Melee Mage

Chapter 4: Entering the Holy Light Academy

The Holy Light Academy boasted a history of over a thousand years, and countless great warriors and mages had graduated from this institution. Now... Adrian was fortunate enough to become one of its members.

Wearing a deep blue apprentice robe, Adrian silently entered the classroom. No one paid him any attention, and he didn't bother with anyone either. He simply walked to a corner of the classroom and quietly sat down, waiting for class to begin.

This was Adrian's first class at the academy, and those sitting around him were also super geniuses from various places. After all... everyone here was one in ten thousand, and those without any ability had no right to sit here.

Looking around, Adrian felt something strange. In the entire class, unbelievably... he was the only male student. Every other student, numbering in the hundreds, were all girls! The whole classroom was filled with a subtle fragrance, not the fragrance of flowers, but something even more alluring.

Water magic had always been a woman's realm! When it came to water mages, women always had more talent than men! Just like how men with fire magic always had more talent than women. What fascinated people the most was that all male fire mages were mighty and imposing, while all female water mages were gentle and enchanting.

After a while, a woman in her twenties, wearing a purple mage robe, exquisitely beautiful, entered the room carrying a magic book. She smiled charmingly as she placed the magic book on the podium. The whole classroom instantly fell silent. The instructor began, "Before we start the class, I want to ask you all a question. What is the biggest difference between a warrior and a mage?"

Upon hearing the instructor's question, all the girls started chirping like birds, answering with various responses. Some said it was the range of attack, some said it was the intensity of attack. They had all sorts of answers, but not a single person could clearly, distinctly, and specifically state the biggest difference.

With a helpless furrow of her brow, the instructor gave up on asking and said in a deep voice, "Let me tell you then. The biggest difference between a mage and a warrior lies in distance. From now on, I hope you all remember that being able to maintain distance from the enemy is what makes a qualified mage. Close combat belongs to warriors!"

Listening to the instructor's words, Adrian's eyes lit up with excitement. Warriors are still awesome! Did you hear that? Close combat belongs to warriors! How mighty and imposing, how glorious it is! As a man, if I can't be a passionate warrior, I would regret it for my whole life!

As Adrian contemplated, the beautiful instructor continued, "As long as you create distance, no matter how powerful a warrior may be, they will only become our target. Therefore... as mages, we have only two goals: to learn how to evade effectively and to strengthen our spells. It's as simple as that!"

The female instructor's words had just fallen when all the girls started happily chattering. Adrian tilted his ear, listening to the conversations around him. "Oh no, I don't want to fight with those boys. They're so barbaric. Being a mage is better. Just throw magic at them from afar."

Sigh...

Hearing the thoughts of the girls around him, Adrian smiled wryly. They had completely degraded such passionate battles. How could they understand the fervor and heroic spirit behind it? Hiding far away and throwing magic, that's just the behavior of cowards.

Clap, clap, clap! The crisp sound of applause echoed through the room. Once all the girls closed their mouths, the female instructor continued, "Alright, students, we will spend the next ten years together. I hope everyone studies diligently, supports each other, and helps one another."

Gasp... Ten years! Adrian gasped in cold air. He had originally thought that he would graduate after one year of study, but now, hearing the teacher's words, he realized it would take ten years!

Adrian was well aware that the 1,000 gold coins couldn't possibly cover ten years of tuition. There was nothing so cheap in this world. After one year, if he wanted to continue studying here, he would have to pay another 1,000 gold coins. But for Adrian, that was an impossible task.

Originally, Adrian had planned things out well. After graduating, he would work hard to earn money and buy a spacious and comfortable house for his mother, just like before. But now it seemed that buying a big house was out of the question. He didn't even know where to find the money for next year's tuition.

Although his mother always said that he didn't need to worry about money and that he should focus on studying, Adrian was not naive. If there were still money at home, his mother wouldn't be living in such a dark and cramped house. Even if his mother could endure it, she would never let Adrian suffer.

In a daze, the first day of class came to an end. Adrian returned home burdened with thoughts. As soon as he pushed open the door, a tempting aroma greeted him. When he looked over, he saw a large plate of sizzling grilled meat on the wooden dining table!

Looking at that enticing plate of grilled meat, Adrian couldn't help but swallow his saliva. It had been so long since he had eaten such delicious grilled meat. Why would his mother be so extravagant today?

Just as he wondered, his mother noticed Adrian and smiled, saying, "Come here, Adrian, let's celebrate properly!"

"Celebrate?" Adrian looked at his mother with confusion, unable to think of anything worth celebrating. Nonetheless, he walked over to the table and sat down as she instructed.

Seeing Adrian's puzzled expression, his mother smiled and said, "Today, we have two things to celebrate. First, we're celebrating your enrollment in school. Second, we're celebrating that Mom found a job!"

Hearing his mother's words, Adrian's heart started beating faster. He knew that with a job, they could earn money. And with money, they could sustain their lives.

The woman had already piled several pieces of grilled meat in front of Adrian and tenderly said, "Hurry up and eat, Adrian. It's still hot. You're growing, and you need nourishment. Eat a little more."

Adrian's nose was filled with the tantalizing aroma of the grilled meat, but his eyes were closely following his mother's delicate hand. In his memories, her hand was soft, smooth, without a single wrinkle, tender as jade. But now, he could clearly see several visible scratches on his mother's fingers.

Surprised, Adrian raised his head and instinctively asked, "Mom, what job did you find? Why are your hands..."

Upon hearing her son's words, the woman looked at her own hands in surprise and then quickly realized what Adrian was referring to. She swiftly hid her hands behind her back, her face displaying a charming smile as she squinted and shook her head. "It's nothing, really. Mom just helps people with their laundry. It earns me one gold coin per day!"

Although his mother spoke lightly, Adrian's mind roared with intensity. Going out to do laundry on such cold days—what kind of feeling was that? One gold coin per day was indeed a decent amount, but no one would give money without a reason. If the work didn't deserve that much money, no one would give it to you.

Tears quickly blurred Adrian's vision. Through teary eyes, he vividly remembered his mother's wrinkled, water-soaked hands and the finger covered in scars. A beautiful and gentle woman like his mother should not be doing such rough work.

Adrian knew that his affinity for water was inherited from his mother. As a woman with a water affinity, his mother's beauty was beyond doubt. In fact, no water-affinity woman could be ugly. They possessed a graceful figure, delicate features, and were the epitome of beauty.

Over the years, many men had pursued his mother, despite knowing she was already married and had a dependent like Adrian. But even though Adrian couldn't understand it, his mother's love for his father was truly deep. It was so profound that she would never consider accepting any other man.

But now, such a delicate and beautiful woman had to toil because of life, because of him, Adrian. It pained him deeply, but he couldn't express his suffering.

Adrian desperately wanted to stop his mother from continuing this job, but when the words reached his lips, he couldn't utter them. The work could be avoided, but how would they continue their lives? Unless Adrian could earn money, how could he justify stopping his mother?

Regret and helplessness overwhelmed him. He pulled his mother's hand from behind her back, and tears rolled down in large drops onto her severely dehydrated hand, landing on the dark red scars. Guilt and powerlessness filled this moment. How much Adrian wished he could grow up instantly, but the truth was, he was only an eight-year-old child.

"Mom, I hate Dad," Adrian uttered with a heavy heart after a long silence.