I Became a Terminally Ill Magic Genius at the Academy

“Alright, freshmen. Welcome. I am Herzyn, the vice representative of the White Wolf Dormitory.”

If the dormitory representative, Geron, could be described as a muscleman, the vice representative, Herzyn, could be described as wimpy.

Looking at Herzyn, who seemed like he might collapse with a single punch, Yohan felt a strangely familiar vibe.

‘He reminds me of those kids who used to hole up in their rooms drawing all day.’  

Yohan swallowed his thoughts and listened to what Herzyn had to say.

“Geron went to discuss the dormitory competition with Violet, so I’ll be handling the dormitory orientation.”  

Since the dormitory representative, Geron, was away, the vice representative, Herzyn, was covering the orientation.

“First, as per academy policy, room assignments will proceed in the order of the entrance exam rankings… So, Leila?”  

Herzyn glanced around to find Leila.  

Leila, who had been standing quietly, stepped forward.  

Her silver hair glimmered, and her jet-black eyes stood out.

‘She’s really beautiful.’  

People’s memory was never perfect, but there was no way he would forget drawing someone with such striking looks.  

To draw a character like her would have required meticulous care, and it made no sense that he wouldn’t remember a character he’d put so much effort into.

‘Could there be original characters that didn’t appear in the original work?’  

Her appearance, and her ranking in the White Wolf Dormitory…  

There was a possibility that she was an original character of this world’s setting. Someone not created by him.  

After all, if he could end up in the body of a villain he created, it wasn’t impossible for original characters to exist here.

However…

‘If that’s really the case, I need to be more on my guard.’  

The most powerful weapon Yohan had was his knowledge as the creator of this world.  

But if original characters were to appear, his knowledge would be useless against them.  

Not only that, they could also trigger unexpected and unpredictable events.  

‘For now, let’s observe a bit more.’  

Since the original work mainly revolved around the Golden Lion Dormitory, it’s possible that characters from other dormitories were not mentioned much.  

It was still strange that someone like Leila, who was at the top of her class in the White Wolf Dormitory, went unmentioned, but Yohan decided he needed more time to judge the truth.

Yohan watched Leila closely as Herzyn continued explaining the room assignments with her standing before him.

“The higher you go, the better the rooms get. The best rooms are on the 700th floor. We usually reserve one for the top freshman.”  

“I’ll take that one.”  

Leila responded immediately.  

As if he expected that, Herzyn handed her the key.  

“Here. It’s the key to room 706.”  

“Thank you.”  

“Alright, congratulations on being first. And thank you. Thanks to you, we’re not dead last for once; we’re at least tied for first.”  

Herzyn expressed his gratitude, but Leila just nodded with a blank expression and turned away.  

Herzyn continued.

“Next is Yohan Hart.”  

“Yes.”  

“You will…” 

There was no need to ask.  

He was definitely going to choose a good room and a single room at that.  

Living in a rundown shared space was something he was sick of.  

Hadn’t he experienced that enough to the point of exhaustion at the orphanage? 

What did he strive for success in his past life for if not to avoid this?

“I’d like one of the rooms on the 700 floor as well, please.”  

“Room 702.”  

“Thank you.”

Yohan accepted the key handed by Herzyn.  

After giving Yohan the key, Herzyn placed his hand on Yohan’s shoulder.

“Just like with Leila, we have high hopes for you too. We’re counting on you for tomorrow’s dormitory competition.”  

“I’ll do my best.”  

Well. He wasn’t the type who liked to lose, so he’d aim to win if it was feasible…  

But if things seemed uncertain, he was planning to just forfeit.

‘Honestly, it doesn’t have much to do with me.’  

As a creator, Yohan had a fondness for all the dormitories and didn’t feel any particular loyalty to any one of them yet.  

Most other students wanted their dormitory to win everywhere because the overall dormitory score would impact their post-graduation opportunities.

So, it worked like this.  

Even when applying to join a magical knight order:

“So, which dormitory are you from?”  

“Uh. The White Wolf Dormitory.”  

“White Wolf? Isn’t that the dormitory that’s been ranking last lately?”  

“Well, yes, but when I was there, we managed to place third twice—”  

“Rejected.”  

Conversely.

“Oh, you’re from the Golden Lion Dormitory?”  

“Yes. During my entire enrollment, we never fell below first place in the overall dormitory rankings.”  

“Really? Accepted.”

Situations like this happened all over the Empire.  

Naturally, for most ordinary students who didn’t know what they would be doing after graduation, this was something that mattered.

‘But not me.’  

Why would graduation matter?  

He was in a situation where if he didn’t handle things properly, he might not even make it to graduation and could die instead.

So, he planned to give it a fair shot, but if it seemed too difficult, he’d just step back.  

The dormitory assignment test had been a different matter since he wanted a spacious single room, but the dormitory competition was not.

“Alright then, unpack your stuff in your rooms, and let’s meet at the dining hall on the first floor!”

Before he knew it, the room assignments were finished.

Yohan took a step forward. 

He was partially uneasy about the appearance of Leila, a character he didn’t know, and half excited about finally beginning his academy life in earnest.

———

“It’s really spacious.”  

As soon as he opened the door to room 702, the first thing he saw was a short hallway.  

To the right of the hallway was a bathroom, and to the left was a small room.  

Walking a bit further down the hallway led to an open living room and a separate bedroom.  

Two rooms, one bathroom, and a spacious living room.  

There didn’t seem to be a kitchen, but it was still a remarkably well-appointed space for a mere dorm room.  

Moreover, a cleanliness spell covered the entire dormitory, ensuring everything was neat and tidy without the need for any additional cleaning.

‘It’s not as nice as the place I used to live in….’  

Well, he had been a successful webtoon artist, so he naturally lived in a good house back then.  

But for one person, this was more than enough.  

However.

“Still, it’s completely empty.”  

Yohan muttered as he looked around the large room, which only had a bed, a desk, and a single chair standing alone.  

Apart from the bare essentials, there was nothing else.  

The school’s stance was that each student was given the ‘freedom’ to furnish their room to suit their tastes.  

The soundproofing magic was also well done, so some students even set up their rooms as research or workspaces.  

‘But that’s all just an excuse; it’s really because of the settings I created.’  

He had intended to turn the early episodes into a struggle where the protagonist earns items, makes money, and gradually furnishes the room.  

“Looks like I’m the one who’s going to struggle now.”  

One might think, ‘If you have money, can’t you just buy furniture from a nearby village?’  

‘The catch is that first-year students can only leave the academy if they get a pass.’  

Without a pass, you couldn’t leave the academy, so naturally, you couldn’t buy things from outside.  

Typically, first-year students suffered through their first semester and then brought back as much as they could during the vacation.  

Yohan roughly organized the items he had brought.  

Clothes, toiletries, and the potions to drink if he experienced heart pain due to the curse.  

Yohan stared at the potion for a moment before clicking his tongue.  

In reality, the potion wasn’t of much use to Yohan at the moment.  

Thanks to the magic pen, the curse had weakened, so he wasn’t likely to suddenly feel heart pain.

But that didn’t mean it could reduce the aftereffects of using magic.  

It merely calmed the curse when it acted up for no reason; it wasn’t a potion that could prevent the aftereffects that came after using magic.  

“If possible, it would be great to get a proper potion.”  

The aftereffects from using magic were essentially caused by the curse when mana rampaged.  

To prevent that, it had to be a potion with a direct effect on calming mana.  

‘Naturally, it’s bound to be expensive.’  

Moreover, such potions were not easily obtainable even if one had the money.  

Substances that could directly influence mana included elixirs that permanently increased one’s mana when consumed or emergency mana potions for mana depletion.  

“Well, I can think about those things later….”  

Yohan flopped onto the bed in the bedroom.  

Potions were important, but figuring out how to furnish his living space was also an urgent matter.  

After all, this was going to be his home for the next few years.  

Too lazy to get up, Yohan casually turned his head to look around the room.  

Except for the bed sitting in the middle, the rest of the space was empty and open for him to decorate as he pleased.  

“At the very least, I’ll need a refrigerator.”  

A magic refrigerator was a must for storing drinks or simple food.  

In addition to that, he’d need to buy at least a sofa to lounge on….  

There was a mountain of things to purchase.  

Yohan didn’t have much of a budget since his allowance had been cut off due to his past as a troublemaker. Still, he would have to make do within that limited budget.  

‘I’ll have to get a pass and go out.’  

Though the environment was pleasant, it was hardly possible to live properly without any furniture.  

Fortunately, unlike most first-year students who struggled to obtain an outing pass, Yohan already had his secured.  

Violet Heinz.  

As the student council president, she had the authority to grant outing passes herself, and Yohan had already arranged to receive one through their deal during the entrance exam.  

“Well, she won’t suddenly go back on her word. I hope.” 

Yohan mumbled to himself and let out a short sigh.  

It had really been a nonstop whirlwind.  

Since waking up as Yohan Hart, he had been moving frantically, driven by the anxiety of survival.  

Even though he had drawn this world, the unfamiliar setting of the Hart estate made everything feel even more alien.  

Now, at least, he was within the academy he had often illustrated. And his very own room at that, so he finally felt a bit more at ease.  

“Now that I’ve entered the academy, I can breathe a little easier.”  

Although he was sure he could get into Arcana Academy, it was another matter to be actually admitted.

If he had been rejected, it would have been a disaster. 

But having made it in, he could now focus on growing as much as possible within the academy to prepare for the impending threat of the Lord.  

As he was lost in these various thoughts, there came a knock at the door.  

“Yes, I’m coming.”  

Yohan forced himself to rise from the bed and opened the door.  

And then, he froze.  

Standing right in front of the doorway was someone who left him utterly speechless.  

“Hello, Yohan.”

It was a childlike being with two small horns on its head.  

It was none other than the demon and principal of Arcana Academy, Serhen.