I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy

Chapter 176: Unreal (1)

In the realm of consciousness where even light and time wander aimlessly, Edna moved ahead in an endless loop.

‘....’

It was as if someone had flipped the switch of a TV, and Edna’s consciousness, which was completely extinguished in pure darkness, returned.

"Ah."

Hesitation.

She stopped in her tracks and hastily looked around.

Rumble.

Bang! Bang!

It was noisy and foul-smelling.

Amidst the chaos, the people and students were rushing to their desired place.

"Uh....."

Tock!

"Ugh!"

"Move! I'm busy."

A company employee bumped into Edna, who stood dazed, and hurried past.

Only then did she realize she was carrying a bag.

"What's this...?"

[Ilwol High School 3-7 Edna]

It was a name tag.

*'Ah, right.'*

Then the memory came back to her.

*‘I am Edna, a third-year student at Ilwol High School in Seoul. Wasn't I on my way to school?’*

*'Geez.'*

*‘Seems like I lost my mind for a moment. Perhaps it's because I stayed up almost all night studying last night, my head feels so dizzy.’*

*‘How could I have such a fantastical dream?’*

*’....... But, what was that dream?'*

No matter how hard she tried to remember the dream, the more she tried to recall it, the farther away it seemed to disappear, and now she couldn’t remember anything at all.

"What's the point?"

She pushed away the memories of the dream world and took out her smartphone.

Opening the bus route application, it showed that the bus would arrive in 5 minutes.

..... The touch felt a bit awkward.

Why does handling a smartphone feel unfamiliar like this?

She stood at the bus stop, tapping on her smartphone while tilting her head.

Suddenly, someone appeared beside her.

"Hey~ Edna~ Why are you staring at your phone all day?"

"Uh?”

It was an embrace that made her feel so embarrassed, but the other person seemed accustomed to this situation.

The girl with long black hair was named Han Cho-yeon.

She was modest and quiet in appearance.

However, Han Cho-yeon had a very mischievous personality unlike her appearance.

She had been Edna’s closest friend since their first year of high school.

"Huh? You're still playing with your phone. What are you looking at? YouTube? Oh, what's this? Since when did you start following Gabbas Boyband? You act like you're not interested in celebrities."

"I didn't watch it! I just accidentally clicked on it because it popped up on the YouTube algorithm..."

"Oh, come on, stop lying. Did you think I wouldn't know? I can clearly see you always watching oppas' variety shows."

"No, I'm serious! I didn't subscribe, and I don't watch live broadcasts! I just click out of curiosity whenever it pops up!"

Some awkward but familiar words popped out of her mouth.

"Hmm~ Really? I thought you only watched English and math lessons on YouTube, but you're also human after all."

"I didn't..."

It wasn't unfair, but it felt unfair.

The truth was that she secretly watched Gabbas Boyband's videos diligently, but... she didn't want to be caught like this...

Her face felt hot.

Pretending not to know, but being caught made her feel several times more embarrassed.

"Oh, the bus is here!"

"You're changing the subject~"

Fortunately, just in time, the bus arrived, and Edna dashed into it as if fleeing.

… Of course, even after boarding the bus, Han Cho-yeon sat right next to her, so there was no escaping the teasing.

* * *

"Is this our school?"

Ilwol High School was a five-story building, a typical high school with a plain building structure and the school logo engraved on the roof, commonly seen anywhere in Seoul.

"Why did you suddenly stop? Let's hurry, we're late."

"Uh, yeah."

Because of Han Cho-yeon's urging, they had no choice but to walk towards the school, but something felt off and awkward.

"Hey, Cho-yeon."

"Why are you calling me so affectionately. It’s giving me goosebumps."

"Was our school always this small...?"

"Uh. Isn't it a bit like a bean compared to the neighboring school? That school is freaking huge."

"No, that's not what I meant. It just feels smaller than usual."

"Like your height?"

"This crazy girl's really..."

"Hehehe, you get angry right away when I hit a button, huh? You've been acting weird since this morning. Is this about the size of the school?"

"......"

Han Cho-yeon's reaction was normal.

Other students on the way to school were laughing and chatting without any awkwardness, so maybe Edna was just overthinking it.

"Am I too sensitive these days...? The stress of being a third-year student is more serious than I thought."

Ding~! Ding!

Just as the traditional 20th-century school bell rang, Edna barely made it in time for the first period class.

Even though it was called the first period, it was just a time for previewing English listening tests, so most students were lying down and sleeping.

The teacher didn’t bother them either.

Whether it was third-year students or others, only those who study did.

*‘… Something's strange. There are no other students studying properly besides me.’*

*‘Well, strictly speaking, there are... at most five.’*

*‘With nearly forty students in one classroom, are there only five people studying?’*

*‘Is this normal?’*

*‘Weren't we all supposed to study like crazy for our lives?’*

*‘It seemed like that was the case until yesterday…’*

*‘No. Is that too much of a 'fantasy'...?’*

*‘Is this really 'reality'?’*

Ding! Dong!

The bell rang, and the first period began.

Edna was in the science track and took a biology class.

Because she was short, she always insisted on sitting in the front row, as she couldn't see the blackboard well if a male student sat in front of her.

"Turn to page 39."

Without any greetings or jokes, the biology teacher went straight into the lesson with a sleepy voice.

As she was about to take out her book from her bag, she looked at her name tag and widened her eyes.

[Ilwol High School, Class 3-7, Edna]

"Huh? Is that the right school name?"

"About the origin of life..."

However, because the teacher immediately started the lesson, there was no time to think deeply about it.

The class progressed quickly, but as expected, there were hardly any students who listened properly.

Some were already sprawled out at the back, fast asleep.

"I've decided not to care about these things anymore. They have their lives, and I have mine."

"Ugh. Look at that guy, so unlucky."

"Once again, he's pretending to be the model student all by himself."

"What's the point of studying at this stubborn school? I feel like giving him a slap on the back of his head."

Tuck!

A bundle of paper flew and hit her head.

Edna grimaced and looked back.

The school bullies were giggling at the back.

"Hey, look at her face."

"I'm so scared!"

'Those jerks...’

She almost snapped but held back because it was class time.

She needed to pay attention in biology, her weakness.

Ding! Dong!

But she still held back even after the class ended.

She didn't retaliate.

Thud!

Bang!

"Ow! You crazy b*stards!"

"These damn punks. Didn't I tell you not to disturb me during class?"

"Wait, Edna! If you hit someone with a chair, you'll really get into trouble!"

"You're asking me to die?"

"She's nuts!"

Edna didn’t hold back.

Especially not against those who disturb her studies.

"High school bullies? Hey, can you fight well? Are you good at it, you little b*stards?"

"If you dare again..."

*‘I'm too old to be scared of kids' pranks. I regretted being afraid of those little punks when I started working!’*

*‘... Work?’*

*‘Did I work at such a place?’*

*‘Wait.’*

When Edna paused for a moment while swinging the chair, the bullies took advantage of it and rushed out.

Han Cho-Yeon had a worried expression.

Then, out of the blue, she asked, "Are you on your period?"

"No, you crazy jerk."

"Why are you so touchy today?"

"I don't know. I just feel like smashing everything."

"Anyway, what are you going to do? If they call their brothers..."

"Their brothers?"

It dawned on her.

The fact that their school bullies were protected by the gang called 'The Brothers.’

"... Yeah?"

Suddenly, she had a gut feeling that things were about to go south, but there was still plenty of time left in the day to come up with a plan.

Ding! Dong~!

The school bell rang for dismissal.

… Huh?

Why so suddenly?

Edna hurriedly looked at Han Cho-yeon. She was cheerfully preparing to leave school, even humming a tune.

"Wait... it's already over?"

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"We just had our first period."

"Oh~ Oh, right. Since you fell asleep during the first period and woke up, it's already time to go home! Are you going to Co-no's too?"

"... No."

"Well, anyway. Be careful on your way home. It doesn't seem likely, but those guys looked pissed off earlier."

Han Cho-yeon pointed subtly towards the bullies and then disappeared from the classroom.

"Sigh...”

Now, she didn’t even know what's what anymore.

As she went to grab her bag to head home, she noticed her name tag.

[Ilwol High School Class 3-7 Edna]

"Huh...?"

What's been going on since earlier?

Was the school name always like this?

She hurriedly looked for Han Cho-yeon, but she had already disappeared.

*'Am I really this touchy lately...’*

With her bag in hand, Edna walked towards the school gate.

… She realized her mistake about 5 minutes later.

"Hey, is this her?"

"Yes, it's her."

As expected, the bullies brought their 'brothers'.

They were really serious about their gangster act, even bringing motorcycles to show off their power.

"Hahaha! You call yourself a model student, but you're such a hothead. How did you end up coming out the main gate, when we left the back door open just in case?"

Edna bowed her head and glanced around.

Teachers who met the eyes of the gangsters quickly turned away, and the students didn't even bother looking this way.

She thought about calling the police, but it probably wouldn't mean much.

*'School life has really changed.’*

Called into an alley, Edna lowered her head, realizing she was in trouble.

The exit was already occupied by the gangsters sitting around smoking and spitting on the ground.

*'I should be studying....’*

As she sighed, a fellow female student from the same class tapped Edna on the forehead.

"Hey, sighing? Still not sober?"

Feeling disgusted, Edna looked up, and seeing the bullies backing away slightly, she felt her pride hurt, and instead of retreating, she snapped.

"You're asking for it!"

A clenched fist.

Prominent veins.

That arrogant bully girl was about to hit her.

However, Edna had to restrain herself from retaliating, knowing that asserting her pride here could lead to real trouble with the 'brothers'.

So, just... accepting the hit seemed like the right choice, so Edna tightly shut her eyes.

… But nothing happened.

What's going on?

Glancing with one eye open at the bully, she saw her looking somewhat confusedly down the alley.

".... What's up with that crazy man again?"

"Oh, are they The Brothers gang?"

"No. He’s wearing your school uniform. Do you know her?"

"No. First time seeing him..."

What kind of conversation is this?

Turning her head to look down one side of the alley, she noticed something.

A boy wearing sunglasses walked confidently as if he were some third-rate movie protagonist.

He was approaching her.

He looked about seventeen from his appearance, but judging by the name tag matching hers, he was presumably a high school senior.

The boy's name was...

*'Baek... Yu-Seol...?'*

The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't recall who he was.

"Stop. Who are you?"

The thugs blocked Baek Yu-Seol, hands in their pockets.

He lowered his sunglasses, glanced at the thugs, and chuckled.

Then...

Bam!

Pow!

Whack!

With a single blow, he knocked all three thugs down.

*'What kind of 2000s indie male lead is this....'*

It was undoubtedly a cool scene, but not at all cool.

*'The situation and staging are too contrived!'*

Bam~ It felt like the typical cheesy BGM from a 90s classic movie was playing.

However tacky it might be, Baek Yu-Seol had undoubtedly come to rescue her...

She was grateful.

"Hey! Stop that guy!"

"I'll handle it, boss!"

The third-rate thugs shouted their third-rate lines as they charged at Baek Yu-Seol, but they were no match for him.

Baek Yu-Seol exerted tremendous strength with his small stature, and the thugs were scattered around the alley like modern art decorations.

And finally, Baek Yu-Seol reached Edna.

"This guy..."

As the leader hesitated and stepped back, Baek Yu-Seol approached him almost leisurely.

… Suddenly, he lifted the motorcycle onto his shoulder.

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Huh?"

Logically, was it possible to lift a motorcycle with one hand?

Why did he suddenly do that in the first place?

To hit someone with a motorcycle?

Baek Yu-Seol’s strange antics didn't end there.

Lowering his sunglasses slightly, he showed his signature mischievous gaze and flashed his white teeth.

"Actually, I wanted this."

Then he dashed away from the spot.

"....?"

"... What's up with that guy?"

"I-I don't know, boss..."

In the midst of such a surreal situation which unfolded in the blink of an eye, the thugs sat dumbfounded, unable to do anything.

They stared blankly in the direction where Baek Yu-Seol disappeared.

'This is crazy!'

Seizing the opportunity he provided, Edna quickly grabbed her bag and fled.

[Ilwol High School, Class 3-7, Edna]

Amidst the chaos, why did the bag's name tag catch her eye?

Edna didn't want to think about anything anymore.",