I Became a Terminally Ill Magic Genius at the Academy

Yohan leisurely walked through the trees, calmly assessing the situation as he went. 

The dormitory assignment exam at the Arcana Academy was, to be honest, more like a sports match than a real test. 

While it wasn’t exactly like watching a game being played out, each dorm wanted the best students to be assigned to their ranks. 

It was a matter of pride.

Even with just three people, factions can form, so it was only natural that with hundreds of students and the dorm system dividing them into teams, competition would arise. 

Since the Aaron Island would assign dorms based on each student’s character and abilities, most students felt satisfied with their placements and developed a strong sense of belonging.

‘It’s all part of the plan.’

The academy’s entire system was designed to encourage students to be aware of one another and compete. 

And it wasn’t just the students—sometimes even the faculty would find themselves in competition. 

Officially, it was all about learning and growth through competition, but Yohan knew the real reason.

The principal.

With a demon as the head of the academy, it was inevitable that the institution was shaped by their influence. 

The principal , after all, loved wagers, games, and competition. 

Moreover, the Arcana Academy had originally been established to train mages to combat dark mages like the ‘Lord’ or the Crow, which only added to its competitive structure.

‘For now, it’s best to escape Aaron Island as quickly as possible.’

The sooner one exited, the more benefits they would receive. 

One of the key advantages was being able to choose a room in the dorm before others. 

And as someone who had lived in an orphanage, Yohan knew all too well what shared living was like. 

A single room was essential for his mental well-being. 

He needed to place in the top 12 overall to secure a single room, which meant being in the top three within his dorm.

Arcana Academy had four dormitories.

The Solitary White Wolf Dormitory.

The Blazing Golden Lion Dormitory.

The Cautious Iron Bear Dormitory,.

The Gentle Fawn Dormitory.

Of these, the focus of the story was the ‘Blazing Golden Lion Dormitory.’

This was where the protagonist, Cedric, was assigned. 

The issue was that Yohan Hart would also be assigned to this dorm. 

So, while placing in the top 12 overall would earn him a single room, within the Golden Lion Dormitory, he had to place in the top 3. 

And with Cedric coming in first in the original story, that left only two spots.

Yohan had to hurry to secure one of them.

“Maybe I should aim to be the first one out…”

Just because you enter first doesn’t mean you’ll score the highest. 

If your mana stones get taken, your score will drop, and even if that doesn’t happen, others could enter Aaron Island with multiple mana stones, lowering your rank. 

So, you might think it’s a good idea to gather more mana stones from others, but…

‘There’s no need to fight here.’

It was a matter of efficiency. 

The only spells Yohan could use without suffering any aftereffects were basic ones. 

Instead of risking a fight to take mana stones, it was much easier for him to escape as quickly as possible.

“Since I already know how to get out.”

Yohan muttered to himself as he glanced around. 

You could use any method to escape Aaron Island, but for Yohan, the simplest option was already clear. 

He planned to find one of the teleportation devices installed on the island to escape. 

There were four devices in total, and scattered around the island were hidden papers with teleportation circles drawn on them.

The normal route involved finding these papers, interpreting the magic circles, and then heading to the teleportation device. 

But Yohan planned to skip that and go straight for the teleportation device itself. 

He slowly started walking in search of it.

After walking for some time, he heard a rustling sound.

Yohan quickly raised his magic pen. 

Aaron Island was full of beasts, and now, other first-year students might be targeting his mana stones. 

It was only natural to be on guard.

He quickly found the source of the sound. 

He caught a glimpse of brown hair through the bushes and spoke up.

“No point in hiding. Why don’t you just come out?”

The person didn’t try to resist and stepped forward right away. 

They likely hadn’t intended to hide in the first place.

“Well, since we’ve run into each other, I guess there’s no way we can just walk past each other. How about a fight?”

The owner of the brown hair revealed herself.

It was Cecilia.

She raised her magic pen and provocatively asked. 

Seeing her immediately assume a battle stance made Yohan chuckle softly.

‘She must have really hated me to have raised her magic pen before I even said a word.’

It couldn’t be helped since past Yohan had made mistakes. 

Likely, more people affected by his past actions would emerge later on. 

Regardless, Yohan now had to deal with the consequences of those mistakes. 

Whatever the case, he figured that if he handled things well from now on, it should be fine.

He shrugged his shoulders.

“Is it necessary?”

“… What’s your angle?”

Cecilia narrowed her eyes and stared at Yohan. 

She had been ready to fight, but Yohan’s question about whether they really needed to battle made her suspicious.

“What angle? I’m just saying there’s no need for us to fight.”

“You’re not seriously offering me your mana stone, are you?”

“No. I’m saying we should just leave each other alone and act like we didn’t see anything.”

Yohan proposed as he looked at Cecilia. 

Sure, taking Cecilia’s mana stone would give him a higher score, but…

‘It wouldn’t be easy to fight her.’

In the past few days, Yohan had practiced basic spells to regain his sense of magic usage. 

However, casting spells during practice and using them in battle were entirely different matters.

Since Yohan was confident he could escape faster than anyone else once he found the teleportation circle, he judged that there was no reason to risk a magic battle.

“What? Are you too scared to fight because I smell like oil?”

“I’m really just suggesting that we both pass each other peacefully.”

“As if I’d believe you.”

Of course, Cecilia didn’t trust Yohan’s reasoning. 

She was practically his sworn enemy, after all. 

Even if Yohan told her the sun rose in the east, she would likely doubt it. 

There was no way she’d believe he wanted to let her go peacefully now.

‘My past karma is catching up with me…’

What could he do? 

This was all part of the story he had set up himself.

“Whether we fight here or not, it’s only going to hurt us both. I don’t even want to fight you.”

“The only one who suffers is the loser. What does the winner have to lose?”

Yohan tried one last time to convince her, but Cecilia wasn’t having it. 

The tip of her magic pen began to glow, signaling that she was ready to cast a spell.

‘Looks like there’s no other choice.’

He’d have to fight.

Yohan turned serious.

———

Cecilia Diaz.

As the second daughter of the Diaz family, Cecilia loved magical engineering. 

Getting oil on her hands was an everyday occurrence for her, and her toys were complex mechanical golems. 

However, there was something else she loved just as much—good-looking things.

That’s right. 

She had a weakness for handsome faces.

But, at a young age, she realized one of the sad truths of the world.

It was at the age of 12.

‘That’s when it all began.’

At a banquet held at the imperial palace, attended by high-ranking nobles and their children, Cecilia, as usual, had been fiddling with a golem until her father forced her to attend. 

She much preferred tinkering with golems alone in peace over social gatherings. 

Why bother with a banquet?

While lost in such thoughts, she saw him.

Silky black hair.

Eyes that appeared like rubies.

It was Yohan Hart.

‘My eyes must have been deceiving me.’

She remembered that day vividly. 

Struck by the sight of his handsome face, Cecilia tugged at her father’s hand and asked.

“Who is that boy?”

“He’s the same age as you. Yohan Hart.”

Hearing that they were the same age, she gathered the courage to speak to him.

“Hi.”

“…….”

She greeted him first, but no response came.

Still, she understood. 

She had heard recently that Yohan’s mother had passed away.

“I’m sorry about your mother. Stay strong.”

It was the best comfort she could offer at such a young age. She expected a kind or at least neutral response.

However…

“Get lost.”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you hear me? Don’t give me some half-hearted sympathy. Get lost, you reek of oil.”

Yohan’s words were cold, beyond harsh.

It was the first time she had ever been told to get lost.

Who would dare tell the youngest daughter of the Diaz family to get lost?

Having heard such harsh words for the first time in her life, Cecilia Diaz came to a realization at that moment:

‘Good-looking guys always live up to their looks.’

It was a sad truth that wasn’t taught directly by the world.

That day, she made a resolution.

Since people couldn’t be trusted, she would only rely on the golems she built herself.

In the end, Cecilia locked herself in her room and continued to delve into magical engineering. 

Given that the Diaz family specialized in golem magic, she had the perfect environment to focus on building golems.

As time passed, she finally succeeded in creating her own golem.

At the age of 13, Cecilia faced Yohan again.

This time, it was at a banquet hosted by the Diaz family, which naturally allowed her to showcase the golem she had created.

She presented it with great pride.

“Ugly.”

Yohan’s single remark deeply wounded Cecilia. 

Sure, it was true that she had focused on function, so the appearance was a bit lacking. And, of course, a golem made of solid steel wasn’t going to be handsome.

If anyone else had said such a thing, she could have countered with a mountain of retorts. 

But coming from Yohan Hart, who was undeniably good-looking, she was left speechless, unable to argue back.

And now…

‘I’ve always wanted to punch that face just once.’

Cecilia Diaz suppressed a laugh as she watched Yohan Hart’s tense face.

In this situation, not taking her chance would mean she wasn’t true to herself.

With a smooth movement, she began to move her magic pen.

The gears on the back of her pen slowly turned, indicating that the magic circle was being drawn correctly.

“Golem, summon.”

She then cast her spell.

Whirr!

The magic circle drawn in the air emitted light.

Thud.

A 2.5-meter-tall golem was summoned.

A golem made of solid steel with a sleek finish.

Cecilia Diaz’s masterpiece.