I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy

After clearing the path so that he could easily enter the resting place of the spirit in the future, Baek Yu-Seol went out and headed to the academy.

Although Instructor Lee Hanwol gave him a suspicious look, he couldn't help it.

"I should take Eisel to some authentic restaurants soon to clear suspicion..."

“I’ll have to go back.”

With that decision in mind, he rushed back to the World Tree, and diligently trained for several weeks.

[The level of the attribute 'Mana Accumulation Retardation’ has risen!]

Finally, he was able to see the proper results.

[Mana Accumulation Retardation Lv.3]

[Strength increased by 08%]

[Agility increased by 12%]

[Senses enhanced by 20%]

[Intuition: Activated by consuming the user's 'mental strength,' it moderately detects mana phenomena within a radius of 24m and cognitive acceleration is activated. Automatically triggered when the user is deemed in danger.]

[Blood Mana Circulation Rate: 2%]

He hurriedly checked it out, and the effects were indeed amazing.

The enhancement was immense. Aside from other effects, Baek Yu-Seol was particularly pleased with the slight increase in the circulation rate.

[Baek Yu-Seol]

[Stats]

[Strength: 2 stars (49%)]

[Sense: 2 stars (34%)]

[Agility: 2 stars (33%)]

[Stamina: 2 stars (07%)]

[Ability: 0 stars (97%)]

[Personality: 1 star (59%)]

[Mana: ~]

Baek Yu-Seol’s ability stats also rose rapidly, nearly reaching the midpoint of 2 stars.

However, it was far from being an impressive level.

On average, first-year Stella students had physical strength and agility of around 1 star or higher, and mental strength, senses, and mana stats touched around 3 stars or higher.

Even the main characters would have several 4-star or higher stats.

On the other hand, Baek Yu-Seol’s abilities were terribly low, and he still had a long way to go.

While other students prioritized mana as their crucial ability, for him, strength held the utmost importance.

Yet, he hadn’t even reached halfway till 2 stars in that regard.

He needed to push himself further and strive relentlessly, sacrifice both flesh and bone, and shed blood in his pursuit of improvement.

Conquering the pressure of the spirit, he drew out Argento Sword and took a deep breath, unleashing the full force of his blade.

Ziiiiing!!

Although its length hadn’t increased, the density of the beam had intensified, making it slightly but noticeably more robust and unyielding.

"Huff...!"

The pressure within this space remained challenging to withstand, but thanks to his heightened control over mana leakage, he had now become capable of wielding the sword with confidence.

Up, down, left, right - he maneuvered his sword without any foundational style or technique.

It was not a joke.

The whole concept of "swordsmanship" was built on the assumption of clashing blades, so there was no meaning for him to learn it.

He would hardly ever engage in sword fights like other swordsmen. What he truly needed to learn was how to confront magic attacks with the weapon called as sword.

Unfortunately, there was no master who could teach him such swordsmanship in that world.

While most characters would meet a master and learn something enlightening later on, he had to train on his own.

It was a daunting task.

He still didn’t know what suited the advantage of Flash the best. In the game, he could simply teleport and thrust or slash his sword, but reality was different.

He remembered the time when he faced a necromancer before. When his attack missed and he accidentally stabbed the non-vital spot, the necromancer counterattacked, leaving him with a significant wound.

At that moment, he thought...

"Anyway, there's only one thing I need to master."

Simple thrusting and slashing that precisely pierce the enemy's vital spots.

At that time, he would constantly swing the sword to handle it faster and more accurately.

When he swung the sword under this pressure, the effect would surely be better. It was like wearing weighted clothes and training, similar in principle to what you see in movies or comics.

Since Baek Yu-Seol didn’t know the proper training techniques, he just imitated what he had seen on TV.

And then, suddenly, it felt like a hole was punctured in his lungs.

"Cough... Gulp!"

As mana explosively surged from his heart, a strange message appeared:

[Obtained a portion of a special mana breathing technique.]

[Acquired skill: "Breath of the Spirits."]

The world turned yellow and began spinning around.

Feeling heavy, it became difficult to maintain his balance. Sensations all over his body became overly heightened, leading to a rising sensation of nausea, and even his ears felt clogged.

The world started to feel distant.

"Ugh...!"

Baek Yu-Seol’s legs kept losing strength. If he were to fall like this, he might not be able to withstand the pressure and suffocate.

Therefore, he made an effort to safely sit on the ground, grasping onto anything.

Suddenly, a voice echoed. "Hey, what are you doing right now? Can't you hear my voice? Do you hear it? You're ignoring it? I wish you would."

"Ah! What the...? You scared me!"

Once again, the world returned to normal. Nausea disappeared in an instant, and his breathing, which had become difficult due to being dazed for a long time, returned to normal.

"Gasp, pant..."

A distant voice whispered in my ear.

That was undoubtedly the unmistakable voice of a ghost.

It was the voice he constantly heard from the horror drama he watched when he was young (Legend of the Hometown).

"Uh? Did you hear my voice just now?"

"Ugh!"

Moreover, it had the exact same repertoire as the drama!

He quickly looked around, but there was nothing there.

"Right? You heard it, right?”

'Who are you... Where are you?’

"I'm here, here. Look this way."

Slowly turning his head to the source of the voice, there was indeed someone there.

A spirit.

"...Huh?"

‘No, wait.’

‘Really?’

‘Did the spirit Leafbane really speak to me?’

"What... A corpse is speaking."

"I'm not dead! You wretched human!"

"What the heck. How are you able to speak?"

"I've been talking all along. You must be deaf."

"No... Then why couldn't I hear it before and suddenly hear it now?"

"That's because... You're becoming more like me. Maybe that's why."

"What?"

"Just now, you exhaled in the exact same way as me. That's impossible for humans. It's a breath only spirits can do."

Now that he thought about it... a message did appear.

[Breath of the Spirit Lv.1]

[Description: Through the breath of the spirits, one can harmonize with nature. However, the exchange rate of mana in the bloodstream amplifies tremendously, leading to the occurrence of "Divine Erosion."]

[Effects]

[1: Strength enhancement by 107%]

[2: Agility enhancement by 125%]

[3: Sensory enhancement by 147%]

[4: Endurance enhancement by 101%]

[Maximum duration: 15 seconds]

[Divine erosion rate: 1%]

"What is this...?"

He gained an incredible skill.

Although the duration was short, it was an immense skill that instantly elevated his divine abilities to the level of a 4-star rating from a 3-star.

However, the penalty was too severe.

It was called Divine Erosion.

It was closely related to losing his human body.

The spirits could maintain their form with their own magical power. But for him, leaking mana and losing his physical body... signified death.

It was great, but the more he used it, the shorter his lifespan would become due to this skill.

“It’s fascinating. This is the second time a human had exhaled the breath of the spirits. You, too, have such a faint presence.”

“There seems to be no mana within you, as if you don't exist in this world.”

"What does that mean...?"

“It would be best not to stay here for too long. You are currently harmonizing with me. If you continue like this, we might eventually become one. I dislike that. You will dislike it too.”

"... I had a rough idea, though."

There was not a trace of mana within his body.

Which meant that his existence itself was faint in a world where everything was made of mana. That was why his lifespan was short.

All objects and life forms must possess mana. Therefore, even if other mana from the surroundings surges in, one can maintain a sense of presence with their own mana as their identity.

But, he didn’t have that ability. When the mana of the meadow rushes into him, he becomes the meadow. When the mana of the sea rushes into him, he becomes the sea.

It was a condition in which he would be swept away by the environment, known as mana leakage.

He was aware of it, but experiencing it firsthand felt quite strange.

"... Anyway, it's true that I gained a good skill that can be used in emergencies. Let's think of it positively.”

“It's what they call a decisive blow.”

He met with the spirit, Leafannel. She was still in a state where she couldn't open her eyes or move, but somehow, he felt like she was looking at him.

"So, why did you suddenly start talking?"

"Well, I have about 1,269 things I want to say, but where should I start?"

"Start with what you need to say to me."

"Well, that's a shame. Then, here's the first question! Why do you wriggle on the floor like that?"

‘What?’

"Exercise."

"Exercise?"

"I can't use magic. I have Mana Accumulation Retardation. So, I practice swordsmanship."

"But why do you do it so messily?"

"... And what do you know?"

"I know everything! I've seen someone just like you before. That person was skilled with a sword. They could cut through magic and spirits alike."

"W-What...?"

What? He’d never heard such a story. Even in the game, there was no mention of a 'swordsman.' If they were skilled enough to cut through magic, they must have been quite powerful.

Was it possible for such a person to exist?