Magic Academy’s Genius Blinker

Chapter 61

Masked Ball (4)

Baek Yu-seol’s team was making remarkably fast progress. So far, they hadn’t been stuck on anything, and most of the puzzles were solved quickly.

Despite being unable to interpret the gate, their breakthrough speed was astonishingly swift.

But what about the other teams?

Hong Bi-yeon followed Baek Yu-seol with a stern expression.

“It’s this way. Stand next to that statue. This stage seems to detect weight. That statue’s dance is a waltz meant for two people. Being alone, the weight doesn’t match.”

“Aha! I’ll do it!”

At Baek Yu-seol’s words, the other students obediently approached the distant statue and took their positions.

It had been like this the whole time.

When Baek Yu-seol spoke, everyone agreed. Hong Bi-yeon was no exception. Even now, she found herself following his words without question.

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t understand it.

He wasn’t someone who liked to stand out.

If he wanted to be in the spotlight, he had plenty of opportunities. If he wanted good grades, he could always get perfect scores.

Yet, Baek Yu-seol maintained nearly failing grades in most subjects. He guessed on tests, never submitted assignments on time, and his attitude in class was terrible.

But anyone who had faced him would know immediately.

His knowledge was not at a first-year level.

Whenever he spoke, he used technical terms and easily solved problems that even prestigious Stella students couldn’t understand. He also devised strategies that others couldn’t even imagine.

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How was that possible?

Even among the geniuses of Stella, how could he possess such unparalleled experience and knowledge?

…She wasn’t the type to brood alone.

“Hey, you know your place, right? I’m heading over there.”

As Baek Yu-seol moved to his position, she hurriedly stopped him.

“Wait, commoner.”

“Huh?”

“I have a question.”

Hong Bi-yeon’s red eyes were as calm as a lake.

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“Where do you get such knowledge and experience?”

Baek Yu-seol visibly flinched, his expression twitching.

‘Damn, did I rush too much?’

He knew he would stand out, but he hadn’t expected such a direct question. He averted his gaze and spoke.

“Well, I’ve just had… a lot of experiences… from long ago.”

It wasn’t a lie. He was indeed acting based on his experiences.

“…I see.”

Hong Bi-yeon interpreted it differently.

Though he looked younger than the average 17-year-old, his behavior, speech, and knowledge never matched that of a 17-year-old boy.

But it was impossible to hide one’s age and enroll in Stella.

Magic to change one’s appearance was impossible for anyone except special races. Even the high-level magic of eternal youth (返老還童) required a 9th-class mage to maintain the appearance of a teenager.

…The legend of the Twelve Divine Moons and Silver Age November’s ‘Time Regression’ briefly crossed her mind, but she quickly dismissed it as too absurd to consider.

He was the same 17-year-old as everyone else, but… due to certain circumstances, he had accumulated more experience than his age would suggest.

That made sense.

Come to think of it, didn’t he say his hometown was destroyed by Dark Mages just before he enrolled in school?

A remote village no one had heard of, always at the frontline of battles with Dark Mages.

That’s why…

Now she understood why Baek Yu-seol lacked basic knowledge but excelled in strategy and combat.

He had always fought on the frontlines, without the chance to receive basic education, always facing life-and-death situations.

‘But still…’

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Baek Yu-seol, despite keeping the lowest grades and not standing out, was now putting in effort.

‘Why is he working so hard now?’

There had to be a reason.

There was always a reason when he acted seriously.

As she pondered deeply, she recalled the earlier argument between Flame and Jackie.

The suggestion that this Persona Gate might be ‘real.’

‘Could it be… if that’s true?’

That would explain everything.

If the Persona Gate was deemed dangerous, then hiding one’s talents and living quietly would be abandoned to strategize openly.

“Tell me. Is this Persona Gate we’re challenging really ‘real’?”

Baek Yu-seol’s expression stiffened slightly before he smirked.

“You’re quick to catch on, Hong Bi-yeon.”

The original Hong Bi-yeon Adolevit would have realized the truth only at the last moment, when facing the boss battle.

In the process, she would have constantly hindered Aiselle, exponentially increasing the difficulty of the strategy.

But to notice it even before reaching the boss room…

The future had changed significantly. Yet, it wasn’t a bad change. Hong Bi-yeon was moving further away from the path of a ‘villainess.’ Baek Yu-seol could only smile at that.

“Yes. This place is real. You can get hurt, you can die, and if you don’t clear it, the ‘Other World Synchronization Phenomenon’ will occur outside.”

“No way…”

“The first-year practice goal is to interpret and strategize the Persona Gate. They wouldn’t suddenly make an uninterpretable gate and tell us to handle it. Maybe for the second years, but not for us.”

Jackie’s argument had completely ignored the school’s curriculum. Baek Yu-seol was pointing that out.

‘I see… That’s why he’s stopped hiding and started acting seriously to resolve this situation.’

Baek Yu-seol had a secret. Something he wanted to hide so much that he turned his past into a blank slate.

That’s why he hid his intellect, kept the worst grades, and concealed his presence.

But this time, the situation was different.

‘A real crisis.’

This place was too difficult for inexperienced students to clear. Even Hong Bi-yeon, who had mastered the 3rd class, found it challenging to interpret.

If things had proceeded normally… many students might have been injured or killed.

And those casualties could have included Hong Bi-yeon herself.

That’s why.

When Baek Yu-seol acted seriously, there was always a reason.

“Alright, let’s move quickly.”

There’s something he wanted to confirm.

* * *

Meanwhile, the situation didn’t look good for the other three teams.

Flame roughly tore off her cumbersome black frill dress. Though it was slightly torn above the knee, there was no other choice.

“Phew, this dress is hindering my fighting.”

“…Sorry.”

A girl sitting in the corner apologized while slumped. Flame shook her head weakly with a smile.

“It’s okay. We resolved it.”

Something had gone wrong during the strategy.

Flame had a rough idea of how to clear the gate and understood that the keyword was ‘dance.’ She had been giving orders based on that. Finding the strategy itself wasn’t difficult.

But one team member, determined to earn their own points, didn’t follow her strategy.

When they failed, knight statues suddenly started moving. At first, the students didn’t think much of it, but the sharp swords and spears caused chaos the moment they touched.

Real pain.

Real wounds.

“W-What is this… What’s happening…”

Even after the battle ended, a male student sobbed with tears streaming down his face.

They thought it was just practice.

They believed even this complex situation was part of the professor’s plan.

This Persona Gate had to be fake.

“Then why… why does it hurt so much, damn it…”

Flame, while treating the students’ wounds, couldn’t hide her troubled feelings.

She knew this would happen. How hard had she tried to make them realize it was real? But all her efforts were undone by Jackie, a single girl.

Jackie’s seemingly truthful words were false, while Flame’s seemingly absurd claims were true.

The students only realized it after experiencing it firsthand.

‘It’s a relief they realized it now.’

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From now on, they just had to be careful. The difficulty was significantly higher than the students’ average, but with Aiselle in the team, they could clear it without issues.

“Alright, let’s calm down. It’s easier than you think. I’ve somewhat interpreted the strategy while progressing. I’ve roughly figured it out.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, do you think I’m lying? Get up quickly. We need to move to the next stage.”

Flame helped the students up and waved her staff in the air. Formulas penetrating the essence of the Persona Gate were arranged one by one, and a message appeared in the air.

It was the ‘guideline message’ that only appeared when the Persona Gate was perfectly ‘phenomenon analyzed.’

[Congratulations! You’ve cleared the ‘Room of Dancing Chess’.]

[Thanks to this stage, I’ve gained many hints. I’ve learned the Duchess of Aiharen’s dance preferences.]

[You are now close to the ballroom where the masked ball is being held. Head to the next stage immediately! You’ll be able to reunite with your companions there.]

[If all your companions have successfully overcome the challenges, the power source of the barrier blocking the ballroom will be cut, allowing you to head to the ‘Dancing Clock Tower’.]

“What, what…”

“Flame, did you really interpret this?”

“No way… It was filled with complex formulas we haven’t even learned yet, how…”

She couldn’t say she had prepared for this by constantly studying ahead because she was a rofan transmigrator who knew the future. So, she diverted the conversation.

“Now you see? We can do this.”

By now, Aiselle would have succeeded in interpreting it too. Even though she didn’t study ahead like Flame, her genius brain would have grasped the formulas and changed her thinking to interpret it.

And Hong Bi-yeon… probably hadn’t interpreted it yet. Not because her abilities were inferior to Aiselle’s, but because she believed it was impossible and hadn’t even tried.

That was Hong Bi-yeon’s inherent flaw.

“Alright, let’s move.”

At Flame’s words, the three students nodded with tense expressions. Regardless, with her successful analysis, their chances of clearing had increased.

Boom!

As the heavy iron door opened and the magic barrier broke, a vast hall was revealed.

According to Flame, this stage had nothing. It was a resting area for challengers and a place to reunite with other challengers.

“Oh? Aiselle! Flame! You’re here too!”

Just then, Aiselle’s team seemed to have crossed from the other side, entering as the door opened. As expected, they had quickly cleared it under Aiselle’s lead.
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But three boys and girls were already waiting there. It was Jackie’s team, who had started first.

‘…They were much faster than expected.’

Flame hurried over to them.

“Is everyone safe? Where’s one of your members?”

“Well… Jackie suddenly disappeared.”

“What? Jackie?”

“Yeah. We managed to get here thanks to her, but she vanished after passing the last door. We searched for a long time but couldn’t find her, so we just came in…”

“Took a long time.”

That meant their strategy was even faster than hers and Aiselle’s.

‘…How is that possible?’

Even though Flame had prepared extensively for this Persona Gate, the interpretation and strategy were challenging, but the speed was undeniable.

To clear faster than herself, who knew the future, and Aiselle, one of the top interpreters in the world…

But the surprises didn’t end there.

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“But we’re not the first.”

“What?”

“Look over there.”

At a classmate’s words, Flame turned her gaze to the corner and widened her eyes.

Baek Yu-seol and Hong Bi-yeon had arrived long before Jackie’s team.

“What the heck, when did you get here?”

“A while ago.”

“You’re disgustingly fast…”

Other students nodded in agreement with Flame’s words. They could understand Baek Yu-seol’s speed as he possessed knowledge beyond other students.

“Did you see Jackie?”

Out of 16, 15 were gathered, but one was missing. Baek Yu-seol sighed and shook his head.

“I didn’t see her.”

In fact, one reason Baek Yu-seol hurried was to find out Jackie’s whereabouts.

In the original game, taking the [Jackie Dark Mage Route] would lead to a scenario where Jackie, after clearing faster than Aiselle, Flame, and the player, would disappear.

But what if he could join her and uncover her identity? Maybe then the protagonists could clear the episode without danger.

Despite his haste, it was futile.

By the time Jackie’s team arrived, she had already vanished.

‘Can’t be helped.’

Now, all he could do was provide the best support so the protagonists could clear the stage safely.

* * *

Only the boss stage remained, but the students decided to rest in the hall.

While Baek Yu-seol’s team hadn’t fought once, the other teams had triggered traps and failed to clear gimmicks, resulting in battles.

“Princess, you’re amazing. Arriving first.”

“It’s hard to believe you’re a first-year like us.”

Around Hong Bi-yeon were students trying to join her faction, flattering her. These were the so-called ‘followers,’ students who hadn’t joined her faction but still followed her around.

“…What did I do that’s amazing?”

“Uh, excuse me?”

She rummaged through her pocket, popped a red ginseng candy into her mouth, and stared at the ceiling.

“Baek Yu-seol handled everything, from strategy to guidance. I did nothing.”

“Uh, you’re modest.”

“Right, Princess…”

“No, I’m not modest. I really did nothing.”

Her followers turned pale and trembled.

“S-Sorry! But we really think you’re amazing…”

“Right. I am amazing.”

“…What?”

Contradictory. She denied being amazing just moments ago, but now, she confidently brushed her hair behind her shoulder and spoke proudly.

“Stop flattering and tell me honestly. Among first-year students, isn’t there hardly anyone as great a mage as me?”

“Right! Ma Yuseong and Aiselle have much less power compared to you.”

“Right, right. You could probably compete with the second and third years.”

“Ugh,”

She clasped her knees and stared into the distance.

“Among ‘students,’ I’m amazing. So there’s no need to compare myself to non-students.”

“Exactly!”

“Ah, Princess, are you comparing yourself to veteran mages?”

“Veteran mages may seem impressive now, but with more experience, you’ll surpass them easily, Princess.”

“I think so too.”

That’s why Hong Bi-yeon could stay calm. Even seeing a student far more talented at 17 didn’t faze her.

Baek Yu-seol. He was no ordinary 17-year-old first-year cadet.

Hong Bi-yeon concluded firmly.
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‘He definitely… came to school with a purpose.’

A boy with a blank past that even the Adolevit Kingdom’s intelligence couldn’t uncover.

A unique mage who walked the path of chivalry without using magic.

“You guys.”

“Yes?”

“Speak, Princess.”

“What do you think about Baek Yu-seol?”

Her followers and faction members glanced at Baek Yu-seol, sitting far away, discussing something seriously with Flame.

“Well… he looks young.”
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“Yeah, he seems baby-faced.”

“Not that.”

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“Ah, you mean his abilities? He seems amazing. He hunted the necromancer, and in the mock monster battle too…”
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“He fights well but also uses his brain a lot, right?”

“Right, I think so too.”

He uses his brain.

That’s right.

During the necromancer attack, he captured a commander-level skeleton without killing it and used it to find the main body’s location.

In the mock monster battle, he made five medium-sized monsters fight each other without much effort.

In this Persona Gate, he quickly found the strategy with unique observations and ideas.

Most of his strategies were based on ‘experience.’

Experience.

While nobles studied magic formulas and theories comfortably in their mansions, he fought with a tiny sword on real battlefields.

So, despite getting the lowest failing grades at the entrance ceremony, he could rise quickly with his exceptional brain and unique ideas.

And… no one but her had likely noticed his true value yet.

“Hm, I see…”

“Why, Princess?”

“Nothing.”

Feigning ignorance, she stood up. It was time to move to the next stage.

End of Chapter