ludric, the Tower Lord of the Waning Moon Tower.

He removed his fedora and gave a gentle smile.

Ludric Hallow. He, too, belonged to one of the world’s peculiar magic towers, much like the Green Tower.

One of only two “giant towers” in existence, most ordinary people were unaware of its presence. In fact, the Waning Moon Tower was hidden in a subspace, making it physically inaccessible by foot.

Being located in a subspace meant it could go anywhere.

Like the Green Tower, it was another magic tower capable of traveling the world at will, though via a different method.

Even now, Ludric had likely just stepped out of his tower, perfectly timed to match Baek Yuseol’s arrival, despite the latter spending hours traveling through warp gates to get here.

“Spatial travel sure is enviable...”

“Hah, what’s there to envy about that?”

“Ha ha, true. After all, you possess a greater power than I do.”

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

Hearing Scarlett and Ludric’s remarks, Baek Yuseol couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

“Something better than that?”

“Of course.”

Ludric gestured to his eyes with a casual tap.

“The ability to observe even the reversal of time is not something just anyone can have.”

“Don’t act like you know everything about Baek Yuseol, you ignorant brat.”

“Ha ha, my apologies.”

“If it weren’t for Baek Yuseol’s request, I’d never have agreed to accompany someone like you. You should consider yourself honored.”

“Please take care of me.”

Scarlett grumbled irritably, while Ludric, ever calm, responded with a leisurely smile.

Despite Scarlett having undoubtedly lived far longer, Ludric somehow exuded the demeanor of a senior elder.

Scarlett cast a sharp glance at Baek Yuseol, her face pouting in displeasure.

“I can see all those impure thoughts of yours.”

“Impossible.”

If it had been anyone else, they might have flinched at ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ the Witch Queen’s keen observation, but not Baek Yuseol. With the blessing of the Red Spring March, he could tell Scarlett’s words were merely a test.

“Anyway...”

Ludric seated himself on a nearby log, his expression turning serious. The lighthearted atmosphere vanished, replaced by a heavy tension.

It was time to discuss their mission.

“Have you told the Witch Queen what we’re about to do?”

“...Not yet.”

“I see...”

“What? What is it? Aren’t we just going to meet Toa?”

Scarlett’s question was met with a somber nod from Baek Yuseol.

“Yes, we’re going to meet him. But...”

As Baek Yuseol hesitated, Ludric quickly grasped the situation.

Unable to voice it himself, Baek Yuseol had brought her here without fully explaining. He wanted someone else to speak in his stead.

“So that someone is me,” Ludric thought with a bitter smile, interlocking his fingers before speaking to Scarlett.

“Witch Queen, when do you think a mage falls apart?”

“What? Where’s this coming from?”

It was an odd question, but Ludric wasn’t one to speak nonsense.

“Well... I wouldn’t know.”

Scarlett had never been a mage, nor had she ever been a dark mage. Asking her about a mage’s collapse was futile.

“When they feel an overwhelming loneliness.”

“Loneliness...”

“Yes. For a mage, loneliness comes when they feel surrounded by an insurmountable wall. A moment where they cannot understand anyone, nor be understood by anyone. It’s then that they experience crushing isolation.”

“And what does that have to do with anything?”

“...At that moment, a mage faces a crossroads.”

Ludric held up three fingers.

“One, they give up and flee from the wall.”

He folded one finger.

“Two, they break through the wall and surpass their limits.”

He folded another.

“Three, unable to flee or overcome it, they turn to a path they should never tread.”

A path they should never tread.

The meaning was clear.

“Black magic corruption. Is that what you’re implying?”

“Precisely.”

“Why are you bringing this up now?”

“Perhaps you didn’t realize it, but Toa Legron has been drowning in immense loneliness.”

“What? That child has reached the 9th Class, the same realm as me. How could he feel lonely? That doesn’t make sense.”

“The same realm, you say... Do you really think so? If you were to return to your prime, do you believe you’d lose in a duel against Toa Legron?”

“That’s...”

No.

Even among those who reached the 9th Class, there was a clear distinction in skill.

“And even if the 9th Class is the pinnacle, it doesn’t mean one is free from the burden of walls. You understand this well, don’t you?”

“...I do.”

The wall of the so-called “end.”

It was immense and impenetrable, a barrier so vast that no living being could hope to break through it.

The limit of growth.

As if some divine being had drawn a line, warning, You shall not grow beyond this point.

For mages, surpassing that limit was an impossibility.

“Wait, are you saying that Toa felt loneliness because of that?”

Noticing something peculiar in Ludric’s tone, Scarlett suddenly stood up, turning to Baek Yuseol. Seeing him with his head lowered, staring at the ground, she understood.

“Then... the reason I’m accompanying you is...”

“Yes. It’s Baek Yuseol’s final act of consideration.”

Ludric spoke heavily, his expression shadowed.

“We are going to determine whether Toa Legron has succumbed to black magic corruption.”

With a thud, Scarlett fell to her knees.

Ludric and Baek Yuseol.

The fact that these two had prepared so thoroughly meant Toa Legron’s corruption was almost a certainty.

And that realization filled her with despair.