I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 320

A thick darkness enveloped everything, with faint green light seeping through.

As Baek Yuseol’s eyes adjusted to the warm green glow symbolizing life and birth, he clutched his aching head.

"Ugh..."

Struggling to sit up, a ringing sensation pounded in his ears.

"Ugh, it's itchy."

He touched his ear and felt a faint mana vibration emanating from it. It seemed to soar high into the sky, traveling far away, the thread of mana so thin it felt like it could snap at any moment.

‘What is this?’

The earpiece he wore was a special wireless communicator that allowed him to communicate with distant parties. Feeling the mana from it this vividly was quite unusual.

‘My senses...’

Clink!

Suddenly, the mana thread connected to somewhere, and a voice came through. It was an elf knight’s voice.

“Baek Yuseol! Are you conscious?”

"Uh, yeah, I’m fine, but can you lower your voice a bit?"

- *Static!* "You’re safe! Thank goodness!"

Finally looking around, Baek Yuseol noticed the stark difference between this place and the outside world.

“Oh...”

Moss-covered rocks were stacked high, and strange symbols were carved into each stone—symbols that even his magic spectacles couldn't interpret.

'Well, they’re not a translation device anyway, so I guess it can’t be helped...'

If players hadn’t discovered or translated something, even the best tools couldn’t decipher it.

The rocks were stacked like a temple, and the space was so vast that its end was out of sight. The architecture ignored the typical layout of a three-dimensional space. What appeared to be the ceiling was actually a wall, and beside it, an upside-down staircase stretched towards yet another “ceiling.”

As Baek Yuseol placed his hand on one of the stones, the strange green symbols emitted a bright light, filling the space with a green glow that spread across the temple, illuminating it entirely.

Even without his magic spectacles, the temple shone brightly, making everything visible far into the distance.

- *Static!* “Baek Yuseol! *Static!* Inside Damgaltwoil... *Static!* Have you arrived safely? *Static!*”

Indeed.

**[You have entered the Dungeon: Inside Damgaltwoil.]**

This temple was none other than Damgaltwoil’s interior—specifically, its deepest core.

“I’ve arrived, so you can head back now.”

- “We are currently retreating as fast as we can... *Static!*”

With those final words, the connection cut off. It was disappointing, but given the distance, he was content with the fact that they could communicate at all.

‘Althericia’s technology is improving by leaps and bounds...’

He removed the earpiece and pocketed it. Then, donning his magic spectacles, he gave a command.

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“Generate a 3D map of the area visible to me and display it as a hologram.”

- *Scanning. Please move your line of sight slowly.*

As he carefully surveyed his surroundings, a threatening sensation prickled his instincts from all directions.

Swoosh...!

A bright green, glowing figure resembling a deer peered out from nearby. Its body was at least ten meters tall, forcing him to crane his neck to look up.

- “Analysis complete. The target is confirmed as a divine beast.”

His magic spectacles diligently analyzed the creature, but Baek Yuseol didn’t need it. He already knew he was in a realm filled with divine beasts. This place was far more perilous than even the notorious fourth layer of the World Tree’s roots.

Divine beasts weren’t necessarily friendly to humans. They were playful, mischievous, and curious, often harassing humans in non-hostile but dangerous ways.

The Aether world was filled with stories of players encountering them. Although players seldom faced direct attacks, NPCs recounted tales passed down over generations.

Some divine beasts, ignorant of human fragility, would slice people in half out of curiosity or detach their heads to see what would happen.

Baek Yuseol knew well that many players avoided this place unless they had a 30-person raid party. But for him, it was different.

"Leafanel, are you awake?"

- “Mmm...”

With a small popping sound, Leafanel, now the size of his palm, appeared and perched on his shoulder. Having lost her true power, she couldn’t maintain her original form as a full-grown woman, but she was free to leave the garden with Baek Yuseol’s help.

Though her power was faint, her aura was enough to keep the divine beasts at bay.

*Shiver...*

Nearby, Baek Yuseol jumped to a nearby pillar, spotting a massive divine beast resembling a hippo. Its stealth was so effective that he hadn’t sensed it.

“Gave me a scare there.”

The hippo bared its teeth but then, noticing Leafanel, bowed its head and backed away.

“Good to know this works.”

- “Mmm...”

"Feeling sleepy?"

- “Yeah, sleepy...”

“Hold on a little longer.”

Leafanel was half-asleep, but her consciousness lingered just enough. If she fully succumbed to sleep, she’d return to the garden, so he hoped she could hold out.

Using his blink ability, Baek Yuseol traversed the maze of structures within the temple, carefully avoiding losing his way.

His magic spectacles marked the directions on a 3D map, tracking his route and preventing him from getting lost.

‘I wish these spectacles had a mana detection feature...’

It would’ve made reaching his destination easier, but he had to rely purely on his instincts.

Finally, after a prolonged search, he located his target.

"Found it."

In the air, a floating circular altar made of thick branches loomed, atop which a glowing blue crystal pulsed.

‘It looks a bit different from the one I saw in the game...’

When he’d played *Aether World Online,* the crystal here had been dull and lifeless, not shining at all.

‘What’s the difference?’

Cautiously, he reached out and touched it, causing a flash of light. Suddenly, the temple's green glow turned purple, and up and down swapped places, nearly causing him to fall toward the ceiling.

Gripping a branch that rose from the altar, Baek Yuseol wiped his cold sweat.

“Almost forgot about that.”

Back in the game, the entire map had flipped, scattering his raid party. It was a dangerous gimmick he’d nearly overlooked.

Regaining his footing, he looked up to find the once-green divine beasts frozen in place, floating in zero gravity amidst the purple glow.

“Alright, now...”

As he reached out to touch the crystal again to proceed, his instincts flared up.

Stepping back quickly, he saw the massive rocks in the temple start to shift and move.

*Creak... Creak...*

One rock, then two, then four.

Finally, dozens of rocks began dragging themselves along the ground or floating, stacking into a staircase before him.

“What... the...?”

Typically, he would need to locate seven keys hidden throughout the temple, place them in their correct positions, then return to the crystal to reverse the temple back to green before proceeding.

*Stairs...?*

The staircase stretched high into the sky, as if beckoning him to follow.

Swallowing hard, he cautiously ascended. The temple’s interior was far from what he’d known from his strategies, so he resolved to adapt as best as he could.

The stairs stretched endlessly, challenging even his formidable stamina, and finally, at the top, stood a large domed door.

Beyond it, green mist obscured his vision, but instinct told him this was his destination.

‘This soon?’

Normally, dozens of complex gimmicks would need to be cleared, with numerous battles against divine beasts. He’d prepared stealth gear for when Leafanel inevitably fell asleep.

But all of that had been skipped.

Was that good?

Not exactly.

Baek Yuseol would have preferred fighting his way through the temple as usual.

Because...

In the game, when he’d reached his destination, Damgaltwoil had been unconscious.

But here? It seemed to be aware of his presence and was even guiding him.

‘Worst-case scenario...’

Damgaltwoil had partially awakened. There was no other explanation.

He took a deep breath and strengthened his resolve, stepping forward cautiously.

*Flash!*

As he crossed the threshold, the light faded, and the atmosphere shifted entirely.

“Have you come?”

Baek Yuseol instinctively stepped back, realizing the door he’d passed through had turned into a solid wall.

“Why are you so surprised?”

The space was a modest room, about 30 pyeong (approximately 100 square meters), filled with ordinary items.

There was a table, chairs, bookshelves, a carpet, a fireplace, and a hunting trophy—a deer’s head mounted on the wall. The books stacked on the table and the pens scattered about gave it the feel of an office.

And there, perched on the desk and sipping coffee, was a brown-haired man. Wearing a monocle, with a gentle brown beard, a white shirt, a brown vest, dress pants, and brown shoes, he looked like a sophisticated professor.

“...Are you Damgaltwoil?”

"Indeed. You have a noble look in your eyes. A pure soul? Such a thing is rare among humans. Won’t you sit?”

Baek Yuseol nodded, and Damgaltwoil gestured to a chair.

Stay calm.

Baek Yuseol knew Damgaltwoil’s nature well.

As a romanceable character in the otome game, many female players had tried to capture his heart but failed.

‘I’m not

here to charm him. I’m here to persuade him.’

“Coffee? Tea?”

"Don’t suppose you have a canned beer?”

“Alcohol in the middle of the day?”

"If not, coffee then.”

Damgaltwoil sipped his coffee and then looked at Baek Yuseol.

“Why did you come here?”

“Why don’t you tell me?”

“To stop my advance, no doubt. Human hope always follows the same pattern, driven by their fear of the death of loved ones.”

“...Huh?”

“Am I wrong?”

“No, not really.”

He wasn’t wrong, but the phrasing caught Baek Yuseol off guard.

‘Damgaltwoil... is advancing?’

It hadn’t crossed his mind.

*Why?*

Baek Yuseol’s back broke out in a cold sweat, but he masked it.

“You look surprised.”

“...?”

“Yes, despite hiding your emotions with the Blessing of Spring Radiance, I can see right through you. So, what surprised you?”

Damgaltwoil stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“You know our fate, so it can’t be my advance. Or was it the direction? Perhaps...”

"No, that’s not it,” Baek Yuseol replied, regaining composure.

Damgaltwoil’s respect would only come if he showed confidence.

“Your assumption was odd. Death is always with us. Isn’t it natural to coexist with it?”

“True. You’re right.”

“Death doesn’t frighten me. So, yes, I was surprised, but not in the way you think.”

"Hmm... is that so?”

Damgaltwoil eyed him, taking a graceful sip.

“If you came begging for mercy, I would have toyed with you and swallowed you whole. But you’re different.”

“Am I?”

“Regardless, my objective remains the same.”

“And that objective is...”

Setting down his coffee, Damgaltwoil’s gaze turned cold.

“To tear out that wretched World Tree by its roots.”

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TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars and likes of the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!