I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 414

Baek Yuseol's offhand remark, "Why not just freeze the entire whirlpool?" wasn’t entirely absurd.

After all, hadn’t something similar occurred at the Levian Coast before?

That had been caused not even by Cheongdong Sibiwol’s direct intervention, but by one of the sacred relics he had scattered across the land.

If Cheongdong Sibiwol truly willed it, he could freeze the entire continent. Freezing a whirlpool in the middle of the ocean would be little more than a child’s play.

However, there was a problem.

—You are not capable of it.

Naturally, without a proper vessel, even Cheongdong Sibiwol couldn’t wield his powers recklessly.

“Is that so?” Baek Yuseol replied, neither disappointed nor particularly surprised, but with a tinge of regret.

“I do have the ‘Five Yin Severed Meridians,’ don’t I?”

—You do.

This peculiar constitution, which left him perpetually chilled as though his hands and feet were frozen, had been artificially instilled by Cheongdong Sibiwol at Baek Yuseol’s request.

It was meant solely to temper Hong Biyeon’s fiery nature. In practical terms, it offered Baek Yuseol no real advantage.

—That was merely an adjustment I imposed on your vessel. The Five Yin Severed Meridians cannot fully withstand my cold. If you had grown a bit more, you might not even need them.

It was, as expected, a matter of Baek Yuseol’s lack of strength.

—If you were afflicted with something as extreme as Hong Biyeon’s ‘Nine Yang Severed Meridians,’ it might have been a different story.

“Still, you’re saying that freezing the entire whirlpool is possible in theory. Isn’t that right?”

—...It is possible.

Cheongdong Sibiwol nodded slowly before continuing.

—Not for you. But through Angel Morphe... it can be done.

“...Pardon?”

Though it wasn’t an entirely unexpected answer, Baek Yuseol was still taken aback that Cheongdong Sibiwol had brought up her name first.

“Does Angel have a curse similar to Hong Biyeon’s?”

—No. But she is someone blessed by the essence of ice itself. Even without a curse, she can accept the power of a Shinsunmoon.

Now that it was mentioned, it made sense.

Both Hong Biyeon and Angel were blessed, though their circumstances differed. Angel had been born with a divine blessing, whereas Hong Biyeon’s extraordinary talent had been artificially enhanced by her mother to resemble a blessing.

‘Honestly, by modern standards, Hong Biyeon’s backstory feels more protagonist-like.’

Baek Yuseol recalled how the trend had shifted in the gaming world: while overwhelmingly gifted protagonists were once popular, the focus had later moved toward characters who achieved greatness through effort.

“But can Angel really handle Cheongdong Sibiwol’s cold? She’s barely capable of wielding 6th-class magic.”

—She can. However, there may be side effects. She will constantly feel an even greater chill than you experience. Even in the height of summer, she will shiver with cold.

Cheongdong Sibiwol explained it simply, but Baek Yuseol, having experienced such cold himself, immediately understood the severity of the burden. Perpetually cold hands and feet were bad enough; living in constant winter-like conditions and enduring the pain of using frost magic was unimaginable.

—Still, even putting aside my personal desires, I strongly recommend it.

“Why? Is there a specific reason?”

—Tsk, tsk. You don’t seem to understand the value of monopolizing the favor of the Twelve Shinsunmoons.

Eunse Sibilwol clicked her tongue.

—The favor of a Shinsunmoon is a once-in-a-lifetime blessing for a mage. It’s an opportunity to elevate their magic to an entirely new level.

“Oh, right.”

Baek Yuseol had almost forgotten. Since his magical aptitude was lacking, the blessing hadn’t yielded much for him.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

—However, the power one can accept is limited by their abilities. Angel Morphe, with her lineage as a descendant of the Morphe family, could even surpass one of the Twelve Disciples of the Founding Mage.

Baek Yuseol contemplated for a moment.

For Angel, this could indeed be a monumental opportunity.

The favor of a Shinsunmoon wasn’t a force to be taken lightly.

Even Ggotseorin had been unable to endure the blessing of Yeonhong Chunsamwol, living a life of seclusion, her face forever hidden.

Hong Biyeon, too, suffered the ceaseless torment of burning heat due to her blessing.

Could mages truly crave such blessings enough to endure that kind of agony?

‘...If it’s Angel, she might.’

For someone like her, who had survived unimaginable hardships, enduring the cold might not even be a concern.

Baek Yuseol recalled Angel’s childhood, a tale revealed in the prologue.

As a young girl, she had wandered the streets, clad in tattered clothes, enduring the biting winter chill. Huddled in a freezing cave, she studied a stolen spellbook by the light of a meager fire.

For Angel, whose body and spirit had been shaped by the cold, perhaps the frost felt more like an old friend than a burden.

“Still, I’ll have to ask her directly.”

—Naturally.

With the decision made, there was no time to waste. Baek Yuseol quickly prepared to leave Jelliel’s villa quietly.

However, as if she had anticipated his departure, Jelliel was already waiting at the front door, bathed in the light of the moon.

“J-Jelliel...”

Elves really sleep in such thin clothes? Baek Yuseol wondered, averting his gaze awkwardly.

Seeing his reaction, Jelliel chuckled softly and approached him. With her back to the moonlight, her expression was momentarily obscured.

“I figured you’d try to sneak away, Baek Yuseol. You’re always busy, after all.”

“...Something urgent has come up. You’ll hear about it through your informants by morning.”

“I don’t like that.”

“What?”

Jelliel turned her head, the moonlight illuminating her profile. The sight of her forlorn expression made Baek Yuseol gulp involuntarily.

“You’re leaving without saying a word to me? Is it such a pressing matter?”

“It’s not that... I was going to leave a note. Here.”

He waved a piece of paper in front of her, but she didn’t even glance at it, clearly unimpressed.

After a brief hesitation, she pulled out a small device resembling a crystal shard and pressed a button.

“Take the back exit. I’ve prepared a small, high-speed airship. It’ll take you wherever you need to go quickly.”

“W-What...?”

“There’s even a pilot waiting.”

It was as if she had known all along that he would leave.

“Wait... Jelliel, don’t tell me you already knew something was happening in the Eastern Seas?”

Jelliel laughed.

“Is something happening there? I have no idea.”

“Then how...?”

Her sparkling eyes glinted mischievously.

“Call it a woman’s intuition.”

With that, she gently poked Baek Yuseol’s chest and walked away gracefully.

Staring at her retreating figure in the moonlight, Baek Yuseol slapped his cheek.

‘Damn... I almost fell for her.’

Could she really be an elf?

Even if someone had called her a succubus, no one would have doubted it. Leaving the villa felt almost impossible with such a temptation in his way.

Shaking off his thoughts, Baek Yuseol hurried to the back exit. He spotted the small airship Jelliel had mentioned, its pilot already revving the engine.

The pilot, wearing sunglasses despite the early hour, waved enthusiastically.

“Oh, you must be the one! This is the Black Double Class Mana Propeller MK.39, the cutting-edge high-speed airship! You’re so lucky to be its first passenger!”

“...Excuse me?”

“Come on, hop in! Feel the thrilling vibrations of the Lucky Free Pass Turbo Engine!”

“...Uh, sure.”

The pilot’s eccentricities aside, his enthusiasm for the airship was evident. Despite being called to fly at dawn, he was brimming with excitement.

“Where to?”

“The Eastern Seas. To the edge of the continent.”

“Alright! Let’s go!”

As the airship soared at incredible speed, piercing through the clouds and vanishing into the sky, Jelliel watched from the window. Closing the curtains, she sank into her chair, hugging her knees tightly.

With her eyes shut, she whispered to herself.

‘...Loving someone who can never stay in one place is such a cruel fate.’

He wasn’t someone who could belong to just her. He was someone who existed for everyone.

And yet, the desire to keep him all to herself... perhaps that was her selfish instinct as a former cynical, cutthroat businesswoman.

Or maybe it was just her longing as a woman.

The pain of not being able to hold on to someone destined to leave was almost unbearable.

Still, Jelliel endured.

‘Someday... he’ll come back.’

She had to believe that.

***

Meanwhile, Angel and her group hastily finished their preparations and boarded the Rising Dragon Ascension ship under Admiral Hallisveil's command.

Given the situation, Princess Hong Biyeon also joined the fleet, though the process wasn’t without some friction.

The trouble arose when Captain Matale of the Black Belize Pirate Crew insisted on accompanying them, bringing along a massive ship they had somehow acquired. While no one questioned where they found such a vessel, its sheer size and strength rivaled even the Rising Dragon Ascension, making it a potential threat to Hallisveil’s fleet.

Under normal circumstances, pirates would never be allowed to sail alongside Hallisveil's forces. However, Matale was adamant, refusing to let Hong Biyeon venture into such a dangerous area alone.

Thus, Admiral Hallisveil reluctantly allowed the New Black Cross ship to sail with his fleet. The unprecedented alliance between the two forces—a first in decades—would have been headline news if not for the pressing events in the Eastern Seas overshadowing it.

Despite boarding the Rising Dragon Ascension, Angel’s face remained tense, frozen in fear as the gravity of the situation pressed down on her.

“Prepare for warp-hole traversal, ladies. Please hold on tightly,” a voice kindly announced through the speakers in their VIP-like cabin.

In Aither, warp-hole gates existed even over the oceans, thanks entirely to Hallisveil’s innovation. These gates were used primarily for global maritime trade, with Hallisveil’s fleet having top priority whenever they appeared.

After passing through two or three such gates, traversing day and night for several days, they finally arrived at the Eastern Seas.

But what awaited them was a sight far beyond anything they had imagined.

“What in the world...?”

A massive column of swirling water loomed high into the sky—the whirlpool pillar. Around its epicenter, hundreds of ships circled, trapped in the vicinity.

Hong Biyeon muttered, dismayed, “War correspondents have gathered... I can see familiar insignias from various outlets.”

“The Adolevit national flag, and... Skarven’s flag too. Is that... the Mage Knights? It seems the incident has escalated to a scale where even nations are deploying forces to monitor it.”

“...Ah...”

It was inevitable.

A phenomenon as monumental as the whirlpool, set up as a direct threat from a Shinsunmoon, was not something the world’s nations could ignore.

In the distance, Hong Biyeon spotted ships from the Mage Tower and dozens of airships hovering above, their crews observing the whirlpool closely. The sheer number of mages gathered was staggering.

Angel realized what this meant: her decision would not only be personal but witnessed by countless national-level mages in real time.

Prillane squeezed Angel’s hand tightly.

“Don’t worry. Nothing bad will happen. We’ve gotten through everything so far, haven’t we?”

“How?”

Prillane had no answer. In past battles, there had at least been something to attempt, some way to fight back. But now, there was nothing they could do.

Cheoncheong Haeowol was clever.

He had learned from past encounters with Baek Yuseol. Knowing that Yuseol would always find a way to counter any plan, Cheoncheong Haeowol had designed this scheme to leave no room for response.

The helplessness weighed heavily on Angel, driving her deeper into despair.

‘Is there... anything I can do at all?’

As Angel’s face grew pale, resembling someone on the brink of collapse, far above, in the open skies...

Baek Yuseol clung to his seat aboard the small airship, his face green and utterly miserable, as the enthusiastic pilot shouted over the noise.

“How’s this?! Thrilling, isn’t it? We’re at max speed!”

‘Ugh...’

Though Baek Yuseol had grown accustomed to the rapid movements of teleportation, this kind of turbulent aerial travel was a completely different beast. Nausea churned in his stomach.

Still, he couldn’t bring himself to ask the pilot to slow down.

Time was slipping away.

“Your expression is great! Your eyes are burning with passion! You must be loving this speed as much as I am! Alright, let’s push it further! Overdrive mode!”

“Guh...”

Baek Yuseol threw his head back, looking as if he might pass out completely.

‘Save me...’

He appreciated the speed, but he couldn’t help cursing Jelliel for arranging such an eccentric pilot.

Still, despite the discomfort, Baek Yuseol gritted his teeth and held on. Time was of the essence, and the fate of countless lives rested on him reaching the Eastern Seas in time.