I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 379

The Northern Iceback Mountains were a place of eternal blizzards. A natural environment so hostile that ordinary humans could not survive there.

But humanity, being the adaptable creatures they were, found a way. Unlike elves, who confined themselves to forests, or dwarves to underground caverns, humans lived anywhere they could.

As such, while the Iceback Mountains had no established nations, they boasted no fewer than thirty cities. If you included the Yeti cities, the region’s population was far greater than anyone might imagine.

To the south of the Iceback Mountains, human settlements spread outward in a fan-like pattern, gradually expanding toward the central continent. Protecting all these people was the ultimate defensive stronghold—the White Peak Fortress.

But today, that fortress opened its gates.

Not because of a monster invasion, but because of an order given by the general in command.

“An order from the general?”

“What kind of nonsense is this? Explain yourself immediately!”

“There’s no mistake. We were commanded to open all the gates and let the ‘mirages’ descend to the surface.”

“My god...”

In the north, the general’s orders were absolute. Even if they didn’t make sense, they had to be obeyed.

“...Open the gates.”

Grrrrrk...

The fortress's four massive gates, the largest in the Iceback Mountains, groaned as they opened simultaneously.

But contrary to expectations, no flood of monsters poured through.

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Instead, there was an eerie silence.

From the ramparts, soldiers held their breath, gripping their staffs tightly as they watched.

“What... what’s coming out?”

Through the swirling snow, vague shapes began to emerge from the open gates.

At first glance, they seemed human.

But closer inspection revealed otherwise.

“No... that’s not human!”

The figures lacked any solid form. They merely mimicked a human outline, their misty bodies shimmering like heat waves.

One. Then two. Then three.

The creatures began to stream out in increasing numbers.

“What the hell are those?!”

“I’ve never seen monsters like this before...”

The soldiers panicked, shouting questions at their officers.

Some among the higher ranks recognized the threat immediately.

“It’s them... the ones that destroyed our forward bases recently. The ‘mirages.’”

"Each of them is at least a Level 6 or 7 risk...”

The officers clenched their teeth, rubbing their foreheads in frustration.

Holding these creatures back with a defensive stance alone would already be a monumental challenge. What hope did they have now that hundreds of them were pouring out?

Even with the fortress’s defenses, exterminating these monsters seemed impossible. Was the general relying on some hidden strategy, or...

“...Maybe the general has gone mad,” an officer muttered under his breath.

Ever since the mysterious yellow-haired woman had arrived, the general had been acting strangely.

To allow such a woman—completely uninformed and untrained—into the sacred stronghold that protected all life in the north was unprecedented.

But what was done was done.

Now, hundreds of mirages swirled outward, their numbers growing as if they had been waiting for the gates to open.

High atop the tallest spire of the fortress, Chunhwang Jeong Palwol watched the unfolding chaos. Her sharp yellow eyes darted between the rampaging mirages below.

She bit her thumbnail in frustration.

“Damn it... what the hell are those things?”

This wasn’t part of her plan.

Her strategy had been simple: release manageable groups of monsters onto the central continent, let the fortress clean them up, and plant the banner of the White Peak Fortress in each newly liberated city. That would have started her campaign for territory expansion.

But these creatures weren’t manageable.

Their combat prowess was far beyond human capabilities. Most low-class mages wouldn’t even be able to damage them.

Suddenly, a voice rang out behind her.

“Well done, Chunhwang Jeong Palwol.”

Startled, she whirled around to see a man floating in midair, his eyes as gray and empty as the void.

“Hoegong Siwol...” she whispered.

“You’ve done exactly what I expected of you,” he said, his gaze fixed on the chaos below.

“What... what do you mean?” she demanded, her voice trembling.

“Do you know what happens when two members of the Twelve Moons combine their powers?”

“I... don’t know,” she admitted.

No one knew. Not once in the millennia-long history of the Twelve Moons had two of them combined their abilities.

“You’ll see soon enough,” Hoegong Siwol replied cryptically.

He continued, his tone calm and emotionless.

“Our powers are but remnants of the original magic left behind by the first sorcerer. Their true potential has always been hidden within us. And now...”

“What are you saying?” she snapped, stepping back in alarm.

Hoegong Siwol smiled faintly.

“Last time we met, I left a piece of myself inside you.”

“What?!”

Frantic, Chunhwang Jeong Palwol tore off her dress to reveal her bare stomach.

Her normally golden skin was stained with patches of gray, which seemed to spread slowly outward.

“No... no!”

She clawed at her skin, trying to peel the corruption away, but it was useless.

“What’s happening to me?!”

“You’re simply becoming what you were always meant to be,” Hoegong Siwol said.

Realization dawned on Chunhwang Jeong Palwol as she collapsed to her knees.

“You... you’re using me as an experiment... a test subject?”

Her voice was weak, filled with disbelief.

“Yes,” Hoegong Siwol admitted. “And the results are better than I could have hoped. Look at them...”

He gestured to the mirages below.

The creatures continued their advance, a sea of pale forms moving inexorably toward the central continent.

“This... this can’t be happening,” Chunhwang Jeong Palwol whispered, clutching her stomach in despair.

But there was no stopping the spread of the gray corruption.

And no stopping the mirages.

In her desperation, one name came to mind.

Baek Yuseol.

The only human who had ever defied the Twelve Moons. The man who had defeated Jeoha Yuwol and absorbed her power.

If anyone could stop this, it was him.

But Chunhwang Jeong Palwol hesitated.

He’s in Stella Academy, far from here. And after everything I’ve done, would he even help me?

Time was running out.

If she didn’t act now, the northern humans—and soon, the central continent—would be wiped out.

Swallowing her pride, Chunhwang Jeong Palwol made her decision.

“This... this isn’t over, Hoegong Siwol,” she muttered, her trembling hands forming a spell.

Her mind raced with thoughts of Baek Yuseol as she prepared to reach out for aid.

No matter the cost, she would not let Hoegong Siwol have his way.

Even if it meant placing her last hope in the very man she had once sought to destroy.