Magic Academy’s Genius Blinker

Chapter 260

The Noble Soul (10)

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Aether World Online.

A popular game that had been serviced worldwide for more than ten years, boasting thousands of players.

The game wasn’t famous from the start. It spread by word of mouth, praised for its blend of romance fantasy and exceptional action, which eventually drew in a massive number of gamers.

Baek Yu-seol had been one of the rare players who had been involved since the early days of the game’s launch. Because of that, he had heard countless stories from many users, including numerous episodes related to the Twelve Divine Moons.

The item [Bulbul Glasses] contained most of the information recorded in the Aether World’s in-game community.

Yet, there was information that couldn’t be documented—stories about the game’s ‘hidden pieces,’ which circulated only through rumors among players.

Everyone has a desire for exclusivity.

Some players would share the hidden pieces they found in the game, while others preferred to keep them secret and use them for themselves.

Baek Yu-seol was the type who…

Remembered all those little rumors that only floated around as whispers.

The game’s main story?

There were plenty of long-time players who didn’t know all of it. It was so complex that even meeting a 7-year veteran and asking, “What do you think of the character Flame?” could result in a response like, “Who’s that?”

But game information was different.

Veterans collected every little detail, storing it in their minds, never forgetting anything.

Baek Yu-seol was one of those veterans.

He had meticulously raised a character under the highest difficulty, understanding even the most detailed strategies for bosses that others would easily pass by. He had to put in tens of times more effort just to clear the game.

‘Silver Age November.’

The most famous and most mysterious of the Twelve Divine Moons.

Many players had tried to uncover its secrets, but there was almost no information about it. Fortunately, Baek Yu-seol had managed to obtain some rare information through a person he knew.

‘…Who was that again?’

He had often run into that person during the early days of the game’s launch. Baek Yu-seol didn’t know their real name or what they looked like, but he remembered their in-game ID was ‘Dalso.’

At one point, he had asked the meaning of that ID, to which they replied, “It doesn’t mean anything,” with a casual shrug. It was just one of those common IDs.

One day, that person said to him,

“Hey, Baek Yu-seol. I found out something new about the Twelve Divine Moons.”

At the time, the Twelve Divine Moons weren’t even relevant to the main story, and the rewards weren’t well-known, so there wasn’t much interest in them.

So Baek Yu-seol probably replied with, “I don’t care. Not interested.”

But the other person stubbornly continued to talk about the existence of the Twelve Divine Moons.

“The Twelve Divine Moons are actually derived from the Progenitor Mage. Did you know that?”

Some people probably did.

It was basic information that could be found by just reading the main story.

Unfortunately, Baek Yu-seol didn’t know, nor did he care. He was busy searching for opponents for duels, so he only gave half-hearted replies. But then the person mentioned something more intriguing.

“If you find the Twelve Divine Moons, your character’s stats will increase permanently, or you might even acquire a new skill.”

As a gamer, it would’ve been a lie to say he wasn’t interested. Especially since his ‘Baek Yu-seol character,’ which focused solely on Blink, had a hard time obtaining useful skills, making the prospect even more appealing.

“Wanna hear more?”

At that point, Baek Yu-seol stopped his matchmaking and decided to listen.

It was fascinating how that friend knew so much and where they got their information from. It ended up being extremely helpful to Baek Yu-seol.

He became the first on the server to raise a character blessed with the ‘Blessing of the Twelve Divine Moons.’

The first of the Twelve Divine Moons that Baek Yu-seol contracted with was ‘Golden Steel July.’

The best blessing, which completely offset the worst penalty that prevented his character from permanently growing defensive stats since he couldn’t wrap his skin in mana.

From then on, Baek Yu-seol became deeply interested in the Twelve Divine Moons.

He gathered, shared, and strategized all related information through secret channels. He even went as far as deleting and re-raising his character in pursuit of contracting with the Twelve Divine Moons.

Throughout that process, his game friend ‘Dalso’ had been incredibly helpful.

Dalso had shared secret information about the Twelve Divine Moons with Baek Yu-seol, which helped him combine those small hints and contract with several more moons.

But, despite all that, there was one Twelve Divine Moon that even Baek Yu-seol repeatedly failed to contract with.

Silver Age November.

Unlike the other Twelve Divine Moons, it didn’t stay in one place. It wandered freely and elusive, living a carefree life, making it extremely difficult to persuade and form a contract with it.

Was this how salesmen felt?

‘Or maybe it’s more like a romance simulation? Quite fitting for this game’s identity.’

…Baek Yu-seol spent several months trying to strategize how to contract with Silver Age November.

‘How did it end again?’

Flash.

He opened his eyes.

The face of Spirit Leafanel, bathed in a violet glow, came into view. She still looked peaceful, but there was a subtle discomfort on her face.

[Status effect ‘Concentration’ has been lifted.]

[The body’s recovery speed returns to normal.]

[The mana circulation rate returns to normal.]

System messages floated in front of his eyes.

‘Concentration?’

It was a status effect he had never seen before. His recovery speed and circulation rate had increased? He hadn’t noticed at all. After all, he hadn’t been injured, and he hadn’t even had time to feel the mana circulation while drifting through the mental world.

“…This isn’t easy.”

He had spent the entire day trying to manifest the abilities of Silver Age November, but the more he focused and wandered through the mental world, the more Red Spring March’s power grew instead.

Of course, that wasn’t a bad thing.

The fact that he was growing this quickly meant that Baek Yu-seol hadn’t even been using 1% of Red Spring March’s abilities before, and now they were exploding in growth.

But he still couldn’t figure out how to awaken the blessing of Silver Age November, and that was frustrating.

Even in the game, no one had ever fully unlocked Silver Age November’s true power…

Twitch.

“Huh?”

As he was lost in thought, the tip of Leafanel’s finger trembled.

Was it just his imagination?

It happened so quickly that he could barely catch it.

“Leafanel? Did you wake up?”

No answer. She remained asleep, not even stirring.

‘What is this?’

A sense of unease crept over him.

Something very subtle… something that vaguely gnawed at him. It was such a small feeling that he wouldn’t have noticed it under normal circumstances, but now it was bothering him.

Slowly, Baek Yu-seol sharpened his senses and stood up, cautiously circling around Leafanel.

Something had changed.

He could tell that much, but he had no idea what the change was.

“This is…”

He brought his face closer to Leafanel. He felt like something was there but couldn’t quite see it, couldn’t quite sense it.

He reached out.

The soft violet translucent barrier surrounding Leafanel was particularly bothersome to his eyes.

As Baek Yu-seol’s fingers were about to touch the purple barrier—

Shudder!!

A chilling sensation shot up his spine, making him tense all over. But he didn’t react recklessly. A hasty response could make the situation worse.

Instead, he withdrew his hand and spoke into the empty air.

“How long are you going to keep spying on me from over there?”

A sharp sense, something he wouldn’t have noticed in the past. But now, thanks to honing his Intuition and the blessing of Red Spring March, he could faintly detect it.

“…Oh my. How did you notice?”

Surprisingly, Baek Yu-seol’s sharpness was accurate. From what seemed to be empty space, a voice called out. Baek Yu-seol slowly turned his head, and there, a woman revealed herself.

‘…A Dark Mage.’

The [Bulbul Glasses] displayed the mark of a ‘Dark Mage Contractor’ on her. Though, even without the glasses, it wouldn’t have been hard to recognize her as a Dark Mage.

A purple horn protruded from her forehead, her violet skin adorned with darker purple tattoos. These were clear signs that she wasn’t just any ordinary Dark Mage.

Click. Click.

Wearing a form-fitting leather jacket, she walked gracefully, like a model, and spoke.

“Fufu… It’s our first time meeting, right? I’ve heard a lot about you. I didn’t expect we’d meet in a place like this.”

It was their first meeting.

But identifying her was not difficult at all.

[???]

* Dark Mage Contractor

* Physical Doppelgänger

* Spirit’s Curse

The ‘Spirit’s Curse’ clearly displayed by the Bulbul Glasses was something that appeared when one killed a spirit and was cursed by the heavens…

And right now, this woman was the prime suspect in Leafanel’s murder.

‘Her name doesn’t show up…’

It was probably because her name never appeared in the original game either. Since the players didn’t know her name, nothing was recorded here.

But did knowing her name even matter? Just identifying her was already enough to raise Baek Yu-seol’s tension.

‘A doppelgänger, huh.’

There was a reason she sent her doppelgänger instead of coming herself.

And the reason was probably…

‘She can’t enter this place herself, it seems.’

Baek Yu-seol narrowed his eyes.

A physical doppelgänger. Despite the simple name, it was a near-perfect duplication technique that only a minuscule number of mages in the world could use.

Doppelgänger magic itself was rare, and even when used, most couldn’t control it with their will. But she had infused her soul into it, guiding it remotely.

For an average mage… it would have been impossible to detect.

Baek Yu-seol had only sensed a vague unease with the help of Red Spring March, and it was the Bulbul Glasses that had alerted him to the fact that it was a doppelgänger.

‘I’ve got a long way to go before I can match the glasses’ abilities.’

It hadn’t even been a full day since he unlocked his power. It was too ambitious to think he could immediately catch up to the glasses’ sensory capabilities.

‘I can’t let her underestimate me.’

There were too many things he didn’t know about her. Even the Bulbul Glasses barely had any information recorded about her, so he needed to handle this carefully.

So, Baek Yu-seol deliberately acted nonchalant and said bluntly.

“A coward who doesn’t even have the guts to come here in person. What do you want?”

“…Oh my, you’re quite sharp for a little kid.”

“Do I look like a kid to you?”

“Hmm…”

In appearance, he was clearly a teenage boy. To a Dark Mage who had lived for over a hundred years, he was probably no more than a sprout. But if his youthful appearance was a disguise, that would change things.

‘What’s with him?’

The woman, Soya, narrowed her eyes.

Though this was a doppelgänger, her senses were still more than 90% identical to her real body.

However, she couldn’t sense anything special from Baek Yu-seol.

In fact, that was what made him suspicious.

Soya circled around Baek Yu-seol like a model walking a runway.

She couldn’t sense the typical mana aura that most mages exuded.

As someone who relied more on her mana sense than her vision, especially when using doppelgängers and other magic, Baek Yu-seol felt like a mirage—visible yet not truly there.

“You’re… quite interesting.”

“If you fall for me, that’ll be a problem.”

“Uhuhuh, why? Do you already have someone?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes. Someone far too strong for you to handle.”

No such person existed in this world, but Baek Yu-seol casually spat out nonsense to buy time.

“So, what did you mean earlier? I’m here in person, right? I could kill you right now.”

Baek Yu-seol chuckled and spread his arms wide.

“Then come at me. If you think you can.”

Soya extended her fingers.

Purple mana began to gather at her nails, but it didn’t glow intensely.

‘With this level of mana… Can I do it?’

Though her senses were similar to her real body’s, the mana she could use was limited by the doppelgänger.

‘A mysterious kid I can’t figure out.’

Besides, she had heard stories about Baek Yu-seol. He had dealt with several high-level Dark Mages, and recently, his reputation had spread widely, even claiming he had killed the descendant of the ‘Last Witch.’

‘A monster like him… is really just a high school student?’

Were humans all insane?

How could they keep someone like him confined to the status of a mere high school student?

‘Of all people…’

Soya bit her lip, careful not to let him notice.

She had come to check on Leafanel’s condition. But of all the times to cross paths, she had to run into someone as troublesome as Baek Yu-seol.

If it were just an ordinary 6th-class mage, she could have easily killed them even with her doppelgänger. But Baek Yu-seol was different—uncertain.

Especially since the Elven King Flowerseorin had arrived at the Third World Tree, she needed to avoid major conflict.

“…What do you want?”

Reluctantly, Soya withdrew all her mana and stepped back, asking with annoyance. Only then did Baek Yu-seol smile.

‘It worked.’

The fact that he could identify her doppelgänger, the fact that his Mana Leakage Syndrome made it difficult to gauge his level, and the reputation he had built so far—all of it had succeeded in deceiving her to some extent.

Of course, reckless actions were forbidden.

If he provoked her too much, she could suddenly snap and attack him. Dark Mages were quick to anger.

“What I want… Well, I don’t really want anything, but I am curious.”

As she gestured for him to continue, Baek Yu-seol hardened his expression and spoke.

“You killed Spirit Leafanel in the past and absorbed her heart, didn’t you?”

She didn’t answer, her expression frozen. Baek Yu-seol continued.

“But in the process of absorbing the Spirit’s heart… something went wrong. To put it in simple terms, you bit off more than you could chew. You tried to digest a power too strong for you, and now you’re suffering because of it.”

“…You’d better watch your mouth.”

He was trying to be as careful as possible.

The thought of her attacking Leafanel made his words come out a bit sharp.

“That’s why you came back. To properly absorb that power. But… it seems you still haven’t figured out how to do it, have you?”

She bared her sharp white fangs slightly, showing her hostility, but soon calmed herself.

For a Dark Mage, that was an impressive display of self-control.

It was worthy of praise.

‘Disgusting.’

Seeing a Dark Mage control their emotions was unsettling for Baek Yu-seol, but he held back his disgust.

“So, what are you getting at?”

“It’s simple.”

Baek Yu-seol stretched out his finger, and space tore open. Soya flinched at the sight, almost stepping back, but managed to control herself through sheer willpower.

‘A rift in space…?’

How could a mere high school student use a space-related technique that only Archmages or higher could handle? Before she could even question it, Baek Yu-seol pulled something out and tossed it at her.

“This is…”

“It belonged to a Dark Mage. Find that bastard and kill him. Then, I’ll help you fully absorb the Spirit’s heart. Think of it as payment for the job.”

“What…?”

Could it really be possible?

How?

It was hard to believe, but the person in front of her wasn’t just an ordinary high school boy.

He was special in some way… and maybe, just maybe, he really knew how to perfectly absorb the ‘Spirit’s heart.’

Soya looked down at the item Baek Yu-seol had thrown.

It was an old, worn-out shoe.

But it felt like nothing, as though there was no dark mana or any other power within it.

‘It feels like nothing, doesn’t it?’

Of course.

Because it was just trash.

“…Who do I need to kill?”

In the end, intrigued by his proposal, Soya opened her mouth, and Baek Yu-seol smiled as he answered.

“Cheollibeun. Kill that man.”

End of Chapter.