I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 378

About two hours after entering the abandoned ice crystal mine, the group reached the forward outpost without encountering a single monster.

Billek approached the entrance of the outpost and waved a signal. However, the door didn’t budge.

“Hm?”

“There’s no response?”

“Not even a guard in sight?”

Sensing that something was amiss, the magical warriors hurriedly joined Billek to break through the gate using magic and entered.

Immediately, a foul stench hit them.

“Ugh... What is this!”

The scene inside was drenched in blood.

Corpses were strewn everywhere.

Billek stared in disbelief at the horrifying sight before him.

“How... how could this have happened? Check the back gate immediately!”

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The possibility crossed their minds that the monsters in the mine might have broken through the back gate, which was meant to block their entry. The mages hurried to investigate.

“No way! There’s a massive hole in the back gate! This is an emergency, Headmaster!”

“Damn it...”

Clutching his staff tightly, Billek sprinted toward the back gate.

Sure enough, there was a gaping hole in the thick metal wall, large enough to fit a house.

However, something was strange.

If such a massive breach had occurred, the monsters inside the mine should have rushed out in a frenzy. But everything was eerily quiet.

“Headmaster... something feels very wrong here. Shouldn’t we head back?”

They hadn’t come to eliminate the ice crystal mine's monsters but to conduct training.

Retreating in such an emergency would have been the logical choice, but Billek had a different perspective.

“No. If we leave now to assemble a proper task force, who knows what could happen to the nearby city in the meantime. We will stay and investigate. You—take this note back to the city center and alert them.”

“Yes, sir!”

Billek dispatched one mage back to the city and began issuing further orders as he examined the back gate.

“There should be photon shielding stones piled up in the western warehouse. We’ll use those to patch up the hole temporarily. Hurry and fetch them.”

“Yes, sir!”

Despite the confusion, the students followed Billek’s commands without hesitation.

Meanwhile, Flower Serin, her voice laced with worry, muttered, “What could have caused this...”

“I’m not sure,” Baek Yuseol replied, as Billek continued directing the group.

Baek Yuseol’s mind turned to the situation at hand, trying to piece together the events that had led to this.

‘A hole in the monster barrier, no creatures invading, yet these corpses...’

The dead mages looked as though they had been savagely cut down by something sharp. The marks on the walls and buildings were similarly clean, as if sliced with precision. Seeing those traces, Baek Yuseol was reminded of the white mirage-like entity they had encountered a few days prior.

‘Could it be... that creature wasn’t alone?’

If there were two of them—or even more—his spine went cold with fear.

Even with his Celestial Fusion, it had taken everything he had to defeat one of them. If multiple entities like that were on the loose, it would mean creatures of at least 7-Risk level, a category that could wreak havoc.

If one of them reached the city...

“Sister, come with me for a moment,” Baek Yuseol said, grabbing Flower Serin’s arm and heading toward the back gate.

Pushing past Billek, they rushed outside.

“Hey, wait! It’s dangerous out there!” Billek shouted.

“Headmaster, you should follow us!” Baek Yuseol retorted.

“What...? Damn it!”

Cursing under his breath, Billek chased after them.

“What in the world are you trying to— Oh, gods...”

Upon seeing the state of the back gate and its surroundings, Billek froze in his tracks, his jaw hanging open.

Everywhere, signs of destruction were etched in sharp precision.

Corpses of massive demi-human zombies, each over three meters tall, lay scattered in pieces. They emitted low, eerie groans, unable to regenerate. Similarly, monsters that had emerged from the ice crystal ores were smashed beyond repair.

“What... is this...”

“All the monsters within several hundred meters are completely destroyed,” Baek Yuseol observed.

“You can... see that far?”

“Yes. Past that point, I can’t discern much, but I suspect it’s more of the same.”

The monsters here weren’t particularly strong, averaging around 4- to 5-Risk levels. However, their sheer numbers had prompted the need for Billek’s assistance. With the current situation, it was clear they wouldn’t be needed anymore.

“Headmaster, we’ll move on ahead. You should focus on repairing the back gate.”

“What? Hold on! It’s still dangerous! There might be more monsters!”

“We’ll be fine. Thank you for bringing us this far.”

With a polite nod, Baek Yuseol grasped Flower Serin’s hand firmly and began leading her away. His strides were swift, making it difficult for her to keep up, but she bit her lip and followed without complaint.

Baek Yuseol held her hand tightly, as if vowing not to let go. She didn’t want to fall behind and risk losing that connection.

“Baek Yuseol,” she called out softly.

“Just call me Baek Yuseol.”

“...Baek Yuseol, are you sure about this? Those traces... they’re eerily similar to the creature we saw a few days ago. What if it’s heading toward the city?”

Her concern for the city warmed Baek Yuseol’s heart, though he reassured her with a confident tone.

“It’s fine. That thing hasn’t made it to the city yet. I’d wager it attacked the forward outpost but got lost and turned back. A creature that can tear such a massive hole wouldn’t have exited through the front gate.”

“Oh...”

“The mine’s interior is like a maze. It won’t find its way out so easily.”

“Are you planning to hunt it?”

Baek Yuseol paused, focusing his senses.

Ahead lay four branching paths.

*Thud! Thud-thud!*

The distant sound of pickaxes echoed.

‘It’s the left path.’

And then—

*Rustle.*

A faint disturbance in the mana behind them.

Simultaneously, Baek Yuseol processed at least three sensory inputs and began moving toward the source of the pickaxe sounds.

“Yes, I’m hunting it.”

“Oh... but the air here feels ominous. There might still be monsters around...”

“Exactly. If there are still living monsters, it means that thing hasn’t reached them yet. Also, you can take off your hood now—it must be stifling.”

Hearing that, Flower Serin’s face brightened. She quickly pulled down her hood, savoring the open air. Living with her face hidden had become exhausting.

Though the curse on her had mostly faded, her stunning appearance and the synergy of her Charming Aura made it inevitable that she would spend the rest of her life partially veiled.

In this moment, however, she could bare her face freely—something she could only do in Baek Yuseol’s presence. Deep down, she hoped her faint charm might ensnare him, just a little.

In this world, the only person Flower Serin felt comfortable revealing her face to was Baek Yuseol.

And deep down... she secretly wished he would be captivated, even slightly, by the faint charm she inadvertently exuded.

The Charming Aura, her once deadly power, had been completely deactivated. All that remained was its subtle ability to pull others' hearts toward her. Though usually sealed to avoid danger, she couldn’t help but wonder: wasn’t it fair to want the person who drew her heart to feel the same?

For someone like Flower Serin, who had never cared about her appearance or how she presented herself, such thoughts were unprecedented. Now, worried her hair might be messy, she instinctively adjusted it and touched her lips.

*Thump!*

‘W-what was that?’

Her chest tightened unexpectedly, startling her. She instinctively placed a hand on her heart, feeling a strange sensation.

“What’s wrong? This way,” Baek Yuseol called out, already several steps ahead.

“N-nothing...”

Her voice trembled as she followed him. For as long as she could remember, she had been genderless. Yet now, the soft, unfamiliar sensation in her chest hinted at a subtle but undeniable change.

‘Not yet... not yet...’

It was too small to be significant. According to elven lore, when one of their kind fell in love, a complete transformation would occur at a decisive moment.

This was only a small sign—a mere prelude. She didn’t fully understand why this was happening, but she calmed herself using the blessings of the Yeonhongchun March.

*Clang! Clang-clang!*

The sound of pickaxes grew louder as they moved deeper into the mine's tunnels.

“Another fork in the path...” Flower Serin observed.

“This way,” Baek Yuseol said, leading confidently.

*Clang! Clang!*

Flower Serin gazed uneasily into the darkness ahead. Without the aid of the World Tree, her sight had diminished to that of a typical elf, and she couldn’t see as clearly as before.

Eventually, they reached the source of the sound, and its identity became clear.

*Clang! Clang!*

“What... what is that?” Flower Serin whispered.

“Shh.”

Peeking out from their hiding spot, Baek Yuseol and Flower Serin spotted the figure wielding the pickaxe.

It was a zombie.

A demi-human zombie towering over three meters tall.

“Most of the miners here were demi-humans,” Baek Yuseol noted. “This one looks like a snail-like demi-human.”

“A demi-human zombie... still mining even in death...” Flower Serin muttered, horrified.

“They spent their entire lives mining. Their bodies simply remember that task.”

*Clang! Clang!*

There wasn’t just one.

In the distance, dozens of demi-human zombies were hammering at an empty wall with their pickaxes. Their vacant, hollow eyes stared into the void, seemingly gazing at nothing.

“This is horrifying...” Flower Serin whispered.

“I told you, this place isn’t exactly clean.”

“Could the city’s people have turned into—”

Baek Yuseol shook his head.

“It’s the work of a few people who used to manage the mines. Most of them have moved on to different professions.”

“Well informed, aren’t you?”

The sudden voice startled Flower Serin, who instinctively covered her mouth with her hands. Baek Yuseol immediately stepped in front of her, shielding her as he faced the newcomers.

Seven men cloaked in black hoods stood before them. Each radiated power comparable to at least a 5th-Class mage, and the leader, standing at the forefront, emitted the aura of a 7th-Class mage.

The leader drew a staff from his cloak, prompting the others to do the same and point them at Baek Yuseol.

“So, you’re a High Elf, huh? I assume you’re a mage as well?”

“What if I’m not?” Baek Yuseol replied.

“Then you’d be less valuable, which would be... inconvenient. Our ‘clients’ prefer mages.”

Their "clients" had peculiar desires: they sought beautiful female mage slaves. These clients were typically individuals who lacked the ability to learn magic despite their wealth, leading to deep-seated resentment toward society's magical elite.

Driven by this twisted desire, they sought to dominate and humiliate mages, turning their perceived superiors into subjugated beings. Such distorted appetites were one of the few remaining markets for the slave trade in this era.

“So, will you resist?” the leader sneered. “I hear you’re something of a rising star in the Central Continent... but that only counts when you’re fighting dark mages. We’ve hunted hundreds of mages like you.”

The hunters laughed coldly as they advanced. Their eerie laughter echoed unnaturally, an effect of their auditory illusion magic designed to unnerve opponents.

“Hand over the girl behind you, and we might just let you live.”

Baek Yuseol didn’t reach for his staff, which made the leader grin.

“Ah, I see you’ve given up. Good. That’s the right attitude.”

“Given up?” Baek Yuseol chuckled softly. “I just don’t need my staff for this.”

“What?”

The hunters stopped in confusion. Before they could react, a scream erupted from one of their comrades at the back.

“Aaaaargh—!”

The scream was abruptly cut short as the man collapsed, his body severed cleanly into two pieces.

“W-what the hell?”

Whirling around, the hunters found themselves face-to-face with a bizarre creature.

Standing nearly two meters tall, the creature was unnaturally thin, with grotesquely elongated limbs. Its humanoid form shimmered and wavered, as though made of white heat haze.

“A... a mirage...” the leader stammered.

“7th-Class mage, wasn’t it?” Baek Yuseol said calmly, gripping Flower Serin’s hand tighter as they retreated. “You should be able to handle that, right? Good luck protecting the city!”

With those words, Baek Yuseol bolted, dragging Flower Serin along. The commotion drew the attention of the zombies, who simultaneously turned their heads toward the hunters.

“W-wait! Don’t go—!”

The hunters were left in shock as Baek Yuseol and Flower Serin’s footsteps grew silent, revealing their escape.

‘Zombies are blind but have keen hearing,’ the leader thought, recalling their traits. Realization dawned too late.

“This... this can’t be...”

They had fallen into a trap.

By the time they understood, it was already too late. The towering zombies charged toward them, overwhelming the group in a deafening rush.

“No... no! Noooooo!”

Somewhere in the abandoned ice crystal mine, the anguished screams of the hunters echoed and faded.