Chapter 27

Magic, a product of mechanisms that cannot be used in reality and one of the iconic elements that come to mind alongside dragons in fantasy. In reality, magic is merely a word used to describe mysterious skills or phenomena, and records of its use exist only in myths.

However, the VR game I was playing, *Dragnity Fantasy 2*, was a game that provided an incredibly realistic sensory experience. It allowed me to feel even the subtlest sensations of drawing out power and controlling its range.

Thus, I had also become familiar with the sensation of magic. The feeling of gathering power by making the blood rush to my fingertips, chanting incantations, and paying the appropriate mana cost. Calculating the payment of mana, the detailed imagery, and the range and distance in my head—all of it was based on descriptions I had memorized from guidebooks and short stories.

“Earth, rise up.”

The ground beneath Airi and me lifted like a flying saucer. Irina, sensing danger, cast a spell using water and mist to temporarily make our bodies transparent through diffuse reflection. With the earth lifted, we flew toward the burning bandit hideout. The wind cutting across my cheeks conjured an image of Son Goku riding his somersault cloud. Since this wasn’t a cloud, I suppose I should call it a “ground cloud.”

If I kept raining down magic from the air, I could easily wipe out the bandits. But that would be problematic. Those bandits were meant to be sacrifices for Airi’s real combat experience.

“Airi, do you like high places?”

“No, not particularly, Master.”

“Alright, then I’ll considerately lower you to a lower place.”

“Huh?”

Just as a lion pushes its cub off a cliff, I too had to push my disciple off this ground cloud. But damn, if a lion throws its cub off a cliff, it’s just killing its own child, not raising it to be strong. Unlike me, who genuinely wants to strengthen my disciple, that’s just a selfish act to save food. So, when disciplining, instead of saying, “A lion pushes its cub off a cliff,” we should say, “Werner pushes his disciple off a ground cloud.”

I could see Airi’s resentful gaze as she cried out, “Master!” Sorry, Airi, but you have to fall here.

*Thud!* About five bandits gathered around Airi. It was only natural for them to gather when someone fell from the sky. They might even think Airi is some celestial maiden.

“Wind, become a prison.”

A massive wind prison formed around Airi and the five bandits. Touching the walls of that gale would turn your hand into hamburger patties. It’s like placing two finger patties on a sesame bun.

Look, one of them tried to reach out and instantly turned from a bandit into Shanks. It seems the bandit evolved into a pirate, achieving a water-attribute transformation.

“Now, kill each other. Only the last one standing can leave.”

Airi wouldn’t lose to such trash. After all, whose child is she? She’s the daughter of Zick, who single-handedly fought and defeated the Demon King in the final battle. She inherited his talent, so there’s no way she’d lose to these scum.

Observing the battle royale as they glared at each other with weapons drawn, I decided to take out insurance for Airi, just in case.

In a voice too quiet for anyone to hear, I chanted:

“Wind, protect that child.”

Butterfly-shaped wind spirits spread from my fingertips and enveloped Airi in a wind armor. It would block any fatal blows. Some might criticize this as cowardly, but these are ruthless bandits. They don’t deserve human rights or fair play. They just need to be exterminated by any means necessary.

With that, I continued manipulating the ground cloud, heading toward a cave slightly away from the bandit hideout. The real boss was here, as shown in the DLC quest.

Upon arrival, as expected, the cave entrance was blocked. A massive stone gate stood imposingly in my way. Not wanting to resort to violence immediately, I decided to knock like a civilized person.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

I knocked with all my might, but there was no response. Even the “Open Sesame!” spell didn’t work, so I had only one option left.

Even if the stone wall was magically reinforced, it was still just a crudely stacked mass of magic. It seemed a light-attribute barrier was placed to keep it sealed.

If I had skills like dispelling magic or barrier analysis, I could have opened the stone gate perfectly. Those are delicate, precise techniques, like picking a lock.

But I chose the FBI’s method instead.

“Fangs of lightning, bite and shatter.”

The FBI’s “FBI OPEN UP!” approach—there’s no door in the world that can’t be opened. Those teachers could easily break down even a demon king’s castle gate.

A massive fang of lightning shattered the stone wall, sending dust flying everywhere. As the yellowish haze cleared, the cave’s interior came into view. Magic lamps lined the walls, confirming the boss was inside.

I decided to sweep my hand along the cave wall as I ventured deeper. The rough texture of the wall was surprisingly satisfying to touch. As I moved, I began to see bandit minions guarding the cave.

They drew their weapons and charged at me the moment they saw me. This is more like it. No need for cheesy lines like, “Who are you?” or “Do you know where you are?” or “Get lost before I kill you!” Breaking through that stone gate already marked me as an intruder. Who’d mistake someone who smashed a magically protected wall for a shopkeeper? Breaking the gate confirmed I was an enemy.

I had to respond in kind to their proper attitude. First, I grabbed the wrist of the closest one, twisted it, and kicked his weapon away. Subduing enemies like this was second nature to me, thanks to the “education” I received as a child. Truly, humans are creatures of learning. Just as a child raised by wolves acts like a wolf, you can’t call them human.

The rest had to be dealt with using magic. After all, what’s the point of being a sorcerer if you only use martial arts? That’s just being a monk.

“Lightning, slither like a snake.”

A snake-shaped lightning bolt extended from my fingertips and coiled around the other bandits. Using lightning attribute magic was the most convenient. Fire attribute magic risked causing fires, while wind or water attributes could cause collapses indoors. Other attributes had their own drawbacks, but lightning was easy to control, didn’t risk fires, and was convenient in tight spaces.

No wonder Ash loves Pikachu. Pikachu is invincible, and lightning attribute magic is divine. Since ancient times, lightning has been depicted as the power of the gods. How could water or wind ever compete?

And before my grand endeavor with Camellia, my celestial ally Zeus is with me. With the god of thunder by my side, what is there to fear?

Accompanied by my friend Zeus, I ventured deep into the cave. Originally, Airi was supposed to face this tricky boss, but I had to handle it. Not out of some sense of responsibility to spare my disciple from a tough opponent, but purely for the DLC-exclusive rewards.

At the deepest part of the cave, I saw the DLC-exclusive boss I had cleared countless times before. A scruffy, bearded sorcerer. He was the boss of this bandit group. Not the type who summons books to steal others’ abilities, but just a pathetic guy expelled from the magic tower. Despite his terrible personality, he was skilled, and dodging his ice attribute magic in the game was quite challenging.

Noticing me, he spoke.

“Who are you to come this far? Getting past my underlings suggests you’re no ordinary fighter.”

Since I was wearing a robe, he didn’t recognize me. Not that many sorcerers know my face anyway.

“I have some business here.”

Even if he’s a bug, he’s still a skilled sorcerer. This wasn’t an opponent to mess around with, so I had to choose a winning strategy. My celestial ally Zeus agreed. Truly, the father of the gods and I are on the same wavelength.

“You’re probably some adventurer trash after my wealth. Get lost. I’m a member of the Black Round Table—”

“Fangs of lightning, bite and shatter.”

First strike wins—a winning strategy applicable to both swordsmen and sorcerers.

The smell of blood and flesh cooking from the electric current hit me. That smell made me think:

I want to eat fried chicken and drink beer.