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It’s an Academic Fact That Rankers Are Model Students – Chapter 247

Chapter 247: The Realm to Overcome (2)

Flash!

Let there be light (יהי אור, Fiat lux).

There were no other words to describe it.

The top of Magic Tower Arc-en-Ciel.

With that as the standard, a new horizontal line of light appeared, dividing the sky precisely above and below.

It was as if a new sea of light had formed above the sky.

There.

A figure resembling a human could be seen within the sea of white light.

And as it was gradually eroded by the surrounding light, even the features that would have allowed one to guess its identity were fading away.

It was obvious who that figure belonged to.

Merde Adivite.

After Sever, she was the one who recognized the true value of science and sought to utilize it in any way possible.

But just like Sever.

She too had no choice but to meet her end without witnessing the grand undertaking unfold with her own eyes.

” I haven’t even── received my severance pay yet───. “

Merde’s last words, filled with lingering regret, seemed to echo from within the sea of white.

Soon, she was consumed by the distant light, leaving not a single trace behind.

The light vanished.

However.

Wooong. Wooong. Woo ooong.

Although the light disappeared, its aftermath did not.

Invisible, extremely fine magical radiation, Radiati.

It was a tidal wave of mana, so vivid that it was visible to the naked eye, sweeping down from above.

What the Fairy King had used earlier was clearly a simple Energy Bolt, but its power was incomparable to that of an epic spell.

Having cast such a powerful spell, the resulting magical radiation was bound to be extremely potent.

Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!

The wave of radiation that was about to engulf the Fairy-Elven Alliance suddenly collided with something and began to be absorbed.

Like fruits hanging in clusters, pitch-black spherical objects were spread across the sky.

” This is the end of it.”

It was one of the dark magic spells that the Fairy King had mastered in preparation for Radiati.

In the Fael Alliance, dark magic was still viewed with some apprehension due to its history.

However, considering that there was a formal department of dark magic at the magic academy, it wasn’t strange for the Fairy King to have learned a dark magic spell or two.

” Is that a black body?”

Kyung-joon asked, as if he knew something.

” Oh? You’ve studied some dark magic too?”

the Fairy King’s eyes widened slightly at Kyung-joon’s question.

But Kyung-joon shook his head and replied.

” No. I just had a feeling. It didn’t seem like a black hole since I wasn’t being sucked in, but it was absorbing all the light and magical radiation, so I thought it could only be that.”

Black body.

The invention and study of this concept were so significant that they gave birth to a new field of study in physics called 『quantum mechanics』.

Kyung-joon added that explanation, but to his surprise.

the Fairy King had heard that explanation once before.

” You sound just like that Huma.”

From Kyung-joon’s predecessor, the Infinite Knowledge Seeker, Huma.

” Hmm? My predecessor also talked about quantum mechanics and stuff?”

” Yes. It was even worse. It makes me shudder to think about it now. He kept going on about Heisenberg and uncertainty.”

the Fairy King recalled those memories and told Kyung-joon a few more words.

‘Heisenberg, uncertainty… those are essential concepts in quantum mechanics. These are things that could never exist in World, a fantasy magic world……’

Come to think of it, what Siam had given him before, saying it was made by his predecessor, was a magical assault rifle modeled after the K2 used by the South Korean military.

” Huma, could he have been…”

Kyung-joon trailed off for a moment, organizing his thoughts.

Finally, he couldn’t help but ask.

” An otherworlder?”

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

” ……There was such a thing. Now that I think about it, I wonder if that was really the case. But I never felt like Huma was from a completely different world.”

Kyung-joon had a deeper and more extensive conversation with the Fairy King about his predecessor, Huma.

” I see.”

Many hypotheses were formed, and several suspicious points arose.

But anyway.

Kyung-joon decided it didn’t matter much now.

” Well then.”

He let out a tired sigh like an old man and got up from the floor.

Now it was time for the final cleanup.

Thump, thump.

Where Kyung-joon headed was the cause and source of this entire incident.

The device that Merde had been trying to create.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

The device continued to emit light, on the verge of exploding at any moment.

[Large-scale new-type permanent mana device (overloading)]

” A permanent mana device……”

Kyung-joon recalled the case of Sever.

Back then, Sever had also been conducting similar research, which ultimately led to the creation of the contaminated underground star mansion along with the ultra-acidic monster slime, Vitriol Acid King.

The 『Malfunctioning Mana Battery』 that he had obtained after clearing the dungeon back then.

It seemed to have many similarities to the device in front of him now.

Kyung-joon turned to the the Fairy King and asked.

” Is this research that popular?”

” Well, I may be a wizard, but I’m not a researcher or scholar, so I don’t have much interest in it.”

the Fairy King shrugged, implying that she wasn’t interested. However, she soon added,

” But as the king of a nation who has lived for 700 years, I know this much. For scholars, an object that provides eternal mana is a dream, a goal, and something they should never set foot in.”

Not just Sever and Merde.

Countless wizards had lost their lives pursuing the dream of a permanent mana device, and countless more lives had been lost as a result.

Therefore, this must never exist.

” Step aside. I shall seal it within my eternal void and erase its existence.”

the Fairy King once again focused her mana in her hand, intending to erase the device before her from World forever.

At that moment.

” Wait a minute.”

Kyung-joon stopped the Fairy King.

He began to take out stick-like objects from his inventory one by one.

They were all anti-scroll magic tools he had received from Zot.

” What are you trying to do now?”

” It’d be a waste to just get rid of it. Even if it’s a failure, failures pave the way to success.”

As the saying goes, failure is the mother of success.

Kyung-joon didn’t want to simply discard what Merde had gathered and worked on so far.

” Are you perhaps planning to stabilize that thing?”

” Yes. I’m not sure if it’ll work, but I want to try. If it becomes dangerous, you can always erase it then.”

[Mana Mechanics Research Skill 『Vector Calculus』]

Wooong.

Kyung-joon manipulated the vectors, levitating dozens of sticks into the air.

” Tsk, why does he have to be asleep at a time like this.”

Teemo, currently in sleep mode due to the aftereffects of overclocking.

With the heart of a pilot forced to manually control an airplane after the autopilot malfunctioned, Kyung-joon carefully moved the mana in his hand.

‘Page 230, Chapter 5 of the Nuclear Engineering Introduction book I read for fun while studying thermodynamics. Neutron’s Diffusion and Moderation…… If I just follow what it says…… Think of the anti-scroll magic tools as control rods and consider their placement……’

In this way, Kyung-joon made various calculations in his head, adjusting the positions of the anti-scroll magic tools.

And before long.

With the decisive movements of a professional pilot who had decided on an emergency landing.

Fwoooosh!

Kyung-joon plunged dozens of anti-scroll magic tools into the device all at once.

Wooong! Wooong! Wooong!

The inserted anti-scroll magic tools trembled as if they were about to pop out at any moment.

“……”

If his vector control faltered even slightly here, all the anti-scroll magic tools would be ejected, and the device would overload, engulfing the entire vicinity in mana viruses.

Of course, the the Fairy King would prevent that with her spatial magic that sent things to the void, but he couldn’t just leave it at that.

Woo ooong!

As Kyung-joon spread his fingers wide, sending stronger and finer mana, the patterns on the sticks glowed even brighter.

Shuuu……

And soon, the device quickly settled down, the overload ceasing.

the Fairy King’s eyes widened as if in astonishment.

Looking at her, Kyung-joon brushed off the mana from both his hands.

Glancing at the status window he had moved slightly to the side, it was in a frenzy, telling him that his synchronization rate was still too high and that he should log out immediately.

” Can I leave the rest of the cleanup to you? My head hurts, my whole body aches, my mana circuits feel like they’re short-circuiting, and I think I’m going to collapse any minute now.”

” Of course. Do you have any specific instructions?”

” Yes.”

Before he passed out, Kyung-joon quickly relayed the instructions he had thought of beforehand.

The the Fairy King listened to everything he had to say.

” Whether I should call this wicked or clever…”

She shook her head, her hand on her forehead.

” Haha, so I’ll leave it to you then?”

” Yes, yes. I’ll proceed as you’ve instructed. I’ll entrust your treatment and your students’ to Teina, so don’t worry too much.”

” Okay. Then I’ll leave my body in your capable hands, the Fairy King-nim.”

” Go on. Get some rest and come back.”

the Fairy King saw Kyung-joon off with a smile.

[Initiating semi-logout.]

[Avatar (game character) will remain in World.]

Thud!

As soon as the the Fairy King finished seeing him off, Kyung-joon collapsed on the floor as if his soul had left his body.

the Fairy King looked at him with a somewhat wistful expression and smiled sadly.

” Causing such a commotion and then simply falling asleep…… Really, it’s just like 700 years ago.”

Wooong.

the Fairy King used her spatial magic 『Cube』 to safely protect Kyung-joon and his students.

The evening sun was setting, dyeing the sky a tranquil red.

Looking towards the horizon, where parallel lines seemed to meet.

the Fairy King muttered to herself.

” Huma, it happened just as you said.”

Only then did she speak not as a king, but as a girl from the past.

” The successor you spoke of has finally appeared. After 700 long years…… I should be happy, you said they would welcome him with a smile, but I guess I’m so happy that tears are welling up.”

The clock of someone who had been stopped for 700 years.

Began to tick once more.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

[Semi-logout complete.]

His vision, which had been dark, gradually began to brighten.

The familiar ceiling.

When he went to bed, when he woke up in the morning.

When he logged in to World, and when he logged out.

The plain white ceiling he saw at least four times a day.

That ceiling.

Was now stained red.

Red vision.

Probably bloodshot.

” Sh|t……”

He cursed under his breath, roughly wiping his face with some tissue before standing in front of the mirror.

Outwardly, his body seemed fine.

Whipping off his shirt without hesitation.

The upper body of a slim high school boy, with a hint of abs due to his naturally lean physique.

Here and there, dark red congestion appeared faintly, like ink swirling in water.

Tingling.

The tingling sensation that he now felt throughout his body, including his arms and legs.

He forced his right hand into a fist and held it up in front of him.

” There’s no actual impact or damage, but it’s a reflex caused by the body mistaking it for intense pain or shock…… I guess.”

His right hand, the one he had used the most and simultaneously received the most shock from.

His entire fist was flushed red, as if bruised.

During the midterms, he had suffered from a severe headache due to overstudying in the game.

And today, after an intense battle with the infected Merde Adivite, this was the result.

He tossed his shirt aside and collapsed onto his bed.

Taking a deep breath and gathering his thoughts.

He simply waited.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes……

Exactly four minutes and fifty-seven seconds later.

『Incoming call, 010-XXXX-XXXX』

A call came from a number he had never seen before.

Kyung-joon pressed the call button without hesitation, brought the phone to his ear, and spoke first.

” I’ve been waiting, Chairman Yoo.”


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