Magic Academy's Genius Blinker
Chapter 463: Arctic Iceberg Mountain (10)

Chapter 463 - Arctic Iceberg Mountain (10)

Contrary to Baek Yu-Seol's concerns, passing through the Frozen Crystal Mines was easier than expected.

There were barely any monsters left in the mines.

'It must be because of those white mirages.' 

Yet... Was this really a good thing?

A threat ranked at level seven wasn't something that should pop up like fallen leaves on a forest floor.

Those creatures were classified as minor catastrophes. In other words, for humanity to endure, their population must remain scarce.

When the first one appeared, it was easy to dismiss—

But for two 7-risk creatures to appear at the same time?

That was no trivial matter.

'What in the world is happening here?' 

Even the knowledge he'd gathered from the game was now proving useless.

Not even the trusted analysis tool, the Sentient Spec, could make sense of these strange lifeforms.

It was as if they didn't belong to this world...

"That's the way out."

Forcing himself to hide his unease, Baek Yu-Seol put on a cheerful expression and pointed ahead.

But Florin already knew—

She could sense that something about the situation was very wrong.

"It'll be cold outside, so let's put our robes back on."

"Okay."

Regardless of the situation, their immediate goal was to reach the Ice Spirit Plateau Fortress and find Grand Duke Selphram.

Pulling the hood over his head, Baek Yu-Seol stepped toward the exit, mentally preparing for the bitter chill.

And then.

[Persona Gate detected—'Ice Spirit Plateau Fortress, Blooming with Life.'] 

Instead of a blizzard—

Warm sunlight poured down, accompanied by a refreshing breeze.

"Huh...?"

Baek Yu-Seol couldn't hide his shock.

Neither could Florin, who followed closely behind.

"What... is this...?"

Arctic Iceberg Mountain was supposed to be a frozen wasteland, battered by blizzards all year round...

A place where life simply could not take root.

But now...?

What in the world had happened?

The world that unfolded after emerging from the Frozen Crystal Mines was...

A field of flowers.

The landscape was flushed with pink and green, an ocean of vibrant blossoms stretching in all directions, with towering trees swaying above them.

In the distance, meadows and forests thrived under the warm sun, exuding a peaceful glow.

Near a clear-running stream, wild animals grazed, utterly at ease.

Butterflies drifted over the flowerbeds, and radiant birds soared across the sky.

As Baek Yu-Seol stepped forward, Florin quickly grabbed his arm.

"This place... It's fake."

"... I figured as much."

Baek Yu-Seol looked up at the floating [Persona Gate] shimmering above them.

He hadn't even passed through the gate's entrance—

Yet at some point, this alternate world had already engulfed him.

'...This has never happened before.'

Could a Persona Gate actually forcefully trap someone?

He'd never seen it happen, but it seemed possible.

After all, the Witch Queen Scarlet had used a similar method to manipulate Persona Gates before.

"Let's keep going. We won't learn anything by standing around."

"... Wait a moment."

Florin released her grip on Baek Yu-Seol's arm and stretched her hand toward the ground.

Closing her eyes, she began to chant a short spell.

Suddenly—

The flowers swelled to more than ten times their size, releasing pollen into the air.

"What?"

Baek Yu-Seol was shocked.

This was undoubtedly a Persona Gate.

Logically, the flowers should have been fake—mere illusions.

"How did you do that? Did you make fake flowers bloom?"

"No... These are real flowers."

"What?"

Florin gazed at the spectacle surrounding them and spoke quietly.

"These flowers, the animals, the trees... none of them are illusions. They're actually alive."

Impossible.

This was the Arctic Iceberg Mountain... a frozen wasteland where life couldn't survive.

The Persona Gate overlaying this place should have been nothing but an illusion.

"... Let's move forward."

With no clear answers, Baek Yu-Seol decided to head toward the Ice Spirit Plateau Fortress.

The path was strangely serene. Instead of vicious monsters, they encountered only peaceful herbivores, requiring no battles at all.

'Is this really a Persona Gate?' 

Persona Gates always had problems or trials that needed to be resolved in order to escape.

There was always a test.

Baek Yu-Seol tapped suspiciously at the surroundings, scrutinizing everything he could see.

His experience growing up in Korean RPGs told him that excessive peace usually hinted at something sinister lurking beneath the surface.

"There's a village up ahead."

"... Yeah."

A village? Here?

Impossible.

There were no villages within several kilometers of the Ice Spirit Plateau Fortress.

So what was this village doing here?

Baek Yu-Seol and Florin fell silent as they cautiously approached the village.

"Ahahaha!"

"Hehehe..."

"Hihi!"

The village was inhabited by humans.

They were laughing, dancing, and singing as if they had not a care in the world.

They paid no attention to Baek Yu-Seol or Florin, moving and chattering as if in their own world.

'What kind of asylum is this...?' 

They seemed unhinged, but did it make sense for a Persona Gate to spawn random lunatics?

The answer was obvious: these villagers were likely the key to unraveling whatever was happening here.

Without hesitation, Baek Yu-Seol took out his Sentient Spec and scanned them.

[Error detected!] 

[Error code: ???] 

[Analysis failed. Unreadable dimensional code.] 

The results were far more shocking than he had expected.

"What the...?"

It was a message he had seen before.

Just days ago, during the battle in Trkalanta, he had encountered a risk level 7 creature and this was exactly the same message that appeared back then.

Unable to believe what he was seeing, Baek Yu-Seol scanned every human in the village using his Sentient Spec.

[Error detected!] 

[Error detected!] 

[Error detected!] 

No matter how many times he tried, the spec screamed errors, unable to provide any answers.

"Does that mean... No way..."

Were all the humans in this village actually those white mirages he had encountered in reality?

Currently, they had human forms inside the Persona Gate, but the moment they returned to reality, they would revert back into white mirage.

"Are you okay? Did you figure something out?"

Despite Florin's question, Baek Yu-Seol couldn't answer.

There were hundreds of these humanoid figures in the village alone.

And there was no guarantee that this was the only village.

For all he knew, there could be thousands—or even tens of thousands—of these creatures blanketing the Arctic Iceberg Mountain.

Cold sweat trickled down his back.

If they cleared the Persona Gate and returned to reality, all of these white mirage would be unleashed into the world.

But if they failed to clear it—

'We'll be trapped here forever.' 

Neither option offered a hopeful outcome. Slowly, he glanced over at Florin, whose face was etched with worry.

Florin was the Elf King... she had a home she must return to at all costs. Yet, if she learned the truth, would she truly agree to leave this place?

"Why do you look so troubled...?"

"Uh, sister Florin..."

"Yes? Please go ahead."

Baek Yu-Seol opened his mouth, then closed it again.

It was just too awkward to bring it up.

"Well... uh..."

After hesitating for a long while, Baek Yu-Seol finally forced out a joke to dodge the topic.

"How about... We just live here forever?"

"... What?"

"I'm joking."

Seeing how visibly flustered she looked, it was clear even the joke had failed.

Today was turning out to be an absolute disaster.

'I need to think of a plan.' 

Clenching his eyes shut, Baek Yu-Seol pushed his mind into overdrive.

'I can't stay here forever.' 

He carried a great responsibility—

To stop the world's destruction.

There was no way he could afford to be trapped here.

He had to figure out a way to minimize casualties before making his escape. Almost without thinking, his hand drifted toward the Teripon Sword at his belt.

'What if... I just cut them all down?' 

Each of these beings supposedly carried a risk level 7 threat.

But was that still true inside this gate?

There was no guarantee.

As if sensing Baek Yu-Seol's thoughts, Florin gently grabbed his hand from behind.

"Don't do it."

When he turned around, Florin was shaking her head with sad eyes.

"I haven't done anything yet."

"You were thinking about cutting them down."

"...That's true."

"Please don't."

"But... Those things are incredibly dangerous..."

"I know. I know they're dangerous."

Even so, she refused.

Florin didn't explain her reasons, but Baek Yu-Seol couldn't help but accept her plea.

How could any man reject such a sincere request when her eyes looked so desperate?

"... Alright."

In the end, Baek Yu-Seol let go of the Teripon Sword and left the village with nothing to show for it.

"Ahahaha!"

"Hehehe! Hahaha!"

Leaving behind the eerily cheerful laughter, they continued climbing through the Arctic Iceberg Mountain.

On the way, they passed seven more villages—

Each one filled with hundreds of humans living peacefully.

Or rather...

Could what these creatures were doing even be called 'living'?

Eventually, they reached Ice Spirit Plateau Fortress. Yet it, too, had transformed.

Though meant to be a defensive stronghold, its walls showed no sign of battle. Instead, flowers clung to them, and the gate stood wide open as if no threat remained in the world.

Strangely enough, not a single person was coming in or going out.

Exchanging uncertain looks, Baek Yu-Seol and Florin stepped through the gate.

Inside lay a stunning city. People crowded the streets, smiling and going about their lives... unlike the earlier villages, these citizens displayed self-awareness and spoke freely with one another.

"Haha! Doesn't today feel wonderful?"

"Excuse me."

"Hmm? What is it, friend?"

Baek Yu-Seol stopped a man passing by and called out to him.

"Is this the Ice Spirit Plateau Fortress?"

"Fortress? If you mean Azure Palace of Ice Spirit Plateau Fortress, then yes! This is the place! And just like its name, it's as beautiful as ever!"

"Then... What about those people?"

Baek Yu-Seol pointed at a man nearby, who was laughing uncontrollably into thin air.

His laughter was so loud and endless that Baek Yu-Seol worried he might rupture a blood vessel—

Yet the man showed no signs of stopping.

"Haha! That man is blessed with happiness! How fortunate is he? Imagine being able to laugh happily until the day you die!"

"Even I feel sad sometimes, you know. I hope you receive the blessing too!"

"Uh... Thank you."

"Have a great day!"

The man waved cheerfully and walked away, leaving Baek Yu-Seol and Florin staring after him in disbelief.

As soon as the man left, Baek Yu-Seol immediately grabbed Florin's hand and led her toward the inner part of the city.

"We need to meet Grand Duke Selphram—the master of this fortress."

"D-Do you think so?"

"Yes."

Thanks to that man's words, Baek Yu-Seol was finally able to grasp the concept of this Persona Gate.

He even had a rough idea of how to resolve it.

[Analysis of the Persona Gate is complete.] 

[The residents of this place wish to live in eternal happiness—a paradise filled with endless laughter.] 

[They will live happily and die happily.] 

[Do you truly intend to destroy their happiness?] 

A wry smile tugged at Baek Yu-Seol's lips. He had seen countless advisories in Persona Gates, but never one phrased like this. It was as though the Gate itself was reprimanding him.

[If you intend to shatter our happiness, be warned.] 

[We, too, have the power to shatter your happiness.] 

The words failed to instill fear in him. Instead, what terrified him was something else altogether.

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