Mightiest Melee Magician

The first group competition that was held in the Grand Festival was <Mana Bomb Throwing>.

Bombs that were heated up by enjecting mana were thrown at mithril golems to damage them, and the team who destroyed their mithril golem first won.

Because the speed at which the bomb heated up was dependent on your skills, and you also needed to accurately aim at the mithril golem’s core to destroy it faster, individual skill was also important.

Only looking at the individual ability of the team members,

“We need to accept that we’re lacking in terms of individual skill compared to Oyota.”

“……”

We were weaker than Oyota.

This was an irrefutable fact.

However, this was a team sport.

“Our individual skills are lacking… but we can definitely win tomorrow.”

“We can win?”

“Yeah.”

“How?”

If we could move with perfect teamwork, we were sure to be victorious.

I laid out a piece of paper and started writing out the names of the teammates.

“I’ll start by making 4 groups. Group 1 will heat up the mana bombs. Group 2 will move the mana bombs. Group 3 will attack the mithril golem, and Group 4 will interfere with the opposing team.”

“…We’re making teams?”

“Yeah.”

“B-but… if we do that, wouldn’t we be too slow?”

“That’s true. Oyota will attack with all 30 members at once while we’ll only attack with 10.”

In most <Mana Bomb Throwing> games, one student would heat up, shoot, and block the bomb all by themselves.

There were some cases where the team would split into two to make one interfere with the other team, but there hadn’t been a case of splitting a team for heating up and throwing like this.

The reason was simple.

This event followed the rules of ‘Time Attack’, where the first one to destroy the mithril golem won.

They just needed to attack more than their opponents.

They just needed to destroy it 1 second faster than their opponents.

That was why everyone went on a full-on offensive.

However,

“While the others are throwing 1, we just need to throw 2 or 3 at once.”

“……”

The teams where each member had outstanding abilities may’ve favoured the original tactic.

However, this was a time-consuming method for a weaker team.

People who struggled with activating the bomb.

People who struggled with aiming accurately.

People who specialized in healing magic.

Students each had a unique specialty.

That was why, instead,

“With Hankus as the leader, Zola, Mil, Mora, Ayake, Freya… You guys will be tasked with only heating up the bomb. Then Taymunce will move the ignited bomb and with Jason at the centre like this…10 people will throw the bomb. The rest will target the healing point of the Oyota’s mithril golem.”

We opted to separate into groups to amplify everyone’s strengths.

This was the method with the highest chance of success.

Of course, the reason for selecting this strategy was because of my ability.

<Player’s Eye>.

The ability to see through a target’s nature.

Using this, I was able to minimize the weaknesses and focus on the strengths of the group members.

Most of the students that heard about me making groups had expressions of doubt on their faces.

“This, this should be fine, right?”

“It’s a tactic that no one has used before. It will carry that much risk.”

“Wouldn’t there be a reason that no one used it?”

Right.

It was a tactic that no school has ever used before.

But after seeing the completed list of names, the students’ faces started to light up.

“…It might just work.”

“Right. There’s a decent possibility. I don’t have any confidence in the shooting, but I can finish heating it up in 5 seconds.”

Since it was a strategy to bring forth the strengths of everyone, they had some hope that it would work.

Some smiled at being satisfied with their allocated position.

And some showed signs of confidence.

It was a good premonition.

I clapped once while looking at my peers.

“Aren’t you guys curious?”

“Eh? About what?”

“How far up we can go during this competition.”

“……”

At my question, my peers started smiling lightly one by one.

All of these guys never outwardly showed any expectations.

Screw expecting anything.

They probably thought it was good enough to not come last.

However, the door known as ‘competition’ hadn’t been opened before.

And right now, everyone was brimming with anticipation together.

‘Maybe we might just win…’

Right.

The uprising of the Acadummies.

This started from a small resolve.

And I planned on growing this ‘hope’ until the end of the competition.

It was then.

“R-Ruin!”

“……”

The door of the inn swung open, and one of the students who went to buy groceries ran in.

His name was Fullem.

At the entrance of Fullem, the warm and peaceful atmosphere of the inn rapidly cooled.

The reason was…

“Fullem! What happened to your face?”

* * *

* * *

“……”

Fullem’s face was a mess.

It looked like he’d been hit by someone.

An ominous feeling swept through.

I suddenly stood up from my seat, and Jason was one of the first to run and support Fullem.

“Are you ok?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“What happened? Who hurt you?”

“……”

At Jason’s question, Fullem replied while wiping the blood from his lips.

“I-I’m sorry. Those Oyota guys…”

“…Oyota?”

“Yea. That Oyota representative… He brought his men with him, and after they dragged me out… I barely made it out alive.”

“……”

Oyota.

As soon as this name was muttered, multiple faces became pale, followed by a sharp inhale from them.

“…Those… Those bastards. This year too…”

Yeah.

It started again.

In the pretext of reducing the opponent’s confidence, they resorted to basic violence.

They did it last year.

And the year before that.

The same type of violence was said to have continued every year.

However,

“Ruin! Where are you going!”

“……”

This year’s representative wasn’t Michael.

And the new academy representative had a personality where, if he got hit once, he would hit back twice.

As I silently walked towards the door and flung it open, Jason grabbed my arm.

“I asked where you are going! You, you aren’t thinking of charging in at them, right?”

“Am I a kid? Why would I charge in? I’m just going to talk to them.”

“You know,  we are still kids.”

“……”

Hmhm.

Well, if you say that, I can’t really talk back.

“Anyway… I-if you’re going, I’m coming with you.”

Jason.

To say you would come with me while your hands were shaking like this.

In any case, you warm my heart.

I moved his hands off me.

“No. I need to go alone.”

“Why?”

“Because that’ll be cooler.”

“……”

Jason looked at me with an expression that said, ‘These types of people exist?’ and I jokingly laughed at Jason.

“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”

Yeah.

There wouldn’t be any special incident.

Not for me, at least.

“I’ll be back.”

I walked out of my lodging and directly headed towards the inn the Oyotas were staying at.

At that moment, I saw two shadows move quickly into the Oyota inn, so I could guess that they were expecting my appearance.

Then I needed to meet their expectations.

I slammed open the door to the inn and walked inside.

“Oh. He really did come.”

“What did I say? That he’d come alone.”

“Kekekek. So what if he comes? Who does he think he is?”

The Oyota students were sitting in the 1st-floor cafeteria like some gangsters and snickered while they analyzed me.

Naturally, in the center of all this, was Seta Malkiri.

“What’s this? You came alone?”

He asked as if he were confused.

And I answered back in kind while mockingly laughing.

“Yeah. I’m different from you who needs to carry everyone everywhere.”

“……”

At that, Seta Malkiri’s face twisted, and he stood up, walking confidently toward me.

“Ah. This guy’s a real retard.”

Then he gave threats while moving right in front of me.

“You. Just why do you act so baselessly arrogant?”

“……”

Big.

I wasn’t particularly short, but maybe because his stature was big, he felt an entire head bigger.

It would be too uncomfortable looking up the whole time, so I looked straight ahead.

“Why do I act so arrogant?”

I grabbed Seta Malkiri by his shoulder and pushed him straight to the ground.

With that, Seta’s body folded as easily as a paper crane, and his face turned red as he tried to put strength into his body.

It was an act that tried to show he wouldn’t lose in a battle of strength, but…

“…Ugh. Ughk.”

All that did was make his face even redder.

Oh ho? His face looked like it was gonna explode.

<2,200> worth of oppressive grip strength.

A huge difference in strength that he had never experienced before.

Thanks to this, Seta’s upper body buckled before his knees even bent, and I looked at him straight in the eye.

“I’m warning you. If you touch us outside of the tournament grounds again…”

“You… you fucking bitch!”

As he said that…

Seta threw a punch at me, and I grabbed it out of the air, bending it back as if I had expected it.

Crack!

“…It won’t end with just this.”

“Ack! AAAAAACK!”

“S-Seta!”

His arm didn’t break.

But his shoulders were probably dislocated.

“AAAAACK!”

Seta Malkiri crumbled to the ground and started sobbing while grabbing his arms.

“W-what did he just…”

“What? Seta just…”

The other Oyota students that packed the first floor of the inn could only watch in confusion and fear.

Some rubbed their eyes as if they couldn’t believe it.

“This… this insane…”

As Seta Malkiri collapsed uselessly, the surrounding guys tried to charge me.

“……”

But as I stared back at them, they couldn’t even think of attacking, instead retreating backwards.

Looking at these Oyota students, I snickered.

“You were so confident before. What an ugly sight.”

“……”

Yeah.

They only amounted to this much.

Just bastards that couldn’t even do anything when their captain was done in before them.

Were we really bullied by people like this every year?

Were we really scared of someone like this?

It felt wrong to even consider them a rival.

I spoke to Seta Malkiri, who was still collapsed on the ground.

“You. You wanna make a bet with me?”

* * *

“R-Ruin…? Ruin’s back!”

“What? Ruin? Where?”

“What! He’s back already? Did nothing happen? You didn’t hit them?”

As I returned to the inn, my peers started to make a fuss about it.

“What are you on about? Nothing happened.”

I just shrugged my shoulders and sat in my chair.

Phew.

My legs were still shaking.

Then, Jason hurriedly ran towards me and muttered while looking me up and down.

“You're fine? It’s like you just went and took a walk around town or something.”

“……”

Hmhm.

Well, since it took less than 5 minutes, it really was like I took a walk around town.

In any case, I emphasized that nothing really happened and gathered my 30 peers in one spot.

Then, I spoke.

“Tomorrow. You guys definitely need to win tomorrow.”

“Eh? Of course we’ll try to win… Why?”

“I made a bet with Seta Malkiri.”

“…A bet? What bet?”

My lips curled into a smile.

“A flick to the forehead.”

——