I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy

Chapter 190: Everything Froze (4)

[Entered the dungeon 'Ice Spirit's Canyon'.]

A system message, which was invisible to others, appeared in front of Baek Yu-Seol.

Walking between the ice cliffs, others might not have realized they had entered the dungeon.

"Hmm. The atmosphere has changed."

"The concentration of mana has dropped."

"It seems like something is about to appear..."

But whether it was Baek Yu-Seol’s misconception or not, even without the help of system messages, they quickly showed their veteran skills.

"Oh. This is a bit intriguing."

"Yeah. It's the first time I've descended into the sea."

In fact, as they ventured deeper into the frozen underwater path, the party members could properly observe the reality beneath the frozen sea.

Usually, when you think of glaciers, you might just think the surface of the sea is frozen, but this place was different.

The sea was completely frozen down to the bottom, and there were no fluctuations.

"That's... a Super Shark."

"I heard they went extinct seven hundred years ago, but here they are, frozen."

"Wow. It's like a living museum."

Perhaps because it remained frozen as it was a thousand years ago, occasionally, demons and marine life which couldn’t be seen in the present could be spotted here.

During the time when he played the game, Baek Yu-Seol didn't pay attention to these details at all, so it was quite an amazing sight for him.

"Hmm. Something’s coming ahead."

"Prepare for battle!"

Nonetheless, Baek Yu-Seol was fully aware of the strategy for this dungeon.

He had a record of uploading strategy guides as a series titled ‘★Yu-Seol’s Dungeon Guide #001★’ on community sites, and he received a considerable response.

While he was a gem in character analysis and story, in the field of demons and dungeon strategy, he was undoubtedly an RPG gamer.

Thus, most adventurers who participated in this strategy, expecting to assess his combat abilities, could only be greatly disappointed when Baek Yu-Seol took command from the rear.

——-

"Captain~ The plan has gone awry, hasn't it~?"

Manwol Tower’s Kaen felt the same way; if he couldn't confirm Baek Yu-Seol’s prowess, he wouldn't have volunteered to this type of dungeon raid in the first place.

"Next, we'll enter in this direction, but please be careful not to make any noise with your footsteps."

Still, there was one point to be noted.

Despite being a high school student, his judgment was quite sharp and insightful.

Even though he made quite unusual judgments as if he had already been to this dungeon, he showed a cautious demeanor, which initially seemed immature and recieved backlash from the adventurers.

"What? Why bother crawling in here? It looks dangerous at a glance."

"Look closely at the traces of flowing water and the direction of the footprints. Also, the feeling of mana flowing in is unusual, but according to my analysis, this means..."

"Wow. You're making it sound difficult as if you're from a prestigious academy. So what?"

"If you're not convinced, I'll respect the opinions of veteran adventurers and go this way."

"Yeah. That's how it'll turn out!"

Veteran adventurers had a keen sense.

They hadn't studied dungeons professionally like Baek Yu-Seol, but they had their own survival skills in such battlefields.

So, they couldn't entirely follow the words of the nerdy little kid, and Baek Yu-Seol too was well aware of this fact, so he readily accepted the adventurers' opinions.

The result?

"Insane! Why’s a Crystal Giant Golem popping out here!"

"We have to assume at least a level 7 Danger and deal with it!"

"Insane. Deal with what! Retreat for now! We can't deal with him in this narrow gorge!"

If they didn't follow Baek Yu-Seol’s words, something like this always happened.

Fortunately, Baek Yu-Seol, who anticipated such situations, either secured an escape route in advance or gave timely command, so they could get through the situation without major damage.

After this happened several times, no adventurer dared to ignore his words anymore.

"Phew, seriously. Nothing goes according to plan here..."

"That's right. Who’s that little kid anyway?"

"Every time I ask, he just say, 'I studied mainly from textbooks'..."

Even if they sat in front of their desk and studied theory diligently, it was unlikely they could have such judgment.

Rather, because many panicked commanders relying solely on such knowledge often found themselves in dire situations in real combat, Baek Yu-Seol could truly be considered unique in this regard.

However, for Kaen and Grace, who knew that Baek Yu-Seol was not actually an ordinary student and possessed an unusual analytical ability called 'deep learning', it wasn't that surprising.

Compared to his combat abilities, that level of skill was just a cute gesture.

Baek Yu-Seol took as long a break as possible to preserve the adventurers' stamina.

Even though there was no need for rest, he insisted they take breaks of at least 30 minutes each time, forcing the adventurers to inevitably close their eyes briefly or snack while listening to him.

It was truly strange to see veterans who had spent 10 to 30 years in this field listening attentively to the words of a single student, but once they experienced his remarkable insight, they had no choice but to accept it.

As the dungeon led deeper towards the abyss, even with the absence of the light, it was not dark at all. It was strange.

Mysterious blue light subtly emanated from the frozen sea on both sides, like towering walls.

"There seems to be something in the sea."

It was a remark uttered by an adventurer which cut through the silence.

Everyone agreed, but no one really wanted to speculate on its identity.

It was something capable of emitting such a bright blue light in a sea frozen solid for a thousand years.

Because it was something so strange that it was beyond human comprehension.

Baek Yu-Seol knew its true identity well.

'Entrance to the frozen world...'

His true destination.

A forbidden realm where the spirits and beings of ice dwelled, but no living creature could approach.

*Kiiiiiiiiin!*

"Ugh! My ears are going to fall off."

"It's an Ice Spirit."

"It's been a while since I've seen a spirit..."

"It's strange to find a spirit here. Could there be a spirit totem?"

"Wow. It seems like it's really angry. It appears that we've intruded its territory."

The existence of spirits was still a mystery even in the magical realm.

Where did they normally reside? What did they eat? Did they even sleep? Why did they make contracts with mages sometimes? How were they summoned—nothing had been properly elucidated.

As a result, when such spirits appeared in dungeons and showed hostility out of nowhere, adventurers turned visibly uneasy. However, they tried to lighten the mood with forced jokes.

However, even in such situations, Baek Yu-Seol couldn't bring himself to laugh.

*'Why are there spirits already? Originally, spirits shouldn’t appear in this dungeon. It's usual for unique demons exposed to the power of ice like frozen sea giants or frozen sea creatures to appear frequently, but spirits never showed up.'*

*'... Something has changed.'*

From now on, he couldn't rely on the knowledge he had.

What he thought was safe might actually be dangerous and vice versa.

"Let's take a break."

"Sounds good. This one was a bit tough."

"It's a golem controlled directly by the spirit. Looks like we'll have more trouble when we go back."

"Hey you. People who say things like that always die first, you know?"

"What nonsense! Superstitious."

While adventurers chatted and relaxed, Baek Yu-Seol kept looking somewhere.

*'The boss room.'*

The destination of this dungeon.

The deepest abyss and the place where the vortex's core met.

The moment they entered there...

They would battle against a spirit clad in armor called the 'Guardian of the Ice Canyon', and upon victory, the entrance to the world of ice would open, accompanied by tremendous rewards.

"Is it really okay to go in?”

During the time Baek Yu-Seol played Aether World Online, this dungeon was one that Baek Yu-Seol could clear alone because he knew the strategy well.

But ever since the spirits started intervening directly, the difficulty level skyrocketed.

There were several occasions where adventurers had to rely on split-second judgments because Baek Yu-Seol’s strategies didn't work properly.

Baek Yu-Seol trusted their experience.

However, he couldn't bring himself to risk their lives solely based on others' experiences.

*‘… I guess it won't work.’*

Amidst the abnormally high difficulty of the dungeon, he didn't plan to lead the adventurers to that boss room where success or failure was uncertain.

"Everyone, please pay attention for a moment."

"Hmm?"

"Yeah. The little party leader."

"Go on."

Although their tones sounded playful, now the party members fully respected Baek Yu-Seol’s judgment.

It was truly unfortunate, but their trust in his judgment was solely based on past experiences and sentient specs... He couldn't continue to demonstrate such admirable leadership in the future.

Therefore, Baek Yu-Seol had no choice but to make this decision.

"The party will disband here. I'll go to the boss room alone."

"What?"

"No. Wait..."

"What's this kid saying now?"

"We didn't expect the variable of spirits to occur in the dungeon at all. Spirits... are an area even I find difficult to grasp, so you might be in serious danger if we proceed like this. I promise to share the rewards from clearing the dungeon without missing a single one with all of you. I promise."

Although he said it quite firmly, he didn't fully understand the sentiments of the veteran adventurers.

"Oh my. This kid is quite bold, isn't he?"

"So. Are you disbanding the party because you're worried about us?"

"Are you afraid someone might die?"

"Hahaha!"

However, when the adventurers showed an unexpected reaction, Baek Yu-Seol’s expression became odd instead.

"Hey kid. Being an adventurer is originally about making a living risking death. We all acknowledge that your head is quite sharp, smarter than us, and you seem to have studied a lot."

"But... Don’t think you've understood the world just because you have knowledge. This is a different issue."

"From the moment we embark on adventures every day, we put our lives on the line. Countless comrades have left without a farewell and never returned."

"This dungeon was quite a fascinating experience in its own way. If we return alive as adventurers, it could be quite an interesting anecdote, but to go back from here?"

"Insane! Could there be something even more dreadful?"

"One of the prides of my life will turn into a disgrace in an instant. Even if it means facing death, I must enter that boss room."

"We know you have some other purpose, but still, we can't agree to this."

The adventurers' plea... was something that Baek Yu-Seol still couldn't fully understand as of now.

To him, the fact of simply living in the world was more important than anything else, and risking one's life for something was still too far-fetched.

So he couldn't respect the adventurers’ words.

But if he couldn't respect them even after they spoke up like this, then he would be an emotionless creature.

"... Understood. Let's all go in together."

"Haha! Sounds good!"

"If everyone has rested enough, let's get up now!"

As the adventurers rose from their seats with eager faces, Grace, who had been hiding at the back while observing the conversation, frowned.

"Sniff. I thought we were going back..."

Like adventurers risking their lives for adventure, Grace was also the type to risk her life for hunting dark magic creatures.

However, since this wasn't a dark magic creature hunt, she might be risking her life for nothing in her position.

"Darn it... Can't we just go back?"

"No. We're going in too."

"Sniff..."

Kaen wanted to keep an eye on Baek Yu-Seol’s skills until the end.

If the boss room was dangerous, it might turn out for the better. If variables occurred there, Baek Yu-Seol would have to reveal his true skills.

"Alright. Let's go in then!"

And so, the final gateway of the dungeon, the boss room, opened.

With the adventurers' fervent passion and loyalty, the course of action ahead must have been decided.

A battle with a powerful boss that they never imagined!

Fight to the death!

Amidst it, they showed burning loyalty and solid solidarity!

It was a formidable opponent which appeared impossible to overcome, but finally, victory was achieved, leading to a heartwarming conclusion!!

Everyone was expecting such a story.

Likewise, Baek Yu-Seol, the adventurers, and Kaen as well.

But…

As soon as the dungeon entrance opened, they were met with a massive, blinding snowstorm.

"Ugh! What the heck!"

-Kwooooo...!!!

Something roared.

The adventurers instinctively judged it to be the demon guarding the boss room.

So, it was truly an unusual occurrence.

"The boss... is coming out of the boss room!"

"What, what did you say? Insane!"

The boss never comes out of the boss room.

That's common sense.

However, there were rare occasions when such common sense was broken, and that was the 'Dungeon Break.'

Due to the dungeon being neglected for too long, a dreadful phenomenon might have occurred inside, resulting in the demon coming out.

"... Damn it! We must stop this!"

"Now that it's come to this, there's no turning back!"

The adventurers stepped back and erected a massive barrier against the blizzard, then brandished their staffs.

Thud! Boom!

As a gigantic ice demon, towering over 50 meters, began to step forward, everyone gulped nervously.

They were tense, but the of fleeing never crossed their mind.

"Rather... it's thrilling. Damn it."

"Yeah. This is the situation we've been waiting for!"

"What situation were you expecting? Be rational! We can't properly fight him here because of the blizzard!"

"Retreating is impossible! The gorge behind us is too narrow. We have to face him here while enduring the blizzard no matter what!"

"We're as good as dead!"

Kaen also stepped back slightly like the adventurers and surveyed the surroundings.

Then, by chance... his gaze fell on the boss room.

*'What's that...?'*

Inside the boss room, something strange was there.

The swirling, turbulent motion of space seemed like...

*'A portal?'*

Why would such a thing exist in the boss room?

One thing was certain: the mysterious blizzard was emanating from that portal.

It would be good if they could block the portal, but attempting to approach while enduring this blizzard would be sheer madness.

Perhaps by now, the adventurers had also discovered the portal.

But no one mentioned heading there.

*'We'll die.’*

*‘It's a completely different story from fighting for our lives.’*

*‘The moment we head there, we'll surely die.’*

*‘That's why everyone hesitates.’*

*'... There's no other choice.'*

Here, Kaen decided to take matters into his own hands.

If he could demonstrate his true abilities, dealing with such a blizzard or ice demons would be no problem.

**[Flash]**

But someone else had already dashed out ahead.

"Uh. What’s going on?"

"That crazy kid. What’s he doing!"

It was Baek Yu-Seol.

Without looking back, he ran towards the portal, and although the adventurers tried to stop him belatedly, he was already too far gone to be stopped.

Kaen had a hunch.

That was Baek Yu-Seol’s real purpose.

"Grace, follow him!"

"Huh? Huh? Captain, I can't stand this kind of...aah?!"

He grabbed Grace by the side and used a Hyper Jump to pierce through the blizzard and move forward.

Flash!

Chasing after Baek Yu-Seol’s disappearing figure through the portal, Kaen also threw himself towards that place.

Whoosh...

Immediately after, the blizzard ceased.

Silence descended.

"Un... believable..."

Despite having an ice demon in front of them, the adventurers were too stunned to even open their mouths properly.

"Could it be, he stopped the blizzard...?"

Anyone could have said it, but no one did.

"Was it that kid who jumped in...?"

One adventurer's question reverberated through the canyon gently, but...

There was no response. It just echoed with countless emotions.