I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 361

In her days as a Dark Mage, Annella could exhibit extraordinary strength even while maintaining a human form.

This unique talent allowed her to enhance her physical capabilities without any visible mutations—a remarkable trait that persisted even after her return to full humanity. Despite doing almost no exercise, she effortlessly surpassed the stamina of ordinary people.

"Carefully..."

Annella moved silently from tree to tree, avoiding any sound as she advanced.

She had cast spells to suppress noise, reduce her weight, and increase the elasticity of the ground beneath her, greatly enhancing her agility and making stealthy movement almost effortless.

"The destination is just ahead."

The cliff that Lady Mirinae had marked on the map was now within sight.

No monsters had detected her presence.

It seemed none of the creatures below had the capacity to monitor activity above the treetops. It was likely an intentional design by Stella to control the difficulty of the test.

Of course, even facing Class 3 Risk monsters was already a destructive challenge for a group of seventeen-year-olds attempting to enter high school.

-Grrrr

"Gasp!"

When a creature resembling a hybrid of a bear and a dog passed nearby, Annella immediately hid among a heap of branches.

"Is it gone?"

As expected, the monster didn’t notice her.

"If things keep going like this, I’ll be there soon!"

Her only worry was Lady Mirinae. Could she truly lure the Monster Summoner to this spot without issue?

Annella hadn’t been told what method Mirinae would use, leaving her filled with questions.

"No, there’s no need to worry. She’ll manage it."

When Annella checked her map, she realized she was near the edge of the cliff.

To the east, west, and south lay nothing but sheer drops. The only exit was the path leading north. If the Monster Summoner could be brought here, eliminating them would be straightforward.

"I still don’t fully understand why this level of preparation was necessary."

Lady Mirinae’s homeland was at war.

As someone trained her whole life to become a warrior in such a nation, Mirinae likely understood warfare far better than Annella, whose knowledge came only from books.

Dark Mages often considered the act of strategizing to be dishonorable, so for Annella, these concepts were entirely foreign.

"She must have some impressive plan, something I can’t even imagine."

Even if Annella tried to adapt to this kind of thinking, it was clear that her instincts were still far removed from those of a regular human.

-Crack!

Then, the sound of rustling from below. It wasn’t the movement of a small animal.

Annella instinctively prepared to hide, but—

-Flap! Flap!

-Caw! Cawwww!

A massive crow with violet wings suddenly appeared from the sky.

"Damn..."

The crow was a monster.

Annella quickly attempted to strike it down with a lightning bolt, but the creature screeched loudly, drawing the attention of every monster in the vicinity.

"This is bad..."

Annella’s face turned pale.

She’d reached the edge of the cliff, so retreating was no longer an option.

-Roar!!

-Screechhh!!

To make matters worse, the monsters were now converging on her position, responding to the crow’s cries.

The unexpected situation left Annella momentarily paralyzed, her mind going blank. But she quickly snapped out of it.

"I need to run!"

Her only chance was to survive as long as possible. Deciding to make a dash for the edge of the cliff, Annella pushed through the underbrush and sprinted up the incline.

-Roar!!

Many of the pursuing creatures were four-legged beasts that could quickly catch up to an ordinary mage.

But Annella was different.

She spread her hands, casting a blue magic circle, and glyphs appeared on her body and feet.

Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.

By enchanting her soles with magic, she reduced air resistance, lightened her body, and enhanced the elasticity of her footing, enabling her to sprint at an inhuman speed.

As she ran toward the cliff, cutting through the wind, a warning sensation crept through her senses.

"More monsters...?!"

Unbelievable.

Monsters weren’t supposed to be this concentrated in such a remote area.

"Something’s wrong."

This situation was far from normal.

Unless a Summoner was directly controlling them, monsters couldn’t move this systematically.

And it was impossible for a Summoner to have detected her presence.

Besides, this was a test environment designed to assess the students’ abilities, making such a scenario even more unlikely.

"What’s going on...?"

Trusting her instincts, Annella closed her eyes for a brief moment.

To the outside world, only ten seconds passed.

In her mental space, it was a mere 0.1 second.

Accelerating her mental processing, she selected the most suitable spell for the situation.

[The Eye of Azaran]

Flash!

When she opened her eyes, they glowed green.

Using a spell that combined mana sensing with ultrasonic detection—a method more scientific than magical—she scanned the area within a one-kilometer radius.

And there she saw it.

Someone hiding under a mana shroud, watching her from afar.

The revelation shocked her.

"...Lady Mirinae."

Even from a kilometer away, Annella’s sharp gaze landed precisely on Mirinae’s location.

Lady Mirinae felt a cold shiver run down her spine.

"Could she have... sensed me?"

No detection magic existed that could pinpoint someone at this distance.

Mirinae had used a pre-applied "tracking scent" spell to monitor Annella, but Annella shouldn’t have been able to do the same.

Mirinae’s expression twisted as she muttered to herself.

"You’re sharper than I thought."

Even though her voice was quiet, Annella heard her clearly.

Her extraordinary hearing, combined with subtle sonic magic, allowed her to interpret even the slightest lip movements.

"Why did you do this?"

Annella’s voice carried back to Mirinae, who stiffened in irritation.

"This tracking scent isn’t even my magic..."

The spell had been granted to her by an unknown entity. Mirinae herself couldn’t have communicated from such a distance otherwise.

Suppressing her frustration, Mirinae smiled as if nothing was wrong.

"To test your abilities."

"My... abilities?"

"You’re wasting the talent Baek Yuseol gave you. If I had that kind of gift..."

She cut herself off before saying too much and continued.

"Show me your true power. All of it."

Mirinae knew.

Annella was a unique existence—human yet still retaining the powers of a Dark Mage.

It was, in a sense, a form of *evolution*.

If humans could maintain their dignity while inheriting the superior physical traits of the Dark Mages, it would signify a new step in humanity’s evolution.

And it was Baek Yuseol who had first discovered this potential and guided Annella through the experiment.

"It has to be true. That woman never lies."

The woman clad in yellow, who had once revealed the truth to her, had never been wrong.

Even as a minor, Mirinae had achieved great accomplishments in war thanks to the strategies and tactics that woman had taught her.

Her rise to the title of "Lady Mirinae" was, in large part, due to that guidance.

"What are you thinking...?"

Annella tried to question her further, but Mirinae interrupted, her voice cutting through the air.

"Is this the time for idle chatter?"

Annella’s confusion deepened as she turned her attention to the encroaching monsters. Seven of them had already surrounded her, and their menacing growls echoed across the cliff.

*Rustle...*

With no more room to run, Annella reached the edge of the precipice. She turned to face the approaching monsters, her expression grim.

Each one was far stronger than a typical Class 3 Risk monster. Fighting them all at once was impossible.

"Do I... jump?"

Annella recalled why she had come to Stella Academy.

To escape the grasp of the Dark Mage society and secure a future for herself, she had to gain admission.

If she failed here, there would be no second chance.

"I can’t afford to fail."

Annella bit her lip hard, forming a triangular shape with her fingers.

"Sharp winds, heed my call."

A guillotine of wind fell from the sky, slicing the cliff in two as if cutting through butter.

*Schhhh!*

Mirinae’s eyes widened in shock.

"What is she doing...?"

The ground beneath Annella gave way, breaking off from the cliff and plummeting into the abyss.

Her footing disappeared in an instant, yet Annella reacted swiftly, casting another spell before even a second had passed.

"Rise!"

*Whoooom!*

The falling rock defied gravity, floating upward to create a small, makeshift island in the air.

Annella had gained some distance from the monsters, but the situation remained dire.

"There’s no way out behind me."

Moving the large rock was beyond her capabilities, and she hadn’t yet mastered flight magic. Even if she tried to fly, the crow-like creature circling overhead would immediately target her.

*Grrrr...*

*Screechhh!*

The monsters roared in frustration, unable to reach her floating platform. However, the crow monster was an exception.

It dove at her with talons sharpened like blades, aiming directly for her.

Annella quickly summoned a shield, deflecting the attack, and raised a finger toward the sky.

*Crash!*

A bolt of lightning struck the crow mid-air. Although it wasn’t a particularly powerful spell due to the short casting time, it hit with perfect accuracy.

The creature flailed, its balance disrupted. Seizing the opportunity, Annella conjured magical chains to bind its wings, sending it plummeting into the abyss.

Breathing heavily, she pressed her hands against the rock beneath her, sweat dripping from her forehead.

"Using multiple Class 3 spells in succession... it’s exhausting."

Even prodigies like Hae Sunwoo wouldn’t dare attempt something like this.

It was common knowledge that a Class 3 mage could only handle two simultaneous spells at most. Annella had shattered that limit, casting four spells at once.

"But I have to keep going."

Her mental strength, honed through adversity, allowed her to endure.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, she felt the weight of countless eyes on her. Startled, she instinctively looked up at the sky.

But there was nothing there.

"Just my imagination...?"

Unbeknownst to her, Baek Yuseol was observing everything.

"Her instincts are sharp."

The gazes Annella felt belonged to the many mages watching her through the assessment’s observation system.

The moment her exceptional magic was revealed, she became the center of attention.

"Where did this genius come from?"

"Wait... she’s listed as a commoner with no known background."

"Another commoner genius? This happened last year too."

"Perhaps it’s a good sign. The old, corrupt roots of aristocratic mage society might finally be uprooted."

"That’s not the problem here!"

The number of eyes fixed on Annella only grew. Her abilities far exceeded expectations, and the astonishment was palpable.

"Incredible..."

Even Baek Yuseol couldn’t help but admire her. He hadn’t expected Annella to display such skill.

But admiration aside, she was still in a dangerous situation. Casting that many spells wouldn’t be enough to overcome her current predicament.

"I wish I could give her some advice."

Yet, as a guardian, he was forbidden from interfering.

Baek Yuseol bit his thumb in frustration.

"There’s no easy solution."

Then, something unexpected happened.

"Wait, is she...?"

All around, gasps of astonishment echoed.

"What now?"

Baek Yuseol’s jaw dropped as he watched the projection.

On her floating rock, Annella raised her hands and began chanting a spell.

"Impossible..."

Maintaining levitation magic while casting additional spells was already considered a feat. Yet Annella was defying all logic.

She cast not one, but three high-level spells simultaneously.

*Boom!*

A deluge of water poured from a blue magic circle above her, followed by a storm of lightning bolts that electrocuted the grounded monsters.

Before they could recover, she froze the water, immobilizing them completely.

Then, with a final incantation, a massive fireball—blazing like a miniature sun—formed in the air.

The monsters, unable to move, could only watch as the fireball descended.

*Boom!*

The explosion obliterated them in an instant, ending the fight.

With the battle over, Annella released her levitation magic and tumbled to the ground. She rolled a few times before landing gracefully on her feet.

"Is she a magic knight in disguise?"

The murmured question from one of the observing mages reflected the astonishment in the room.

Annella’s performance was so extraordinary it seemed unreal.

"She’s definitely passed."

Finally, Baek Yuseol relaxed.

The Monster Summoner? Annella didn’t even need to deal with it; her overwhelming performance had already proven her worth.

"Scarlett’s antics earlier feel tame now..."

He thought back to how he had scolded Scarlett for her lack of restraint. Compared to Annella, Scarlett seemed far less troublesome.

"As long as she passes... that’s all that matters."

Now, only one question remained: why had Lady Mirinae orchestrated this ordeal?

Baek Yuseol had a good idea. During the chaos, his glasses had picked up a detail—a glimpse of something significant.

*Celestial August Yellow (천황정팔월)...*

"So, it’s finally revealed."

With that thought, Baek Yuseol stood up. There was no need to watch the rest of the test.