Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 38
Chapter 38
Mock Monster Battle (1)
Regardless of what happened between the crown prince and Flame, Aiselle had to join a club.
Though joining a club was optional, for students like her who were in dire need of points, it was almost a necessity.
‘Uh, what should I do…’
Setting aside those worries, class time arrived. And it wasn’t just any class—it was the most crucial performance evaluation.
“Starting today, we will proceed with the ‘Mock Monster Battle.'”
Previously, they had faced monsters of 1-2 risk levels during dungeon practice. However, this time the goal of the mock battle was to hunt down ‘3-risk medium-sized monsters,’ which were much more difficult to deal with.
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k in g m t l . o r g
It was impossible to face these monsters alone. The objective of this practice was to form a team, identify the monster’s weaknesses, and take it down with a strategic approach.
“There are many conditions given. You will be able to choose a medium-sized monster to target and have sufficient practice time against it.”
Stella Dome had been modified to provide varied terrains for the 1st-year cadets’ mock monster battles.
To the north was the Canyon of Flames, to the south the Sea of Ice, to the west the Wasteland Desert, and to the east the swampy thicket.
T h i s wa s co p i e d f r om k i n g m tl . org
Therefore, the cadets could go to the terrain they preferred and choose a medium-sized monster that suited their strengths.
Of course, it was very rare for any team to actually succeed in their strategy. It was their first real battle, and fighting a 3-risk medium-sized monster was more challenging than they thought.
“The performance evaluation is in four days. By then, you should present the mock monster battle you practiced. Any questions?”
None! The students shouted, and Lee Han-wol nodded.
“Good. Form a team of up to six members and submit the roster.”
As always, the practice was conducted with classes A and S mixed together. Other students gathered in groups of friends or formed teams that fit well together.
Th i s w a s c o p ie d f r o m k in gm t l.o r g
‘Ugh, I really hate team play…’
This performance evaluation was important. If she didn’t score well this time, she could kiss the scholarship goodbye. Without the scholarship… she might have to work part-time during weekends or vacations just to stay in school.
The less time she had for studying, the further away the scholarship would get. Her magical achievements would diminish, and her future would look increasingly grim.
‘I have to work hard.’
As she resolved herself,
Thump!
“Ouch!”
A few female students bumped her shoulders hard as they passed by, laughing among themselves.
“Why are you standing there blocking the way alone?”
“It’s annoying, why don’t you move?”
“So unlucky. It’s like your shoulder is covered in Dark Mage blood.”
“You…!”
Aiselle almost snapped and yelled out of anger but managed to hold it in. Getting admitted to Stella Academy was a miracle in itself. If she got into trouble with students and received demerits, she wouldn’t be able to get the scholarship.
If she missed the scholarship even for one semester… her education would be at risk.
For the sake of her dreams, she had to endure the humiliation for now.
T h i s wa s c op i ed f r o m k i n gm t l. o r g
As she thought about it, she found herself glancing at Hong Bi-yeon.
As expected of the princess of the Adolevit Kingdom, a multitude of students surrounded her, and she could pick whomever she wanted from the crowd.
Compared to that, Aiselle was alone.
No one even thought of approaching her.
‘I was supposed to be…’
She shook her head vigorously to dispel her weakening resolve.
‘…What am I thinking.’
She glanced at Hong Bi-yeon, feeling a pang of jealousy. Then their eyes met.
In that fleeting moment, there was no emotion in Hong Bi-yeon’s gaze.
It was as if she were looking at air—complete disregard.
The girls in Hong Bi-yeon’s faction whispered with sly smiles as they watched the dynamic between the princess and Aiselle.
“Princess, there’s someone standing alone over there.”
“Oh dear, how pitiful. Should we invite her?”
Hong Bi-yeon, on the other hand, seemed indifferent and stared blankly into space, but even that infuriated Aiselle.
It wasn’t always like this.
To Hong Bi-yeon, Aiselle had once been a figure of immense presence.
‘In the old days…’
When the Morf family stood strong.
When they stood side-by-side with the Adolevit Kingdom, dominating the magical world.
While each family kept the other in check, maintaining a precarious balance of power.
Aiselle and Hong Bi-yeon were born into their respective families.
The ice-attribute Morf family.
The fire-attribute Adolevit family.
T h i s wa s c o p ie d fr o m k i n g mt l . o r g
Children born into the world’s highest-ranking noble families.
Was it fate’s joke? Both daughters were born with genius talents.
Aiselle held an ice spike in her hand at birth, while Hong Bi-yeon ignited a flame at her fingertips!
It wasn’t just a matter of talent. Manifesting magic at birth without learning it was a blessing from the world, indicating they had the qualifications to reach the ‘Celestial Realm,’ a dream of all mages.
The entire world focused on Hong Bi-yeon and Aiselle, and they calmly accepted that reality.
‘I am chosen.’
Born into the greatest magical family with the greatest talent, Aiselle believed she would one day become a grand mage.
Until the Adolevit family thoroughly destroyed her own.
She clenched her fists tightly.
‘…Now is not the time to be angry.’
People said the Morf family had fallen.
But that wasn’t true.
She was still alive, continuing the Morf bloodline.
‘I will become a grand mage and revive the Morf family.’
But…
Lately, doubts had begun to creep in.
‘…Can I really do it?’
Hong Bi-yeon was already far ahead of her, and many other geniuses with the qualities of grand mages were steadily outpacing her.
Can someone like her, who once wandered the streets, catch up with those who received elite education from a young age?
She couldn’t even see how far behind she was anymore.
‘I am…’
As the seeds of doubt began to sprout in her heart,
“Hey, are you alone?”
A familiar voice called from behind.
It was Baek Yu-seol.
Aiselle sighed as she looked at his beaming face.
“…What do you want?”
“Let’s team up. You know the maximum number of members is limited, but there’s no minimum, right? Let’s form a team of two and get the small team bonus points.”
“Are you crazy? How can we take on a 3-risk medium-sized monster with just the two… of us…”
As she spoke, she found herself convinced.
For some reason, with Baek Yu-seol… it really seemed possible.
“So, are you in or not?”
“…I’m in. I don’t have anyone else to team up with anyway.”
“Great. Us outcasts should stick together.”
“I’m a voluntary outsider. I’m not like you.”
“Yeah, whatever you say.”
“Ugh…”
Baek Yu-seol’s tone… it felt somehow… patronizing.
As if an adult were dealing with a child.
At first, she had used a strong tone to not bend her pride, but even then Baek Yu-seol had calmly gone along with it.
‘Even though he looks younger than me…’
If not for his uniform, she might have mistaken him for a middle schooler. Baek Yu-seol had a very youthful face, with delicate features that might have made him look like a girl if it weren’t for his stiff hair.
“If you’ve decided on your partner, bring the list to me for registration.”
As the instructor called out, the students rushed forward.
“I’m going to submit our list.”
Baek Yu-seol walked over to the instructor, waving a piece of paper, and Aiselle sighed, once again swayed by his presence.
As she stood there idly, scratching the ground with her shoe, she felt a gaze and slowly turned her head.
‘Huh…?’
In the distance.
Hong Bi-yeon was staring intently at her.
T h is w as c o p i e d fr o m k i n g m tl .or g
It wasn’t her imagination.
The gaze was definitely directed at her.
‘…What is this?’
She had shown no interest earlier, but now she was suddenly looking at her with such an intense glare.
Feeling uncomfortable, Aiselle tried to avoid her gaze, but Hong Bi-yeon began to approach her.
Barely managing to stop herself from backing away, Aiselle bit her lip and forced herself to stand tall.
“You.”
“What… what is it?”
Hong Bi-yeon spoke, but then remained silent.
She seemed embarrassed by her own approach and bit her lip, lowering her ruby-like eyes slightly.
‘Is she here to check on me?’
Aiselle’s lips curled into a smile.
Yes. In the end, Hong Bi-yeon was wary of her. Gaining confidence, Aiselle shouted,
“Ha, are you here to check on me? How ridiculous. You must be scared of me.”
“…What nonsense are you talking about?”
Hong Bi-yeon frowned irritably.
“Stop deluding yourself and watch your behavior.”
“Watch my behavior… What do you mean?”
“Do you know the saying, ‘A pearl necklace on a pig’s neck’?”
“Of course.”
“That’s exactly you. Wearing a pearl necklace that doesn’t suit you.”
At those words, Aiselle’s heart sank.
The reason Hong Bi-yeon suddenly started to check on her wasn’t out of feeling threatened by Aiselle Morf.
It was purely because she felt threatened by Baek Yu-seol being taken away.
Realizing this, Aiselle felt a hollow laugh escape her.
So that’s all it was.
This woman didn’t care about her at all. She had always been looking at her, but Hong Bi-yeon didn’t even consider her existence.
She didn’t care about her at all.
While Aiselle’s thoughts grew darker, Hong Bi-yeon frowned.
‘What am I saying…’
She had unintentionally blurted out harsh words. It was unlike her as a princess of Adolevit, and it wasn’t like Hong Bi-yeon.
T hi s w as c o p i e d f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g
Envying others so pathetically.
Even so.
‘…I feel relieved.’
Truth be told, Aiselle Morf had always been on her mind. Like her, Aiselle had received the blessing of ice.
T h is w a s co pie d fro m k ingm t l .o r g
The thought of Aiselle teaming up with Baek Yu-seol, who might be the best knight in the school, was infuriating.
As if she were falling behind.
So she had unintentionally lashed out.
‘I hope she gets it now.’
Leaving the now sullen Aiselle behind, Hong Bi-yeon walked back to her position.
At the moment, she felt a slight sense of crisis. If things continued this way, she might fall behind Aiselle—a ridiculous notion that kept nagging at her mind.
‘I can’t just stand by.’
With her faction, she could easily crush a fallen member of the Morf family.
But her pride wouldn’t allow that.
T h i s wa s co pie d f r o m k i ng m t l . o r g
She wanted to win.
To defeat Aiselle Morf, backed by Baek Yu-seol, on equal terms with her own skills.
‘A combination of a fallen noble and a commoner.’
She thought of her faction members. There were many capable knights. They were all waiting to be chosen by her.
But it wasn’t enough.
A knight of that level couldn’t compete with Baek Yu-seol, who teamed up with Aiselle.
To barely make it worthwhile, she needed someone with the title of ‘best,’ like Ma Yuseong.
With that thought, she no longer hesitated. Ignoring the love calls directed at her, she approached Ma Yuseong, who was looking at a map alone.
“Ma Yuseong.”
“Hello, princess. What brings you here?”
“Have you formed a team yet?”
“No. I’m planning to do it alone.”
Alone? Slightly surprised, Hong Bi-yeon continued calmly.
“How about teaming up with me?”
“…Hmm?”
Ma Yuseong raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression showing clear reluctance. But she wasn’t going to back down easily.
She decided to provoke his competitive spirit.
“Baek Yu-seol and Aiselle have teamed up. You know there’s a bonus for smaller teams, right? They’re planning to tackle a ‘large-sized special monster,’ not just a regular medium-sized one… As you know, I have a strong competitive streak and I don’t like to lose.”
Ma Yuseong might be able to handle a 3-risk medium-sized monster alone. If so, he would receive a significant bonus for being solo.
But what if Baek Yu-seol’s team tackled a large-sized special monster?
Unlike regular monsters, special monsters had unique abilities and attributes. If they succeeded in defeating a large-sized special monster… they would earn a massive score.
Even though they were a duo, they would easily surpass Ma Yuseong’s score.
Of course, Hong Bi-yeon didn’t actually know if they were going after a large-sized special monster.
It was just a ploy to provoke Ma Yuseong’s competitive spirit.
And it worked. Ma Yuseong reacted sensitively to her provocation.
“Is that so…”
With eyes shining, Ma Yuseong thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
Th i s wa s co p ie d f r o m kin g mt l . or g
“Sounds fun. I’ve been wanting to compete with Baek Yu-seol.”
Hong Bi-yeon smiled inwardly, feeling triumphant.
‘This time, I’ll definitely win.’
End of Chapter
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Tbraxer
Nah guys, Biyeon is jealous of Aiselle because of Bak Yuseol