Magic Academy’s Genius Blinker

Chapter 269

Memory (2)

***

In RPG games, it is quite common to do preliminary work before starting a boss fight.

The most representative examples would be “doping” and “buffing,” which are essential preparation processes to defeat a particularly challenging boss monster.

In some games, dozens of players gather to provide buffs and prepare high-quality meals and potions to assist with doping for a solo raid, making the preparation process quite lengthy.

However, one could say that it was fortunate that such processes were minimal in Aether World.

In Aether World Online, doping was merely a matter of drinking a simple potion or having a meal to enhance one’s condition.

The fact that players could enter combat with pre-cast buffs was a significant deviation from other RPGs.

The only thing that mages had to prepare before entering combat was solely to cast magic, allowing them to focus entirely on magic itself.

There was nothing different for the character Baek Yu-seol; he had never once done any preliminary preparations while playing the game.

“Ugh…”

—

However, now, Baek Yu-seol found that preliminary preparations had become absolutely necessary.

Once boldly standing ready with a sword, he had faced dragons and the most powerful mages without fear, but now he was in a situation where he could do nothing without meditating before a fight.

First and foremost, [Taeryeong Divine Art].

This technique enhances mana circulation in the body by strengthening mana leakage syndrome, explosively increasing attack power. It required at least 10 seconds of meditation, and additionally, using [Extreme Concentration] required a minimum of 1 minute of meditation.

In fact, that minute had been significantly reduced thanks to the hours spent training as soon as he returned to Stella.

Initially, it had almost taken him close to 10 minutes to recreate this skill.

It was truly a fascinating situation.

In a life-or-death situation with Terrybun right in front of him, both Taeryeong Divine Art and Extreme Concentration had activated simultaneously without any preliminary preparations, so why was it not possible now?

Even when he tried to recall that situation and recreate it exactly, it was simply not happening. Was there such a big difference between real combat and practice?

If not, could it be the problem of the ponytailed protagonist who was staring at him from the side?

It seemed that this was the case.

Flame was the culprit.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense for his concentration to vary so much.

She was kneeling quietly about thirty steps away, staring at him without taking her gaze away or moving, which made it quite burdensome for Baek Yu-seol, who usually didn’t care about others’ eyes.

“…Hey.”

With no choice but to fail in concentration, Baek Yu-seol spoke up, and Flame’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh, um? Did I happen to disturb you?”

Baek Yu-seol was about to answer yes, but seeing her flustered expression made him feel oddly guilty.

“No, it’s not that…”

“Should I move a bit further away?”

“Yeah…”

Then she really moved twenty steps away and knelt down again.

The same situation repeated.

The pressure from her gaze was still present, making it significantly challenging to transition into Extreme Concentration.

“Hey… can I talk to you?”

“…You already did. What is it?”

“Uh, how about taking a break?”

“How long has it been that you’re suggesting a break already?”

“What time is it?”

«..?”

Right after waking up in the hospital, he had rushed directly to the training ground, performed Extreme Concentration, returned to Lee Han-wol to report his return, and then went back to the dormitory to sleep.

Then, the next morning, he got up early to head straight to the training ground and had been performing Extreme Concentration for several hours.

“Is it lunchtime already?”

“No. I have to return to the dormitory.”

“What? Why?”

“If I don’t get back by ten, the dorm supervisor will throw a fit.”

“…It’s already ten, and you’re going back?”

Flame pointed her finger at the clock in the corner of the training ground.

It was 9:48 PM.

Only 12 minutes left until the dorm supervisor’s fit.

“Eh…?”

What could it be?

It felt like he had barely just started practicing Extreme Concentration, but time had flown by.

“You haven’t eaten yet.

What are you going to do if you actually collapse from this?”

“No… has that much time really passed?”

“You didn’t know?”

“Not at all.”

Baek Yu-seol looked at the clock with an incredulous expression before suddenly turning his head toward Flame.

He definitely felt her presence just before he started the practice. Every time he entered Extreme Concentration mode, he completely forgot about her, but whenever his meditation broke, he could always feel her presence…

“So you’ve been there the whole time?”

“Why? About what I said earlier, you know… to participate in the League of Spirit?”

“That’s right…”

“…I could do it tomorrow. Was there really a need to waste an entire precious weekend?”

He asked this sincerely, feeling it was quite absurd, but Flame merely replied without changing her expression.

“Well, I don’t think it was a waste of time.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yeah. I might not get to see you in that state too often. You’ve been too reckless lately.”

“What do you mean by that….”

“Ah, but I really need to go back now. I don’t plan to be here while getting yelled at by the dorm supervisor.”

Saying that, Flame stood up, stretched her body, and left the training ground alone.

Baek Yu-seol watched her back for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.

“The League of Spirit…”

He had heard recent circumstances.

After being forcibly made to participate by Crown Prince Scalven, he had heard they were recruiting members to change teams.

After coaxing Aiselle and Ma Yuseong somehow, they currently had three members. If Baek Yu-seol joined, that would make four.

The minimum requirement for a team in the League of Spirit was five members.

Having been struggling with a shortage of personnel, it made sense why Flame put so much effort into staying in such a boring place all day, trying to find at least one more person.

“Is there really no choice?”

Baek Yu-seol had tried his best to avoid interfering with the League of Spirit.

There were various reasons why he disliked ‘Rios.’

First, when five humans gathered, there was inevitably one trash player.

Like a famous line from a character in a comic, he was fed up with team games, as one-on-one battles suited him much better.

Second, that trash player was none other than Baek Yu-seol himself.

In one-on-one combat, Baek Yu-seol maintained a solid position as one of the top rankers, showcasing his excellent personal control.

However, in team games, Baek Yu-seol was a different story.

Lack of communication with teammates.

Due to his habit of wanting to play alone, he would always act independently without participating in battles, and while he had carried the team several times, he often ended up trolling instead.

For Baek Yu-seol, who was more accustomed to individual activities than cooperation, team games were simply poison.

But what about this time?

Though he still lacked confidence in cooperative activities… if his teammates were Flame, Aiselle, and Ma Yuseong, it would be a different story.

That didn’t mean he had confidence in cooperating with them.

The three protagonists had personal stats so overpowered that they wouldn’t even need cooperation.

While the Flame team, which moved mainly through individual activities, might have some disadvantages compared to other cooperative teams, those drawbacks were covered by their superior physical capabilities.

“Hmm. I guess I can just join and coast along.”

It would feel rude to refuse since Flame was going to such lengths.

Moreover, she was the only friend he could share his hometown with…

“Hmm, this might actually work out.”

He needed a chance to practice his Extreme Concentration in a real scenario, and the League of Spirit would serve as a perfect training ground.

***

Morf Forest.

The Red Tower of Adolevit’s protection.

Staring at the tall and desolate tower erected solely to manage Morf Forest, Hong Bi-yeon wet her red lips with her tongue.

‘This is the first time I’ve come here in person.’

This place was the last remaining legacy and trace of the Morf family, which had been wiped out ten years ago.

Due to being tainted by powerful dark magic, the Adolevit royal family regularly took on the purification work here.

‘It doesn’t exactly feel good.’

It wasn’t because of the dark magic.

Rather, there was strangely little dark magic present in this place.

The gentle mountain breeze blew.

The air was clear, and the sounds of birds chirping echoed here and there.

She locked eyes with a squirrel hiding an acorn, but it got scared and quickly hid up a tree.

For a place that had to undergo purification every year due to being tainted by dark magic…

It was oddly peaceful.

“Welcome, Princess Hong Bi-yeon. I am Kaizen, the purification ceremony’s sacred federal ritualist. I look forward to working with you.”

The purification work was mainly the responsibility of the royal family’s first princess, Hong Si-hwa, but for some reason, this time, Princess Hong Bi-yeon had been invited, causing a stir in public opinion.

Although it didn’t catch her attention, she could tell just by looking at their expressions.

‘They’re wary of me.’

Hong Bi-yeon’s lips curled up.

It had been a long time since she received such treatment.

Since meeting Baek Yu-seol, she had solidified her position in the royal palace, and there were almost no one who could treat her like that anymore.

There was no one left connected to me…

Due to the extreme secrecy under which the Morf purification work was conducted under the Duke Orkan’s lead, only aristocratic mages from the Hong Si-hwa faction had gathered here.

Entering the Red Tower, Hong Bi-yeon felt a sense of nostalgia.

It reminded her of her childhood in the palace.

That cold and sharp atmosphere.

Arriving at the top of the tower, she was welcomed by a rooftop filled entirely with windows.

There was nothing that could be called furniture in this place.

The entire wall was made of windows, adorned with a red magic circle that contained unpleasant incantations for fire magic, leaving her feeling quite uncomfortable.

And, standing with his back to the windows was an old man.

The man, wearing a red conical hat, opened his thin eyes and met Hong Bi-yeon’s gaze.

“…Mage Terrybun.”

“Welcome, Princess. It has been a long time since we last met.”

“Yes… it has been a long time.”

“It feels like just yesterday when the young princess lit a flame at her fingertip, but now you’ve grown so beautifully. Hehe…”

That was certainly not a compliment.

Mage Terrybun.

He was once the chief mage of the Adolevit royal family, teaching fire magic to the princesses, but while he was warm and kind to the other two princesses, he was cold as ice to Hong Bi-yeon.

Instead of offering proper teachings, he would reprimand her, saying something like she shouldn’t rely solely on talent, and that her handling of magic might lead her to run rampant later.

He was one of the main culprits who shredded the heart of young Hong Bi-yeon.

Thud.

With a hearty laugh, Terrybun slowly approached Hong Bi-yeon.

Startled, Hong Bi-yeon instinctively took half a step back, sweating, and biting her lip.

“Oh dear, if you react like that, this old man’s heart… will be quite hurt.”

“…Your personality has changed quite a bit, Terrybun. Are you planning to pretend to be a kind grandfather now?”

“Nothing in this world is unchanging, Princess. I too change according to the laws of nature.”

“Human nature doesn’t change, Terrybun. How about dropping that disgusting facade?”

“Hehe, I understand. I was too harsh on you during your childhood, Princess. But I hope you understand one thing. I did it for your own good.”

“…That’s creepy.”

After dismissing him like that, she turned to the waiting purification mages.

“Enough of this unnecessary formality. I want to get started with the purification ceremony right away. Is everything prepared?”

“Yes, Your Highness. But may I say something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Before we begin the purification ceremony, you must activate the ‘Fire Spirit Circle’ with the royal emblem…”

He trailed off.

The reason was obvious.

The one who had previously activated the Fire Spirit Circle was Hong Si-hwa, who was a 7th class mage.

In comparison, Hong Bi-yeon was merely a 4th class mage.

Achieving that level at the age of seventeen was impressive, but it was utterly insufficient to bear the burden of her family’s magic alone.

“I can do it.”

“Um, are you really sure?”

The nobles looked at her with skeptical expressions.

“Well… it’s not like something catastrophic would happen if I failed. If needed, we can call Princess Hong Si-hwa… for now, let’s proceed.”

From the tone of their voices, it was clear.

They didn’t trust Hong Bi-yeon at all.

Just by the fact that they hadn’t thoroughly prepared for the purification ceremony, they seemed convinced that she would fail to activate the Fire Spirit Circle.

“Alright then.”

However, Hong Bi-yeon responded to their reaction as if it were nothing.

She was now tired of getting annoyed and flustered by their reactions.

‘It’s simple. I just have to show them.’

The person called Hong Bi-yeon.

The mage known as Hong Bi-yeon.

The princess named Hong Bi-yeon.

She just needed to show them as she was and prove it.

‘That should be an easy task for me now.’

End of Chapter