Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Leafanel’s Green Key (2)

“Achoo!”

As soon as I entered the dungeon, I sneezed violently. Realizing my mistake, I quickly put on my gas mask.
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‘Ugh, asthma pollen.’

I couldn’t remember the exact name, but players used to call this pollen asthma pollen. It caused characters to keep sneezing, interrupting their actions frequently, which often led to precarious situations.

At least I knew about this in advance and brought several gas masks.

“Oh. It’s pretty.”

I had never been here before, so I vaguely imagined it as a cave. Instead, it was filled with petals emitting a soft green light, creating a rather dreamy atmosphere.

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In between were wriggling plant roots. These were the dungeon’s monsters, known as Leafanel Roots.

These roots moved swiftly and flexibly like snakes, choking life out of their victims and absorbing their strength. Leafanel’s weakness was obvious yet effective—fire.

Of course, simply sprinkling oil and lighting a fire wouldn’t easily kill a monster. Unless it’s a magically induced fire, plant-based monsters don’t burn easily.

So, I opted for alchemy.

Naturally, I couldn’t create sophisticated explosives by combining gunpowder and magic on the spot like a top-tier alchemist. I don’t have mana, so I can’t perform offensive alchemy.

What I was going to do was throw first-class-level Molotov cocktails. These might just be a nuisance, but they would still be somewhat helpful.

Moving stealthily, I immediately sprang into action upon spotting a lone Leafanel Root.

Crash! Whoosh!

Screech!

“Wow, the tree is screaming.”

As soon as I confirmed that the Leafanel was writhing in agony, I used Blink to approach and swung my Terivon Sword. However, the monster’s head lashed out like a whip before I could strike.

I quickly Blinked upwards and attached my feet to the ceiling, using the momentum to leap back toward Leafanel, aiming my sword at it.

The monster lost track of my position and appeared momentarily confused, allowing me to strike its waist. The thrashing was so intense that I nearly lost hold of my sword.

‘What kind of strength does this thing have!’

I had struck poorly. Retreating with a backflip, I used Blink diagonally without sparing it to prevent giving the monster any opportunity. The root immediately leaped, trying to wrap around me, but I rolled on the ground to dodge it and pierced a blue spot.

Squelch!

Screech…

The Leafanel Root went limp, losing its strength. I had struck its weak point deeply, causing instant death.

[You have gained experience points.]

“Phew… It gives a lot of experience points.”

The Leafanel’s danger level was about 3-risk, making it extremely threatening. If faced head-on, it would be nearly impossible to hunt even one.

Thanks to the gas mask resisting the pollen from the Leafanel Roots and the Molotov cocktails creating opportunities for damage, I was able to come here in the first place.

Exhausted, I forced myself to stand. I had barely hunted one. There was still a long way to go.

Thus, I continued exploring the dungeon for about three more hours, achieving the feat of taking down twelve Leafanel Roots.

“Cough! Ugh, this is exhausting.”

Sitting down on the ground, I changed my gas mask and drank water through the straw connected to my canteen.

My upper body was covered by makeshift armor made from Leafanel Roots. I had crafted it using the blueprints and materials I had prepared. This method was popular among players in the game, so I followed suit, and it proved effective.

Leafanel Roots have a habit of attacking and constricting the upper body of humans. Since it smelled like their kind, they rarely made the first move. Even if they did attack, they hesitated momentarily, and the tough bark provided solid protection.

In fact, when I miscalculated the cooldown of Blink and faced a dangerous situation a few times, this armor saved me.

Looking at the time, it was already past midnight, making it Saturday. My goal was to clear the dungeon completely by Sunday. Time to hurry.

“Ugh… Let’s go again.”

* * *

The experience of overnight hunting in a game and real-life overnight hunting was vastly different in both quantity and quality.

In the game, I could move lightly, knowing I could simply revive if I died. But in reality, a single mistake could be fatal.

I could feel my body growing stronger with each hunt, yet my mind was becoming increasingly exhausted.

When the stress from excessive concentration reached its peak, I finally managed to clear the dungeon.

“I’m gonna die…”

I lay in front of the ‘boss room,’ catching my breath. While I hadn’t hunted every Leafanel Root, I had dealt with all those blocking the shortest path to the boss room.

My true goal was not these small monsters but the ‘Spirit Leafanel’ located in the deepest part of the dungeon.

“Phew.”

After drinking a fatigue recovery potion to alleviate my exhaustion slightly, I placed my hand on the boss room’s door. After coming all this way, I couldn’t afford not to use it properly.

[Entering the boss room of the dungeon.]

With a heavy creak, the massive wooden door opened.

Sway-

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The moment a breeze brushed my cheek, I was mesmerized.

“Wow…”

A full moon larger than Earth’s hung in the sky, with a galaxy of stars filling the flower garden below.

Under the moonlight, in a vast flower garden, she lay asleep.

Trapped in an eternally frozen state, the spirit ‘Leafanel.’

She knelt with her hands clasped as if in prayer, her translucent form shimmering, filling the garden with a bluish hue colder than the moonlight.

At a glance, she might look like a ghost praying, but… that was the form just before a divine beast transforms into a spirit.

A spirit.

The most mysterious existence in this world.

It signifies a pure soul that has trained for hundreds of years and finally achieved enlightenment, transforming into a new being. There are very few of them in Aether World.

However, the being before me was not a complete spirit.

Just before becoming a spirit, this woman had her heart stolen, freezing her in that state forever.

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Now, she was nothing more than a plant.

Yet, because she was on the verge of becoming a spirit, the moment I entered, ‘mana pressure’ would crush my entire body.

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself.

As I took a step toward the flower garden.

Thud!!

“Gah…!”

It felt like an elephant had stomped on me. The pressure was so intense that I thought my skin might burst and I would die.

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I had read the warning to wear high-level armor, but I was currently bare-chested, having discarded my Leafanel Root armor.

I was absorbing this pressure with my body.

‘Mana Leakage Syndrome seems to be helping to some extent…!’

With great difficulty, I moved forward step by step until I collapsed on the ground. At that moment, one thought crossed my mind.

‘I’m screwed.’

Even though I tried to lift myself by pressing against the ground, my joints creaked, and my body refused to cooperate.

“Ughhhhhh!!”

But giving up was not an option. Straining myself, I managed to lift my upper body, and the pressure slightly eased.

My body was resisting the spirit’s pressure!

Indeed, even in death, a spirit’s pressure was formidable.

However, I finally managed to stand up. My muscles felt alive, and though I couldn’t retain mana, I could feel the mana pathways in my body becoming more active.

“Haha.”

I stood up under this pressure.

I could celebrate this pure achievement.

[The experience of the trait ‘Mana Leakage Syndrome’ increases.]

[Your stats increase.]

True.

This place was the ultimate training ground left behind by a spirit. It was one of the heavenly training spots sought after by mages worldwide, known as the ‘Mana Vein.’

Even simple exercises here yield dozens to hundreds of times the effect.

Moreover, thanks to absorbing the spirit’s energy, my ‘affinity with nature’ would increase significantly. This would undoubtedly have a positive effect during the upcoming ‘Familiar Contract Ceremony.’

‘But before exercising…’

I struggled to move my feet, taking one step at a time.

Finally reaching the spot where Spirit Leafanel lay, I stretched my hand towards the branch under her wrist.

[You have acquired the hidden artifact ‘Resentful Branch.’]

‘Yes!’

I finally obtained the item I desired.

The best hidden artifact for effectively dealing with Maizen Tiren, the boss of the eighth episode.

[Resentful Branch]

* Grade: High

* Description: Resentment only grows with time, never forgotten, only becoming angrier.

* Special Abilities:

A. Resentment

1. Inflicts the status effect ‘Resentment’ upon first contact.

2. Explodes the ‘Resentment’ upon second contact, causing damage. Inflicts significant additional damage to those with dark attributes.

3. The damage accumulates daily, up to a maximum of three months.

4. If the target is 6-risk or higher, the damage may be halved.

(One-time usage)

“Indeed…”

I could smile even under the crushing pressure.

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Though it might not look like much for a ‘high-grade’ artifact, it’s incredibly effective.

Given the premise of accumulating perfect resentment for three months, it could render awakened Maizen Tiren, a dark mage, critically wounded in one strike.

Although it could only be used once, if such an overpowered artifact could be used multiple times, that would be a problem in itself.

‘Now that I have the artifact, it’s time to…’

I carefully stored the branch and lay down on the ground to feel the pressure throughout my body.

I wasn’t planning anything special.

Just simple body exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, and squats. Exercising here would be far more effective.

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“Ugh…”

Enduring the pain that felt like my bones and muscles were tearing apart, I began training.

* * *
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In the center of the Aether continent stands a towering tree.

The First World Tree, Heavenly Spirit Tree.

Known as the heart of the continent, the spine of the world, and the source of life, this World Tree and the ‘Primordial Mountains’ extending in all directions became home to fairies who established their civilization there.

The Elven Kingdom, ‘Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree.’

…And a bit away from the Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree, on the highest peak of the Primordial Mountains, stood a desolate old castle.

This old castle, though seemingly out of place in such a nature-filled area, harmonized perfectly with all of nature.

At first glance, it might appear just like an ordinary tree.

At the top of the old castle, someone was present.

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A space shrouded in darkness.

Dim sunlight filtered through a small window. It was a strange phenomenon. The sun’s angle would never reach there, yet the light seemed to find its way inside, as if searching for someone.

Stimulated by the blinding light, a woman lying like a statue raised her head.

Her snow-white hair, reminiscent of the snowflowers of the Bingbaek Mountains, cascaded down her neck to her waist.

Blinking her eyes, her starlit, golden pupils sparkled.

Anyone who gazed into those eyes would be mesmerized, overwhelmed by a beauty no intelligent being could withstand.

The High Elf Queen, Flowerseorin.

Due to her tendency for long morning naps and low blood pressure, she stared blankly out the small window after waking up, still not fully alert.

But when a certain sensation brushed past her chest, Flowerseorin quickly looked up.

‘This is…!’

Someone had entered the secret garden where her long-time friend, the Millennial Divine Spirit Leafanel, lay asleep.

‘No one should be able to go there anymore. Who could it be…?’

She was more curious about who used the supposedly lost key than how it was used.

Approaching the door quickly, she spoke.

“Is anyone there?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

A retainer answered, but Flowerseorin quickly regained her composure and bowed her head.

“Never mind. Continue with your duties.”

Leafanel was currently in an extremely vulnerable state. She couldn’t entrust anything related to Leafanel to anyone, not even the most loyal retainer who had sworn their life to her.

However, she couldn’t leave this confined space herself. Going personally was impossible.

Flowerseorin’s other nickname was ‘Face of Death.’

Anyone who saw her face even once would fall into lovesickness and die within a few months, giving her that disgraceful nickname.

‘I must endure.’

She had already spent decades hiding her face.

She could cover herself in a magically coated mask and robe to go outside… but only for an hour at most.

Any longer exposure would trigger her cursed trait instantly.

For this reason, she avoided going out as much as possible. She didn’t want to see innocent people go mad and die after seeing her face.

In any case, she would have to show her face to the world as a queen during the upcoming ‘World Tree’s Birthday.’ She decided to check it out then.

Resolving to wait patiently until that day, Flowerseorin gazed out the window.

The warm sunlight gently caressed her cheek.

There was a reason she lived in such a dark and secluded place. She feared that someone might accidentally see her face while she was sleeping or going about her day.

“Sigh…”

Flowerseorin leaned against the wall with a melancholic expression. Was it eight years since her last outing?

It had always been this way.

The moment she stepped outside, fate wouldn’t leave her alone.

She wasn’t born like this. It just happened at some point.
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Like a ‘curse’ had been cast upon her.

‘I wonder when I will be able to roam freely…’

She didn’t know the reason or the solution.

So, she calmly accepted her fate and endured each day.

Just hoping that someday she would be free.

End of Chapter