Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 220

Chapter 220

Old Story (16)

The ending was already known.

It was just that the process wasn’t understood.

The ‘process’ that was witnessed firsthand was truly devastating and horrifying.

Estimated Risk Level: 9.

In the public eye, it was classified as a ‘Disaster’ level.

Its existence mandated the immediate deployment of a national-level Magic Knight Squad upon its appearance.

-…I have failed to keep my promise once again.

At this moment, it was preparing for its final breath, having been brought down by a single mage.

No, to be precise… it was no longer a mage but a Dark Mage.

The entire world was bathed in white.

Morf’s pride, the Morf Forest, had been completely burned away, and in its place stood a towering, cold glacier.

The iceberg grown atop the white flames was jarringly out of place, yet it was a sight so beautiful that it could only be described as breathtaking.

At the center of it all lay the massive white fox beast.

-What did you stand against me for? Do you also intend to lie and say it was for the world?

The White Tiger Flame Spirit, struggling to keep its eyes open, asked Isaac Morf.

With pale blue-tinted skin and long, silver hair that had turned completely white, and most notably, the ice wings sprouting from his back, it was questionable whether he could still be called ‘Isaac Morf the Grand Duke,’ but his personality remained unchanged.

That’s why he would have answered in this way.

“…For my daughter, I suppose.”

He tightly closed his eyes.

Each word, every breath he took, was laborious.

A certain desire kept seeping into his mind.

A desire to freeze everything in this world.

He clutched his chest, curling up in pain.

Isaac’s condition was far from normal, having fought against the White Tiger Flame Spirit.

One of his ice wings was completely torn apart, and the white flames clinging to his body had nearly evaporated all of his dark mana.

However, dark mana recovers faster than regular blue mana.

Moreover, when dark mana is so depleted, the instinct is to unleash one’s ‘desire’ in order to absorb the surrounding mana.

‘This is dangerous.’

Baek Yu-seol came to the conclusion that Isaac Morf needed to be eliminated right here and now.

But how?

Though Isaac Morf had weakened, it was still impossible for him to handle such a monstrous being alone.

However, the entire Magic Knight Squad was incapacitated. Even Hong Si-hwa Adolevit was unconscious and lying on the ground.

‘No, if things remain as they are… Isaac Morf will die anyway.’

There was no need to struggle through a difficult confrontation.

T h i s wa s c o pi ed f ro m k in gmt l . or g
When dark mana of a 9-Risk level is generated, an emergency alert immediately goes out to all the surrounding magic towers, and orders are issued to the Magic Warriors.

The Magic Knight Squad will arrive fully prepared to deal with a powerful Dark Mage, and Isaac Morf, unable to properly recover, will be killed by them.

At most, an hour?

No.

They will arrive within 30 minutes.

‘I have no more business here.’

Having witnessed the truth, he decided to be content with that.

It was time to leave.

He was about to let go when—

[The Constellatio Project has finished loading.]

Suddenly, a system message rang out.

“…Haha. Are you doing this on purpose?”

Of all times, why now?

It was as if it was trying to remind him of its existence once more.

He looked up, gazing at somewhere in the distant constellations above, and spoke.
T h i s wa s c o pi e d f r o m k i ng m t l . o r g

“The gift you promised me last time, I haven’t received it yet. Is it okay if I accept it now?”

[You can choose three rewards or receive one reward of a higher grade.]

T h i s wa s c o pi e d f ro m ki n g m tl. o r g
Previously, he had completed numerous episodes and was promised rewards, but kept postponing the decision because he didn’t know what to choose.

“I think… it’s time to choose something nice.”

He didn’t know exactly what ‘narrative power’ was, but considering how hard he had worked so far, perhaps it was time for some leniency.

The countless constellations drifting in the night sky began to twinkle, as if responding to his words.

Or perhaps, they had always been twinkling.

“…’Wheel of Dawn’.”

[Would you like to choose the ‘Wheel of Dawn’ as your reward item?]

Baek Yu-seol nodded, and after waiting for a moment…

Flash!

T hi s w a s c op ied f r o m k i n g m tl . o r g
Suddenly, a massive wheel appeared out of thin air and began to slowly turn.

It was only visible to Baek Yu-seol, as if it existed outside this world’s perception, and it was… a mysterious power plant capable of storing ‘everything in this world’.

Its original purpose was as follows.

It would continuously and gradually absorb the surrounding mana and store it, later sending it back to its owner so that they could grow stronger even without much training.

Back when Aether World Online was just a game, it was merely an ‘auto-growth item’ and ‘experience bonus item’… but now that it was real, what could it be used for?

If it could truly store all the energy in this world as described… perhaps it could be used for other purposes as well?

“Rotation Assault Mode.”

T hi s w a s co p i ed f r om ki n g mtl . o rg
Baek Yu-seol activated one of the functionalities of the Wheel of Dawn.

Instead of the feature that ‘slowly, steadily, and continuously absorbs the surrounding energy and supplies it to the owner,’ he’d use the feature that could temporarily enhance the owner by absorbing an enormous amount of energy all at once.

…Boom!

As it began to operate, the Wheel of Dawn, which had now revealed itself for everyone to see, slowly began to spin.

It started to absorb all the mana released by the White Tiger Flame Spirit and Dark Mage Isaac, scattering brilliant silver starlight.

[You have absorbed the Dark Mana of the White Tiger Flame Spirit.]

[All stats will increase by 〇-star, 80% for 10 minutes.]

[You have absorbed the Dark Mana of Dark Mage Isaac.]

[All stats will increase by 〇-star, 80% for 10 minutes.]

Without stopping there, he activated the derived skill [Breath of the Divine Beast] from Taeryeong Divine Art.

[Breath of the Divine Beast – Second Form]

[Agility: Enhanced by 89%]

[Duration: 1 minute]

[Divine Beast Erosion increases.]

[The power you possess exceeds the skill’s limit, weakening the effect.]

Even though the effects of Taeryeong Divine Art should have been multiplied several times, thanks to the Blessing of Silver Age November, the skill’s effect was still significantly reduced.

But that was fine.

This was enough to deal with the weakened Isaac.
Th i s w a s c op i e d f r om ki n g m t l . o r g

“…You must be Baek Seol-gi.”

As Baek Yu-seol generated an enormous vortex of mana, Isaac turned around to face him.

“Are you here… to stop me?”

“Yes.”

“The current state I’m in is very dangerous… Are you still okay with that?”

“Didn’t I make a promise?”

The one request Isaac Morf the Grand Duke made to Baek Yu-seol, whom he called ‘Baek Seol-gi’ in jest.

“To protect Aiselle.”

“…I see. So that’s how it is.”

Isaac bit down hard, gazing at Baek Yu-seol with sorrow-filled eyes.

“In that case, please stop me.”

He could no longer stop himself.

His entire body had been fully tainted by dark mana and was on the verge of going berserk.

“…Understood.”

Since no one was watching, it was okay to be bold.

He drew the Terivon Sword and activated the Mana Sword.

It had now grown much thicker and brighter than before, tinged with white flames and blue ice.

Zzzzzz!

No matter how excellent the Terivon’s performance was, could it be that the excessive mana overclocked it?

The staff vibrated as if it were screaming in pain.

‘Just hold on a little longer.’

With Taeryeong Divine Art’s breath enveloping his entire body, he used Blink.

In an instant, Baek Yu-seol lunged at Isaac Morf and swung his sword.

Though his inherent stats had grown stronger, he could still only use Blink four times.

So, Baek Yu-seol diverted some of the mana absorbed by the ‘Wheel of Dawn’ to the skill [Blink].

A thought once crossed his mind.

If this world is truly not a game but reality, is it possible that the ‘cooldown’ of 3 seconds doesn’t actually exist?

Other mages have to consume an enormous amount of mana to use Blink.

But Baek Yu-seol doesn’t.

Despite having no mana in his body, he could use Blink as long as he waited for 3 seconds.

When you think about it, the reason is simple.

As a Mana Leakage Syndrome patient, he constantly absorbed natural mana into his body, and the mana gap created by using [Blink] was quickly filled.

So, what if this cooldown period is actually the time it takes for Baek Yu-seol’s body to absorb the necessary mana from nature to use Blink again?

What if, hypothetically, the mana in his body could be rapidly accelerated…?

Could the cooldown time for Blink be further reduced?

In realistic terms, it’s impossible.

But with all the buffs from skills, items, and even the blessing of the Twelve Divine Moons, now possessing power beyond 8-star…

[The skill ‘Blink’ cooldown is reduced to 2.4 seconds.]

Maybe, just maybe, he could pull off something impossible, something even the ‘character Baek Yu-seol’ in the game couldn’t achieve.
Th i s w as copi e d f r om k i n g m t l .o r g

Crack! Crackle!

As Isaac Morf stretched out his hand, chains of ice shot out at terrifying speed, aiming to ensnare Baek Yu-seol, who was charging toward him.

But Baek Yu-seol didn’t stop and swung his Terivon Sword, slicing through the chains as if they were nothing.

It was as if these obstacles were insignificant to him.

“Hmph!”

Isaac clenched his fist, and the ice chains that had spread out all around converged on Baek Yu-seol simultaneously.

He had gauged Baek Yu-seol’s mobility from the very start and formulated the most efficient spell and strategy to counter it.

However…

[Blink]

When Baek Yu-seol effortlessly escaped from that place, even Isaac couldn’t help but be astonished.

“Blink…?”

In his lifetime, he had never heard of anyone who could control that magic in such a manner.

Isaac raised his hand toward the sky with all his might, seeming to grasp something and pull it down.

Rumble…!

A massive chunk of ice suddenly appeared, piercing through the clouds.

It was the magic he had prepared to take down the White Tiger Flame Spirit, but had been unable to use due to the depletion of dark mana.

“Icy Meteor… descend.”

As the blue iceberg began to plummet towards him, Baek Yu-seol momentarily gazed up at it.

‘…This is absurd.’

He had thought Isaac’s power was weakened to around 8-Class, but apparently, the magic cast earlier was still effective.

Crack, crack!

However, the lack of dark mana caused the iceberg to start fracturing in mid-air.

But could it really be called fortunate?

The icy meteor was now about to rain down as a shower.

“Please… dodge them well…”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The icy shower rained down.

Baek Yu-seol dashed through it.

By folding space several times, he crushed the icy meteors, split the icebergs, and finally clashed swords with Isaac Morf.

Isaac Morf, who had never wielded a sword in his life, now inexplicably found himself swinging a sword made of crystal as a Dark Mage.

Clang!!

The Terivon Sword and the crystal sword collided, causing a massive shockwave that disrupted the balance of the elements, sending tremors throughout the air.

With each clash, white flames extinguished and new icebergs formed only to be shattered again.

The falling icy meteors were no longer an obstacle to Baek Yu-seol.

He even used them as stepping stones to perform complex maneuvers, chasing after Isaac Morf, who flew through the air with his ice wings.

And…

Watching that sight.

Aiselle Morf knelt and wept bitterly.

-Ah…

Seeing the people she loved most in this world pointing swords at each other’s throats was a scene she never wanted to witness, not even in her dreams.

And yet, there was nothing she could do.

The scene before her had already occurred in the past.

-Please, stop… please, stop…

Her voice could not reach them, scattering into the void like a fading echo.

It hurt so much.

Please, I don’t want to see this anymore.

Thud!!

An iceberg pierced Baek Yu-seol’s forearm, and his Terivon Sword finally cleaved through Isaac Morf’s remaining wing.

-I don’t want to see any more…

As Isaac Morf’s body crashed to the ground, Baek Yu-seol drove his sword through Isaac’s abdomen.

At that moment, Isaac’s entire body was consumed by ice, succumbing to severe frostbite.

[The Blessing of Blue Winter December]

Baek Yu-seol forcibly tore the ice off his body, then drew his sword again, ready to pierce Isaac’s heart, but Isaac caught the blade with one hand, preventing him from doing so.

Creeeak!!

Isaac’s hand was ground down by the Terivon Sword’s blade, inch by inch, as the cruel, azure promise drew closer to his heart.

‘I’m going to die soon, aren’t I?’

Even in that moment, Isaac was smiling.

He was relieved… that he could die like this.

At least he would not hurt his daughter, who was sleeping peacefully nearby, with his own hands.

How fortunate that was.

In his final moments, he smiled.

“…Thank you.”

Squelch!

Finally, Baek Yu-seol’s blade pierced Isaac’s heart with a blue glow.

-Ah, nooooo!!

Aiselle Morf screamed in agony.

Her face was already drenched in tears, making it impossible to see clearly, yet she pounded Baek Yu-seol’s chest, desperately trying to stop him.

-Don’t! Please, don’t do this! Dad… Dad is going to die!

But Baek Yu-seol couldn’t hear her voice.

Kneeling on one knee, he gripped the sword that had pierced Isaac’s heart, waiting for a long while.

Perhaps he needed time to accept Isaac’s death.

-Please, pleaase…

Baek Yu-seol, who had always done anything for her and come running whenever she called… why wasn’t he listening to her this time?

Flame watched the scene unfold from behind, looking at Aiselle with a complex expression.

‘So, it ends like this after all.’

No matter how hard Baek Yu-seol tried, this event seemed unavoidable.

But for it to end this way… was just too cruel.

It was too painful to watch any longer, so Flame was about to turn away when—

-…Huh?

Swoosh!

Baek Yu-seol suddenly withdrew the Terivon Sword before completely finishing off Isaac Morf, who was on the verge of death, his life force slowly fading away.

The nature of a Dark Mage was such that unless the heart was utterly destroyed, regeneration was inevitable.

Baek Yu-seol knew this better than anyone, so why would he make such a decision?

“Isaac Morf. In the history that I know… you met your end at the hands of Hong Si-hwa Adolevit.”

Isaac could no longer respond.

He was still alive but was in a state where even maintaining consciousness was a struggle.

“Ngh…”

Far off in the distance, Hong Si-hwa Adolevit slowly began to rise to her feet.

She had been in the rear, commanding, and therefore had been less affected by the White Tiger Flame Spirit’s power.
This w a s co p ie d f r o m ki ng m t l.o r g

And now… the mana pulses from thousands upon thousands of mages could be heard approaching from all directions.

The Magic Knight Squad, having sensed the presence of a 9-Risk Dark Mage, was on its way.

“I cannot change history.”

But then, what if he left history as it was, but twisted a small truth that no one knew about?

“People will remember it this way. Isaac Morf became a Dark Mage and went berserk, but Hong Si-hwa Adolevit stopped him.”

“…What is… this?”

Hong Si-hwa, having barely regained her senses, looked at Baek Yu-seol’s back in disbelief.

The White Tiger Flame Spirit and Isaac lay collapsed.

And standing alone before them, a masked, unknown man.

Baek Yu-seol glanced at Hong Si-hwa before extending his hand towards Isaac.

“But in reality… you’ll go on a journey. This will be a secret only between you and me.”

Baek Yu-seol activated the ‘Wheel of Dawn’ once again.

This time, it began to spin in reverse, and within the wheel… was the vast amount of ‘mana from Isaac Morf’.

No one knew where he would go.

But one thing was certain.

The Wheel of Dawn was not of this world, so if it disappeared like this… it would drift off to some other world, somewhere even Baek Yu-seol could not know.

As the Wheel of Dawn began to spin in reverse, it slowly absorbed the surrounding souls.

And from Isaac Morf’s fallen body, a pure white soul began to rise.

-…Ah!

In that moment.

For just a brief second.

Isaac Morf’s eyes met Aiselle’s.

-Dad…

But before she could reach out to him, Isaac’s soul turned and walked towards the wheel, disappearing from sight.

Baek Yu-seol watched his fading figure for a final time before speaking into the void.

“Constellatio Project.”

[Please state your command.]

“I will send the Wheel of Dawn away.”

[Understood.]

[The item ‘Wheel of Dawn’ will be deleted.]

Flash!

A silver light briefly flashed.
T h is wa s c op ie d f rom k i n gmt l. o r g

And the massive wheel that had occupied this space vanished without a trace.

With that, the situation was resolved.

Baek Yu-seol also disappeared like an illusion…

Rumble, rumble, rumble!!

And then, the thousands of Magic Warriors arrived, witnessing the horrific scene.

The corpse of Dark Mage Isaac Morf.
T hi s wa s c o p i e d fro m k i n g m tl .o r g

And Hong Si-hwa Adolevit standing before it.

At that moment, the world slowly contracted, and space began to warp.

Even amidst the strange sensation of time being fast-forwarded, Aiselle still stared blankly into the void.

-Ah…

Thud!

Aiselle collapsed to the ground, laughing.

Tears were still streaming down her face, but she was smiling.

-So… Father didn’t die after all…

This was the true history.

A history that no one had known.

Now that she knew it, Aiselle could no longer cry.

Because hope had been born, she was no longer unhappy.

She closed her eyes tightly, wrapping her hands around her chest.

What could calm this heart that trembled so?

She still knew nothing.

Where on earth her father had gone.

How to find him.

But in the end…

As long as he didn’t die.

As long as his soul remained.

Someday, she would surely… find him.

So, from now on.

Aiselle… would no longer cry.

End of Chapter