I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy

Although two of Ga Yu-Rin’s teammates had been killed by Baek Yu-Seol early on, she didn’t lose her composure.

‘Idiots.’

Her teammates from the Emerald Stella were also excellent players, but they fell short in her eyes. Compared to her, they appeared utterly inadequate.

‘They came up with a slightly unusual strategy, but to get beaten by such an attack?’

Dying from a mere sticky grenade, a sub-item, would be a point of ridicule for a long time.

‘This just makes me want to win even more.’

Ga Yu-Rin calmly continued the lane match. Her lane was structured so that she had to face off against Ma Yu-Seong in the center.

‘I’m not like those idiots.’

She wouldn’t let her guard down. 

Ma Yu-Seong was a genius mage with exceptional one-on-one combat abilities. It was something known by everyone.

Within the LOS Arena, Ga Yu-Rin had more skill and experience, but she couldn’t ignore Ma Yu-Seong’s innate sense.

‘I won’t fight him alone head-on.’

But this was a team game. 

Ma Yu-Seong had never relied on solid support from his teammates, meaning his teamwork was practically non-existent. 

By setting up and pressuring Ma Yu-Seong, it would be easy to create a two-on-one situation and gradually take him down.

‘It’s a bit worrying to rely on those idiots who got beaten by Baek Yu-Seol, but…’

With her skills, she believed she could still win even with such lacking teammates.

‘I’ll play it safe.’

Ma Yu-Seong’s one-on-one prowess was undeniable, but LOS was a team game. Trying to face everything alone was a flawed approach. 

Ga Yu-Rin, who focused on leveraging her teammates’ support to strategically overwhelm opponents, understood the essence of this game better.

‘There’s my chance!’

Ma Yu-Seong drifted slightly to the right, and from the back alley, an alley liner was stealthily approaching. 

If Ga Yu-Rin charged from the front now, Ma Yu-Seong would only have one escape route. If he tried to flee, her ally would appear and ambush him, leaving him defenseless.

Boom!

Her decision was quick, and her action even faster. 

Ga Yu-Rin, who had been maintaining her distance, suddenly unleashed a powerful spell. 

Ma Yu-Seong swiftly retreated, taking some damage but finding the terrain disadvantageous.

‘As expected!’

Ma Yu-Seong hurriedly fled to the alley Ga Yu-Rin had anticipated, where her teammate lay in wait, gathering mana for an ambush.

‘If this goes as planned…!’

Determined to end it, she stopped her rapid-fire spells to cast a one-second spell to finish him off.

Just one second.

But as soon as Ga Yu-Rin paused her magic, Ma Yu-Seong cast a spell, as if waiting for this moment.

‘… Huh?’

The spell Ma Yu-Seong cast took around 0.8 seconds to cast—Power Smasher. 

It was a spell that thrusted his body forward, creating a massive impact, but due to the long casting time, it was rarely used.

‘Wait.’

Ga Yu-Rin’s spell took one second. In just one second, she could hit Ma Yu-Seong, but he cast his 0.8-second spell at the exact moment she started casting.

Boom! Boom!!

“Aaagh!”

[An ally has fallen!]

Ma Yu-Seong emerged from the alley and charged precisely at her ambushing teammate, securing an instant kill.

‘This is insane…!’

There was no radar in that location. In other words, Ma Yu-Seong had no way of knowing Ga Yu-Rin’s teammate was waiting there. Yet he had cast a spell toward that very spot, instantly killing them as if he knew everything.

‘Could it be…?’

With a shocked expression, Ga Yu-Rin leaped back to retreat.

‘Did he notice from my attack timing that there was another person waiting in that alley? Then he deliberately waited for my attack to pause before launching his own magic attack in that direction?’

The entire sequence had taken less than three seconds, yet Ma Yu-Seong’s judgment and reaction were undeniably superior to Ga Yu-Rin’s.

After taking down the alley liner from Ga Yu-Rin’s team, Ma Yu-Seong appeared ready to confront her as well, but seeing her retreat swiftly, he returned to his base. 

If she had tried to engage in a one-on-one fight with him, even belatedly… Would she have won?

‘… No. Not yet.’

Though her team had already suffered three deaths, the early-game deficit could still be bridged.

‘I can’t lose here.’

Ga Yu-Rin acknowledged her opponent's strengths. She assessed that Ma Yu-Seong’s innate, genius-level one-on-one combat skills put him above her and her team. At the same time, she clearly recognized his weakness.

“From now on, avoid one-on-one situations in the lane as much as possible, and focus only on cautious exchanges. If they press forward, it’s fine to retreat and yield.”

When Ga Yu-Rin gave this instruction remotely, her teammates expressed concern.

— If we back off in the lane, we’ll fall behind in resources.

— It might be hard to make a comeback later…

“It’s fine. Better to give a little ground than to keep giving away kills by forcing fights in the lane.”

Any strategic gaps could be closed by mid-game with careful alley-line control.

— … Understood.

Following Ga Yu-Rin’s guidance, her teammates avoided one-on-one encounters as much as possible. 

If Baek Yu-Seol or Ma Yu-Seong suddenly closed in with a flash or power jump, they quickly retreated. 

Even when Hae Won-Ryang and Eisel’s lane faced a two-on-three situation, they only engaged in minor skirmishes without forcing a fight.

Observing this, other players nodded at Ga Yu-Rin’s quick decision-making, though some also clicked their tongues.

“Her pride must have taken a hit.”

For Ga Yu-Rin to resort to strategy after being outmatched in one-on-one abilities by players who’d only started LOS less than two weeks ago must have been humbling.

“I thought she was an overly proud amateur… But she’s showing level-headed judgment.”

“So, who do you think will win?”

“Well… My head says Ga Yu-Rin’s team should win, but my heart isn’t convinced.”

“Right? The Flame team always seems to pull out something unexpected.”

So far, the Flame team had never won with conventional strategy. In every LOS match, they’d employed unique tactics that had never been seen before, surprising and overwhelming their opponents.

But Ga Yu-Rin’s Emerald Stella team was a professional team, developed with top-notch training at the academy. 

Could the Flame team’s tricks work against them too?

The game had progressed to the mid-late phase. 

Using her swift judgment and wealth of experience, Ga Yu-Rin led a strategy-focused gameplay style, gradually putting pressure on the Flame team. 

Coordinating four players to suddenly ambush Hae Won-Ryang and Eisel on the bottom line, or surrounding Ma Yu-Seong with three players to secure a kill, they were racking up a decent number of kills.

Although Ga Yu-Rin’s team also lost a few members during these ambushes and couldn’t secure an absolute victory despite initiating surprise attacks…

‘No problem.’

Meanwhile, Ga Yu-Rin’s team steadily suppressed the enemy’s growth through careful management while securing resources for themselves. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

As expected, although the Flame team excelled in one-on-one encounters, they were vulnerable in multi-player fights and operational strategy. 

By the late game, Ga Yu-Rin’s team had outpaced the Flame team in resources, and with few opportunities for the opponents to score kills, their progress began to stall.

‘Now, all we need is one big 5v5 battle!’

They could definitely win a 5v5. And, in the late game, the enemy wouldn’t be able to avoid such a confrontation. This was because the ‘Final Guardian’ monster would soon spawn in the center of the map, granting a massive buff to whoever defeated it. 

With this power boost, they’d be able to push forward, making it nearly impossible for the enemy to defend.

“Attack now!”

[Final Guardian Spawned]

The moment Ga Yu-Rin shouted, the monster appeared, and her team began attacking it. 

Having anticipated its arrival, they were ready, spells charged and aimed precisely. 

Magical explosions rained down on the Guardian, and as it staggered, on the brink of collapse, 

Ma Yu-Seong appeared from the opposite side with a fierce expression.

Boom!!

With a powerful jump, Ma Yu-Seong struck the ground, raised his staff, and Ga Yu-Rin’s teammates flinched, instinctively stepping back.

A chilling cold swept over them. It was the effect of Ma Yu-Seong’s ‘Frost Chill Robe.’ Even knowing its source, they couldn’t help but feel tense and their hands trembled.

“Everyone, prepare!”

Ga Yu-Rin gritted her teeth and scanned the area. 

True enough, Flame was casting a brilliant magic circle in the distance, clearly preparing to attack the Guardian, timed with Ma Yu-Seong's charge. 

She gave the command immediately.

“Take out Flame in the back!”

Following her orders, a central-line player from Ga Yu-Rin’s team rushed forward, and several spells surged toward Flame.

[Blue Giant’s Footstep]

Boom!!

But suddenly, a massive blue foot appeared out of thin air. It crashed down and blocked the player’s advance and stopped the barrage of spells.

“What the...?”

It was a spell designed to disrupt enemy formations, outdated in recent meta and rarely used. Yet, someone was actually using such a ‘trash’ spell?

‘Could it be... Eisel?’

As expected, Eisel was chanting from the opposite side of Flame’s position.

‘I anticipated this much!’

Although Ga Yu-Rin hadn’t expected multiple attacks to be blocked by such a useless spell, she had already accounted for Eisel’s appearance. 

She calmly focused fire on Flame, who soon fell. Though Ma Yu-Seong’s relentless assaults within their ranks were challenging to fend off, they eventually managed to bring him down as well. 

Finally, they subdued Eisel, who had been persistently casting chilling storms and ice curses to disrupt them.

At this point, Ga Yu-Rin felt a sense of unease.

‘Where are Baek Yu-Seol and Hae Won-Ryang?’

Why didn’t they appear even in this final battle?

Thinking quickly, Ga Yu-Rin opened the map to check.

[Your tower is under attack!]

"... This is insane!"

Baek Yu-Seol and Hae Won-Ryang were enthusiastically smashing down their team’s tower. 

Since Ga Yu-Rin’s team hadn’t been able to properly hold the line earlier, the tower had been pushed almost to their command center. 

Frustrated by the lack of combat, Baek Yu-Seol had apparently sold off all his combat items and bought ‘demolition-only items,’ allowing him to destroy the tower at an alarming speed.

“Get back! Go back right now!”

Baek Yu-Seol wielded a mallet and hammer and wore a yellow hat and work clothes as he cheerfully hummed a tune while bashing the tower.

“Happy, happy G-Mart~”

“… Can’t you just quietly demolish it?”

“What? Want to give the hammer a try?”

“My magic’s faster.”

Ignoring Baek Yu-Seol’s offer, Hae Won-Ryang flipped the ground with all his strength, sending fangs shooting up from the earth and dealing critical damage to the tower, which then exploded and crumbled. 

This was a flawless application of earth magic’s effectiveness against structures.

“They’re coming back.”

Although four members of Ga Yu-Rin’s team remained, it seemed they struggled to defeat more than two opponents in a 3v5 situation. 

At that moment, as the durability of Baek Yu-Seol’s [Legendary Demolition Hammer] was dangerously low, he loosened his shoulders and asked Hae Won-Ryang, “I’ll hold them off for a bit; how much time do you need?”

“Thirty seconds.”

“That’s plenty.”

Grinning, Baek Yu-Seol twirled his hammer and dashed in the opposite direction.

[Flash]

The spot he chose to confront Ga Yu-Rin’s team was a narrow passage. 

Arriving there, with an ‘all or nothing’ attitude, Baek Yu-Seol used [Flash] directly toward the enemy and wildly swung his hammer.

[You’ve taken heavy damage!]

[You’ve dealt heavy damage!]

The Flash spell was risky due to the severe damage it could inflict if you collided with an object. 

Though rarely used in LOS for this reason, Baek Yu-Seol was the only one who could control its direction with such precision. He perfectly aimed a ‘body slam’ at Ga Yu-Rin, resulting in an instant KO.

“N-nooo!!”

[Emerald Stella team’s command center has been destroyed.]

[Flame team wins!]

And thus, the highly anticipated showdown between the students concluded with the absurd ‘shut up and tower rush’ strategy.

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/FlashGenius