Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 17

Chapter 17
T h i s w a s co p i ed f r o m k i n g m t l . o rg

Dungeon Practice (4)

As soon as Baek Yu-seol sensed an attack magic flying his way through his Intuition, he Blinked to the top of a tree.

Thud! A light bullet flew past where he had been standing, hitting the tree and vanishing.

Baek Yu-seol quietly looked at Flame, who was lying on the ground, drenched in cold sweat.

‘Is she trying to kill me?’

He wiped his sweat, thinking he had narrowly avoided a disaster thanks to his Mana Leakage Syndrome, which had leveled up and now allowed him to detect magic coming from as far as 18 meters away.

Mages typically had a thin layer of defensive magic around them, but he had none of that.

‘And using Light Bullet is just not right.’

It didn’t seem suitable for a student. In society, a 17-year-old mage using a 1st-class spell would be considered a ‘genius.’

But at Stella, that was just average. First-year students were already freely using 2nd-class spells, and exceptional students like Flame were even handling 3rd-class spells.

With fast attack speed, strong attack power, and excellent healing capabilities, that absurdly overpowered ‘Radiance’ magic was not something to confront head-on.

‘Still, with two Blinks, I can manage if I use the terrain well enough…’

[Blink]

Class: 1

Maximum Range: 12m

Maximum Charges: 2

Cooldown: 3 seconds

Thanks to his early morning training, the number of Blinks had increased to two. Now he could move around somewhat freely.

‘But fighting her would still be tough.’

Facing that overpowered protagonist was madness, so Baek Yu-seol quickly left the area.

His goal was to rank in the top five. More precisely, to place exactly 5th.

The reward for 5th place, as Baek Yu-seol remembered, was the ‘Edelric Root.’ Consuming it would slightly increase stamina and strength. It wasn’t exceptionally good, but it was included as a reward to help young students replenish their energy while studying.

‘1st place was Jeremie, 2nd was Hae Wonryang, 3rd was Hong Bi-yeon, and 4th was Ma Yuseong, who lost to Flame in one branch…’

The scores from 4th place upwards were overwhelmingly high, so he didn’t even bother with them. The cutoff for 5th place was around 70 points. He just needed to find three more Point Sticks.

However, even Baek Yu-seol couldn’t remember where all the Point Sticks were. He was just relying on his quick mobility with Blink to search for them.

“Ah, another dead end.”

He had taken a wrong turn. The constantly shifting terrain was too confusing.

He had no choice but to turn back and take another path.

Rustle!

A group of about five boys emerged from the bushes ahead.

“Oh, who do we have here? Isn’t it Baek Yu-seol from Class S?”

Checking their name tags, the leader was a boy named Raiden. He and his group were well-known around the school. They were under Yuslec, who was once noted as Jeremie’s errand boy.

So they were underlings of an underling’s faction. Next to them were other boys, presumably also from Yuslec’s group. Baek Yu-seol couldn’t help but be impressed.

Raiden was holding three Point Sticks in his left hand.

‘They’ve gathered quite a few.’

Raiden’s gang approached, swaggering.
T hi s w as c o p i ed f r o m k i n g m t l.o r g

“Is that Baek Yu-seol? The dropout who got into Class S through some fluke, even though he can’t cast a single spell?”

“They say he got in because he solved those weird problems. Stella’s really gone downhill.”

“This time they say he resonated with some high-level Staff? Show us, then. It’s not like it’s any use to someone who can’t cast spells.”

Their unfunny jokes and laughter were typical of high school bullies.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a scene.’

There were plenty of kids like that back when Baek Yu-seol was in school too.
Thi s w a s co p i e d f r o m k i n gm t l . o r g

“Why are you silent? Never mind, just hand over your Point Stick.”

“No.”

When Baek Yu-seol subtly hid his Point Stick behind him, Raiden smirked.

“Hah, what are you so cocky about? Don’t tell me you’re wearing a ‘Damage Suit’?”

A Damage Suit was a suit given during practical training within a subspace. It had a built-in protective barrier that ensured safety but would eject you from the training ground if you took damage beyond a certain threshold.

In other words, it meant elimination.

“But it only prevents ‘death;’ it doesn’t alleviate the pain. So you’ll still experience the agony as if you’re dying. Hehe, you’re in for a world of pain.”

“Hmm…”

Baek Yu-seol quickly assessed the situation.

With a 1st-class Blink, he could probably handle lower-tier students, but against a mage like Raiden, who came from a prestigious family and had sufficient talent, it would be tough. Unless he had at least three Blinks.

However, there was a variable.

The Point Stick in his hand, and the fact that this place was a dungeon.

“Okay.”

“That’s more like it.”

When Baek Yu-seol subtly presented the Point Stick again, Raiden approached with a smug expression, assuming Baek Yu-seol was handing it over.

And in that instant.

[Blink]

Whoosh! Baek Yu-seol’s figure vanished like a mist. In the blink of an eye, a sound of his robe fluttering for precisely 0.1 seconds…

‘What the…’

Raiden made eye contact with Baek Yu-seol, who was now reaching for his left hand.

When did he…

Thwack!!

Ugh! Raiden couldn’t gather his senses from the massive impact that struck his forehead. The magic shield he always kept around his body shattered, and his head was engulfed in shock.

Even in that situation, Raiden instinctively responded by releasing a wave of mana.

Bang!!

‘Phew, that was close.’

The attacker had already retreated, leaving the mana wave to strike nothing but air.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Raiden realized one of the Point Sticks he had been holding in his left hand was gone.

“Damn it…!”

Baek Yu-seol had taken it in that brief moment.

“What, what?”

“What just happened…?”

Th i s w a s c o pi e d fro m k i ng mt l.o r g
As expected, the other bullies didn’t even react. Raiden gritted his teeth and looked back. There, Baek Yu-seol was playfully waving two Point Sticks.

“You little bastard…”

Despite his anger, Baek Yu-seol was also slightly impressed. Mages had sharper senses than ordinary people, but for a first-year student with no combat experience to respond to a Blink was unexpected.

‘Well, no matter how much of an idiot he seems, he is a student at Stella Academy.’

It was only possible to steal Point Sticks this way when the opponents were unaware of Blink. Once they started preparing for it, things would get tougher.
T h i s w as c o p i e d f r o m k ing m t l .o rg

‘Point Sticks are indeed reliable.’

When playing the game, one of the things players discovered by chance during this episode…

Point Sticks were essentially ‘bugged items.’

Originally, these Point Sticks were created by professors to be indestructible by students’ magic, giving them abnormally high durability. When swung, they demonstrated strength comparable to high-level magical equipment.

As a result, during the ‘Dungeon Practice’ episode, there were frequent instances where beginner gamers who were not proficient in magic would use Point Sticks to beat monsters.

Of course, this was mainly effective for beginners, and using magic was generally more advantageous…

But for Baek Yu-seol, it was different.

His main focus was physical attacks, and with a powerful weapon, he could fully utilize Blink.

“This is a nice gift. I should give one to my future girlfriend.”

“You son of a…!”

Raiden swung his Staff, and lightning struck where Baek Yu-seol had been standing.

However, Baek Yu-seol had already Blinked to the top of a nearby tree. Raiden’s followers hurled ice spikes and fireballs at him, but he dodged them by casually jumping down from the branch.

“Now’s the time!”

Thinking he would be unable to move while falling, two other boys launched wind and water ropes at him, but a giant boulder suddenly fell from the sky, blocking their magic.

It was a ‘trap’ in the dungeon, targeting Baek Yu-seol.

“Oh, oh?”

T h i s w a s co pied f ro m ki ngm t l . o r g
The ground sprouted dirt, snaring their ankles, and nearby trees started spinning, causing disorientation. The dungeon traps left the boys flustered.

Indeed, this was a dungeon. Even fighting wasn’t easy here.

Not only could Baek Yu-seol freely avoid traps with his Intuition, but he was also using them dynamically as shields or to obscure vision, leaving Raiden’s group chasing their own tails.

“Damn it! Where’s that bastard? Find him!”
T h i s was c op i ed fr om ki n g m t l . or g

“He’s too fast, I can’t see him!”

Thwack!

“Kyaah!”

Whenever there was a brief opening, Baek Yu-seol used Blink to slip into the blind spots, striking with the Point Stick.

The fear of being attacked at any moment made the boys grit their teeth and stay on guard.

“There he is!”

“Where? He’s gone!”

“He just disappeared!”

With the ground spinning, tree branches whipping around, and Baek Yu-seol teleporting and poking at them, it was impossible to track him.

T h i s wa s c o pi e d f ro m ki n gm t l . o r g
Thanks to years of PVP experience, Baek Yu-seol knew how to utilize terrain exceptionally well.

Appearing here and there.

Spotting a gap in one of the boys’ defenses, Baek Yu-seol’s eyes gleamed.

[Blink]

As soon as he made his decision, he approached the boy standing at the far end, casting a spell.

T hi s wa s c opi ed f rom k i n g m t l . o r g
Then, he screamed out loud.

“Boo!”
T h is w a s c o pi e d f r om k i n gm t l . org

“Ahhh?!”

The boy was so startled by Baek Yu-seol’s sudden appearance and scream that he dropped his Staff and fell to the ground, forgetting his tough-guy act.

At that moment, the failed casting triggered a Magic Rebound.

Though Baek Yu-seol could avoid it since his Blink cooldown was up, he chose not to. The damage from a 1st to 2nd-class Magic Rebound wasn’t significant enough to be a concern.

So he acted aggressively.

Just before the Magic Rebound occurred, he kicked the boy in the stomach, sending him flying toward Raiden’s group!

Thud!!

Baek Yu-seol’s kick was lightly blocked by the magic shield on the boy’s robe, but it was enough to send him flying backward.

Bang!

“Uwaaah?!”

“Ack!”

The shockwave was minor, like a firecracker exploding, but with the dungeon traps already disorienting them and Baek Yu-seol’s sudden appearance, it was enough to make the bullies scream and retreat.

Since they were novice mages, such tactics worked against them.

And in that moment.

[Blink]

Baek Yu-seol moved behind the retreating Raiden, stealing another Point Stick.

“You… you little…!”

“Oh, my boss, you even gave me a buy-one-get-one-free deal. You’ll go bankrupt at this rate!”

“Give it back-!!”

Raiden cast lightning at Baek Yu-seol, but he hid behind a tree, avoiding it.

‘It seems impossible to steal the last one.’

Satisfied with what he had taken, Baek Yu-seol peeked out again.

“It was fun, but I have to go. I have a date tonight.”

“You…!”

Raiden shouted something, but Baek Yu-seol, who had already Blinked away, didn’t hear it.

‘Hehe, this is a real windfall.’

If he had fought normally, he would have been beaten, but by cleverly using the dungeon setting, he managed to steal the Point Sticks.

‘This is the wisdom of an adult.’

As he was leaving the battleground, something caught Baek Yu-seol’s eye.

A familiar black bob cut.

‘…Flame? What’s that kid doing here?’

Without the target using magic, it’s impossible to pinpoint their location with Intuition, so he hadn’t noticed her. She had been watching his scuffle with Raiden from a distance.

‘Is stalking her hobby?’

But something was amiss. According to the game, Flame had two choices here.

She could either hunt the ‘hidden boss’ Aiselle was supposed to defeat, or intervene in Hae Wonryang and Ma Yuseong’s duel to determine the outcome.

‘She shouldn’t be here…’

As he was absently watching her while moving through the trees, his Intuition suddenly picked up a chilling sensation.

“What…?”

When he turned his head.

Whoosh!!

A massive fireball was flying directly at his landing spot.

End of Chapter