I Became a Terminally Ill Magic Genius at the Academy

As soon as the match ended, Kyle rushed over to Yohan.  

Whoosh.  

Since Kyle was still holding a potion, all the students of the White Wolf dorm backed away in unison.  

Only Yohan and Leila, who was still gazing into space, remained close by.  

With an excited expression, Kyle spoke to Yohan.  

“Like you said, I just did what I normally do, and I won.”  

“Good job. Wasn’t too hard, right?”  

“At first, dodging all those attacks was tough, but after that… I just had to throw stuff.”  

Kyle said with a grin.  

Yohan nodded slightly, acknowledging Kyle’s words, then added,  

“I know you’re feeling good, but maybe you should put that potion away first? You’re not planning on blowing up this place too, right?”  

At Yohan’s words, Kyle quickly reacted, saying, “Oh!” as he tucked the potion back into his pocket.  

Watching Kyle store the potion, Yohan couldn’t help but ask, “But, if you carry it like that, doesn’t it accidentally explode sometimes?”  

While he had depicted using potions in combat, he hadn’t really gone into detail about how Kyle’s potions functioned.  

“They don’t explode. The bottle itself has a magic circle drawn on it, so technically there are two separate potions inside. The mixing only happens when I throw it and trigger the fusion magic. Until then, it’s stable.”  

“That’s… Like a grenade on steroids.”  

“What?”  

“Oh, nothing.”  

Yohan’s brief exclamation of awe left Kyle a bit puzzled.  

As Yohan casually waved it off, the other White Wolf dorm students approached Kyle.  

“Was it Kyle? Nice job. Where did you get those potions?”  

“Oh, thank you, senior. It was no trouble. And I made those potions myself.”  

“You made them?”  

“Yes.”  

“Hah. That’s the White Wolf dorm for you! It’s bursting with talent!”  

Geron laughed heartily upon hearing that the potions were Kyle’s own creation.  

Just then, Violet was approaching from the opposite side.  

There was a hint of dissatisfaction on the faces of the Golden Lion dorm students, so everyone could guess what she was going to say.  

And sure enough…  

“Geron.”  

“Violet.”  

“The explosive potion’s power was excessive. And the last potion used—who knows what it even was.”  

“So?”  

“You know those aren’t regular potions that can just be acquired.”  

Violet spoke with a stern face.  

Of course, it was not easy for an average student to acquire such potions. 

Explosive potions, in particular, were rare…  

And more importantly, potions above a certain level of explosive power couldn’t be obtained by apprentice mages.  

They were restricted by imperial law. 

If someone was skilled enough in alchemy to craft them, they were expected to handle such power responsibly, but buying them was prohibited altogether.

“And that explosive potion Kyle just used… Anyone can see it has ‘more than a certain level’ of power, so if you want to bring it up, you could make an issue out of it.”

However, Geron replied with a cheerful face.

“Our first-year student made that potion himself. Any complaints?”

“… He made it himself? Are you sure?”

“Have you ever seen a White Wolf dorm student lie?”

Although Geron spoke confidently, Violet nodded as if it were obvious.

“I’ve seen it plenty of times. You, for one…”

“Anyway, if he says he made it himself, is there a problem?”

“Even if I believe it, others have to be convinced too. It’s not easy for a first-year student to make a potion of that power.”

Violet’s comment was met with Yohan’s interjection.

Convincing others of Kyle’s skills wouldn’t be difficult—they had placed first in the alchemy class, after all.

“You can confirm with Professor Norman Ford.”

“Huh?”

“We just had an alchemy class.”

“Well, alright then.”

Hearing the alchemy professor’s name, Violet appeared to think it unnecessary to continue arguing. 

She simply nodded and gave Yohan a long, hard look before turning around and walking back to where the Golden Lion students were gathered.

Once Violet left, Geron let out a breath and spoke up.

“It’s all up to you now, Yohan Hart.”

Yohan gave a light nod in response.

One-on-one.

Only one match remained.

The duel between Yohan’s and Haverto.

Whether the White Wolf dorm would take first place, or if it would go to the Golden Lions, all came down to this.

“You can win, right?”

“I’ll do my best.”

Yohan didn’t give a direct promise of victory. 

However, seeing the expression on Yohan’s face, Geron smiled and didn’t press further. 

It was only natural because…

‘He already looks like he’s won.’

To Geron, Yohan wore the face of a victor.

——-

Meanwhile, the Golden Lion dorm students were whispering with serious expressions.

“What was that just now? Is it even fair to use potions like that?”

“If he made it himself, it’s not against the rules, so there’s no issue.”

“I know, but… What if we actually lose?”

Finally, someone voiced their anxiety.

After winning the first match, they had expected to sweep all the remaining duels. 

But surprisingly, Kyle—who wasn’t even a combat specialist—had won by throwing around those unbelievable potions.

Now there was a creeping unease that perhaps the unexpected could happen in the second match too.

“Hey, speak reasonably. Do you know who their next opponent is?”

“Yohan Hart…”

“Yeah. The infamous scoundrel of the Hart family. A recognized troublemaker throughout the whole nation—what chance does he have against Haverto?” 

There was a widespread belief among the students that Yohan had no chance against Haverto, who was deemed the most promising among the central nobility.

Of course, a minority of students thought differently.

“Still, we can’t underestimate him. Regardless of his reputation, he ranked second in the White Wolf dorm’s entrance exams.”

“Come on, being second in that perennial last-place dorm is nothing compared to being second in the Golden Lion dorm.”

“That’s true, but…”

“And don’t forget, in the entrance exam, Haverto came back with five mana stones. How many did Yohan get? Two? He probably just stumbled upon those by luck.”

While most students dismissed Yohan’s potential, one student watching from a distance—the Iron Bear dorm’s Cecilia Diaz—shook her head. 

Those two mana stones Yohan had weren’t picked up by chance. He had taken them after neutralizing her golem. 

And, he had even displayed a relaxed attitude, suggesting that they simply go their separate ways rather than continue the fight. 

Could Haverto, a so-called talent among the central nobility, display such composure against her? 

More importantly, could Haverto even defeat her?

‘Hmm, I doubt it.’

She had never faced Haverto directly, but she couldn’t imagine herself losing to him. 

And if Yohan had defeated her so easily, would he really lose to Haverto?

‘Looks like the White Wolf dorm might just take first place.’

Unless Haverto was hiding something incredible, or unless Yohan was severely unwell and in his worst condition, the result seemed clear.

A victory for the White Wolf dorm.

With growing interest, Cecilia continued to observe the unfolding situation.

———

“Damn it.”

Haverto cursed under his breath as he overheard whispers like, “Could we actually lose?” 

Although not many students genuinely thought he would lose, there were certainly some with a ‘what if’ mentality.

And that alone bothered him.

The power of the Hart family had been waning for decades. 

Despite this, their influence was still formidable enough for them to be considered one of the Empire’s four major families.

But not for long.

‘The day is coming when they won’t be one of the Big Four anymore.’

The Count Vaion family, which Haverto was set to inherit, was a rising star. 

Of course, calling them a rising star might seem odd, given that their history spanned over a hundred years. 

But compared to the four major families, the Vaion family’s history was relatively short. 

And unlike the Hart family, which had been in decline, the Vaion family had been expanding its power and influence.

Haverto was certain that under his leadership, the Vaion family would soon join the Empire’s top five families.

‘And for that to happen, we need to defeat the current Big Four and be acknowledged by all.’

The target, of course, was the Marquis Hart family.

While the fact that the future head of the Hart family had a notorious reputation as a scoundrel was certainly part of it, that wasn’t the main reason Haverto saw Yohan as a crucial rival.

‘It’s about proving ourselves, not just exploiting a scandal.’

The Vaion County’s territory was centrally located, though even within the central region, it naturally gravitated toward a direction—in their case, slightly northward. 

While others might misinterpret this, Haverto’s focus on Yohan Hart wasn’t just because he seemed like an easy target. 

‘No matter what, today marks the first step in proving ourselves against one of the Big Four.’

Haverto had to win. 

For revenge, for his family, and to prove himself.

“By any means necessary… I must win.”

Haverto murmured as he fiddled with the potion bottle hidden in his pocket.

——

‘Can I really win this?’

Yohan stared at Haverto, gauging him carefully. 

There was still that odd, absent-minded look on Haverto’s face.

Regardless of Haverto’s state, Yohan needed to seriously consider his strategy. 

He recalled the battles he’d fought so far.

‘Against Violet, the student council president, it would’ve been difficult without Ariel.’

Violet was strong, capable of handling multiple freshmen at once with ease. 

And then there was Cecilia.

‘I only won against Cecilia because I knew her character setup from the original story.’

Neutralizing Cecilia’s golem was only possible because Yohan was the original author and knew its weakness.

But Haverto?

He was an up-and-coming talent from the central region, well-known in his circles. 

However, in Yohan’s original work, he was nothing more than a passing character—a minor role.

In other words…

‘Who even is this guy?’

Yohan knew almost nothing about Haverto. 

This meant that he would have to defeat him purely on skill, without any insider knowledge or allies to back him up.

“Are both sides ready?” 

“Yes. I’m ready.”

“… Yes.”

Haverto responded a beat later than Yohan.

‘This guy’s been acting strange since earlier… What’s going on with him?’

As Yohan pondered this, the match began.

“Then, let’s start!” 

And then—

Thud!

A dull, heavy sound reverberated through the air in an instant.