The Fireball That Devoured the Sky

The fireball ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I just launched was supposed to be a simple spell. But as I watched the massive sphere of flame plummet toward the ground, I couldn't help but wonder—was this really a Fireball?

And just how many of those damn crystals did they have? Surely they weren't carrying thousands of them, right? I still had no idea what they were trying to accomplish here, but if their goal extended beyond this single area, I wasn't sure how much meaning there was in interfering like this.

Still, it's better than doing nothing. The fact that they reset the formation even after I destroyed it meant there had to be a compelling reason they needed this to succeed.

Besides, I'd gotten a decent read on their capabilities now. Come back anytime, you bastards. That was the general vibe I was getting. I couldn't know exactly what they were thinking, but I wasn't reckless enough to play along with their provocations. Honestly, even locking eyes with that woman earlier had given me chills.

The ones with crystals embedded in their bodies finished placing the central crystal, then sat down on the underground floor and closed their eyes tightly.

...What are they doing now?

The mana formed a vortex that engulfed them for several minutes. Then the crystals embedded in their bodies created a dark crimson portal, and something slowly began to emerge from it.

"Kreeeeek—!"

It was, astonishingly, a set of Teeth.

Whoa... No way. They can actually do that? I couldn't close my gaping mouth. Yeonhee kept shaking my arm, clearly dying to know what was happening. I reached over and gently stroked her ear, and only then did she stop.

The man who was with the red-haired woman last time did something similar.

Come to think of it, in my previous life, these were the lunatics who had summoned orc legions across the world and turned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠entire regions into wastelands. So it wasn't completely unbelievable that they possessed such an ability. Still, understanding it with my head and actually watching a monster crawl out through a gate were two very different things. A chill ran down my spine.

Imagine if they decided to activate this ability inside a crowded subway during rush hour.

Hoo... That would be a disaster.

Of course, if their organization had a purpose beyond simple slaughter, they probably wouldn't do something like that... but judging by the level of provocation they were throwing at me, whoever was leading this didn't seem particularly rational.

They're dangerous, after all.

After placing five additional Teeth monsters along with the crystals, the group left only three of their thirty members at the entrance and scattered once more. Well, they were high-value hunters. There was no reason for them to just sit around here. Honestly, the fact that thirty of them had shown up in the first place was surprising.

The three left at the entrance were all high-tier B-grade powerhouses. In other words, there were now eight beings inside that building stronger than me.

This isn't good. Time to go.

Without hesitation, I turned my body toward home. But inside, a boiling heat was rising up my throat.

Fuck... How dare those shameless bastards act so arrogant while doing evil?

I hated people who hurt others for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no reason. But these guys took it a step further—they were mocking us, the ones standing against them.

I took a deep breath and looked back toward the entrance.

...Three people. One of them is definitely a mage. Probably a detection type.

The distance between us was already the closest my instincts and experience would allow. Getting any nearer would be dangerous. But if I changed direction, the situation would be different.

It's hard to land a meaningful blow... If I drop a bunch of bombs, they'll figure out it's me. A Fireball should be fine, though.

I flew up to the opposite side of the building, then drew a wide clockwise arc before heading back toward the entrance.

"...You're not seriously going to...?"

Yeonhee, still in my arms, seemed to have realized what I was planning. I wondered what she thought of me doing something so pointless.

"...I can't even help, can I? Tch..."

She sounded genuinely upset that she couldn't join in. She probably wanted to give those bastards a good beating too.

We positioned ourselves directly above the three hunters who were deep in conversation. No matter how sharp their senses or how skilled the mage, it was difficult to pay attention to the sky directly overhead. That was exactly why my ability to detect things in every direction at a fixed range was so overpowered.

Hoo... It's been a while since I've focused this hard on a Fireball.

It was probably the first time since I had trouble controlling it. And this time, I was focusing more on destructive power than control. I planned to pour every last drop of mana into it, aside from what I'd need for a few high-speed flights.

To do that, I had to succeed at something I'd only attempted a few times in the Dark Space.

I extended my arm as far from Yeonhee as possible and reached toward the enemies.

Fwoosh—

A fireball the size of a soccer ball formed instantly, proudly announcing my presence to the world. With just this one, they'd probably destroy it before it even got close. They might not even bother dodging or detonating it.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Let's try it.

For an ordinary person, amplifying a Fireball's power with mana was impossible. Rapid-fire casting was one thing, but artificially forcing it would either make it explode immediately or drastically reduce accuracy.

But I wasn't ordinary.

Condense... condense... wrap it with my senses and condense again...!

I wrapped a single fireball with a fusion of sensory power and mana, then created another fireball on top of it and repeated the process. I'd once thought my Sense ability was only for finding hidden things, but recently I'd realized it was a much broader concept.

It was the power to perceive hidden worlds and freely manipulate both tangible and intangible forces within my domain. And the range of that perception was expanding more and more. Even I couldn't tell where it would end.

Whoosh—!

After several cycles, the sphere of fire had grown until it was larger than a decent-sized tire.

"I-Ilwol... Is this okay?"

Yeonhee's concern wasn't unfounded. This was an extremely delicate process where even the slightest mistake could be disastrous. But thanks to Cold Mind, my composure remained unshaken. Especially now, with Yeonhee by my side. Such an accident simply couldn't happen.

My concentration had risen to a level that felt almost like entering a state of no-mind.

The fireball had now grown to nearly two meters in diameter—about the size of two orcs put together. Thanks to the superior mana circuit perk, my mana had refilled to maximum, but pouring in any more would be reckless. The fiery mass was already writhing and emitting ferocious noises, as if it might explode at any moment.

"......"

Yeonhee said nothing more. She simply stared, completely absorbed in wondering what kind of result this monstrous fireball would produce.

I was quite surprised myself.

...It wasn't supposed to get this big...?

No matter how much mana I'd poured in, this was several times more efficient than I'd invested. Was this also thanks to my connection with that Iris entity? Either way, it was good.

With my eyes closed and every ounce of my senses focused on the arm I'd extended toward them, I spoke as if delivering the final line of a sacred ritual.

"Disappear."

— Huh? What's with that sudden light...?

— What?!

— ...F-fire?! Run—!!

Too late.

By the time they noticed the fireball, it had already opened its jaws to swallow them whole.

It was just a spell to create a fireball, yet for some reason the sphere continued to explode in succession, increasing its destructive power with each blast. The fireball that had embraced the hunters and hurled itself at the building's outer wall burned fiercely against the surface for a long time before finally subsiding, leaving behind thick black smoke.

"Wow..."

"Whoa..."

Even though Yeonhee and I should have been fleeing immediately, we couldn't help but stare at the scene. It was that shocking.

— Cough...! Damn it... What the hell was that?!

— Ugh...! Which son of a bitch did this?!

— Hack... hack hack!

Despite the unimaginable destructive power—even by my standards—the three weren't seriously injured. However, they were clearly rattled, nervously scanning their surroundings in case of a follow-up attack.

As expected of high-ranking hunters. They managed to defend themselves in that split second. So this is still within their range...

The mage had used a magic shield, while the other two had simply wrapped themselves in mana to minimize the damage from the fireball.

Having gained a rough sense of their strength, I nodded in satisfaction and activated High-Speed Flight to leave the area.

"Is it... over?"

Yeonhee whispered, clinging tightly to my neck. I nodded.

"That was amazing... What was that just now? Did you overlap Fireballs?"

"Yeah."

"That's even possible...?"

"Yeah. I can do it."

"Wow, look at you bragging without even blinking!"

"Ouch."

After gliding far away using the Gliding Cloak, Yeonhee finally let out a sigh of relief and began sharing the thoughts she'd been holding back. Naturally, most of her questions were about the magic I'd just used. I simply replied with It just worked when I tried it, which made her puff out her cheeks and glare at me.

But talking about myself wasn't very interesting to me, so I subtly shifted the topic to her.

"How about you, Yeoni?"

"Huh? Oh..."

Still wide-eyed in surprise at my improved pronunciation, she began explaining in detail what had happened during the underground battle. Most of it was about her own performance.

It seemed that because I'd been too active, she felt the need to appeal to me somehow.

"I want to land a really powerful shot with my bow, but Dante's Blessing seems to have its limits. Since it's a skill that only consumes one point of mana, the power is a bit..."

She's quite greedy. Just managing the summoned creatures was more than enough contribution, yet she still wanted more.

Of course, it was understandable that she felt dissatisfied since she didn't stand out much except when summoning. But anyone who'd fought alongside her would praise her performance. There was no need for her to worry about her reputation as an archer.

At least, that was my opinion.

"I have a quest now too!"

The most interesting part was that a quest similar to mine had been given to her as well.

"It's a quest to kill five hundred monsters with my bow!"

Compared to my quest of thirty thousand kills, it was adorable. But from Yeonhee's perspective, it was no easy mission. The counter only increased when she delivered the final blow, and her bow's attack power and accuracy were only slightly above average.

She did have the trait Dante's Blessing she'd gained upon first awakening, but that alone wasn't enough to boast about. Even from my memories, the number of times she'd finished off monsters with her bow wasn't that high. In the roughly month and a half since then, it probably hadn't even reached a hundred.

That said, I didn't have time to help her with her quest.

I'm in a much more urgent situation. I can't ascend without completing it.

Of course, I didn't think the System would give me an impossible quest, but thirty thousand really was a bit much.