I Became a Terminally Ill Magic Genius at the Academy

Grayson Hart stared at the magic pen in Yohan’s hand, then finally spoke heavily.  

“How did this happen?”  

“As you can see.”

It was unbelievable that Yohan had brought back the first head’s magic pen.  

It couldn’t have been taken so easily.  

After all, magic pens of that caliber didn’t allow themselves to be held unless they acknowledged the wielder.  

‘If a mage not recognized by the pen tries to hold it, it would release a powerful burst of mana.’  

Yet Yohan stood there, holding Bryan Hart’s pen with a calm and peaceful expression.  

Grayson Hart instinctively turned to the butler standing nearby.  

‘Did he really get chosen by the first head’s magic pen?’  

Grayson’s gaze sought confirmation, and his loyal servant and friend, Alberto, nodded in affirmation.  

In the end, Grayson let out a disbelieving chuckle.  

It had been a thousand years.  

Since the death of Bryan Hart, the magic pen had lain dormant for that entire time, untouched.  

From time to time, it had briefly felt the hands of Hart family members trying to earn its recognition, but it had never accepted anyone.  

“Honestly, I can hardly believe it.”  

“How should I prove it to you?”  

Yohan asked without hesitation as if he had expected his father’s reaction.  

Grayson paused at his son’s question.  

In reality, the fact that Yohan was holding the pen was proof enough.  

What more could he ask for to be convinced?  

‘There’s no need to prove that the pen has accepted him.’  

But what Grayson truly wanted to see was…  

“Use magic. If this pen truly belongs to you now, you should be able to cast magic with it.”  

He wanted to see his son wielding magic again.  

It had been years since Grayson last saw Yohan use magic.  

Yohan, the only heir of the Hart family, had not used magic in so long that even the family’s vassals had expressed concerns about the future of the Hart family.  

For Grayson, seeing Yohan cast magic was the priority.  

And then…  

Yohan calmly infused mana into Bryan’s magic pen.  

With deliberate movements, he began to draw a magic circle in the air with the pen.  

The magic circle formed was for ‘Light,’ a simple 1-star spell that created light.  

“Light.”  

As Yohan whispered the incantation, a glowing orb of light appeared, floating in the air.  

“It’s real.”  

Yohan had truly cast magic.  

And, moreover…

‘He used the magic pen of Bryan Hart, the founder of the family, to cast magic.’  

Even Grayson Hart, who was known as the ‘Iron-Blooded Mage,’ had coveted Bryan Hart’s magic pen.  

He had believed he would be worthy of its recognition.

Yet he had failed, and now Yohan had succeeded.

Being acknowledged by Bryan Hart’s magic pen was a first in the history of the Hart family.  

Grayson continued in a calm voice.  

“Yohan, do you understand the current state of our family?”  

“Yes. We’re losing our standing among the Four Great Houses.”

It was a painful truth for the Hart family, but it was the reality.  

The Orfen family of the East had the World Tree and the Spirit Forest within their territory.  

The Diaz family of the West was leading in magical engineering, increasing their influence day by day.  

The Demon family of the South was running the Arcana Academy.  

But the Hart family?  

“We’ve lost our prestige as a house of great mages.”  

A mage of 7-star rank or higher was called a ‘Grand Mage.’

The Hart family had maintained its status as one of the Four Great Houses by regularly producing Grand Mages.  

But as the curse of ‘Lord’ had grown stronger, the family had gone a long time without producing a Grand Mage, causing their influence to wane.  

With a heavy expression, Grayson Hart spoke.  

“That’s right. To be more blunt, there are whispers that our family should be removed from the Four Great Houses altogether.”  

Ariel listened nearby and inhaled sharply at Grayson’s blunt words.  

It was a matter that affected the future of the entire family.  

Moreover, it wasn’t the kind of conversation a mere servant should overhear.  

Her father, the butler Alberto, glanced at Grayson as if to suggest he should stop, but both Grayson and Yohan continued without concern.  

“Why do you think it has come to this?”  

“Because of the curse.”

The reason the Hart family had not produced a Grand Mage for several generations wasn’t due to a lack of talent.  

The curse of the ‘Lord’ had been growing stronger, interfering with their magic and preventing even talented mages from reaching the 7-star rank or higher.  

“Exactly. That’s why I must ask you this.”

In such a situation, Yohan had been acknowledged by Bryan Hart’s magic pen.  

Additionally, wasn’t Yohan someone who had struggled to use magic because of the curse?  

Grayson Hart’s eyes gleamed as he spoke.  

“Could it be… That you’ve found a way to break the curse?”  

At the patriarch’s question, not only Ariel but Alberto also held his breath as he looked at Yohan.  

All this time, they had worked tirelessly alongside Grayson Hart to protect the Hart family.  

While Grayson was known as the ‘Iron-Blooded Mage’ and had held the family together as a 6-star mage, ultimately, even Grayson was not a Grand Mage, and so he couldn’t fully maintain the Hart family’s prestige.  

However.  

‘If the curse is broken…’  

If that were to happen, the entire situation would change.  

Knowing it was unlikely, Grayson Hart and Alberto couldn’t help but look at Yohan with a glimmer of hope in their hearts.  

And.  

The reason anyone harbors a faint hope is that sometimes, just sometimes, that hope becomes reality.  

Yohan smirked.  

“That’s right.”  

Yohan answered firmly.  

———

Click.  

The door closed with a soft sound.  

After finishing his conversation with Grayson Hart, Yohan had returned to his room.  

— Are you sure you should be making such bold promises when you don’t even know if you can truly break the curse?  

As Yohan took a look around the neatly arranged room, a voice echoed in his head.  

It was the voice of the magic pen.  

Yohan shrugged and replied.

“Well, if what you say is true, there shouldn’t be a problem, right?”  

Even after the test of the magic pen had ended, Yohan could still communicate with it.  

From the moment they left the vault until Yohan met with Grayson Hart, the magic pen had been constantly chatting, sharing various pieces of information.  

The most important among them was about the curse.  

“Or are you unsure?”  

— The method I developed over a thousand years, based on Bryan’s research, is the only way. Unless you kill the Lord, this is the only way to break the curse.  

The magic pen responded with a tone of confidence to Yohan’s remark.

Bryan Hart worked tirelessly to break the curse until his dying breath.  

He ultimately failed to lift the curse, but he left behind the results of his research.  

He entrusted that research to his magic pen.  

The magic pen, which had spent decades with Bryan, possessed a level of awareness that surpassed that of most mages.  

It continued Bryan’s magical research in his stead.  

“I never imagined you’d been searching for a way to break the curse for a thousand years.”  

— It was Bryan’s wish. I was his magic pen. That’s all.  

The magic pen’s voice was calm.  

Then, it asked Yohan a question as if to confirm his resolve.  

— So, are you ready?  

“Of course. Let’s get started.”  

Yohan immediately sat down on the floor and crossed his legs in a meditation posture. In martial arts, it was commonly known as ‘lotus position.’ 

The position itself didn’t have much significance, but it helped him concentrate.  

Yohan closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, signaling that he was ready.  

— From now on, I’ll use the curse embedded in your heart to forge nine chains.  

As he listened to the magic pen’s voice, Yohan focused his awareness on his heart.  

Around his heart, he sensed a strange energy—an uncomfortable feeling that had always been there. However, it now grew stronger.  

Soon enough.  

Clink. Clang!

A chain formed and was immediately broken.  

— This chain will unlock each time your power advances, and with every unlocking, the curse will weaken.  

The method Bryan Hart and the magic pen had developed to solve the curse was paradoxical—it required strengthening the curse first.  

By refining the curse around the heart and concentrating it in one place, the curse would naturally try to protect itself. By exploiting this chance, they would lock it with chains.  

Locking the curse made it harder to break, but at the same time…  

‘However, conversely…’  

If there’s a lock, that means there’s also a key.

Up until now, the Hart family couldn’t even touch the curse as it had no tangible form. But now, at least, they could interact with it.  

“Incredible. To think of breaking the curse this way.”

— Of course. Bryan’s magical talent was unparalleled.

The pride in the magic pen’s voice at the mention of Bryan was unmistakable. 

And it was well-deserved. 

Being able to manipulate the curse at all was an impressive feat, but dividing it into stages to gradually weaken it was even more remarkable.

And then.

Clank. Clang.

Another chain formed and was broken once again.

— Even so, this method wouldn’t have been possible without you. The curse has grown stronger, and paradoxically, that has allowed it to be materialized.

The magic pen explained that because the curse had become so powerful, it could be manipulated into chains.

Clank.

Another chain formed. It didn’t, however, break this time.

Yohan now fully understood what the magic pen meant by, ‘The chains will unlock as your level advances.’

“So, since I’m currently a 2-star mage, I need to become a 9-star mage to completely break the curse.”

Yohan was currently a 2-star mage. He was able to use 2-star level magic. 

This was why he could break two chains, but his magical power hadn’t reached the level needed to break the third chain.

— Theoretically, yes… Though whether it’s truly possible remains to be seen.

The magic pen responded in a doubtful voice.

— Even Bryan only reached 8 stars. Given his talent, which nearly rivaled the heavens, 9 stars seem like a realm that only exists in imagination.

The magic pen was skeptical about whether Yohan could reach the 9-star level, or if such a level even existed. 

However, Yohan already knew the truth.

‘The 9-star level does exist.’

The main character of the original story, Cedric, eventually reached the 9-star realm.

‘Even then, he couldn’t fully defeat ‘Lord.’’

While the method Bryan Hart and the magic pen had devised to weaken the curse was impressive, Yohan had his doubts. 

‘Can a power that can’t defeat ‘Lord’ really break his curse?’

But that wasn’t the only problem.

‘And I have to achieve this level before my lifespan runs out, right?’

— Exactly. As you break the curse, the pain will ease, but unless you fully break it, your lifespan won’t be extended.

Yohan sighed. 

But what choice did he have? 

This was the only method available. 

Besides, he needed to reach that level to defeat ‘Lord’ anyway.

Perhaps sensing Yohan’s frustration, the magic pen offered some encouragement.

— Don’t be too discouraged. There will be benefits as your level increases.

“Benefits?”

Could there be something more than just breaking the curse?

— The chains were forged with all of Bryan’s magical abilities.

“Right.”

— Naturally, his techniques are embedded within them. To divide the curse into levels, Bryan incorporated a representative spell for each stage.

“So, what does that mean?”

— It means that with each chain you break, you’ll gain one of Bryan’s secret spells corresponding to that level.

Hearing this, Yohan’s eyes lit up.

“Secret spells?”