Ch. 57 - Masquerade Ball (1)
I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic AcademyThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Notes
Here’s the new chapter. Happy reading!
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Here’s the new chapter. Happy reading!
Chapter 57: Masquerade Ball (1)
The next morning.
Few students were active at dawn, just as the sun started to rise.
That was why Hong Bi-Yeon preferred this time.
Splash!
Hong Bi-Yeon immersed herself in the Class S exclusive swimming pool, diving deeper and deeper. The cold water wrapped around her body, dissipating her heated emotions.
Phew!
After swimming underwater for a long time, Hong Bi-yeon slowly emerged from the pool, gasping for air.
Drip, drip…
The sensation of water droplets flowing down her cheek from the ends of her hair was vivid.
She wiped her fair white skin.
Once, her skin was covered in burn scars, and she found it repulsive.
But now, the memory of her once-disgusting skin flashed through her mind.
During her childhood, she was engulfed in flames.
No, she had to walk through the fire.
"You were born with the blessing of fire."
"Mother, it hurts."
"Can't you endure this much?"
"Please, it hurts too much."
The child at that time was crying. She had to burn her body, survive in the fire, and devour the flames.
"You can do it."
"I can't."
"This is all for your sake."
"It's too painful."
The child screamed. Begged for mercy, for forgiveness.
But her mother didn't stop.
Whoosh!
In her memory, those dreadful red scars engulfed her mind.
"Ugh..."
Swaying, Hong Bi-Yeon suddenly felt dizzy and sat down on the ground, her legs losing strength.
"Haah, ha..."
She touched her skin with trembling hands. The sensation of clean, milky-white skin could be felt.
Although the burns from that time had completely healed, the horrific memory still lingered, leaving scars deep in her heart.
Scars that would, perhaps, never heal in her lifetime.
The reason she always enjoyed diving deep into the water was because of that past.
When she swam, it felt as if the unhealed burn scars were being washed away from her heart.
After taking off her swimsuit and entering the shower booth, she let the water run quietly. Her swollen face reflected back at her from the mirror.
It was the price she paid for shedding countless tears last night.
"Still?"
She tried to recall the memoir titled “Dear Mother” by Baek Yu-Seol but quickly shook her head to forget about it.
After finishing her shower and returning to the dormitory, she dressed neatly in her school uniform and turned her attention to the vanity.
There were various high-end cosmetics, but she rarely used them.
But today, she felt a bit... No, very plain. She thought it was all because of those detestable commoners as she sat down at the vanity.
She tapped the blush that she never used on her cheek and sighed.
What was she hoping for? It was her own fault.
As she did a little touch-up on her face, her gaze fell on her hair.
At the ends of her hair was a very faint hint of red. It was so faint that it could only be seen under the light.
It was a change that caught her attention.
After quickly finishing her makeup, she checked that there was still some time before class and headed toward the classroom bulletin board.
It was time to choose a team for the persona gate.
Some practice gates were already full, indicating that many students had finished their applications. However, there were still some practice gates with available spots.
"Hmm..."
She slowly looked through the list of applications for the practice gates.
[Team A-3]
[Hamilla, Amila, Karujin...]
Hamilla and Amila, the sisters of Team A-3.
Hamilla from second-year Class S and Amila from first-year Class S had a high chance of successfully breaking through the gate together.
Unfortunately, their positions overlapped.
Just like Hong Bi-Yeon, if she were to target the same gate as the girls who mainly used firepower-based magic, they would only end up competing against each other and reducing each other's scores.
[Team B-6]
[Pung Harang, Delano, Pachae Ryeong...]
Here, a student named Pung Harang caught her eye. He was a first-year Class S knight, known for using aggressive and predatory wind-based magic, unlike the composed and suppressing magic used by Knight Ma Yu-Seong.
Honestly, he wasn't a reliable knight. From the perspective of a priest, he fought too recklessly, making it burdensome.
Other mages were said to be fascinated by Pung Harang’s beast-like demeanor, and he had a massive number of followers. However, she couldn't understand it.
Apart from that, there was Kyle, ranked 17th in Class A, who efficiently utilized strategy and tactics, and Hae Won-Ryang from Class S.
She was slightly drawn to the gate they belonged to, but as soon as she discovered another list, all those thoughts came to a halt.
[Team C-7]
[Flame, Eisel... and Baek Yu-Seol.]
‘They're here again.’
Strangely enough, that boy, Baek Yu-Seol, seemed to follow Eisel everywhere.
Recently, it seemed like Eisel and Baek Yu-Seol had formed a club together. They often ate meals together, and their schedules overlapped quite a bit. They would frequently end up in the same group for team projects or during practice sessions, so at that point, Hong Bi-Yeon was convinced that there was some kind of relationship between them.
It made her quite uncomfortable.
Of all people, it had to be Eisel from the Morph family.
Baek Yu-Seol was an intriguing talent in his own right, so if by any chance he fell into Eisel’s hands, it could be troublesome to get him back.
With that thought in mind, Hong Bi-Yeon quickly made her gate selection.
[First-year Class S, Rank 5, Hong Bi-Yeon.]
[You have chosen the C-7 practice field.]
She turned away with a satisfied expression. This action didn't hold much meaning.
It was simply an effort as a princess to recruit more capable talents for her kingdom.
The day of the gate training had arrived.
All the first-year students gathered in Stella Dome.
Stella Dome currently resembled a vast field with gold scattered throughout its space.
Those were the persona gates, or to be more specific, openings to the spaces that led to the persona gates.
They gave off an eerie feeling.
All those numerous persona gates were nothing but fakes for training, except for C-7.
Flame took a deep breath. ‘Phew, I'm nervous…’
Eisel faced countless hardships in the original romance fantasy novel.
With no one to help her and everyone opposing her, she had to overcome the real persona gate.
But now, it was okay.
Eisel wasn't alone anymore.
Flame caught a glimpse of Baek Yu-Seol.
By his side stood Ma Yu-Seong with a calm and composed aura.
"It's a shame. I wanted to enter the same gate."
"Stick to your place."
"Still, it's fortunate. Hae Won-Ryang and I made a bet."
"Do you know you're seriously addicted to gambling?"
"Haha, really? I can bet money on the fact that I'm not addicted to gambling."
“You’re insane.”
From the conversation between the two, it seemed that the story of Hae Won-Ryang and Ma Yu-Seong making a bet was progressing as planned.
Ma Yu-Seong contributed more to defeating the boss monster, but Hae Won-Ryang received a much higher score.
While Ma Yu-Seong had the advantage in pure combat power, Hae Won-Ryang aced the training based on his leadership ability and in devising strategies.
The greatest combat mage, Ma Yu-Seong.
The greatest strategic mage, Hae Won-Ryang.
This fact was taken for granted in the original novel.
However, this world was not the original novel.
A very significant variable named Baek Yu-Seol had intervened.
‘Hmm…’
That thought crossed her mind.
With Baek Yu-Seol’s existence, could Ma Yu-Seong and Hae Won-Ryang truly reign supreme in their respective fields?
His intellect had already surpassed Hae Won-Ryang's, and his individual abilities were considered to be on par with Ma Yu-Seong's.
A knight who possessed both martial arts and literary skills.
‘He seems like a character that would only appear in a romance fantasy.’
As Flame thought about it, she felt a wave of amusement, and a hollow laugh escaped her mouth.
"Now, everyone, please move to your designated positions!"
The assistants busily directed the students to their respective gates.
Flame noticed a familiar friend who was quietly waiting in front of the C-7 gate and approached her.
"Jecky, we're in the same group, right? Let's do our best."
"..."
Flame tried talking to Jecky, the tall girl with short black hair that resembled her, but she only briefly made eye contact and turned her head without saying a word.
Flame looked at her with a bewildered expression.
"What a brat."
Jecky had been unusually quiet, even pushing away the commoner friends she usually hung out with.
When Flame asked the others for a reason, they could only respond with frustration and ignorance.
"I don't know. She’s getting on my nerves too. I'm just trying to avoid her."
"She probably thinks she's awesome. And she acts so snobbish towards me. What a pain. Didn't she act like the boss until you arrived?"
"Why do you care so much about her?"
"Ugh, Flame, you're unnecessarily kind."
In truth, as Flame listened to her friends' words, her annoyance level reached its limit.
‘I wish I could just pretend not to know or care about Baek Yu-Seol’s words…’
But for some reason, his instincts vehemently warned her not to leave Jecky alone.
"Starting now, the first-year students will begin their persona gate training."
“All students, please enter the persona gate.”
It was time.
Flame and the students of Team C-7 stood in front of the Persona Gate, and the assistant activated the gate.
Whoosh!
As their bodies were slowly sucked into the gate, a strange sensation that felt like the world was collapsing swept over them.
Clank! Clank!
The sound of collision echoed.
Lalalala!
Along with strange mechanical singing.
When they opened their eyes, the vast field of Stella Dome had disappeared without a trace, replaced by a grand mansion welcoming Flame.
"Welcome to the Aeron Banquet."
In front of her, a butler bowed and greeted her.
Indeed.
This was the persona gate, a world separate from reality but resembling it so closely that even the wisest mages could get lost and become part of a fairy tale.
It was a very dangerous place.
She had to remember.
‘The person in front of me may seem real, but I have to be cautious.’
With that in mind, Flame took a deep breath.
By now, other mages would be analyzing the patterns of the persona gate, trying to identify keywords. The discovered keywords would be lined up to literally guide them on how to clear the persona gate.
But Flame didn't bother with that.
"I wonder if my dress and shoes are ready."
With her head held high, she spoke confidently, and the butler nodded in agreement.
"They will be to your complete satisfaction."
"Take me to the dressing room."
Without delay, he led Flame into a luxurious dressing room followed by four maidservants.
The masquerade of temptation.
She already knew how to break through this place, but she didn’t need to step forward. As the protagonist, Eisel would cleanly conquer the persona gate.
Her role here was clear: to minimize the friction between Hong Bi-Yeon and Eisel. By doing so, they would be able to successfully overcome this episode without any issues.