Mightiest Melee Magician

almly nodded his head.

“That’s right.
This is the Director’s order.”

Seemingly unsatisfied by Professor Hydel’s answer, Coulter furrowed his brows a little. 

“It seems some risk their lives in the academy.”

“……”

It was a statement with hidden thorns.

The ogre was strong.

If you got hit by his full swing, your skull would split into two and your spine would be bent the wrong way.

Of course, it was a monster you must fight on the real battlefield.

But for it to be used as a ‘test subject’ for a student.

How great must this student be!

At that moment,

“Yes.
I am risking my life.”

“Hmm? Who are you?”

The one who answered Coulter’s thorny statement wasn’t Professor Hydel.

It was Ruin, who had just entered the testing grounds.

Ruin bowed his head to Coulter.

“I am Ruin Ardell.
I’m the student taking this test.”

“…You are?”

“Yes.
Please take care of me.”

A student with dark black hair and a decently good-looking face.

He looked as if he would snap at the slightest breeze, and to Coulter, who had lived through all sorts of hardships in life, Ruin was just a skinny 16-year-old kid.

‘This kid here is fighting the ogre?’

Of course, he would get help from himself and the knights,

No matter how much he thought about it, Ruin was not a magician at the level of fighting an ogre.

On top of that,

“You… What are you doing?”

“I’m prepping for the test.”

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“Your position is back there, not here.”

Coulter pointed to the rear position where the students stationed themselves in their tests.

But where Ruin was standing right now was not the rear, where magicians should be, but the frontline with the knights.

Coulter thought that Ruin was just an idiot who couldn’t even find the right position, but the words that came out of Ruin’s mouth were more than unexpected.

“I’m fighting from here.”

“…What?”

“My magic is a bit… different.”

“What nonsense…”

Coulter’s eyes shifted to Professor Hydel.

He was asking if what he was hearing was real, and Professor Hydel just quietly nodded.

Coulter, not caring anymore, clicked his tongue.

“Even if you dawdle next to me on purpose, I’m not fully confident I’ll be able to protect you.
That guy there isn’t so simple-minded.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“You said before that you’re risking your life for the test.”

“Yes.”

“For what reason?”

“Because this is that desperate for me.”

“……”

Coulter quietly observed Ruin’s eyes.

His eyes were different from those blurry and fearful eyes of other students.

The spirit seen in his eyes was nervous, but there was no fear.

Rather, he looked confident and was enjoying the moment.

‘Hm… I guess he’s a bit different?’

And as Ruin took off his robe, Coulter was surprised for a second time.

‘What kind of magician’s body…’

Contrary to his previous guess, Ruin’s body wasn’t weak and skinny at all.

The robes were covering muscles that weren’t big, but rather tight and compact.

‘Did he receive some knight training?’

These questions of Coulter were answered as soon as the test started.

“Hey, hey! What are you doing right now!”

As soon as the shackles restraining the ogre’s hands were removed, Ruin charged straight at it.

* * *

Coulter felt a swift sense of dread.

‘Damn it!’

He had never even imagined that student would charge directly at the ogre.

He moved his body too late while shouting,

“Hey! Hey! What are you doing right now! Stop!”

However, Ruin didn’t slow down.
Rather, he used Haste magic on himself and quickened his rush.

The distance between him and the ogre soon shrank.

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“KROAAAR!”

The ogre lifted up the boulder near its feet and readied to smash Ruin’s head as he came closer.

“Damn it.”

Coulter unsheathed his blade.

Fwoooosh!

His longsword was instantly covered and gushed with a radiant blue aura.

He was thinking of cutting down the ogre in a single strike.

If he didn’t, the many students gathered around the testing grounds might’ve witnessed one of their peers instantly die from a broken skull and bleed out on the ground.

However…

The instant before Coulter’s aura poured out.

In that short instant,

‘…huh?’

What caught Coulter’s eyes was the huge flame flowing out from Ruin’s hand.

In that short instant when Coulter stared dazed at Ruin’s magic.

K-K-K-KABOOOOM!

The sound pouring out from the explosion and the rising sand clouds made him clench his eyes closed.

‘What the…?’

As the sandstorm subsided, what Coulter saw as he opened his eyes was none other than a totally unscathed Ruin and an ogre staggering, as if it were on death’s door.

There was no way he could know what happened.

There was only one thing that he could be sure of.

‘A Melee… Magician?’

Now he understood the secret of why this particular magician had a trained body and must fight on the frontline and not the rear.

Coulter ran up to Ruin while frowning a little.

“You! If you were gonna do it like this, you should’ve told us at the start.
It could’ve been dangerous!”

“I apologize.
But… if I told you, would you have let me do it?”

“What?”

“Please wait a bit, the test hasn’t ended yet.”

Ruin’s sight reached the ogre.

The ogre was staggering after being hit by the Flame magic, but its eyes still reflected its savagery. 

No, rather,

“KROAAAAR!”

He seemed to have angered it more.

At the sight of the ogre pounding its chest with increased rage, Coulter stood in front of Ruin to cover him.

“This… looks pretty dangerous.
Stand back.
From here on, I’ll handle this.”

However, Ruin lightly bowed his head to the worried Coulter.

“This is my test.”

“…What?”

“Please only help me to finish the test.”

Coulter looked at Ruin baffled.

‘This type of person exists?’