I Became a Terminally Ill Magic Genius at the Academy

As soon as his tutor appeared, Yohan felt his heart race.  

“Honestly…”  

He was a little excited.  

After all, he was a writer.  

When the world he had created became a reality, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement.  

He bowed politely.  

“Let’s begin the lesson, teacher.”  

It took a lot of effort to speak so courteously.  

From the very first day he had possessed this body, it had been like this.  

It appeared that the original Yohan Hart’s personality was still imprinted on the body, so if he didn’t carefully watch his words, they would come out harsher than intended.  

‘Thanks to that, no one’s really suspicious of me… Which is good, I guess.’

But his tutor seemed oddly nervous and constantly watched Yohan’s every move.  

“Ahem! Let’s begin our last lesson.”

“Yes.”  

After another awkward cough, the tutor started speaking.  

“As I mentioned last time, the entrance exam for Arcana Academy is notorious for being difficult.”  

“Well, as long as you’re well-prepared, it’s not that hard.”  

“… Yes, that’s true. In the end, it’s an entrance exam that can be passed with proper preparation, but every year more than half the candidates fail due to a lack of preparation.”  

Tutor Austin glanced sideways at Yohan as if he meant, ‘Are you really in a position to say that?’

Yohan felt wronged.  

‘Heh. Does this tutor even know who I am?’

The current Yohan was a completely different person from the reckless troublemaker before.  

Besides, he was the creator of this world.  

Yohan knew not only the entrance exam for the academy this year but also every event that would occur throughout the entire semester.  

But, of course, he couldn’t just announce, ‘Hey, I’m a possessor of this body.’

So, he simply waited for Austin to continue speaking and quietly watched him.  

“Since the entrance exam for Arcana Academy changes every year, no one can predict exactly how it will be conducted. Therefore, you must be prepared for all possibilities….”  

Yohan nodded lightly at Austin’s explanation.  

Yes. That’s how he had designed it.  

At least the setting for the academy’s entrance exam was exactly as 

he had written it.  

“Even after passing the entrance exam, the tests don’t end. There’s another exam for dormitory assignment.”  

“Aaron Island.”

As Yohan mumbled to himself, Austin paused for a moment before nodding.  

“Yes. That’s correct. The dormitory assignment test takes place on Aaron Island, located in the central lake.”  

This matched the information Yohan already knew.  

Not only that, but everything Austin said afterward also aligned perfectly with the settings he had created.  

“Students are assigned to one of the four dormitories based on the dormitory assignment test.”  

Arcana Academy had four dormitories.

The Solitary White Wolf Dormitory.

The Blazing Golden Lion Dormitory.

The Cautious Iron Bear Dormitory.

The Gentle Fawn Dormitory.  

After listening to the explanations about the dormitories, Yohan nodded with satisfaction.  

‘Okay. It looks like things aren’t straying too far from what I set up.’

While he wasn’t sure about other settings, everything related to the academy was consistent so far.  

This was good enough.  

Now it was time to confirm something else.  

“Teacher.”  

“Yes, Young Master?”  

“Rather than more explanations about the academy, I’d appreciate it if you could show me some magic….”  

He wanted to see if magic worked the way he imagined it.  

Yohan’s proactive attitude made Austin look at him cautiously.  

‘He’s not trying to find fault with me again, is he…?’

He had been caught off guard so many times before that suspicion was only natural.  

But what choice did he have?  

If the student wanted to learn, he had to teach.  

Of course, Austin hadn’t forgotten his duty as a teacher.  

“A magic circle consists of three key elements. Do you know what they are?”  

“‘Formation,’ ‘Layer,’ and ‘Stroke.'”  

“Correct. To elaborate a bit further….”  

Austin raised his magic pen and drew a circle in midair.  

Amazingly, a circular shape appeared in the empty air, following the movement of his pen.  

“This is the foundation of magic, the ‘formation.’ The kind of magic you cast depends on what you place within this formation.”  

The outer ring of the magic circle served as the framework and foundation for the magic.  

Austin continued moving his magic pen.  

“The ‘layer’ drawn inside gives the magic its properties, such as direction, intensity, and duration. The number of layers also determines the rank of the magic.”  

This time, instead of a simple circle, complex geometric shapes began to form in midair.  

While the structure was intricate enough to make a newcomer puzzled, it wasn’t confusing for Yohan Hart.

“The meaning of these layers is…”  

“The first layer is the fire attribute, and the second layer is a formula concerning intensity. This would make it a 2-star spell, and together, they form a magic focused on ‘firepower.’”

“… That’s correct.”  

Austin stared at Yohan in disbelief as he answered perfectly.  

He had never once seen Yohan study, so how could he analyze it so quickly and accurately?  

‘Well, this is a pretty simple formula after all.’  

This was usually taught to noble children around the age of eight.  

Since Yohan Hart had barely studied, it was surprising he knew even this much.  

In fact, it would be strange if he didn’t know it.  

“Ahem! Anyway, now the most important part is next.”  

The final element: the Stroke.  

Yohan Hart leaned slightly forward, paying close attention to Austin’s explanation.  

“In ancient times, this ‘stroke’ was done using runic characters, but they were far too unstable.”  

“Even using the same rune could result in different outcomes.”  

“Exactly.”  

“After many years of refinement, the stroke of magic evolved.”  

This was the core of ‘Arcana Academy,’ the setting that defined the identity of his creation.  

The way magic was used at Arcana Academy could be summed up in one word.

‘Drawing.’

Austin moved his magic pen and quickly sketched a blazing flame in the center of the magic circle…  

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a real flame, identical to the one he had drawn, ignited on the magic circle in the air.  

‘This is modern pictorial magic.’

“That’s insane.”  

“… Pardon?”  

Austin blinked at Yohan’s unexpected admiration.  

But Yohan paid him no mind, his eyes glued to the magic circle and the flame that gradually flickered and faded away.  

‘It’s real magic.’  

It felt like witnessing fire for the first time, similar to what a primitive person might have experienced.  

Yohan let out a soft exhale, and after confirming that the magic circle had completely disappeared without a trace, he quickly raised his head.  

“Would it be alright if I try it myself?”

“Yes, of course. Take your time and practice drawing the magic circle calmly.”  

To reiterate, while Yohan Hart may be cursed, his magical talent is undeniably real.  

However, judging by the worried look on Austin’s face…  

‘It must have been years since he last used magic properly.’

Yohan Hart was universally acknowledged as a troublemaker.  

He had once shown potential in magic when he was young, but after his mother passed away, he became a useless scoundrel.  

However.  

‘Even if Yohan was like that, I need to get this right.’

If he wanted to survive, he had to become stronger.  

It was necessary to kill the ‘Lord.’

Swish.

Yohan picked up the training magic pen and began moving it cautiously.  

———

In front of a greenhouse overflowing with lush greenery and flowers emitting radiant colors, Yohan Hart’s maid, Ariel, waited for his lesson to end.  

‘What’s gotten into him all of a sudden?’

Ariel glanced suspiciously toward the greenhouse.  

It wasn’t the first time Yohan had shown an interest in attending a magic lesson.  

But this time, something felt off.  

– Is there anything I need to prepare?

It was a question that sounded like it came from a diligent model student eager for the lesson.  

But Ariel quickly shook her head.  

‘No way. He’s probably up to something again.’

That was why she was waiting outside the greenhouse. She was ready to step in case something happened.

Having grown up with him, she was one of the few people Yohan Hart would somewhat listen to.  

“Though that’s more of a thing of the past these days.”  

Ariel sighed.  

Lately, Yohan Hart had been going further and further beyond control.  

It was now becoming difficult for even Ariel to manage him.  

‘He wasn’t used to be like this.’

She sighed again, staring at the door to the greenhouse.  

Hazy memories from long ago surfaced in her mind.  

Yohan hadn’t always been a troublemaker from the beginning. 

On the contrary, Yohan had once been attentive to those around him. He displayed a bright mind that earned the full expectations of his family.  

However, Yohan Hart began to change after losing his mother.  

Plunged into despair, Yohan’s downward spiral only accelerated when he was given the terminal diagnosis.  

‘There was a time when I pitied you.’

She had once understood his pain—losing his mother and receiving a death sentence—and had tried to stop him from going astray.  

But that time had passed.  

He was no longer a child who could indulge in tantrums, yet Yohan hadn’t changed.  

Now, neither Ariel nor anyone in the family had any expectations of him.  

She remained as his personal attendant out of a sense of duty.  

Ariel’s father, Alberto, was the Hart family’s head butler.  

Her father was also a longtime friend of the current head of the Hart Family, Grayson Hart, who was known as the Iron-blooded Mage.  

Thanks to that connection, Ariel had been entrusted with serving the heir of the Hart Family more closely than anyone.  

At one point, she had considered it an honor. 

But now…  

“I’m sick of it.”  

Now, she was exhausted.  

After watching Yohan’s frequent outbursts up close, the mere mention of his name made her shudder.  

Her only solace was the fact that Yohan would be taking the entrance exam for Arcana Academy next week.  

Given that Arcana Academy didn’t allow attendants, once Yohan enrolled, Ariel would no longer be his personal servant.  

There was just one problem.  

‘Will the Young Master even pass the entrance exam?’

She frowned as she glanced toward the greenhouse where Yohan was attending his lesson.  

He was the eldest son of the Duke Hart Family, a lineage renowned in history as a family of powerful magicians.  

But despite the prestigious name, Yohan had rarely used magic.  

‘Since his first time casting magic, he hasn’t used it even once…’

What were the odds of someone like Yohan passing the academy’s entrance exam?  

Even with the Hart family’s name, the chances were near zero.  

As Ariel sighed at the improbable hope.

– Gasp!  

A shout, almost a scream, rang out from the greenhouse.  

It was clearly the voice of Austin, the tutor.  

“Damn it. Is it happening again?”  

Ariel immediately assumed Yohan had started causing trouble again.  

After all, the reason she was here was to step in whenever Yohan lost control.  

She nearly threw herself through the greenhouse door and barged in.  

Whoosh!

She was met with surging flames.  

“Ugh! What on earth…?”

Ariel instinctively took a step back and raised her arm to shield her face.  

The heat was that intense.  

The Hart family’s greenhouse garden was one of the specially maintained areas.  

Naturally, fire—or anything capable of starting a fire—was strictly prohibited inside.  

So where had these flames come from?  

“No. More importantly, where is the Young Master?”  

She had no idea why the greenhouse was on fire, but Yohan’s safety was her first concern.  

Carefully avoiding the flames, Ariel moved forward.  

Soon, she saw the cause of the fire in the greenhouse.  

“… Young Master?”  

At the heart of the wild, devouring flames, Yohan Hart was using magic.