I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy

Chapter 191: Everything Froze (5)

Member of the elite 13th ShadowBlade Division under the Manwol Tower, Grace Steele.

Commander Grace Steele.

She even had the qualification to be equal to the 'Magic Circle Council,' the apex of the magical world, but Grace was part of the elite of the world's top magical warrior organization, which operated in the shadows of society.

Grace Steele’s life revolved around interests, and it was planned to continue moving around interests in the future.

She really loved adventures. The reason she followed Director Kaen around was that she found it interesting and fun to have adventures with him, and interesting things kept happening.

However, that didn’t mean she liked everything.

*'I hate this!'*

She was not at all interested in risking her life for adventure.

A chilling cold passed by her cheek, gradually numbing her senses. It was a strange sensation she had never felt before. She hurried to use magic to generate heat, but it was impossible.

She was genuinely bewildered. She couldn’t think about moving when all the mana in the world was frozen.

*'This can't be real...'*

Mana freezing phenomenon.

How could such a thing happen out of the blue?

But there was something even more astonishing.

"Where is this?"

It was a world entirely in blue.

A world filled with blue... with a single white bridge hanging loosely in between.

And the familiar figure walking ahead there was none other than Baek Yu-Seol.

She found herself unconsciously looking up at the sky.

The constellations and galaxies were embedded in the blue sky.

Again, it was not the light blue color of the sky.

It was blue.

The intensely deep blue even made Grace’s fingertips tremble with fear.

The sky, and the ground.

The terrible part was that this was not the end. Even beneath the one thin bridge, the only place to step foot in this world, the sky stretched far.

The sky and the ground.

They were all filled with constellations.

Thunk!

"Ahh..."

Grace, whose legs had given way, sat down on the ground and tried to cover her mouth with her hands, but only then did she realize the alien sensation in her body.

Crunch!

Her hands and feet... were slowly freezing.

"...... Huh?"

With fingers embraced in chilly ice, she couldn’t move. She hastily tried to use magic, but her mana remained frozen, and she couldn't move a muscle.

Just as Grace was about to open her mouth in shock, Kaen grabbed her shoulder.

"Snap out of it, Grace. Are you still an Illusion mage?"

"D-Damn it! My, my hands..."

"Your 'mind' is frozen, so focus. Melt your hands with your heart."

"I-I'll try..."

However, even with her eyes tightly shut and focused, the excruciating and vivid pain of her frozen hands and feet made it impossible for her to calm her mind.

"I-I can't..."

"... I'll help you."

Thunk!

Eventually, as Kaen grabbed Grace’s hand, warmth spread, and the ice slowly melted away.

"Phew... Thank goodness..."

"What's there to be thankful for?"

"I thought my hands and feet were going to freeze and be cut off..."

"That's an unnecessary worry."

"Really?"

"Yes. Because we're already frozen to death."

"Wait what?"

What was he saying?

"Commander? What you just said..."

"I mean it. This space is close to absolute zero. It might be logically impossible, but who knows, the weather might be even colder than that."

"That's... absurd! Then how are we alive?"

"Death itself is frozen."

This made no sense at all.

Unable to understand or accept it, Grace was about to ask more questions, but Kaen grabbed her and led her away, leaving her unable to.

"Don't worry. There must be a way back."

"Well. Since the leader never lies, it must be true, right?"

"Yes."

Director Kaen was like an all-around mage who could handle anything on his own. So, he would figure out a way in this situation too.

"First, let's follow Baek Yu-Seol."

"Hmm..."

The journey seemed endlessly long.

Grace held onto Kaen's right hand with both of hers, and followed him with curiosity while admiring the scenery around her.

A world where even time and space froze. A place where even death itself was frozen.

The constellations filling the sky and earth now appeared to be nothing more than numerous pieces of ice.

Thousands, even tens of thousands of ice fragments came together to form the constellations.

She found herself involuntarily thinking, ‘It's beautiful,’ but quickly shook her head. She didn't want to romanticize a dangerous world that could potentially kill her.

Baek Yu-Seol, who was leading the way ahead, was blocked by a massive aurora wall, preventing them from progressing.

Kaen distanced from Grace and approached it.

"Did you follow me all the way here?"

"Yes."

Looking at the aurora, Baek Yu-Seol turned his head to meet their eyes. He didn’t seem to feel cold at all, and appeared to possess an even stronger mental strength than Grace; an illusion mage.

Though her pride was hurt for a moment, she reluctantly accepted it. She had judged that she had no choice.

She already considered Baek Yu-Seol, who effortlessly ignored illusion magic, to be a step ahead of her.

Kaen watched Baek Yu-Seol from a distance of more than five footsteps, confirming his intention not to interfere. The tense atmosphere enveloped them.

Honestly, she was scared as if her heart would burst, but she forced herself to endure it.

*‘... I just have to do it the way I know. Games and reality are different. What was safely passed in the game could be turned upside down in reality. But, it has to be done. If not, Hong Bi-Yeon’s bad ending will be irreversible forever.’*

Baek Yu-Seol gazed at the massive aurora wall blocking their path ahead. It resembled a boundary dividing the world in half - the final border.

- Do not approach any further.

He ignored the warning and reached out to the aurora stubbornly.

- Stop. I don't want you to come any closer.

"Ugh?!"

At the voice that swept through the world like an echo, Grace sank to the ground. Kaen didn't collapse, but his expression froze in surprise.

"No, I will enter."

- Huh... humans again. You're all tiresome now.

"Your 'again' is excessive. Wasn't the last time humans visited a thousand years ago?"

- Oh? Well, I don't really understand the concept of time, so saying 'a thousand years' doesn't mean much to me. When was that?

"In the era of the Progenitor Mage."

- … Ah? Ah, I see. Well then.

Grace managed to calm her trembling body and looked at the back of Baek Yu-Seol.

*'W-what on earth is that...'*

Just hearing the voice made her feel like her blood was circulating backward.

She couldn't help but feel awe as Baek Yu-Seol stood there calmly, and conversed with it.

[The Blessings of the Yeonhong Chunsamweol]

Of course, Baek Yu-Seol also had one weakness he couldn't endure.

Although he received the protection of another Twelfth God, its power was currently very low.

Thanks to having received the protection of the Florin and holding the sacred item, he could slowly adapt.

- Well... it's been quite a while indeed. So what brings you here? Those who could converse with me without trouble were often called 'heroes' or 'kings' in history. Are you such a being as well?

"I'm a student."

-Hmm. I've never heard about the title of student before, but it must be quite remarkable to stand shoulder to shoulder with kings and emperors.

"It's similar."

-So, what business do you have? If you've come for trivial reasons, go back. I can still melt your frozen souls for now.

Grace urgently shook Kaen's sleeve.

She wanted to say, ‘Did you hear? Let's go back now!’ but her tongue froze, and she couldn't.

- But once you cross that boundary... I can't take responsibility either. You'll forever be trapped in the shackles of death, wandering the outskirts of the underworld.

"It doesn't matter. Please open the way."

- Why?

"I want to make a bet with you."

Then, the voice fell silent.

And after a while...

- Hahaha! A bet, a bet! Excellent!

As per the setting, New Moon Bronze was as addicted to betting as Mayuseong.

Even while playing Aether Online, he easily switched this part of the dialogue from 'Character Baek Yu-Seol' to 'Character Mayuseong'.

The keyword was a bet.

-Haha!

"Ugh...!"

Suddenly, the aurora in front of them lifted, and Grace frowned at the gust of wind carrying white light. And when she slowly opened her eyes again...

"... Is that the moon?"

Alone in a world of pure green, they faced a massive white moon.

Under the vast moonlight covering half the sky, white mountain ranges stretched far. Unbeknownst to Grace and Kaen, they were part of the Bingeok Mountain Range in the northern part of the Aether continent.

And beneath that moonlight, sitting atop the mountain peak, was the blue giant, Twelfth New Moon Bronze.

It was overwhelming.

It was awe-inspiring.

Even raising their heads, they were afraid to meet its gaze.

Grace even shed tears, but they froze in an instant.

"I-I really hate it now..."

She tightly gripped Kaen's sleeve.

Meanwhile, Kaen looked towards the Twelfth New Moon Bronze from a distance.

*'Twelve New Moon Bronze...'*

He had heard many stories in legends, but he hadn't expected to encounter them directly, so Kaen was also quite surprised.

How many times in history had people conversed with the Twelve New Moon Bronze like this?

He could count them on his fingers.

- A very interesting proposal, human!

Twelve New Moon Bronze smiled slyly at Baek Yu-Seol.

- Alright, if we're making a bet, there has to be something at stake. Do you have something in mind?

"Yes. If I win, please release the soul of Black Belize, the Pirate King, who roams the underworld eternally for the crime of stealing your belongings."

- Oh... you knew about that too?

Twelve New Moon Bronze’s expression suggested he knew, but he didn't ask for details.

That was fine with him.

-Still wandering the underworld without disappearing, huh? That arrogant pirate is quite remarkable. It was just an ordinary soul. It should have disappeared long ago...

After a moment of contemplation, he nodded.

- Well, fine. It's about time for his release. Here's my proposal this time.

Twelve New Moon Bronze looked Baek Yu-Seol straight in the eye.

-Your life. If I win... you must pay with your life for daring to set foot on this sacred land.

"Agreed."

Without hesitation, Baek Yu-Seol nodded and stepped into the open boundary of the aurora.

"D-Do, Leader... are we not going?"

"Yes. We're not participants in the bet."

But Twelve New Moon Bronze didn't close the aurora boundary, as if to watch.

Baek Yu-Seol walked confidently towards the Twelve New Moon Bronze.

Compared to the immense presence of the giant, his figure felt infinitely small.

But why was that?

Watching him, Kaen felt Baek Yu-Seol’s shoulders were as broad as the towering mountain.

*'Something strange is happening.'*

The story of Twelve New Moon Bronze’s bets was truly famous.

This being who loved bets had faced countless challenges from heroes but had never been defeated once.

So, Baek Yu-Seol will also lose.

But what does that confident stride signify?

It was as if... he was convinced he would win no matter what.

Despite the risk of losing his life, his fearless demeanor stemmed from that confidence, doesn't it?

Huu. Baek Yu-Seol reached the foot of the mountain range and took a deep breath.

*'Let's not give up.'*

He recalled the one important motto he had written in his own [Strategy Guide].

*'No matter what, don't give up.'*

It might sound easy, but was it really easy not to give up?

But from now on, Baek Yu-Seol had to succeed in the art of not giving up.

The whole world was filled with blank white pages. As dense as snow, as pristine as a blank sheet untouched by a single drop of ink or speck of dust.

As he took his first step towards the mountain range, a single period was completed on this blank sheet.

Baek Yu-Seol walked slowly, each step adding another period, forming a line.

In this mystical world where icicles connected the sky and the earth, and even the clouds and waterfalls were frozen, Baek Yu-Seol’s presence felt infinitely alien and eerie.

And there, New Moon Bronze personally welcomed him.

With each breath, a blizzard arose, and with each blink of an eye, the world seemed to fold and unfold.

Yet he still smiled.

Like someone excited and anticipating what lay ahead.

"Alright! Let's begin right away."

And so... the wager, which seemed impossible to win, began.

The venue for the challenge was one of the towering peaks within the Bingeok mountain range.

Like a sharply carved knife, this peak had two ascending paths, akin to slides, and at the bottom lay a massive, circular ice slab.

The method to determine the winner was simple.

Each would roll their ice sphere and the first one to cross the 'finish line' at the summit would win.

This wager was also quite famous...

Kaen had encountered its contents quite a lot in fairy tales since he was young.

*'I never thought I'd see this in person...'*

No one could have imagined experiencing legends firsthand.

Grace also realized that the current situation wasn't too dire and stopped complaining. She just held onto Kaen's sleeve tightly.

Rumble...

A hexagonal ice snowflake fell gently from the sky. As it touched the ground, merging with the vast expanse of the mountain range, the wager began.

"What...?"

Grace doubted her own eyes.

"W-What... challenging the Twelfth New Moon Bronze with that skill...?"

... It was unbelievable.

Was it impressive?

Absolutely not.

It was simply... so inadequate compared to Twelfth New Moon Bronze’s abilities that it was beyond comparison.

She, too, knew countless legends.

Who were the people who had challenged Twelfth New Moon Bronze until now?

Heroes who had dominated the century; pirate kings who ruled all the seas; conquerors who unified continents; swordsmen who pacified the world with a single blade, and even grand mages who ascended.

Countless legends had challenged Twelfth New Moon Bronze and failed.

But at least they... wouldn't have shown such a glaring gap in skill.

Baek Yu-Seol was slow.

Compared to Twelfth New Moon Bronze, who rolled the ice spheres at a breakneck speed, the boy with black hair was barely moving an inch at a time.

Even that seemed like a struggle as if he were exerting all his strength.

"Ridiculous..."

He came all the way here to propose such an absurd wager? If that was all the skill he has, there was no hope.

Baek Yu-Seol would just lose his life like this.

"Leader. It's time to go... huh?"

But Leader Kaen was watching Baek Yu-Seol with an oddly serious expression.

… Why?

Was the time wasted coming here, and was there anything to see anyway?

While Twelfth New Moon Bronze was impressive, wouldn't it be better to leave rather than linger here longer?

However...

About an hour later, Grace also sensed something strange. Twelfth New Moon Bronze had reached the top in just 30 minutes, and the outcome was already clear.

"Why not give up anyway?"

He had already lost.

Yet, Baek Yu-Seol continued to ascend the sharp cliff peaks at his slow, turtle-like pace. Sometimes, he slipped and stumbled over ice boulders much larger than himself, but he persevered, slowly but steadily moving forward.

"No. Does he even know he's lost...?"

A day passed, then two.

Finally, after a week had passed without giving up, Grace realized...

"Even knowing he's lost, he won't give up to see the end of the match..."

She raised her head.

There, Twelfth New Moon Bronze was still, and did not move an inch. He just watched the boy.

"He must be mad. It's impossible. With such a weak body, there's no way he could reach the top..."

Even just traversing the giant ice boulder with a human body was a miracle, let alone the premise of reaching the summit of the slippery and sharp ice peaks.

It was not worth watching.

He would fail.

So she could just turn around quickly.

Even as that thought strongly entered her mind, her legs were firmly rooted in place as if she couldn't leave this spot.

As two weeks passed, snow spirits gathered to watch the reckless human boy.

As a month passed, glacier spirits gathered, and after two months, it felt like twinkling stars were watching over this place from the sky.

Throughout, Grace didn't feel hungry or sleepy.

Even time... had frozen.

All the spirits watched over the reckless human spirit.

They neither cheered nor encouraged.

The boy didn't stop.

He climbed as if he would climb forever.

Suddenly, a downpour came, thunder roared, lightning struck, blizzards raged, avalanches occurred.

But Baek Yu-Seol didn't stop.

He appeared almost dead.

The fact that he was still alive was amazing.

But he kept climbing.

Finally, after ten months passed, when Baek Yu-Seol finally reached the summit and stepped on the ‘finish line,’ Twelfth New Moon Bronze smiled.

"Impressive, human."

"Hu... Huff..."

Even in the midst of excruciating pain, Baek Yu-Seol staggered to his feet and faced the Twelfth New Moon Bronze.

Then, he joked with a smile, "Oh darn... Cough! If only... I came five minutes... earlier... I would have won...!"

"Hahaha!"

The laughter of Twelfth New Moon Bronze echoed through the heavens and earth.

It was laughter born of genuine joy.

"What are you talking about, human?"

Twelfth New Moon Bronze pointed to his ice sphere with his finger and said calmly.

"It's your victory."

Only then could Grace and Kaen see it.

The ice sphere of Twelfth New Moon Bronze was still not through the 'finish line'.

"What, what..."

She exclaimed in astonishment without realizing it.

Indeed.

From the outset, this match didn't make sense.

Twelfth New Moon Bronze was the master of ice.

Rolling ice on the cliff... was something that could easily be done without even lifting a finger.

Yet why did he bother to compete with historical heroes as a 'wager'?

Was it really to defeat them?

Did he hope they would beat him?

No, that wasn't it.

He just... couldn't find anyone in this world who could wager with him.

Regardless of victory, he simply wished for someone who wouldn't give up and would wager with him.

Twelfth New Moon Bronze approached his ice, pushed it through the finish line with his fingertip.

"What a shame. If I had just five more minutes, I would have won."

He said so.",