A more skilled professor teaches better.
But what exactly defines ‘teaching well’? Ideally, it would be based on how much students' grades improve after taking the course. However, in modern times, this standard has unfortunately fallen short.
A popular class.
A popular professor.
One who captivates students with eloquent speech, keeps them engaged, and encourages them to attend future classes... Such a professor is what we now call a ‘good teacher.’
As soon as Professor Scarlet arrived at Stella Academy, she drew a massive response from the students.
Rumors quickly spread that she was a popular, and therefore excellent teacher.
Students who initially attended her class on dark magic only once a week began coming twice or even three times, until her classes were overcrowded every day.
“Professor Scarlet, have you considered expanding your class hours?”
One of the professors from Stella’s Special Magic Education Institute, a board member, visited Scarlet in her private study.
“Expand my class hours? I’m already exhausted, you know?”
Her childish tone and behavior appeared unbefitting of a Stella professor. It made the board professor frown briefly.
However, he managed a smile since they couldn’t afford to lose someone as influential as Scarlet.
“Haha. For someone of your caliber, this should be manageable. I also had the pleasure of observing one of your classes. You clearly care deeply for your students. We’re prepared to offer you significant compensation and ample opportunities in return.”
“Hmm. Compensation?”
The professor presented a document, and after removing the lollipop from her mouth, Scarlet casually levitated it toward herself as if she were wielding a wand.
[The Dark Magic Defense and Protection Committee]
“As you know, the dark mages’ power has grown nearly equivalent to ours. Thus, the principal has established a new institution, and we believe we need to bring in an expert on dark magic.”
Pfft.
Scarlett couldn’t hold back her laughter, causing the professor’s expression to stiffen.
Did he know?
Did he know that the reason Elthman Elwin went so far as to create such a special institution to research dark magic... was because of witches like her?
And now they were inviting her to that institution? What an absurd and ironic situation!
“... Do you find this amusing?”
“Hm? Oh, no, no! I just find your efforts inspiring~! But I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. Even if it’s just being here, he would throw a fit if he found out, and if I actually joined. Oh~ just imagining it is terrifying~”
Hugging herself and shivering dramatically, Scarlet winked at him.
“Shoo. Be careful on your way back!”
“Wha—huh?!”
With a flick of her lollipop, the professor found himself being nudged backward out of her study as the door shut firmly behind him.
He appeared to be shouting something while banging on the door, but with the sound blocked, it didn’t reach her.
“Sigh... Humans are so foolish and amusing.”
She sank into an oversized chair, larger than her own frame, and gazed out the window.
Humans. Humans. Humans everywhere.
To her, humans were mere ants on the street... No, that was too low. Puppies were a better analogy.
To a witch, humans were nothing more than puppies. Slightly smarter, able to speak, but still puppies.
‘I never thought I’d come to love a puppy...’
But this particular ‘puppy’ was different from the others. He couldn’t use magic, nor could he live a long life.
However, precisely because he couldn’t use magic, he was the only human capable of confronting the witch.
The nemesis of mages, a witch.
And humanity’s last knight, Ha Tae-Ryeong, who hunted witches.
No illusion, charm, or spell could affect him.
Ha Tae-Ryeong, who cut through every spell, every witch, every mage he encountered, relentlessly charged forward... He was fated, ultimately, to cross paths with the Witch Queen, Scarlet.
To sum it up, there was no decisive victory between Ha Tae-Ryeong and Scarlet.
Scarlet’s magic did not work on Ha Tae-Ryeong, but he, too, could not physically kill her. However, Ha Tae-Ryeong did manage to inflict a severe wound on her—he stopped her heart.
‘... Lies.’
In her memory, he looked at her with a bitter expression and said, ‘My sword did not reach your heart.’
But why would he lie like that? After leaving this final question, Ha Tae-Ryeong disappeared.
Yet...
His words were not lies.
In reality, Ha Tae-Ryeong’s actions had indeed stopped Scarlet’s heart.
‘The absolute taboo for witches.’
‘Rule number one.’
‘Do not love a human.’
The Witch Queen, who had broken her own law, lost all her magic after that day.
The red, polished wood platform widened by itself, leaving the students in awe as they stepped back to watch.
“Now, everyone~? Why did I say dark magic is dangerous in the last class?”
Dark mana had the property of absorbing or corrupting white mana, making it extremely dangerous.
As students eagerly raised their hands to answer, Scarlet, with a delighted smile, pointed to a few of them.
It was such a basic question that even elementary—or kindergarten—students could answer, but Scarlet preferred this way of engaging students and keeping them drawn to her.
“Did you also know that dark magic has the ability to take control of entire spaces~?”
There was likely no student unfamiliar with that concept.
But this was only a theoretical understanding. None of the students here had ever actually fought a dark mage, so they didn’t fully grasp the danger her words implied.
However, Baek Yu-Seok knew.
While he hadn’t encountered spatial domination dark magic often in real life, he had faced it countless times in the game.
“Cloud of Dawn.”
As Scarlet cast the spell, the lecture hall was instantly swallowed by darkness. But Baek Yu-Seol knew this wasn’t just any darkness.
“W-Wow...”
“What is this?”
“Look at the sky!”
The ceiling had vanished, and dawn appeared in its place. Above, a dark night sky stretched out, with a glimmering Milky Way shining through.
One could easily be captivated by the beauty of the scene, but this, too, was a spatial domination spell of a dark mage.
In a way, it was truly impressive. Scarlet must know countless spells, yet she skillfully chose only the most beautiful ones to captivate her students.
“It’s beautiful...”
Although they shouldn’t be deceived by appearances, it was hard for a human with emotions not to be moved.
Baek Yu-Seol squinted as he looked up at the sky. In ‘Aether World Online,’ dark mages’ spatial domination magic was explained quite directly, something like this:
[You are dominated by the Cloud of Dawn]
[Within this space, the caster’s attack power is increased by 15%, casting speed by 28%, and the power of dark-aligned attributes by 7%.]
[In this space, enemy attack power is decreased by 12%, casting speed by 19%, and the power of white-aligned attributes by 10%.]
It gave beneficial buffs to allies and debuffs to enemies, giving the caster a favorable advantage.
That was the nature of dark magic.
But did such an overpowered spell come without a cost?
“Wow... It feels like real dark magic...”
“Don’t be silly. Would the professor actually use dark magic? She said she’s only replicating something similar, remember?”
“Right? That’s just what you’d expect from an expert.”
“She’s amazing...”
Using spatial domination magic required an incredibly long preparation time, prolonged casting, and countless ingredients and sacrifices.
Since Scarlet cast her spatial magic instantly, the students dismissed it as mere ‘showmanship.’
Knowing the truth, Baek Yu-Seol could only let out a hollow laugh.
“Alright, everyone~”
With a cheerful smile, Scarlet gathered the students’ attention.
“When we enter an enemy’s domain, what’s the first thing we should do? Baek Yu-Seol, what do you think~?”
Baek Yu-Seol knew the answer.
“... We should run.”
The answer was that there was no answer.
“That’s right! From the moment you step into a dominated space, even the strongest mage can find themselves helpless. But we are magic warriors...”
Dramatically crossing her arms over her chest, she spoke as if she were someone bearing a great destiny.
“Sometimes, we must face battles we cannot avoid!”
She pointed her wand at Baek Yu-Seol.
It had been a long time since she felt so thrilled about facing someone. Scarlet steadied her racing heart and managed to finish her line.
“Then, starting today, shall we learn in detail... About how to fight in such situations?”
--------
Hello everyone!
I’m beyond excited (and a little emotional) to share that we’ve reached an incredible milestone: 300 chapters of Flashing Genius! When I first started translating this novel, it was just me, my laptop, and a passion for this story. Back then, I never imagined that this book would receive so much attention. Now, here we are—thanks to your support and love!
Translating these chapters has been quite a journey. When I first picked up this project, I was still a full-time student juggling classwork, late-night study sessions, and translation all in one go. Many of times, I found myself hunched over my laptop, half-asleep, debating whether to finish my homework first or translate just one more chapter.
Now, I’ve graduated (yay!) and can devote more time and energy. Along the way, your support through comments, encouragement, and even constructive criticism helped me refine the book.
To celebrate this milestone, I’m setting a Kofi goal for 20 bonus chapters of Flashing Genius. Once we reach our target, I’ll release these bonus chapters. Every tip, pledge, or share makes a difference.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading, supporting, and coming along for all 300 /zenith677/goal?g=0
Your Beloved Translator
Zenith