I Became a Terminally Ill Magic Genius at the Academy

“Think you can do well?”

Yohan shrugged his shoulders. 

The next match had been decided as the third-ranked duel. 

It was a bit disappointing for Yohan.

This was a situation where they needed to win at all costs to get another chance, so it would’ve been better for him to face Haverto directly and secure a victory.  

‘Kyle is a bit of an unknown factor.’  

However, that didn’t mean Yohan thought Kyle would lose. It was just that the outcome was hard to predict; it all depended on how Kyle performed.  

“If I lose, the White Wolf dorm will lose, right? I’ve never even properly fought a magic duel before…” 

As the son of a merchant, Kyle spent most of his time cooking or practicing alchemy. 

Naturally, he never really had the chance to participate in magic combat or duels. 

Yohan tried to sound as calm as possible and spoke to him directly.  

“Then just win.”  

Kyle could win. 

But as long as he kept trembling like this, he wouldn’t be able to. 

He needed to be awakened to his potential.  

“How can I win? My opponent looks like he’s experienced several magic duels before.”  

“Don’t get nervous, just do what you always do.”

Yohan tapped Kyle’s shoulder reassuringly with a relaxed tone. 

It was uncertain if Kyle would win, but he wasn’t someone to go down easily.  

In the original story, ‘Arcana Academy’, Cedric and his other companions were so powerful that Kyle’s main role was just to provide potions. 

But that didn’t mean Kyle’s potential ended there. 

A potion maker who supported the protagonist must be able to stand his ground against enemies, even if the protagonist wasn’t around. 

Naturally, Kyle had that level of capability.  

Though Kyle flinched slightly at Yohan’s touch, he opened his mouth and answered.  

“It’s just that… I’ve never actually fought before.”  

“Then what have you been doing all this time?”  

“Uh… Alchemy? Cooking?”  

Alchemy and cooking. 

Yes, those were Kyle’s usual activities. 

Yohan saw the answer hidden in that.  

“Then just do that.”  

“What are you talking about?” 

Kyle looked at Yohan with a puzzled expression, but Yohan simply smiled back confidently.  

“Kyle, it’s time for you to go.”

Just then, Geron handed the necklace to Kyle. 

Kyle let out a small groan and reluctantly accepted it. It appeared he had come to terms with his fate, as he put on the necklace and stepped forward.

——-

Kyle Evergreen. 

The son of the Evergreen Trading Company’s head. 

From a young age, he had been told by his father that he would inherit the family business.  

“Kyle, we are the Evergreens. A family destined to never fade away just like our trading company.”  

Yes. Someone had to lead the company one day. 

But did it really have to be him? 

Surely, they could find someone better suited for it. 

Honestly, he didn’t hate the business itself—he just found other things he liked more: cooking and alchemy.  

He’d had a knack for magic from a young age, but rather than use it directly in combat, he preferred to apply it to cooking or alchemy.  

And now, the result was this.  

Boom!

“How long does he plan on just dodging?”  

“If you’re just going to keep running away, surrender and get it over with!”  

The Golden Lion students jeered at him, mocking his performance. 

On the other hand, the White Wolf students had fallen silent, their faces darkened. 

If they lost this match, they would lose the dorm competition entirely.  

‘And Yohan…’  

Yohan’s expression was different from the other White Wolf students. 

While others were preparing for the disappointment of impending defeat, Yohan’s face held none of that—he seemed almost like he was waiting for something.  

‘It’s like he’s expecting something.’  

Yohan watched Kyle calmly. It was as if he was trusting and waiting for him to do what he was supposed to do. 

Kyle remembered Yohan’s encouraging words to just do what he always did and scowled slightly.  

‘It’s impossible.’  

Once again, a mana arrow shot toward him. 

Kyle hastily dodged.  

Whoosh!

The arrow sliced sharply through the air, grazing Kyle’s arm. More accurately, it struck the shield that formed in an instant around him. 

Though it didn’t wound him, the mana stone embedded in the necklace began to vibrate with a low hum. 

It was detecting the impact. 

If he kept allowing attacks like this, the stone would eventually break.  

“Damn it…”  

Kyle gritted his teeth. 

He had always avoided situations like this. 

During the entrance exam, when they were attacked by disguised crows, all he did was stay back and hand out potions to others. 

The same went for the dorm assignment test; he managed to avoid confrontation by using alchemical tracking powder to quickly find a teleportation device. 

Naturally, there was no way he could win in a direct magical duel like this…

“Huh?”  

Kyle looked down and saw vines wrapping around his legs, his face twisting in frustration. 

Since he kept running away, it seemed his opponent had decided to immobilize him before launching a more direct attack. 

Kyle quickly raised his magic pen, frantically scanning the area for a way to escape. 

But there were few options. 

Casting a defensive spell quickly seemed like the best move.  

As he moved his pen to cast a spell, it happened—by chance.

At that precise moment, Kyle made direct eye contact with Yohan.  

“Get a grip and do what you normally do.”

Yohan was calm and composed.  

Kyle blinked in surprise. His opponent’s attack spell was almost complete.  

‘As usual, just like always…’  

Kyle made a quick decision. He tucked his magic pen back into his belt.  

“What’s he doing?”  

“Is he giving up?”  

“His legs are tied up, so what else can he do?”  

“But how did someone like that place third in the dorm selection exam?”  

The students around started whispering among themselves, doubting Kyle’s chances. 

But instead of being shaken, Kyle pulled out a potion he always carried with him. 

After all, even if he managed to draw a defensive spell with his magic pen, there was only so much he could withstand. 

It was better to take a gamble on the potions he had prepared for emergencies.  

Seeing the magical arrow forming right before him, Kyle shut his eyes tightly and threw the potion bottle forward.  

Boom!

The potion didn’t quite reach his opponent and landed in the middle of the arena instead. 

Normally, when a potion bottle shatters, you’d hear a tinkling glass sound. 

But Kyle’s potion was different.  

A huge explosion erupted, and the mana arrow flying towards him was caught up in the blast and vanished.  

“…”  

Kyle cautiously opened his eyes. 

There was a large scorch mark in the middle of the arena where the explosion had occurred.  

“Hic!”  

His opponent was stunned. He suddenly started hiccupping in surprise.  

‘Huh?’  

Seeing the situation, Kyle blinked in disbelief. It seemed that Yohan’s advice to just do what he normally did was indeed correct.  

——-

The tables had turned. 

Yohan observed the large crater now in the middle of the arena and smirked slightly.  

“Good. It’s done.”  

Now, Kyle was on the path to victory. 

Had Kyle insisted on using his magic pen, they might have lost. 

But the moment he started using his potions, Yohan knew the win was almost guaranteed. 

And it wasn’t just Yohan who realized it.  

“What… What was that just now?”

“Did he throw a potion or a bomb?”  

“With that kind of power, he might actually win!”  

“Wait, is that even allowed? Isn’t it against the rules?”  

“As long as it’s not a banned potion, it should be fine. But with that much power, it’s bound to stir up some talk…”  

The White Wolf dorm students whispered among themselves as they watched the match intently.  

“If he made the potion himself, there shouldn’t be a problem. But if he didn’t, then the Golden Lion dorm might have a reason to protest.”  

“How could a first-year even make a potion that powerful?”  

“True…”  

“But still, even if it’s an explosive potion, it’s not a prohibited item, so it should be fine even if they complain.”  

There were many opinions among the students, but they all came to the same conclusion. 

With such a powerful potion, there was a chance that the Golden Lion dorm might protest, but it didn’t matter—it wasn’t a banned substance, so there shouldn’t be an issue.  

Hearing their conversation, Yohan’s smile deepened.  

“Since he made it himself, they can’t really protest.”  

There was a reason why Kyle would later earn the nickname ‘Golden King.’

The name implied both ‘King of Gold’ and ‘King of Alchemy.’ 

Kyle’s potions always had extraordinary effects. 

It was just that Kyle himself rarely had the chance to experience their power firsthand.  

Back in his family’s business, his focus was always on trading, and when he found spare time, he practiced cooking and alchemy. 

He never really had many opportunities to test his own creations.  

But now that he had a chance to test the power of his potions for the first time…  

Boom!

“Wow! The shockwave is stronger than I expected.”  

“Eek!”  

“Um. The next one is a bit of a special potion, so… Get ready!”  

“What do you mean, get ready—!”  

It seemed like Kyle intended to test out all the potions he carried, as he continued throwing them at his opponent one after another.  

Kyle had inherited his family’s trading talents deeply. 

There was a reason his family was so insistent on passing the business down to him. 

One of Kyle’s outstanding abilities was his cold, calculated decision-making. 

He always assessed situations accurately and decided how to best sell his products. 

Emotions never played a role in his calculations, and this principle applied to experiments as well.  

Squelch!

When Kyle threw another potion, his opponent scrambled away to avoid the explosion. 

However, this potion didn’t explode. 

Instead, the ground around the potion turned into a sticky, muddy sludge.  

“It changed faster than I expected.”  

“What the heck is that?!”  

“Oh, I call it ‘slime’…”  

Before Kyle could even finish speaking, the muddy ground began to move on its own, creeping toward his opponent like a living creature.

Seeing the muddy mass crawling towards him, Kyle’s opponent panicked.  

“No, I can’t do this anymore! That guy’s insane!”  

In the end, the opponent raised both hands in surrender, and Geron quickly stepped forward as if he had been waiting for this moment.  

“With the declaration of surrender…”  

As Geron cheerfully announced Kyle’s victory…  

“Oh, if only you’d held out a bit longer. I still had a few more things to test.”

Kyle muttered with a regretful look on his face. It was completely different from his expression at the start of the match.  

Watching him, Yohan reaffirmed to himself,  

‘I really need to stay close to this guy.’