I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy

Chapter 256: Noble Soul (10)

Redtrix VI Black Thunderstorm No. 7.

This was the nickname for the airship frequently used by Aryumon Brushun, the head of the Mage Association.

The cost of a single airship was astronomical, and the maintenance expenses were incredibly high, making it seem impossible for an individual to own one.

However, this didn’t apply to the upper echelons.

Aryumon did not enjoy accumulating wealth, but he was quite serious about his airship collection.

Vrrrrrr...!!

The loud noise of the mana engine, which was heavily tuned and modified, echoed throughout the dock of the Third World Tree.

Psshhk!

Thanks to the elves who had already reported Aryumon’s arrival upon hearing the airship's signal, Elder Suhaksan could greet him in time.

"Haha, Aryumon. It’s been a while."

"Old man Suhaksan. You're still as vigorous as ever."

"While I'm glad to see you visiting so suddenly, honestly, I’m more bewildered."

"Ah! I see. I apologize for not giving you a heads-up."

Aryumon said this with a weary expression. He approached him to offer a handshake.

Suhaksan raised an eyebrow at this.

'Still the same insufferable guy.'

A handshake was a typical human gesture, a custom spread by humans.

It was customary for visitors to adapt to the culture of the elves, but Aryumon, as always, showed no respect for the culture of others.

Grand Mage Aryumon Brushun was a firm believer in human superiority.

Of course, there was a valid reason for his superiority complex.

Currently, humans had the highest proportion of Class 8 mages, and historically, over half of the mages who reached the divine realm of Class 9 were also human, and it was presumed that the ‘Progenitor Mage’ was human as well.

Moreover, Aryumon himself was one of fewer than ten Class 9 mages on the continent, so Suhaksan had no choice but to accept the handshake without a word.

"What brings you here?"

Regardless, if Aryumon had come after hearing about the corruption of the World Tree, there would be no intention to seek his cooperation.

Humans could not be involved in matters related to the sacred World Tree.

Fortunately, Aryumon seemed to have come for a different purpose.

He presented Suhaksan with a request for cooperation in the search for a dark mage.

"Hmm!"

Suhaksan paused after hearing the unexpected request for cooperation.

To show that document in such a public place was like openly saying, ‘It seems like there’s a dark mage around, so we’re going to search your area.’

If there was clear evidence, the Mage Association had absolute authority to search for dark mages, making it impossible to refuse.

Since this was a clause all races had agreed upon, even an elder of elves couldn't refuse... But it still had to be considered carefully.

Ransacking the sacred World Tree to catch a mere fly was something that could never be allowed.

"We’ll review this carefully."

Suhaksan took the document and slowly reviewed its contents.

… Not long after, he widened his eyes in shock.

“Is this… really true?”

“Yes. I am well aware that we are being quite rude. But please, I must ask for your cooperation. This is a very troublesome situation right now.”

The Dark Mage Chelven.

Before disappearing decades ago, he was the very dark mage from legend who caused tens of thousands of casualties, and now he had suddenly appeared here.

‘No, it’s not confirmed yet. It’s only circumstantial. But still…!’

If the contents of the document were true, Chelven likely headed towards the orchard of the Dream Tree.

By now, he was probably hiding somewhere around here.

‘This is…’

The danger level had become much higher than anticipated.

It was not something he could stubbornly refuse out of pride.

"… Could we move somewhere else to discuss this?"

Suhaksan spoke in a heavy voice, and Aryumon readily nodded.

Amidst the urgency, he was relieved that the conversation was going more smoothly than expected.

—

It was quiet.

The cool glass shards hovered in the air and constantly pricked his skin.

Baek Yu-Seol sat down cross-legged in front of Leafanel, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

To be precise, he was finely tuning the [Tae-Ryeong's Godly Technique].

He had long since taken off his gas mask.

One might ask if it was dangerous, he could certainly say it was.

Due to this, Baek Yu-Seol’s lifespan might have shortened, and he might collapse soon after.

But there was a reason why he had to go this far.

[Analyzing mana concentration in the air...]

The Sentient Spec was not almighty.

When attempting something new, he must make contact with it.

The reason Baek Yu-Seol had been able to analyze magic just by observing it was that the source of magic lay in magic circles and runes. Those could be interpreted sufficiently just by looking at them.

However, some advanced spells required not just observation but magical contact to analyze them, and the high-density mana scattered in Leafanel’s garden was of that type.

Analyzing it by merely looking while wearing a gas mask was impossible.

Breathing it directly was also dangerous, but...

'It’s possible with the Tae-Ryeong's Godly Technique.’

He would take the mana into his body and release it again.

If he could use his body like a waterwheel and prevent the toxic mana from dissolving inside him, he could breathe as much as he wanted.

“Phew...”

The Tae-Ryeong's Godly Technique required at least several dozen seconds just to activate the skill.

If one tried to use the Tae-Ryeong's Godly Technique while moving, it could take minutes.

Was it easy to maintain then?

No, it wasn’t.

Even a single stray thought could cause the Tae-Ryeong's Godly Technique to fall apart. It demanded an extremely high level of concentration.

However, this was somewhat alleviated after receiving the blessing of Pink Spring Moon.

In fact, during the previous battle with the witch, the Tae-Ryeong's Godly Technique was not deactivated even once despite the heat of the battle.

But...

‘What is this feeling?’

It was not just that it was easier to maintain.

Come to think of it, had he ever seriously trained the Tae-Ryeong's Godly Technique since gaining the blessing of the Pink Spring Moon?

Of course, he had been steadily practicing it, but that was just daily repetitive practice. He didn’t research with the aim of development.

But today, in the desperate attempt to control the concentration of the impure mana, he realized something different.

Even with his eyes closed, he felt as if he could almost see the flow of mana, and he could infuse his will into it a little.

When Baek Yu-Seol regained his senses, he found himself standing up without realizing it.

He reached out into the air.

‘Where did I leave my sword?’

He couldn’t remember, so he just mimicked holding a sword with his bare hands.

He didn’t have any special sword techniques.

He simply slashed, thrusted, and striked down.

It was the only sword technique he possessed.

But with just that, he couldn’t fight a mage.

That was what Ha Tae-Ryeong, who passed down the breathing technique to him in the distant past, said.

‘The key to fighting mages is distance control.’

The essence to win a battle with mage was to retreat beyond the range of magic and then close in again to strike a vital spot.

Baek Yu-Seol had no sword techniques, but he did have battle tactics.

Ha Tae-Ryeong said he honed his footwork by pushing the limits of Mana Leakage Delay to employ the above method.

But no matter how quick a human's footwork is, how nimble could it truly be?

It was much slower than the leap of a knight-class mage and had less explosive power than a Power Jump.

Ha Tae-Ryeong had no choice but to overcome this through endless battles and experience, but... Baek Yu-Seol didn’t need to do that.

Because he possessed a unique magic that no other mage had ever had.

‘I just need to be able to activate the Tae-Ryeong's Godly Technique whenever I want.’

Up until now, the preparation time was so long that the battle started at a disadvantage.

But with the help of Pink Spring Moon, he could slip into the mental world without restrictions.

‘Maybe… it’s even possible to maintain the Tae-Ryeong's Godly Technique all the time.’

If he could imprint the Tae-Ryeong's Godly Technique on some corner of his mind and made it his regular breathing…

Not only would he be able to freely move around in this mana-filled space, but the 'eternal life' envisioned by Ha Tae-Ryeong might also become possible.

Of course, he didn’t particularly wish to live long, but...

‘Ugh!’

Maybe because he focused too intensely, he passed beyond the mental world... Into an even deeper, more profound mental realm.

It was like being submerged in the deep sea at midnight. He couldn’t see anything, nor could he sense direction.

‘This is… dangerous.’

If he went any deeper, he felt like he might never be able to return, so he hurriedly swam toward the surface.

‘I have to wake up.’

Driven by that single thought, he frantically moved toward the sky.

Suddenly, something grabbed his collar.

It wasn’t a strong grip.

It was a weak grasp, something he could easily shake off.

However, feeling a tug on his heart, Baek Yu-Seol looked down into the depths of the sea of consciousness.

‘… Leafanel?’

There, a spirit in the form of a young girl appeared. She parted her lips with an ambiguous expression that made it hard to discern her emotions, but her voice was barely audible.

But more than that, the first question that arose was.

‘Why is Leafanel here?’

‘Wasn’t this my subconscious world?’

Then, he realized that she and him were connected by their souls.

‘If she’s here…!’

He could ask Leafanel why she ended up this way.

He grabbed her shoulders and shouted with all his might.

“Leafanel! Hurry, answer me! Who did this to you?!”

But maybe she couldn’t hear his voice.

Leafanel tilted her head and silently moved her lips.

Baek Yu-Seol couldn’t hear her.

‘Damn. Do I need to go deeper?’

He quickly dismissed that thought.

It appeared Leafanel had emerged from somewhere deep in that ocean, and if he went down any further, he might completely lose his way back.

‘That…’

At the edge of the endless abyss, something small and violet, like a butterfly, flickered.

That must be… Leafanel’s subconscious world.

If he just swam toward that butterfly, he could enter her mind.

‘… I can’t do that.’

He slowly let go of Leafanel’s hand.

He wanted to take her out right away, but forcing her awake when she had been corrupted by dark mana was incredibly dangerous.

‘I’ll come to get you soon.’

He mouthed these words to Leafanel.

Perhaps she understood, she gave a faint smile, which was something rarely seen.

Then she floated away, diving into the deep ocean while gently waving her hand, like a child innocently saying goodbye, which tugged at his heart.

Bubbles popped up!

Baek Yu-Seol turned his back on Leafanel, forced himself out of the deep waters of the subconscious world and broke through to the surface.

The moment he did, his eyes snapped open as he regained consciousness.

“Phew…”

Baek Yu-Seol’s whole body felt refreshed.

Normally, his leg muscles would be numb from maintaining a seated position for so long, but he felt as refreshed as if he had just woken up from a good sleep.

[Analysis complete.]

[Reporting results.]

Just as he was about to slowly read the results from the Sentient Spec, another message caught his eye even more.

“What’s this?”

It wasn’t from the Sentient Spec but a pure system message.

Notifications were popping up in succession.

[The skill ‘Mana Leakage Delay’ level has increased!]

[All stats have significantly increased.]

[You can now control your strength more precisely. Your body has become more agile, and your mind clearer.]

[Your vision has cleared, allowing you to see objects more distinctly.]

[Your senses have sharpened, enabling you to perceive things you couldn’t before.]

Seeing those messages he had never encountered before left him feeling bewildered.

“What on earth is going on…?”

It appeared he hadn’t been utilizing even 1% of the blessing of the Twelve Divine Moons until now.