Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Items (3)

In the continent’s heart lies the First World Tree, known as the ‘Heart of the World,’ surrounded by various significant cities.

Prominent among them are Arcaneum and its twelve satellite cities, with the great kingdoms of fire, Adolevit, and the magical empire, Scalven, flanking either side.

A bit further down lies the Alchemy Castle.

If you ask what the name Alchemy Castle means, it’s not very exciting. This city is called such because it’s made up of fortresses.

Later alchemists didn’t like this dull meaning, so they added tearful embellishments like creating stars through alchemy, but it seemed futile.

The Alchemy Castle began with the famous alchemist brothers ‘Leo’ and ‘Galil’ building a small cabin. Their renown attracted skilled alchemists, and over hundreds of years, it became an impregnable fortress against foreign invasions.

The Alchemy Castle is an international alchemist organization not affiliated with any country. Thus, people from various races and nations gathered here, and even now, though everyone is accustomed to the diversity, the novelty never fades.

A 3-meter-tall giant with blue skin might pass by, while a dwarf no taller than my waist might cause a commotion in the street, and an elf with pointed ears might be hammering away in work clothes.

The streets of the Alchemy Castle typically looked like this. Most of the inhabitants were alchemists, but there were many artisans from other fields as well.

At the core of the Alchemy Castle lies the ‘International Alchemy Castle Alchemy Organization,’ a paradise for the top alchemists of the world.

“Welcome to the Alchemy Castle Zelkova Annex, Hwarseok Koden School’s 13th Branch.”

The inside of the alchemy organization was less like a medieval fantasy and more like a highly modern facility.

Walls made entirely of glass displayed holographic texts and images, a giant spinning wheel filled the lobby with sensory delight, and meticulously dressed businessmen bustled about.

“I’m here to meet an alchemist.”

“Who are you here to see?”

“Alterisha…”

As soon as the lady at the information desk heard that name, her expression hardened.

“She is unavailable at the moment.”

I expected as much.

If it were another alchemist, she would have asked, “Do you have an appointment?” But there were so many people wanting to meet Alterisha that she had to be preemptively blocked.

But this didn’t apply to me.

I am her co-author, after all. If I wanted, I could have worked as an alchemist here. Although I would have been kicked out soon due to my lack of mana.

“Here’s a direct invitation from Assistant Alterisha.”

“Oh my.”

The lady at the desk widened her eyes and read the invitation, then bowed her head.

“My apologies. I will guide you immediately.”

She led me to an underground alchemy lab. Doctors in white coats bustled around. There were no businessmen here; only genuine researchers seemed to have access.

Even if one wasn’t an affiliated alchemist, they could enter the Alchemy Lab as a ‘collaborative researcher,’ thanks to its special synthesis apparatus that attracted many.
T h is w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n g m tl . o r g

I occasionally saw Stella Academy’s alchemists, including Alterisha, sporting the Stella insignia on their white gowns.

There was no one I recognized. I only knew about three Stella alchemists.

“This way.”

We arrived at an office temporarily labeled ‘Alterisha School.’

Of course, not all alchemists in the Alchemy Castle were collaborative researchers. They were divided into various schools according to their principles and pursuits, and Alterisha had established her own.

Knock, knock!

“I’m coming in.”

Despite knocking, there was no response. As if accustomed to this, the lady opened the door, and a violent explosion echoed from inside.

Boom!!

“Gah!”

I quickly pulled the lady back and shielded her, but fortunately, it wasn’t a major accident; only steam was leaking out.

“What a fright…”

It would be nice to use wind control magic at times like this. As I waved away the smoke with my hand and entered, the alchemists inside were coughing. They all belonged to Alterisha’s school, and I was surprised by their number.

Among them, a particularly noticeable pink-haired individual.

Her hair, greasy and nearly gray, was tied up haphazardly as she coughed, yet a smile spread across her face.

The other alchemists were the same.

“Haha, we finally did it!”

Whack!

“Ow…!”

A dwarf smacked Alterisha on the back, causing her whole body to convulse. She tried to rub her unreachable back while laughing.

“It’s all thanks to Hwarseok Koden.”

Now I saw that the alchemist working with Alterisha was none other than ‘Golden Alchemist’ Hwarseok Koden.

As expected. She was working with the top alchemist, just like in the original story.

“Assistant. I’m here.”

T h is w a s c opie d f r o m king m tl . o rg
“Oh, Yu-seol? I can’t see you…”

“Why don’t you turn on the ventilation?”

“I’ll do it now!”

Another alchemist reacted sharply to my words and rushed out. It was quite burdensome, considering the alchemists working here should have substantial expertise.

After the smoke cleared, I could finally face her properly. Alterisha pulled a makeshift table over and proudly showed off the item she had just synthesized. Or rather, Hwarseok Koden proudly showed it off.
Th i s wa s c o p i e d fr o m ki ng m t l.o r g

“Hey, student. See this? Do you see it?”

“I see it clearly.”
Th is w a s c op i e d f ro m k ingm t l. or g

“This is a Shield Bracelet. Look, you wear it like this.”

Hwarseok Koden wore a silver ring on his arm.

“And when you press this.”

As he activated it, the bracelet extended, covering his entire forearm.

“Even in this state, it boasts the defense of a class 3. But if you activate it again…”

Zing!!

Th is w a s c o p i e d fr o m k i ng mt l.org
A shield the size of three of my faces appeared from the bracelet. Unlike other shields, there wasn’t a single magic circle drawn on it.

“How is it? Isn’t it amazing? Even if someone lacks mana or can’t use magic, they can cast a shield spell once! Though the defense is only 500, it’s still a big help in a pinch.”

“Wow…”

I couldn’t help but be genuinely impressed. To develop a class 3 item in such a short time.

“It’s all thanks to this little one!”

Whack

Alterisha got smacked on the back again, spilling the coffee in her mouth.

Hwarseok Koden chuckled as he fiddled with the bracelet.

“Every day feels so exciting now. Before, we just kept repeating the same research, satisfied with small discoveries. Do you see over there?”

Following his finger, I saw dozens of researchers fiddling with large machines, manipulating holographic charts, and mixing reagents.

“Those guys used to crawl on the ground with no motivation. But after joining this little one’s school, everything changed!”

“Haha…”

Alterisha laughed awkwardly, but Hwarseok Koden wasn’t wrong.
Th i s w as c o p i ed fro m ki n gm t l. o r g

The first Alchemy Magical Engineer.

A genius who combined alchemy and enchantment.

The greatest engineering genius in the world.

A prodigy blessed by the gods.

An alchemist who changed the world.

I want to eat pork cutlets.

A woman who broke the limits of impossibility.

A scientist who pioneered a new era.

And so on.

There were many titles extolling Alterisha, and none of them were an exaggeration.

“Once we announce this, the world will be turned upside down.”

T his wa s c o p i ed f ro m k i n g m t l. o r g
I agreed with that statement.

When Alterisha announced that she had deciphered the Random Aeration Cross Formula, the academic world went into a frenzy.

But that was limited to scholars.

The general public didn’t yet realize how amazing it was. They just thought it was impressive that a difficult problem was solved.

But what if a groundbreaking ‘new technology’ were to appear here?

Even children would know.

How great an invention Alterisha, the alchemist, had made.

“By the way, aren’t you also a ‘co-author’? Walking the path of a magic warrior is good, but if you had joined the Alchemy Castle as an alchemist, you could have gained much more wealth and fame. Why didn’t you?”

I thought for a moment. Should I make an excuse, or tell the truth?

Hwarseok Koden was a good person, and in the distant future, Alterisha would rely on him the most. He was a wise alchemist.

I had planned to reveal this to those around me eventually, so it might be good to start with a smart person.

“I have no mana in my body, so I can’t live as an alchemist.”

“…What?”

Hwarseok Koden’s eyebrows twitched. Alterisha, who didn’t know this, widened her eyes and trembled, holding her coffee.

“Th-that… what do you mean…?”

“Literally. I was born with a constitution that can’t accept mana, a ‘Mana Leakage Syndrome’ body.”

No one in the school knew this, but it wasn’t exactly a secret. The school decided not to expel me even though they knew I couldn’t use magic, so it didn’t matter if it was revealed at any time.

I just hadn’t mentioned it because there was no reason to.

It would be revealed soon during the physical examination anyway.

“Does this mean… you’re living… a limited life?”

Ah.

It comes off that way.

But I had already extended my lifespan through training, and I planned to fully awaken my abilities later by obtaining the heart of a divine beast and receiving Leafanel’s help, so it wasn’t a big deal.

As I silently sipped my coffee, Hwarseok Koden and Alterisha’s faces grew increasingly somber.

Mana Leakage Syndrome typically doesn’t allow one to live past 19. They seemed to misunderstand that I had resigned myself to death.

“No… it is true that I have a limited time, but I have no intention of dying. I’ve already found a treatment. I will live healthily and for a very long time.”

As I reassured them, Hwarseok Koden and Alterisha sighed in relief.

“More importantly…”

I quickly changed the topic.

“May I see that shield bracelet for a moment?”

“Oh, uh, of course. Actually, I intended to give it to you as a gift.”

“For me? This… precious item?”

“Yeah. Honestly, without your idea, we couldn’t have made this.”

“Oh…”

Suddenly, something surged from within my chest.

I had intended to take it anyway, but receiving it as a free gift made me feel guilty, grateful, and sorry…

“Thank you…”

I said, gently scratching the shield bracelet.

Alchemy is structured similarly to modern ‘semiconductors,’ with countless tiny mana lines connected inside.

‘It’s still a bit crude since it’s in the early stages, with some unnecessary parts.’

After examining the structure closely through the Bulbul Glasses, I spoke.

Th i s w as cop ied f r om k i n g m t l . o r g
“May I borrow a mana welding pen?”

“Why?”

Without a word, I took Alterisha’s mana pen and brought it to the shield bracelet. Hwarseok Koden twitched his eyebrows, but Alterisha stopped him.

Slowly, I connected the mana lines to resemble those of the future shield bracelet I knew.

Erasing the existing ones and restructuring them for more efficient output.

“All done.”

“…What have you done?”

Though it seemed Hwarseok Koden wasn’t pleased with me touching his masterpiece, his reaction would change after seeing this.

Zing!!

When I wore the bracelet and activated it, a much denser shield appeared than before.

Hwarseok Koden immediately jumped up and brought a measuring device.

“The defense… has increased to 800. It’s almost 1.5 times more efficient.”

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but I didn’t know it could be used like this.”

He fiddled with the bracelet in disbelief, then looked at me blankly. Other passing alchemists also stared at the bracelet on my wrist in shock.

“The title of ‘co-author’ wasn’t just for show! I thought she just added your name because she liked you. You’re really something.”

Hwarseok Koden exclaimed repeatedly, and Alterisha, seemingly shocked, turned the shield bracelet over and over.

“I’ll return this. You can apply it to other items as well.”

“Oh, yeah… I’ll make something even better and give it to you later…”

She trailed off, or rather, couldn’t finish her sentence. Alterisha was already lost in some new idea.

Hwarseok Koden, watching her, looked at me seriously.

“Would you consider working under me? No, that’s not right. I’ll let you work as an equal partner. You’re a treasure to humanity. Don’t worry about the lack of mana. I’ll assign a few alchemists as mana shuttles for you.”

“Haha…”

I appreciated the offer, but it wasn’t possible. This was a technology Alterisha would establish within half a year.

I had just provided her with a head start. She would have figured it out on her own anyway, so my role was just to accelerate the development.

“I’m sorry. I have my reasons for pursuing the path of a magic warrior.”
Th i s wa s c op i e d f r o m k i n g mt l . o rg

“I see… It can’t be helped.”

“By the way, I have a request. Assistant?”

“Assistant?”

“Huh? Uh, what is it?”

Alterisha answered with sparkling eyes. Her mind must have been flooded with ideas from the mana line I drew.

So, my request would greatly help her.

“Do you know what this is?”

When I placed the Force Vessel on the table, Hwarseok Koden chuckled.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen one. It’s rare these days. What do you plan to do with it?”

“I intend to create an item.”

“Enchantment?”

“Spatial magic.”

Th i s wa s c o p i e d f r o m k i n g m tl. o r g
Hwarseok Koden’s expression turned strange, and Alterisha smiled awkwardly.

“We’re not quite there yet. We’ve never tried enchanting with elemental magic.”

“I know. I’m not asking you to do it right now. Just when you have the technology, please do it then.”

It would be done within a few months. Alterisha was a genius, after all.

“Hmm, but who will you get to enchant it with spatial magic? Spatial magical engineers are exceedingly rare.”

Alchemy magical engineering requires both an alchemist to process the materials and a magical engineer to enchant them. Since Alterisha hadn’t yet mastered magical engineering, we needed an engineer to enchant it…

“The principal of Stella Academy agreed to help. You don’t need to worry about that part.”

“The principal?!”

“Huh. So the old man from Stella is going to help? You really are something.”

Alterisha’s mouth widened in astonishment, while Hwarseok Koden simply laughed. It wasn’t surprising anymore.

Since they now trusted my words, it was time to bring out the next items.

“Oh, and… it’s time to create a ‘masterpiece.’ I brought the blueprints for some items I thought we could make as prototypes.”

When I spread the blueprints on the table, a few alchemists peeked over. At a sharp look from Hwarseok Koden, they quickly vanished.

Alterisha read through the blueprints with keen interest.

To be honest, those blueprints contained quite a bit of my personal desire… or rather, a lot. I planned to use them first once they were made.

“Hmm… not bad. The materials are a bit expensive, though.”

“Oh, about that…”

I was about to explain how I planned to handle the material costs, but Alterisha spoke first.

“We don’t need to worry about the cost.”

“What? It’s quite expensive.”

“It’s fine. We received sponsorship recently, remember? From Chairman Melian.”

Ah. That’s right.

Melian was indeed an extraordinary person. While some corporations waited until they saw tangible results, he had already invested a large sum.

“I wanted to use the research funds soon, and this is the perfect opportunity!”

I asked casually.

“How much do we have?”

“Wanna see?”

Alterisha grinned and showed me the account.

And then.

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“What is this…

A money duplication bug?”

End of Chapter