Mightiest Melee Magician

My roommate, Jason, shouted while walking in front of me,

“Make way for the Archmage!”

“……”

What was with this fame?

“Woah! It’s Ruin!”

“Hey Ruin! You wanna eat lunch together?”

“Did you go exercise in the morning? Do you train like that every day?”

“……”

It changed overnight.

Just until yesterday, I was the biggest loner of the academy.

“Ruin, how do you feel about today’s test?”

“Will you use your fists again? Woosh, woosh. Like this?”

“Of course he will!”

Should I just say that the number of people who wanted to become my friend had increased?

To these classmates, all I did was shake my head.

“…Please, just mind your own business.”

But the more I did this, the more they swarmed around me.

“Ruin. Do you perhaps know my name? We were in the same class for the last 6 years, but this is the first time we are talking like this. My name is Halbert. Don’t forg-”

“Get off him! It’s my turn now. Ruin, you know my name, right? The son of Baron Mungelind…”

“……”

I’m sorry, but I don’t care about your names.

“Sigh…”

As soon as I made that small sigh, Jason said to me in an increasingly joking way,

“Sir Archmage! Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”

“You’re too loud. Please.”

“Kekek.”

This had become even more tiring than before, when no one paid any attention to me.

Of course, not everyone was just friendly to me either.

Some groups that liked to talk badly about me were still present.

“I really can’t understand the examiners. How could they accept that ‘thing’ as magic?”

“He definitely used some weird tricks. Don’t you think so, Michael?”

The main group being the nobles that attached themselves to Michael Galehill so that they may eat his crumbs someday.

They always looked at me like my existence was offensive to them.

But honestly, these types of responses were easier to deal with.

I grinned.

“Eh?”

“That bastard is… smiling?”

If I lightly smiled at them, they’d explode on their own.

“You. Did you just laugh at us?”

“You think you’re unstoppable just because you had one good test result?”

As expected, they were within my predictions.

Michael Galehill, who was observing me from afar, slowly walked up to me.

“For a magician to use their fist… As expected, you’re vulgar.”

“Vulgar? Can I take that statement to mean you disregard all the knights of the kingdom?”

“…Whatever. I don’t care what you say. I don’t know what tricks you used yesterday but…”

Michael grinned a little, as if he had a plan.

“You know it’s no use on today’s test, right?”

“……”

The 2nd test was today.

<Mana Output Measurement>

It was a straightforward test to determine the destructive power of one’s magic.

But there was one variable for this test.

The artifact used for the test, ‘The Ancient Ogre Kingram’, was in fact, ‘alive’.

Just as the name would suggest, the ancient predator ogre ‘Kingram’ was defeated by the first archmage, Frolian Ignit, and was therefore trapped in the void inside the artifact, cursed to always be famished.

He became an artifact in this state and Kingram, still trapped inside the artifact, received the magician’s mana when attacked and he absorbed it.

Technically used as a type of ‘Magic Sandbag’, the mana output absorbed by Kingram was then digitized, and the number was put as that magician’s grade.

Meaning, this was an entirely different variable than any other test.

‘What if the ogre doesn’t accept my unusual magic.’

Well, I had never even touched ‘Kingram’ once before.

And on top of that, my magic was unusual.

Magic that no one had seen before.

This was probably why Michael was acting all high and mighty.

But rather than worry about it, I decided to brightly smile for him.

“Michael. Good luck on your test.”

“What? The hell are you saying now?”

“So that you’ll see me again, in the <Man-to-man Combat Test>.”

<Man-to-man Combat Test>

The last of the tests, and also the climax.

The students battle each other in a special mana barrier where the lethality of their magic is reduced by 99%.

The important thing here was the matchup.

The one that sets those matchups was the result of today’s test.

The group bracket you got put into would depend on the outcome.

The low scores with low scores and the high scores with other high scores.

“Don’t you also want to meet me?

My small provocation made Michael’s eyebrows twitch and he snorted at me, responding in kind,

“Do you think you even have a chance of matching against me? You, who is an inferior. Who only got failing marks for the last 6 years…”

Inferior student.

Failing marks.

The tags that were attached to me till the end.

I responded to Michael in a colder voice,

“Michael, aren’t you being too nervous right now?”

“What?”

It was then.

Wheeeeeeng-!

The siren that marked the start of the test rang through the entire academy.

Rattle!

As the doors to the testing grounds opened, the assistant instructors that were in charge of the examinations appeared one by one.

“The test has started! Everyone go to your seats!”

“ ……”

Michael’s face said he had a lot of things to say to me, but at the arrival of the instructors, he didn’t say anything and went back to his seat.

Instead, it was like he was talking with his eyes, staring at me like looks could kill.

Seeing Michael like that, I gave him a shrug.

Calm down buddy.

You're gonna start firing lasers out of your eyes.

At that point, Jason, who was sitting next to me, pointed to the entrance of the testing grounds.

“Yo Ruin, look at that!”

“Hm?”

“Even though I’ve seen it many times, it’s still so cool every time I see it.”

At the place that Jason was pointing to, the academy instructors were wheeling in a huge statue on a cart.

A gigantic, silver-plated statue.

Even though the outside was constructed using sturdy platinum, the inside housed a living, breathing creature.

That was definitely,

“…Kingram.”

* * *

* * *

The Ancient Ogre Kingram.

This was a treasure that represented the academy, and a rare-grade artifact, something that was hard to find, even across the entire continent.

‘The Ancient Ogre Kingram’.

It had lived for thousands of years,

And had been trapped inside the statue for hundreds of years before becoming an artifact. 

A primordial ogre.

An ogre that spent over 500 years as an artifact of the Ignit Magic Academy.

A piece of living history.

And today, it was the examiner that would grade every student gathered here.

As soon as he arrived, Kingram spoke with words full of disdain.

[The stench of the weak has stained the air here. The smell is bad enough that I feel like my head is splitting.]

* * *

The second test had begun.

The testing procedure was simple.

Feed Kingram the strongest magic you could cast.

“Chain Lighting!”

The students poured the magic into Kingram.

[Was that all?]

“Eh?”

[That only tickles. Do you plan to dent this body with such attacks?]

And Kingram assessed their performance.

This was the test.

But Kingram’s standards were too high.

[Far too weak. I won’t even give you 10 points.]

[Begone from here. You are a 1 point magician. No, to give you 1 point will be an insult to 1 itself. How about giving up on magic?]

He didn’t budge at any normal magic.

[I have already spent 500 years at this academy trapped in this boulder. Do you think I could remember every student that ever came here? However, I will definitely remember you. You left quite an impression.]

“R-really?”

[Yes, as the most useless piece of trash.]

“……”

Even though that magic was pretty good, all that came out from its mouth were insults.

There wasn’t any error at all.

It was just that Kingram’s standards were too high.

500 years.

In the eternal 500 year history of the academy, they say nearly every student of the academy was subjected to the harsh words of Kingram.

Because the magicians who could avoid his insults were one in a thousand.

But the funny thing was, the ones acknowledged by Kingram went on to become grand magicians that had been recorded in the annals of history.

That’s why all the students taking the exam had a look of both nervousness and hopeful desire.

“I will definitely be acknowledged by Kingram this time!”

“Let’s go!”

To hear even the smallest compliment from Kigram would mean you were destined to become a magician greater than you could imagine.

At that point, Jason, who was sitting next to me while observing the test, talked to me.

“Ruin, this is your first time with this test, right?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“Don’t be too nervous. Just throw at it your most confident magic. Hooo… Why am I shaking so much.”

Even though he said that, Jason was doing his best trying to stop his legs from shaking.

Looked like you were more nervous than I was.

“That ogre bastard. He’s famous for how stingy he is with grades, so don’t dwell too hard on the mark. Even 20 points is considered an amazing grade.”

Jason, who said 20 points would be an excellent grade,

[Your magic is bland. Did you mix it with water?]

“Huh? What did you say? Mix with water? This bastard! This is 100% my mana! You punk!”

[I’ll give you 3 points. Get out of my sight.]

“Uaaak!”

was given 3 points, while his magic was insulted as mixed with water.

“This bastard ogre who’s only been a sandbag his entire life. Who’s he to say anything about my magic!”

“You’re the one who told me he’s stingy with marks, so don’t dwell on it.”

“That bastard said my magic was mixed with-! Hey! You ogre! If magic is mixed with water it doesn’t even activate!”

As Jason continued to complain to Kingram, he got told off by an assistant instructor at the end.

Whatever the case, Jason’s current level was this.

3 points.

This only showed how absolute and accurate Kingram’s assessment was.

This was the reason why, excluding the few assistant instructors operating with Kingram, the rest of the professors didn’t interfere with every small thing.

He had the insight to peer through the talent of a magician better than anything else.

Kingram spoke in a scornful tone that indicated his disappointment.

[Tsk, tsk. There’s not a decent one between any of you. Frolian Ignit, the one who put me in here, was extremely strong despite being a lowly human. You are all flies compared to that bastard. I could kill you all with just my pinky.]

No one could refute his statement.

Because it was the truth.

The standards Kingram were talking about were the real standards of magicians.

“Ah… Did I mess up this test again?”

“Would the grade average be about 10 points?”

“Even if we fail, we all fail together… So maybe it’s better?”

“I guess. Unless someone greatly increases the average, we should all be fine.”

Current grade average, 9 points out of 100.

Each student could only be assured that not just them, but everyone else also had a bad score.

This cruel fact was not much different for Michael Galehill, who was considered the most exemplary in the graduation class.

[Are you done?]

“……”

Even though Michael did his powerful signature move of combining the two conflicting elements, fire and water, into one spell and blasting Kingram, the only thing he received in return was the ogre’s cold attitude.

[For you to be a Galehill… This was disappointing.]

“D-disappointing?”

[I have been hit by countless magic from that Galehill family. From those, Josh Galehill comes to mind.]

Josh Galehill.

The current head of the Galehill Family, and a core executive of the Magic Tower.

The father of Michael Galehill.

As soon as he heard his father’s name, he pumped his chest with pride.

“Huh, so you do remember pretty well. My father is that Count Josh Galehill.”

[You’re the son of Josh Galehill?]

“That’s right! I am the son of that proud Josh Galehill! The third son Michael Galehill…”

[Proud? Josh Galehill? He was just another kid who begged me for a higher mark.]

“…What?”

[“My score was too low.” waah waah. “I can’t become valedictorian like this.” waah waah. “I need to get a good mark so I can become the family head.” waah waah. Fucking idiot.]

“……”

At the realistic reenactment by Kingram, the crowd couldn’t hold in their laughter, and Michael's confident face was crumpled into a frown, and crumpled even further like paper.

It was probably quite shocking hearing his father’s ‘never tell anyone, even if I die’ level secret.

“You─you’re lying…”

Michael was trying his hardest to deny the truth, but regretfully for him, it probably was the truth.

Since the artifact didn’t lie.

[Michael Galehill. Your talent doesn’t even get close to even that idiot Josh Galehill. Here are 27 points. I’ll be a bit generous considering your father.]

27 points.

Even though it looked like nothing, it was still the highest mark in the grade.

However, Michael couldn’t be happy.

“N-no! Never! This is all a lie! My father is a great magician, better than anyone else!”

He cried out with his heart that it was all a lie and left the testing grounds with his reddening face, as if running away.

Unexpectedly, it looked like his family was his weak point. 

While I was laughing without care.

“Next! Ruin Ardell!”

The instructor had called my name.

It was finally my turn.

While dusting off my hands, I said this to Jason,

“I’ll be right back.”