My Magic Has No Upper Limit

The battle was over too quickly.

So quickly that the air in the cave didn’t seem to have caught up, still searingly hot.

In less than a minute, the former goblin nest had been completely wiped out by Zelir.

A dozen or so green-skinned corpses lay strewn across the ground.

Most had been mangled by the baptism of scorching flames, emitting a pungent, burnt smell.

The giant Beastman Goblin had also been reduced to a headless corpse.

Dark red blood mixed with brain matter, slowly flowing into the low-lying areas and staining the ground a grotesque blackish-purple.

"Gag..."

Though she didn’t actually vomit, Mage Haddley still subconsciously took two steps back, her face turning a little green.

"Back when you were an Adventurer... did you do this often?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course."

Zelir put away his Magic Wand, his tone perfectly natural.

"If you don’t kill them all, the nearby villagers will be the ones to suffer."

"Don’t you find it... disgusting?" Mage Haddley didn’t want to look at the corpses anymore.

"Disgusting? Compared to most jobs, this is one of the better ones."

Zelir shrugged.

"After all, this is just a friendly favor, pro bono work. There’s no formal commission from the Adventurer’s Association."

"If we’d accepted a formal commission, we’d have to cut off their ears one by one after killing them. That’s a lot messier than this."

"Eww..." Mage Haddley grimaced in disgust.

"And there are Demons far more disgusting than goblins... like the Life-Devouring Blood Boil, which parasitizes and corrupts other living things."

Seeing Mage Haddley’s expression, a malicious smile spread across Zelir’s face.

"That thing looks like a giant, breathing tumor, and it implants countless microscopic spores into living organisms."

"Wherever it appears, the surrounding forest is corrupted into a land of flesh and blood."

"Infected deer, wolves, even humans... their bodies slowly rot and swell, becoming puppets to its will... until finally, with a SPLAT, they explode into a puddle of blood that gets everywhere..."

"Stop! That’s enough! Please, don’t describe it any further!"

Just imagining the scene made Mage Haddley feel as if spores were already crawling all over her.

She hugged her arms tightly and shook her head violently, trying to force the image from her mind.

’Absolutely not!’

’Thank goodness I chose the path of a research Mage.’

’If I’d gone the route of a Combat Mage, I’d have to face this kind of disgusting thing...’

’I’d go crazy!’

Seeing Mage Haddley’s reaction, Zelir put aside his mischievous mood.

"Alright."

He clapped Todd and Reddy, who were still in a daze, on their shoulders.

"Let’s go."

"Ah... Oh!" The two finally snapped out of it.

It was the first time they had ever seen a Mage in actual combat, and they hadn’t quite recovered from the shock.

Seeing Zelir’s nonchalant demeanor, Todd and Reddy couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.

’Mages really are on another level...’

...

「Dusk. At the village entrance.」

The sunlight had gradually turned a deep orange.

"The property damages have all been assessed, and the Goblin Community has been taken care of."

Zelir said, "Over the next few days, someone will be sent to handle the follow-up. Our task here is complete, Village Chief."

"You’re leaving already... Oh my, this..."

Village Chief Reed clutched the paper on which Zelir had recorded the compensation, his hands trembling with emotion.

His cloudy old eyes welled up with tears, and he was so overwhelmed with gratitude that he became incoherent.

"I... I really don’t know what to say."

"I thought we wouldn’t be able to go on, but I never expected the Guild to compensate us so generously. It’s... it’s a monumental kindness!"

Behind him, dozens of villagers—practically the entire village—had gathered.

Even the woman who had previously regarded them with the most wary eyes was now holding her child’s hand.

She gazed at Zelir and Mage Haddley with a look full of respect, even adoration.

The earlier incident with Elias had filled them with mistrust for people who wielded extraordinary Power.

The villagers had come to believe that Mages were all freaks who only brought Catastrophe and had no regard for human life.

But these two were completely different.

Not only did they compensate everyone for their losses, but they also took care of the Demon threat while they were at it.

’There really are more good Mages in the world...’

’Madmen like Elias are the minority, after all.’

"Also, remember, if any other strange Mages want to come and live in the village,"

Zelir warned sternly before leaving,

"Don’t accept them, and report it to the Mage’s Guild immediately to avoid another incident like this."

"The consequences of Magic running out of control are unimaginable."

Zelir pointed to the ruins of the mill.

"You were lucky this time; you only lost some livestock and grain. What if people get caught up in it next time? It’ll be too late for regrets then."

"We’ll remember, we’ll remember, Lord Mage."

Village Chief Reed nodded hastily. "We’ll never trust so easily again!"

With the crack of the coachman’s whip, the carriage slowly started moving, heading for Black Stone Town amidst the villagers’ overlapping waves and cries of farewell.

"Goodbye, Lord Mage!"

"Safe travels! Have a safe trip back to town!"

"We will remember your kindness!"

"..."

...

「Mage’s Guild.」

"...And that’s the gist of it, Instructor Manlin."

Zelir reported everything he had seen and heard in Kenta Village in full detail.

"I see..."

Instructor Manlin nodded slightly, a rare look of gravity on her face.

’I originally thought it was just an ordinary magical accident caused by a Fantasy Mage.’

’I never expected them to be messing with something so dangerous.’

’Magic that warps reality...’

’Does such a thing really exist?’

’Or is it some kind of misunderstood phenomenon?’

"You’ve worked hard, Zelir. You did well."

After a moment, Instructor Manlin snapped out of her thoughts.

"I’ll keep an eye on the follow-up for this matter. As for this Waldo person, I’ll also write to Silverpine City to have them investigate."

"If we don’t dig him up... I’m afraid incidents like this will happen again. This dangerous element must be brought under the Guild’s control."

"Understood, Instructor Manlin. I’ll take my leave now," Zelir said with a bow.

"Mm, go get some rest, kiddo."

After leaving Instructor Manlin’s office, Zelir went straight to the general affairs department.

He collected his monthly Mage stipend: twenty Gold Coins.

Taking the heavy purse and listening to the crisp clinking of the Gold Coins, Zelir felt a sense of joy.

’Not bad at all.’

With this, his total net worth officially exceeded three hundred and eighty Gold Coins.

The custom Magic Robe he had ordered from Barrett only cost three hundred and twenty Gold Coins.

If he wanted, he could buy it outright without even needing to make installments.

’Having a lot of money is great...’

...