Boom! Seducing the Explosive Mage
A tremendous boom!!! The power bursting from the tip of Pila's staff engulfed the orc horde blocking the forest path. The shockwave from the explosion tore up the ground, sending dirt and dust flying everywhere. And with that, the battle was over. The surviving orcs tucked tail and fled like whipped wolves.
"This means we can't get any materials or proof of subjugation. You sure that's okay?"
"Doesn't matter."
Normally, you'd take an orc's ear as proof of the kill, but the explosion had blown them all away—and even if we found them, they wouldn't be intact.
"We didn't come all this way just for some orc drops anyway. That was impressive."
I clapped. It was a bit forced, but I lavished praise on the power of Pila's magic.
"That was a 1st-circle spell, right? It hit way harder than anything two circles above it. Even compared to specialized attack fire magic, it felt a whole circle stronger."
"Th-the power's too much for research purposes, though. Hehe."
Pila squirmed bashfully at the compliments.
"I don't get why no one wants to learn something this good."
"The materials... and friendly fire... it wasn't practical for research... Where in the world could you use such a brutal spell?"
"Plenty of places, if you look."
By Earth's standards, anyone could imagine lobbing explosion magic at an enemy territory's walls. It was basically artillery—the reason castle walls fell out of favor after cannons showed up. But this world was ruled by monsters, where monsters were the resources. Human domains clung to the land like scattered patches on a quilt. Lords rarely turned hostile against each other.
Monsters respawned endlessly. Boss mobs accumulated strength month after month. If a neighboring domain fell, you'd face overpowered bosses with less backup. Those event bosses people called raid mobs required multiple domains to tackle—losing even one was fatal.
Explosion magic shone in wars, so it got underrated in this political climate.
"Like what?"
"Raids or monster waves?"
"One's a disaster that hits once every few decades, and the other's a rare anomaly in major dungeons. Leator's famous for its peace—no signs of either here."
"You think so?"
"Why else would no one learn it? It's useless, so they don't."
But that's about to change. I shrugged and pressed on down the path.
"This place..."
Pila stopped, scanning the surroundings before looking down at her feet. Broken stone tiles lay half-buried in the dirt. The patterns etched into them were faded from weathering, but they were clear signs of past human habitation.
Deep in the forest where no human feet trod. I'd roughly pinpointed it from the mountains and river shapes, and we'd arrived without getting lost.
Pila's eyes narrowed as she examined the artifacts, then she reached a conclusion.
"This is an old temple."
Old temple. A shrine to the gods of an ancient civilization. Just discovering one would shock the lord and send nobles scrambling with knights in tow.
'And in the game, it's where you grab that potion stock-up item.'
Pila tapped the stone floor with her staff, then moved toward the temple's interior.
"Eck, looks like something over there!"
She pointed inside. At what seemed the temple's heart stood an altar tangled in thick vines.
"Pila."
"Right, I'll burn 'em."
Pila rolled up her sleeves, raised her staff, and closed her eyes. She gathered mana for a fire spell and chanted the incantation.
"Ignite!"
The mana ripple from her staff touched the vines, sparking a small flame.
Whoosh. The tiny ember caught, and Pila poured mana through her staff to keep it going until the vines fully ignited. Magic without a seed circle demanded serious focus.
Roooar! The flames devoured the vines around the altar. Once they died down and Pila brushed away the ashes, the altar revealed itself.
It was a massive rectangular stone slab. I placed both hands on it and shoved.
The heavy plate scraped against dirt and grass as it slid aside, revealing stairs beneath. Darkness pooled in the steps, curving slightly downward into the unknown.
"Eck, this..."
"We're lucky."
I feigned ignorance.
"Looks like no one's touched this old temple before."
"S-so there might be relics inside?"
I nodded in affirmation.
"This is the first time one's ever been uncovered. I never imagined... My heart's pounding. Wanna feel?"
"..."
"Ah, sorry."
She looked so thrilled—it was worth bringing her. But as we descended, a wall blocked the entrance.
"That's a barrier."
A magical ward enveloped the wall. Pila muttered as she aimed her staff's tip at it. Mana gathered at the end, glowing as it analyzed the barrier's flow.
But the light faded, and the staff dropped back to her side.
"M-my power's not enough. It's a totally different system from my magic. White magic? T-to open it, you'd have to smash it or find some kind of key."
That was why some discovered old temples remained untouched.
I pulled a small pouch from my pocket.
"Try this."
"What's that?"
"Adventurers prepare for everything. I brought it just in case."
"How'd you know we'd need it?"
Pila sniffed the pouch's aroma and wrinkled her nose. She held her staff and the pouch forward, channeling mana to read the barrier's structure. The pouch glowed, its rising incense infused with light. The barrier melted away like snow.
I pushed the plain wall, and the stone slab toppled back with a thud.
"Heh heh heh."
Pila pushed up her glasses, gazing at the now-open old temple treasure room entrance.
"It's open."
The old temple's seal was broken.
The stairs were dark, cold, and dry. As we spiraled down, I stopped before reaching the bottom and turned to Pila.
"The guardian's room is ahead."
"A guardian protecting the relic, huh?"
"We'll have to fight the moment we enter."
I briefed her on a few tactics.
"Got it?"
"Isn't it dangerous?"
"Can't do it?"
"I-I'll try."
At the bottom, a vast chamber opened up. Detecting intruders, the room lit blue torches.
The underground space brightened, revealing the interior: a stone door on the far wall, flanked by two statues.
Dust cascaded from the statues' shoulders as they stepped forward. Guardians. Sturdy female knight statues gripped swords and shields, backs to the door. The second one stirred late and advanced on me.
"Now."
In that instant—
BOOM!! Explosions erupted beneath the guardians' feet. The floor cracked, launching shards upward. They stumbled.
I didn't miss one losing balance. I raised Vitalia's blade and charged. Slashing into the weak mana flow in its torso as I closed in, the mana blade sliced through stone flesh like butter, severing a leg.
Vitalia absorbed the durability enchantment's mana and fed it back to me. Then a stone sword whistled in.
The other statue wielded expert swordplay. Clang!! Its mana-clad blade stole from Vitalia, but my counter was blocked. Clang!! Clang!!
Fixed stances, preset motions. Elena spotted it instantly in the story, but my eyes couldn't. I just followed the path she'd walked as a player—learning, predicting the statue's moves. Parrying, deflecting, riposting.
'Feels about three times faster than Elena at this point in the game?'
Comparing my specs to the game's at this stage, I was dismantling the statue three times quicker. I ticked off the gaps between game Elena and me.
But I wasn't the one to finish it.
"Got it!"
I backstepped to dodge the stone sword as a magic circle flashed underfoot. The statue advanced shield-first—right onto it.
"Explode!"
With Pila's shout, the circle glowed, and an underground blast erupted. A raging earth pillar shot to the ceiling, shattering the statue's left arm, leg, and torso from waist to shoulder.
"Yes! We did it!"
Pila shivered at the wreckage.
"I-I helped in the fight, right? We took down the guardian with my magic!"
"Yeah. Made it easy."
I sheathed Vitalia on my belt and pointed to the remaining statue. Pila unleashed explosion magic on it too, the ground burst pulverizing it to rubble.
"Set the blast point underground, and the force concentrates upward on the relatively weaker surface—maximum damage with minimal power against guardians..."
Pila muttered to herself, reviewing her moves. I turned to the stone door and shoved. She joined, and it budged. Air whooshed out, kicking up dust—we coughed nonstop.
We squeezed through the narrow gap into the treasure room. Blue torches banished the dark.
A stone treasure chest stood there.
"That must be the relic box."
I opened the lid, shoving the heavy stone cover aside. It crashed next to the chest. Pila's eyes widened in shock. I felt the relic's oppressive power on my skin.
Three relics. I pulled them out one by one.
I handed the bulkiest—a mace—to Pila. Imbued with an ancient god's power. Its strength scaled with infused mana. It struck mana directly.
"Eh?"
"Take it."
Her eyes shook behind her glasses.
"I-I didn't do anything."
"You opened the barrier, didn't you? And that explosion magic? Incredible."
I said it straight.
"Even if it wrecks materials?"
"Wolf or orc drops? Useless to a high-rank adventurer like me. It'll shred monsters that can tank explosions. Took out the guardian in one shot."
Even early-dungeon boss-tier like the pig monster died instantly. Explosion magic's power belonged in the late game—mid-to-late at earliest. As a niche spell, it'd become Pila's signature over the next few years.
"What if it hits allies?"
"Every spell risks splash. Coordinate signals ahead, and it's no issue for someone your level."
I said firmly.
"Friendly fire? That's just incompetence blaming others to cover their ass."
I clapped her shoulder. Gripped the faint tremble.
"It's all about how you use it. We'll figure it out step by step. I'll help."
"My magic... useful?"
"..."
I offered the mace again. Her lips quivered. She clutched it to her chest.
"Th-thank you."
Her voice cracked. She removed her glasses, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.
"No one's ever said that. That my explosion magic's amazing. Useful. I've never felt this overwhelmed."
Pila channeled mana into the mace. Feeling its power, the servility vanished from her face.
"Eck."
"Yeah."
"I-I'll definitely be useful. Don't know what you're planning, but I want to help you."
I nodded.
"I look forward to it."