The famous academy of the 8th-class archmage Frolian Ignit, who had built it for the growth of his successors.
Even though it was a famous academy that could be picked out even from its continentâs 500-year history, compared to its ancient history, its substance was lacking.
The reasons were quite simple.
1. Currently, the Radian Kingdom was the weakest nation on the continent.
2. The quality of the magicians here wasnât that good.
3. Most of those with extraordinary talent were scouted into the stronger nations, so naturally the talent left in the academy didnât live up to its fame.
Even though the Radian Kingdom was a small nation, it wasnât internally stable, so the Royal Party with the 1st prince and the New Party with the 2nd prince came into conflict with each other.
The many magicians of the kingdom were, of course, utilized by these people in their fight for authority.
The situation was the worst in more ways than one.
Even so, the reason the Ignit Academy was able to ensure its existence was because of just one person.
The direct descendant of the 8th-class archmage Frolian and the current director of the academy.
âTirion Ignitâ.
A 7th-class archmage, something rare on the continent, and the last pride of the Radian Kingdom.
Thanks to this, he had received many offers from the two parties currently in conflict.
Tirion had enough power where if he were to pick a side, that side was guaranteed to become the next king.
He was that strong of a magician.
However, Tirion declined everything.
No.
He went as far as to denounce both princes.
âYour Highnesses, if youâre going to mess around, please just do it between yourselves.â
âT-TirionâŠâ
âMagicians arenât dogs to authority. Do you understand?â
âHow dare you say that to meâŠâ
He was upright.
Enough to be called the last pride of the kingdom.
He researched and studied mana more than anyone else.
He lamented the current status of the magicians, who should eternally be researching for the growth and prosperity of magic but were now blinded by the taste of wealth and authority.
âThere are no good ones left. Tsk.â
This was also the case at the academy.
Perhaps because these students were all children of those filthy nobles, there was no exemplary âsproutâ between the students.
From his view, all these kids would become trash that would become slaves to any higher authority.
âIf only that kid didnât get cursedâŠâ
The one Tirion was thinking about, was Ruin.
Ruin Ardell.
The one born with more talent than himself who was of an archmageâs bloodline.
However, he was cursed with an illness as deadly as his talent.
âThe gods are mercilessâŠâ
He stopped his contemplation and shook his head.
Even though he was good-natured and tried harder than anyone else, Ruinâs life as a magician had already ended.
For Tirion, the future of the academy was more important than one regretful, potential disciple.
âI need to find some good ones.â
That was why a âtestâ to judge and distinguish them was necessary.
A âtestâ to discover a potential magician that could be raised to excellence.
* * *
Tests.
A unique tool that each student could use to measure their worth.
Therefore, the results could change many things.
Some would smile brightly and dream of a better future.
While others would taste defeat and imagine a hopeless world.
I was someone who always witnessed both heaven and hell.
Every written exam I took, I would get full marks.
But every practical exam I took was only enough to not fail out of school.
It was the same for this test.
<Introduction to Magic Theory>
<The Values of the 4 Main Elements>
<The More Efficient Theory for Mana Collection>
<The History of Magic>
<The Standard for Healing Magic>
Etc.
I received full marks for the written exams on the first day.
âRuin, you demolished those written exams,â
Muttered my roommate, Jason, in a dull voice.
With a tone that said, âas expectedâ.
For them, this was just how it was now.
â6 years of perfect scores on written exams. No changes this time eitherâŠâ
Yes.
There were no changes.
I myself didnât get surprised anymore, since I had been able to maintain full marks on written exams for the last 6 years.
Thatâs just how it was.
âWell, the practical results wonât have any changes either.â
ââŠâŠâ
For the last 6 years, Iâd always had a failing score for the practical tests.
âSorry. Just a joke.â
Jason, this bastard.
I laughed as that dagger pierced my heart.
However, he wasnât wrong.
My name was famous even to the new students who only just entered the academy.
Not as the genius magician who once was the centre of awe, but as the worst idiot in history.
I smiled at Jason.
âWho knows? Maybe itâll be different this time.â
âHmm? Whatâs that supposed to mean?â
While Jason asked that, I silently looked through the subjects for the practical exams.
<Multi-target Firing>
<Mana Output Measurement>
<Realistic Battle Test>
<Man-to-man Combat Test>
âŠâŠ
Thatâs right.
It had to be different this time.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator â Jreaming
Proofreader â Artethrax
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* * *
After the end of the exam period for written exams, we got fired up in preparation for the practical exams.
Practical exams were done over a period of two weeks, and from the exam lists, there were some pretty dangerous ones as well.
Excluding the exams with less weighting, if we looked at the main 4 examsâŠ
The first one was,
<Multi-Target Firing>
Water, Fire, Earth, Air.
Using your most confident magic between the 4 main elements, you needed to cast 10 sphere type spells simultaneously and hit a different target with each one.
It was a test requiring intense concentration and perfect mana evocation abilities.
Of course, in my case, I would fail without even being able to try.
The second one was,
<Mana Output Measurement>
Using an artifact named âThe Ancient Ogre Kingramâ, the student casted the strongest magic they could invoke at it.
It would then measure the mana output, and therefore the magicâs destructive power.
Depending on the result, the difficulty and maximum mark of the next test will be set, so this was seen as a very important test.
Of course, I always failed.
The third test,
<Realistic Battle Test>
The students went to the Yingen territory under the supervision of the professors and the supporting knights to fight against evil spirits, as well as monsters.
The level of the monster depended on the year and level of the student, and their performance was then graded.
Obviously, I had never even set foot into this testing ground.
And finally,
<Man-to-man Combat Test>
It happened inside a special mana barrier that reduced the destructive power of a magicianâs magic by 99%.
It was a match between fellow students and they were graded depending on their performance.
My results were⊠obviously the worst.
So these were the 4 main subjects.
Disregarding the small minority wanting to become Healers, most magicians were striving for an excellent grade in each of these tests.
Well, it was like this every year, but this year was the most important.
Excluding the graduation exam, this was the last test we did in school.
Maybe because of that, there was already an excited atmosphere between the 6th year peers.
âWho do you think will come 1st on this test?â
âThis is the last school test, Itâs really important! This test decides if Iâm going to be invited to the magic tower or notâŠâ
âThereâs no way youâre getting in, so donât worry about it.â
âShut up! Youâre the same as me!â
Even in this excited state, in the corner of everyoneâs hearts, they had a desire to be the main character of these tests.
Everyone was like that.
Including me.
Since I failed every practical for the last 6 years, it had to be different this year.
There was no one who desperately needed this grade more than me.
However, I was not part of their prediction for the 1st.
I wasnât even picked as a candidate in their heads.
âWhoâll be first this time?â
âItâs probably gonna be Michael.â
âWell, yeah. Michaelâs practical results are insane.â
âProbably the most talented in our year.â
Michael Galehill.
The third son of the Galehill family, the reputable magic family that existed for a long time in the kingdom, and was considered the main magic family.
So much so that most court magicians were either from the Galehill family, or a family related to them.
Considering that he was the son of such a prestigious family, his arrogance and impudence knew no bounds.
âWho the hellâs talking about me?â
âUh⊠MichaelâŠâ
âYou said my name? To make me spend time with âfriendsâ who I wonât even see after graduating. They need to change how the academy does things.â
âS-sorryâŠâ
âI endured so well for the last 6 years, right?â
His arrogance had ruined the notion that everyone in the academy was a student, regardless of their familyâs authority or peerage.
But unfortunately for us, he had the talent to back up his arrogance.
It wouldnât be too much to say he represented our academy.
âHaa⊠Fucking canât be bothered doing the test. Shouldâve just let me graduate.â
The third son of a powerful count family.
Outstanding grades.
A pretty decent talent.
From a glance, it looked like he had everything, but he also had one weakness.
That weakness wasâŠ
ââŠRuin?â
Me.
âYo, what are you doing here?â
Since I held on so tightly to the position of first for the written exams, Michael was always pushed to second place.
So he had always been hostile towards me.
Constantly, from enrollment till now.
Michael narrowed his eyes like a snake and asked me,
âYou⊠Thereâs no way! Are you going to take the practical exam?â
And in his mocking tone, he provoked me while shaking his bright blonde hair.
âWith that body and that condition?â
His lackeys nearby started laughing loudly.
âTo even think about the test while being disabled.â
âI know right? Heâs probably here to embarrass himself again. Kek!â
The lackeys were eating up everything Michael was doing.
Thatâs probably what their roles were.
To laugh with and match Michaelâs antics.
So that after they graduated, they could get some help from the Galehill family and boast to others of their connection.
Ben Polt, the one who attacked me, was a similar entity.
I was used to it.
Since it was a pattern I was so used to, I shrugged without being phased at all.
âI came here to take the test.â
At that phrase, for just an instant, Michaelâs eyes twitched.
âWhat?â
âIâm here to take the practical test.â
âYou will?â
The fact that I was here to take the practical exam shocked them quite a bit.
Michael also looked a bit shocked but regained his usual composure.
âAh. Since itâs the last test youâve come to at least struggle a bit⊠Something like that?â
âYou could say that.â
âWell, thatâs only right. There are no rules that say a disabled canât take a test. Whatever you do, you wonât be able to do it anyway.â
After laughing mockingly, he tapped my shoulder.
âBut Ruin, Iâll give you one piece of advice.â
ââŠâŠâ
âItâll be pretty bad and unsightly if you struggle that much, just to collapse in the end. If you donât want to get embarrassed, you should probably lea-â
âI donât need it.â
ââŠwhat?â
âI donât need your advice.â
Seeing my smile, Michaelâs face became colder.
The mood also followed his expression, as the room became frosty.
In contrast, my heart became a bit hotter.
âHooâŠâ
Michael cracked his neck and put on his most threatening look.
And said to me in a tone that gave the impression that he was being quite patient,
âRuin, Iâll give you a warning. Donât cut me off while Iâm talking. Just listen with your mouth shut. Ok?â