Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 156

Chapter 156

Magic Survival (8)

After consuming a large amount of mana to heal the patients, Flame was safely moved to the emergency room.

Of course, since it was merely a mana exhaustion phenomenon, she was transferred to a nearby hospital room after receiving a recovery potion without any special treatment.

“Ugh… feels like my head’s going to explode…”

It took less than an hour for her to regain consciousness. Thanks to her ocean-like mana capacity and excellent recovery ability, she awakened quickly.

“…Are you okay?”

The first face she saw upon waking up was Anella. Although Anella was supposed to be hiding her identity, Flame saw through it clearly.

“Hey, why are you here?”

“…I came along.”

“Oh, I see.”

“By the way…”

Anella glanced nervously behind her. She was urging Flame to look in that direction as soon as possible.

“Uh…”

There stood a rather unfamiliar figure watching a broadcast through the screen door on the wall.

“You’re awake now.”

It was Princess Hong Bi-yeon.

“Huh… why are you here?”

Flame’s bewildered expression was understandable, as she hadn’t expected this appearance. But Hong Bi-yeon ignored the question and went straight to the point.

“What’s happening in Magic Survival right now?”

“Oh, that.”

A completely new direction of development that did not exist in the original novel.

In the original, Dark Mages did not infiltrate Magic Survival, Anella did not provide assistance, and Hong Bi-yeon had no involvement in the event… all of these were new stories.

However, this was not a ‘story created by the characters,’ but rather the actual reality created by myself and others.

By now, I had grown accustomed to accepting such sudden developments.

“What else could it be? It’s obvious.”

Flame spoke nonchalantly as she got down from the bed, stretching as she spoke.

“It’s a Dark Mage. Those cockroach-like creatures infiltrated again. It seems they never tire of it. Could there be one here too?”

Flinch.

Anella turned her gaze away, fidgeting with her fingers nervously at Flame’s deliberate remark.

Although she was supposed to be significantly older than an ordinary student… was she in her 30s or 40s? She didn’t look it, and that was amusing.

“Well, you probably knew about this too. Hmm, it seems you’re worried about that person, huh?”

Flame’s sharp words were meant to probe, but Hong Bi-yeon’s red eyes remained calm and unwavering.

Unable to get a reaction, Flame shook her head and said.

“Actually, I don’t know much either. What’s happening inside. All I know is… the Dark Mage who infiltrated the virtual world can actually attack mages. And the level must be quite high. At least a 5-Risk.”

“Why don’t they stop the competition?”

“They can’t. Since a completely separate space has been created, casting is required to bring them back. If they did that, there could be casualties, so the principal asked that person to handle the Dark Mage.”

Hong Bi-yeon’s eyebrows twitched, showing her displeasure.

“A principal can’t handle it himself and asks a student?”

“Yeah… that’s pretty much it.”

That ended the conversation.

Hong Bi-yeon turned back to the screen door, and Flame watched along in bewilderment.

Since this was a hospital room inside the Stella Dome, it was possible to monitor Magic Survival in real time.

You could use the remote control to find the participant you wanted to watch. How convenient.

Of course, only participants standing in places illuminated by the sun or moonlight inside the stage could be monitored, but fortunately, Baek Yu-seol was outside and was being displayed on the screen.

Ignoring the surrounding terrain, artifacts, and even enemies attacking him, he was urgently running somewhere.

Most viewers probably couldn’t understand why Baek Yu-seol was acting that way, but the girls in this room immediately figured it out.

He must have spotted the Dark Mage and was rushing there.

The opponent was a 5-Risk Dark Mage.

Normally, a student would have no chance of winning.

But since it was Baek Yu-seol, there was hope and worry at the same time.

This time, he had to withstand the unilateral onslaught from the Dark Mage.

The girls watched the screen in silence.

The reality of having no choice but to watch felt especially cruel today.

* * *
T hi s w a s c o p i e d f r o m ki n g m tl .or g

Rumble!! Flash!

As if splitting the world in half, a single white lightning bolt struck the ground.

It looked like a naturally occurring lightning strike, but it was actually the effect of the highest-level one-time-use artifact, [Lv.5 Thunderbolt Invocation].

By collecting five talismans from specific locations, you could create it, but it appeared in only about one out of 100 matches due to its stringent requirements.

No one intentionally sought out the five items, and even if they tried, they were so scattered that gathering them by the end of the match was nearly impossible.

Even if you managed to gather them all, the activation condition was tricky.

‘Activate at a designated location, and a lightning strike will occur in 5 minutes.’

Its destructive power could take out the opponent in a single hit, but its range was very narrow, and it even had a 5-minute casting time.

How could you know where the opponent would be in 5 minutes to drop the lightning strike?

Although it had overwhelming performance, the artifact had absurd risks, so it was considered more of a novelty item.

Of course, I had already identified the locations of the five items using the Bulbul Glasses and collected them, creating the ‘Thunderbolt Invocation.’ Just in case it might come in handy.

And then support arrived.

Principal Eltemon Eltrine marked the location of the Dark Mage, Berankal, on the map.

Seeing Zeliel and Berankal encounter each other, I roughly designated the area for the lightning strike.

Hoping for a stroke of luck to hit either one.

If Zeliel were hit, she would safely be eliminated and teleported outside, and if Berankal were hit, the warriors waiting outside would subdue him.

“Gasp, gasp…”

After running for a while, I reached the hill and found the situation nearly over. Zeliel lay on the ground, unable to move. Her entire body was horribly burned, and I doubted whether she could even properly rehabilitate.

‘Where’s Berankal…’

The remnants of the lightning strike scattered everywhere, making it hard to see clearly. I hurried to Zeliel and gently supported her neck.

“Hey, are you okay? You’re not dead, right?”

At that, Zeliel slowly opened her eyes.

Inheriting her father’s golden rule, her eyes were also a clear gold. Despite the red marks all over her body, her eyes were so beautiful, like jewels, that I had to shake off the thought quickly.

“You’re…?”

“Never mind that. Get back quickly. You can get treated now.”

Stab!

As I pushed a secondary dagger into her heart, her body turned into light and disappeared. She was eliminated and teleported outside.

This ended the situation to some extent.

‘If only there were a system for self-elimination, this wouldn’t have happened…’

To take one’s own life, one had to jump into a natural disaster, expose oneself to the boundary outside the competition area, or disable all shields and jump from a high place.

But this was an open hill, and no natural disasters occurred, making it difficult to commit suicide. Zeliel was fortunate to hold out this long.

After sending her back, I closed my eyes and spread my [Intuition] in all directions. My sense was more superior than mages’ mana scans and could detect any hidden mana presence clearly.

I thought he would have died from the lightning strike, but I spread my Intuition just in case.

Crack!

Suddenly, the rock I was standing on broke, and a hand wrapped in crimson-black flames shot out, aiming for my throat.

Thanks to activating my Intuition, I reacted quickly and jumped back, barely avoiding it.

Rustle…

Something emerged from the burnt tree remains, piles of earth, and stones, slowly revealing its upper body.

“Haa… damn, why do you keep pestering me?”

Berankal glared at me, half-burned by the lightning strike but still seemingly intact.

He had no means to defend against the lightning, so he must have been lucky to get only a slight touch. That’s why Zeliel, who was nearby, was also barely affected by the lightning.

I quickly drew my weapon. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a sword but a club. However, that wasn’t a problem.

The reason I used a sword was only because I had to form mana into a blade. As long as I could penetrate the opponent’s shield and deal direct damage, the weapon’s form didn’t matter.

“Ha, yes. Baek Yu-seol! I’ve been looking for you. I was annoyed by constant interruptions, but this is perfect.”

Whoosh!

He flared crimson-black flames in both hands and grinned fiercely.

It was a grotesque smile that no human face could make, sending a chilling feeling down my spine.

“If I burn you… this frustration will be relieved, right?”

A head-on confrontation. Both he and I were worn out, but… Dark Mages recover faster than humans.

If I fought properly, I couldn’t win.

He would surely track my Blink patterns with that monstrous body and burn everything.

So, in fact… I had no intention of fighting properly.
T hi s w a s co p ie d f r o m k in gmt l .o r g

This was the Magic Survival arena.

As long as I eliminated the opponent in ‘some way,’ that would be enough. By now, warriors should be waiting outside to deal with Berankal.

In a normal fight, my chances of killing Berankal would be very low, but in survival, eliminating the opponent could be different.

As I slowly retreated, Berankal crouched and spoke.

“Were you a Knight? Then… I’ll face you in a similar manner!”

Thump!

With just a powerful leap, not even a power jump, Berankal closed in on me in an instant.

T hi s w as c o p i ed fr o m k i n gmt l . o r g
Thinking I couldn’t dodge by just rolling, I used Blink in a short 2-meter diagonal to his back and swung my club.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

But he reacted like a ghost, spinning and deflecting my club with his flaming hand.

Overwhelmed by his sheer strength, I grabbed my sore wrist and jumped back. Berankal then plunged his hand into the ground.

“Blow up!”

Boom!!

The ground split open, sending a volcanic eruption of black flames towards me! However, knowing it could only travel in a straight line, I easily dodged and used Blink twice in succession.

First, to Berankal’s back.

[Blink]

“Same trick again!”

Then, to the opposite side.

[Blink]

Whoosh!

Berankal swung his flames where I had stood, but I moved to his side and struck his head with my club.

Thunk!!

“Cough!”

Unperturbed by the hit, Berankal reached for me. His persistence was uncanny, but I dodged, stepped on his hand, and tumbled away, throwing a few pellets at him.

Boom!

They were a type of smoke grenade that only obscured vision, but being hit was quite unpleasant.

Of course… this artifact didn’t deal significant damage to him.

Whoosh!!

As proof, the crimson-black flames burned even more intensely.

“You…”

Berankal clenched his fists, engulfed in flames as large as bonfires, and walked towards me.

Seemingly relaxed, he was actually preparing to react to my movements.

Using Blink recklessly now would waste its cooldown.

So I… pulled out the [Frog Tongue] artifact and threw it at Berankal.

“Ugh?!”

A pink tongue shot out, adhering to Berankal’s chest and pulling him towards me.

All participants in Magic Survival were systemically adjusted, so even Dark Mages couldn’t completely ignore the artifact’s effects.

However, they could resist. Berankal grabbed the tongue with both hands and burned it, but he was already exposed.

Beep, beep…

…Boom!!
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I had set a gift box that would explode in 5 seconds on the frog’s tongue, and I threw myself backward, letting Berankal take the full impact.

“Argh… can’t you fight properly? Can you even call yourself a Magic Warrior fighting like this?”

He shouted at me, circling the area while maintaining a distance.
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“You’re fighting dirty! Cowardly! Disgustingly! Have you thrown away your honor? Stella’s Magic Warrior!”

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but smirk.

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“Thanks for the compliment. That’s how fights should be.”

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Dirty and cowardly?

That was the highest praise I could receive!

[Blink]

I ran over the hill towards the trees on the opposite side, and Berankal chased me with a terrifying expression.

A horn sprouted from his forehead, and his hands grew so large that they could cover an entire face, becoming grotesquely deformed.

Unlike before, when he maintained a human form, he had now taken on the complete appearance of a Dark Mage in his rage.

‘Ugh, this could be dangerous…’

Swoosh!

Boom!!

A ball of crimson-black flames shot out, evaporating the rock I stepped on into nothing.

Far more destructive than before.

Getting hit directly by one of those could mean real death, treatment or not.

‘This is bad…

I still had time left until ‘that’ arrived. To hold out until then, I had no choice.

I had to use the skill I really didn’t want to.

[Taeryeong Divine Art: Breath of the Spirit, Second Form]

[Agility 150% Boost]

“Whew…”

My breath carried the essence of Leafanel. The clear spirit energy slowly filled my body, enhancing one of my abilities to its limit.

It felt like everything in the world had slowed down. The pouring rain seemed almost to stop.

It looked like if I touched it with my finger, the droplets would burst.

The far-off lightning blossomed like flowers.

Beautiful.

The slowed world was so beautiful and dazzling, I realized this for the first time today.

…Whoosh!
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Even the crimson-black flames charging towards me weren’t a threat anymore.

For just 15 seconds.

In this slowed world, I could dodge everything without using Blink.

One step, and it grazed my waist and crumbled.

Two steps, and it struck where I had stepped.

Three steps, and it missed me altogether and crashed elsewhere.

Boom!!

But the fiery assault lasted only a moment. Soon, an impatient Berankal leaped with his superior physical abilities, catching up to me quickly.

Whoosh!

Rumble….

The rain still poured heavily.

At the edge of a cliff.
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I slowly turned around. Berankal had approached closely and was staring at me.

“It’s over.”

Two steps back, and there was a cliff. No place to run. It had to end here, but the terrain was too narrow for me to utilize my only advantage—mobility.

Berankal, knowing this well, approached leisurely. Like a cat hunting a cornered mouse.

But…

His leisure was just a gift to me.

“Yeah. It’s over.”

“…Have you finally accepted reality?”

“No. What are you talking about?”

The rain poured even harder. The dark clouds sparked more frequently, and the thunder roared constantly.

This was a stage.

Natural weather phenomena didn’t exist here.

And I knew when, where, and how all ‘natural disasters’ occurred… I had all the information.

Rumble… Boom!!

“W-What…”

Suddenly, from a distant location, a ‘thunderstorm’ started pouring down.

It hadn’t reached here yet, but it was approaching slowly.

‘Those cursed by the Thunder God Hailege… everything under his gaze will burn.’

At the edge of the cliff.

With the thunderstorm behind me.

I spoke to Berankal.

“You’re the one who’s finished. Got it?”

…Finally.

White streaks of rain swept the area.

End of Chapter
T hi s w a s c o p ie d fr o m ki n g m t l. o r g