Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 198
Chapter 198
A Gamble with Time (1)
Clack clack!
When I rest my head against the window, the soft rumble of the train resonates through my mind.
Train travel holds such a romantic charm that, as I watch the fantastic scenery whiz by outside, I often find myself lost in thought without realizing it.
Unlike Earth, Aether World is filled with diverse mysterious terrains and plants, ensuring that travel is never visually dull.
As I stared out the window absentmindedly, I took out an envelope from my backpack. Turning it over, I saw a simple handwritten note: [Tower of the New Moon].
The Tower of the New Moon.
Even when I dived into the world of ice to meet the Blue Winter December, the Tower of the New Moon seemed to take a keen interest in me, enough to follow me. This fact felt burdensome. Having the Tower of the New Moon as an ally would be reassuring, but if they became an enemy, I might never set foot in this land again.
Still, for now, I’m relieved.
At the very least, Kaen, the leader of the 13th Extermination Unit, seems to have a positive opinion of me.
This ‘invitation’ is the proof.
The Tower of the New Moon, hidden in the shadows of the world, is not a place just anyone can visit.
In the original game Aether World Online, the ‘Invitation to the Grand Tower of the New Moon’ was one of the most challenging items to acquire.
Being invited to their headquarters indicates a certain level of trust in me.
I think I can begin to relax about this part.
And next are the rewards received after finishing this episode.
[Blue Winter December’s Blessing Lv.1]
* Strength increased by 49%
* Vitality increased by 21%
* Senses increased by 19%
* Cold-Blooded Limbs: All abilities increase by 9% below -17°C, allowing one to move freely even in a blizzard without feeling cold.
* Chill: Can infuse mana with a very pure and cold energy.
T h is wa s co p i ed f ro m k in g mt l. or g
* Snow Trace: Can leave no trace even when stepping on snow, or conversely, leave footprints where one has walked.
* Memory of Snowflakes: Can recall traces imprinted on the snow.
* Frostbite Recovery: Consuming ice recovers stamina, but afterward, one suffers from high temperatures as a trade-off.
T h i s w a s c o pi e d fr o m ki n gm t l .o rg
‘A single snowflower blooming in the glacier of extinction will never wither.’
I let out a brief exclamation. Although it’s only at level 1, the useful stats were considerable.
To think I would obtain two of the Twelve Divine Moons’ Blessings, each one granting overwhelming traits in this world.
‘Still, it’s quite weak.’
There were many hardcore players in the community who, when they obtained something special, tried to maximize their gains to the extreme.
Among them, there was even a player who reached the highest level of the Blue Winter December’s Blessing, and I remember being surprised when I confirmed that at the time.
There was a bizarre ability where anything rolled in the snow would snowball, and although limited, it could cause a blizzard and freeze entire areas.
In PvP battles, I often lost because of that special ability to freeze legs.
Well, eventually, I figured out a strategy and won more later on.
That’s not the only reward.
[The Constellatio Project offers you 2 special rewards.]
Although it wasn’t the main episode this time, by perfectly resolving a story close to the main one, I was promised two rewards from the Constellatio Project.
Including the one I haven’t received yet, it meant I could choose three rewards in a row.
So, I tried to think a little more strategically.
“Wouldn’t it be better to receive one better reward instead of choosing three separate ones?”
Due to narrative limitations, the rewards I could receive were limited. Items I had used previously might be too nerfed to function properly…
So, what if I combined the three rewards into one?
[…I will consider it.]
“Yeah, yeah. Review it positively.”
T h i s w a s c o pi e d f r o m kin g m t l . or g
If I could receive one combined reward from the three, what would be best to choose?
This issue… I’ll need to ponder over it more gradually.
‘I’m so tired.’
After sorting out the reward issue, I gazed out the window once more.
Perhaps it was because the incident I experienced before was so intense and large, its lingering feelings didn’t easily fade away.
Or…
It might also be due to Hong Bi-yeon’s strangely changed reactions these days.
‘…What’s gotten into her lately?’
When I played Aether World Online, the characteristics of Hong Bi-yeon in my mind were as follows.
1. A high schooler with no tact.
2. A princess syndrome with severe self-absorption.
3. A vile villainess with a nasty personality.
T h is w a s c o p i e d fr o m ki n gm t l . org
4. A face that was excessively, unnecessarily beautiful.
Honestly, the characteristics of 1, 2, and 3 made her completely unappealing, but because characteristic 4 was overwhelmingly strong, many male players, including myself, liked Hong Bi-yeon.
Just by her appearance alone, she rivaled other female characters who had both narrative, personality, and looks… and now, it seems she’s catching up in personality and narrative as well.
Though she’s still snappy, her personality has somehow softened, and having endured hardships and adversity, her mindset has naturally become as solid as steel.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
I don’t know why, but I feel unsettled.
T h is w a s co p ie d f r o m k i n g m t l. o rg
Even though I’ve gotten through the most dangerous death flag that confronted Hong Bi-yeon, it feels like there’s an even bigger hurdle ahead…
‘It’s probably just my imagination.’
I decided to shake off unnecessary thoughts and, reaching into my pocket, I took out an eyepatch and put it on before closing my eyes.
From now on, I needed to go to the Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree and resolve the curse of Queen Flowerseorin, and I didn’t want to damage my mental health over trivial matters.
* * *
Summer vacation at Stella Academy is indeed rather dreary.
That’s what Feng Hwarang thinks.
He ended up spending every day in class, no different from during the semester.
The lecture hall during summer vacation was like an empty can. With the end of vacation approaching, there were less than twenty students attending classes in a room that could hold a hundred.
“Hey, Feng Hwarang. Aren’t you going back to your hometown for the vacation?”
A friend named Mac, who was staring intently at the back of the professor writing something on the blackboard, asked Feng Hwarang.
“Well, I don’t think I’ll see anything good if I go back.”
“Oh, really? I’m a commoner, so I wouldn’t know. When my brother came back with my new shoes covered in filth, I wanted to kill him, but I didn’t actually do it.”
“Everyone has their struggles.”
First year, Class S, Feng Hwarang.
He was the youngest of the direct bloodline of the Wind (風) family, who ruled over the entire Southern ‘Windy Plains.’ Because his talents were exceptionally outstanding, he grew up under excessive scrutiny from his older brothers.
Usually, growing up in such an environment would lead to a timid personality, but instead, he grew stronger and more upright, attracting many people around him.
From commoners to professors at Stella and even mages from the tower respected his opinions because he had a clear sense of self.
Even someone like him had a recent concern.
“…Mac, what do you think?”
“Hmm? About what?”
“Flame.”
Since Feng Hwarang was usually quite serious, when he was in deep thought, female students would gush, saying, ‘He must be contemplating the safety and development of his family!’
Of course, no matter how much Feng Hwarang thought, he didn’t think about such things every day. Sometimes, he worried about what to have for dinner or stressed over too much homework, just like an average student.
But.
No matter how you looked at it.
“Did you… actually think about girls?”
For Feng Hwarang, who regarded women like stones and had rejected countless confessions until now, the question was shocking for Mac.
“…Don’t misunderstand. I’m asking purely out of curiosity.”
“No, I mean, isn’t curiosity something that arises because you’re interested in that female student?”
“…Is it?”
“Yeah! It is.”
“Then, do you have no curiosity at all about Haze, who follows you around every day?”
“Curiosity, my foot. Even if that crazy woman keeled over and died on the street, I wouldn’t care.”
Feng Hwarang fell silent at Mac’s words.
“Wow. I can’t believe a day would come when you’d have worries about women… Well, Flame was quite popular from the beginning of the semester.”
As the two whispered about Flame, suddenly, the back door of the lecture hall tore off with a loud, grating noise.
Everyone in the lecture hall turned their gaze to the back door. Standing there, holding the torn-off door with one hand, was Flame.
“…What is it this time, Flame?”
Since she had caused trouble more than once, the professor sighed as if used to it and asked, to which Flame replied with an awkward smile.
“Well… I thought it was a hinged door, but it just wouldn’t open…”
“Oh.”
The professor nodded as if he understood.
“So you forcibly pushed open a sliding door?”
“Uh, um… yes…”
Could there be more absurd noise than this?
A girl who, by sheer strength, forced open a sliding door meant to be opened sideways, tearing it off, was not to be found anywhere in this school or the world.
“Uh… I’m sorry… I’ll repair it…”
Even Flame seemed a bit embarrassed by her foolish act, bowing her head with an awkward expression before leaving with the torn-off door on her shoulder.
“Why is she so funny?”
“Isn’t she?”
Even with Mac’s question, Feng Hwarang didn’t answer, just quietly watching Flame’s departing figure.
‘…The more I look, the more peculiar she is.’
That was all he thought.
* * *
“Ah, geez. I’m so embarrassed…”
Th is w a s c o p ie d f r o m k i n g mt l .or g
The door was completely wrecked, and when I brought it to Stella’s repair center, they said it would be better to replace it with a new one.
‘Did I really push that hard…?’
Recently, I’ve been a bit absent-minded, often not seeing what’s right in front of me properly, but I didn’t think it was this bad, so I don’t know why.
As I trudged down the corridor, my gaze naturally went to the newspaper prominently posted on the class bulletin board.
[Crisis Strikes Leviang’s Coast]
[Disaster of Fire and Ice]
[Princess Hong Bi-yeon’s Grand Feat!]
[Control of the Flower of Fire after a Thousand Years…]
It was all about Princess Hong Bi-yeon. Flame knew very well who was behind this public opinion.
‘Baek Yu-seol. He did something again, huh.’
The last time I saw Hong Bi-yeon, she was being dragged back to the royal family, with an atmosphere suggesting she would never return. But Baek Yu-seol managed to chase after her, resolve the disaster safely, and quietly disappear.
She looked at the massive disaster featured in the newspaper… that is, the ‘Pirate King Black Bellize.’
While the world was buzzing about it being the Avatar of Ice, Flame knew very well where it originated from.
The Avatar of Ice from Blue Winter December.
The Avatar of Fire from Red Summer June.
They were merely fragments of the Twelve Divine Moons. Even so, they created disasters that humans couldn’t easily contend with, reminding everyone how extraordinary they were.
‘Is it the Twelve Divine Moons again this time?’
T h i s w as c o pie d f ro m k i n g mt l . o rg
Come to think of it, Baek Yu-seol seemed to have a particular obsession with the existence of the Twelve Divine Moons.
Even when we went on library dates under the guise of ‘feigned romance,’ he was clinging to books related to the Twelve Divine Moons all day in the library, and he even took the non-mainstream subject of New Moon Studies, so that says it all.
T h i s w a s c op i e d f ro m ki n gm tl. o r g
‘Now that I think about it…’
Without realizing it, I had arrived at the library. I had come to return some books, but as if the time had ended, students were leaving one by one.
Flame slid the books into the return slot and entered the library.
The librarian immediately said, “No more borrowing allowed,” as soon as they saw her, but it didn’t matter.
That wasn’t the goal, to begin with.
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Flame slowly walked to a deep spot in the library. Since it was late, there were hardly any students left, so she didn’t have to worry about being watched.
A little further.
Just a little further inside.
[Ancient History A1-A12]
Stella’s library holds many secrets.
It is so vast, vast, and vast.
This space is designed to make you think its apparent size is all there is…
It hides secret places.
[Academy of Sorcery C36-48]
With the playful magic of Principal Eltemon Eltrine, the hidden spots are cleverly concealed in the shadows.
[Alchemy B12-24]
Following that path, eventually, such a space appears.
[Snow Tale]
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A suspicious little bookstore with no mark or indication. Flame knows this place well. It was a part of the original novel she read repeatedly.
Yes.
That’s right.
‘Aiselle was searching for the truth about her father in this episode.’
Flame turned her head swiftly.
“…Who, who are you?”
There stood Aiselle Morf, holding a book tightly to her chest with an anxious expression, pointing a wand.
Looking like a cat caught sneaking through an alley, she was quite cute, but Flame did not smile.
“Whew… I was so startled by who it was that I was scared. To think it was you. How did you find this place?”
“Just… happened to stumble upon it while wandering.”
She lowered her gaze to the book Aiselle was holding tightly against her chest.
[Walking Beyond Time…]
Though the rest of the title was obscured, identifying the book was all too easy.
‘Silver Age November.’
Perhaps it was the starting point of a tragic story that would lead a single girl named Aiselle to ruin.
End of Chapter
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TheFinal
Fuck, don’t cause unnecessary sacrifices dumbass. Trust in our dear “regressor”.