I Was Mistaken as a Genius Mage in a Game

Alter began by teaching the boy how to use a grimoire, followed by a few basic magic theories.

The boy absorbed Alter’s teachings like a sponge, as if to prove his innate talent.

…Ordinary children would take over a week just to comprehend a single sentence from Alter. Yet, as if to prove his worth, this boy absorbed every word Alter uttered, down to the last syllable, making it entirely his own.

Instantly, upon hearing the explanation.

Before long, Alter found himself giving extended lessons that lasted one or two hours, despite originally intending to keep them brief with just a few simple words.

At some point, even his disciple, Lir, had quietly leaned in, her long ears attentively listening to her master's words.

Despite the jolting and shaking of the carriage, Lir had taken out her notebook and was diligently transcribing her master’s teachings.

Alter’s lecture continued as the carriage wheels rolled on. And since the expedition team had left the capital, the wheels had not stopped even once.

“Um… excuse me, but could we take a short break?”

It was Bin who interrupted Alter’s lecture.

The boy let out a sigh, clearly exhausted from over two hours of continuous instruction. Leaning against the carriage wall, he began rubbing his eyelids.

‘…Damn, I got too absorbed without realizing it.’

Alter had merely intended to give him a few light pointers, appreciating how diligently Bin was working as a member of the Sword Saint’s party.

However, the way the boy comprehended and internalized the lessons was… unusual.

After learning how to use a grimoire, the boy posed increasingly advanced questions. He even pointed out subtle differences between Alter’s magic theories and those found in general literature, then reinterpreted them in his own words.

It was an uncanny feeling.

The boy was clearly new to magic. He still lacked knowledge of many fundamental theories.

Yet, at the same time, there were aspects that made it hard to believe he was a novice. He grasped profound theories and knowledge that took ordinary mages years to master—as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

‘…He accepts these theories as if they are obvious. Normally, first-time listeners would just stare at me in a daze.’

To test whether the boy was merely pretending to understand, Alter deliberately slipped errors into his explanations.

Each time, the boy unerringly pointed out the inconsistencies, questioning whether they created contradictions.

‘…Ha, at this rate, he’s already leagues ahead of where I was in my twenties.’

Along with admiration, curiosity stirred in Alter. He wanted to see just how far the boy’s limits extended.

Thus, he began challenging him with increasingly difficult theories.

“Magic is the power of thought. Fundamentally, it overlays cognitive processing onto internal mana.”

Before he knew it, he had moved on to intermediate concepts.

“The names of spells were developed to assist with the complex magical computations within the brain. While magic can be cast without chanting a spell’s name, the computational difficulty skyrockets. Just as writing out calculations on paper is faster and more accurate than doing them mentally, the same principle applies here…”

Eventually, he realized he had started expounding on advanced magic theories.

‘His comprehension is astounding. Even mages who’ve studied for over forty years struggle to grasp these concepts…’

Alter leaned back against the corner of the carriage, watching Bin rub his temples and eyelids while groaning. A faint smile appeared on his lips.

Bin had his eyes closed and did not notice, but Lir, his disciple, immediately understood the meaning behind that smile.

Alter wanted to take this boy as his disciple.

The mere sight of him absorbing and making these theories his own was proof enough of his talent.

…At this point, it no longer mattered what level his Bolt was.

Even if the boy’s Bolt turned out to be utterly abysmal, Alter had already decided to take him as his apprentice.

Just as that resolution settled firmly in Alter’s heart, the boy, still massaging his eyelids, uttered something truly audacious.

“If I master magic, wouldn’t it be possible for me to develop new spells?”

***

I slumped against the corner of the carriage, rubbing my temples and eyelids as I caught my breath.

‘This is killing me.’

When I first encountered Alter, it felt like I had been shoved off a cliff.

The moment we met, he immediately demanded to see my Bolt, scrutinized me with blatant suspicion, and never stopped staring at me.

At first, I was simply overwhelmed by his sudden demands and piercing gaze.

However, it quickly dawned on me that this was not just a crisis, but also another opportunity.

The expedition to the Enker Highlands would take about two weeks for a round trip.

Along the way, we might encounter abandoned failed mutants discarded by the demons or even goblins and other monsters.

The elite infantry near the capital could handle the usual weaklings, but the closer we got to the Enker Highlands, the stronger the enemies would become. Battles might arise where even level 20 or 30 elite soldiers—and level 40 squad captains—would struggle.

As a half-baked mage who could only use ‘Bloom,’ I would naturally be useless in those fights.

However, with Alter—an 8th-circle mage—and his disciple Lir joining our forces, the situation had completely changed.

In particular, Alter, the former Magic Tower Master, was an anomaly who could single-handedly wipe out every monster along the route from the capital to the Enker Highlands.

It didn’t matter if he tested me or looked at me with suspicion.

Just having him accompany the expedition, for any reason, meant our survival rate would shoot up to nearly 100 percent.

Even if it meant putting on an act, pretending to be intelligent and extraordinary while enduring the mental exhaustion, it was worth it.

‘At least I got something out of this.’

As expected of a former Magic Tower Master, Alter was incredibly skilled at teaching.

Even someone like me, who had never studied seriously in my life, found his explanations easy to grasp. It made me understand why parents were willing to pay millions for elite tutors in Daechi-dong.

‘I’ve figured out the basic mechanism of magic.’

According to Alter, mages didn’t chant spell names just for dramatic effect.

Magic was essentially… like mathematics.

Magic fundamentally originated from the brain. It refined the body’s internal mana through a form of computation and released it externally.

Fast and precise ‘computation’ directly impacted the speed and power of magic.

The spell names mages chanted were tools to assist these computations.

It was similar to how referring to an equation as ‘quadratic formula’ helped recall its method more easily than reciting ‘a?2 + b? + c = 0’ every time.

…Though I had no clue what a quadratic equation was actually used for. I had dropped out of high school, and even before that, I had long since given up on math.

Regardless, the important thing was that I now understood the mechanics of this power.

By understanding how it functioned, I could become even stronger.

After all, there was a vast difference between someone kicking a ball purely on instinct and a soccer player who had refined their technique through systematic research and practice.

Moreover, structured study and training could open up new horizons for me.

“If I master magic, wouldn’t it be possible for me to develop new spells?”

I had locked all magic except for ‘Bloom’ in the skill selection window.

But what if I developed a new spell? That spell would surely be usable.

After all, when I created my character and locked my skills, that magic had not yet existed.

How could something that doesn’t exist be locked?

It wouldn’t compare to classics like ‘Bolt’ or ‘Lightning Strike,’ but if I could develop and use my own magic, my survival rate would increase dramatically.

“But the current system is the result of centuries, even millennia, of refinement by countless predecessors. It’s been 200 years since the last new spell was developed. If such a thing were possible…”

Alter trailed off, his tone carrying a hint of concern.

“Bin, your name would be engraved in the history of the Electromancy school.”

Hmm.

So that method was out.

Me, who had never properly studied in my life, suddenly came up with an advanced computational framework like the ‘Boiler Principle’... That was as close to impossible as it got.

In that case, instead of wasting time on something so futile, it would be far easier and faster to gather ‘Artifacts’ or the Blessings of the Spirits hidden around the world.

I let out a quiet sigh, thinking, ‘I should have at least enabled Bolt…’ and closed my eyes.

For some reason, I felt utterly exhausted despite having done nothing.

In the end, this ridiculously frail body succumbed to deep sleep in the rattling carriage, as if I had passed out.

It was still only sunset.

***

‘…That was probably not something he said with deep intent.’

As the twilight settled over the boy who had dozed off under its dim glow, Alter furrowed his brows deeply.

‘With this level of immense magical intelligence, supported by such delicate mana control…’

It wasn’t entirely impossible.

No, perhaps this boy was more likely to bring a new era to the Electromancy school than not.

“You seem… excited.”

Lir cautiously moved her lips after confirming that the boy was deeply asleep.

Her voice was small, nearly swallowed by the rattling carriage, but to Alter, who had raised this elf for years, it was crystal clear.

“Does it look that way?”

“Yes. You have a pleased expression…”

“Heh.”

A pleased expression, she said.

He couldn’t even recall the last time he had been told something like that while teaching students.

“Lately, I’ve only been dealing with mediocrities.”

“…Like that herd of Tauros that’s been tailing us closely for a while now?”

Lir set down her quill and notebook on the carriage floor, adjusting her wizard’s hat as she spoke.

Beyond the horses’ hooves striking the ground, a faint, unnatural vibration mixed into the night air.

“Yes. After teaching nothing but half-baked fools for so long, I suppose I got excited at the prospect of finally mentoring a vessel worthy of becoming a dragon.”

“Are you not going to wake him? You seemed very curious about his magic…”

“Let him rest. I didn’t climb onto this uncomfortable carriage just to watch him use magic on some half-formed monsters.”

Originally, he had intended to see a few simple ‘Bolt’ spells. That alone would have been enough to gauge the boy’s capabilities as a mage.

However, after conversing with him, after inadvertently teaching him, after watching him absorb knowledge instantly—Alter’s thoughts had changed.

He was desperate to see this boy’s limits.

He wanted to witness him battling a dragon firsthand, to gauge what kind of monster he would ultimately become.

To see if, as he claimed, he could truly develop a new spell… and be a genius who would go down in the annals of magical history.

“I want to see him at his full strength against a dragon.”

Enchanted.

Yes, Alter was completely enchanted by the boy’s talent.

“Rear guard, Tauros herd detected! Estimated numbers between 30 and 40!”

At that moment, a loud shout rang out from the back of the formation.

“They’re here. What’s the distance from our main force?”

“Approximately 50 to 60 meters!”

“That’s a bit too close to shake them off… No choice then, prepare for com—”

Swish!

Just as the squad leader was about to draw his blade and issue orders, a faint streak of lightning flickered past his vision.

“…Ah, never mind. Just ignore them and keep moving.”

Alter Heindel, the 8th-circle high mage, casually poked his head out of the carriage, a friendly smile on his face.

“…Did you handle it?”

“We have a long journey ahead. We can’t afford to be slowed down by such things.”

The squad leader, who had just begun unsheathing his sword, exchanged glances with his men and let out a chuckle before returning their weapons to their sheaths.

“Well, thanks to the mages, this expedition is practically a free ride.”

“The former Magic Tower Master, Heindel… the rising star of the Hero’s party, Bin… and even Heindel’s disciple. Just the people in that carriage alone could probably defend two or three cities.”

“Thanks to Bin bringing Heindel along, this expedition just got a whole lot easier. When I first heard that Heindel was joining, I thought I had misheard. The legendary Magic Tower Master, here to help us?”

Thanks to Alter Heindel’s performance, Bin, who was sleeping soundly in the corner of the carriage, found his reputation rising.

“To think he managed to bring Heindel along… I don’t know how he did it, but Bin must be incredibly capable—not just in magic, but in negotiation as well.”

While it was true that Bin had orchestrated Alter Heindel’s participation in the expedition…

“Well, of course. Do you think the Sword Saint would take someone into his party just for their magic? He must have outstanding qualities beyond just his spellcasting.”

“That’s true. That position is far from a light one.”

…This was taking a strange turn.

Fast asleep in the rattling carriage, exhausted beyond belief, Bin had no idea that his reputation among the soldiers was skyrocketing.