I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 398

In the midsummer of Stella Academy, a fleeting rumor about the "cicada ghost story" often makes the rounds.

It’s not a particularly unusual tale.

As soon as summer begins, the incessant chirping of cicadas fills the air, yet no one ever seems to spot a single cicada. That’s the basis of the story.

The truth is far more mundane. Stella Academy maintains a secluded area to keep cicadas isolated so they don’t disturb students studying in the gardens. However, since most students are unaware of this fact, they eagerly bring up the ghost story every summer.

"So hot..."

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As the cicada calls signaled the arrival of the season, Full Frame sprawled out, succumbing to the heat like everyone else.

The time travel to a year in the past.

The days spent trapped in that timeline now felt like a distant dream, but returning to her daily life meant immediate adjustments.

After all, the first semester finals were just around the corner.

However...

"Ugh, I can’t focus at all!"

"Me neither..."

Perhaps it was the lingering aftereffects of time travel, but Full Frame and the other two girls found themselves unable to concentrate on their studies.

Sure, their journey to the past had been fraught with danger. Most of their time there was spent under the haze of lost memories.

But it had also been extraordinary.

Traveling to a past that was not just a memory but an entirely different timeline—it was magical in its own way.

Much like returning from a long vacation, the lingering memories of that journey left them feeling disoriented and out of place. However, the aftermath of time travel was far more intense and overwhelming.

So, the girls decided to take special measures. They formed a small study group to meet after school and force themselves to focus on their academics.

Since the three of them were the only ones who could truly understand what they had gone through, no one could question their choice of study partners.

But.

"What are you doing? Weren’t we supposed to study?"

The unexpected presence of Baek Yuseol, sitting among them and flipping through an old, suspiciously dull historical documentary titled Did Magic Exist 3,000 Years Ago?, caught everyone off guard.

Of course, he wasn’t an official member of the study group. The fact that they had only prepared three thermoses of coffee confirmed that.

Baek Yuseol had inserted himself into the group under the pretense of keeping an eye on them, worried they might stir up trouble again.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Did he realize?

His very presence was making it even harder for them to focus.

"Why don’t you study?" Full Frame asked.

"Me? Hmm..."

A direct hit.

Come to think of it, none of them had ever seen Baek Yuseol study.

"This is unexpected..."

Baek Yuseol felt slightly awkward under their questioning gaze. Yet, in truth, the three girls weren’t genuinely curious.

They were simply being petty, annoyed that someone who didn’t need to study was intruding on their session.

"Ugh, forget it!"

Finally, Full Frame slammed her book shut and stretched, giving in. Hong Biyeon and Eisel, who couldn’t bring themselves to admit defeat, sighed quietly in relief and closed their books as well.

"We’ll study tomorrow. Even if we cram now, we’re not beating Mayuseong anyway. And even if we don’t, we’ll still make it to the top ranks."

"Why not beat Mayuseong instead?"

"...You do know he’s gotten a perfect score on every written exam so far, right?"

"Then you just have to get a perfect score too."

...When another perfect scorer said that, Full Frame felt an overwhelming wave of irritation.

"Whatever. Let’s take a break. Someone tell a story to clear our heads."

"What kind of story?"

"You know... about the past. What do you think happened there in the end?"

Her curiosity caught Eisel and Hong Biyeon’s attention. Both turned to Baek Yuseol, clearly interested. After all, even though they had left that timeline, they couldn’t forget Silver 11th Moon’s desperate outburst:

"Because of you, Full Frame, our world will perish..."

Baek Yuseol had traveled through countless timelines, but it wasn’t guaranteed he knew everything about that particular world. Yet, for some reason, they instinctively believed he held the answers.

"Hmm..."

Baek Yuseol blinked, pondering the question.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know the answer. He was debating whether he should tell them.

He had tried to reveal his secrets and future events to them before, only to be stopped by his “Narrative Authority” each time. Now, he wondered if the rules had changed.

"...Since there’s no warning, I guess I can talk about it."

If it were a forbidden topic, the system would have already intervened.

Does this mean I’ve reached the point where I can reveal this much?

Part of it was due to his growing Narrative Authority. But more than that, it was because these girls had already witnessed too much of the truth.

"Well, to put it simply... it ends in destruction."

"As expected..."

Full Frame’s expression darkened instantly, and Baek Yuseol quickly added, "But it’s not your fault. I’m not sure if I should say this, but... every world, including ours, is destined to end someday. For some reason or another, destruction is inevitable."

For instance...

The world Baek Yuseol originally experienced as a game was destroyed by the "Presence of the Thirteenth Black Moon."

But not all worlds met their end in the same way.

At least, that’s what Baek Yuseol believed.

Some were frozen solid by the rampage of the Pirate King Black Belize. Others had their vitality drained by Damgaltoy Wol’s resonance. Some even lost their World Trees, which fled into space, abandoning their planets.

The possibilities for destruction were endless. And by now, most worlds had already perished, leaving very few remaining.

"...I’ve seen it myself—the stars disappearing one by one from the night sky."

Even if destruction was inevitable, he thought, that didn’t mean giving up on the fight.

If there is a world that manages to survive until the end... that world will face the descent of the Thirteenth Black Moon.

A world where the Thirteenth Black Moon descends.

It sounds grandiose, but such worlds were actually quite common.

Every single one of the thousands of players who completed Aether World without quitting experienced it.

But why?

Why does the Thirteenth Black Moon appear only in worlds that haven’t been destroyed?

Judging by its name, the Thirteenth Black Moon could very well be another of the Twelve Divine Moons that the Archmage secretly created...

And yet, I still don’t know the reason.

That mystery would have to wait.

Baek Yuseol turned to Full Frame with a smile.

"Was my explanation too simple?"

"Kind of..."

"In that case, let me put it this way."

Truthfully, Baek Yuseol had no idea why that timeline’s world ended. It was just one of countless worlds. How could he possibly know?

But since these girls seemed to trust him completely, he decided to offer a small, reassuring lie.

"That world... was destroyed by Silver 11th Moon."

"What?!"

"You see, Silver 11th Moon is a Divine Moon of Time. But his power is like a delicate glass clockwork—handle it carelessly, and it breaks easily."

It was an extreme metaphor, and Baek Yuseol felt a slight twinge of guilt. Still, the girls seemed convinced, so he continued.

"The Silver 11th Moon in that world wound the clockwork too tightly. He kept running back to the past, trying to escape an impending doom that hadn’t even arrived yet."

"And then? What happened?"

"Time got tangled. The past and the future began to coexist. People learned that their future selves would be killed and retaliated by murdering their killers in advance. Others with grudges killed their past selves. In some cases, future versions of people killed their own past selves."

The story was entirely fabricated.

Not even the game had events like this.

He was just borrowing ideas from some sci-fi novels he’d read. Still, the three girls listened intently, their ears perked up in fascination.

Fortunately, it seemed Full Frame’s guilt had eased significantly. Knowing the world’s destruction wasn’t her fault must have been a relief.

I’m glad I lied, Baek Yuseol thought with a smile.

"Anyway, don’t worry about it. I’ll make sure nothing like that happens to our world."

At his words, the girls visibly relaxed, nodding in relief.

What Baek Yuseol didn’t realize, however, was that they weren’t reassured by the part about preventing disaster.

It was the way he’d said our world.

Baek Yuseol was someone they considered capable of leaving for other worlds at any moment. Hearing him refer to this one as ours gave them a profound sense of comfort.

That evening, while conversing with Silver 11th Moon in the dormitory, Baek Yuseol learned an unexpected truth.

"So, you’re saying it’s actually possible for the past and the future to merge?"

"That’s correct. Though it has never occurred in our world, the possibility exists. And the fact that you already know this... You truly are a remarkable human. Tsk, tsk."

"It’s not like that..."

Baek Yuseol paused to think.

The story he had casually fabricated, borrowing elements from science fiction, might actually be possible?

"In any case, forget about other worlds for now. Right now, you belong to our world. I hope you’ll remain here and live out your days with us."

"That’s an odd thing to say. Of course, I plan to stay."

"Tsk, tsk. Good, that’s reassuring. So, what will you do next?"

"...I assume sending Full Frame to the past was the work of Time Returning Moon. It seems like they’ll move again soon, but I don’t have the power to counter them."

"Indeed. Though you may be a vessel capable of holding us Divine Moons, you are still incomplete."

"Then, as always, I’ll just have to do what I’ve always done."

"And what is that?"

"Train until I drop dead."

Baek Yuseol thought of someone as he said this.

The Witch Queen, Scarlet.

Despite her fearsome title, Scarlet was a pure white-haired girl who seemed the polar opposite of her intimidating name.

Baek Yuseol knew instinctively.

To grow stronger quickly despite his peculiar condition of mana leakage delay, he needed Scarlet, who had dealt with a similar condition herself.

That was why he had persuaded her to remain at Stella Academy in the first place.

He regretted not having made full use of her abilities up until now. With a bit more breathing room, he was determined to take advantage of her expertise.

"As always... train until I can’t move anymore."