Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 139

Chapter 139

Summer Vacation (3)

Summer vacation had arrived.

In a fantasy youth rom-com romance simulation academy genre, when you mention ‘summer vacation,’ it inevitably brings to mind the beach trip event.

Even in Aether World Online, there was a summer vacation beach trip event.

Indeed, it existed…

But I omitted one word from the genre above.

That word is reverse harem.

Aether Online was peculiar in that it was enjoyed more by male gamers, but its fundamental genre was female-oriented reverse harem.

In the game, Flame would rent a luxurious villa with five or six male characters, and the subtle tensions and occasional brawls among them were part of its appeal…

At least, that’s what girls said.

I wouldn’t know; I didn’t watch it.

Anyway, that’s not what’s important.

The summer vacation is the only time a Stella cadet can stay outside for an extended period, assuming they don’t take seasonal semester courses.
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Students like me, who have no hometown or dislike their hometown, may stay at school, but most will return home.
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Staying at school isn’t an option for me because there’s no studying or episodes to be involved in, so I plan to travel a bit.

Dungeon exploration, hunting, training, sub-events, and so on. There’s plenty to do.

Of course, the most crucial part is the eighth episode, [Dark Mana Erosion], and the ‘School Competition,’ scheduled for the end of this summer vacation.

The School Competition.

When players who learned basic magic battles in the first semester get used to PvP, they learn mass PvP through this event.

From small 3 vs 3 tournaments to large 100-person survival battles.

The competition I intend to participate in is the 100-person battle royale survival.

In a random field, 100 mages are dropped, and they must farm magical equipment, win battles, and be the last person standing to win—a simple but harsh survival game.

On Earth, battle royale games were released in various genres and gained considerable popularity each time, so many players participated in this event.

Although there are no players in this world, since it’s a ‘School Competition,’ elite magic warriors from prestigious magic schools will undoubtedly participate.

“Yu-seol, are you signing up for that too?”

As I was looking at the ‘School Competition’ announcement on the class bulletin board, Ma Yuseong approached and asked.

“Yeah.”

“Isn’t it tough for first years?”

He was right.

First-year students, lacking battle experience, were relatively few in number, and this was the same everywhere.

However, our protagonists, being protagonists, will make a dramatic appearance even in their first year.

Including Ma Yuseong, who just spoke to me.

“You’re going to participate too.”

“Well…”

But Ma Yuseong gave an unexpected answer.

“My father suddenly called me. I have to go back to the main house.”

“What? No way. I was planning to compete with you.”

“…Really?”

He smiled wryly, looking at the notice.

‘He’s going back to his main house…

Why suddenly?

Is there some variable?

Last time he went back, it was of his own will. But this time, it’s different.

He said his father called him.

He probably said it casually, thinking I didn’t know about his family affairs, but I do know quite well.

Ma Yuseong’s status at his main house… isn’t very good.

‘Isn’t he supposed to be treated like a prince as the heir of the Dark Mage King?’ you might think, but that’s limited to ‘external Dark Mage forces.’

Within the Dark Mage kingdom, Ma Yuseong is scorned with various nicknames like mixed blood, traitor, and filthy blood.
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In the Dark Mage Empire, only pure bloodlines and powerful strength prove one’s worth, and Ma Yuseong has neither.

Moreover, his mother passed away when he was young, and his father, not recognizing him, treated him harshly…

Seeing how much he’d suffer if he went back to his main house was obvious without witnessing it firsthand.

“Well, um… have a good time.”

Saying ‘suffer well’ to someone going home would be odd, so I gave a suitable farewell.

“Thanks.”

He brightened up, but seeing his forced smile made my heart heavy, even though there was nothing I could do.

* * *

To participate in the School Competition, certain qualifications and screening processes are required.

First, you must rank within the top 600 of your grade, and to check combat abilities, applicants must duel and achieve a high win rate. Most first-year students fail here.

The majority of participants are second and third years, and beating them is unlikely.

Fortunately, I was relatively confident in this part.

Using the derived skill ‘Mana Concentration’ from Mana Leakage Syndrome and Taeryeong Divine Art, I could break through mana shields at the 4th class level.

It required considerable concentration and a life-or-death commitment, but there was no choice.

I really wanted to participate in the School Competition.

‘I want that winning reward.’

I’m not dreaming of winning. This event gathers all kinds of monsters from around the country, even threatening the protagonists.

But just participating yields significant rewards, so I plan to join somehow.

-First-year Class S, Baek Yu-seol, and second-year Class C, Ji Oden. Please come to the dueling arena.

The Stella Dome was packed with applicants for the School Competition, dueling on duel stages set up through hyperspace manipulation.

My first opponent was a second-year senior.

If I remember correctly, he’s ranked around 400th.

Not a tough opponent.
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“Ugh…”

The senior’s expression was grim, possibly because my bad reputation had spread, and he realized he couldn’t win.

There was no need to be so scared. I have almost no defensive abilities, so if he found a chance, he could win in one strike.

“Baek Yu-seol wins!”

Of course, finding that chance against me isn’t easy.

“This is frustrating…”

The senior, after losing to me, slumped and left the arena. My abilities, albeit exaggerated, ensured he wouldn’t be ridiculed for losing to a first-year, but he was undoubtedly upset.

“Hmm…”

By now, Hong Bi-yeon, Flame, and Aiselle should be astonishing everyone with their victories.

The names and win rates of the top students were displayed in the sky above the Stella Dome, and in the original game, first-year students filled the leaderboard, shocking everyone.

It’s a cliché, but clichés are fun, right?

But.

“…They’re not here?”

No matter how I looked, I couldn’t see their names.

Hong Bi-yeon, Flame, Aiselle.

All three.

Were missing.

‘What’s going on…?’

According to the original storyline, they should be overwhelming seniors and advancing by now…

Did they lose to seniors?

No.

That can’t be.

They’ve grown stronger than in the original, not weaker.

There’s no way they’re not on the leaderboard because they aren’t skilled enough.

‘So… they didn’t participate at all?’

What are they doing now?

-Next! First-year Class S, Baek Yu-seol, and second-year Class B, Bemilea. Please come up.

But I had to focus on the screening for now, leaving no time to search for them.

* * *

“Look over there. That’s Baek Yu-seol.”

“Wow…”
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Anella, a subordinate of Blackkingdon and a 40-something girl (?) who infiltrated Stella as an exchange student.

She was currently at the Stella Dome with fellow teenagers, who were technically her peers.

“Unbelievable… How can a first-year be like that?”

“It makes no sense.”

With Ma Yuseong, Hong Bi-yeon, Aiselle, and Flame absent, all attention was on Baek Yu-seol.

‘A first-year beating second and third years and rising steadily.’

He didn’t win every match. He occasionally lost to third years or second-year Class S students, but those losses were close, leaving people amazed.

Swoosh-!

“Wow…”

“Ooh…”

Watching Baek Yu-seol disappear like the wind, charging at opponents and swinging his sword, exchange students exclaimed in admiration.

‘If you come to Stella as an exchange student during summer vacation, make sure to watch the School Competition screenings!’, it was said, and screenings of prestigious schools’ competitions were quite famous.

Because they showcased skills and talents that couldn’t be seen in other schools.

Most exchange students came from schools that were embarrassed to be called prestigious, so such sights weren’t common for them.

“How can a first-year…”

“It’s hard to believe he’s our age…”

Exchange students, who were considered prodigies for mastering a class by their first year or achieving two classes and being treated as precious talents, were particularly shocked.

But Stella’s first years mastering two classes was a given, some even reaching three classes, and top students in Class S achieved four classes, making comparisons pointless.

Sadly, most of Class S first years weren’t present at the screening, but witnessing Baek Yu-seol’s battles live was a great fortune.

“I’ve never heard of someone controlling Blink.”

“I was expecting him to present on Blink magic at the Aslan Seminar…”
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“Maybe it’s a family secret or something.”

“Could be.”

Baek Yu-seol’s combat style, ignoring terrain and instantly leaping to catch opponents off guard, didn’t have flashy effects, but it had an impact that captivated people’s eyes.

Anella watched Baek Yu-seol quietly, lost in thought.

‘That can’t be all of Baek Yu-seol’s combat abilities.’

She had been briefed about him. He was said to have skills comparable to a 6-risk Dark Mage, so she was warned to be cautious.

He seemed to be deliberately losing to third years now, but he must be hiding his true strength.

“Too bad. Is it tough against third-year Class A?”

“He seemed desperate.”

“Still, it’s impressive for a first-year to fight that well against a third-year.”

“Exactly.”

Desperate? What a joke.

Anella scoffed inwardly.

‘It’s all an act, idiots.’

Other rookies might not see it, but Anella could. Baek Yu-seol was pretending to struggle to hide his abilities.

That made him even more terrifying.

Her mission was to either completely exclude him or, if impossible, eliminate him.

Honestly, her pure combat abilities were at the 5-risk level, and with most of her dark mana sealed, she was like a hollow shell.

In a proper fight, she would inevitably lose.

But it was fine.

She had the supreme trait [Resurrection of Nightmares].

No matter how powerful a mage was, if they fell into trauma, they couldn’t resist.

“Hey, look. Anella is totally mesmerized by Baek Yu-seol.”

“Do you have a crush on him?”

“Huh? No, I just…”

“Come on. Admit it, he’s good-looking, right?”

“He’s so cute. Not my type, though.”

“You’ll regret it later if you don’t go for guys like him.”

“Hey, um…”

Anella was about to make an excuse, but her exchange student friends gave her some very sweet information.

“By the way, I heard from a friend who lives here. There’s a cafe Baek Yu-seol goes to every weekend.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Paparazzi always wait there. If he still goes, the coffee must be good, right?”

“Can we see him if we wait there?”

“I guess, but he might get annoyed if you talk to him.”

“True…”

It was an opportunity!

Before the topic changed, Anella hurriedly asked.

“Hey, where’s that cafe…?”
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“Huh?”

Then they started laughing mischievously.

“Hehehe.”
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“Huhuhu.”

“You pretended not to care but were curious all along, huh?”

“No, no… it’s not that…”

“Isn’t it? Then we won’t tell you.”

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“It is, it is, but, I mean, it is…”

“See? Told you.”

Anella felt incredibly frustrated but had no way to explain.

End of Chapter