I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 500

At that very moment...

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The Black Mage Cult Leader, Hwoeryeon, who had incited the "Great Black Mage War" and caused the Black Mages to rise in rebellion, nervously bit his thumbnail.

‘The situation isn’t favorable.’

It wasn’t as if they were outright losing. The battles being waged across the world were a mixture of victories and losses.

In other words, the tides of war weren’t in their favor either.

From a long-term perspective, the stalemate posed a greater risk to the Black Mage Cult. The fanatical followers who had pledged their allegiance to Hwoeryeon, convinced of his inevitable victory, were beginning to falter as their army failed to secure decisive wins against the forces of the Black Mage King.

Meanwhile, how were the forces of the Black Mage King faring?

Though they weren’t achieving resounding victories, they were holding their ground well enough to retain control of key positions.

Most Black Mages believed that if the war dragged on, the Black Mage King would eventually emerge victorious.

The reason? The Black Mage King hadn’t even stepped onto the battlefield yet.

If he appeared, the tide of war would undoubtedly shift decisively in his favor.

‘Fools!’

The Black Mage King wasn’t refraining from participating in the war by choice. He couldn’t.

Already gravely injured and in seclusion, the additional wounds inflicted by Hwoeryeon had rendered him incapable of combat.

But what good would it do to spread such rumors?

No one would believe it.

Instead, they would mock Hwoeryeon for needing to resort to such rumors, undermining his credibility and morale among his forces.

Hwoeryeon wiped the cold sweat from his brow and racked his brain. It had been weeks since the Returner of the Void last visited him. Clearly, the Returner had lost faith in him and wasn’t expecting anything more.

There were even whispers that the Returner had sent his own agents to assassinate the Black Mage King directly.

“Damn it, damn it!”

Crash!

Hwoeryeon slammed his fist onto the table.

Despite being a Black Mage, his physical strength was disappointingly weak, leaving the table unscathed.

“Every one of his actions is an insult to me...”

Even knowing this, the Returner of the Void showed no hesitation in his plans. Hwoeryeon had failed to meet expectations, and the Returner had abandoned him without mercy, choosing his own methods.

‘I curse you, Returner of the Void...’

Why was I born into such a weak body? And why did you burden me with such an overwhelming mission and responsibilities?

I am far too weak and foolish to bear this monumental task.

Even so, I tried so hard to earn your recognition, yet you trampled on my efforts so easily.

Blood trickled from Hwoeryeon’s lips.

He had bitten down too hard in frustration.

‘I must find a way to tip the scales of this war, no matter what!’

To do so, he needed to seize a major stronghold.

If he could claim a key position while eliminating the powerful allies of the Black Mage King, his victory would be assured.

‘There are hardly any strongholds left to capture. They’re too well-defended.’

The enemy wasn’t foolish. They knew that defense was easier than offense and that simply holding their territory would guarantee victory for the Black Mage King’s forces.

‘I must draw them into a battlefield advantageous to me.’

There was one last option.

‘I’ll bring out the Armor of Atalax.’

It was the ultimate trump card.

The armor, once worn by the Black Mage King himself, was said to make its wearer nearly invincible. However, it corrupted its user, driving them mad. No one who had donned the armor, apart from the Black Mage King, had survived.

Hwoeryeon had stolen the Armor of Atalax and hidden it, intending to use it someday when a suitable candidate appeared. That candidate would be sent to the frontlines to face the Black Mage King.

But since no one had yet proven worthy, there was no point in keeping it unused. It would serve better as bait.

‘If the Armor of Atalax is the bait, even the Black Mage King’s elites would appear to claim it.’

A few 9-Risk Black Mages or 9-Class Black Magic Sorcerers would surely show up.

Retrieving the Armor of Atalax would be an achievement of monumental significance for them.

‘I’ll join the battle myself.’

Drawing the Black Mage King’s trusted elites into his chosen battlefield, Hwoeryeon planned to eliminate them all.

Even if he managed to take out just one, it would tip the balance in his favor. And if he succeeded in swaying them to his side...

Victory would almost certainly be his.

Clench!

Hwoeryeon gritted his teeth in rage.

Was his anger directed at the Black Mage King?

No. It was aimed at the Returner of the Void, who had abandoned him without hesitation.

“Just watch, Father. If I become the Black Mage King and rule the world... things will never go according to your plans.”

As expected, Scarlett, true to her reputation as the Witch Queen, analyzed the mysterious curse “Sleeping Forest Elf” in an instant. Using the offerings Baek Yu-Seol had prepared, she swiftly performed the exorcism.

Kaya, who had been asleep in the forest for 200 years, finally opened her eyes, reuniting with Twilightis in a tearful embrace.

While Kaya had hardly perceived the passage of time during her slumber, Twilightis hadn’t been so fortunate. She hugged her sister tightly, crying uncontrollably.

Even as he witnessed this moving scene, Baek Yu-Seol remained composed, analyzing the situation.

“The exorcism was perfect, but does something bother you?” Scarlett asked, noticing his expression.

Baek Yu-Seol shook his head.

“No, it’s just strange that you didn’t know about this curse.”

“There are countless curses in the world. There’s even one that makes peanut butter stick to the roof of your mouth every time you eat it.”

“...That’s not really the same thing.”

Baek Yu-Seol absentmindedly pulled out a shard of the Aether World.

‘What are the conditions for using this?’

The shard allowed him to access the experiences of his other selves from parallel worlds. However, it only reacted at specific moments and couldn’t be used at will.

Though these experiences often came with the pain of death, they could be invaluable at critical moments.

“How about it? Have you used that thing?” Scarlett asked.

Baek Yu-Seol nodded.

“It introduced me to another version of myself.”

“Another Baek Yu-Seol? Having two of you sounds great. How does it work?”

Baek Yu-Seol wondered briefly why having two of him seemed like a good thing, but he brushed the thought aside.

“Well...”

Before he could explain further, something came to mind.

“By the way, how did you know? About how the world’s fate twists every time I save someone?”

Scarlett hesitated before carefully opening her mouth.

“I was going to tell you when the time was right. Actually... I met the Returner of the Void.”

“The Returner of the Void?”

Scarlett explained.

The Returner had told her that every time Baek Yu-Seol saved someone, the world's destruction accelerated. He had invited her to confirm this truth for herself. If it turned out to be true, he had asked for one favor.

“And? What was the favor?” Baek Yu-Seol asked.

Scarlett hesitated before continuing. “It was...”

Scarlett hesitated, unable to bring herself to speak.

If, by any chance, what the Returner of the Void had said was true...

The favor he had asked would indeed provide immense help to Baek Yu-Seol.

However, the request was something Baek Yu-Seol would never agree to.

“Scarlett.”

“Y-Yeah?”

When it became clear that she wouldn’t say anything on her own, Baek Yu-Seol decided to push her a little.

Stepping closer, he leaned in until their breaths were almost mingling and placed both hands on her shoulders.

“Look into my eyes.”

“I-I am looking...”

“You’re avoiding my gaze.”

Scarlett’s eyes darted to the right, then briefly met his before quickly turning left again.

She was clearly hiding something.

“Scarlett. Who do you trust more—him or me?”

“Of c-course, it’s you...”

“Then tell me. Tell me what he said. I’m certain it will help both of us.”

“...”

Unable to withstand Baek Yu-Seol’s intense gaze, Scarlett brushed his hands off her shoulders, stepped back, and nervously clasped her trembling hands behind her.

“...Mayuseong.”

“Mayuseong?”

She nodded.

“He told me... to kill him.”

Baek Yu-Seol was too stunned to respond.

Why would the Returner of the Void want Mayuseong dead?

He couldn’t fathom a reason.

“...Why?”

Having started, Scarlett found it easier to continue. She began recounting what the Returner of the Void had told her.

“He said... the Black Mage King will die soon. When that happens, one of his powers will transfer to Mayuseong. But...”

She glanced at Baek Yu-Seol cautiously, then averted her eyes again before continuing.

“If Mayuseong disappears... the power won’t have an owner anymore.”

“It would vanish entirely? Is that what the Returner wants?”

Scarlett shook her head.

“No. That’s not how it works. It’s a power ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) that the world must have at least one wielder for, so it won’t disappear completely. Normally, it would transfer to a predetermined successor. But if there’s no successor, or if the successor disappears... it’ll go to the most suitable person instead.”

In other words, the "most suitable person" the Returner referred to was Baek Yu-Seol.

“...I don’t understand.”

Baek Yu-Seol felt bewildered.

Why did the Returner of the Void want him to inherit the Black Mage King’s power?

And why had he entrusted such a critical request to Scarlett instead of acting directly?

With his abilities, killing Mayuseong should have been a trivial task.

“I-I don’t know either. But the Returner said he couldn’t deal with Mayuseong himself. Just like how he can’t deal with you...”

Baek Yu-Seol’s thoughts grew increasingly tangled.

But one thing was certain.

“Absolutely not.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t even dream of it. Even if you neglect everyone else for my sake... I can never forgive someone who harms one of my precious friends.”

“O-Of course not! It’s not like killing him is the only way to inherit the power! I was... thinking of finding my own method...”

If she truly believed that, it was a relief. Scarlett was too unpredictable for Baek Yu-Seol to fully control.

“And...”

Scarlett fidgeted, avoiding his gaze, and mumbled in a voice barely above a whisper.

“C-Could you... maybe not lean in like that again?”

“Huh? Oh... yeah. Was it uncomfortable?”

He replied casually, but Scarlett lowered her head deeply, avoiding his eyes.

‘...Was it really that upsetting?’

Baek Yu-Seol couldn’t help but feel oddly hurt.