Magic Academy’s Genius Blinker

Chapter 72

Items (6)

The eastern garden of Stella Academy. Although it was a place often visited by students, due to its vast expanse, there were always secluded spots.

Hong Bi-yeon sat on a bench in a small gazebo where few people passed by, covering her face with both hands.

Her lips were bitten so hard that blood was trickling down.

‘Ah, seriously. Should I just kill him?’

She wanted to sever Edmund’s arrogant neck right then and there.

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However, she couldn’t, which made her even more frustrated.

Hong Bi-yeon knew.
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The reason Edmund had interfered with such tricks likely had a political motive.

Edmund Atalek didn’t want Hong Bi-yeon to stand on her own.

He must have had some awareness of the value of the ‘item’ business.

Regardless of what Baek Yu-seol, a commoner, said, Edmund probably believed that with the Adolevit Kingdom’s national power, they could make the deal anyway.

Or… he underestimated the item business.

In any case, for Edmund Atalek, the immediate concern wasn’t the items. It was more important to prevent Hong Bi-yeon from gaining power through new connections.

Even if that connection was just a commoner.

‘…I missed a good opportunity.’

Baek Yu-seol was a genius. An extraordinary talent. To find a comparable talent at Stella, you’d have to compare him to the overwhelming first-place Ma Yuseong or Hae Wonryang.

Talents should be widely recognized, and there should be no discrimination based on status. That was what her late… ‘elder sister’ used to say.

Hong Bi-yeon still didn’t fully understand the meaning of those words. But she thought that as long as all nobles and commoners were equal under the royal family, it didn’t matter who she used.

So, she solely focused on Baek Yu-seol’s abilities to make him her ally.

Anger surged up to her chin. Her hair fluttered, and the eastern garden of Stella was engulfed in flames, but fortunately, she maintained her sanity at the last moment, preventing any mishaps.

At the same time, a gloomy feeling filled her chest.

Am I really incapable of doing anything?

Is it truly impossible for me to stand on my own?

“Aha, really?”

“Yes, really.”

“See? I knew Aiselle wasn’t like that.”

Nearby, the chatter of girls reached her ears. Hong Bi-yeon absentmindedly looked up.

On a beautiful octagonal pavilion illuminated for the students, girls were huddled together, chatting. It seemed to be one of those ‘study groups’ that had recently become popular among the students.

Among them was Aiselle Morf.

She was sitting next to a girl named Harillen, mingling with the other girls, a stark contrast to how she couldn’t get along with anyone at the beginning of the semester.

“Uh-huh, of course, I…!”

Whenever Aiselle spoke, the girls’ faces bloomed with smiles.

She was a strange girl.

Clearly, as the successor of the ‘Traitor Morf,’ she should have fallen.

Yet she survived, endured, struggled like a bug, and eventually entered Stella Academy…

Gradually reclaiming everything she had lost, she was shining brightly on her own.

Like the sun.

Around her, there were only children gathered for political reasons. She couldn’t escape that cycle, and there was nothing she could do freely.

That girl had everything she didn’t.

Even Baek Yu-seol.

Hong Bi-yeon silently stood up, looking at the sky.

Though her mood was gloomy, the sky was exceptionally clear and bright today, lacking any sense of insight.

She quietly took out a red ginseng candy from her pocket. Not the expensive candy she usually had, but the cheap red ginseng candy Baek Yu-seol roughly found at a restaurant.

She put it in her mouth and chewed.

Because he gave it to her, it tasted horribly bad.

As she savored the red ginseng candy on her tongue, she slowly thought.

‘…The Atalek family refused, saying they wouldn’t supply to Adolevit?’

Why did he say that?

‘Wait.’

There was something she missed.

He… is a commoner.

No matter his actual ‘identity,’ outwardly, he’s a commoner.

For a commoner to say such absurd things to the Atalek family, it would be like declaring he would ruin his own school life.

Even without the Atalek family name, he was a senior in his third year, and Stella’s hierarchy was strict, so challenging a senior was unacceptable.

‘Why did he do it?’

Was it because he felt belittled and wanted to get back at them?

No.

That’s not his personality. If he was that childish, he wouldn’t have stayed quiet at school until now.

Baek Yu-seol was quite smart, and when he did something seriously, there was always a reason.

This time, it must be the same.

‘Could it be…?’

If he knew how the Adolevit political landscape worked?

‘No, that can’t be.’

That’s too far-fetched. How much could a commoner know about politics to think so deeply? It doesn’t make sense.

There are too many things that need to be known in advance to create ‘this situation.’ And those things can’t be known by a mere commoner.

However, the situation fits too naturally.

A commoner wouldn’t bring up the ‘Atalek family’ without reason. He’s not impulsive.

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If that one statement…

Really penetrated the Adolevit power structure?

If there was some political implication?

Thump.

Hong Bi-yeon’s heart raced.

Maybe she could give that bastard a good punch if her thinking was correct.

But at the same time, a strange, unknown emotion kept creeping into her heart.

If her thoughts were correct,

Baek Yu-seol must have done it to help her.

But as a result… he would face hell in his school life from now on.
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Daring to challenge a senior, and the Atalek family at that.

‘…Why?’

He would gain nothing from this incident.

Her chest felt cold.

Although it was already dark, I went outside the Arcaneum.

It hadn’t been long since I fixed the mana line, but I received a call that the prototype of the item was complete.

Moreover, I had business with Hwarseok Koden, so I headed straight to the Alchemy Castle.

The Arcaneum and Alchemy Castle were located in the center of the continent, so the distance wasn’t far.

A few warp holes and I would arrive in no time. Though warp holes were expensive, Stella students could show their pocket watches for a significant discount or even travel for free, so it wasn’t a burden.

Upon arriving at the Alchemy Castle, I quickly made my way to the Alterisha faction’s research lab.

Initially attached to the basement of another building, the Alterisha faction’s research lab had grown explosively. Within a few weeks, it had taken over an entire ten-story building.

Since releasing the essence of Alchemy Magical Engineering, ‘items,’ their growth had been phenomenal.

Being surprised by a mere ten-story building would be premature. The Alterisha faction would soon engulf the entire Alchemy Castle within months.

Knock knock—

When I knocked on the office door on the 10th floor, a voice came from inside.

“Come in!”

Opening the door, I saw Alterisha arranging a mountain of papers on her desk, wearing her trademark horn-rimmed glasses.

“Wow… What’s all this?”

“As the head of the academic society, I have a lot to handle. Heh…”

Even as she spoke, Alterisha gave an awkward, self-conscious laugh.

“It still feels unreal that I’m the head of the academic society…”

Her smile was slightly flushed, as if she still couldn’t believe it.

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

Looking at the piles of documents, I saw requests from various magic towers wanting to collaborate, mages wanting to work as magical engineers, and companies wanting to co-develop technology through sponsorship.

A flood of love calls towards the Alterisha faction.

“Come, sit here.”

“Shouldn’t you read these?”

“Hehe, no worries. I’ve hired administrative staff. They’ve already left for the day.”

It was just past 6 p.m.

“Whoever they are, they sure leave on time…”

As I mused, Alterisha rummaged through a storage room attached to the office and brought out a box with great effort. I quickly helped her lift the huge box onto a nearby table.

“Ah, this is…”

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“Yes. I tried to implement what you mentioned. Here are three ‘accessory-type items’ that can be immediately deployed.”

I hurriedly took out each piece of equipment from the box.

A plain bracelet, a necklace, and a ring. Although they didn’t seem functional as accessories, the embedded features were genuine.

[Shield Bracelet]

* Grade: Intermediate

* Description: Transforms into an arm guard when activated.

* Effect

– Strength +7%

– Resilience +9%

– Mana +2%

* Special Function

► Level.1 Shield (1,000BP)

This is the essential function of the ‘item.’
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Besides its shield activation capability, it even increases stats. Considering how hard it is to raise stats, this was a significant effect.

Although the increases were modest now, the effects would greatly enhance as the item’s grade increased. For now, this was more than satisfactory.

“Wow, the defense is a whopping 1,000. To think you improved efficiency this much in just a few weeks… It can easily block a few spells.”

This shield was an emergency defense mechanism. Most spells couldn’t be cut with a sword, but there were occasional attacks that couldn’t be blocked.

Also, using it when I couldn’t swing my sword would surprise enemies targeting my weaknesses.

“You noticed right away. Correct. I modified your mana line my way, and it greatly amplified efficiency.”

Listening to her, I inspected the next item.

[Barrier Coating Necklace]

* Grade: Intermediate

* Description: Activates a protective coating over the body when worn.
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* Effect

– Agility +11%

– Resilience +14%

– Mana +1%

* Special Function

► Level.1 Body Barrier (125BP)

– Damage Absorption 3%

“This is… really nice.”

The necklace’s options made me exclaim in awe. To think she had already implemented a body barrier in a necklace.

Although it was of intermediate grade and a Level 1 shield, the reason was that creating a barrier to cover the entire body was extremely difficult and a high-level magic feat.

Even having a shield with a defense of 125 covering the entire body was remarkable. It couldn’t block major attacks, but it could reduce damage from minor scratches or glancing blows.

Of course, a Blink mistake would shatter the barrier.

To cover Blink mistakes, you’d need at least a 7th-class shield spell, which even future technology couldn’t implement.

Lastly, I picked up the ring.

[Unknown Dagger Ring]

* Grade: Intermediate

* Description: Changes into a handle upon use, summoning a mana dagger.

* Effect

– Agility +14%
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– Sensitivity +9%

* Special Function

► Level.3 Magic Dagger

– Duration: 5 minutes

An intermediate item. This might be the best item Alterisha has made so far. To think she implemented a magic sword in a ring.

“This is… really…”

“How is it? I failed to implement the ‘magic sword’ you mentioned, but I could make something like this temporarily. The duration is short, and the output is lower than expected, but…”

“No, it’s incredible. Truly amazing.”

This magic dagger, once embedded in my ring, could be my secret weapon in emergencies.

Unlike the Terivon Sword, whose power depended on my breathing technique, the magic dagger activated with a fixed power embedded in the ring.

Thus, considering my insufficient breath circulation, this magic dagger might be more powerful than my Terivon Sword in terms of pure destructive power.

‘It really is amazing.’

One might argue having a weapon enchanted with attack magic would be better, but that’s impossible.

Unlike layering defense with shields, attack magic required adjusting the magic circle based on trajectory, power, and various situational factors. Items couldn’t manage that.

Therefore, artifacts seen in novels, like flames bursting from swords or fireballs launching from rings, were practically impossible to implement.

Not that they don’t exist at all…

Anyway.

“I’m very satisfied. Extremely.”

If I had to rate my satisfaction, it would be 1,000%.
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When I gave her a thumbs up, Alterisha smiled bashfully and patted the box.

“Besides these, I also made some ‘consumable items.’ They’re still in the experimental phase, so there might be some defects…”

She meant they hadn’t been fully tested yet.

“There’s so many.”

“A sponsor requested samples. I set aside a few.”

“Wow…”

The box was filled with genuine consumable items, a class above the temporary alchemy products like fire potions or slip potions I had used before.

“But without a proper explanation on how to use these in real-life situations, it’s hard to market them to sponsors…”

It seemed she was worried about how to promote these consumable items to sponsors without practical examples.

“Well… How about I take a few and record some videos? Stella has plenty of practical experiments.”

“Ah, that’s a good idea. Even though you’re not a certified magic warrior, saying a Stella student used them would be quite credible.”

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I took the entire box. It included items I had designed and Alterisha’s own innovations, a variety of items.

“Oh, and you mentioned you had business with Dr. Hwarseok Koden?”

“Yes.”

“He’s been very busy lately. There’s an issue with the item trade, and I don’t understand that side of things at all…”

Alterisha, clueless about anything outside alchemy, wore a puzzled look, but I immediately understood the problem.

And more than that,

I had already planned how to use this issue to deal with the Atalek family.

End of Chapter