My Magic Has No Upper Limit

"What are you spacing out for?"

Hill rubbed Zelir’s cheeks.

She leaned in close to Zelir, staring into his eyes. "Did you get a concussion from the blast?"

"Ah... no."

Zelir shook his head vigorously, snapping out of his thoughts. "I just didn’t expect it to be so powerful."

As the commotion died down, a messy blond head peeked out from behind a broken stone wall.

Gray was still shaken by the earlier explosion.

He glanced over at Valles, his face filled with astonishment.

"Valles, I can’t believe you actually took that shot! What if you’d killed Zelir in the blast?"

Valles just shrugged.

"I trust him."

"Oh, right... Marcus!"

Gray smacked his forehead and hurried toward the spot where Marcus had been sent flying.

The area had been turned into a small hill of rubble and churned-up earth.

There was no sign of him at all.

CRUNCH... RUMBLE...

Stones rolled down the mound. Marcus was buried under hundreds of pounds of dirt and rock, with only one hand sticking out from a gap.

Marcus was clearly still alive. He was struggling to push himself up.

Just as Marcus felt his strength failing, the sound of digging came from above.

Gray and Valles made short work of the rubble, and together they dragged Marcus out.

"COUGH... PTOO! PTOO!"

As soon as he was free, Marcus knelt on the ground and coughed violently.

He spat out a mouthful of mud, then rubbed his head, still seeing stars.

The Thorny Giant Beast had smashed Marcus right through an earthen wall with a single swipe, and he’d been buried ever since.

In a way, though, this had protected Marcus.

The pile of rubble had shielded him from the shockwave spreading from the epicenter of the blast, protecting him from a second impact.

"Want a swig?" Gray asked, pulling a Magic Potion from his utility pouch.

"Forget it... It’s just a minor injury," Marcus said, waving his hand weakly.

’That stuff costs seven Gold Coins, after all. Better to save some money where I can.’

The five members of the Adventurer Squad stood before the remains of the Thorny Giant Beast.

The creature that had been so ferocious just moments ago was now nothing but a pile of broken vines and bone dust, showing no trace of its former savage appearance.

"I still can’t believe we actually took down this big guy..."

Gray said with a sigh, "This has to be the second toughest opponent we’ve ever faced, right?"

"Mm..." Zelir nodded in agreement.

’The toughest, of course, was still the Bone Centaur.’

’In terms of sheer physical presence, the Thorny Giant Beast was more intimidating.’

’But it didn’t have the Bone Centaur’s freakish powers of regeneration.’

’So killing it wasn’t especially difficult.’

’Still, if the Thorny Giant Beast had been allowed to fully mature, if that unnatural flower on its head had been allowed to fully bloom...’

’...then things would have been a different story.’

"Alright, let’s search for loot!" Zelir clapped his hands encouragingly.

The group began to rummage through the pile of remains.

Most of the Thorny Giant Beast’s body had been turned to charcoal in the earlier explosion, leaving nothing of value.

Aside from a strikingly green Demon Core, they found nothing else.

It was called a Demon Core, but it looked more like jade.

Unlike other Demon Cores, its interior wasn’t murky. Instead, it was a perfectly clear, emerald green, like a precious gem.

An almost liquid-like natural energy flowed slowly within it. Just holding it was a comforting sensation.

It was easy to imagine just how concentrated it was.

A Magic Staff made from this Demon Core would undoubtedly provide a significant boost to Plant Magic or Empowerment Magic.

After clearing the battlefield, they looked around. There were no other signs of trouble.

"Let’s go..."

Marcus picked up his Tower Shield again. "Let’s check inside the Temple. The curtain of light to the second floor should be in there."

The iridescent blue glow seeping from the crack in the dilapidated Temple’s door was still visible.

They fell into formation, with Marcus in the lead, followed by Gray and Valles.

Hill, however, seemed to share Zelir’s habit—neither of them liked anyone at their back, so they simply walked side-by-side.

They pushed open the half-ajar stone door.

The scene inside the Temple unfolded before them.

The space inside was vast but barren. There were virtually no furnishings, nor were there any signs of religious iconography.

The floor was covered in a layer of yellow sand, accumulated over countless years.

The dome was broken, and a soft halo of light spilled down from the gap.

On either side of the main hall, a wide stone staircase spiraled upwards to an open-air second-floor platform.

On the second-floor platform, a long, oval curtain of light floated silently in midair.

"Phew..."

Marcus let out a sigh of relief.

’We finally found the entrance to the second level of the ruins.’

’My map is finally complete. This whole trip wasn’t a waste of effort after all.’

Suddenly, however, Marcus’s pupils contracted, and a sharp warning escaped his lips.

"On guard!"

The warning came so abruptly that even Zelir was startled.

The squad quickly fell into a combat formation.

Gray and Hill guarded the team’s flanks, while Zelir and Valles locked onto the source of the threat.

At the far end of the hall, seated upon a throne made of yellow sand, was a man.

He wore a set of intricate, ancient Armor. A large hood cast his face in shadow, completely obscuring his features.

Peeking out from behind him were the hilts and hafts of countless weapons: Longswords, Curved Sabers, broadswords, Long Halberds, even heavy war hammers...

The sheer variety of weapons could rival a small Blacksmith Shop’s arsenal.

The man just sat there silently on his throne, perfectly still.