Mightiest Melee Magician

Prologue

There was a terrifying legend in the academy.

“You know, if you don’t practice more, you’ll end up like ‘Ruin Ardell’.”

“Dude, senior will hear you.”

“Who cares? It’s the truth.”

“……”

‘Ruin Ardell’

A name synonymous with a failed magician.

A testament to ‘failure’.

Those greenhorn underclassmen used the name behind my back to motivate others to study.

My damned name.

When this happened, I put my hand on their shoulders, smiled sincerely, and said this.

“He’s right, you know.
If you keep that up, you’ll become like me.”

“S-Senior!”

“I-I apologize.”

I was kind of a ‘maverick of the academy’.

Well, currently I was a typical example of a ‘failed magician’.

“S-Sir.”

“What is it?”

“Can I ask just one question?”

“What?”

“When you first entered the academy, did you really enter as the best of the class?”

Someone worthy enough to enter the academy as the best of the class.

At first, I was more talented than anyone.

At first, I was the most promising magician.

I was someone smart enough to memorise most of the magic theories in the world.

While reminiscing about my glory days, I said,

“Yes.
I was the best’.

* * *

Most people knew the feeling of reminiscing about a better past.

That included me, since I used to be pretty well off.

Entering the Academy at the age of 10, most people in my vicinity associated the name ‘Ruin Ardell’ with ‘Magic Genius’.

The son of a no-name countryside noble.

A small dragon born in the wasteland known as the Ardell Territory, which couldn’t produce a single magician, let alone a court magician.

That’s right.

The dragon was born from nothing.

At age 6, I felt mana for the first time.

At age 7, I succeeded in materialising that mana.

At age 9, I successfully initiated 1st-circle spells without any tutelage.

On the year of my 10th birthday, I entered the ‘Ignit Magic Academy’, and was the best in the class, beating the children of many other prestigious families.

The Best.

I stood at the podium as the student representative, and many eyes stared at me with jealousy.

However…

“Wow, you’re so gullible.
Don’t you know he’s actually ‘that’?”

“What?”

One summer night, the prestige of being the best disappeared like it was just a dream.

My level now wasn’t the best, nor the second best.

“That one with Evocation Inability Disorder.”

“Evocation inability?”

The worst.

A curse that magicians were too fearful to even say.

I was able to sense mana and materialise it.

But that was it.

My spells only floated around on my palm.

They couldn’t move more than a meter from my body.

It was because I lacked the innate ability to release magic.

In medical terms, ‘Mana Extension Inability Disorder’.

“Well, that’s that.
An Ardell? It seemed weird he used to be the best when he’s from some no-name family.”

“Yeah Ruin, who are you to be a ‘Magic Genius’? A family with no prestigious bloodline is bound to be like this.”

“……”

The fall from a ‘Magic Genius’ to a ‘Magic Cripple’ didn’t take long at all.