I Became a Terminally Ill Magic Genius at the Academy

Yohan hadn’t neglected the concept of secret spells. 

In fact, the existence of secret spells was already well-known in this world. 

However, what surprised him was that the Hart family didn’t possess any passed-down secret spells.

— That’s right. According to the descendants of the Hart family who took my test before, the only remaining secret spell of Bryan’s is the ‘Hart Mana Cultivation Technique.’ All others have been lost.

Every Hart family member accumulated mana using the Hart Mana Cultivation Technique. Its distinctive characteristic was that the mana took on a blood-red hue. 

That much was in line with Yohan’s original settings, but everything beyond that was new to him.

— That’s Bryan’s 1-star secret spell.

“Which means… There’s a 2-star secret spell too?”

— Of course. You think Bryan, who was considered one of the greatest mages in human history, would pass on only one secret spell to his descendants?

“Why were the other secret spells lost?”

— It was inevitable. With the curse on their hearts, Bryan’s descendants couldn’t use his magic at all.

“So, weakening the curse would naturally make it possible to use them.”

— Exactly. If the 1-star secret spell lays the foundation with mana training, then the 2-star secret spell is a combat spell fit for real-world use.

A combat spell starting from the 2-star level? 

Yohan furrowed his brow at the magic pen’s words.

‘But I’m a 2-star mage right now, aren’t I?’

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the magic pen spoke.

— You should start feeling it now.

Before the pen finished speaking, Yohan felt a sudden heat in his head. 

It was as if his head had been plunged into water and quickly pulled out again. 

His eyes snapped open as the strange sensation washed over him—a unique experience. A foreign knowledge was being forcibly engraved into his mind.

— The name of that spell is ‘Blood Missile.’

“A modified version of ‘Magic Missile’?”

— More like the Hart family’s version of it. If it were just a modified version, anyone who knew the spell formula could use it.

The magic pen calmly explained.

— This is a spell that only Bryan’s descendants can use.

Yohan sifted through the newly engraved knowledge in his mind.

“This is… Rune magic.”

To his surprise, the Hart family’s secret magic was based on the ancient rune magic that had become extinct in modern times due to its instability. 

Even in Bryan Hart’s time, pictorial magic was mainstream, so it seemed odd. 

But through the newly acquired knowledge, Yohan quickly understood why.

“You optimized it for the Mana Cultivation Technique through runes.”

— Exactly. Thanks to that, Bryan’s secret spells are far more powerful than other spells of the same rank.

The Hart family’s mana wasn’t just red in color. 

It’s chaotic and more difficult to control. 

But once mastered, it yielded far greater power. 

Bryan had developed magic that was perfectly suited to that mana.

Clank.

Six of the chains were now locked in place. 

One more, and the transformation of the curse would be complete.

At that moment, the magic pen spoke again.

— There’s one thing you haven’t mentioned.

“What is it?”

— Once the transformation of the curse is complete, my consciousness will disappear.

“… What?”

Yohan’s eyes shot open. 

In hindsight, it made sense. 

There was no way they could meddle with the curse of ‘The Lord’ without paying a price.

— Don’t be too sad about it.

“Why are you doing all of this for me?”

Yohan was puzzled. 

Objectively, the magic pen, which had just met him today, had no reason to sacrifice itself for his sake.

However, the pen replied in a voice that almost sounded like it was smiling.

— Just as Bryan sacrificed himself for the world, I, too, find joy in sacrificing for his descendants. And besides…

The magic pen trailed off before continuing.

— Who knows? If you truly reach the 9-star level, you might find a way to restore my consciousness.

Clank.

The last chain was locked into place. 

Yohan could feel the seven chains coiled around his heart. 

While there weren’t physical chains, the curse had now taken a tangible form.

— I’ll leave you with one last gift.

The voice faded, and the pen released a tremendous surge of mana.

———

“Young Master Yohan.”

Flash!

Yohan opened his eyes to the sound of someone calling him. 

Ariel’s face came into view, her expression a mix of confusion, expectation, and disappointment. 

She sighed softly and spoke.

“Leaving a perfectly good bed to sleep on the floor again? Did you drink last night?”

“Ah.”

Yohan let out a short, awkward sound before quickly getting up. 

The first thing he did was check the magic pen. 

Thankfully, it was still firmly in his hand.

“I get that you’re excited about obtaining the magic pen, but over-drinking isn’t wise.”

“I didn’t drink though.”

Seeing Yohan staring intently at the pen, Ariel shook her head slightly.

“I’m aware. There’s no smell of alcohol.”

“Then what is it?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to be a drunkard than someone lying on the floor without a good reason?”

Yohan was at a loss for words. He chuckled lightly. 

She had a point—being drunk is arguably better than being insane. 

He had no logical retort.

“So what’s the matter?”

“Well, after dropping that bombshell yesterday without giving a proper explanation, the Master and the steward stayed up all night thinking about it. They just went to their rooms for some rest… And here I find you, sleeping on the floor, no less, so I thought I’d wake you up.”

‘I didn’t leave anything unexplained. I gave a detailed explanation of the theory and why I’m the only one who can execute the method.’

Yesterday, on his way to the head’s office, Yohan had confidently told Grayson that Bryan Hart’s magic pen had a way to resolve the curse, at least partially.

He declared that there was a method to break the curse. 

The issue, however, was that the solution only applied to Yohan. 

The method could only be used by someone with a strong curse like Yohan’s, so no one else with a lesser curse could replicate it.

However…

‘It seems they didn’t give up.’

It appeared like Grayson Hart and Alberto had stayed up all night researching the things Yohan had told them, only to fall asleep afterward.

“Well then, Young Master, I’ll be on my way.”

“Oh, sure.”

Ariel wore an expression which mentioned she had a lot of questions she wanted to ask but was holding back. 

Once Yohan saw her turn to leave, he lifted the magic pen in his hand and muttered quietly to himself.

“So, is it really gone?”

After completing the transformation of the curse, the magic pen had told him that its consciousness would disappear. 

In essence, it meant that Bryan Hart and all the thousand years of research he had done would vanish along with it. 

The pen had sacrificed itself, having seen the potential in Yohan.

No response came.

Well, not exactly.

“Yes? I haven’t left yet.”

The answer came from elsewhere. 

Yohan glanced over to see Ariel standing at the door, looking back at him. 

He shook his head.

“No. I wasn’t talking to you.”

“… Understood. I’ll take my leave then.”

Ariel gave him a puzzled look before finally closing the door behind her. 

Yohan scratched his cheek as he stared down at the magic pen. It seemed the pen’s consciousness really had disappeared.

“……”

He had always been alone—at least, that was the case in his previous life as Kang Ji-hoon. 

Abandoned by his parents, he grew up in an orphanage full of other kids in the same situation, but none of them could really be called ‘companions.’

Living in the orphanage, the one thing Kang Ji-hoon learned was that the only person he could rely on was himself.

Yohan had come to understand early on that sacrifice wasn’t something that truly existed. 

So, the magic pen’s choice to sacrifice itself for him was something he couldn’t comprehend.

‘It gave up its life to change my curse?’

Why?

Yohan thought about it for a moment before shaking his head.

“Well, I can ask when I bring it back.”

After all, the pen had told him that if he became a 9-star mage, there was a chance to restore its consciousness. 

The magic pen wouldn’t have said that just as an empty promise.

Yohan refocused on what he needed to do next.

‘Let’s check out Bryan’s magic first.’

He decided to pass on the Hart family’s mana cultivation method since the original Yohan already knew it, and instead focus on reviewing the second secret technique etched into his mind—‘Blood Missile.’

But then…

“Huh?”

There should have only been one technique etched into his mind. 

The Hart family’s mana cultivation method wasn’t a spell, but simply a method of cultivation. 

Yet, for some reason, there were two techniques engraved in his mind.

‘He definitely said one spell per chain.’

The pen had said that in order to split the levels of progression, Bryan had infused a unique secret spell into each chain. 

The 1-star technique was the Hart family’s mana cultivation method.

2-star was Blood Missile.

So which was the other one?

Yohan quickly sat in a meditative position, the same posture he used when transforming the curse with the magic pen. 

He slowly inhaled, focusing on his heart.

‘Wait. There’s one more star?’

Yohan’s brows furrowed in surprise.

All mages formed rings in their hearts. 

But creating a ring wasn’t everything—there was also a ‘mana core’ that orbited the ring. 

Everyone called this core a star, and as mages increased their mastery, the number of stars orbiting their rings grew. 

That’s why the achievements of mages were measured not in stages, but in stars.

In Yohan’s case, before he lost consciousness, he had only two stars, but now there were three. 

So that means…

‘I’ve become a 3-star mage.’

Was this the gift mentioned by the magic pen?

He couldn’t think of any other reason why his achievement level had increased.

“The newly unlocked spell is… Blood Shield, huh.”

It was similar to Blood Missile. 

This spell was an adaptation of the existing Shield spell, modified to align with the Hart family’s mana cultivation method.

Waking up as a 3-star mage, with a new spell imprinted in his mind, he naturally thought.

‘Should I try it out?’

It wasn’t strange for him to feel this way.

Yohan jumped up from his seat.