I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy

Unlike the Combat Magic Academic Conference, the Alchemy and Magic Engineering Conference was slightly smaller in scale.

It was quite ironic to think that most of the scientific technologies that have advanced this world were alchemy and magic engineering, yet the conference on combat magic received the most attention.

But, considering that this world had always been in confrontation with the forces of evil, known as the Dark Mages, it was inevitable.

Furthermore, combat magic was much more difficult and challenging compared to alchemy or magic engineering.

To simplify the complexity of magic, it could be compared to a combination of Chinese characters and mathematics. Adding mathematics to already complex Chinese characters was a horrific task beyond imagination.

For example, there was a magic spell that required interpreting and drawing the formula (4+5×7). The mage must inscribe the magical word (四加五倍七) onto the array of mana, then integrate and connect it with mana lines by inscribing attributes in the correct order of interpretation equations. This completed a kind of equation.

Moreover, that was not all.

Depending on the amount of mana injected, the power had to be adjusted and calculations of trajectory, coordinates, range, and so on had to be made on the spot in order to manifest it.

What are you talking about?

To put it simply and quickly, magic sucked.

It was really fucked up.

It was not easy to just do that, let alone doing it in the midst of a battle.

Not just anyone could be a mage. Anyway, for these reasons, the academic conference on magic combat was highly popular among students, while alchemy or magic engineering had a significantly lower participation rate among students.

Baek Yu-Seol, too, didn’t really want to go to academic conferences and such, but he was attending that time.

He had been diligently looking after Alterisha until now, so wouldn't it be necessary to see the results with his own eyes?

"We're almost there."

"Yeah, that's right. Phew, I'm nervous."

The venue for the academic conference changed every year.

Last year, it was held at the newly established alchemy lab in the Alchemy City, and the year before that, it took place at the Dwarf's Mithril Research Institute.

This year, it was being held at the prestigious alchemy academy, "Golden Light Academy," located in the Dwarf Kingdom.

As the originators of metal magic were the dwarves, it was expected that this year's conference would be different from usual, so he understood why Alterisha was so nervous.

"This station is the entrance to Golden Light Academy, Golden Light Academy Entrance Station. The doors will open on the right side."

As the train entered through the center of a towering volcano, a massive cave-like space appeared.

It was the capital of the Dwarf Kingdom, the "Black Iron City," known for its abundant gold mines.

It was vast, high, and desolate.

The towering ceiling was so high that it didn't seem like a cave, and one couldn’t see the end of it. Only faint, twinkling lights like starlight pierced through the dim mist.

The buildings reached high into the sky, appearing reminiscent of a cyberpunk cityscape.

Despite the dark and oppressive atmosphere, the dwarves living there seemed lively and energetic.

Countless steel tracks extended through the air, and numerous trains were shuttling back and forth, giving it the nickname "City of Spiders."

"Wow..."

It was a city that began with the ancient civilization in the "Golden July" of the twelfth lunar month and reached the pinnacle of a mechanical culture in the modern era.

Despite having the fewest number of magic warriors, it seemed to explain why the invasion of the dark forces was not successful in the world.

Somehow, Baek Yu-Seol’s heart raced with excitement.

The Dwarf King resided in the tall fortress located right in the heart of the city's abundant gold mines.

The unwavering strength possessed by the dwarves with bodies as unyielding as steel, was a blessing that he, a body practitioner, had to acquire.

"Not yet. I have to wait for the right time."

Anyway, if he just waited patiently, the event where he encountered a special dwarf would automatically occur.

There was no need to be impatient.

Ding!

As the train doors opened, Alterisha carefully stepped out.

Despite being called the "Golden Light Academy Entrance Station," it still took another 10 minutes of walking to reach the actual Golden Light Academy.

And when they arrived at the Golden Light Academy, both Alterisha and Baek Yu-Seol were taken aback.

At the main entrance of the academy, there were marble stairs covered with a red carpet, and in front of it were numerous luxury foreign carriages.

How could they not be overwhelmed as researchers and professors, who were dressed in splendid suits, ascended the stairs while cameras flashed?

Perhaps Professor Maizen Tyren also climbed those steps.

"Um... Yu, Yu-Seol..."

Alterisha looked at him, seeking help.

Fortunately, there was a solution. Perhaps it was to accommodate the humble alchemist burdened by the grand staircase meant for the upper class, there was another small back door available.

"Let's go through the back door..."

"Yeah, that's a good idea."

   

When it came to the fantasy genre, it was inevitable to mention elves and dwarves.

Dwarves couldn’t be excluded from this world. The dwarves in this world had some differences from the conventional ones: they were not just a brute race wielding hammers and axes, but rather there were many alchemists wearing specs and pursuing the essence of metal science.

And their sense of aesthetics was quite unique.

"What the heck! Ugly humans are here again!"

The stout, brown-skinned dwarves, who were as tall as a person's waist, always called humans "ugly."

Half of the alchemists gathered in the auditorium were dwarves, who generally disliked going to other cities.

However, since the symposium was held in their homeland, they seemed to participate eagerly.

"Master Beaurock Stoneforge! Calling someone ugly is not polite in human society! Please use a different language!"

"Oh, is that so? Humans are peculiar."

In dwarf society, calling someone "ugly" was, in a sense, the highest form of praise.

Beaurock Stoneforge, as he was called, tried to get along with humans, but it seemed difficult due to the cultural differences between the two races.

"Well, humans are difficult, indeed."

He nodded deeply as if deeply enlightened by the assistant’s words and spoke to another human who was nearby.

"You, your features are quite extraordinary."

… He seemed to have put effort into 'flattery'.

"I'm honored that you appreciate my features!"

"Hmm! You are humble and accept your ugliness. That’s impressive! Nowadays, humans complain a lot about their appearances no matter if they look good or bad!"

"Master Beaurock Stoneforge, that's discriminatory speech!"

"So what!"

Despite Beaurock Stoneforge obviously looking down on people, there was a reason why people accepted it and nodded their heads.

He was the only top-tier alchemist who had achieved the rank of 'Golden Alchemist' in that place.

In the past, the gold rank, which was a dream of all alchemists, was the highest in the industry.

Even after that, Beaurock Stoneforge went around encountering human alchemists and openly commenting, "Your face looks like a rock!" or "Your face looks sick!"

Most alchemists, including dwarves and humans, would bow their heads and express gratitude.

He had circled the hall, and as he passed by Baek Yu-Seol, he asked, "Is this human a man or a woman?"