Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 104

Chapter 104

27. Taeryeong Divine Art (6)

After the second exam, ‘Combat Magic Practice’ was added as a compulsory subject.

T h i s w a s c o p ie d f r o m k i ng mt l . org
From this point on, the number of practical subjects significantly increased, bringing with them a host of annoyances.

For me, whose only joy in life was to doze off at my desk, this was truly a regrettable turn of events.

“Those who gathered with the sacred belief and duty of eradicating Dark Mages became magical warriors. However, not all warriors maintain that belief. Sometimes, there are criminals who betray the magical world, or disputes arise between lands and nations that lead to battles with mages.”

Instructor Lee Han-wol stood in the center of the Stella Dome, speaking to the S-Class students.

“For whatever reason, if you live as a magical warrior, there will be times when you cannot avoid fighting another magical warrior. To prepare for such times, we will conduct Mage Duel Practice.”

I barely held back a grin.

Usually, I hated listening to lectures, but I liked this one. A duel between mages—essentially PvP—was my specialty.

Even when I played the game, I often spent my time killing other players in the field or going back and forth in the duel arena, rather than hunting Dark Mages. I lived for magical battles.

“The instructor will teach you strategies for magical battles, how to use magic according to the situation, and how to win.”

In the context of Aether World, it was like finally pushing the main episode to the point where the ‘online server duel arena’ tutorial began.

This class gave us tips on how to conduct ourselves in magical duels.

A few days ago, I would have lacked the attack power to penetrate a magic shield and felt insecure, but now it was different.

Having acquired Taeryeong Divine Art and Mana Concentration, I could now deliver a sufficiently powerful blow.

Honestly, I’m not yet at the level where I can use Taeryeong Divine Art in real combat.

I need to stay perfectly still in an unmoving posture for several seconds, focusing on nothing else for Taeryeong Divine Art to manifest briefly. If I broke that concentration, the skill would immediately deactivate.

But practice is practice.

Even if I embarrass myself by not properly using the skill during practice, I must train with Taeryeong Divine Art to the fullest extent, ensuring I can use it freely in actual life-threatening battles.

“The most effective training is facing each other with magic, but it’s inefficient to start fighting right away.”

Fortunately, it seemed they weren’t planning to make us fight the S-Class monsters from the start.

“A magical battle is like Soul Chess. Knowing how to cast powerful spells is good, but what’s more important is using the right magic efficiently according to the situation.”

Throwing powerful spells indiscriminately would only result in your own defeat if your opponent had a similar amount of mana.

It’s a psychological battle of predicting what magic your opponent will use, how they’ll react in certain situations, and what strategies they’ll employ.

“The first thing to consider in a duel with another mage is not casting powerful spells. It’s controlling the distance and steering the flow of battle to your advantage.”

‘Shoots’ cast from the caster’s body had a long range, but during casting, the opponent could react and counter.

But ‘targets’ were different.

Generated by specifying coordinates, reacting accurately to targets with average reflexes was impossible.

The downside of target magic is its short range and low destructive power. However, even with low destructive power, landing a single effective strike to cause damage meant you could land a second or third and use that opportunity to cast powerful spells. Hence, it was critical.

A second-class mage’s effective range for targets could be less than 5 meters for short-range attributes like stone, and around 15 meters for long-range attributes like wind.

Numerically, you might think wind was the best, but the range each attribute could designate was different.

The wind attribute could only generate a target range in a straight line in front, while the stone attribute could designate a rectangular range even with a shorter final distance.

“By considering the different ranges for attributes, consistently moving out of the opponent’s effective range and bringing them within your attack range is fundamental in magical duels.”

Additionally, not revealing your range was also crucial in a magical duel… but thanks to my Intuition, I could almost precisely determine the target’s range.

“The wooden puppet you’ll face only uses target magic and always faces forward.”

Since the opponent wasn’t moving, it would be easier than sipping cold coffee.

“You’ll practice by using your shield only twice, getting into the puppet’s blind spot and confirming safety for 5 seconds or enduring within its range for 30 seconds.”

The cadets looked tense at Lee Han-wol’s words.

Target magic activated instantly. If you couldn’t move and dodge it, using your shield twice would almost certainly mean being out.

‘The first shield to determine the attribute and anticipate the range’s shape, and the second shield to hold out and move out of range…’

How many students could make such judgments in such a short moment?

Other classes might have at least five chances with their shields.

From what I knew, the S-Class wooden puppets had better performance, making the elite training even harsher.

T h i s w a s c o p i e d fr o m k ing m t l. o r g
Even if you identified the attribute, the ranges varied.

Take the wind attribute, for example.

A mage’s target range might be 12 meters long but over 2 meters wide, or another’s target might be over 18 meters long but less than 1 meter wide, focusing solely on range.

The wind attribute, with its simplest range, could be this complicated; other attributes with varied and unique range shapes would be even more so.

“Let’s start the practice immediately.”

Four wooden puppets were set up in front, and four students came forward on command.

S-Class, wind major, Knight Feng Hwarang.

S-Class, blue flame major, Bishop Aidan.

S-Class, barrier major, Bishop Maesuwol.

S-Class, curse major, Bishop Melian.

Among these distinctive students, Feng Hwarang stood out the most.

Though he had a closely shaved head, his thick eyebrows and distinct features gave off an intimidating aura.

“Use only basic shields without attributes. The wooden puppets will use second-class magic, and if you block an attack with a shield, you must deactivate the shield immediately.”

In other words, you couldn’t use the shield to block two attacks with one activation.

“Begin.”

All four nodded in understanding, and the command was given. Feng Hwarang was the first to rush toward the wooden puppet.

As a Knight, he couldn’t use Power Jump, so his mobility was no different from an ordinary Bishop. But Feng Hwarang trusted his sharp reflexes to catch the magic quickly.

Gurgle!

As he ran, a water droplet formed on his body and burst with a pop, but he easily blocked it with his shield.

Immediately after, the calculations began.

The maximum range determined cooldown and magic power, so it was possible to roughly calculate the range based on those hints.

Even without calculation, it was fine.

Gurgle! Pop!

After the second attack, Feng Hwarang instinctively grasped the range.

Gurgle!

About 2.7 seconds later, the third water droplet formed, but Feng Hwarang slid on the ground to dodge it.

Then, he calmly stood up and counted to five.

…Nothing happened.

“Feng Hwarang, success.”

Whether he accurately measured the range or not, he managed to barely escape the range.
Th i s was c op i e d f r o m k in g m t l .o r g

“Wow…”

“He succeeded.”

Some cadets nodded in admiration. Feng Hwarang’s evasion method was crude but impressive.

Next, attention turned to the curse major, Melian.

He had a thin, gaunt body, and his haggard appearance made one wonder if he had slept properly the night before.

He stumbled forward, and when flames engulfed his body, he hurriedly deployed a shield in panic.

His reaction was slightly slow, but he managed to block the attack.

The flame attribute’s target range was in a rainbow shape, unable to hit directly in front but capable of covering a broad distance.

Additionally, it was difficult for the opponent to predict how far the rainbow shape extended and its width, making it quite challenging.

How would he respond?

Flame!

…Contrary to expectations, Melian rolled on the ground, wrapped in flames.

“Argh…”

Despite having a second shield opportunity, he couldn’t react.

“Sigh.”

“I knew he’d mess up.”

Even within the S-Class, Melian was known for his pathetic behavior.

However, I knew how terrifying he could be.

His reaction speed was slow, and he couldn’t use destructive magic… but his ability to bypass the opponent’s shield and apply ‘debuffs’ made him a significant threat on the battlefield.

He was weak alone but became incredibly synergistic with a skilled mage by his side.

Melian was a mage who applied terrifying, debilitating magic to slowly wear down and kill his enemies.

“Next.”

Regardless of Melian’s foolish display, practice continued.

Most results ended in failure. No matter how talented and theoretically strong they were, such sudden, high-difficulty practical tasks were inevitable.

With only two chances to escape target magic, success stories like Feng Hwarang or Ma Yuseong were rare.

“Baek Yu-seol, Calavin, Hajiran, Checolon. Come forward.”

After a brief moment, my name was called, and I stepped up to the wooden puppet.

As I’ve mentioned before, my Intuition lets me instinctively know the target’s range. In the game, the range was shown as a drawing on the ground, and now, in reality, I felt it through my senses.

I’ve always fought by instinctively dodging out of the range. That’s how I avoided getting hit by target magic.

I fought without giving the opponent a chance to use target magic. That was my method.

But suddenly, I wanted to test something.

Having acquired Taeryeong Divine Art and significantly increasing my mana circulation rate, my Intuition also became incredibly sensitive.

So…

Could I react and evade the magic even if I were within the target’s range?

Typically, a first-class target magic’s activation speed is around 0.2 seconds.

Mages with high [Senses] could react to that speed, and even if their minds couldn’t, their mana might react to deploy a shield.

However, starting from the second class, the speed enters the 0.1-second range, making it difficult to react without prior anticipation.

Moreover, the ‘reaction’ I’m talking about here refers to simply deploying a shield to block the attack upon perceiving the threat.

A skilled mage could deploy a shield in a split second without any additional actions.

But I’m different.

I had to move my sword to parry or dodge the attack, requiring much higher sensory stats and quick movements than other mages.

‘Evading the target magic.’

T his wa s c o pie d f r o m k ing m t l. o r g
Even if the opponent’s magic was only first-class, it would be impossible.

But with my body unable to use magic…

To stand on equal footing with mages, I had to make what they considered impossible, possible.

Something I couldn’t even imagine attempting while playing the game.

‘Maybe I can do it now.’

If I fail, it would be regrettable and embarrassing, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Hoo…”

Standing in front of the wooden puppet, I focused as much as possible with an unmoving posture.

Following the Qi of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, nature seeped into and out of my body.

I focused all that energy on my senses.

Occasionally, true ‘geniuses’ were said to hear the song of nature’s mana from a young age.

Though I wasn’t a genius, I felt I could vaguely understand what that meant.

‘I can hear it.’

I could feel it.
T h i s w a s co p i e d f r o m k i n g mt l . org

The movement of mana.

How its waves fluctuated.

All of it whispered to me.

“…Begin.”

Eventually.

T h i s w a s c o pi e d f rom k i n g m t l . o rg
The moment Lee Han-wol’s command was given.

Shiver!

Feeling a cold sensation on my neck, I swiftly moved to the side to evade.

Swish-Bang!

An invisible sphere formed and scattered in the air.

T h i s w a s c opi ed f r om k i ng mt l . o r g
‘Damn, that scared me…’

It wasn’t a standard elemental magic. It twisted space itself.

The wooden puppet I faced used spatial magic.

‘Can a wooden puppet even do that?’

It was an ironic situation where a wooden puppet used the spatial attribute, rarer than even the radiant attribute.

The magic’s activation was quite fast, and its range was extensive, making the spatial attribute challenging to deal with.

But I had no time for idle thoughts.

Swish!

Feeling another cold sensation on my shoulder, I had to move quickly.

Bang!

The space momentarily twisted and then quieted down, and I wiped the sweat off my forehead.

It was only a second-class magic, so even if it hit me, it would only feel like a strong grip twisting my wrist, not painful.

Low-level spatial magic was known for its lack of destructive power.

Plus, the Stella Dome’s protection meant I wouldn’t get hurt even if hit.

So I decided to take a bolder challenge.

Staying within the range for 30 seconds would also count as a success.

No one had managed to endure within the range for over 30 seconds.

Swish!

Feeling a cold sensation on my hip, I took a step to the side.

Bang!

This time, I felt more relaxed.

‘This distance gives about a 2-second cooldown.’

Closing the distance would shorten the cooldown further. I boldly took a step or two forward.

Swish-Bang!

Th is w a s co p i e d f r om ki ng m t l. o r g
Swish-Bang!
T h is w a s cop ied f ro m k i ng mtl . or g

As space twisted past my shoulders, knees, right arm, neck, and waist sequentially, I evaded all attacks with simple side steps.

T h i s w a s c o p i e d fr om k i n g m t l . org
I wasn’t walking to show off.

I couldn’t maintain Taeryeong Divine Art while running.

But as the magic’s intervals grew shorter, my tension gradually heightened.

When the limit of evading by simply walking was approaching.

Yeah, at this point…

I felt it was time to start running while maintaining Taeryeong Divine Art, so I focused even more.

“Baek Yu-seol, success.”

“Huh?”

The wooden puppet’s lights turned off, ending the practice. Lee Han-wol looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“I’ve never seen someone like you.”

For some reason, everything was quiet. When I turned around, the other S-Class students were looking at me as if I were crazy.

I understood their stares, but…

I was just getting into it, and now it ended, leaving me disappointed.

“Can I continue for a bit longer?”

“No, go back.”

Instructor Lee Han-wol was firm.

Darn it.

I guess I’ll suggest installing something like this in the S-Class training ground.

End of Chapter