Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The Necromancer’s Attack (1)

Spring had arrived.

The first semester at Stella Academy begins in January, and by spring, all ‘first exams’ are completed. Think of the first exams as midterms in Korea.

T hi s wa s c o p ie d f r o m k in g m t l . o r g
Around that time, I consistently interacted with Alterisha.

“Oh, do you think so too? I was thinking of adding a color-changing feature to the magic pen with a button.”

“And add an eraser to the end for good measure.”

“Like a mechanical pencil? That sounds great!”

Perhaps like recognizes like. Alterisha, an alchemy enthusiast, quickly caught on to my tendencies and we became friends. I subtly provided her with ideas for the ‘inventions’ I most wanted.

Of course, subtly.

Giving her the full ideas outright could stifle her creative growth.

Th i s w as c o p i e d fr o m k i n g m tl . org
Creating something new and then using that idea to create something else was precisely Alterisha’s way.

Meanwhile, I also occasionally slipped tips about the ‘Random Sequence Alchemy Technique’ to Alterisha. Initially, she refused, saying the professor would be angry, but after seeing a few unexpected hints from me, she couldn’t resist her curiosity and started secretly working on the formula at night.

‘But in the end, something crucial is still missing.’

Although Alterisha was an excellent alchemist, she struggled with formulas. No matter how many hints I gave her, it seemed impossible for her to solve the formula perfectly without violating ‘narrative power.’

‘What to do… I need to solve it before Maizen Tiren, but getting Alterisha to reach the formula’s solution is proving too difficult.’

“Hmm…”

As I walked down the hallway deep in thought after leaving the lab, Flame called out to me from behind. My temper flared for a moment.

“Who are you calling an old man?”

“You, obviously.”

Since our last conversation, Flame had often spoken to me like this. It wasn’t a friendly tone. Maybe it’s just her usual way of speaking, but she always chose words that were sharp and prickly.

“I don’t get why you call me that.”

“Why? Are you charging 2,000 credits more?”

“What are you talking about?”

“See? You’re an old man. You don’t even know the latest slang. It’s not even new anymore; it’s been around for a while.”

No clue. Why do kids these days use such complicated words?

But still, I’m not an old man. Twenty-nine is still in my twenties, right?

“Anyway, stop wandering around like an idiot. You almost bumped into someone.”

She grumbled, clearly fishing for information again. No way. Even if I could tell her something, ‘narrative power’ wouldn’t allow it, and even if it did, I wouldn’t tell her.

However, there was one thing I should warn her about.

“Hey. You know that friend of yours?”

“Yeah. Jackie?”

“Yeah, about her…”

“That’s a crime.”

She cut me off before I could say anything.

“When did I ever ask for an introduction? I was just going to tell you to look after her.”

“Really? I thought… There are so many wolfish guys around. Ugh, those bastards. They never learn even after getting beaten up.”

What does she mean by ‘wolfish guys’?

“…Ahem. So, you’re telling me to take care of Jackie?”

“Yeah. She might be in a really bad state right now. You’re her closest friend, so take good care of her.”

Right now, she’s likely in a very unstable state due to the influence of dark magic corruption.

I don’t know why Jackie is struggling. Even if I knew, ‘narrative power’ wouldn’t let me explain.

For now, I could only trust Flame to handle it.

“Hmm, I’m not her closest friend, but… I was planning to go hunting with my club members this evening. I’ll keep an eye on her then. Anyway, I gotta go!”

Saying she had class, she hurried off. Watching her retreating figure, I had a thought.

‘Should I try to take care of the other kids too?’

Jackie, Arshuane, Hae Wonryang.

While Jackie and Hae Wonryang were the most likely, I couldn’t rule out Arshuane.

Who should take care of her? Honestly, I’m not close to Hong Bi-yeon’s group, and I don’t know Arshuane’s condition well.

‘Hopefully, Jackie and Hae Wonryang don’t both have adverse reactions while Arshuane does too.’

The person undergoing dark magic corruption is always one of the three. While Arshuane didn’t seem like a major concern, I decided to visit Hong Bi-yeon just in case.

Hong Bi-yeon was currently attending a class called ‘Attribute Transformation.’ It’s a course designed to teach students a second attribute, and thanks to an excellent instructor, even students who only had one attribute would gain a second after taking the class.

Of course, for people like me or Flame, or mages like Hong Bi-yeon who preferred to master one attribute, it was a useless course.

It was just a required class.

Magical practice usually took place in a spacious training ground, and because it often overlapped with other classes, the area was crowded with students.

Entering a lecture hall about half the size of an Olympic soccer stadium, I squeezed through the unusually large crowd of students.

As expected, they were gathered to watch a demonstration by Princess Hong Bi-yeon.

Flare!!

Her neatly tied silver hair fluttered as her red eyes flashed and brilliant flames danced.

“Wow… She’s really beautiful.”

“Is she even human? Maybe she’s an angel?”

Hong Bi-yeon was indeed like a celebrity in reality. As a princess of the Adolevit Kingdom, the strongest magical nation, her face was well-known, and she was even regarded as a genius fire mage never before seen in history.

“Phew…”

After putting away her staff and wiping away some cold sweat, Hong Bi-yeon caught her breath and glanced at the students watching her with indifferent eyes.

Then she spotted me in the crowd and frowned, quickly turning away and raising her staff again.

Th i s wa s c o pie d f r o m k i n g mt l .o r g
Flare!!! Boom! Crack!!

…For some reason, the flames seemed several times stronger than before, but it must have been my imagination.

After the lecture ended, the students dispersed. Thanks to Hong Bi-yeon’s cold treatment, they left. But they’d be back next time for sure, like obsessed fans.

I stood there waiting, and Hong Bi-yeon sighed as she approached me.

“What do you want?”

“I have something to tell you.”

At that moment, her group members approached.

“Princess, we’re ready for our hunting trip.”

“Okay. I’ll listen to what he has to say and join you soon.”

“Yes.”

T h is w as c o pi ed f r o m king m t l .o r g
She sent her group members ahead and turned to me.

“What is it?”

Ignoring her, I used my glasses to inspect her group members. Arshuane wasn’t there.

“Don’t you have a girl named Arshuane in your group?”

Hong Bi-yeon looked genuinely baffled by my question.

“…Do you realize how rude you’re being?”

“What?”

“You’re asking a princess where another girl is?”

“Is that wrong?”

At my answer, Hong Bi-yeon blinked her red eyes and sighed deeply.

“Right… You’ve always been this shameless. Arshuane’s busy preparing for the evening hunt. Satisfied? Now, I’m leaving.”

A hunt? Come to think of it, it was about time for that [Episode] to occur.

“Wait, you haven’t fought with Arshuane or anything, right?”

“Ha, why would I fight with my subject? If she has worries, I listen.”

“Exactly!”
T h i s w as c o p i e d fr o m k i n gm t l. o rg

“Yikes… What do you mean by that?”

“She seems troubled lately. Make sure to listen to her worries.”

Hong Bi-yeon furrowed her brows, looking both annoyed and incredulous.

“Why should I care about another girl?”

What is she saying? Did she forget the words she said three seconds ago?
T hi s w a s co p i e d f rom k i n g m tl . or g

“She’s your subject.”

Echoing her earlier words, Hong Bi-yeon glared at me with her blazing red eyes before turning and walking away.

But I still had more to say, so I instinctively grabbed her arm.

Smack!

“…What is this? Are you being disrespectful?”

“This isn’t just a casual remark. I’m saying this because I care.”

Apparently, this level of warning didn’t affect ‘narrative power,’ as no alerts appeared.

Hong Bi-yeon glared at me with terrifying eyes, then shook off my hand and walked away.
T h i s wa s c o pi e d fr o m k in g m t l. o rg

“You’ll do it, right? I’m counting on you!”
T h is was c o p i e d fr o m k i n g m tl. o r g

She didn’t answer, but not refusing was already a big step forward.

Unless she awakened as ‘her’ in the future, I remembered she wasn’t that bad of a person in the past.

‘Anyway, it’s hunting season.’

Stella Academy doesn’t stop students from engaging in real combat activities like hunting. Unlike other magic schools, Stella students were aspiring magical warriors skilled enough to be sent straight to the battlefield.

Their activities in Stella uniforms outside the academy actually enhanced the school’s prestige, so external activities were encouraged.

Of course, this applied mainly to second-year students and above. First-year students could go out, but with stricter conditions, and few opted for hunting trips.

Only outstanding students like Hong Bi-yeon formed clubs and went hunting in teams to build their records.

‘Speaking of which, Flame also mentioned going hunting.’

I could guess their destination without being told.

‘Martavis Cemetery.’

That’s where the [Fourth Episode] takes place. In the game, it was just an episode for gaining experience points, so I didn’t pay much attention to the story, but I remember Aiselle, Flame, and Hong Bi-yeon all participated.

And the event that happens in that cemetery is the ‘Necromancer’s Attack,’ where a 5th-class necromancer appears and summons skeletons, providing substantial experience points and rewards.

I was planning to join. Not to hunt the necromancer, but to obtain a ‘hidden reward’ that would help in the upcoming ‘familiar contract ritual.’

Since the familiar contract ritual purely depended on talent, it was essential for someone like me with limited talent.

I visited Instructor Lee Han-wol in the second main tower to apply for an outing permit.

“Training, huh? Where are you going?”

“To the Mardiff Mountains to enjoy the fresh air and good water.”

“Well… You can’t learn swordsmanship or chivalry at Stella, so.”

“Sorry?”

“Nothing.”

Second-year students in S-Class could go on solo hunting trips.

But first-year students couldn’t go hunting alone, and regions with a danger level of 3 or higher required a ‘special outing’ permit. Every year, students who went to such dangerous areas ended up in accidents.

If you got caught?
Th i s w as c o p i e d fr o m ki ng m tl . o r g

T h i s w a s c op i e d f r o m k i ng m t l . o r g
Suspension at best, expulsion at worst.

But as long as I didn’t get caught, I could go secretly.

While I waited, Lee Han-wol reviewed my application.

No need to worry about being caught. I’ve gone on solo hunting trips like this several times. The professors usually let it slide out of convenience.

As I waited leisurely, I noticed another outing application on his desk.

‘Ma Yuseong’s outing application?’

I asked casually.

“There are a lot of students going on hunting trips these days.”

“Yes. Many are heading to Martavis Cemetery for club activities. They’re likely aiming for points.”

“Ma Yuseong and Hae Wonryang are diligent, always aiming for high scores.”

I just asked to confirm the future events.

But.

“…Actually, Ma Yuseong hasn’t gone to Martavis Cemetery.”

“Pardon? Didn’t he head there?”

“No. Over the weekend, he applied for an outing to visit his family home. Hae Wonryang, on the other hand, is moving with Flame.”

Wait, something’s off.

‘Without Ma Yuseong, they can’t overcome the Necromancer’s Attack event…’

What made him suddenly return home?

There are only two reasons why Ma Yuseong would go home.

His father called him back for a specific reason, or he went back for personal training.

There shouldn’t be any significant events planned, and there’s no reason for training now…

There’s a part where Ma Yuseong trains meticulously after getting completely defeated by Hae Wonryang, but it’s too early for that.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

I bit my lip in frustration. There’s no way to contact Ma Yuseong at his family home.

I glanced at Lee Han-wol.

If I informed them that students sent on an outing were in danger, they would dispatch support troops. But I needed solid evidence. Stella’s elite magic corps wasn’t available for just any situation.

‘If they start asking how I knew, that would be a problem.’

In the game, when the protagonist Flame made a wrong choice in a specific ‘branch’, she ended up being framed as a Dark Mage and executed, leading to a ‘bad ending.’

By warning the mages about future events, they accused her of being a Dark Mage.

Moreover, ‘narrative power’ wouldn’t allow me to reveal accurate information anyway.

Only one method remained.

‘…I’ll have to resolve the incident myself.’

End of Chapter