Chapter 21 ….
Near the summit of the snowy mountains.
After discovering a cave beneath the snowfield that had collapsed in an avalanche, Eric stepped inside. There, beneath the thick layer of ice in the pitch-black cavern, he found something trapped—and let out a low groan.
“I expected spirits to be involved in this incident, but I didn’t think it would be something this enormous.”
It was a bloated, snow-white lizard, swollen like the carcass of a drowned animal.
The torchlight wasn’t enough to gauge the true depth of the floor, so he couldn’t know its full size. But even just the part visible to the naked eye was easily more than ten meters long.
“Well… if it had the power to blow away an entire mountain range, it would have to be at least this big.”
In the game, when a fist-sized spirit had shown similar symptoms before exploding, even the fortress walls—strong enough to withstand attacks from monsters over level 30—had collapsed in an instant.
If this gigantic creature were to burst, Eric couldn’t even begin to imagine how devastating the explosion would be.
“Still, since Isabella came out unscathed in the story, at least it won’t explode while she’s still staying in the city….”
Eric gazed down at the spirit, which looked ready to burst at any moment, then cast a suspicious glance around him.
This was a phenomenon known as overmana, which occurred when a spirit—made entirely of magical energy—was force-fed more mana than it could contain.
Naturally, this wasn’t something that happened on its own.
Normally, if a spirit felt it was on the verge of overflowing, it would deliberately disperse excess mana before overmana could occur.
Unless, of course, someone had forcibly restrained the spirit and continually injected mana into it until its body swelled like this.
“Is something the matter, Young Master? Do you see anything strange?”
“…No. Nothing at all.”
Noticing Eric wandering about with his torch, seemingly searching for something, Leona tilted her head in puzzlement. Eric eventually returned, answering with a grim expression.
“At least, I don’t see any recent signs of someone coming and going. Which means… this must have been set up quite some time ago.”
Someone had trapped a spirit in the snowy mountain and deliberately induced overmana.
Eric didn’t know the exact purpose, but judging by the scale, this wasn’t the work of a lone individual.
“Um… Young Master. Th-this, the mana is….”
His thoughts were cut short when someone tugged at his sleeve. Turning, Eric saw Lillian staring nervously at the swollen spirit, and he couldn’t help but feel impressed.
Spirits were rare enough to begin with, and even fewer people in this era—before the all-out war against monsters—knew anything about overmana.
Perhaps it was due to her <Glass Cannon> trait, which made her body overly sensitive to mana. She seemed to instinctively sense the danger in the mana leaking from the bloated spirit.
“Sir Lillian.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
Eric called her name calmly, watching as she chewed at her fingernails in unease.
“Can you melt this ice?”
“The ice? I can melt it, but…”
Glancing anxiously at the ground, Lillian trailed off. She was reluctant to tamper with the creature sealed in the ice, especially when the whole situation already felt ominous.
“Don’t worry. The thing you fear won’t happen. On the contrary, leaving it like this could lead to something much worse.”
Eric’s steady tone reassured her.
“…All right. I’ll try.”
Lillian looked up at him, saw the unwavering resolve in his eyes, and steadied herself.
“Sir Leona.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
As Lillian gripped her staff tightly and began projecting a magic circle onto the floor, Eric quietly stepped back, distancing himself in case something went wrong. He addressed Leona, who also retreated with him.
“Just in case, be ready to fight immediately.”
“A fight, sir?”
“Yes.”
Drawing his sword, Eric nodded firmly.
There were no enemies in sight for now.
But whoever had spent so much time and effort setting this up deep within the snowfield wouldn’t have simply left the overcharged spirit lying around unprotected.
No doubt, they had prepared countermeasures for the possibility that someone might stumble upon it.
Crackle—
Eric kept his guard up against any sudden interference. Before long, sparks flared to life above Lillian’s magic circle.
Whooosh!
“Mmm.”
“The heat…”
Even from afar, the air grew searingly hot. Each breath felt as though it was scorching his lungs.
The fire magic was far stronger than anything Eric had ever seen, easily rivaling tactical-level spells that only entire battalions of mages could normally muster. The flames surged into a blazing storm that melted the ice in an instant.
“…Incredible. Her magic was always powerful, but at this level… even most heroes wouldn’t be able to stand against her.”
Three towering pillars of fire spiraled around Lillian, painting the entire cavern in crimson light. Leona shielded her eyes with a hand, swallowing hard at the sight that looked more like a natural disaster than a spell.
“Huh? W-wait, what’s happening—Young Master? S-sir!”
Perhaps Lillian herself was shocked at her own spell’s intensity. Her voice trembled in panic.
Leona glanced at Eric with a sigh, disappointment flickering across her face.
“…Should I go help her?”
“No need. If she faints, the spell will cancel on its own.”
Indeed, Lillian hadn’t done anything wrong. The magic was amplified simply because the cave was saturated with mana leaking from the overcharged spirit.
“There won’t be many opportunities for her spells to be boosted like this… but it’s enough. The important thing is to draw the spirit out of the ice. Besides… this amplification isn’t just about raw power.”
Whoooosh—
After some time, the raging flames abruptly died down.
“Sir Leona, go and help her.”
The cavern was no longer as bright as before, but the spirit’s pale, luminous body kept the darkness at bay.
And there, collapsed on the newly exposed ground, lay Lillian—face down in a puddle of melted water. Eric gestured for Leona to lift her up.
“Now then…”
While Leona went to fetch Lillian, Eric stood before the swollen spirit, staring up at its massive body.
“Up close, it looks even bigger. This thing’s larger than most fortress walls.”
Perhaps there would be some clue on its body about who had done this. He studied the grotesque, corpse-like lizard form—
“…Ugh…”
A groan drew his attention. He turned to see Lillian, already being carried over on Leona’s back.
“Sir Lillian? You’re awake already?”
“The cave is overflowing with mana. Naturally, her recovery is faster. Sir Lillian, can you move?”
Leona widened her eyes. Just yesterday, Lillian had been bedridden half a day after casting a single spell. Yet now, she was already stirring.
“…Young Master? H-how long was I out?”
“Not long. Maybe thirty seconds.”
“Wh-what? That can’t be…”
Staggering to her feet, Lillian looked around in disbelief.
The ice was gone. The ground was bare. The swollen spirit lay fully exposed. The air was still hot, proof that barely any time had passed.
“Could this… be the result of training finally paying off?”
Her eyes glimmered, lips curving into a smile. She still fainted after using magic, but at this rate she could at least remain active in battle.
Maybe even…
“It’s only temporary. The cave is saturated with mana leaking from that thing.”
“Ah…”
Her joy faded, replaced by disappointment.
“But it’s not entirely meaningless. Haven’t you noticed? The time you stay unconscious has been growing shorter.”
Eric patted her shoulder encouragingly.
“Trust me. Before long, you’ll improve even further.”
“…Do you think I’ll ever be able to use magic without fainting at all?”
“Of course.”
Eric grinned, utterly confident.
“As long as you follow my guidance.”
To make full use of Lillian’s overwhelming firepower from the early stages, her <Glass Cannon> weakness had to be overcome.
“…Young Master.”
Eric turned. Leona’s serious expression made him shift his gaze toward the corner of the cave.
Crack—
A sound echoed from the far shadows where no light reached.
“Sir Lillian.”
“Yes, sir!”
Calling her name again, Eric saw renewed determination in her eyes.
“Can you still use magic?”
Even if she had recovered quickly thanks to the mana-rich environment, the strain on her body remained. Though she looked fine, dizziness and nausea surely lingered.
Magic wasn’t just about having mana—it required intricate calculations and precise control.
For someone who had just fainted, this was a near-impossible task.
“R-right now? Hmm… I think I could, if I had to…”
“Good. That’s enough.”
Eric nodded firmly and turned his eyes back toward the source of the noise.
“Didn’t you once say your dream was to be a battle-mage, not a researcher?”
Clatter—!
Shards of ice rained down as something broke free in the torchlight.
—Awooooo!
Howls echoed from every direction. Wolves emerged from the darkness, surrounding them.
Eric raised his sword, his voice steady.
“Then show me. Unleash yourself to your heart’s content.”
