I Became the Genius Mage of the Martial Academy

Chapter 71 : Formation Certification Exam (6)

As my two eyes became accustomed to the darkness, a certain flow began to be seen.

‘I can feel the premonition of the shadows gathering.’

A subtle change that would be impossible to notice without a very fine detection.

As soon as I found an opening in the flow, I kicked off the ground. At the same time, I shot a flash of light that was sparkling between my palms into the air.

Fwoosh-

In an instant, the darkness scattered like a mist, and beyond it, a shadow wall of enormous density revealed itself.

A dark barrier like a huge cliff. A sigh escaped me at the indescribable vastness and helplessness.

“Is this the end of the formation?”

The entire formation must be in the form of being surrounded by such a shadow wall.

But even so, to move forward, I had to overcome that barrier.

I blocked the fangs of the shadow snake that was belatedly rushing towards the nape of my neck with a shield and shot a compressed light magic into its mouth.

The shadow snake that exploded in a light source like a bamboo that was split from the inside and swelled up. Seeing that sight, I felt like the puzzle in my head was being put together.

‘There are two characteristics of the shadow world that I’ve found out so far.’

One is that the range of the formation is limited as much as its fraudulent effect.

The second is that the shadow, rather than absorbing energy, is closer to consuming the darkness to offset it.

And what was most noteworthy here was that the consumed shadow was related to the volume of the energy, not the total amount of power.

‘For example, it means that more shadows are consumed to get rid of an endlessly spreading light haze than a fireball.’

In other words, since the same volume of shadow is used for annihilation, it was not compatible with the infinitely expanding light.

‘A shadow wall encountered at the end of a limited space. And even a light attribute magic that has a compatibility advantage. Everything needed has been gathered.’

All that was left was to prove it with what I had accumulated so far.

Before I knew it, from behind, the darkness had taken on a huge and dense form and was approaching to swallow me up.

As if to counter this, the mana of the two circles that had been divided and resonating echoed throughout the area.

‘I’ll pour all my remaining mana into this!’

The darkness that was rushing in from all directions, I could feel it instinctively. This was the first and last chance.

Soon, along with a feeling of exhaustion that made my whole body stagger, I could feel an unbearable power gathering in my palm.

Although it was a light magic that was considered a basic magic, when this much mana was mobilized at one point, its difficulty increased exponentially.

The mana, which was under enormous compression, created a spark and collided wildly.

It took a tremendous amount of effort to create a pure light. Even a slight lapse in concentration would often cause the concentrated mana to be converted into physical force and turn into a vibration wave or burn at an ultra-high temperature.

‘But I’ll do it.’

It was the first time since reaching the second circle that I had performed such an extremely delicate task with all my might. But now, I had to succeed.

“Phew.”

My breathing became calm. In the midst of my immersion, the world slowed down, and just as I was about to feel the illusion of existing alone in a pitch-black darkness.

Flash!

A miracle happened.

I looked at the sphere that was emitting a radiance as if it would explode at any moment on my palm, with my eyes narrowed.

A pure light that was not converted into heat or a mana wave.

Even though most of its power had not been manifested, it felt like my two eyes, which were protected by mana, would go blind.

And the pitch-black wall that stood firmly in front of it. But it didn’t feel as daunting as before.

“Try to swallow this too.”

Against the backdrop of the dazzling flash of light that was slowly growing in front of my nose, the huge shadows that had changed into the forms of a tiger, a dragon, and a vermilion bird were rushing right behind me.

“Now it’s time to break through this narrow world and go out.”

In an instant, the light covered the world.

In a world filled with a pure white light, the shadow tiger, dragon, and vermilion bird scattered like paint in a rapid stream. And yet, in front, only a huge wall stood firmly.

‘Is this still not enough?’

I dragged my two legs, which felt like they would collapse at any moment, and walked right up to the wall. My vision was blurring, but I gathered all my will and pushed the sphere of light that had been gathered at one point of the wall with all my might.

“Keuk!”

I narrowed my brow at the tremendous repulsive force. To think it was so difficult to even make a hole smaller than my palm even after pouring so much into it. I became stubborn. I clenched my teeth without realizing it.

I had thrown away everything, mana, formations, what was lacking?

‘…There was still something left.’

I drew up even the internal energy of my lower dantian, which was almost gone because I had sent it all to the circle. And then, I twisted my waist with the palm that had gathered the sphere of light and extended my arm. A full-powered thrust.

Flash-!

In an instant, a light exploded in front of my eyes, and with a loud noise as if the world were cracking, the shadow wall was pierced.

A hole that was only the size of a palm. But I moved my staggering steps and headed beyond it.

But what was there was an unexpected, unknown space.

What revealed itself, filling my entire vision, was a spiral that seemed to swallow everything. Countless spiral arms grew from the spiral, and again, countless spirals grew from the countless spiral arms. A space where that continued infinitely.

I felt like I would suffocate at the endlessly vast scenery.

The center of the spiral was staring this way.

In a moment of distant unknown, I felt a hallucination as if my consciousness were scattering.

I felt like I would be sucked into a point that was eternally converging.

I reached out my hand beyond it without realizing it. And the moment I thought I had met the eyes of the center of the spiral. The world collapsed.

The entire formation cracked and then shattered.

A world that had become clearly bright. There was a sky spread out above my head, a ground on which I had set my feet, and a crowd surrounding me.

“The formation has disappeared?”

“What just happened?”

Although I could hear the confused murmuring, I didn’t have the energy to care.

When I lifted my head with difficulty, Zhuge Hyeonguk had an expression of astonishment, as if he were very surprised.

“…Did you see it? That thing?”

‘That thing? Are you talking about that outrageous thing?’

I nodded my head without a word. I was so exhausted that I couldn’t even make a sound, so that was the limit.

That thing. If I had my way, I would have wanted to ask back what that thing I had just seen was.

But there was another question that was more urgent to solve.

“How can a guest draw his sword so privately?!”

“A junior is in danger of dying, so I can’t help but step up.”

Between Zhuge Hyeonguk and me, two men were confronting each other, raising their voices.

Cho Min-ha and Jangyeo.

The two men were facing each other with their swords drawn.

‘What in the world happened?’

At that sight, I roughly grasped the situation.

It seemed that after Zhuge Hyeonguk’s shadow world had unfolded and Cho Min-ha had sensed the sinister energy, he had couldn’t stand it and had interfered in the exam, and Protector Jangyeo had blocked him.

I suddenly recalled the unnaturally shattered spiral.

‘Then did Cho Min-ha intervene at that time?’

To think so, it felt like the formation itself had crumbled at the last moment.

‘Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now.’

For now, it was a priority to sort out the situation. If things went wrong, the Iron String Unit and the family’s martial artists who had come as onlookers would all rush at Cho Min-ha.

I gathered my breath and quietly cut into their conversation.

“I don’t know what happened while I was trapped in the formation, but I would appreciate it if you both would back down.”

“Junior! How are you?”

Cho Min-ha, who was acting strangely friendly. Beyond him, Jangyeo, who had been standing, parted his lips.

“Hmm, you were safe. But that is a matter for Zhuge Hyeonguk-nim to judge.”

Jangyeo added, paying his respects to Zhuge Hyeonguk, who was standing behind him. Whether he was still in shock, a reply came back a beat late when his name was mentioned.

“…The exam will end with this. Since this side also pushed too hard, I will not make an issue of the guest interfering at the last minute.”

That was the end of it. Jangyeo and Cho Min-ha each backed away, and the surrounding killing intent also subsided.

And soon, only Zhuge Hyeonguk and I were left on the stage. Whether he had a lot to think about, he put a pipe in his mouth and then exhaled smoke as if sighing.

“…To think you would reach that far.”

The first words that finally came out. After that, an evaluation followed.

“You pass. You are fully qualified as a first-class formation master. From this moment on, I, Zhuge Hyeonguk, proclaim that Zhuge Cheonwu is a first-class formation master.”

““Ooooh!””

In just one day, a third-class formation master had become a first-class formation master. The reaction of the audience, who were excited at the tremendous anomaly.

Among them, there were some who were not pleased with the unconventional promotion itself, but no one raised an objection.

Who would dare to oppose the official recognition of Zhuge Hyeonguk, an elder of the family and a special-class formation master?

‘With this, I’m one step closer to my goal.’

With this, I had a weapon I could pull out on the future ‘Day of Proof’. I paid my respects moderately and went down the stage. Just then, at the voice of Zhuge Hyeonguk calling me, I stopped my feet.

“Zhuge Cheonwu, I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Please speak.”

The other side was a prestigious elder, but this side was a third scoundrel with nothing but his bloodline. What great thing would he ask for, even if it was a favor?

When I answered out of courtesy, a surprisingly startling proposal came in.

“I would like you to be my successor.”

* * *

“Yes?!!”

The reaction came from behind me first. Zhuge Jong-cheol, whose hair on his forehead was all burnt, stood up from his seat while being nursed.

But it was the same for those around.

“Zhuge Cheonwu is becoming the elder’s successor? Does that mean he’s the next special-class?”

“I can’t guarantee it. But it’s surprising. A person who was not even pleased with taking in disciples until now…”

“Perhaps it was a planned promotion. Hasn’t the third young master been the only one without a special skill until now?”

“Watch your mouth! Elder Zhuge Hyeonguk is not such a person! And besides, he has no maternal relatives, so who…”

It was surprising enough that a third-class had become a first-class overnight, but to be the successor of a special-class formation master. Of course, there was no choice but to have words.

In the midst of the worried questions of those around, Zhuge Hyeonguk, who was the cause and the person concerned in all this, was looking only at me.

“Will you accept?”

‘This is a variable.’

What I wanted was the qualification of a first-class formation master. But this was an unexpected gain.

“Is there something like an obligation?”

“There is a humble wish that you would lead the Dark Formation School that I am in charge of in the future.”

It was not humble at all. To suddenly become the head of a formation school.

I gathered my thoughts for a moment and cautiously opened my mouth.

“Can I think about it after hearing the conditions first? Since it’s rather sudden.”

A very reasonable response. But it seemed that was a way of life from the perspective of a modern person.

“Look at this cheeky fellow! To be weighing the position that all formation masters long for! Are you insulting Zhuge Hyeonguk-nim and the formation masters under him, and furthermore, the formation world!”

At the voice of Zhuge Jong-cheol, whose bangs were half-burnt, some sent a look as if they agreed.

Since I had acted as if I were weighing a good proposal from an elder and a superior of the family, it was only natural that they would not look at me favorably in a family that was Confucian culture itself.

And on top of that, with Zhuge Jong-cheol’s strange incitement, it was even more so. I had thought he was weak in both formations and martial arts for an elder, but he was not a person who had risen to that position for nothing.

‘Did I make a mistake?’

Whether it was because of a lack of mana, my head was not working well. I should have responded, considering the cultural differences, not just the logical part.

Just as I was contemplating how to resolve this subtle atmosphere, Zhuge Hyeonguk cut in.

“The formation certification exam has just ended. From now on, it is a private conversation between a master and a disciple, so how can an outsider cut in and discuss me, and evaluate the formation world?”

At his dismissal, whether he had felt that something was unusual, Zhuge Jong-cheol’s expression hardened.

“Th-that’s not it. I just…”

And to think he would call it a master-disciple relationship, as if to subtly protect me. That old man was also no ordinary person.

“Are you saying my judgment was wrong?”

“No! Of course not!”

The guy who was startled at Zhuge Hyeonguk’s question and waved his hands. The expression of getting a scolding for stepping up unnecessarily was a perfect fit.

Of course, it was that much of an unconventional proposal. To be the successor of Zhuge Hyeonguk was a matter that would turn the formation world upside down for a while.

“Hoho, it seems I’ve held you back unintentionally. I hope we can have a conversation soon. Please don’t feel burdened and think about it.”

With that, Zhuge Hyeonguk left the stage. The event that had ended as it was. As the crowd approached to surround me, I cleverly escaped to the inner quarters.

I felt like I would collapse at any moment because I had used up too much of the circle’s mana.

Whether he had noticed this, Cho Min-ha, who had joined late, also opened a path for me in a way that subtly protected me, so I was able to enter the room without difficulty.

Whether it was the aftermath of the exam, which had been a series of anomalies, the outside was still noisy. But it didn’t matter. That was something that the future me would have to deal with.

‘There were too many things. It’s tiring.’

I lay down on the bed as if I had fainted. Without even imagining what would happen the next day.

(End of Chapter)