Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 90
Chapter 90
Familiar Contract Ceremony (2)
Everyone wants to contract with a Familiar, but not everyone can.
So, there was only one point of interest in this Familiar Contract Ceremony.
‘Who will succeed in contracting with a Divine Beast?’
‘What kind of incredible Divine Beast will they contract with?’
Divine Beasts also had grades, starting from the lowest 7-Star grade to 6-Star, 5-Star… and finally the 1-Star grade, just before becoming a Spirit.
Even contracting with the lowest 7-Star grade was already impressive. At Stella Academy, where geniuses gathered, only about 5% managed to contract each year.
But Hong Bi-yeon had no intention of being satisfied with the lowest grade.
“Wow…”
“Princess, the atmosphere here is gorgeous.”
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“Stop saying unnecessary things. We need to get out of here quickly.”
As they entered the 1st layer, an entirely green world unfolded. Ordinary boys and girls were lost in the stunning scenery, but Hong Bi-yeon was unimpressed.
‘The 1st layer only has 7-Star grades.’
She needed to get out of there as soon as possible.
While other students were leisurely enjoying the place as if they were at an amusement park, she quickly moved on.
Hong Bi-yeon’s target was a 5-Star Divine Beast residing in the 3rd layer.
A 5-Star grade was quite dangerous; these Divine Beasts had self-awareness, intelligence, could think, were wary of humans, and had distinct personalities.
Some had dirty tempers and attacked humans for no reason, so one had to be cautious.
It wouldn’t be easy, but she was ready.
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‘I’ve already studied about the Divine Beasts.’
She had stayed up all night, studying with nosebleeds, learning about their habits, characteristics, tendencies, and abilities. Which Divine Beast suited her, which ones she had the best chances of contracting with, and which ones to avoid.
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Thanks to her efforts, she had identified a few Divine Beasts with the highest likelihood of contracting.
All 12 of her faction members were rankers from Class A, and five of them were elites who had survived the Necromancer incident with her. So, moving with them should make the contract with a Divine Beast manageable.
Three hours into their entry.
Leading her faction to a secluded spot in the 1st layer, Hong Bi-yeon found a passage leading to the 2nd layer.
It took quite some time, as the space was so jumbled.
The 1st layer had docile wildlife and weak Divine Beasts, so her faction shouldn’t be too exhausted.
Hong Bi-yeon was about to enter the 2nd layer when one of the faction boys spoke to her.
“Princess. Arshuane looks pale.”
Arshuane, a girl also known as a prodigy of the fire attribute like Hong Bi-yeon, was usually in good physical condition due to her constant training, so Hong Bi-yeon was surprised but didn’t think too deeply about it.
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“Then let’s take a short break. Save the rations, and replenish your strength with water and chocolate bars.”
Arshuane raised her head, sweating profusely, and spoke with dry lips.
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“Princess, if you’re delaying because of me… I have no prob—”
“Just do as I say. We have a week’s time anyway.”
“But…”
“It’s better to rest now than to get exhausted at a crucial moment.”
Saying that, Hong Bi-yeon disappeared into the forest, claiming she was going to scout the surroundings.
“Come on, the Princess said so.”
“Arshuane, rest up.”
“You have a slight fever… is it a cold?”
“She seemed fine before coming in.”
“Oh, I read in a book that if your resonance with a Divine Beast is off, even a slight aura can weaken you…”
Listening to their conversation, Arshuane clenched her fists.
‘Damn it, what’s happening to me…’
She couldn’t understand why her condition had suddenly deteriorated.
She had been especially careful about her health, anticipating the Familiar Contract Ceremony, and she was fine even when entering the roots.
But suddenly.
She felt like she was suffocating, her head was spinning, and her emotions were in turmoil.
She kept remembering the past.
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‘Arshuane, you are a once-in-a-century genius of fire!’
‘Such talent! You have the qualities of a great mage!’
‘Amazing magic! You’ll undoubtedly be an outstanding mage at Stella!’
Arshuane used to think she was the best.
She had the ability to control fire like her own limbs, an overwhelming talent no one could match.
…It didn’t take long for her to realize she was a frog in a well.
From the moment she entered Stella, she had met a ‘true genius.’
The girl blessed by fire.
Hong Bi-yeon.
Not just manipulating fire like her, Hong Bi-yeon was loved by fire itself, to a degree incomparable to Arshuane.
Yes. Arshuane’s talent was undoubtedly great.
But… Hong Bi-yeon’s overwhelming ability made Arshuane’s talent seem like just another common fire mage.
No one called her the hope of fire magic anymore.
She was just a slightly exceptional fire mage in Stella’s Class A.
‘I didn’t just sit back.’
Even when her mana was depleted, she forced herself to use fire magic, studied when everyone else was asleep, and trained secretly at dawn.
She shed tears of blood, trying to surpass Hong Bi-yeon.
But the more she tried, the more she realized.
Hong Bi-yeon Adolevit was a ‘wall’ to her.
No matter what she did, how she trained, how hard she studied, or how much she tried.
It was impossible to catch up to her.
Realizing that, she couldn’t anymore…
“We’ve rested enough, let’s move.”
Startled by Hong Bi-yeon’s voice, she looked up. As the faction members packed up, Arshuane dragged her weakening body to her feet.
Unlike the entirely green 1st layer, the 2nd layer had a blue hue.
The forms of the Divine Beasts wandering around were also distinctly different.
The 7-Star Divine Beasts in the 1st layer had no solid shape and were docile, but the 6-Star Divine Beasts in the 2nd layer had animal forms, and most of the wildlife were carnivorous.
Empowered by the Divine Beasts’ aura, the wildlife was strong, but they were no match for Hong Bi-yeon’s faction, with an average of 2nd or 3rd class.
Slap!
The wind blade scattered by a faction member beheaded a wild boar, and Hong Bi-yeon gave instructions.
“Save the rations. We’ll use that for tonight’s dinner.”
They had brought only three days’ worth of food. Due to the limited amount of luggage they could carry, foraging was essential.
Fwoosh!!
Arshuane, at the back, hunted another wild animal and brought it. Maybe she had adapted, feeling better than before.
No,
She felt much better than usual. Her stamina seemed to have increased, she felt unusually exhilarated, and her magic concentration was excellent.
‘This feels good.’
From the 2nd layer, the students began to search for Divine Beasts. The 7-Star grade had too low intelligence for contracts, and the 5-Star grade had stringent conditions, making contracts difficult.
The 6-Star grade had the highest success rate for contracts.
Arshuane also aimed to contract with a 6-Star grade.
“Look, a red deer!”
“I read in the guide that contracting with that deer enhances your understanding of fire attributes.”
“I’m of the lightning attribute, so it’s not relevant to me.”
“Hey, it’s coming this way?”
The 6-Star fire attribute Divine Beast, the red deer.
Though most Divine Beasts were wary of humans, the red deer strangely approached them, rubbing its cheek against Hong Bi-yeon.
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“Oh my.”
“A Divine Beast showing affection first…”
“Princess, will you contract with it?”
The faction members looked at her with admiration, but Hong Bi-yeon petted the deer’s forehead briefly and shook her head.
“No. It’s not the Divine Beast I want.”
“As expected of the Princess.”
Arshuane clenched her fist tightly. While some struggled to contract with a 6-Star Divine Beast, others dismissed it effortlessly.
The red deer lingered around Hong Bi-yeon, unable to leave, allowing the faction members to observe it closely.
Being a fire mage, Arshuane approached the red deer to try resonating with it.
Then.
-Eek!
The red deer fled in fear of Arshuane’s touch.
“Huh?”
“Why suddenly…?”
“Seems like a sensitive deer…”
“Don’t worry about it, Arshuane.”
It was obvious to everyone that the red deer ran away because of Arshuane. But to placate her, the faction members gave her awkward reassurances.
‘What is this…’
Clenching her fist, Arshuane looked at her hand in dismay.
‘A Divine Beast dislikes me?’
She couldn’t believe it. She wanted to think that the red deer was just peculiar.
But…
“Look, another Divine Beast is approaching the Princess.”
“It seems they’re attracted to her scent!”
All the Divine Beasts flocked to Hong Bi-yeon, and none approached Arshuane. Some even ran away in fear or tried to bite her.
It felt like the Divine Beasts were saying:
‘We don’t like you.’
‘Don’t come near.’
‘Scary.’
The faction members looked at Arshuane with pity. Rarely, some students had poor affinity with Divine Beasts, but it was uncommon, and they didn’t expect it to happen to someone they knew.
So, a day passed.
On the morning of the second day, Hong Bi-yeon’s faction found a passage leading to the 3rd layer faster than expected.
The 3rd layer was an entirely purple world. The wild animals there, empowered by the Divine Beasts’ aura, were incredibly strong, making solo activity impossible.
“This place is brutal…”
“Phew…”
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After a standoff with a pack of wolves, the exhausted faction members showed their tiredness, and Hong Bi-yeon decided to take a break.
“Everyone is tired, so let’s take a short rest before moving on. The food manager will distribute high-calorie snacks to everyone.”
The students busied themselves or rested, chatting.
“By the way, that was intense. When that 5-Star Divine Beast suddenly attacked, it scared me.”
“It doesn’t realize how terrifying it is to us.”
“The wildlife here is fierce… How dangerous must the 4-Star grade in the 4th layer be?”
“Don’t even think about it. Few students have returned alive from there. The 4th layer is sealed for a reason.”
While they were chatting, two students who had been scouting returned.
“Princess, we shouldn’t go north.”
“Why?”
“A barrier blocking the path to the 4th layer is in the way. Do you want to see it yourself?”
She nodded silently and stood up. Though she disliked wasting time, she had become more curious recently.
She wanted to know and learn everything…
“That way.”
After walking for a while, they reached a place with a massive, semi-transparent red barrier.
‘Beyond that is the 4-Star Divine Beast…’
While staring at the barrier, the faction members spoke.
“Princess, there’s a student there.”
Hong Bi-yeon squinted her eyes and looked. She recognized the boy in the Stella first-year coat.
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“Isn’t that Baek Yu-seol?”
“Indeed. But he’s alone. Seems dangerous.”
Wandering this dangerous area alone showed his guts.
“…What is he doing there?”
Baek Yu-seol was staring intently at the red barrier leading to the 4th layer. As if he could break it by looking at it.
“Hmm, he probably doesn’t know what to do. Should we bring him back? It’s dangerous to be alone in the 3rd layer.”
“Yes. I’ll go and…”
“Leave him be.”
“What?”
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The faction members widened their eyes at Hong Bi-yeon’s words. She turned away indifferently and said.
“That commoner will survive even if he enters the 4th layer alone.”
“No way.”
As the girls widened their eyes, a wild animal suddenly appeared behind Baek Yu-seol. It was a massive wolf, assumed to be a 3-Risk level.
Growl-! Thud!
However, the wolf fell to the ground instantly as it lunged at Baek Yu-seol. A short dagger from his left hand flashed and pierced its neck, killing it instantly.
“Wow…”
“He killed that wolf with just a dagger…”
The girls had fought that wolf and knew firsthand how tough, strong, and fast it was, so they were startled.
Even Hong Bi-yeon, who hadn’t expected this, widened her eyes but turned away nonchalantly.
“…Let’s go back.”
“Yes!”
As Hong Bi-yeon led her faction members back into the forest.
Baek Yu-seol quietly looked at the dagger in his left hand.
“Hmm, the destructive power is stronger than the Terivon Sword.”
The problem was that it only lasted 5 minutes.
Moreover, the wild animals in the Divine Beast space had strong ‘magic resistance’ due to absorbing Divine Beast energy but had regular ‘physical resistance,’ making them ideal opponents for Baek Yu-seol.
Even for Baek Yu-seol, it was unrealistic to kill a 3-Risk monster in one hit under normal circumstances.
It was purely a matter of compatibility.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Baek Yu-seol touched the barrier blocking the 4th layer.
Flash!
A small light scattered.
No one remained in that spot.
Only the silent wind swirled there.
End of Chapter