Ch. 77 - Absurdity (6)
I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic AcademyThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Notes
Sorry for the delay. I will compensate the chapters asap.
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Sorry for the delay. I will compensate the chapters asap.
Chapter 77: Absurdity (6)
The duel had come to an end.
As most students had anticipated, the second-year senior emerged victorious.
However...
Even though the second-year senior had won...
"Wow, he really looks angry, doesn't he?"
"He must be really angry."
"If I were in his shoes, I’d have started throwing punches regardless of the duel's outcome."
In reality, since the duel had been a one-sided torment inflicted by Baek Yu-Seol upon Kalivan, no one considered Kalivan the winner.
"Now that I’ve seen Baek Yu-Seol fight in real life, he's really fast."
"I heard his sword can even cut through shields?"
"How are we supposed to counter that?"
"I mean, even the senior couldn't do anything but get beaten."
A freshman beat a second-year.
Even in the exhilarating scene of poetic justice, the elite students of Stella analyzed the duel.
Some students analyzed Baek Yu-Seol’s fighting style.
"What were those things Baek Yu-Seol was using?"
"Could they be the newly developed items?"
"Yeah, it seems like it. The performance itself wasn't extraordinary, perhaps because they were experimental, but... if they are further developed, they could have some amazing features."
While some students evaluated the performance of the items.
"Did you see that? He targeted the moment when the senior obscured his own vision with the barrier and then released it, pre-setting a flash magical tool."
"He anticipated the shockwave and set up traps for escape routes and corresponding magic responses."
"From start to finish, he planned the positions of the items..."
Alchemists typically engaged in combat by utilizing the terrain and objects around them.
They could turn the ground beneath their opponent into a prison or shape tree branches into solid weapons infused with mana to strike like swords.
Although their combat style might be passive, they could attack their enemies or defend themselves by utilizing the elements of nature.
Thus, it was extremely dangerous to enter the domain of a well-prepared alchemist.
While it was possible to design magic circles in advance, it was a time-consuming task, and the necessary materials were not readily available during a duel, making it impossible to use them in such a manner.
Conversely, alchemy required pre-planning every spell, making it common for alchemists to lose as soon as the battle started.
However, Baek Yu-Seol, through his superior mobility, created advantageous terrains by installing items in his area.
Complex alchemical formations were unnecessary.
Since his essence ultimately lay in swordsmanship, he utilized various magic devices, driving his opponents to the limit and seizing opportunities to strike.
It was his unique combat style.
It was not something anyone could do.
Even if they had both flash and magic devices prepared, very few individuals would be capable of replicating his actions.
From start to finish, unless one was a strategist capable of predicting the opponent's magic and every move, fighting in such a way would be impossible.
"Impressive..."
Ban Di-Yeon, who had watched the duel from beginning to end, blurted out those words after completing all the analysis.
"So, did you get the result you wanted?"
As Student Council President Miroyun approached from behind, Ban Di-Yeon smirked. "The result I wanted..."
She looked around.
The second-year students had expressions of utter frustration.
The first-year students were praised as extraordinary, which naturally made many second-year students disdainful of them from the start.
Therefore, they had been eagerly waiting for an opportunity to put the first-year students in their place.
"I didn't expect the first-year students to be so strong..."
No one knew who would become the next victim.
Perhaps it could be them.
They might receive the humiliating title of a second-year senior defeated by a freshman.
Until now, no matter how talented the first-year newcomers were said to be, they believed that they could easily suppress them if they put their minds to it.
But that turned out to be false.
As it turned out, there was a slight possibility of being defeated.
From that moment, second-year students wouldn’t easily meddle with first-year students.
If they accepted a duel challenge from a first-year student and lost, they wouldn’t be able to hold their heads up again.
Of course, not everyone would be like that.
Some stubborn individuals would continue to torment the weaker first-year students, and that was fine.
Just flattening the noses of those arrogant peers and reducing the bullying a bit made Ban Di-Yeon quite grateful to Baek Yu-Seol.
"In a way, you could say I got the result I wanted. It's turned into quite an interesting situation," she said as she turned away.
Stella was indeed full of interesting students. She was glad she had enrolled.
The duel between Baek Yu-Seol and the second-year senior spread throughout the academy.
Although he didn't win, his intentionally mocking actions spread like wildfire.
The information was quite exaggerated, but rumors often became the truth as they spread from mouth to mouth, and most students accepted it as fact.
"Wow, he really humiliated the senior?"
"I have a recorded video of it. Wanna see?"
"Show me too."
In classrooms, before lectures, in the dining hall, study rooms, reading rooms, training rooms, on the dueling grounds, students gathered and discussed the duel, replaying the video.
It wasn't just because of a junior humiliating a senior. Baek Yu-seol's combat style was worth analyzing for magical warriors.
Why?
Because his fighting style this time had a slight resemblance to that of a dark mage.
It was the strategy of luring the magician into disadvantageous terrain and exploiting it with swift mobility.
In addition, the disposable items introduced by Baek Yu-Seol were enough to capture their curiosity.
"Wow... that's amazing."
"But did Baek Yu-Seol really create this?"
"He's close to Assistant Alterisha, right? They must have collaborated on many research projects."
"He's also known for being skilled in alchemy, and those magic tools were registered under his name."
"Impressive..."
However, Edmon Atalek was not pleased with this situation.
"Stupid bastard."
The Crimson Hawk Club was in disarray.
The Hong Bi-Yeon faction members looked anxiously at Edmon Atalek, who clenched his fists with a distorted expression.
Knowing that Edmon Atalek could do something crazy when he was in a bad mood, they had no choice but to be cautious now.
Knowing the reason behind his bad mood, they tried to flatter him.
"We knew Kalivan was pathetic, but we never expected him to be humiliated by a first-year student like that."
"It's pathetic. Should I bring him here right away?"
"Leave him alone."
"Yes!"
It wouldn’t be long before the students made a fuss about Baek Yu-Seol’s achievements.
With such a noticeable presence, the other second-year students wouldn’t just sit idly by.
The second-year students who were in higher ranks were by no means easy opponents.
Amidst such discussions, Hong Bi-Yeon was deeply engrossed in her own thoughts.
'Hmm... So he let him win after all.'
Throughout the 15 minutes, Baek Yu-Seol didn't even properly use his sword and simply humiliated the senior by using various magic tools.
In other words, had he intended to win, he could have won at any time.
However, he chose not to.
The reason was obvious.
‘It would be strange if a first-year student defeated a second-year student.’
It was clear that as a first-year student with no real combat experience. There were limits to growth.
Baek Yu-Seol was hiding his true abilities for some reason, and it was the same this time as well.
Personally, she thought Baek Yu-Seol would get fired up and crush the senior, but she never imagined he would humiliate him like this and then withdraw.
'But what will he do next?'
She learned from this incident that any attempt to challenge Baek Yu-Seol within the academy’s regulations wouldn’t pose a threat to him.
If he deliberately decided to be humiliated, there had to be a reason and a plan behind it.
"So what are the second-years doing now? I told them to teach Baek Yu-Seol a proper lesson."
Edmon and the faction members were still discussing what to do about Baek Yu-Seol.
"Well... the second-year students haven't laid a finger on Baek Yu-Seol."
"What?"
Just because he was Edmon didn’t mean he could control all the students within the academy.
Only a few second-year students were compelled by Atalek's influence. The others were coerced commoner students.
The faction members spoke cautiously, aware of Edmon's presence.
"Contrary to rumors, Baek Yu-Seol greets seniors with a 90-degree bow and listens attentively, and that guy... He speaks so eloquently..."
"Wait, what are you talking about?"
"Those who went to scold him ended up buying him snacks."
Speechless, Edmon’s mouth hung open in disbelief.
Beside him, Hong Bi-Yeon burst into laughter but quickly composed her expression.
"Ha..."
While Baek Yu-Seol certainly appeared hostile to seniors, not all seniors disliked him.
There were quite a few commoners among the second-year students who had no choice but to put on a show of scolding Baek Yu-Seol under pressure from the third-year students.
Baek Yu-Seol astutely noticed such seniors, and drawing on his 29 years of social experience, he found ways to flatter them by understanding what they liked.
His social skills were far superior to those of any noble scion.
Having chased power, flattering those in authority from construction sites to administrative positions in small to medium-sized companies, Baek Yu-seol found it easy to navigate these dynamics.
Moreover, they were only 18 years old at best.
Baek Yu-Seol gradually polished his image in this manner.
"I don't like it."
‘They couldn't even properly deal with a first-year commoner.’
‘Useless.’
‘But it doesn’t matter.’
The space in Stella Academy was limited, and in the end, Baek Yu-Seol’s actions were limited too. If Edmon personally intervened, Baek Yu-Seol would undoubtedly falter and drop out.
‘Getting rid of one useless bug is no big deal.’
Just when he began to think about directly resolving the issue.
"Young Master!"
The door of the club's dilapidated building opened, and one of Edmon’s followers rushed in with a newspaper in hand.
"Ah, yes."
He diligently read the newspaper every morning. It was essential in order to grasp how the magical society was flowing.
But somehow, the expression on the boy's face gave him a bad feeling.
Despite his young age, Edmon had experienced the dark political world to some extent, so he had good instincts.
‘This can’t be good.’
Edmon had a sinking feeling in his chest, but he forced himself to swallow his saliva and calmly reached out his hand toward the newspaper.
Meanwhile, Baek Yu-seol sent a video of the duel where he used disposable items to the Alchemy Castle.
Although they were just basic items, the fact that he briefly overwhelmed a second-year Stella Academy student without using any magic was enough to prove its performance.
In addition, by adding various experiments and footage of professional mage warriors, Alterisha’s research institute recognized the practicality and was finally able to secure a page in the newspaper.
[Alchemist Alterisha Develops New Technology in Futuristic Magic Technology]
Thus, Melian of the Starcloud Trading Company was also able to receive the footage.
"Father, is that what they call an item?"
"Yes. Isn't it fascinating?"
Melian warmly smiled and handed a bead-like object to his daughter, Jeliel.
"When you throw this, it generates a slight paralysis effect along with an electric shock. I'm thinking of developing it as a must-have item for women's safety."
"Sounds good."
Her eyes turned blue as she tried to gauge the value of the item using her ability, [Value of All Things].
‘Hmm, it's useful…’
While the immediate value of the item was low, its potential growth limit was very high. This meant that the technology of alchemy magitech itself was highly valuable.
"There are video recordings of practical battles utilizing such items. Would you like to see them too?"
"That sounds interesting."
She touched her pointed ears and looked at the video with great interest in her eyes.
Jeliel was a high elf attending the Astral Flower Magic Academy, so she couldn't help but be interested in battles of mage warriors.
Among those videos, one stood out remarkably.
"This is..."
"Oh, right. One of the co-developers of alchemy magitech, Baek Yu-seol, recorded this experimental footage himself. I heard he fought a second-year senior using only items..."
"Let's watch this one first."
Jeliel pressed the play button on the video playback crystal.
Then, a rectangular barrier appeared in the air, and the video started playing.
And at that moment, a boy with black hair and black eyes appeared.
'Huh?'
And instantly, Jeliel doubted her own eyes.
'What is this...?'
Nothing could escape her ability.
Therefore, Baek Yu-Seol’s value was clearly captured by Jeliel's eyes.
But...
[???]
His value was not visible.
'This can't be...'
The only person whose value she couldn't gauge was her father.
There were only two instances when she couldn’t identify the value of a target with her ability.
The target was either someone she loved or someone who possessed an unknown value that her analytical skills couldn’t measure.
'Could it be that he has a value I can't measure?'
No person or object could escape her gaze. Even ancient artifacts and treasures all had value in Jeliel's eyes.
Even the emperor of the Skalven Empire and the king of Adolevit both had value in Jeliel's eyes.
But a mere student’s value couldn’t be recognized?
When an ignorant person encounters something they don’t understand, they feel curiosity. It’s the natural truth that exists for unknown things.
However, when someone who thought they understood everything in the world encountered something they couldn’t comprehend, they would feel fear.
Because it should not exist in this world.
That was why Jeliel felt fear.
"Jeliel? Are you okay?"
"Huh…?"
It was then that she realized she was sweating profusely and breathing heavily. She quickly wiped away the sweat with a handkerchief and forced a smile.
"Yes, I'm fine."
“Are you sure? Talk to me."
"Really, I'm fine, so don't worry."
Jeliel slowly calmed her mind.
Yes, she felt fear at first when encountering something unfamiliar, but if she slowly unraveled it, it would be fine.
Curiosity.
Yes, once the emotion of fear completely vanished, Jeliel felt curiosity for the first time in her life. The desire to uncover something unknown to her.
It was a very unfamiliar feeling for her.
Since Baek Yu-Seol mentioned that he would hold an investor presentation soon, she could meet him in person.
'I'll uncover his secrets then.'
A strange excitement stirred in her heart.