Magic Academy’s Genius Blinker

Chapter 264

The Noble Soul (14)

***

The absolute invincible Cheollibeun.

He is indeed a peculiar dark mage.

Perhaps he is one of the most unique characters among the countless characters existing in “Aether World Online.”

At one time, players could not simply categorize characters’ ability values by their class or risk level, so they jokingly divided combat power into numerical values themselves.

Combat power included attack power, defense power, speed, and utility, and detailed aspects were recorded based on players’ subjective opinions, but…

The most important aspects were ‘magical attack power’ and ‘defense power.’

In the case of a 9-class wizard, the average combat power was around 100, while Eltemon Eltrine had an attack power of 120 and a defense power of 80, and Flowerseorin had an attack power of 90 and a defense power of 130.

Most players judged that these combat power calculations were somewhat accurate, but, of course, there were many who disagreed.

After all, it was a subjective opinion.

However, there was one combat power that everyone nodded their heads in agreement with.

[Cheollibeun]

9-risk dark mage

Magical attack power: 10

Magical defense power: 300

It was none other than Cheollibeun.

If you just look at the numbers, one could say it’s quite deformed.

His attack power was only at the level of a novice wizard, while his defense power was among the strongest in this land.

Simply put, when considering ‘pure attack power’, it means that at least two or three 9-class wizards would need to come together to penetrate Cheollibeun’s defense.

Isn’t that cheating?

Not necessarily.

Trait [Thought Control].

The ability to control and seize the opponent’s magic, bending it to one’s will.

Skill [Damgaltoiwol’s Guardian].

The ability to perfectly defend against all types of attacks and counterattack.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the subject of the two abilities Cheollibeun possessed was not himself, but rather the opponent.

In other words, this means that even if Cheollibeun intends to kill someone, if the opponent only defends without countering, the outcome does not get decided.

But what if…

All of Cheollibeun’s defensive abilities were to disappear?

What if the extreme scenario of facing two 9-class wizards at the same time actually occurred, and his ‘absolute defense’ was in a compromised state?

“Oh my~ Even the absolute invincible Cheollibeun gets hurt when his shield is stripped away, I see?”

“…Cough!”

At Soya’s mocking tone, Cheollibeun wiped the blood trickling from his mouth.

“A spirit killer, huh…”

Unlike when he faced Mage Arumun and Flowerseorin before, Cheollibeun’s gaze darkened ominously.

But regardless of that, Soya merely smiled.

Before his eyes, Cheollibeun was just a toothless tiger.

‘That kid’s words were true.’

The weakness Baek Yu-seol had told him about Cheollibeun was truly simple.

It was not about touching on his weaknesses, traumas, or vital points, but rather that his ‘personality’ itself was his weakness.

‘No matter who he faces, he fights earnestly with all his strength…

For someone with a strength of 100 to win against someone with a strength of 10, using merely 15 would be sufficient.

However, such a thing is impossible for Cheollibeun.

‘Absolute defense’ is not that convenient of a feature.

Even when he faces an opponent who only poses a threat of 1, he fights with all 300 of his strength.

What if that opponent were two 9-class wizards?

“How does it feel to have your proud shield shattered? Huh?”

As Soya smiled brightly and spoke, Cheollibeun secretly clenched and unclenched his fist, checking his mana.

‘So that’s it… Was he waiting for an opportunity?’

Until now, he had been chasing after the spirit killer to kill him, but he had never considered the possibility that his prey would attack him.

After all, any dark mage would know that he possessed an absolute invincible body.

But what if he had predicted that Mage Arumun and Flowerseorin would approach him?

No matter how he obtained the information, it was not unreasonable for them to attack him in return.

In reality, he was currently in a state where his mana was nearly depleted, and he could hardly activate his abilities, let alone utilize Damgaltoiwol’s Guardian.

‘Quick with information and good at judgment.’

That’s strange.

Soya, the spirit killer.

On the surface, she might seem like a formidable dark mage, but according to Cheollibeun’s insight, she did not possess exceptional intelligence.

A plan? A strategy?

There was no way a foolish woman, who throws her life away for the sake of immediate pleasure, could come up with something like that.

“Who is behind you…?”

Cheollibeun asked in a low voice, causing Soya to twitch her eyebrows.

For a moment, she was overwhelmed by his intimidating presence.

“Behind? Hmph, do you think I have such a thing? I move solely by my own will!”

“Well…”

“You have no strength left and yet you’re being all boastful!”

Snap!

Soya raised her arms wide above her head.

The black magic circle mixed with red color undulated unpleasantly.

It was completely different from the magic that ordinary wizards used.

This was a persona magic that dark mages created by contracting with the ‘Other World’, a fusion of witches’ magic to create an original ability.

[Thought Interference]

Soya slightly raised the corners of her mouth.

‘No problem. I can do this.’

A power that even defeated the spirit Leafanel in a distant past she couldn’t even remember.

Although at that time, Leafanel was completely defenseless just before transitioning from a divine beast to a spirit… still, it was true that she had won, wasn’t it?

‘I can even corrupt a spirit!’

Crunch! Crack!

Soya’s dark magic spread out and gradually consumed everything.

Rocks, trees, grass, flowers, butterflies, doves, cicadas, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide.

There were many things both visible and invisible around, and people in the world referred to all of them as all things (萬物).

Her ability was to interfere with all things that exist in this world.

To interfere with living humans and turn them into puppets, to interfere with corpses and make them into avatars, and to even interfere with spirits to snatch away their hearts.

‘I am the only one in this world who has merged the magic of the Other World and the magic of witches!’

Even if she wanted to lose, she couldn’t.

To use magic, she had to sacrifice an overwhelming lifespan, but if she could just deal with Cheollibeun, it would be possible to perfectly absorb the ‘heart of the spirit.’

Perhaps she could obtain an immortal body without the constraints of lifespan.

‘Once the limitation of lifespan disappears, I will be invincible!’

Bang, boom!!

An invisible air tightly gripped Cheollibeun and carbon rose from the ground, seizing his ankles to keep him immobilized with a diamond-like grip.

Whoosh!!

The wind blew artificially.

The clouds in the sky began to gradually gather above Cheollibeun’s head.

Although she could not control the weather.

Crack! Boom!!!

Striking lightning was an exceedingly easy task for her.

Crack-snap-!

The ground shook like a whirlpool, dragging Cheollibeun underground.

Interfering with all things means controlling the very elements.

Truly…

“Isn’t this similar to the power of a god? Don’t you think so? Baek Yu-seol!”

Soya shouted as she raised her dark magic to the sky.

‘With lifespan and the limitations of lifespan gone, I can…!’

She could become truly invincible.

Suddenly

…she thought so until time abruptly stopped.

“What…”

The swirling air and rustling leaves, the trembling ground and writhing clouds.

Everything had come to a halt.

‘What is this…?’

Has time stopped?

No.

It’s an illusion.

Time has not stopped.

Everything she had interfered with had… broken free from her control and had stopped due to someone else’s will.

‘What…?

Her pupils trembled wildly.

Taking a step back, the sound of the rustling bushes echoed clearly.

If time had truly stopped, there would have been no sound.

So, in other words, this is…

‘It’s like time has stopped…

Thought Interference…?

Thought Interference.

A superior ability that surpasses her own great ability to control all things.

[Thought Control]

Rustle!

The whirlpool of the ground that seemed to reach the sky settled down, and the violent struggles of the air subsided.

And there stood Cheollibeun.

With a completely exhausted expression, he reached out to the leaf that was suspended in the air.

“Do you know that?”

“What…?”

Cheollibeun lightly tapped the leaf with his finger.

With that truly simple action, the leaf split in half.

“What…?”

What on earth is he trying to do?

In that moment of confusion…

“Ugh, ugh… Uwaaaah?!!”

Soya clutched her throat, collapsing from the suffocating pain.

Her neck? Is the source of the pain her neck?

Her wrist? Her waist? Her thigh? Her head?

She couldn’t comprehend.

It was certainly painful, but where was the pain coming from…?

It was impossible for her to accurately identify the focal point of the pain.

“To interfere with all things, you must necessarily imbue your own soul into it…”

Cheollibeun’s voice was gentle and even seemed bored.

“That is the limit of ‘interference.’”

What is that guy talking about?

She tried to speak, but could not.

As Cheollibeun lifted his foot and crushed a stone, a pain washed over her as if her heart had burst.

“Cough…”

Drooling and collapsing, Soya writhed on the floor.

“Cough, cough…!”

I have to release Thought Interference.

I must recover all my dark magic.

But…

That was impossible.

“…Sorry, but I’ve already controlled everything. You should abandon any foolish thoughts.”

Abilities that interfere with something else are rare.

However, if such a type of wizard were to encounter each other… they would have to make wise judgments.

If the opponent’s ability was a more superior version, their own ability would be completely sealed.

Of course, to put it plainly, one could not say that Cheollibeun’s ability was a perfect superior version compared to Soya’s.

It was merely a ‘difference in experience.’

At first, he could only control a single leaf.

Even such a trashy ability, since it was all he had, Cheollibeun trained Thought Control to its limits.

Only to survive, he practiced and practiced.

As a result, Cheollibeun had trained Thought Control to its utmost limits.

Was it even possible for Soya to overcome such a Cheollibeun?

Absolutely impossible.

It was purely a matter of experience and proficiency.

Although Soya had seized the upper hand with that simple difference, all her abilities were being trampled on.

Crack!

Just breaking trees, scattering air, and crushing stones, Soya trembled throughout her body and convulsed.

It was even impossible for her to faint.

He could precisely see when a dark mage dies or loses consciousness.

Having transcended humanity to possess superhuman physical abilities, a dark mage would not easily crumble under such pain.

Knowing this fact, he had taken a long time to gnaw at Soya’s soul.

“Killing a spirit… that’s truly a terrible thing to do, isn’t it?”

You are a dark mage after all.

Why are you siding with spirits?

Soya wanted to ask that, but it was impossible as her mouth could not open.

The sensations presumed to be her mouth were synchronized with the stones at Cheollibeun’s feet, shattering to pieces.

“Spirits are beings that you should never touch.

I have been chasing you for a very long time.

And at last, as if by fate, I have encountered you today.”

Finally reaching in front of Soya, Cheollibeun looked down on her with a disgusted expression, as if she were a bug.

“How unfortunate.

I didn’t know that our abilities would overlap…”

Both Soya and Cheollibeun had thoroughly concealed the true names of their abilities.

“But this is… truly bizarre.

I don’t feel good about it.

Even though I captured you, I can’t shake the feeling that someone who knows a lot about both you and me has intentionally created this situation.”

Soya was a woman who knew how to take care of her own life.

That’s why she could survive as a fugitive for such a long time.

For her to suddenly attack him?

Without a doubt, someone had disrupted Soya’s reasoning.

With sweet words to allure her.

“…Don’t you think so? It’s you who has been hiding and watching since earlier.”

Cheollibeun raised his head, looking somewhere.

Although he could not feel it with regular mana detection, he could certainly tell thanks to Thought Control.

“I attempted to control this entire area.

But there was just one part, the space you are standing in, that I couldn’t control.”

That was an unprecedentedly perplexing experience for Cheollibeun.

As he spoke, a boy revealed himself from a considerable distance.

He wore the uniform of Stella Academy.

Even after living away from the secular world for so long, he could easily recognize that fact.

And he also recognized the boy’s identity.

“Baek Yu-seol, huh? I’ve heard rumors about you…”

Seeing the darkened face of the boy, Cheollibeun smiled for the first time in a while.

“You’re more dangerous than I thought.”

End of Chapter