I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 362

Right after Annella had taken down the seven monsters in mere moments, Lady Mirinae, who had been observing her from a safe kilometer away, dropped her staff to the ground with a dull thud.

"What... is this...?"

The overwhelming talent she witnessed didn’t seem like something that could belong to someone her own age. It was simply incomprehensible, a gap so vast it felt insurmountable.

"Was seven monsters not enough...?"

She had sent a swarm that would have overwhelmed even seasoned magic warriors, thinking it might push Annella to reveal her true strength. Yet, Annella had dispatched them effortlessly.

"Hah."

Even the yellow-voiced woman, the one who had guided Mirinae so far, seemed to chuckle at the absurdity of the situation.

"Hmm~ So, she’s one of Baek Yuseol’s students, just as the rumors say? Extraordinary."

“What... what should I do now?”

Lady Mirinae asked hurriedly, hoping the all-powerful woman would provide a solution. Surely, someone with her abilities would know what to do.

But the response she received was anything but hopeful.

"There are no more monsters nearby, and I don’t feel like stepping in myself. Sorry, no solution for you."

“...What?”

It was the first time Mirinae had ever heard such a dismissive answer from her.

This woman, who had provided flawless strategies and tactics to secure victory in battles against enemy nations, was now refusing to help with a mere seventeen-year-old girl?

"Don’t get me wrong~ It’s not that I lost to that little girl. It’s just that Baek Yuseol’s little pup turned out to be stronger than expected~"

"Th-then what am I supposed to do...?"

"Who knows?"

"That’s... ridiculous..."

"She’s your friend, isn’t she? Figure it out yourself~ I’ve got other business to attend to. Bye-bye!"

"W-wait!"

Mirinae called out in desperation, but the presence had already vanished without a trace.

She stood there, dumbfounded, staring blankly at the empty air.

"What... what just happened?"

The woman had promised her. Promised to uncover Annella’s secret and bestow that same power upon her.

She had believed everything would go smoothly.

That she would secure her future at Stella Academy and pave her way to greatness.

How could someone omnipotent abandon her now?

"She just... left me behind?"

"Who did?"

Startled, Mirinae looked up to see Annella standing just a few steps away.

Her once sweet and innocent face now bore a cold, chilling expression.

For the first time, Mirinae realized how terrifying someone could look when their usual smile disappeared.

"I... it wasn’t my intention, I swear..."

"I know. Someone must have told you to do it."

Annella clenched her small wand tightly in her hand. Her nails dug into her palm, but the protective enchantments of the Stella Dome ensured she wouldn’t bleed.

Though her body felt no pain, her chest burned, as if scorched by fire.

Betrayal? She was familiar with it.

She had lived day by day in the ruins where humans had abandoned her.

In the wretched, rotting society of the Dark Mages, betrayal was as common as breathing. Yet, Annella had been the one flower in that heap of refuse, free of the stench that surrounded her.

Naturally, flowers in a garbage heap stood out, and her back had become a canvas for the knives of others.

She could trust no one, yet she trusted everyone. Even when she knew they’d stab her, she turned her back to them willingly.

That was who Annella was.

A life of betrayal was her normal.

Another scar on her back wouldn’t hurt.

...Or so she thought.

"Today... it hurts a little."

It had been a long time since she’d felt the sting of betrayal. Perhaps it was because she had grown comfortable in the warmth of Baek Yuseol and Zelliel’s protection.

Wounds that she would have laughed off before now seemed to ache terribly.

Or perhaps...

"Maybe... as a human, I’m still not used to things like this."

Mirinae stared at her with trembling eyes.

There were so many things she wanted to say.

Words swirled in her mind, dancing on the edge of her lips.

But Annella remained silent, her lips pressed firmly together, and walked past her without a word.

"Ah..."

Mirinae couldn’t bring herself to watch Annella leave. She could only stare at the empty air, lost and helpless.

It wasn’t until the yellow-voiced woman’s presence had completely vanished that Mirinae finally came to terms with what she had done.

"What... what have I done?"

***

### Chapter 362 (Part 2): *I Became a Flashing Genius at the Magic Academy*

---

As the entrance exam neared its conclusion, Baek Yuseol quietly slipped out of the Stella Dome’s viewing stands and hid in an unoccupied corner of the hallway.

He didn’t have enough time to return to the dormitory.

“Silver Eleven Moons, are you there?”

Focusing his mind, he called the name. The faint form of an elderly man with silver hair appeared before him.

"Yes? What is it?"

Since becoming aligned with the Natural Qi Integration, his connection to the Twelve Moons had grown stronger, allowing him to summon them at will—not always, but frequently enough to rely on.

“There’s someone in Stella who might be a servant of one of the Twelve Moons.”

"A servant? There are many servants, are there not?"

“I mean, not a follower of the Church of the Twelve Moons, but someone who might be directly blessed by them.”

"Hmm..."

Silver Eleven Moons frowned slightly and looked around before shaking his head.

"I sense no such presence nearby."

“What?”

Baek Yuseol was caught off guard by the unexpected answer.

He quickly tried to explain.

“This is the Stella Dome, so maybe it’s because of the spatial distortions...”

"Come now, lad. Do you think I wouldn’t know that? It’s Eltrun’s handiwork, no doubt. But mere spatial warping cannot deceive my senses."

“Then... what does that mean?”

"It means that, despite what you think you’ve detected, there is no servant of the Twelve Moons here."

Silver Eleven Moons’ firm response only deepened Baek Yuseol’s confusion.

‘How is this possible?’

He had unmistakably sensed the aura of *Celestial August Yellow* through his enchanted glasses.

Lady Mirinae. He had been almost certain she was a servant of Celestial August Yellow.

But that wasn’t the case?

"If anything, I’m more curious. What exactly did you sense?"

“It was Celestial August Yellow...”

"Ah."

The elder Moon stroked his beard, as if he had anticipated this response.

"Then what you detected may not have been a servant’s aura but rather a *host*."

“A... host?”

In the original game, Baek Yuseol had never directly encountered Celestial August Yellow, so he had little knowledge of her abilities.

"Indeed. Celestial August Yellow is unique among us."

“What makes her unique?”

"She is the only one who has escaped the restrictions placed on us by the First Magician."

Baek Yuseol’s ears perked up. This was new information.

"We are forbidden to interfere with the mortal world. But she is the sole exception, having operated within the Aether World for centuries in defiance of this rule. She seeks to paint this world in her own colors."

“How... if she’s been working on this for centuries, shouldn’t she have succeeded by now?”

"Naturally, the First Magician imposed restrictions on her that we do not share."

“What kind of restrictions?”

"Her physical form is sealed. She cannot manifest her own body, preventing her from directly shaking the foundations of the world."

“I see...”

There were clearly many aspects of the Twelve Moons that Baek Yuseol had yet to uncover.

"As one who manipulates emotions, she can easily possess sentient beings. However, her power only influences feelings and lacks physical strength, so she has remained relatively quiet."

Silver Eleven Moons described her powers as "only" emotional manipulation, but even that was a terrifying ability.

Controlling a person’s mind was far more dangerous than manipulating ice or fire. While physical catastrophes could devastate lands, controlling emotions and souls was an entirely different level of threat.

"When I first encountered her, she could only control the mind of one person at a time."

The abilities of the Twelve Moons were often grand and dramatic.

Some could split oceans or cleave mountains, yet Celestial August Yellow’s ability to control a single person seemed lackluster by comparison.

But over the centuries, the story had changed.

In the complex societies humans had built, a single influential individual could sway the lives of millions.

In the wrong hands, Celestial August Yellow’s abilities could have catastrophic consequences.

Controlling the queen of Adolevit or the emperor of the Scalven Empire could trigger a war that would plunge half of the Aether World into flames.

In a way, her power could be even more impactful than that of any other Moon.

"And now, a thousand years have passed. She is the only one among us who has refined her abilities over time. It wouldn’t surprise me if she could influence dozens of people simultaneously now."

“So... you think Celestial August Yellow has possessed one of the Stella students as her host?”

"That’s right. But as for why, I cannot say. It’s hard to imagine what influence a mere teenager could have on the world stage."

“I agree.”

Lady Mirinae—real name Dallain Rihina Stars—was a promising figure from the war-torn Elaine Kingdom, revered as a potential "Saint." However, she didn’t seem important enough to warrant such attention.

In fact, Baek Yuseol had thought it more likely that Celestial August Yellow would have targeted someone like Hong Biyeon or Jeremy Scalven.

"That would be unlikely."

Silver Eleven Moons shook his head.

"Modern mages have developed techniques to detect possession. It’s far safer to choose individuals with limited exposure to the outside world but with the potential for significant influence."

“I see...”

"Still, you were lucky."

“Lucky?”

"That woman is notoriously cautious and rarely reveals herself. It’s strange she would act in a place as visible as Stella."

At this, Baek Yuseol fell into thought before responding.

"It must be because of Annella."

"Annella? Why do you think so?"

“I don’t know exactly, but it’s clear she harbors some kind of desire or interest in Annella.”

"That makes sense. Thanks to that girl, our work might become easier. I’ve been sensing unusual activity among the other Twelve Moons lately, and this might help us understand Celestial August Yellow’s motives."

“What kind of activity?”

"They’ve formed a group."

“...What?”

It was hard to process.

Even in the *Aether World Online* game’s ending, such a scenario had never occurred.

“The Twelve Moons... formed a group?”

"It’s difficult to believe, I know. But I’m certain that six of the Moons have entered into an alliance."

Silver Eleven Moons’ face showed genuine concern.

"Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of the Flower-Elven King, we’ve managed to secure Golden Seven Moons on our side. But if the other six are united with goals opposite to ours, things will become far more difficult."

Baek Yuseol’s heart raced.

The original story? It no longer mattered.

He had already stopped caring about sticking to the main storyline long ago.

"But this... this is too much."

Six versus six among the Twelve Moons.

What could possibly come of this?

Baek Yuseol couldn’t even begin to imagine.

"Steel yourself, boy. We have gathered around you. If you falter, we cannot exert our full strength."

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“...Understood.”

Baek Yuseol nodded solemnly.

Suddenly, Silver Eleven Moons froze, his expression shifting to alarm.

"Wait."

“What is it?”

"I sense the presence of another Moon nearby."

“Is it Celestial August Yellow?”

"No, it’s not. This fiery aura... it’s Crimson Abyssal Flames."

“Crimson Abyssal Flames...!”

Baek Yuseol’s face twisted in recognition of the name. He immediately recalled the vile presence that had cursed Hong Biyeon’s heart and fled.

Before he could say anything else, Silver Eleven Moons vanished abruptly.

"Someone is coming."

Footsteps echoed down the hallway, and a young man appeared, drenched in sweat as if he had been running for some time.

“Baek Yuseol! There you are!”

“Yes. What’s going on?”

“It’s Hong Biyeon! She collapsed suddenly, and her body is burning up like fire!”

“...What?”

The phrase about people’s minds going blank from panic didn’t apply to Baek Yuseol. His blessing from *Yeonhongchun Samwol* denied him even that small comfort.

“She kept calling your name before passing out. She’s being moved now, but—hey! Baek Yuseol!”

Before the man could finish speaking, Baek Yuseol shattered the window of the Stella Dome and blinked out of sight.

From a distance, Silver Eleven Moons clicked his tongue.

"What are you scheming now, Crimson Abyssal Flames?"