The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City-Chapter 74: Violet Dreams of Becoming a Magical Girl! (2)

Through Instructor Frederick, I barely managed to meet Professor Albert “former” again.

I already had the phone number the instructor gave me before, but I thought it would be more effective to ask through him rather than contacting directly and demanding to be taught.

My choice turned out to be correct.

“Let’s meet tonight, just a few hours from now. Here’s the address.”

“Thank you!”

“What’s with the thanks? If you’re that grateful, why not pay for a private lesson or something?”

“Here you go!”

“…Where did you even pull out this wad of cash? No, forget it. I was just joking anyway.”

As the sun began to set, I rode for a long time in a truck driven by another Violet.

We arrived at the location indicated by the address.

Beneath a streetlamp in a quiet park with a small lake, a middle-aged man with a sharp, irritable face was tapping the ground impatiently, looking displeased.

“This is already the third time we’ve met.”

“Professor! Are you really going to teach me? Thank you so much!”

“Why are you so excited about something that hasn’t even been decided yet?”

To show some courtesy, I handed him a few bottles of neatly packed juice.

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Instructor Frederick had refused, saying he didn’t like sweet things, so I was curious about the professor’s reaction.

“What’s this? Put it away. I’m busy.”

In Rustlum, there wasn’t a culture of exchanging juice gift sets.

“That bastard Vulture. Always playing childish games… Fine. Take a guess as to why you’re here.”

“It doesn’t seem like a class… Is it a test?”

“Correct. You don’t look smart, but you’re quick-witted.”

The professor pulled out a short stick and swung it.

The folded stick extended into a long staff.

He swung the staff again and traced symbols in the air with his left hand.

“You don’t need to answer, just listen. I agreed to meet you because of a request from an acquaintance, but I’ve already gauged your level. You’re pathetic.”

“Then why did Instructor Frederick ask you to teach me?”

“Shut up! I don’t teach just anyone. You don’t think someone who was once a tenured professor at an academy would teach for free, do you?”

I was confused.

Then why did he make such an unreasonable demand to the instructor?

It was surprising that the instructor even went along with it.

Was it some kind of whim?

Around Albert, waves of shining magical energy repeatedly spread out and vanished.

Professor Albert stepped onto the lake and walked towards the center as if it were solid ground.

“When I was a professor, I conducted diagnostic evaluations near the academy’s lake to weed out fools like you.

It just so happens that this place resembles that area.

It’s quiet, and no one’s around at night.

Just in case, I’ve set up a few soundproof barriers nearby.”

Magic circles overlapped one after another, gradually growing larger until they covered the entire lake.

Soon, a complex geometric pattern surrounded the lake, forming a barrier.

“The test is simple. Break through this barrier and cross the lake to reach me. You have one hour.”

I panicked and stomped my feet.

“Wait! How am I supposed to break through that barrier?”

A short, clear sound rang out, and a complicated puzzle made of glowing orbs appeared before me.

“The purpose of this test is to assess your judgment, application skills, and numerical reasoning ability.

Magic isn’t necessary. Use any means to break through the barrier.”

The moment I saw the puzzle in front of me, I had a gut feeling.

This was a magical formula.

“Magic is the process of manipulating ether to alter the physical laws of the world.

It’s on a completely different level from simple physical enhancement.”

Its appearance was intricate and dazzling.

It looked like multiple abacuses made of jewels, intricately intertwined.

The glowing beads, connected by complex lines and circles, resembled a mix of a rush-hour puzzle and the Königsberg bridges blended with 3D chess.

“If you fail to pass, I won’t teach you.

Now, begin—”

“Wait! I don’t know how to use magic!”

Short chimes echoed in succession.

Above the magic circle, the words <1:00:00> appeared.

The countdown had begun.

* * *

Professor Albert sat calmly on the lake, watching Violet’s actions with interest.

‘This is a problem only advanced students could solve.’

The barrier’s formula couldn’t be broken just by manipulating magical power.

Magic was peculiar in that it couldn’t be used without a strong foundation in numerical reasoning.

Even basic mathematical knowledge required a deep understanding of geometry and topology.

What Professor Albert didn’t know, unfortunately, was that Violet was a liberal arts student and hopeless at math.

Violet fiddled with the formula, touching and moving the jewel-like beads, before making a tearful face.

The professor chuckled as he watched the scene.

Despite his threats about not teaching, he had no intention of refusing the request from an old colleague.

This test was purely meant to evaluate that kid’s level.

In truth, there was a part of him that was curious.

He recalled the phone conversation he had with Frederick.

-“I’m not forcing this on you just because I want you to teach the brat. Do I seem like someone who’d play such tricks, Albert? This rookie, this Violet, has potential beyond imagination!”

-“Potential? Are you sure?”

-“She broke through the beginner level of physical magical reinforcement training in just three days. Even managed to perform full-body reinforcement, albeit clumsily.”

-“You’re not mistaken? No, you’ve always been precise about these things. Now that you say it, I’m a bit intrigued.”

Albert couldn’t help but feel that his friend was trying hard to suppress his excitement.

Twenty minutes had passed.

A now-frustrated Violet fiddled with the formula, even cupping her hands like a magnifying glass to examine it closely.

‘Good grief, does she think this is some neighborhood padlock?’

Albert clicked his tongue.

If he ended up taking charge of this foolish girl, there would certainly be no shortage of things to teach.

At least, it wouldn’t be boring.

As the counter on the barrier reached 30, Violet scanned her surroundings.

Albert sensed a surge of magical movement from her.

Dozens of girls identical to Violet began appearing one after another.

‘That’s not magic. Is this the unique ability Frederick mentioned?

Fascinating. That alone is worthy of research.’

Armed with tools, the Violet clones began digging into the ground beneath the barrier.

‘Well, I did say to use any means necessary, but this is absurd.’

His earlier words were more offhand than serious.

More importantly, the barrier was spherical in shape.

Even if they dug, every path beneath the lake would be blocked.

With 25 minutes left in the test, the girls abandoned their tools upon realizing the structure of the barrier.

They drew weapons, and crimson blades of energy flared up in succession.

Before long, the increasing number of Violets began assaulting the barrier with wild abandon.

One girl even took up a crossbow and started firing.

‘It’s meaningless. That foolish girl. Even if she keeps attacking with such inadequate force, the barrier will simply absorb the magical energy.’

With around 15 minutes left, the magical energy of the Violets depleted, leaving them panting and collapsing onto the ground.

Violet dispelled a few of her clones.

The remaining clones and the original crouched in silence, glaring at the barrier.

‘She doesn’t seem to have given up, though. Is she waiting for something…?’

In the distance, the sound of engines roared to life.

A strange feeling prompted Albert to look around.

Led by a truck, three large and small vehicles with flashing lights raced toward the barrier.

When Albert peeked at the drivers, he finally understood what Violet had been waiting for.

‘What kind of lunatic is this? Is she planning to tackle the barrier physically?

To destroy this barrier with brute force, she’d need something like the Federation’s artillery!’

Half in disbelief, Albert shook his head.

In his entire teaching career, he had never seen a student attempt something like this.

-CRASH! CRASH!

The vehicles slammed into the barrier, one after the other, shattering upon impact.

The attempt to use the truck and cars as battering rams ended in failure, leaving behind three wrecked vehicles.

A furious Violet shouted incoherently and kicked the barrier repeatedly.

Gritting her teeth, she backed away.

‘What now? Is she running away?’

Albert’s expression twisted with disappointment and contempt.

With about five minutes left, Violet returned.

This time, her clones carried an assortment of large and small black objects.

Groaning under their weight, they began burying the items in the holes they’d dug around the barrier.

Suddenly, Albert’s years of experience screamed danger.

Focusing his magic-enhanced vision, he observed the scene.

His face turned pale.

The suspicious metal containers, connected by wires, came in various shapes and sizes, but they were undoubtedly…

‘Those are… improvised explosive devices!’

Albert shouted in horror.

“W-wait! What are you doing? Stop!”

Violet glanced at the barrier, stuck out her tongue mischievously, and grinned.

She darted backward and hid in a pit she must have dug earlier.

“You crazy brat! Stop immediately!”

With four minutes left in the test, a deafening explosion ripped through the air, throwing dirt high into the sky.

-BOOOOM!

An overwhelming amount of explosives, far surpassing artillery shells, obliterated the park.

Unable to withstand the shock, the barrier crumbled instantly.

“Woohoo!”

An elated Violet emerged from the dust cloud and swam across the lake toward Albert.

“Four minutes left!”

“Ah…”

“I passed! I passed! You’re going to teach me magic, right? Right?”

Albert clutched his head in despair, cursing his longtime friend Frederick.

‘Good lord, Frederick. What potential? She’s just insane!’

The former tenured professor of Polaris slumped in defeat.

Meanwhile, the girl swimming below tilted her head innocently, clueless about his torment.