I Became the Academy’s Time-Limited Genius – Chapter 25

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Translated By Arcane Translations

Translator: Silverriver

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A massive vortex, eye-catching and swirling, tinged with demonic energy, indicating its artificial origin.

I focused on the center of the training grounds. Ruberic stood precariously in the middle, a demon clawing at his face and shrieking above him.

“The demon hasn’t fully manifested in Ruberic’s body yet. Our objective is to prevent it from completing the summoning.”

“How do we do that?” Erina asked, following Professor Akdin’s explanation. I answered for him.

“Just harass it relentlessly. Magic, swords, whatever you can use. Focus all your attacks on it. It will be too busy defending itself to concentrate on the summoning.”

The other students looked at Professor Akdin, as if seeking confirmation. He nodded. Of course, he did. It was the same strategy from the original story.

Defeating the demon was possible, though difficult. But there was no need to take that risk. If we kept it busy, the other professors would arrive soon.

The difficulty was incomparable to the original story, where we were forced to defeat it to prevent widespread destruction.

I smirked and drew my sword. A heavy demonic aura pressed down on me, an unfamiliar and unsettling sensation.

I wasn’t the only one who felt it. Everyone gripped their weapons, their faces grim. Even Professor Akdin and Adele.

“Don’t overdo it. Our goal is to disrupt, not to defeat.”

Professor Akdin reiterated our objective. We moved towards the center of the training grounds.

The demonic energy intensified as we approached. Clear evidence of the demon’s manifestation. I could hear gulps from around me, but they were insignificant compared to the sight before us.

The shrieking demon turned its head sharply at our approach and stared at us, its red eyes blazing. It merged with Ruberic’s body. Simultaneously, the swirling vortex vanished.

As if signaling the start of phase one.

I felt a shiver run down my spine. The demon, now within Ruberic, forced his body to expand, grotesquely swelling. It roared, its form now a monstrous hybrid of human and bull.

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Everyone stared at Ruberic, now a demonic being, their faces grim. The curse marks of Morax, etched onto his body, looked like chains to us.

The demon, as if aware of this, smiled cruelly, a twisted imitation of Ruberic’s face, and taunted,

We didn’t have time for discussion or strategy. I channeled my Aura.

Violet lightning coursed through my body. My muscles swelled, and my mind sharpened.

Genius. A talent bestowed by the heavens, granting an overwhelming advantage in battle.

The others stared, wide-eyed, at the color of my Aura, but Agnes stood beside me, ready. She had already prepared to charge, a spell forming on her lips.

“Don’t cast your field below me.”

“Obviously.”

I kicked off the ground and lunged forward. Aura surged through my magically lightened sword. Beside me, Agnes launched an ice spear towards Morax’s shoulder.

Crackle.

It instantly melted against the demonic energy surrounding Morax. But we hadn’t expected the ice spear to be effective. We knew magic wouldn’t work on him.

I angled my Aura-infused sword and slashed.

Clang!

Morax followed my sword with his eyes, then raised his right arm to block the blow. His hardened skin deflected the attack.

But he had underestimated one thing.

Crack!

My Aura, though not as powerful as Professor Akdin’s, could still pierce his defenses, even slightly.

Between intermediate and advanced. Almost at the advanced level. Morax looked momentarily surprised, then swung his arm, deflecting my sword, and stomped his foot.

Demonic energy erupted from the ground, forming a spear that shot towards me.

Whoosh!

I twisted my body to dodge, but a wall of fire materialized, neutralizing the demonic energy.

Creating a barrier without incantations or a magic circle…

The future Archmage.

“Announce your attacks if you want me to react!”

Sophia. She clicked her tongue in annoyance but extended her hand, manipulating her magic power. Blades of wind sliced through the air towards Morax.

But magic didn’t affect Morax. He possessed a unique resistance. Sophia looked momentarily surprised but quickly regained her composure. The mark of a true mage was unwavering focus, and that was Sophia’s strength.

She used silent casting to create leaves, which swirled around Morax, obscuring his vision.

It was likely the best she could do.

“Haaaah!”

Clang!

A sound like steel scraping against steel. A crimson Aura flashed through the swirling demonic energy. It was still faint, but the color was distinct. And I only knew one swordsman with such an Aura.

“What the—! Why is he so tough?! He won’t even budge, even with Aura!”

Erina Philstine. The future Sword Saint.

She struck Morax’s abdomen but failed to inflict any significant damage and stumbled back. Still, the mere fact that she’d scratched his hardened skin was a testament to her growth.

In the original story, her faint Aura hadn’t been strong enough to even leave a mark. Now, her Aura was distinctly crimson, nearing the intermediate level.

“Erina! Don’t be reckless! Even divine power can’t heal severe injuries!”

And then there was Rebecca, the Saintess. Or rather, Adele. The Saintess, disguised as a commoner, remained behind the front lines, taking on the role of healer. She could have fought Morax directly, but it was more effective for her to focus on healing.

We had a professor in our party, after all.

Boom!

“Gaaah!”

A sound far more powerful than our attacks. Morax, who had been unfazed until now, shrieked and staggered back.

Beyond intermediate, reaching the advanced level. If beginners controlled mana, and intermediate users defined its color, advanced was a completely different realm.

The highest level, attainable only by a select few. The stepping stone to becoming a Sword Master.

Up to the intermediate level, it felt like forcing swirling Aura onto a sword. But at the advanced level, the Aura became refined, controlled.

Its intensity, power, and practicality were far beyond the intermediate stage. That’s why people respectfully referred to those at the advanced level with a specific term:

Professor Akdin had reached the level of Sword Aura.

“I’ll join.”

Agnes moved to support him. Like Sophia, she had realized that magic was ineffective against Morax. She would be able to deflect the demonic energy directed at Professor Akdin.

Agnes summoned knights using her magic power, effectively supporting the professor, allowing him to focus solely on Morax.

Everyone was participating in the battle. Without hesitation, without panic.

They were holding their own against a demon, a high-ranking demon, no less.

Morax, constantly on the defensive, was struggling to block the combined attacks of Professor Akdin and myself. My Aura couldn’t inflict decisive blows like the professor’s, but it was enough to be a nuisance, preventing Morax from ignoring me.

And then…

“Heavy.”

Thud!

A crushing blow, like a hammer striking an anvil. A downward strike honed through countless repetitions slammed into Morax’s head.

Even with his hardened skin, the pain was undeniable. It was Lee Han’s sword.

Even without fully unlocking his power, the Hero was still the Hero. A bane to demons.

So the pain was inevitable.

‘At this rate, we should be fine.’

He was weakened, and we were fighting to disrupt, not to defeat, so our strategy was highly effective.

We could defeat Morax without anyone getting hurt.

Except for Ruberic.

The last expression I’d seen on Ruberic Caius’s face flashed through my mind, but I shook my head, dispelling the image.

I had to let go of what I couldn’t change. Even if I had become a character in the novel, even if I was a transmigrator, I couldn’t save everyone.

Villains would be villains, heroes would be heroes. There were fates I couldn’t alter, sacrifices that had to be made for me to survive.

My ultimate goal was to defeat the Demon King, and to do that, I had to follow the general plot of the original story while saving as many key characters as possible.

I couldn’t afford to feel sympathy for the villains.

Rumble…

A sudden tremor made me turn my head sharply. It was coming from Morax. He stood motionless, his entire body enveloped in demonic energy. Professor Akdin struck him repeatedly with his Aura-infused sword, but Morax didn’t budge.

“You insignificant insects… you dare to mock and try to kill me?”

That line wasn’t in the original story. I had thought it was safe, but… he was transforming?

That wasn’t supposed to happen!

I swung my sword with all my might, but it was deflected, sent flying from my hand.

A red orb appeared within the swirling darkness. My eyes widened. Morax had that?

A treasure that appeared in the latter half of the original story, when the protagonist’s party was strong enough to fight, or even kill, high-ranking demons.

Consuming it granted them immense power and healed all their injuries.

For ten minutes.

It was a treasure created by mixing the Demon King’s blood with demonic energy, so only high-ranking demons possessed it. Why did Morax have it?

He had never used it in the original story. He hadn’t even had it. He had been killed by the awakened protagonist before he could even recover half his strength…

Could it be?

Because the protagonist had killed him before he could use the Blood Orb…

That’s why it didn’t exist in the original story?

“Holy shit!”

I couldn’t help but curse. It was an unavoidable reaction. Everyone looked at me. I was suddenly the center of attention.

“Get away from him!”

I shouted.

Morax roared. The demonic energy surrounding him exploded outwards, engulfing everyone.

My vision turned black, and I closed my eyes.

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yes sir I know you have genius trait I knowwwwww