I Became a Terminally Ill Magic Genius at the Academy

As the alchemy class drew to a close, one by one, the students handed in their completed potions. 

Professor Norman Ford calmly observed the students and made notes, he occasionally checker the time before finally standing up.  

“Alright. If everyone has completed their potions, we should test them out.”  

With that, he walked toward a table at the front of the alchemy classroom. 

On the table stood a complex-looking machine.  

“This device allows for a simple test of the potion’s effects. We can use it to determine the overall quality of the potions you’ve just made.”  

Professor Norman Ford explained as he swept his gaze over the students, much like a hunter scanning for prey. 

Most of the students tried to shrink away and avoid his gaze, but Haverto, on the other hand, puffed out his chest, proudly attempting to present his potion to Professor Ford.  

“Since I also need to explain how to use the device… Cecilia Diaz, why don’t you come up first?”  

Ignoring Haverto’s bold attitude, Professor Ford ultimately chose Cecilia. 

Cecilia stepped forward and began handling the potion analysis device with familiarity, making it clear why Professor Ford had chosen her first.  

“This potion analysis device was also developed by the Diaz family. Its original purpose was a bit different, wasn’t it?”  

Professor Ford asked, and Cecilia nodded.  

“Yes. It was originally created to measure the purity of mana stones.”  

“And how did it come to be used to test potion effects?”  

“Since golems require more than just mana stones, the device was modified over time to be able to assess various materials, including potion effects.”  

Cecilia didn’t go into detail. 

After all, the device was created long before she was born, so she might not have known its exact history.  

‘And even if she did know, there’s no reason to explain it in detail here.’  

As a magical mechanical construct, a golem required many different components. 

For example, it might need specially treated mana water to act as engine oil or a liquid coolant to manage its temperature. 

Even if not used on people, certain potions were necessary for the golem’s functions, which involved some degree of alchemy. 

Therefore, creating a device to measure potion effects, tailored to these needs, wouldn’t have been a lengthy task for the Diaz family.  

“Now, could you demonstrate how to use it? If you haven’t used it before, I can show you myself.”  

Professor Norman Ford offered. Though it was clear he expected Cecilia to have experience using the potion analysis device.

Without a word, Cecilia carefully poured the potion she made into the small opening located at the top of the device. 

Then she turned the handle at the center of the device to securely tighten it.  

Clack.

A small sound indicated that something inside the device had locked perfectly into place.  

Cecilia then pressed three buttons in sequence.  

Whirrr…  

The potion analysis device began to operate, and Cecilia stepped back as if her part was done.  

Professor Norman Ford gave a light nod and spoke up.  

“Well done, Cecilia. As you all saw, once you pour a portion of your potion into the device, tighten it, and press the buttons in order, it will operate. You can check the results based on the numbers that appear here.”  

Professor Ford pointed to a magic circle inscribed on the device. 

When he activated the magic circle, text began to appear in front of the device.  

“It seems you’ve created a potion that is about 1.5 times more effective than a basic lowest-grade potion. What ingredients did you use?”  

“I added ground golden turtle shell powder and an infusion of spirit wood fragments.”  

“A classic combination.”  

Both ingredients were known to have healing effects. 

Professor Ford nodded to indicate his evaluation was complete.  

The assessment of the other students’ potions began in turn.  

“You followed the basic recipe, but the mana stone was ground too coarsely. So, while the recovery effect is intact, it will cause more pain because of the lack of finesse.”  

“I have no idea why you thought adding mad potato was a good idea. The effect isn’t much different, but the smell has become quite unpleasant.”  

Professor Norman Ford gave his evaluations plainly but constructively. 

Watching him, Yohan could tell that despite his stern tone and demeanor, he was quite a kind instructor. 

Rather than just saying, “It’s bad” or “It’s good,” he provided clear reasons for his feedback, allowing students to reflect and improve.  

Then—  

“Haverto Vaion, Asher Milina. Let’s check your potion.”  

It was Haverto’s turn to have his potion assessed. He proudly poured his potion into the analysis device.  

Professor Ford glanced at the figures displayed on the screen and spoke evenly.  

“You’ve made a potion with about 2.5 times the recovery effectiveness compared to a basic lowest-grade recovery potion.”  

As the clear numbers were announced, the other students began to murmur amongst themselves, and Haverto straightened his shoulders with a wide grin. 

Naturally, he turned his gaze toward Yohan and Kyle.  

“A recovery power of 2.5 times… That’s impressive.”

Kyle let out a small exclamation of admiration. 

However, Professor Norman Ford gave a slight “Hmm” before asking Haverto a question.  

“What ingredients did you use?”  

“I used unicorn horn and ground spirit stones.”

Professor Ford nodded in acknowledgment and then moved on to stand in front of Yohan and Kyle.

———-

Professor Norman Ford stood before Yohan Hart and Kyle with a curious look.

Most of the other students had used conventional combinations. A few had experimented with unusual ingredients, but those were elements that influenced the potion’s color or smell more than its effects.  

‘Otherwise, some simply used high-quality, expensive materials without much thought.’  

To reiterate, alchemy was inherently inefficient, so Professor Ford didn’t pay much attention to how precious or costly the ingredients were used. 

This experience was part of their learning process; eventually, they would figure out how to make potions more efficiently on their own.

Regardless, Professor Ford could predict the results from either approach. But—  

‘With the ingredients they used, I can’t guess what kind of potion they ended up with….’  

The potion Yohan made was different. 

Although it was based on the basic recipe for a recovery potion, the combination of ingredients made one question if it was even a recovery potion at all. 

Professor Ford cleared his throat.  

“Ahem. So the ingredients are troll’s blood, red snail extract, goblin’s herb, red rabbit-foot flower, and finally, blue coral sand—is that all?”  

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“Let’s give it a test then.”  

At Yohan’s confident answer, Professor Ford chuckled as he picked up what Yohan called a recovery potion.

‘At least the color is fine.’  

The potion glowed brilliantly, and apart from its richer hue compared to standard recovery potions, it didn’t seem off. 

With a slight shake of the bottle to check its viscosity, Professor Ford dropped a single drop onto the device designed to test its effects.  

Whirr…

The machine carefully scanned the potion, and soon enough, the results appeared.  

“Hm? The recovery rate is…”  

It was nearly twice as high as that of a standard recovery potion made with the basic recipe. 

The most remarkable part was the speed—it recovered about 1.5 times faster. 

Since the device provided only rough estimations, further analysis would be needed to get more details, but—  

“How is this possible?”  

“Pardon?”  

“It’s clearly a recovery potion, and its effects are outstanding.”  

“I carefully selected the ingredients and created it with the optimal proportions.”  

Professor Ford was about to comment on how carelessly the ingredients seemed to be chosen, but—  

‘What could I even say when the results speak for themselves?’  

At first, he was puzzled by Yohan’s motives, but after seeing the finished potion, his thoughts changed. 

Alchemy truly was magnificent. 

It was hard to tell whether this was the result of a beginner’s luck or the outcome of careful calculation.

‘Well, it’s clear which potion turned out the best.’  

Professor Norman Ford’s eyes gleamed as he closely examined the potion made by Yohan and Kyle. 

He stared at it for quite a long time.

———-

“I will announce the rankings.”  

After reviewing all the groups’ potions, Professor Ford naturally lifted his magic pen and spoke. 

At Arcana Academy, where competition was  an everyday occurrence, it was not unusual for practical classes to conclude with ranked evaluations like this.  

“We did make a pretty good potion, but since Haverto’s potion had better effects, we might have to settle for second place.”

When Yohan saw Kyle’s somewhat regretful expression, he followed his gaze. 

Haverto was looking back at Yohan with a self-assured smirk, an expression that clearly showed he was confident he’d secured first place.  

However—  

“Let’s see how the professor judges it.”

There was no doubt that Haverto had made a good potion. 

But anyone could make a good potion by using high-quality ingredients.  

‘But Kyle made a great potion with just average ingredients.’  

And that was a far more challenging feat. 

As expected—  

When Professor Ford moved his magic pen, the rankings appeared on the blackboard.  

“This can’t be happening!”  

Haverto shot up from his seat in protest. 

Professor Ford looked at the distorted expression on Haverto’s face with mild curiosity.  

“What do you mean it can’t be happening?”  

“My potion clearly had better effects. But Yohan and Kyle came in first? This is an unacceptable result.”  

Other students were equally puzzled. They turned their attention to Professor Ford. 

He looked at the seething Haverto and gave a gentle smile.  

For a moment, Haverto faltered at Professor Ford’s relaxed demeanor, but then the professor spoke.  

“Why should I have to convince you, Haverto?”  

“Pardon?”  

“If you find the result unacceptable, well, what can I do? That’s the judgment I made.”  

“….”  

Haverto didn’t know how to respond, and he pressed his lips together in silence. 

Professor Ford chuckled lightly and continued.  

“Since Haverto seems to find this result unsatisfactory, I’ll assign you all a task. Your homework is to analyze why the potion made by Yohan Hart and Kyle Evergreen received a higher score than the one created by Haverto’s team. Please prepare your thoughts and submit them by the next class.”  

With Professor Ford’s words, Haverto’s face twisted even more in displeasure. 

Of course, this time, it wasn’t just Haverto who looked upset.