I Became the Academy’s Time-Limited Genius – Chapter 1

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Translated By Arcane Translations

Translator: Silverriver

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“It’s the Trea Dormitory.”

With awkward gazes directed at me, I received my student ID.

A symbol of being a student at the academy, and at the same time, proof of my right to reside in the dormitory. This proof wouldn’t be reissued, so I had to be careful not to lose it.

I gripped the student ID bearing my name tightly.

“Young Master, are you truly alright?”

Beside me, my personal maid, Petra, asked with a worried expression. But I told her I was fine and headed towards the stairs.

A surge “Ugh!”

No sooner had I spoken than blood gushed from my mouth. I had anticipated it, given my condition, but it was still unpleasant to actually experience the blood spilling out.

Despite that, I felt no particular emotion.

“Y-Young Master?”

Petra didn’t scream. This was because I had told her before coming to the academy not to scream even if I coughed up blood.

She skillfully pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and placed it in my hand. Covering my mouth with the handkerchief, I thought:

What a fucking body.

Gritting my teeth, I stared into space.

“Huh”

A hollow laugh escaped my lips.

An average person has stats around 5-6, and a trained knight exceeds 20. It means that right now my stats are even worse than a farmer’s.

‘What good is being a genius?’

I stared blankly at the glowing words in the trait window. It would have been nice if the words “Terminally Ill” weren’t there.

I let out a deep sigh and clicked on the “Terminally Ill” trait.

‘At least it’s increased by 10 days.’

A desperate number, barely enough to live for a month. If it weren’t for the quest rewards, I would have died cursing the gods.

The bleeding finally stopped after the handkerchief was completely soaked with blood.

“Give me the handkerchief.”

Petra took the handkerchief from me, then pulled out another one and wiped my mouth. While she wiped, I saw the blood staining the floor, but I didn’t care.

‘Another maid will clean it up.’

It was an irresponsible thought, but no one would question it. Even the person who handed me my student ID didn’t say anything about the blood.

Even as Petra helped me up the stairs, the blood remained on the steps.

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The Trea Dormitory was immaculate. As if to prove that the reputation of the continent’s best academy truly lived up to its name.

I flipped over my student ID to check my assigned room.

“Fortunately, it’s a single room.”

“It seems the Lord put in some effort. A single room in the Trea Dormitory…”

I nodded. Indeed, according to the setting of this novel, the Trea Dormitory was mostly occupied by nobles.

Iliad Academy.

A place where students were selected solely based on talent, regardless of social class. A heterogeneous space located within the Empire but separate from the Imperial Family, belonging to neither side.

Within the academy, social class didn’t exist, and students were ranked according to their talent.

‘That’s the surface-level setting, anyway.’

Naturally, the distinctions between nobles, royalty, and commoners still existed. While talent was considered for admission, the influence of family power couldn’t be ignored.

“Young Master, you’re attracting attention. If it’s bothersome, I’ll take care of it.”

“No, just leave it. And stop using that scary word ‘take care of.'”

I knew what Petra meant by “take care of,” and it made me shudder. She replied dejectedly, “Yes,” and quietly carried my luggage from behind.

Well, the stares were excessive.

“It would be best for you all to mind your own business.”

At my words, most of the stares disappeared. Some might have been from embarrassment, but mostly, they’ve heard what I said.

Deron Philasia.

The eldest son of the Philasia family.

A sickly young man, and due to his unique personality, a vicious person you shouldn’t provoke.

A disgrace, a piece of trash, who uses the power of the duke’s family to insult even fellow nobles.

Their gazes were mixed with a bit of contempt and fear.

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After entering my assigned room, I took a deep breath. Perhaps it was because I coughed up blood while climbing the stairs, but Petra’s eyes were filled with worry.

“Whew, I’m definitely tired.”

“It’s because you moved around too much.”

“How much did I even move? Since I’ve entered the academy, I should try to move around as much as possible.”

“But if you collapse again like last time…”

I waved my hand. I didn’t want to hear any more nagging.

Petra immediately closed her mouth, but her eyes were filled with pity.

I didn’t like that. Even though I knew she was genuinely worried about me.

“Go on, get out. Let me organize my thoughts.”

“Yes, then please rest well. Ah, be sure to take your elixir.”

I nodded. Petra put down my luggage and placed a small box on the table.

Then, she carefully closed the door and went outside.

As soon as she left, I threw myself onto the bed.

The bed was soft, and my body was heavy.

F*ck terminal illness.

No, honestly, I’m still cursing the gods.

The quests that popped up in irregular patterns. The reason I came to the academy, a place Deron wouldn’t have gone according to the original novel’s plot, was because of this damned terminal illness.

‘Did Deron just waste away and die in the original?’

Honestly, I didn’t know. Deron was mentioned a few times in the novel, but his fate was never revealed.

Only that he was sickly from a young age and rarely left the Duke’s estate.

Rumors even circulated that the Duke’s eldest son was terminally ill, so he probably did die.

A character I only knew existed…

‘Why did I have to get reincarnated as this guy?’

I could only lament my fate. It was fortunate that I was a Duke’s son and constantly supplied with medicine. If I were a commoner or even a baron’s son…

The thought was horrifying.

‘I’ll stock up on some elixirs while clearing quests.’

Still, I had read the novel up to the latter half. Even though I didn’t finish it, I knew what kind of elixirs and opportunities existed at the academy.

“Thinking about it now still pisses me off.”

Why did the author send me here, when they’re the ones who messed up, got cursed at, and caused all this?

After furiously cursing the author, I composed myself. Getting angry shortens my lifespan. Excessive anger is bad for my health.

“Haa, I should take the elixir.”

Calming down a bit, I moved my body from the bed. My body felt heavy again.

It felt like the bed was pulling me down, so I had to get up in one go.

I dragged my heavy body towards the table. Even moving such a short distance was this tiring.

On the table was a box with antique decorations. I opened the box, and a blue orb revealed itself.

“How many days’ worth is this elixir?”

Carefully, I lifted the orb. Judging by its brilliant light, its efficacy seemed extraordinary.

60 days?

I widened my eyes and checked the information again.

Even after rubbing my eyes, the number was clearly 60.

The elixirs I had taken so far were at most 20 days’ worth. Considering that the least effective ones were only 10 days, this one was undoubtedly high-grade.

‘I guess they gave me something expensive since I entered the academy.’

Thinking about the value of the elixir in my hand, it felt wasteful. If I weren’t terminally ill and could use it to raise my stats…

Gulp.

Sigh, what’s the point of thinking about that?

As I swallowed the elixir, a refreshing energy circulated throughout my body. My body felt slightly lighter, and the pain that had been stabbing my head subsided.

My remaining time had also increased to 92 days.

About three months. I needed to find a few more elixirs within that time.

I closed the trait window and slumped into the chair. Even after taking the elixir, my body still felt heavy.

I sat and circulated my mana. The mana flowed through my blood vessels. It was always a strange sensation. A blue orb emerged from my fingertips and floated gently.

As if to prove the “Genius” trait wasn’t wrong, this body had already awakened its mana.

Well, considering how many elixirs I’d consumed, it would be strange if I hadn’t awakened it.

Now that I had entered the academy, there was a lot to do. I began to organize the things I had to do.

Knock, knock.

Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door.

“Young Master, the entrance ceremony is about to begin. The Lord specifically requested that you attend…”

“I know. I’ll be out soon.”

Ugh. It seemed both my father and Petra thought I wouldn’t attend the entrance ceremony.

I had no such intention.

At this point, I couldn’t miss the Iliad Academy’s entrance ceremony.

Because of a long-standing tradition at the academy:

The ranking test.

‘Well, I would have attended even without the test.’

If the test was necessary for a smooth life at the academy, the entrance ceremony was for networking.

“The main and supporting characters of the original story.”

The demonic calamity that would engulf the continent. The characters who died due to the author’s plot-destroying massacre.

I had to save them to save myself.

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