Monday morning arrived.
Hong Bi-Yeon, who had been busy attending the ball and networking tirelessly from weekdays through the weekend, had returned. Judging by her calm expression, she seemed to have achieved her objectives. Even Eisel, who had also been there, returned to class as usual, looking unperturbed.
But Baek Yu-Seol was not in class.
— Honorary Mage Baek Yu-Seol? I heard you wrote a paper on the theory behind cast-less magic spells, but Professor Bray Bun has published a rebuttal…
He was in Utina, the magical city of the Skalven Empire.
Baek Yu-Seol was attending the 17th Utina Conference, held at the Utina Academy. Once again, as criticisms came his way, he ran a hand over his forehead.
'Sigh. What a tragic life I lead.'
Maybe he should have just attended class instead.
In prestigious schools like Stella, students were often so talented that when it was deemed more beneficial for them to gain practical experience rather than attend classes, they were allowed to leave on legitimate school-sanctioned absences.
In Baek Yu-Seol's case, he wasn't just practicing; he was actively working as a mage. The school not only approved but even provided him with ample funding for his activities. After all, it brought prestige to Stella.
This particular assignment had also come at Stella's request. The annual Utina Conference in Skalven was renowned for its high-level magical discussions and was considered a must-attend for any mage who wanted to experience the pinnacle of magical academia at least once.
"… Thus, Mage Baek Yu-Seol, your theory is just that… a theory. There's no evidence that cast-less magic is superior to traditional magic with spells."
Baek Yu-Seol had always wanted to attend such a gathering. If only he had known they'd tear into his paper so harshly, he might not have come with such high hopes.
'Here we go again.'
It was nothing new.
In the world of magic, talent played a significant role. Yet, high-ranking mages rarely admitted this. They firmly believed their achievements were the result of hard work, much more so than others.
Now imagine: a teenage boy being granted the title of Honorary Mage by the Mage Association and esteemed academic circles.
That was something they couldn't accept.
Baek Yu-Seol's skills, his very existence as a mage… it was something they refused to acknowledge.
They couldn't outright deny the Association's decision, but…
What if they didn't have to? What if they could crush Baek Yu-Seol purely with their own magical prowess?
Many mages had tried to drag him down this way.
Of course, that didn't mean they succeeded.
"That's not true. I do have evidence."
"…What?"
"It's truly a bother to have to explain aloud what I've already detailed in my paper. Professor Bray Bun, it seems your famed reputation doesn't quite match your reading comprehension skills."
"How dare you utter such insolent nonsense…!"
"I'll take my time and explain it slowly, in a pretty and easy-to-understand manner. So, open your ears wide and stay seated right there."
And then, the same scenario would play out as always.
Baek Yu-Seol would dismantle the baseless criticisms of the old-fashioned mages, bringing up their previous papers and presenting better results.
Once he completely crushed their arguments, most mages wouldn't dare lift their heads again. After all, being utterly refuted by a mere teenage Honorary Mage, even having their own representative research discredited, was far too humiliating for them to face the public.
Baek Yu-Seol didn't necessarily enjoy being so harsh, but it was the only way. Unless he decisively shut them down, they would just keep coming back with more baseless arguments.
Whether it actually works or not…
Even if he fought off attacks in one place, the news didn't seem to travel far enough to prevent similar situations elsewhere.
As the same incidents kept repeating, Baek Yu-Seol realized it might be time to change his approach.
'I need to overturn the situation in a more impactful way.'
While it was refreshing to dismantle their papers and prove his superiority, doing it five or six times in a row wasn't making waves anymore.
'Maybe I should just punch someone in the face?'
That would definitely stir up a big controversy.
If rumors spread that anyone who refuted Baek Yu-Seol's research got a serious beating, people might be too scared to challenge him.
'...And then I'd probably get arrested.'
No, that wouldn't do. There was no perfect solution.
"Do you understand, Professor Bray Loaf? I worry you might still be struggling to grasp it."
"You… you…!"
Having his prized paper thoroughly dismantled, Professor Bray Bun clenched his fists on the desk, his entire body trembling with anger.
Some mages in the room openly laughed at him. Judging by their reactions, it seemed the professor wasn't well-liked even under normal circumstances.
At this point, Bray Bun had two options: swallow his pride and admit defeat, or shout and make a scene.
In extreme cases…
"How dare you insult the magic of my family... This place's standards are questionable. I'll be taking my leave!"
Some, like Professor Bray Bun, choose to save face by running away. Being someone with an extremely high sense of pride, he couldn't bring himself to admit that his paper had been refuted.
As the professor stomped toward the exit with his heavy steps, those in the room exchanged awkward glances, looking to the dean for guidance.
— Sigh. Let him go.
The Principal shook his head with a resigned sigh and gestured for the door to be opened.
The staff, wary of any backlash from Bray Bun, hurriedly opened the door.
At that moment—
'Wait.'
Baek Yu-Seol's instincts screamed at him, sending a shiver down his spine. Danger was imminent.
Reacting instantly, he grabbed the assistants near him and threw them to the ground.
BOOOOM!
The door exploded, and the entire hall was engulfed in a brilliant flash of light.
'Damn it! What now?'
As the explosion's roar subsided, Baek Yu-Seol quickly raised his head. The thick smoke couldn't obscure his sharp vision.
The mana-control field embedded within the academy activated immediately, deploying shields that dampened the explosion's force. However, most of the mages, untrained in combat, had fainted.
Mages were primarily scholars, not fighters. Having battle-ready mage warriors in such a setting would have been unusual in the first place.
'...An attack? How many people here can actually fight?'
It was likely that the external guards had already been wiped out. Inside the academy, there were fewer than ten mages trained in combat techniques.
Even among them, many likely had certifications they hadn't actively used in years, rendering them ineffective in actual combat.
Shake.
Baek Yu-Seol crouched beside an unconscious female assistant and shook her shoulder to wake her.
"Hey, wake up."
"Huh? What… what's happening?"
"Shh. Stay quiet. Wake the others nearby and get them out of here. Something has infiltrated the academy. Can you do that?"
The assistant nodded vigorously, trembling. She crawled awkwardly to the nearby unconscious individuals and began shaking them awake.
Baek Yu-Seol pulled out his Teripon Sword, stepped onto the desk on the platform, and climbed up. It was to secure a better view of the situation.
"Seriously, what is it with the Skalven Empire and all these grudges? Who's there? You three skulking around in the smoke… I can see you anyway, so come on out."
At his words, three figures emerged from the dark, murky smoke where they had been lingering.
Only then did Baek Yu-Seol realize he had underestimated the situation.
"…Dark Mages, huh?"
"Heh, that's right. You recognized us right away."
"As expected of the great and illustrious Baek Yu-Seol."
Though they still retained human disguises, the ominous energy radiating from them was unmistakably dark magic.
Realizing there was no longer a need to hide, their appearances began to twist grotesquely as they transformed into their true forms as Dark Mages.
'...So, you're saying this situation is because of me?'
Baek Yu-Seol frowned, and one of the Dark Mages let out a dry chuckle.
"You've been living quite a luxurious life, haven't you? And what's this? Waving around a piece of paper like it'll somehow let a mere human defeat Dark Mages?"
Rip! One of the Dark Mages extended a long, clawed hand and tore the paper - his research paper - to shreds.
It was only a copy, so it didn't matter, but it was an insult to mages. Watching from the floor, the fallen mages gritted their teeth in anger.
Baek Yu-Seol narrowed his eyes, assessing the enemies.
'…All three are risk level 7.'
At that level, they would be considered powerful enough to lead in most places.
Of course, it wasn't impossible for Baek Yu-Seol to handle them. He could win.
But there was a major issue.
'There are too many hostages.'
He had to fight while protecting everyone else, whereas the Dark Mages wouldn't hesitate to destroy everything around them. In fact, they thrived on chaos, so they would fight even more destructively.
Even if they didn't deliberately take hostages, everything and everyone in the vicinity effectively became one.
As much as he wanted to curse the Skalven Utina Academy for setting up this disaster, he resented the Dark Mages far more.
'I need to protect everyone while fighting. But how?'
'...This is going to be tough for me.'
If there were even one mage capable of deploying a shield, things might have been easier. But Baek Yu-Seol's skill set revolved solely around close combat techniques for cutting down enemies.
As Baek Yu-Seol stared blankly at the Dark Mages, they misinterpreted his expression and began to snicker among themselves.
"What's wrong? Why don't you act all cocky like you usually do?"
"You didn't expect there to be three of us, did you?"
"You fool. We already know you've gotten weaker."
"...Weaker?"
"That's right! The information came straight from Dark Knight, so it's undoubtedly true. That's why valuable assets like us were dispatched here personally."
The statement was absurd, but Baek Yu-Seol's mind was already racing.
'I've gotten weaker...?'
Of course, he hadn't.
There was no reason for such a rumor to start, nor had there been any incidents to suggest it. So why was such a rumor circulating? And why only among the Dark Mages?
'Dark Knight,' was it?
The name was familiar.
It referred to an individual who was practically the right hand of the Dark Mage King, someone who commanded the Dark Mages and orchestrated their infiltration into the human realm.
The Dark Mages had factions of their own.
The society of Dark Mages could be thought of as a single nation divided into several political factions: conservatives, progressives, and moderates.
One might wonder what kind of politics could exist among beings like Dark Mages, who ruled everything through strength. And it's true… they didn't engage in traditional politics.
However, their ideologies differed.
Some Dark Mages aimed to actively destroy the human realm.
Others acknowledged humanity's power and seeked to hone their own strength in preparation.
Then there are those who acknowledged human strength but preferred to infiltrate human society through cunning strategy.
These differences had split the Dark Mages into three factions.
Dark Mages with intelligence were supposed to respect those higher in rank than themselves. But if they were carelessly throwing around the Dark Knight's name… They must belong to a different faction.
Most likely, these Dark Mages were affiliated with Moon Shadow Church, the 'Dark Mage Cult.' They were a faction that stood opposed to the Dark Mage King.
"If we kill you... we can officially begin our operations."
"Do you even realize how frustrating it's been for us up until now?"
"We can't hold back any longer."
In short, the Dark Mages in front of him had been deceived by false information into attacking Baek Yu-Seol.
"So, both you and I are just being used. I really don't like this kind of thing."
The fact that he had to engage in an unnecessary fight due to the Dark Knight's schemes was extremely unpleasant.
There was no way to avoid the fight.
The Dark Knight likely knew that Baek Yu-Seol would kill all three Dark Mages.
If the outcome was already set in stone…
'...Then I'll turn the outcome into part of the process.'
If he could ensure that the battle between him and the Dark Mages became part of a larger process rather than just the final result, it wouldn't be a waste of time.
A sly grin spread across his face as he rested the Teripon Sword on his shoulder.
"Oh, right. That's how it was."
"What's with that reaction?"
"Well, the truth is, that 'weakened' information was something I leaked. You see, I love hunting Dark Mages. But I've been killing so many of them lately that they've started hiding. So I asked for a little help in spreading that rumor."
"What... Are you saying it was false information?"
"Yeah."
Baek Yu-Seol pointed at himself. "And the one I asked to spread it was Dark Knight."
"…What?"
Hearing Dark Knight's name from Baek Yu-Seol's mouth, the Dark Mages visibly stiffened.
"Oh, wait, I wasn't supposed to say that… Well, it doesn't matter. You're all going to die anyway."
"Hold on! There's no way the Dark Knight would take a request from you!"
"Huh? And how would you know that?"
"Because… we're Dark Mages…"
Dark Mages assumed that humans believed all Dark Mages were united. It was a convenient narrative to exploit, but it didn't work on Baek Yu-Seol.
"Is that so? From what I know, Dark Knight's Dark Mages aren't anything like you guys."
"…You know that much?"
"Of course. Dark Knight… after decades of failing to destroy the human realm, seems to have grown disillusioned with the whole idea. Recently, they've even shown signs of collaborating with humans. For me, that's great news. Thanks to that, I can lure out and eliminate radical Dark Mages like you separately."
The dialogue was sufficient.
Baek Yu-Seol had no intention of killing all the Dark Mages.
'I'll kill two of them and leave one alive.'
The Dark Mages twisted their faces in anger and shouted, "Do you expect us to believe that nonsense?!"
"Well, if you still can't believe it after all I've said, there's nothing I can do. Maybe I should show you myself… whether I'm really as weak as you think."
"You…"
With that, Baek Yu-Seol launched into action.
[Harmony of Heavenly Qi activated.]
[Tae-Ryeong's Internal Technique: Breath of the Divine Spirit.]
He had used the conversation to stall for enough time. Activating all his buffs, Baek Yu-Seol seized the moment of their confusion and charged forward.
Swoosh!
With a single strike, he decapitated one of them.
The fight had been almost absurdly easy.