Chapter 2

The 'miracle' I saw happened because of a huge accident that started from a small mistake.

I nearly died.

A few days ago.

"Ruin!"

Very similarly to now, my name always came with the implication of 'the worst'.

"Ruin, it's your turn."

"Ah. Ok."

"You have to cast Fireball and hit that scarecrow."

Fireball.

An easy spell that any student in the academy could cast.

Even if they couldn't master 2nd-class magic, so long as they could manifest mana and feel the element of fire, anyone could cast it.

And that included me.

As soon as I stretched my palm open and applied mana…

"Wow!"

The flames lit up.

It was once a symbol of my talent.

A Fireball that was bigger and stronger than anyone else's floated atop my palm.

For an instant, it was almost impressive enough to make others exclaim.

However, that was it.

"Ah…"

If I tried to release this fireball, my innate problem would become apparent.

It was dizzying.

A myriad of new obstacles appeared when I tried to release the Fireball.

My forehead started sweating as stomach acid tried climbing my throat and intense dizziness overcame me.

"Ruin!"

"…I can't do it."

It'd already been 6 years since my magic became troublesome.

"Throw it already."

"It─it's not separating from my hand."

"..."

It was always like this.

Hydel, our combat magic teacher, looked at me and the Fireball locked on my hand, eyes cold.

"Ruin, it's been 6 years since you've entered the academy. You're part of the graduating class."

"..."

"But if you can't do such a simple thing, there is no way you will pass the graduation test. You will definitely fail."

Yeah.

Definite failure.

In the test for this subject, you were supposed to create 10 Fireballs and hit 10 different scarecrows simultaneously.

But since I couldn't even throw 1 Fireball, failure was guaranteed.

At this rate, there was no point in even considering going to the Magic Tower or becoming a court magician.

I wouldn't be able to graduate.

Meaning, I wouldn't become a magician.

Damn it.

However, I couldn't say anything.

"I'll practice more."

I could only talk about practice.

I knew.

I knew better than anyone else.

That this wasn't something resolved by practice.

However, I had nothing else I could say.

If a day came where I couldn't even say this, all my blood, sweat and tears across the past 6 years would have been for naught.

"Hm."

Professor Hydel gave a light gesture with his head that told me I'm free to go.

"Then… I'll be going now."

I bowed my head and turned my back.

Unpleasant stares immediately flooded onto me.

They told me with their gaze,

'Dunce of the academy.'

'A person with Evocation Disorder trying to become a magician is idiotic.'

'Just disappear already.'

"..."

Why did I feel like a sinner?

What did I do wrong?

What harm did I do to them?

Nothing.

If I had to think of something, it was because I was the cause of one of the most toxic emotions.

That was…

'Envy'

Because I was called a 'Magic Genius', despite being a nobody from a countryside noble house.

Because, at one point, I was seen as the best student, surpassing the children of prestigious houses.

Even after these halos faded and I fell from above with broken wings, everyone in the academy still treated me as their enemy.

This was the starting point of the accident.

As soon as I was outside of Professor Hydel's view, some stopped bothering to hide their obvious hostility.

No, they started messing with me openly.

"Ruin, isn't it time you pack your bags?"

"Do you know what the underclassmen call you? 'Duncehead Ruin'. It's embarrassing that we're in the same year."

Each time, I suppressed my hostility towards them.

I did my best to hold it in.

Because whenever they messed with me, I was the only one who suffered a loss.

Do you know why?

"Why don't you pack up and leave so you don't taint the graduating class. Back to that 'rural territory' of yours. Kek."

"Oh, you mean that territory that you can't even see on the map?"

"Did you know, I only saw a map with 'Ardell' on it after I came here?"

"..."

I was the lowest, weakest existence outside of the academy.

This was where they nurtured 'Magicians', the strongest combat force of the kingdom.

Most people here were children of those in seats of power.

Contrary to that, my household was the furthest from power, being only a small territory at the edge of the countryside.

It wasn't a fair comparison to begin with.

That's right.

It was fine if I held it in against all the insults they threw at me.

Even if they pointed and laughed at all my blood, sweat and tears across the past 6 years, so long as I endured it, nothing else would happen to me.

However, there was one thing they overlooked.

"I asked my father about the head of the Ardell family, but he said they're just 'an aloof individual, despite having nothing noteworthy about them'."

"They have no sense and a stubborn ego. No wonder they're rotting somewhere on the edges."

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. They should know their place. Did they want to raise a magician? What a joke."

"Kek."

"..."

They overlooked that it's not about authority.

That they were being more reckless.

That they should've only messed with 'me'.

* * *

* * *

I stopped in my tracks and turned around.

Walking towards the closest guy who was provoking me, my steps started to pick up.

I felt everything inside of me shift.

"You should've known when to stop."

"…What?"

Without hesitation, I launched my fist at the one who mocked my father.

It collided directly with his face.

CRACK!

"Augh!"

Coupled with the sound of the crushing of cartilage, that guy collapsed to the floor, grasping at his nose.

Crimson blood started flowing down the back of his hand.

"B-b-blood!"

After getting shocked from seeing blood, he, as if he had lost touch with reality, glared at me with half-dazed eyes.

Hatred burned deep within them.

"You son of a bitch!"

They didn't even think I would dare attack him.

Because they were people of high status.

Was his name Ben Polt?

Whatever.

Even if he was the son of some viscount, it didn't matter anymore.

I looked down towards Ben Polt and asked him,

"Say it one more time. What did you say my father was?"

Ruin Ardell.

The name that didn't even have an ounce of talent but had a stubborn ego.

This was one of the reasons they couldn't completely destroy me.

Even though I was powerless, I never surrendered.

"This─this bastard! Don't you know who we are?!"

A fatty that was standing behind them charged at me.

A body that moved awkwardly as if it had never moved other than to eat.

In contrast to him, I had diligently trained my body to try and overcome my disability.

I swiftly turned my shoulders to dodge his crude punch and struck his bloated abdomen.

Hit! Hit!

"Kugh, uh…"

He collapsed to his knees while drooling.

Wasn't this fatty a baron?

How unsightly.

Whatever.

If I cared about that, I wouldn't have started this.

I quickly recovered my fist and turned to face my next opponent.

It was then-

"You─you bastard! You dare to hit me?"

"Did you just…"

Ben Polt.

The one that got his nose crushed was now standing up, his hands held above his head.

There was a hint of madness in his eyes.

Bluish mana started twitching around in his hands.

It was the motion of casting.

A little flustered, I looked at the scene and muttered,

"Lightning Bolt?"

Had he gone insane?

It was only normal that casting spells outside of set training classes and places was forbidden.

Disciplinary action would be taken if this rule was broken.

On top of that, if the spell was aimed at a person.

It was reasonable that they would be expelled.

However, this guy looked like he had decided that none of that mattered, shouting as he gripped the twitching lightning.

"You insect-like disabled bastard…"

"..."

"Dieeee!!"

A feeling I'd never felt before dominated my body.

My senses started working at double the speed, yet as if I were frozen, my hands and feet refused to move.

An unfamiliar feeling.

This was definitely… fear.

Fear of death!

But before I could even register the fear, the flashing blue light in front of me bounced up.

…uh?

"Stop this right now!"

I could hear Professor Hydel's shouts from somewhere, but my body was already floating in the air.

In an instant, my vision turned 180 degrees.

Flop!

As I hit the ground, I lost consciousness.

* * *

You are the incarnation of the Draka, Destroyer of Worlds.

Artifact "Player" has activated.

Restriction lifted on Status Window.

* * *

I had a dream.

Someone with a robe covering them was looking down on me, his eyes burning bright.

I didn't know why, but when he stroked my head, I felt solace.

It was as if he had looked after me for a very long time.

It felt like he was asking me,

"Are you ok?"

"...Ack!"

My eyes opened.

As I woke up from my dream, I was greeted with a marble ceiling.

The face of the man vanished, a blonde woman in her 30s taking its place.

"Are you awake?"

The high-ranking healer of Ignit Magic Academy.

I opened my closed mouth and managed to squeeze out a sound.

"Where─where am I?"

"You're in the recovery room. You're safe now, so don't strain yourself and stay lying down.

"..."

The recovery room of the academy.

I was laying on a bed, a dot-like stone with healing markings inscribed on it next to my head.

I rubbed my eyes.

'Did I… pass out?'

Just a moment ago, it looked like I fainted after I got into a fight with Ben Polt and hit by his magic.

I asked Helen, the healer,

"How long was I out for?"

"Half a day… no, closer to a full day."

"Ah…"

"It's a relief it was only this much. You were really lucky."

Helen continued talking.

That it was a miracle that I took a Lightning Bolt head-on and survived.

That Professor Hydel quickly applied healing magic and brought me to the recovery room.

"How's… my body? Am I ok?"

Helen tilted her head, seeming confused as she answered my question.

"We'll have to check a few more things but… for now, you're doing fine. No, you're unnaturally normal for what happened."

"What?"

"Ah. Don't misunderstand. It's just, for someone who got hit by Lightning Bolt directly, you are completely normal. No wounds, no damage to the body, no burns, no internal damage either. There's nothing wrong. This is the first time I've seen this."

"..."

"If it sounded like I wanted you to be hurt, I apologize."

Helen was telling the truth.

My reflection in the window looked normal. Like I'd just woken up from a nap.

'How did this happen?'

Lightning Bolt was, in principle, a spell that melted flesh and ruptured organs in an instant.

A dangerous and terrifying spell.

The healing magic cast on me by Professor Hydel was only at the level of first aid, so it didn't help in recovery at all.

Especially against deadly burns.

However,

"No, No. Don't move your body too carelessly."

I tried spinning my arm around, bending at my waist, and even stood up on the bed and started jumping.

It was all normal.

"No, this doesn't make sense…"

I looked over at Helen, speechless, and she laid me back on the bed.

"Even though you look fine, you need to calm down for now. Ok?"

"…Ok."

"I called for Professor Hydel, so until he gets here, please rest."

"Thank you."

I pulled the blanket all the way over my head and slowly closed my eyes.

What just happened appeared clearly in my mind.

As soon as they mentioned my father, my eyes went blind with rage.

A fight that happened because I couldn't contain my boiling anger.

A thrown fist.

And then… Lightning Bolt.

It was an accident that was blown out of proportion.

And at the same time, I experienced such an intense fear for the first time.

'I nearly died.'

Death.

I thought it was far away.

But I was too naive.

Death was always nearby…

So close that you'd never know when or where it could get you.

'A report would've been sent to my father…'

A report was definitely sent.

Ah.

My head was getting filled with complicated thoughts.

'Helen is right.'

Helen was right that what I needed the most right now was to stay calm…

I wiped away my thoughts and closed my eyes again.

I was looking for sleep, but it evaded me.

"Ahem"

I woke to the sound of a familiar cough.