Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 155

Chapter 155

Magic Survival (7)

Boom!!

The crimson-black flames spread flamboyantly, engulfing everything around.

The rain-soaked hill, the ancient thousand-year-old tree, the pouring rain, and the striking thunder.

All were swallowed by the black flames.

Whoosh…!

Zeliel hastily deployed her shield, but the magic cast in the virtual world couldn’t properly counter the crimson-black flames that incinerated everything not part of reality.

Clang!

“Ugh…!”

With a small shockwave, Zeliel was pushed back and fell against the burning ancient tree.

Whoosh…!

Realizing too late that black flames had caught on her shoulder, she tried to extinguish them, but they wouldn’t go out easily.
T h i s w as c o pied from k i n g mt l . o r g

“This…!”

These flames couldn’t be put out by ordinary magic; they burned reality itself.

She had read about them in a book.

One of the most powerful bloodlines among Dark Mages, those who wield the black flames, the ‘Bloodline of Iskaram.’

The Dark Mage before her had inherited the blood of Iskaram, existing since ancient times, and manipulated the black flames freely.

However, it seemed he hadn’t inherited the direct bloodline but rather a derivative, as the flames were murky and mixed with a significant amount of bright red.

The destructive power… was far less than the notorious Iskaram, who could turn an entire city to ash in one go.

But does that mean she could win?

“…Impossible.”

She already felt a burning pain from her shoulder. This confirmed that the flames could truly consume and obliterate her.

Leaning on the Level 4 artifact staff she had just acquired, she struggled to stand and calmly faced the approaching Berankal.

Analyzing.

The probability of winning and surviving.

Utilizing the surrounding terrain and the items she had acquired to efficiently escape from the enemy.

Even with death looming before her, Zeliel could think coldly, treating herself as a chess piece.
T h i s w a s co p ie d f ro m k i ngm tl .o rg

She did not love ‘herself.’

To her, ‘her’ existence was merely a command tower moving pieces, and she was willing to use herself if necessary.

“What are you thinking about so much? Huh? Your pretty face looks very worried, miss.”

Berankal, smirking, approached Zeliel. He had already figured out who this girl was.

Nobility among nobility.

The High Elf girl, Zeliel, positioned at the highest status in the world.

Born into a blessed family with innate talent… if he burned her here, his name would surely be recorded as a Dark Mage who left a significant scar in the magic world.

Thump, thump!

His heart pounded. The blood flowing through his veins made his head and chest even hotter.

‘How should I torment her?’

She must have thought she was the best all her life. He wanted to slowly, artistically ruin that face.

The beautiful face admired by everyone would be horribly burned so no one could ever love it again, and her hands and tongue would be torn out to prevent her from ever using magic again.

“Ha ha, I can’t wait to see that cold gaze distort! Women like you are a delight to torment!”

Whoosh-!

With a light wave of his right arm, he launched the black flames at Zeliel, who rolled sideways without defending. It was dirty and disgraceful for a mage’s battle, but it was the best decision.

Then Zeliel aimed her staff at Berankal. Anticipating an incoming spell, Berankal braced himself.
T hi s w as c o p i e d fr o m k i n g m t l . o r g

Wham…!

Instead of casting a spell, Zeliel used the ‘Jumping Shooter’ artifact to leap high.

“Hah, a trick!”

But as if it were nothing, Berankal snapped his fingers, forming flames right in front of Zeliel’s nose.

‘What…!’

Boom!!

“Ugh…!”

Falling back to the ground from the recoil, Zeliel felt little pain from the fall, but her upper body was almost entirely engulfed in flames.

Though the pain was so excruciating that she couldn’t even scream, Zeliel gritted her teeth and analyzed the situation.

‘The range for creating coordinates is unimaginably long.’

Ordinary mages couldn’t form ‘target’ magic at such a distance.

While magic activates instantly in mid-air, its short range and low destructive power were its drawbacks.

This meant the Dark Mage before her was optimized for target magic…

‘Escape is impossible.’

After concluding her analysis, she rolled back as flames crashed down before her.

“Hahaha, you tried to run? Now that you know it’s useless, what will you do? Huh?”
Th i s w a s c o p i ed f r o m k i ng m t l . o r g

Wham! Boom!

Berankal lightly tossed black flames at Zeliel like a ball game. Each time, she hid behind trees or threw shield artifacts to counter the attacks, but she knew she couldn’t hold out much longer.

‘There is a way.’

A Dark Mage estimated to be of 5-Risk level.

In normal circumstances, she couldn’t win, but the stage had many artifacts with special abilities.

In her mind, a plan was already taking shape, perfectly mapping out a route to escape from her current position.

Tap, tap…

Zeliel looked down at her burning torso.

Though it was hot and painful, strangely, no cries or tears came out.

‘Not much time left.’

Soon, these flames would consume her entire upper body and then her whole body.

If she survived, she could be perfectly healed without a scar.

So, she decided to survive no matter what.

Resolutely, Zeliel aimed her staff at the sky.

A green magic circle formed, and the ancient tree’s branches shook and trembled.

Rumble!!

‘Spirit Magic, Summon Elpion.’

A High Elf’s top-tier magic that revives and commands the spirit residing in plants. Though she was only a 4-class and couldn’t summon a powerful spirit… this would be enough.

Thump, boom!!

-Roarrr!!

Elpion, the spirit entwined with branches, grew stronger in the pouring rain. Though it was nighttime, and she only received half the buff, the rain would make Elpion even sturdier.
T h i s wa s c op ied fr o m k in g m tl .o rg

“Hah, Elves sure know interesting magic.”

Berankal, amused, snapped his fingers.

Boom!!

Without a staff, the instantly activated black flames burned Elpion’s upper body entirely, but it continued its steps towards Berankal.

“Hah! Don’t you see it’s useless yet?”

He shot flames at Elpion while sharpening his Dark Mage senses to monitor his surroundings.

If Zeliel escaped, it would be troublesome.

Fortunately for Berankal, this was a wide-open hilltop, and the only place to hide was the ancient tree.

In other words, once he dealt with Elpion, Zeliel could do nothing.

“Is this all you’ve got! Is this the best you could come up with!”

Every blast of Berankal’s flames shattered Elpion’s body. Its arms fell off, legs collapsed, and its entire body was engulfed in flames, yet it stubbornly advanced towards Berankal.

“Hah… Hitting a puppet isn’t fun.”

Just as he grew bored and decided to finish off Elpion.

‘Huh?’

Crunch!!

Roots of the ancient tree sprouted from all directions. It seemed like an attempt to block his view.

‘Pathetic tricks!’

Berankal stomped the ground, scattering crimson-black waves of fire. Though most roots were burned and cut, the ancient tree kept growing.

“Desperation? I heard you were smart, but that’s a lie. Wasting mana on pointless things!”

Of course, Zeliel was replenishing her mana with the ‘Mana Recovery Potion,’ a survival-specific artifact, but Berankal, who didn’t know the rules of the game well, was unaware.

Bang! Boom!!

“Hahaha! Where are you hiding? Did you think you could escape like this? You play cute for someone who looks smart!”

Attempts to block his view didn’t work. His intense flames burned even the rain, making the surroundings open, and there was nowhere for Zeliel to hide.

Thud, thud…!

“Hmm?”

At that moment, a black orb rolled to his feet. Realizing it was an artifact, Berankal enveloped himself in black flames.

Flash!

A blinding light burst out, but Berankal took no damage. Even if he had been hit by the flash bomb, he would have quickly recovered.

“The more you struggle, the cuter you get.”

T hi s w a s c o p i ed f r o m k in g mt l. o r g
Using artifacts in such an awkward way on top of magic meant she was truly desperate.

Berankal leisurely walked towards the ancient tree.

Dealing with the charging roots was easy for him.

Beep, beep-boom!

Even the landmine-type artifacts on the ground were neutralized by his fire.

The ‘Mana Annihilation Bomb’ artifact fired from the tree gaps turned to ash in the air.

Fire versus wood.

A horrible mismatch.

Plus, the level of fire was higher.

“Hahaha!”

The idea of tearing apart the top student of Starflower Tree Magic School, High Elf Zeliel, as he pleased made Berankal roar with laughter.

“It’s over, come out!”

Summoning a massive ball of flame in the air, he prepared for the final strike. Zeliel continued manipulating the tree roots but didn’t reveal herself.

‘Foolish girl!’

He didn’t plan to kill her immediately, so he adjusted the power.

Burning all the trees but not Zeliel, he launched the giant flame forward.

…Whoosh, boom!!

The intense explosion echoed.

Not just burning the trees but utterly exploding them to pieces.

“Come out already!”

The black flames didn’t produce smoke, so the view wasn’t obscured.

Berankal, stomping through the charred remains of the ancient tree, shouted.

“Where are you! Come out now! You might die if you delay!”

Silence.

Thi s w as co p i e d f r o m k i n g m tl .o r g
Zeliel didn’t appear.

Thud…

The ancient tree’s roots, which had been annoyingly moving, fell limply to the ground. No other signs of life were felt.

“…Huh? What?”

Berankal looked around in confusion.

“This can’t be right…”

He had controlled the power, intending not to cause significant harm to Zeliel hiding behind the trees. He planned to play with her more…

‘Did she die?’

Snap!

He extinguished the flames with a snap, carefully searching the charred remains of the tree.

However, there was no nook or cranny large enough for a person to hide in the completely incinerated tree. Even probing the ground with mana revealed nothing.

“Did she really… die? Just like that? I didn’t even get to play with her.”

Though he had planned to kill her, he felt a bit empty.

Because he hadn’t fully enjoyed the pleasure.

Then.

Suddenly realizing something, Berankal turned and rushed to Elpion’s remains, shoving his hand inside.

Whoosh! Bang!

“Ouch…!”

Zeliel was flung out from inside Elpion, rolling on the ground. Burned black all over, she was barely clinging to life.

She wasn’t dead yet.

“…You really are crazy.”

Berankal’s chest chilled.

To think she’d hide herself in the decoy Elpion.

“You didn’t think you’d burn to death? Foolish girl.”

No, it was the opposite.

Zeliel had risked burning herself to hide in Elpion.

Because it was her only way out.

If Berankal hadn’t noticed anything suspicious at the last moment, Zeliel could have escaped the competition area, chosen elimination, and received treatment.

But she failed.

With cold, lifeless eyes, Zeliel looked up at Berankal. She could no longer move. Even breathing was a struggle.

Even if he wanted to torment her more, he couldn’t. How could he play with a toy that would break with a touch?

Berankal grimaced like a demon and ground his teeth.

“Damn, I’ve lost interest.”

For him, the pleasure came from seeing his victims suffer and cry out in pain… Zeliel looked like a real ‘doll.’

A wind-up doll that moved emotionlessly towards its goal.

Perhaps.

Even in this moment of death, she was accepting it calmly.

But contrary to Berankal’s thoughts, Zeliel’s mind was racing.

‘I can’t die…’

Not because she had a desire for life. She lived for one person only, her father.

‘If I die… there will be no one to cure Father…’

Her father, Melian, had been suffering from an incurable disease for a long time.

Despite gathering the world’s best doctors, there was no cure.

For decades, they searched for a way, but there was no hope. Melian, not wanting to waste his one and only life, had long given up and focused on business.

The reason he was teaching young Zeliel to manage the company was precisely that.

So that when he died, Zeliel could survive on her own.

But Zeliel couldn’t let her father die.

‘The ancient ruins of Carmenset.’

She was so close to finding a way. They had almost found the ruins. If she could just enter them, she could save her father.

But she had to die meaninglessly?

‘If I die, no one will search for the ruins.’

Everyone still thought of the ruins of Carmenset as a legend.

Because they believed immortality, something even the Progenitor Mage couldn’t achieve, didn’t exist.

‘If I just go a bit further, I can save Father…’

Whoosh…!

The rain poured harder.

Even though she knew it was artificial rain, Zeliel felt an odd sense of reality. Maybe because death was right in front of her.

“…I don’t like that gaze till the end.”

Zeliel’s transparent eyes, looking at the world dryly, annoyed Berankal.

Th i s w as c o p ie d fro m k i ng m tl . o r g
Perhaps she was the type of person Dark Mages, who lived for pleasure, hated the most.

“There’s no point in playing with you anymore.”

Even as Berankal reached out his hand, countless thoughts raced through Zeliel’s mind.

How could she escape?

Would begging for her life make him spare her? Or would he enjoy tormenting her more? Was there another strategy using artifacts and series magic?
T h i s w a s c o pie d f r o m k i n g mt l . o rg

…None.

No matter how much she thought, there was nothing.

Even Zeliel’s brilliant mind, which always found answers no matter the situation, couldn’t find any this time.

Realizing this, she felt she could understand ‘sadness’ a little.

Facing death, she felt sadness rather than fear or anger.

It was truly an ironic emotion.

‘So, I’m dying.’

Unless a miracle like a lightning strike from the sky happened.

Her final thought was a vain hope. Facing death, she felt she became like everyone else.
T h i s w a s c o p i ed f r om ki n g mt l . or g

Realizing this, she let out a soft laugh. Zeliel laughed. It was her first genuine laughter.

Seeing her laugh, Berankal reached out his hand.

“Now, die.”

The crimson-black flames, like death, grew. Zeliel, watching them, quietly closed her eyes.

…Flash!

Boom-!!

Suddenly.

A massive bolt of lightning struck.

As if.

It were a miracle.

End of Chapter