Ch. 51 - Academic Conference (3)
I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic AcademyThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Notes
Sponsored chapter 1/2.
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Sponsored chapter 1/2.
Chapter 51: Academic Conference (3)
The two prepared whiteboards were of different sizes according to Maizen’s request.
Maizen’s whiteboard was incredibly large, while Alterisha’s was only about a quarter of its size.
Maizen had four researchers assisting her, while Baek Yu-Seol did nothing and merely stood by the side.
"How interesting. Let's get started, shall we? Do we have any beer?"
"Sir Halsecoden, please maintain your dignity."
"Enough, let's begin!"
With Halsecoden’s shout, Alterisha and Maizen each took out a marker for their respective whiteboards.
Alterisha’s marker was a multicolored magical pen prepared by Baek Yu-Seol’s ideas derived from his knowledge of the future.
"Hmm? What's that pen?"
"A magic pen that's not even a ballpoint pen but colored? Can it change colors with a button?"
"That... could make some money."
As some entrepreneurs' eyes sparkled with excitement, alchemists held their breaths and focused on the work of the two alchemists.
The moment the breathtaking confrontation began, a man sitting in the corner of the audience instinctively took out a cigarette from his pocket.
The woman sitting next to him slapped his hand.
"Squad Leader Kaen, this is a no-smoking zone!"
"...Right."
"Ah, you’re hopeless."
Kaen put the cigarette back in his pocket and concentrated on the conference. Even though his original mission was not to attend the conference, this confrontation was so thrilling and interesting that it made him forget his original task.
‘Isn’t this fun?’
Looking at the squad leader, Hyejin shook her head.
Deputy Leader Hyejin Macaron belonged to New Moon Tower’s Unit 13, Dark Mage Extermination Squad.
She was an elite among elites of the world’s top magical warrior organization that operated in the shadows and was even qualified to judge the Council of the Magic Circle, the pinnacle of this world's magicians.
Furthermore, Kaen, who was sitting next to her, was her superior, having hunted down countless dark mages at danger level 6, completing hundreds of successful missions.
Once again, she had been dispatched here to search for high-level monsters lurking in society. However, of all places, it happened to be this dreadfully boring alchemists' conference.
'Boring!'
Her knowledge of alchemy was limited to the basics she learned during her school days at the magic school.
She glanced at Professor Maizen. This time, the target they were monitoring was exceptionally unique, as it was none other than a professor from the esteemed Stella Academy, a prestigious institution for elite magical warriors.
‘Does this even make sense?’
Stella Academy. Even the name alone was self-explanatory, describing a perfectly crafted space.
And now, one of their professors was possibly undergoing dark mage corruption.
Still, the squad leader fully trusted the words of New Moon’s tower master, which was a problem. No matter how much she thought about it, this mission seemed like a bust.
"Hmm? Hmm?"
Amidst that, the atmosphere underwent a subtle change.
The alchemists, who had been holding their breath while observing the solution, began to waver.
"That is..."
"It's similar, but interpreted from a slightly different perspective."
"But..."
One alchemist was about to express their opinion but stopped. Perhaps everyone in this room was thinking the same thing.
Because…
‘The assistant's interpretation is simpler and clearer than Professor Maizen’s, isn't it?’
Moreover, there was a slight difference in the final answer.
Finally, they moved on to the solution of the second problem.
Around this time, a few alchemists began to murmur.
"That is...!"
"We’ve seen various interpretations for the solution to the second problem, but…”
“This is something new..."
It wasn't directed towards Professor Maizen since her solution was not much different from the solutions they had seen so far in other problems.
However, Alterisha’s solution was completely different.
It was as if she was looking at it from a different dimension.
There were no minimum conditions or rules for combining the magic circle with the material itself.
The second difficulty was known to require the theorem of coupling for 4-dimensional crystalline substances.
It was also known that it was possible to solve it only after writing at least 200 lines.
But Alterisha solved it in just 19 lines.
"Good grief. I'm a magic engineer, so I'm not familiar with alchemy, but I understand that."
Scholars realized why Alterisha started with such a small whiteboard.
It was because she had the confidence to solve all five puzzles within that small space.
As the solution to the third puzzle began, the atmosphere gradually shifted. Professor Maizen Tyren’s explanation was undoubtedly remarkable. From the third puzzle onwards, there was not a single person who had solved it even once.
Professor Maizen was undoubtedly impressive, but…
"... Alterisha is even more impressive."
Someone unintentionally blurted out their inner thoughts.
However, no one reprimanded him because they themselves were thinking the same thing.
Professor Maizen wiped off cold sweat with a bewildered expression.
'This can't be happening...'
‘What is this solution that I've never seen or even thought of? It's similar to mine but slightly different.’
The reason for such a distinct difference was actually obvious.
Baek Yu-Seol had divulged formulas from a distant future to Alterisha.
It was a formula from a world far ahead in time. Alterisha modified it according to her own taste and after using her own technique.
In other words, the solution completed by Maizen was good, while the one done by Alterisha could be described as perfect.
With such a solution being presented, how could it be compared to an unfinished thesis?
Finally, the fourth solution began, and Professor Maizen could no longer remain silent.
The whiteboard was not large enough. Even though she used a whiteboard four times larger than Alterisha’s, it was still insufficient.
She requested an additional whiteboard, but amidst that, Alterisha continued to write formulas on her small whiteboard without pause.
Around that time, the alchemists, one by one, realized something and either jumped up from their seats screaming or clamped their mouths shut.
"I see now...! The reason Professor Maizen couldn't complete the formulas is finally visible there!"
Halsecoden also realized something and laughed heartily.
So far, all senior alchemists had approached the five problems as separate problems with various interpretations.
Professor Maizen Tyren was no exception.
But Alterisha’s approach was different.
She approached all five puzzles as a unified whole, integrating them and progressing with the solution!
A few exceptionally brilliant alchemists were even able to anticipate the solution to the final fifth puzzle to some extent.
And their thoughts were accurate.
Alterisha successfully intertwined all five puzzles into one, achieving a harmonious combination.
"How did she establish multidimensional thermodynamics based on Ernest's theorem and achieve the reflection of Chronical?!"
"If that's the case, we can prove the hypothesis of a 3.8-fold amplification of the angular magical rotation."
Thump!
Finally, after completing all the solutions, Alterisha lightly tapped the whiteboard with her marker and turned around.
Some alchemists screamed in astonishment, while others ran outside or sat in disbelief.
It was a glorious realization that they could stand at the starting point of a new era where history was being rewritten.
"AAAAHHH!"
"This is insane! It's truly insane!"
Not even the calmest alchemists could mediate this chaos. In fact, they themselves were bewildered. Who could possibly mediate anyone in such a situation?
"Argh..."
Now, no one looked at Maizen anymore. It seemed as if Alterisha had cast a shadow over them all.
The whiteboard Maizen had requested was still not there.
The apprentice who had gone out to get it completely forgot about it under the surprise brought by Alterisha’s solutions.
Crack! Crack!
Every vein on Maizen’s body pulsated with anger.
‘Unacceptable. Those fools are deceiving you all. Can't you see? The formulas are similar. That solution there is just like mine. There's no doubt about it. They plagiarized my formula.’
‘Why don't you understand?’
‘How can a woman in her twenties solve all these problems on her own? Even I, with the support of dozens of researchers, barely solved these four problems!’
She looked at Alterisha, her eyes pulsating with blood vessels.
"Al...terisha…”
"Professor?"
"In that sinister atmosphere, Alterisha took a step back involuntarily.
Baek Yu-Seol, with the staff secretly grasped in his arms, blocked Alterisha’s path.
"How long… are you going to… keep deceiving and undermining me? Modifying the stolen thesis… and disguising it as your own... Do you enjoy it?"
"Hey! Security! Stop her!"
Professor Maizen’s condition was peculiar.
The alchemists stood up from their seats, and the facilitator quickly took control of the situation.
Just when the magic warriors standing guard were about to move…
Alterisha shouted, "Stop it! Admit it!!"
Finally, Professor Maizen showed a normal reaction for the first time. She eerily turned her head to face them and parted her lips to utter a murmur.
"What... did you say?"
There was something eerie and terrifying about her expression, but Alterisha had no intention of stopping there.
"M-My paper is clearly better than yours, Professor! Was stealing the paper you presented earlier not enough? How much more of my work do you want to steal before your conscience kicks in?"
The alchemists murmured in discontent.
"What? That Red Potion paper from earlier belonged to her assistant?"
"Hmm, well... something did seem off..."
Countless thoughts raced through Alterisha’s mind, mostly bitter memories of her time with Professor Maizen.
“You foolish girl. Is that all you're capable of?”
“I'm sorry.”
“I told you to prepare it properly! How many times do I have to say it for you to understand?”
“But… but I did it as you wanted, Professor…”
“Even if I said something wrong, you should have understood! You've worked under me for years and you still can't do something so basic?!”
“I'm sorry! Please, please don't kick me out!”
“Listen carefully. Without me, you won't even be able to set foot in this academic field. You understand, right? So do it properly!”
She had been deceived, robbed, oppressed, and endured immense pain under Professor Maizen. She wanted to cry, but she had to hold it in. All those memories came flooding back.
That surge of emotions.
"Professor…”
She exploded all at once.
"Professor, you're more of a fool than I am!"
Silence.
With a timid yet resolute statement, all the alchemists opened their mouths wide in astonishment.
"Gasp...!"
Even Professor Maizen froze, wide-eyed.
"Hahaha!" Halsecoden burst into laughter. "How amusing. Today's presentation is truly amusing!"
Perhaps due to his laughter, Maizen also regained her composure.
But it would have been better if she hadn't regained her composure.
Thanks to her regaining her reason, Maizen quickly grasped the situation she was in.
'What have I done?'
She looked around the hall.
Former colleagues, acquaintances, and companions who respected one another. All of them were looking at her with faces that seemed to convey disgust and pity.
"No, no. It's not true! Look! This woman stole my paper! Why, why don't you understand?"
No one responded to his words.
Perhaps it was because she was already partially out of her mind, but there was no longer any worth in having the professor who had tried to plagiarize her assistant’s paper twice.
"Take her out."
"No... No! Aahh!"
With a cold remark from Halsecoden, the situation was concluded as two security guards dragged Maizen out.
Thump!
"Ughhh..."
Maybe because all her tension was released, but several officials and bodyguards in suits had to rush over to take care of Alterisha as she plopped down on the floor.
"Are you alright, Assistant Alterisha? Here, we have water and a towel."
"Would you like to take some medicine?"
"There's a university hospital nearby that I operate. Would you like to have a check-up?"
"Hahahaha..."
With the stark change in treatment, Alterisha could finally realize what she had done.
Thump!
She lifted her head and looked at Baek Yu-Seol who was approaching her. He was smiling as always, but for some reason, that smile felt unforgettable today.
"Assistant Alterisha, you've worked hard today." Baek Yu-Seol reached out his hand and spoke, and Alterisha warmly smiled and shook his hand.
"Yes!"