I Became the Genius Mage of the Martial Academy

“What?”

Lee Huimun showed a surprised reaction.

“Why is that?”

Baek Hasin also showed a look of concern. It was only natural to have such a question. Because anyone could see that we were at a disadvantage right now.

But on the contrary, that point was important.

I looked at their faces and opened my mouth.

“There are two reasons.”

With that, I spread two fingers in a V-shape.

“First, the enemy won’t think that we will go on the offensive. Because we are at a disadvantage. Even if they keep it in mind, they will probably rate the possibility as low.”

Because in a disadvantageous situation, they would think that concentrating on defense is the more advantageous path. You can tell by the concerned reactions of the team members right now.

‘If we think so, the enemy will probably think the same.’

“That’s why we attack. Because they won’t expect it.”

The basis of military strategy is to fight the battle we want at a time and situation that the enemy does not want.

In that case, what is it that the enemy, who has the advantage in terms of troops, does not want?

‘It’s not acting as expected. In other words, it’s creating a variable by catching them off guard.’

The more they look down on us, the more fiercely we must fight.

“Is that so, I get the gist.”

Lee Huimun cut in and nodded his head.

“But there’s a reason for everything the enemy doesn’t care about. The formations we can take to exploit their weaknesses are limited. If we rush in ambiguously, we’ll be eaten by the orthodox method instead.”

At Lee Huimun’s words, I folded my index finger and showed the remaining middle finger and continued my explanation.

“The last reason is the fact that I know how to use formations. And at a considerable level at that.”

It’s a bit much to praise myself, but I had shattered even Protector Jangyeo of the Zhuge family with a formation, so a mock battle was easy.

Of course, Baek Hasin was still looking at me with a subtle gaze, but this was within my expectations. I added a bluff, making use of the characteristic of [Arrogant Young Master].

“It seems you haven’t heard how I took the top spot. What do you think is the reason I was able to defeat Baek Cheong and Peng Geun-u in that bizarre formation?”

I deliberately let out a slightly villainous sneer to add credibility.

My reputation was at rock bottom anyway. In that case, it was better to use my bad reputation to persuade them.

“…I certainly see that you have a knack for formations. In that case, what’s the strategy?”

“3 will attack. I will defend alone.”

The other three showed a surprised reaction at the declaration, which was close to a notification.

“What?”

“That’s dangerous! Young Master Cheonwu.”

“Did you have that much skill?”

You should have noticed when I said we would attack earlier. I added an explanation, leaving their protests behind.

“If I’m defending with a formation anyway, the number of defenders doesn’t mean much.”

Because a formation works by area.

It’s better to have them join the offense rather than getting our own allies caught up in it.

Because in a real battle, there’s no time to finely adjust the power of a formation.

“Trust me. I’m good at one thing, and that’s holding on.”

“You…!”

When Baek Hasin showed a surprised reaction, I added one more thing.

“Of course, your roles are important. Since it’s come down to a strong vs strong fight, the side that takes the opponent’s apricot tree first wins.”

This side will buy as much time as possible with a formation, and in the meantime, the attack team will go and take the apricot first. It was a simple strategy.

“Can you hold on?”

“Yes.”

I immediately nodded my head at Baek Hasin’s question. With that, the instructors’ voices were heard.

“Each team, prepare for the mock battle from now on!”

* * *

The apricot tree we were assigned was located on a high hill.

It was a position where it was easy to watch the enemy coming.

“It will start with the sound of the trumpet. Everyone, act according to the strategy.”

At the low instruction, the guys, including Baek Hasin, nodded their heads.

Toot toot toot!!

Soon, the sound of the trumpet was heard.

At the same time, Baek Hasin and the team members shot out, and I threw a jade stone and activated the formation I had laid out in the area in advance.

‘As expected, it’s impossible to cover everything.’

I had been laying out the formation during the entire waiting time, but I couldn’t cover this entire wide hill.

‘Still, I’ve secured the paths where the enemy is likely to come.’

It was a relief that I had the experience of facing bandits with a formation before.

Thanks to that, I was able to construct the formation much more skillfully than at that time.

And most of all, there was something else that was clearly different from before.

‘The fact that my circle has grown.’

I completed the activation of the formation, feeling the mana that filled my circle.

Perhaps because I had eaten so many elixirs, just absorbing the remaining amount was this much.

Although it was only the first circle, it couldn’t be compared to the previous flimsy ring of mana.

‘I’ve finally reached the starting line.’

As a mage.

‘They’re coming.’

Soon, the opponent’s movements were detected by the sensing formation.

Two figures rushing from the west at a fast speed.

I took out a jade stone, imbued it with water energy, and scattered it around.

Swoooosh-

Then, in conjunction with the formation, a faint mist began to spread in the shaded area.

Although it didn’t have any physical force, the two figures momentarily stopped in the cloud mist that induced vision and illusion by itself.

I immediately set up a stealth formation around the apricot tree and then ran to where they were.

‘I’ll launch a surprise attack.’

In the first place, I couldn’t make the enemies wander for long with such a hastily made formation.

In that case, it was better to take advantage of the formation and catch the opponent off guard.

‘By the way, where did the other guys go?’

If it was as expected, the other guys would be on the offensive. Conscious of this, I raised my senses to the maximum with mana and was surveying the surroundings, when I heard a faint noise in the distance.

‘Did they clash with the enemies?’

Judging by the distance, it was a sound that came from the middle point.

As expected, the enemies had placed a reserve force for attack in the middle.

‘The best-case scenario.’

A 3 vs 1 fight.

After the three, including Baek Hasin, had crushed the enemy at the middle point, there would only be two enemies left.

Those guys had probably placed personnel in the middle to respond flexibly, but conversely, it meant that if they were caught off guard, it would become an ambiguous tactic.

Just like the current situation.

‘The problem is how long I, the defender, can hold on.’

A situation where both sides’ offenses are superior. Now it’s a speed battle.

As I thought, the enemies started running quickly as soon as they realized that something had gone wrong.

‘They’re coming.’

I lowered my stance, watching the enemy team members who were approaching, cutting through the fog from below the hill.

The first one I saw was the large-bodied Do Sogi.

‘First, I’ll take down the two of them.’

I began to lay the fog thicker by adjusting the formation. Then, the fog began to spread as if pooling at the bottom of the hill.

Soon, they began to head towards the upper hill from the valley below, avoiding the cloud mist.

And as if to check their current location, the two of them split to the left and right.

‘Good.’

It was as I had thought up to this point.

I was able to separate the two thanks to deliberately making the direction of the wind flow differently, making it difficult to grasp their location.

‘Because when you’ve entered a speed battle like now, finding the target quickly is the top priority.’

My two eyes calmly settled, like a predator aiming for its prey.

I could see Do Sogi urgently climbing up the hill where I was hiding, cutting through the fog.

‘I can’t drag this out for long with a hastily made formation anyway.’

Unlike the bandits, these guys were junior students who had been admitted to the academy after their talents were recognized.

It was better to launch a surprise attack rather than trying to buy time with a clumsy formation.

‘And even more so when the enemy is advancing as if being chased, like now.’

I raised my mana and touched the earth attribute of the formation.

Thud-

Then, the ground of the hill where Do Sogi had stepped momentarily caved in and crumbled.

“Heok?!”

It was only deep enough to be used when catching a wild animal, but it was enough to make the opponent lose their balance.

Taking the opportunity, I jumped out of the stealth formation and immediately swung my sword.

Clang!

‘As expected, it doesn’t work.’

Do Sogi, who had urgently drawn his sword and blocked it even while falling, was pushed back as if half-flying down the hill.

“You damn…!”

Even a rotten fish is still a fish, and even if he was a held-back student, he wasn’t that weak.

I immediately raised the mana I had prepared and took out a camouflage talisman from my bosom.

‘With this, I’ve secured my excuse.’

Before the talisman could even flutter, I lit a flame magic at my fingertips and burned it.

Right now, the surroundings were humid.

I immediately imbued it with mana and froze the moisture in the air, creating several sharp fangs of ice.

It was a proper attack magic that I hadn’t been able to do in the academy until now because my mana was low.

“Try to block this.”

Do Sogi, who was floating in the air and looking this way with surprised eyes.

Without giving him a gap, I immediately shot the fangs of ice, carried on a gust of wind magic.

Swiiish!!!

A genuine killing magic, not for support or feinting.

The fangs of ice pierced Do Sogi’s vital points like daggers.

“Keoheok!”

At the unexpected series of attacks, the fangs of ice were embedded in Do Sogi’s side, abdomen, and thighs, excluding his head.

‘I have to follow up with an attack quickly…!’

Seeing Do Sogi raising his two arms, which had ice fragments embedded in them, to protect his head, I swung my sword.

“Keoheok!”

Do Sogi’s two arms, which had been pierced by the fangs of ice, couldn’t use their strength and were pushed back by my sword strike.

‘It’s the end.’

Just as I was about to fly the additionally created fangs of ice at Do Sogi’s temple from a close distance.

Jingle!

A bell sound came from the strange-patterned ornament on the hilt of Do Sogi’s sword, and the mana I had been gathering from a distance scattered in an instant.

“What?”

Although I was flustered by the unexpected situation, I immediately kicked Do Sogi’s ice-embedded abdomen and sent him flying down the hill.

And then I quickly turned the tip of my sword to the side.

At the same time, a sword strike rushes in from a diagonal line.

Clang!

At the heavy blow, which was enough to make my wrist bend, I had no choice but to take two steps back.

‘He’s faster than I thought.’

The opponent also didn’t seem to be ordinary, as he immediately followed up with a series of attacks and dug into my space.

A blade flying sharply towards my neck.

But it never cut me.

“Huh?”

The opponent’s sword tip, which had stopped for a moment.

Surprised, I could see the opponent’s narrow eyes also widening slightly.

“What are you surprised about? Is this the first time you’ve seen a binding formation?”

In fact, I had floated a shield in the middle to block the movement of his joints. I swung my sword, spitting out a lie as naturally as flowing water.

Then, the opponent with narrow eyes, who had flexibly twisted his body to avoid it, created a distance.

I knew him.

“Baek Ra-uk.”

“You know my name?”

Baek Ra-uk replied with a soulless, dry laugh.

‘I have no choice but to know. Because he was a representative villain who backstabbed Baek Hasin in the early game.’

Instead of answering, I raised my sword and aimed it at the guy.

Originally, I would have had to run away or something to buy time here, but my mind had changed.

‘I’ll eliminate that guy here.’

He was a guy who was completely detrimental to Baek Hasin’s growth.

The current world was an unreasonable trash game where you couldn’t even try again.

It was better to nip the bud here rather than leaving a future problem.

“That’s a relief. I would have been disappointed if you had been on the side protecting the apricot tree.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Just as Baek Ra-uk was tilting his head at the out-of-the-blue remark, I gathered all the mana in my body to one place.

“You’ll find out soon.”

At the same time, a pure white energy formed at the tip of my sword. I said, floating a sword qi made of highly condensed mana.

(End of Chapter)