I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 423

All the cities and villages of the Bingbaek Mountain Range were swallowed by the Persona Gate. Only then did Marancalz halt his spellcasting and look toward Cheonhwangjeong Palwol.

“Well then, O Divine Moon. Are you satisfied?”

Satisfied?

How absurd.

“You’ve completely ruined the situation!”

She wanted to scream at him but couldn’t. Cheonhwangjeong Palwol clenched her trembling fists tightly, concealing them inside her robes.

“Well, as promised, tell me,” Marancalz said calmly.

“Tell you what?”

“...You wouldn’t deceive me, would you? You said you’d share information about the human who came closest to the Divine Moon.”

“Oh, right... I did say that.”

Despite the chaos he’d caused, the audacity to demand his reward was infuriating. But a promise was a promise.

“That human’s name is Baek Yuseol. By your standards, he hasn’t even lived twenty years.”

“Ho, twenty years old, you say? When I was that age, I was only just beginning to understand magic. So then...”

Marancalz hesitated before asking cautiously, “What is it about that magician that allowed him to take one step closer to the Divine Moon than I could?”

A difference? She hadn’t really thought about it.

If she had to nitpick, perhaps it was that Marancalz was hideously ugly while that boy was at least somewhat easy on the eyes? But such trivialities had never been worth pondering over.

Then, something came to mind.

“Oh, right. He’s a magician who can’t use magic.”

“...Excuse me?”

“Exactly what I said. He has Mana Leakage Syndrome. It’s a peculiar condition where mana continuously drains from his body. Normally, people with this condition barely live a few years before their bodies merge with nature.”

“Mana Leakage Syndrome...”

She spoke of it nonchalantly.

While it might have been an unfamiliar term among ordinary people, it was something most magicians had heard of—a rare phenomenon, one that most didn’t see value in investigating further.

In this world, where everything was composed of mana, those born without the ability to contain it were anomalies. They were fascinating, yes, but ultimately irrelevant to most magicians’ research.

Though lately, Baek Yuseol’s notoriety had spurred some renewed interest among scholars in studying the syndrome...

“What’s the point, though?”

For someone like Cheonhwangjeong Palwol, who struggled to comprehend magicians’ motivations, it was a waste of time.

“Never mind. I need to convince him to undo the Persona Gate.”

Looking at the massive expanse of the Persona Gate, she realized dismantling it on her own would be impossible. She had to find a way to reason with him.

But then—

KRRRRRUMMM!!

Suddenly, the crimson sky turned dark.

KABOOM!

A bolt of lightning struck the ground.

“Ugh?!”

Cheonhwangjeong Palwol stumbled backward, falling onto her rear. The lightning had struck directly in front of her—right where Marancalz had been standing.

“How is that possible?!”

They were above the clouds; lightning shouldn’t even be able to strike here. What was happening?

She scrambled to her feet and looked at Marancalz, who had fallen to his knees, gazing up at the heavens.

“Oh... I see now...”

“What’s wrong with you?” she demanded.

“I understand now why he could take one step closer to the Divine Moon than I could...”

“What...?”

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

As she watched, his body began to change. A strange, unsettling aura emanated from him, causing Cheonhwangjeong Palwol’s skin to crawl.

“What is this energy...?”

Though weaker than hers, it was undoubtedly the energy of the stars.

And then, she noticed something else.

“...Your body... It’s disappearing.”

Marancalz’s body was disintegrating, turning into dust and scattering into the air. His vast mana, once as boundless as the ocean, began to dissipate, sending violent gusts of wind that whipped at her hair and robes.

“...Indeed. My body is vanishing,” Marancalz said with eerie calm.

“Hey! Pull yourself together! You can’t die here!” she shouted.

If he had to leave, he should at least dismantle the Persona Gate first!

But Marancalz shook his head.

“It’s fine. I no longer have any lingering attachment to my physical form.”

By now, his torso had completely disappeared, leaving only his head. His serene gaze remained fixed on the sky.

“I understand now... Bound by the structure of this world, I was never destined to become a star...”

“Marancalz?!”

He turned his gaze toward Cheonhwangjeong Palwol.

“...Thank you.”

“No, don’t say that! Stop talking like someone on the verge of death!”

Her voice wavered as she practically begged him, but the old man only smiled gently.

“How wonderful... to have someone mourn my departure.”

“That’s not it! I’m not mourning! Do you realize what trouble I’ll be in if you disappear?!”

She wanted to scream at him, but it was too late.

Finally, his eyes, nose, and mouth dissolved into nothingness, scattering like stardust.

The last words she heard echoed faintly.

—Though I vanish now, unable to become the Divine Moon, this is not death but the start of a new journey. I will wander as starlight that failed to become a star. Please, watch over me...

And with that, he was gone.

“Ah...”

THUD!

Cheonhwangjeong Palwol fell to her knees, staring at the empty space where he had been.

“You bastard... What am I supposed to do about that Persona Gate now?!”

She slammed her forehead into the ground and clutched her head in despair.

Looking up, her vision was filled with the colossal, violet expanse of the Persona Gate. Its sheer size, its impossibility, loomed over her, suffocating.

She couldn’t even admire the miracle of it.

Because now, she had to dismantle it herself.

“Ugh... sitting here won’t solve anything,” she muttered.

Steeling herself, she stood up and walked toward the dark tower. Whether she succeeded or failed, she had to confront the Persona Gate.

Splash!

She crossed through its barrier, entering the domain within.

The bitter cold and razor-sharp winds ceased instantly, replaced by a gentle, warm breeze that caressed her cheek.

“Ugh... This is insane.”

To turn a harsh environment into this blooming paradise... Marancalz’s mind was incomprehensible.

Flying upward, she reached the highest spire of the Baekryeong Plateau Fortress, landing gracefully.

“...Unbelievable.”

The once-militarized stronghold had transformed into a bustling, vibrant city.

People moved joyfully, smiles bright on their faces, as if each day were a treasure to be savored.

Yet, amidst the cheer and laughter, strange figures caught her eye.

“Hohohoho...”

“Hehehehe!”

“Hahaha!”

A chorus of eerie laughter echoed, sending a chill down her spine.

Frozen in place, she stared at the laughing figures surrounding her, their distorted voices echoing unnaturally.

“Those grotesque creatures...”

They were the twisted lifeforms shaped by Hoegong Siwol, their existence corrupting everything they touched.

“Damn it...”

She reached for her waist instinctively, brushing her graying skin. The taint had spread further, showing no signs of retreat. At this rate, her entire body would soon be overtaken.

“This is the end, isn’t it?”

With a heavy sigh, she slumped against the spire’s pillar and slid to the ground.

“Why did the First Magician even bother creating a fool like me as a Divine Moon...” she muttered bitterly.

It had been this way for a thousand years.

Unlike the other Twelve Divine Moons, who each wielded unique, formidable powers and possessed exceptional wisdom, Cheonhwangjeong Palwol had always been the outlier. She was clumsy, prone to mistakes, and her abilities paled in comparison.

Even Yeonhongchun Samwol, whose abilities were the closest to hers, could enchant the minds of all living beings across the world in a single instance. Meanwhile, Cheonhwangjeong Palwol could barely manipulate a single human.

“From the moment I was born until now, everything has been a mess.”

She had always aspired to be like them—powerful, revered, and deserving of her title as one of the Twelve Divine Moons.

She dreamed big, too big. She wanted to accomplish feats the others couldn’t, to earn their respect.

But what had she achieved in the past millennium?

Nothing.

Not even now.

“Look at this. A fortress like Baekryeong Plateau, rendered defenseless by a single human magician—an overpowered 9th-Class Magician, sure—but still, a mere human!”

The thoughts spiraled, and with them, the gray aura spreading across her body intensified. She knew that losing her sense of self-worth would mean losing everything. Her existence, which thrived on her essence, would crumble.

But what could she do? When even her very existence felt meaningless, wasn’t this despair inevitable?

“I’m such an idiot,” she whispered, curling into herself. She wrapped her arms around her knees, resting her forehead against them, and muttered repeatedly.

“I’m an idiot.”

Thump.

“Jellyfish.”

Thump.

“Sea cucumber.”

Thump.

“Useless blob.”

Thump.

“Burnt cheese cutlet.”

“...What?”

Startled, she flinched. The unexpected voice beside her sent chills racing down her spine. She jerked upright.

“Who’s there?!”

Standing before her was a familiar figure—a boy clad in the black uniform of Stella Academy. His dark hair and piercing black eyes left no doubt.

Baek Yuseol.

“What are you talking about? Aren’t we naming things we want to eat? I, for one, would love a fiery cheese cutlet.”

“Th-That’s not the point! What are you doing here?!” she stammered.

“Aren’t Divine Moons supposed to be dignified and say something like, ‘Ah, I foresaw your arrival,’ when someone shows up?” he replied coolly.

Her expression crumbled. “That’s right... I’m too stupid to even act like a proper Divine Moon...”

“That’s... not what I meant,” Baek Yuseol said, rubbing his temple as he tucked a glowing device back into his pocket.

“What’s with this woman? She’s a wreck.”

Baek Yuseol didn’t particularly like Cheonhwangjeong Palwol. He held her responsible for controlling the trolls that had ambushed a weakened Hong Biyeon.

When he felt her energy emanating from the Persona Gate, his first instinct had been to prepare for battle. If it weren’t for Ggotseorin calming him down, he might have lashed out immediately.

“Yuseol, you might be able to use her powers to steer this situation in a better direction,” Ggotseorin had said.

And she had been right.

Baek Yuseol suppressed his anger and tried talking to the Divine Moon. To his surprise, it worked better than he expected.

“I never thought Hoegong Siwol would betray her.”

Even without his enchanted glasses, Baek Yuseol could see her crumbling state. He adjusted his glasses and crouched to meet her eyes.

“Well, we’ve finished listing food cravings, so how about we have a proper conversation now, Divine Moon Cheonhwangjeong Palwol?”

Her tearful face lit up briefly, and she nodded vigorously.

In that moment, it was clear who truly needed help—not Baek Yuseol, but Cheonhwangjeong Palwol herself.