Ch. 49 - Academic Conference (1)

I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy

Chapter 49: Academic Conference (1)

Unlike the Magic Academy Conference, the Alchemy and Magic Engineering Conference was slightly smaller in scale.

It was quite ironic to think that most of the scientific technologies that advanced this world were alchemy and magic engineering, yet the conference on combat magic received the most attention.

But considering that this world had always been in confrontation with the forces of evil, known as the dark mages, it was inevitable.

Furthermore, combat magic was much more difficult and challenging compared to alchemy or magic engineering.

To simplify the complexity of magic, it could be compared to a combination of Chinese characters and mathematics. Adding mathematics to already complex Chinese characters was a horrific task beyond imagination.

For example, there was a magic spell that required interpreting and drawing the formula (4+5×7). The mage must inscribe the magical word (𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖕𝖑𝖚𝖘 𝖋𝖎𝖛𝖊 𝖒𝖚𝖑𝖙𝖎𝖕𝖑𝖎𝖊𝖉 𝖇𝖞 𝖘𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓) onto the array of mana, then integrate and connect it with mana lines by engraving a circular bracket array and drawing the interpreted formula with the correct stroke order to complete a sort of equation.

Moreover, that was not all.

Depending on the amount of mana injected, the power had to be adjusted, and calculations of trajectory, coordinates, range, and so on had to be made on the spot in order to manifest it.

What did this mean?

To put it simply and quickly, magic was a mess.

Doing that alone was very difficult in and of itself, much less doing it during a battle.

Therefore, not just anyone could be a mage. For these reasons, the academic conference on magic combat was highly popular among students, while alchemy or magic engineering had a significantly lower participation rate among students.

Baek Yu-Seol, too, didn’t really want to go to academic conferences and such, but he decided to attend this one.

He had been diligently looking after Alterisha until now, so wouldn't it be necessary to see the results with his own eyes?

"We're almost there."

"Yeah, that's right. Phew, I'm nervous."

The venue for the academic conference changed every year.

Last year, it was held at the newly established alchemy lab in the Alchemy Tower, and the year before that, it took place at the Dwarf Mithril Research Institute.

This year, it was being held at the prestigious alchemy academy, Golden Light Academy, located in the Dwarven Kingdom.

As the originators of metal magic were the dwarves, it was expected that this year's conference would be different from usual, so he understood why Alterisha was so nervous.

[Golden Light Academy Entrance Station. The doors will open on the right side.]

As the train entered through the center of a towering volcano, a massive cave-like space appeared.

It was the capital of the Dwarf Kingdom, the Black Iron Empire, known for its abundant gold mines.

It was vast, high, and desolate.

The towering ceiling was so high that it didn't seem like a cave, and one couldn’t see the end of it. Only faint, twinkling lights like starlight pierced through the dim mist.

The buildings reached high into the sky, appearing reminiscent of a cyberpunk cityscape.

Despite the dark and oppressive atmosphere, the dwarves living there seemed lively and energetic.

Countless steel tracks extended through the air, and numerous trains were shuttling back and forth, giving it the nickname ‘City of Spiders.’

"Wow..."

The city’s appearance—starting from the ancient civilization where the Golden Solstice Moon of the twelve divine moons dwelled up to the pinnacle of mechanical culture in modern times—was impressive.

Despite having the fewest number of magic warriors, it seemed to explain why the invasion of the dark forces was not successful in the world.

Somehow, Baek Yu-Seol’s heart raced with excitement.

The dwarven emperor resided in the tall fortress located right in the heart of the city's abundant gold mines.

The unwavering strength possessed by the dwarves with bodies as unyielding as steel was a blessing that he, a body practitioner, had to acquire.

‘Not yet. I have to wait for the right time.’

If he just waited patiently, the event where he encountered the Golden Solstice Moon would automatically occur.

There was no need to be impatient.

Ding!

As the train doors opened, Alterisha carefully stepped out.

Despite being called the Golden Light Academy Entrance Station, it still took another 10 minutes of walking to reach the actual Golden Light Academy.

When they arrived at the Golden Light Academy, both Alterisha and Baek Yu-Seol were taken aback.

At the main entrance of the academy were marble stairs covered with a red carpet, and in front of it were numerous luxury foreign carriages.

How could they not be overwhelmed as researchers and professors who were dressed in splendid suits ascended the stairs while cameras flashed?

Perhaps Professor Maizen Tyren also climbed those steps.

"Um... Y-Yu-Seol..."

Alterisha looked at him, seeking help.

Fortunately, there was a solution. Perhaps to accommodate the humble alchemist burdened by the grand staircase meant for the upper class, there was a small back door available.

"Let's go through the back door..."

"Yeah, that's a good idea."

In the fantasy genre, dwarves, along with elves, were indispensable.

However, the dwarves of this world were slightly different from the fixed stereotypes. Many of them were bespectacled, rigid alchemists who explored the essence of matter, rather than the hammer-wielding, axe-swinging brutes usually depicted.

And their sense of aesthetics was quite unique.

"What the heck! Ugly humans are here again!"

The stout, brown-skinned dwarves, who were as tall as a person's waist, always called humans ugly.

Half of the alchemists gathered in the auditorium were dwarves who generally disliked going to other cities.

However, since the symposium was held in their homeland, they seemed to participate eagerly.

"Sir Halsecoden! Calling someone ugly is not polite in human society! Please use a different language!"

"Oh, is that so? Humans are peculiar."

In dwarf society, calling someone ugly was, in a sense, the highest form of praise.

Halsecoden, as he was called, tried to get along with humans, but it seemed difficult due to the cultural differences between the two races.

“Well, humans are so finicky.”

He nodded deeply as if deeply enlightened by the assistant’s words and spoke to another human who was nearby.

"You. Your features are quite extraordinary."

He seemed to have put effort into flattery.

"I'm honored that you appreciate my features!"

“Hmm! Despite your face looking like it's been kneaded, it's nice to see that you can accept your ugliness. Modern humans are full of complaints despite their appearance!”

"Sir Halsecoden, that's discriminatory speech!"

"So what?!"

Despite Halsecoden obviously looking down on people, there was a reason why people accepted it and nodded their heads.

He was the only top-tier alchemist who had achieved the rank of golden alchemist in that place.

In the past, the gold rank, which was the dream of all alchemists, was the highest in the industry.

Even after that, Halsecoden went around encountering human alchemists and openly commenting, "Your face looks like a rock!" or "Your face looks sick!"

Most alchemists, including dwarves and humans, would bow their heads and express gratitude.

He circled the hall, and as he passed by Baek Yu-Seol, he asked, "Is this human a man or a woman?"

When Baek Yu-Seol made an expression of disbelief, the assistant trembled and bowed her head.

Being human, she seemed accustomed to Halsecoden’s outrageous remarks.

"Sir Halsecoden, typically, men have short hair and women have long hair."

"Oh? Nelisha, didn't you say you're a human woman? But you have short hair."

"These days, women also have short hair and men have long hair. Please let go of such narrow-minded and stereotypical views."

“Do you want to be fired?"

"I’ll report unfair dismissal to the labor board."

‘Tsk, why are all humans like this?’

Halsecoden clicked his tongue and looked at Baek Yu-Seol.

"Anyway, this guy has a damn confusing appearance."

‘Hey, you’re hurting my feelings.’

Interestingly, Halsecoden passed by Alterisha without casually calling her ugly.

"You... Well, you look passable, I guess."

"Oh, really?! Th-Thank you!"

In fact, Halsecoden was famous as a designer boasting the highest level of aesthetic sense in the world. So, to be considered passable by him was the highest praise of all praises.

She didn't wear any makeup, and her hair was messy, plus she wore thick horn-rimmed glasses, so many people couldn't understand her lowkey appearance.

However, Halsecoden’s eyes pierced through all those superficial layers and looked at the essence with aesthetic appreciation.

She could be called a one-in-a-million beauty.

Of course, in dwarf society, being considered passable was quite a severe insult.

"Oh, I apologize for the initial impression."

So Halsecoden apologized without even being asked. He had no idea that his words were the highest praise in human society.

"Um, Sir Halsecoden, would you kindly take a seat?"

While Halsecoden cheerfully exchanged dwarf-style greetings as he walked around, the moderator nervously approached and spoke.

"Hmm? Time has flown by already. Well then."

One by one, the alchemists took their seats.

Maizen sat separately with the professors, engaging in conversation and completely ignoring their side.

It didn't matter.

She had fulfilled her role just by bringing Alterisha to the presentation.

Once the preparations were completed, a staff member stepped up to the podium as the host. Surprisingly, he was an elf.

"To all the professors and researchers of the Alchemy Society, greetings. I am Itaren, the Chief Researcher of the Alchemical Fusion Institute, responsible for hosting the 87th Golden Academic Conference."

Clap! Clap!

"For our first session, we will be discussing the impact of potions on health and recovery. We invite potion scholars to present and analyze their new potions. Now, without further ado, Professor Maizen Tyren from Stella Academy will be giving a presentation."

"Phew..."

Finally, it began.

Alterisha was so nervous that her hands trembled.

Unfortunately, as a mere observer, Baek Yu-Seol couldn't be by her side to comfort her. He could only send a distant signal of encouragement.

"Hello. I am Maizen Tyren from Stella Academy, and I have been entrusted with presenting the alpha-type Red Potion today."

"Wow...!"

Red Potion was a healing potion with various types and derived variants. It seemed that healing potions were popular among the general public, but further improvements and increasing performance had been challenging.

However, the initial response was quite positive. And all of it was thanks to Alterisha’s research results.

"Now, if you look at this side first..."

However, Maizen Tyren seemed to have completely forgotten about Alterisha’s existence and confidently presented the paper as if it were her own.

"Impressive, Professor Maizen!"

"I didn't know you could improve the Red Potion. Great idea."

Those compliments were supposed to be directed at Alterisha if things had gone according to the original episode.

There were plenty of ways to expose the truth such as asking detailed questions about the unique blending method that only Alterisha could understand, or how she formulated it and with what formula and substances.

If one just threw precise questions at her, she would likely become flustered and start babbling nonsense.

However, Baek Yu-Seol held back.

Alterisha also remained patient and waited. Like a predator targeting the vulnerability of its prey.

Today's academic conference would be unlike any other academic conference.

Clap! Clap!

Professor Maizen’s presentation ended successfully, and afterward, professors, researchers, and alchemists gave their presentations.

The quality of today's presentations was much higher than average, so some merchants and businessmen attending as observers quickly started to make their moves.

"Moving on, we’ll have the presentation from the assistant to Stella Academy’s Professor Maizen."

Meanwhile, it was Alterisha’s turn, but she wasn't even called by name.

"Regarding the potion you presented, the pharmaceutical company I introduced to you before..."

"I enjoyed your presentation. It was about the extraction of natural regenerative cells as you explained, right?"

"Haha, the water-based coating you mentioned that you're developing this time? I'll put some effort into this matter as well."

No one paid attention to an assistant's presentation.

Amidst everyone's indifference...

"Uh…"

Alterisha slowly stood up from her seat and walked towards the podium. She spoke with a slightly trembling voice as if she was nervous.

The speech began.

"Hello, everyone. I am Alterisha, an alchemist affiliated with Stella Academy. Today, the topic of my presentation is…”

Nobody was listening.

However, it was expected.

So instead of a normal spell, she uttered a spell that was even more magical, and it successfully captured everyone's attention.

"... the perfect theorem and understanding of the Alchemical Engineering Cross Technique.”

Ch. 49 - Academic Conference (1)

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