Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 257

Chapter 257

The Noble Soul (7)

***

Leddertrix VI Black Thunderstorm No. 7.

That was the nickname of the airship favored by Mage Arumun Blushun, the Chairman of the Magic Society.

The cost of a single airship was astronomical, and the maintenance was incredibly expensive, making it seem impossible for an individual to own one.

But that certainly didn’t apply to the upper class.

Though Arumun wasn’t particularly interested in amassing wealth, he was quite serious about his airship collection.

Woooong…!!

The loud hum of the mana engine, tuned to the extreme, echoed through the port of Namuhwaran, near the Third World Tree.

Psssh-!

Thanks to the elves who had been alerted to Arumun’s arrival ahead of time, Suhak San, the elder of Namuhwaran, was able to greet him promptly.

“Hoho, Arumun. It’s been a while.”

“Grandpa Suhak San. You’re still as vigorous as ever.”

“It’s good to see you, though I must admit, your sudden visit is quite surprising.”

“Ah, yes. Sorry about not giving a heads-up in advance.”

Arumun, looking exhausted, approached and extended his hand for a handshake. Suhak San’s eyebrow twitched.

‘Still the same insufferable guy.’

The handshake was a quintessential human custom. It was proper etiquette for the visitor to respect and follow the culture of the host, but Arumun had always disregarded such things, never respecting the customs of others.

As an Archmage, Arumun Blushun was a staunch believer in human superiority.

Of course, there was some justification for his belief in superiority.

The majority of existing 8th-class mages were humans, and historically, more than half of those who had reached the 9th class—the realm of gods—had been human. Even the Progenitor Mage was presumed to have been human.

Moreover… Arumun himself was one of fewer than ten 9th-class mages on the continent, so Suhak San had no choice but to accept the handshake without saying anything.

“What brings you here?”

That said, if Arumun had come regarding the contamination of the World Tree, Suhak San had no intention of offering cooperation.

No human could be allowed to interfere in matters related to the sacred World Tree.

Fortunately, Arumun seemed to have come for a different reason.

He handed Suhak San a ‘Request for Cooperation in the Search for Dark Mages’ from the Mage Investigation Team.

“Hmm!”

Suhak San took the unexpected document and hummed in contemplation.

Presenting such a document in an open place like this was akin to blatantly saying, “There might be Dark Mages in your area, so we’re going to search your place.”

If there was clear evidence, the Magic Bureau had absolute authority when it came to searching for Dark Mages, making it impossible to refuse.

This was a clause that all factions had agreed upon, so even the elder of Namuhwaran could not refuse… as long as the situation was handled properly.

Stirring up the sacred World Tree just to catch a fly would never be acceptable.

“I’ll review this thoroughly.”

Suhak San accepted the document and began to read it carefully.

…Before long, his eyes widened in shock.

“This… Is this truly the case?”

“Yes. I know we’re being very rude, but I must ask for your cooperation. It’s a very troublesome situation right now.”

The Dark Mage Cheollibeun.

The legendary Dark Mage who had disappeared decades ago after leaving tens of thousands dead had suddenly resurfaced in this area.

‘No, it’s not certain yet. It’s just suspected… but still!’

If the contents of the document were true, Cheollibeun was most likely headed for the Orchard of Flower Radiance in Namuhwaran.

By now, it was highly probable that he was already hiding somewhere in this area.

‘This…’

The situation had become far more dangerous than expected.

This was not a matter where pride could be stubbornly upheld.

“…Shall we move to a different location to continue this conversation?”

When Suhak San spoke in a heavy voice, Arumun readily nodded. It was fortunate things were going more smoothly than expected, given the urgency.

* * *

It was quiet.

Cold shards of glass seemed to float in the air, constantly pricking my skin.

I sat down in front of Leafanel, breathing deeply with my eyes closed. To be exact, I was operating the [Taeryeong Divine Art] in greater detail than before.

I had already discarded the gas mask.

If you asked whether it was dangerous, I would definitely say it was. Using this method could have shortened my lifespan, or worse, I might collapse soon.

But there was a reason I had to go this far.

[Analyzing the concentration of mana in the air…]

The Bulbul Glasses weren’t all-powerful.

When attempting something new, I always had to make direct contact with the subject.

Up until now, I had been able to analyze magic just by looking at it because the foundations of that magic were ‘magic circles’ and ‘runes.’ Those could easily be interpreted visually.

However, certain advanced spells required not only visual analysis but also direct mana interaction. The high-density mana scattered throughout Leafanel’s garden was one such case.

Just watching with the gas mask on wasn’t enough to analyze it.

Breathing it in directly was dangerous too, but…

‘With the Taeryeong Divine Art, it’s possible.’

By circulating mana through my body and releasing it like a waterwheel, I could avoid absorbing the toxic mana into my system and instead breathe it in safely.

“Hoo…”

The Taeryeong Divine Art required at least tens of seconds to activate, and if I tried to use it while moving, it could take several minutes.

And was it easy to maintain?

Not at all.

The moment I let my mind wander, the Taeryeong Divine Art would unravel, requiring an unparalleled level of concentration. However, ever since receiving Red Spring March’s blessing, it had become somewhat easier.

In fact, during the previous battle against the witch, even in the midst of chaotic fighting, the Taeryeong Divine Art hadn’t unraveled once.

Yet…

‘What is this feeling?’

It wasn’t just that it was easier to maintain. Come to think of it, had I ever seriously trained the Taeryeong Divine Art since receiving Red Spring March’s blessing?

Sure, I’d been practicing consistently, but that was more about daily discipline than any focused effort at improvement.

But now, as I desperately pushed the Taeryeong Divine Art to its limits to control the concentration of the tainted mana, I began to sense something.

Even with my eyes closed, I could almost see the flow of mana, and I felt like I could subtly influence it with my will.

When I finally came to my senses, I found myself standing.

I reached out into the air.

Where did I put the sword?

I couldn’t remember, so I just mimed holding one with my bare hands.

I didn’t have any special swordsmanship.

Just basic slashes, thrusts, and downward strikes.

That was the only swordsmanship I knew.

But that alone wasn’t enough to face a mage. Ha Taeryeong, who had taught me this technique in the distant past, had said so.

‘The key to mage combat is controlling distance.’

The essence of fighting a mage was to stay just outside their range, then close in and strike their vital points.

I had no sword techniques, but I had a combat strategy.

In the past, Ha Taeryeong had mastered footwork by taking Mana Leakage Syndrome to its extreme in order to implement this strategy. But no matter how fast a human’s footwork was, how quick could it really be?

Even slower than the leaps used by knight-type mages, and far less powerful than any power jump.

Ha Taeryeong had overcome this through relentless combat and experience… but I didn’t need to.

Because I had something no other mage possessed.

‘If I can just activate the Taeryeong Divine Art at will…’

Until now, the preparation time had been so long that I was always at a disadvantage at the start of battle.

But with Red Spring March’s help, if I could slip into the mental world freely, this disadvantage might not be as insurmountable as I’d thought.

‘Perhaps… I could even maintain the Taeryeong Divine Art continuously.’

If I could engrave the Taeryeong Divine Art somewhere deep in my mind, making it a part of my natural breathing…

Not only would I be able to move freely through spaces filled with tainted mana, but I might also achieve the ‘eternal life’ that Ha Taeryeong had once dreamed of.

Not that I have any particular desire to live forever, but…

‘Ugh!’

Was it because I’d focused too hard? I had slipped past the mental world and fallen into an even deeper, more distant realm of consciousness.

It felt like I was sinking into the depths of the deep sea at night, unable to see anything or even tell which direction was up.

‘This… is dangerous.’

If I went any deeper, I might lose the ability to return.

Panicked, I frantically swam upward toward the surface.

‘I need to wake up.’

With that single thought driving me, I surged toward the sky.

Grab!

Suddenly, someone grabbed my collar.

The grip wasn’t strong. It was weak enough that I could shake it off if I wanted to.

But something nagged at my mind, and I looked down into the depths of the mental world.

‘…Leafanel?’

There, in the shape of a young girl, was the spirit Leafanel. Her expression was ambiguous, difficult to read, and her lips moved, but I couldn’t hear her voice.

But more than that, one question rose in my mind.

‘Why is Leafanel here?’

Wasn’t this my mental world? Then I realized that Leafanel and I were connected through our souls.

‘If it’s here…!’

Here, I could ask her what had happened to her.

I grabbed her shoulders and shouted with all my strength.

‘Leafanel! Answer me! Who did this to you?’

But it seemed like my voice didn’t reach her. Leafanel tilted her head and moved her lips again.

I couldn’t hear her.

‘Damn it. Should I dive deeper?’

I quickly discarded that thought.

Leafanel must have come up from the bottom of the deep sea, and if I went any deeper, I feared I’d lose my way back entirely.

‘That is…’

In the distance, at the edge of the endless ocean, something small and violet flickered like a butterfly. That must be… Leafanel’s mental world. If I swam toward that butterfly, I could dive into her consciousness.

‘…But I can’t do that.’

I slowly unclasped Leafanel’s hand.

As much as I wanted to take her back right away, it would be far too dangerous to forcibly wake her while she was corrupted by dark mana.

‘I’ll come for you soon.’

I mouthed the words to Leafanel, and she seemed to understand, because she gave me a faint, rare smile.

Then, she slowly drifted away into the deep sea, waving her hand innocently like a child bidding farewell. The sight tugged at my heart.

Blub-blub!

I forced myself to turn away from Leafanel and swam out of the deep sea of the mental world, breaking through to the surface. The moment I surfaced, I opened my eyes and regained consciousness.

“Huuu…!”

My whole body felt refreshed.

After sitting still for so long, my legs should have been numb, but I felt as if I had just woken from a deep sleep, completely rejuvenated.

[Analysis complete.]

[Presenting the results.]

Just as I was about to read the analysis provided by the Bulbul Glasses, another message caught my attention.

“Huh?”

It wasn’t from the Bulbul Glasses, but a pure system message embedded within me.

Notifications flooded in all at once.

[The level of the skill ‘Mana Leakage Syndrome’ has increased!]

[Your overall stats have significantly increased.]

[You can control your strength more delicately, your body has become more agile, and your mind clearer.]

[Your vision has sharpened, allowing you to see objects more clearly.]

[Your senses have heightened, enabling you to feel things that were previously imperceptible.]

Faced with a type of message I had never seen before, I couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

“What… is happening…?”

It seemed that all this time… I hadn’t even been using 1% of the Blessing of the Twelve Divine Moons.

End of Chapter.