I Became the Academy’s Time-Limited Genius – Chapter 9

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Translated By Arcane Translations

Translator: Silverriver

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Agnes had finished her spar with Ilione and was now looking at me. She must have been watching since I grasped the hilt of my sword.

Seeing her bewildered expression, I realized my mistake. There was no need to reveal that I had reached the intermediate level.

Behind her, the statue was regenerating. Judging by the way the stone fragments floated back into place, Lenox must have put considerable effort into this enchantment.

“May I ask you something…?”

Refusing her now would only arouse suspicion. It was better to explain before the statues fully regenerated and overheard.

“Go ahead. But only until the statues are fully restored.”

“Understood.”

She nodded. What was she going to ask? How I had already reached the intermediate level?

Honestly, I had simply achieved it by consuming a ridiculous amount of elixirs while practicing mana control…

“Do you possess two mana traits?”

“…What?”

I was so taken aback that I blurted out the question again. Two mana traits? That was ridiculous.

A mana trait referred to its color. And once chosen, the color couldn’t be changed. And two traits couldn’t coexist… wait a minute.

Could it be?

“Are you referring to the black mana?”

“Yes, it was definitely black during the test, but just now, it was violet.”

Aha. I finally understood.

The reason Agnes had asked for my guidance. She must have seen me unconsciously use the Black Dragon’s mana during the test and defeat the instructor.

That would certainly cause a misunderstanding.

Normally, mana had a pale, whitish-blue hue until one reached the intermediate level. If a deep black mana had enveloped my fist, I would have been mistaken too.

Now, how should I explain this? I had reached the intermediate level. I had chosen violet mana.

But the black mana was different. It wasn’t my mana, but that of the Black Dragon, Archxius. I was hesitant to openly admit it was the Black Dragon’s mana. Archxius was, after all, a wicked dragon. Its mana was known for its ferocity and cruelty.

‘And of all people, Deron Philasia…’

I would be the perfect target for rumors. The violent, trashy nobleman wielding the mana of a vicious Black Dragon.

As someone who just wanted to quietly nurture the hero’s party at the academy, I wanted no part in such rumors.

“That’s a… difficult question to answer.”

“If it’s inconvenient, you don’t have to answer…”

“To be honest, I don’t know much about this mana either.”

It was true. Aside from knowing it was the Black Dragon’s mana and that it devoured lifespan, I knew nothing else.

I understood if it absorbed my existing mana and took its place, but how could it coexist?

And why was it so dormant within my body?

“It’s been in my body since… sometime after I reached the intermediate level.”

“Ah…”

“That’s all I can tell you right now.”

I subtly implied that she shouldn’t spread rumors and sheathed my sword. She nodded vigorously.

And just in time, the statues finished regenerating.

“I did.”

The axe-wielding statue tossed me the Mana Ginseng as promised. That was worth a fortune in lifespan, and he just tossed it!

Ilione, who had been watching from the side, shouted at the axe-wielding statue.

So his name was Beden. The knight named Beden scratched his stone head and briefly explained the situation.

Frankly, I wasn’t sure if it even qualified as an explanation. He had simply made a bet and lost, so he gave me the elixir.

While they bickered, I popped the Mana Ginseng into my mouth and chewed. A refreshing energy coursed through my body, and I felt revitalized.

My lifespan increased to 168 days. Even subtracting the 20 days I used during the spar, I had gained 40 days.

“Here, you should have this too.”

Agnes offered me something. Looking closely, it was another Mana Ginseng.

“Didn’t you say you would take all the elixirs from this dungeon?”

I stared at her for a moment before carefully taking the ginseng. The statues stopped arguing and looked at me.

Under their watchful gaze, I swallowed the second ginseng.

Energy surged through my body. It was definitely easier to move. It felt similar to when I consumed the Black Dragon’s core fragment. Surpassing 200 days definitely made a difference in how my body felt. My stats hadn’t increased, but it felt like my senses had been sharpened.

I lightly jabbed my fist. I could feel the power behind it even without using lifespan.

It seemed I had stumbled upon an unexpected benefit.

I stepped back and looked at Agnes. I would respect her decision either way, but knowing her personality…

“I’ll proceed to the next stage.”

She would never give up here.

“It’s fine. Lead the way.”

Despite their words, the statues seemed pleased. As expected, their warning was just a formality.

We followed the statues down another passage. This one was shorter than the previous one, and the door at the end was smaller.

Still, it was large enough for two people to enter.

The statues stopped as if to say they would go no further. Agnes glanced at them and opened the door.

Beyond it lay an unfamiliar sword, embedded in a stone.

A magic sword that radiated a chilling aura, freezing its surroundings. Agnes’s eyes widened.

She must have realized what this sword was, given that we were in Lenox’s Dungeon.

As she was about to approach it, a hole suddenly appeared in the ceiling, and something fell through. A rattling sound.

It was clearly the sound of bones colliding. What lay before us was likely…

“A Skeleton Warrior.”

Agnes gritted her teeth. I knew about this from the novel, but she didn’t.

Even the novel’s description mentioned that no one expected Lenox to tamper with corpses. A Skeleton was a reanimated corpse.

But a Skeleton Warrior was different. It was the soul of a powerful warrior, bound to its skeletal remains.

The Warrior before us must have been created in such a manner.

“So after the spar, we have actual combat.”

I said, stepping back. Agnes seemed unusually angry.

I could see unnecessary tension in her grip on her sword. I needed to give her some guidance.

Clang!

The sound of steel clashing against steel. The sword, sharpened to perfection thanks to Lenox’s meticulous care, blocked Agnes’s attack.

Even without using Aura, it must have belonged to a skilled warrior in its previous life.

The Skeleton Warrior’s sword aimed for Agnes’s neck. She angled her sword to deflect the blow, attempting to slice through the Skeleton’s body along the blade.

Even if Skeletons possessed regenerative abilities, destroying the skull would still stop them from moving. So she must have been planning to sever the body, separating the head and legs before destroying the skull.

“That’s not the right answer.”

Her sword stopped mid-air. Agnes’s eyes widened.

“How…?”

The Skeleton Warrior’s empty hand. A spell was being cast from it.

It had used telekinesis to stop Agnes’s sword. The Skeleton then kicked her in the abdomen.

She let out a short gasp and stumbled backward. The Skeleton, as if deciding to use magic in earnest, moved its left hand rapidly.

A magic circle formed in the air. Sharp icicles shot towards her.

Simultaneously, the Warrior charged. The aggression and fervor in her eyes were gone, replaced by bewilderment.

I watched silently for a moment, then spoke.

“Don’t try to control all three simultaneously!”

It was a cryptic sentence. Frankly, I wouldn’t have said it to anyone but Agnes.

Agnes in the original story understood these words.

So I could only trust her. I could intervene, but that wouldn’t help her growth.

I wouldn’t help unless she asked for it.

Agnes continued to maintain a defensive stance. Perhaps she needed time to understand my words.

Her magic remained focused solely on her sword. She still hadn’t grasped the true essence of a Magic Swordsman.

Aura and magic. Born from the same source, yet with qualities that opposed each other.

Like black and white.

A Magic Swordsman must strive for harmony, or separation.

Magic in one hand, a sword in the other.

Simply combining them didn’t make one a Magic Swordsman. Nor did separating them.

Sometimes separating magic and sword, sometimes combining them. That was the beginning of simultaneous activation.

True Magic Swordsmen started from there.

Agnes and the Skeleton Warrior created distance between them. Her eyes closed briefly…

“…Thank you.”

…then opened.

At the same time, the magic that had been confined to her sword erupted outwards.

Crack. Crackle.

The ground froze. Her sword as well.

When the world became enveloped in ice, then they would witness the arrival of the Magic Swordsman, Agnes.

Just as described in the novel. She surpassed my expectations, my guidance. This was the first step towards reaching the palace.

Icicle Field.

Wherever her gaze fell, nothing remained unfrozen.

Crack!

Agnes effortlessly shattered the frozen skull of the Skeleton Warrior. A chilling white mist billowed from her breath.

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