I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 479

Toa Legron as a child was far from being a dream-filled boy.

To him, magic was nothing but a subject of hatred. The meteors raining from the sky had destroyed his home, roaring flames had consumed his family, and the icy mountains that swelled high enough to drown the world eventually took even the faint glimmer of hope from him.

The fate of an orphan caught in the chaos of war was always predictable.

At best, they might steal a few pieces of bread only to get caught by adults, leaving them maimed or dead if they were lucky. Worse, they could fall into the hands of cruel soldiers and become their playthings, or even worse, become test subjects for the dark mages hidden within the magical society.

Unluckily, Toa Legron fell into the worst-case scenario.

Perhaps even worse than falling into the clutches of dark mages was becoming entangled with the most feared and loathed figure in magical society—a witch. Not just any witch, but the strongest and most dreadful of them all.

When he first heard rumors that his friends had been sold as slaves and used as lab rats, he thought it was absurd.

But when Toa realized that he himself had been captured by the infamous witch, despair washed over him.

It was a despair unlike anything he had ever experienced.

Not even when his family and homeland were destroyed did he feel such hopelessness.

To end up as a test subject for a witch, of all things.

Toa Legron was dragged along by the hands of golems made entirely of armor.

He began to imagine.

A dingy darkness filled with horrific screams and grotesque creatures. Deep within a cavern, he pictured the grotesque, demonic hag that would surely greet him.

But then—

“So, you’re the one.”

The first sight of the "witch" standing before him was nothing like what he had envisioned.

The witches that adults always described were monstrous beings lurking in the shadows, horrific beyond imagination. But the angelic figure before him? Could she really be that "witch"?

A teenage girl, perhaps in her late teens, sat with one leg crossed over the other on an old, worn-out chair. Her modest white dress was simple but elegant, and a mesmerizing smile adorned her face as she gazed down at him.

Her shimmering white hair swayed under the sunlight whenever she smiled, and with every movement, Toa’s heart shook violently.

It was the first time.

The first time he realized that a heart could beat so strongly.

Yes, he had fallen in love.

Toa Legron, in his adolescent years, was utterly captivated by Scarlett’s beauty.

And to top it off, she wasn’t the kind of "wicked witch" that one would read about in fairy tales.

Scarlett didn’t perform cruel experiments on him.

The first task she gave him was simple.

“Go outside, sell this item, and buy some bread. Then I’ll let you live.”

She handed him what appeared to be a small figurine and gave him a slight nod, signaling him to get going.

At the time, he didn’t realize it, but in hindsight, that figurine was a charm created by the witch herself.

It worked wonders.

Toa, despite being dazed, managed to sell an entire box of charms in the village, earning quite a bit of profit.

He thought to himself.

If he ran away now, he’d never have to be caught by her again.

But Toa didn’t do that.

Instinctively, his steps carried him back to Scarlett.

There was no magical spell or incantation binding him. It was simply natural for him to return to her.

And so, Toa returned the charms’ earnings to Scarlett in the form of high-quality bread.

At that moment, Scarlett smiled.

“Oh, my! You’re more capable than I thought!”

From that moment, a dream was born within him.

‘I want to see that smile again.’

From that day forward, Toa Legron tried everything he could to win Scarlett’s favor.

To do so, he had to figure out what she was lacking.

First, Scarlett lacked money. She lived in a shabby hut, carving figurines and charms to sell. Toa soon realized that her work was entirely for the sake of earning a living.

She carved charms and brought them to the village to sell. But she never sold them herself, and there was a reason for that.

At the time, any woman selling enchanted charms would immediately be labeled a witch and stoned.

That’s right.

Second, she needed a proxy.

It was clear that Scarlett had used proxies before, but they either ran away or failed to complete their tasks properly.

That’s likely why she was so delighted when Toa managed to sell all the charms.

‘I’m someone she needs.’

Once he understood that, Toa Legron grew more confident in his actions.

Unfortunately, Toa couldn’t always stay by her side.

Scarlett often disappeared for long periods.

Every time, Toa waited for her.

One day, after nearly six months without her, he remained at the worn-out hut, protecting it in her absence.

“...What’s this? You’re still here?”

Under the dazzling moonlight, Scarlett returned to find Toa asleep, exhausted. Clicking her tongue, she laughed as if in disbelief.

It wasn’t a smile born from affection.

Perhaps, at most, she regarded him like one might regard a loyal pet guarding the house.

But even that was enough for him.

He didn’t mind if his devotion wasn’t fully reciprocated.

As long as he could see her smile.

From that day on, Scarlett began teaching Toa magic.

He couldn’t quite remember the reason why.

Magic lessons started naturally, and Toa showed remarkable talent.

Each time he excelled at magic, Scarlett would smile.

And so, he worked even harder.

Because every time he improved, she smiled.

It was around that time.

Toa Legron discovered a secret—one that no one else knew.

It wasn’t a particularly significant secret.

But when he shared it with his master, Scarlett’s eyes widened, and she gripped his shoulders tightly.

“That is... From now on, this will be a secret known only to you and me. Understood? Remember this well—you must never reveal it to anyone else.”

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His heart raced.

A secret shared only between his master and himself. A secret that no one else in the world could know. It was the first time he felt such a bond.

From that day, Toa Legron became obsessed with mysteries. He didn’t just strive to improve his magical prowess; he sought to uncover unknown secrets.

Of course, after that day, Scarlett didn’t seem to care much about the other secrets he uncovered. Whether he revealed them or not didn’t seem to matter to her.

But Toa kept them to himself anyway. As long as he kept them hidden, they would remain secrets shared between him and his master.

Time passed.

Toa Legron, once hidden away in a shabby hut, eventually became someone with immense influence in society. Naturally, his magical skills brought him wealth beyond imagination.

He wasn’t obsessed with wealth.

He was only obsessed with the smile of Scarlett, who took joy in having it.

Then, one day.

When Toa Legron discovered that his master was also fixated on a certain secret, he could hardly contain his excitement.

It was proof that he was getting closer to the level of his master, who had always shone with unparalleled brilliance beneath the lake of moonlight.

The realization that even his seemingly perfect master yearned for greater knowledge filled him with a sense of thrill.

If he could be the one to uncover that secret...

If he could solve the riddle that had eluded his master for hundreds of years...

What kind of smile would she bestow upon him?

Lost in his thoughts, Toa Legron brought himself back to reality.

Regrettably, he had failed.

The long-held wish of his master—the "seal"—was ultimately broken not by him, but by someone else.

The despair he felt upon learning this for the first time was indescribable.

“After all the effort I put in...”

Even after enduring unimaginable {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} hardships and pouring his soul into the task, he was unable to grant his master’s wish.

And to find out that it was resolved by a mere child, someone who hadn’t even lived for twenty years...

Toa Legron found himself overwhelmed by a surge of jealousy unlike anything he had ever experienced.

However, as a great mage...

The emotions of a 9th-Class mage were like a dormant volcano—silent, yet capable of erupting with unparalleled intensity when disturbed.

And that was what made it terrifying.

The immense catastrophe waiting beneath the surface, held back only by sheer force of will, could become an unrelenting storm if unleashed.

“...Not yet.”

Fortunately, there was one thing that offered solace: his master had another dream.

That dream was to transcend the limitations of the human body and achieve a higher state of existence.

Regrettably, it seemed far from attainable at the moment.

Even Scarlett, who was born with unmatched power, had hit a ceiling and been unable to take a single step further. For someone like Toa, with lesser talent, it felt like an unattainable dream.

But...

Under certain conditions, the outcome might be different.

His master, Scarlett, had grown purely through the practice of magic.

That had not changed, even after hundreds of years of hitting the same wall.

But Toa Legron had been different ever since his adolescence, when he first started to grasp the principles of magic.

His obsession with the hidden truths of magic, a habit formed in his youth, had now become an extraordinary fixation as a 9th-Class mage.

For example...

What if, instead of merely amplifying the magic he could see, he allowed himself to be governed by the power of the hidden world and became a dark mage?

What if he didn’t just harness its power, but found a way to transcend the limitations of the human body by mastering the hidden world itself?

How would the world react to such knowledge?

It wouldn’t be easy.

After all, the hidden world was “another realm,” and fully dominating its power was nearly impossible.

Even in Aether World, no being had ever mastered the pure white mana in its entirety. How could such a thing be possible?

But there was precedent.

“The First Magician achieved it.”

Although it wasn’t widely known, the First Magician had been someone who perfectly controlled all the mana in this world.

It was a fact Toa had uncovered while researching the mysteries of magic.

“...And even now, the mana of this world operates under the control of the First Magician.”

In other words, the First Magician was either still alive or their will was still at work.

Such a statement, if made publicly, would undoubtedly be met with disbelief and ridicule. Yet it was the undeniable truth.

“At this point, trying to wrest control of white mana from the First Magician and making it my own is impossible.”

The first condition for becoming a transcendent being was to gain control over all the mana in the world. As long as the First Magician lived, there would be no other transcendents.

And seeking out the First Magician to eliminate them? That was even more unrealistic.

So, there was only one other path.

“...If I can fully dominate the hidden world, it is possible.”

To become an equal to the First Magician, a transcendent who governs an entire world.

He was only a few steps away from that goal.

If he could fulfill the lifelong wish that his master, Scarlett, had held onto...

"Then..."

The smile she would direct at him would transcend mere affection.

Perhaps, it would hold love.

Toa Legron believed this firmly as he gazed at the sky.

Rumble...

Between the crimson clouds, flashes of light flickered, emitting eerie sounds.

Amidst the glowing clusters, the faint crack of a dimensional rift became visible. From within that gap, dark mana seeped out, chilling Toa Legron to the bone.

“It’s almost time.”