Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 152
Chapter 152
Magic Survival (4)
Magic Survival is the highlight of the School Competition, but the number of students each school can enter is limited.
Stella Academy typically produces an exceptionally high number of participants each year, ranging from at least five to as many as seven.
If the original game’s plot had unfolded, this year’s participants would have been nearly ten, but due to some story twists, only seven students from Stella were competing this year.
Of course, this was still significantly more than other schools.
Given that the Magic Association, which hosts the School Competition, internally reviews the participants, no one raised questions about fairness.
Because Stella is Stella.
This situation was understandable for that simple reason.
Boom!
Rumble…
Whoosh…!
Dark clouds rolled in, and a heavy rainstorm began. It was a climate change due to the virtual reality manipulation of the Stella Dome.
Mid-game.
The survival game area had shrunk to half its size.
Second-year Class S, Dokcheolgwang.
“Haha, that was an entertaining duel.”
“Kuh… damn…”
He looked at the student from another school, who had collapsed before him, and laughed heartily.
Standing tall and muscular, he was a specialist in ‘Magic Combat,’ where he fought using magic circles around his fists. He was famous as the strongest in one-on-one combat, causing most enemies to avoid him.
Th i s w a s cop i ed f r om ki n g m t l . o r g
Of course, those who failed to avoid him ended up eliminated like this.
[KILL! Dokcheolgwang – Merild]
The student named Merild left a final remark as they were eliminated and expelled.
“Damn Stella kids…”
Flash!
As the light enveloped him and he disappeared, Dokcheolgwang scratched his head awkwardly.
“Sigh. I didn’t even do much.”
Stella was notorious for sending strong candidates to compete each year, and as a first-time participant, Dokcheolgwang felt wronged.
[57/100]
The game was only halfway through, yet many students had already been eliminated. Frequent battles occurred early on due to the high probability of encountering enemies.
But in the mid-to-late phase, kills became rare as participants finished artifact farming, settled down, and stayed quiet.
“Tsk, boring time has come.”
For Dokcheolgwang, it was a truly dull period.
Fight, fight again! A survival tournament should have that thrill, right?
Using terrain and strategy to hide and wait for a chance to win was utterly uninteresting to him.
For that reason…
Dokcheolgwang studied strategy and tactics.
To defeat the enemy?
No, that wasn’t it.
It was for a simple reason.
‘To find out where the enemies are hiding.’
In his mind, he already pictured where the rat-like opponents might be hiding and watching him.
“Oh-ho, something interesting seems to be happening.”
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k in g m t l . o r g
Sensing a commotion in a nearby urban area, Dokcheolgwang immediately moved.
There was nothing more exhilarating than jumping into the middle of a brawl!
* * *
In a battle royale, if you truly want to win, there’s something you must absolutely avoid.
That is, acting too conspicuously alone.
When one overwhelmingly dominant participant stands out too much, they become a target for the others. Although the rule is to fight alone, when a strong common enemy appears, participants form silent alliances to eliminate that threat together.
This is why those labeled as ‘strong candidates’ rarely win each year.
Baek Yu-seol.
He was particularly one of the strong candidates.
To participate in the School Competition, one must be at least seventeen years old.
However, the average age of participants was usually between eighteen and twenty, as it took at least a year of practical experience after turning seventeen to be ready for real combat.
For this reason, Baek Yu-seol, who entered the fiercely competitive and intense Magic Survival at the mere age of seventeen, naturally became a focal point.
“…Isn’t that guy completely crazy?”
Hanabon Yu, a student from Master Descartes Academy, looked at Baek Yu-seol fighting fiercely in the distance with an incredulous expression.
He was already expected to face intense targeting in the later stages, yet he was causing a ruckus in the densely populated urban area.
“And… isn’t that obvious teaming…?”
T hi s w a s c o p i e d fr o m k i n g m t l . org
Teaming was not only against the rules but also despised by spectators because it made the game boring.
When a public enemy appeared, concentrated attacks often led to their elimination, but such blatant cooperation was strictly prohibited.
But the funniest part was…
‘Why can’t three people take down one?’
Without special magic vision or a unique attribute, seeing the situation there all at once was impossible.
‘Isn’t he alone?’
Thump!!
A violent explosion occurred, and Baek Yu-seol soared high into the sky but soon blinked to the ground again.
“…It’s amazing, though.”
A mage controlling blinks. Not even an Archmage could do that.
Appearing on the rooftop of a building on the left, suddenly reappearing in a collapsing bridge on the opposite side, or jumping out of a lower window, Baek Yu-seol displayed mobility that seemed like multiple people were moving at once, mocking his enemies.
Whoooosh…!
As Hanabon Yu watched the battle in a daze, a sudden gust of wind hit.
“Ugh, this is…!”
An unusual airflow.
Seeing Baek Yu-seol and the three Stella students hiding in different buildings, Hanabon Yu quickly hid inside a cave.
A natural disaster.
T h is wa s c o p i e d f r o m k i ng mt l . o r g
Also known as ‘Laelnaje’s Tempest.’
T hi s w a s c o p i e d f ro m k ing m tl .o r g
It was a peculiar phenomenon of electric storms created by magical clashes and the energy of vitality, not occurring randomly but set to happen at specific times in Magic Survival, requiring advance evacuation.
Crackle! Crackle, crackle!
T h is w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n g mt l. o rg
Soon, a massive electric storm swept the exterior. Although it didn’t cover the entire field, it was enough to engulf the urban area where Baek Yu-seol had been fighting.
When a natural disaster struck, hiding was the norm, so by now, they should have stopped fighting…
[KILL! Baek Yu-seol – Kamaren]
“Huh?”
At that moment, a kill log message suddenly popped up.
“What, what? Did they unfortunately hide in the same building…?”
In a one-on-one situation, no one could defeat Baek Yu-seol, so it was plausible.
But then.
[KILL! Baek Yu-seol – Kizenain]
[KILL! Baek Yu-seol – Miron]
Baek Yu-seol’s kill logs continued to pop up. In other words, he had defeated all those attacking him…
‘How?’
It was an incomprehensible event by Hanabon Yu’s logic.
‘The Laelnaje’s Tempest is still raging outside…’
With the storm covering the entire area, how did Baek Yu-seol manage to find and kill enemies in different buildings?
Whoooosh…
Once the Laelnaje’s Tempest subsided, Hanabon Yu quickly ran outside.
While another battle might occur, his overwhelming curiosity outweighed his desire to win.
T h i s w a s c o p i ed f r o m k i n gm t l . or g
He dashed quickly to the urban area where Baek Yu-seol and the three Stella students had fought…
“…Nothing.”
There was nothing left but traces of the battle.
Suddenly, he seemed to hear the cheers from the stadium outside.
To eliminate opponents who had caused annoyance and violated rules by teaming, all at once.
By now, the audience must be shouting Baek Yu-seol’s name at the top of their lungs.
‘Tch, so Stella’s the protagonist again this year…’
He disliked the Stella kids for various reasons. Even the three boys who attacked Baek Yu-seol were all from Stella Academy.
Why did Stella always have to do such annoying things?
From the start, he didn’t like the title of ‘The World’s Best Magic Academy.’
‘…Forget winning, should I just try to kill Baek Yu-seol instead?’
No matter how strong Baek Yu-seol was, after more than ten kills, he must be physically exhausted, and his supplies would be running low.
On the other hand, Hanabon Yu had conserved his strength and gathered equipment and supplies, so he could fight in top condition.
T his w a s c o p ie d f r o m k i ng m t l. o rg
Thanks to Baek Yu-seol’s flashy solo performance, winning no longer seemed to matter.
But if he could kill Baek Yu-seol and take all the attention…
‘No matter how strong he is, there will come a time when he’s exhausted and shows a gap!’
From then on, Hanabon Yu started to track Baek Yu-seol. It wasn’t difficult to follow him, as he left plenty of traces wherever he went.
Everywhere he went, battles occurred, and each time, Baek Yu-seol secured kills.
He frequently roamed densely populated areas, which were a headache because hiding was challenging there.
“Hmm?”
While maintaining a reasonable distance to track Baek Yu-seol…
…he noticed something very strange.
“What is… that?”
Crackle, crackle…
Black flames were burning the field.
But instead of burning substances, it felt as if… it was burning the space itself.
Weird.
The Magic Survival stage was implemented like reality, so the magic used here should have similar effects to reality.
If fire touched wood, it would burn, be extinguished by water, not ignite easily on stone, and be opposed by lightning.
Such interactions should occur similarly to reality.
However, the black flames seemed to be burning the very magic that formed this virtual space.
If observed closely… it felt like ‘reality’ was slightly visible through the scorched space.
‘Could it be that they’re peeling away the magic of the Stella Dome?’
Though the space created by 9-class mage Eltemon Eltrine wouldn’t collapse easily with such flames, the fact that it was burning the virtual space itself filled him with a peculiar fear.
How strong must the magic be to burn virtual space?
No, there’s only one answer to that.
‘Could it be a Dark Mage…?’
Only Dark Mages could exert their power in even virtual spaces.
But even then, it made no sense. What mad Dark Mage would terrorize the School Competition, where the eyes of all mages were focused?
Thinking that, he realigned his thoughts. The mental state of Dark Mages shouldn’t be judged by conventional standards.
Some had blown up entire buildings in the city center to kill a single person, others had thrown themselves into the Tower of Mages to tarnish its honor, causing chaos before committing suicide.
Entities completely devoid of human emotions. Those who would throw away their lives for immediate enjoyment and pleasure.
Such beings were Dark Mages.
‘…Stay calm.’
If a Dark Mage had truly infiltrated Magic Survival, then Stella must have noticed.
Th i s w a s c o pi e d f r o m k i n g m t l . or g
Though they were cunning, annoying, and infuriating, Stella was still the world’s top magical institution.
‘I should retreat.’
Whoever was using the black flames, it was clear that nothing good would come from getting closer. His human instincts told him so.
At that moment.
“Ahhhh!!!”
From beyond the wavering flames, he heard a scream. Instinctively, he checked and saw a girl crawling on the ground, her body aflame.
Chasing her was another boy. With a unique hairstyle resembling flames, he held black flames in both hands.
“Hahaha, why are you running? Does it hurt? Aren’t you a Magic Warrior student? You should endure this, right?”
“Ugh, ughhhh…!”
Tears and snot streamed down the face of the girl, who seemed to be in real pain from the black flames.
‘What the hell is this?’
It was an unbelievable sight.
Feeling pain within the stage was impossible.
Instinctively, Hanabon Yu checked the name tag of the mage wielding the black flames.
‘Berankal.’
It was an unfamiliar name and a strange school uniform.
And… an alien gaze.
The pressure from his mana alone made it clear.
‘The opponent is a predator.’
At least a 5-Risk level.
An opponent whom students competing in Magic Survival could never defeat.
To handle a 5-Risk Dark Mage, multiple specialized Magic Warriors would need to gather.
‘I should help…’
If he didn’t, the girl engulfed in flames might really die.
But.
‘…What can I change by helping?’
Hanabon Yu had just entered 4-class magic at nineteen, and even then, he was barely able to use it. Demonstrating his skills in one-on-one combat was extremely difficult.
Charging at the Dark Mage now would only result in a senseless death.
While Hanabon Yu hesitated, hiding behind a rock, Berankal chased the girl, who was crawling away, and shouted.
“Hey, how can a warrior be such a coward? Huh? Stand up and fight properly. Aren’t you a Magic Warrior? You exist to fight Dark Mages. Why are you acting so pathetic?”
It sounded as if he was talking to himself, but Hanabon Yu could do nothing.
“Ugh…”
T h is w a s c o p i e d f r o m ki n g m t l .o r g
Not everyone at a Magic Warrior Academy fights Dark Mages.
Most students, like Hanabon Yu, attend elite magic schools to get diplomas and then build careers in safe, good jobs.
He never expected to encounter a Dark Mage in his life.
‘What should I do…’
With trembling hands, he covered his mouth, trying to think of a solution.
Whoosh-!
Something rocket-like whizzed past him.
Immediately after, a loud explosion occurred, and thick fog enveloped the spot where the Dark Mage had been standing.
When the fog cleared, there stood…
None other than the second-year Class S student from Stella Academy, Dokcheolgwang.
The instructors had repeatedly emphasized remembering his face as a strong candidate, so Hanabon Yu recognized him immediately.
“Haha, I sensed something suspicious and came to check… and there really was a suspicious guy using suspicious magic?”
Boom! Boom!
As Dokcheolgwang clashed his hands together, Berankal, who had retreated, dusted himself off and stood up.
Despite the intense collision, he had only minor scratches, no significant injuries.
“Ha, damn… I was going to kill Baek Yu-seol before the others did, but now an unexpected treat has shown up, huh?”
“Humph! My body is muscular, so it’s not tasty!”
The opponent was a Dark Mage. A very strong one at that. Anyone witnessing this would realize it immediately.
But… despite knowing this, Dokcheolgwang grinned confidently.
‘Unbelievable…’
He would be defeated. Dokcheolgwang was only eighteen, a year younger than Hanabon Yu, but he had already achieved 4-class magic, making him a genius.
He was undoubtedly a remarkable talent, but he couldn’t beat Berankal alone.
Knowing this fact better than anyone, how could he act so relaxed?
Dokcheolgwang glanced at the girl behind him and then extended his fist.
Thwap!
A sharp spear shot out from his fist, piercing her chest.
“Ah…”
Because there was no pain from Dokcheolgwang’s magic, the girl closed her eyes peacefully and disappeared in a flash of light.
[KILL! Dokcheolgwang – Banyurin]
Since she was eliminated, the mages outside would soon notice her injuries.
There might be some aftereffects, but… if treated, she would likely survive.
“Ha, what’re you doing?”
“What else? Just doing what a Magic Warrior should. Now that the obstacle is gone, let’s enjoy ourselves.”
With that, he clashed his fists together again.
“By the way… I’ve never fallen once in my life.”
End of Chapter
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TheFinal
Actual scumbags bro, who teams in solo queue?