Morin quickly led a platoon from the 4th Company toward the district where the massive explosion had occurred yesterday. After the previous day's fighting, this area was now fully under Saxon control.
When they reached their destination, everyone, including Morin, who had personally triggered the blast, was stunned by the sight. The former street with its Gallic town houses had completely vanished from the surface. In its place was a field of ruins, almost entirely leveled, littered with fragmented masonry and unrecognizable objects.
"My God." The soldiers who came with Morin were wide-eyed, gasping collectively. Although they knew a huge explosion had happened here yesterday, witnessing this apocalyptic scene first-hand still profoundly shocked them.
Morin surveyed the blast site, then glanced at the information regarding Magic Crystal Bombs in the [Information] and [Technology] pages of the system—data that had partially populated after he acquired the detonator crystal. The power of the Magic Crystal Bomb was somewhat similar to an oversized 'High-Impact Magic Crystal Shell,' primarily causing lethality through instantaneous high temperature and shockwave. However, Klaus and his men had placed the bombs inside the buildings, so the moment of detonation had turned the entire structure into a giant 'shrapnel grenade.' At that point, the kinetic damage from the masonry fragments became a significant part of the total damage to targets on the street.
The few Spellcasters on the street, even with magical protection, could not withstand the simultaneous attack of countless high-speed flying debris.
Morin opened the system map, carefully cross-referencing the four flashing golden markers on the map with their physical locations. He quickly pinpointed the first target.
"Right here!" He took out his engineer shovel and pointed to a pile of rubble and broken wooden beams underfoot. "We start digging!"
"Yes!" Although the soldiers didn't understand why the Battalion Commander wanted to dig in a pile of rubble, they immediately picked up their engineer shovels and began clearing the debris. The clanging sound of digging echoed across the silent ruins. The soldiers talked quietly among themselves as they dug.
"What do you think the Battalion Commander is looking for?"
"Who knows? Probably some kind of treasure the Britannians had on them?"
Soon, one soldier's shovel struck something soft. "Squad Leader! Here! There's something here!" Everyone immediately surrounded the spot. They cleared away the last layer of rubble, revealing a completely mangled corpse. The body, or rather, the pile of flesh, was torn and punctured by countless fragments of brick and stone. The tattered Mage Robe was fused with the blood and flesh. It was impossible to distinguish clothing from body. A strong stench of blood and burning flesh rushed out, making several of the 'new recruits,' who had never seen anything like this, bend over and vomit immediately. Even the veterans turned pale, their stomachs churning.
"Damn it… that's a horrible way to die…"
"Is this what happens when you cross our Battalion Commander…"
Morin looked at the corpse, frowning slightly, feeling like he was watching a gore prop in a cult film up close. Except this time, it came with an olfactory assault. But seeing the [Lootable] marker on the system map, Morin squatted down, forced himself to ignore the gruesome sight, and began searching through the remains. The surrounding Instruction Assault Battalion soldiers watched him with expressions that suggested he was an absolute monster. Their Battalion Commander not only fought like a lunatic but was also so professionally detached in the face of such a horrific scene.
"Oho, found something." Morin soon pulled a damaged leather scroll tube from the body's Mage Robe. He wiped the two items on a relatively clean piece of the robe fragment, pocketed them, then told the soldiers: "We keep digging. There are three more."
The soldiers endured the nausea and began digging at the other locations Morin designated. With the first experience under their belt, they quickly unearthed three more equally gruesome corpses. Morin, without batting an eye, proceeded to scavenge all the relatively intact 'legacies' from the bodies of the four unfortunate Spellcasters.
Ultimately, his haul from this run was quite good, considering the severe damage at the blast site. Two Spell Journals were badly damaged by the shockwave and shrapnel but still mostly legible. One Magic Scroll was relatively intact, containing an unknown spell. And one necklace, still emitting a faint Magic Aura, was pulled from one of the bodies.
Morin carefully put these spoils into his backpack, then stood up and addressed the still-pale soldiers behind him: "Alright, we're done with the hard work. Bury them… bury them back. They were Spellcasters after all; let's give them some final dignity."
The soldiers nodded, then dug several shallow pits in the rubble and quickly buried the four mutilated bodies.
Having completed all this, Morin, with a satisfied expression and a backpack full of heavy spoils, led the soldiers back to the bridgehead position. "Thanks for your hard work, everyone. I'll ask the field kitchen to prepare some extra ration tonight—some stewed meat!" Morin said cheerfully. However, hearing his words, the faces of the soldiers who participated in the digging immediately changed.
"Uh, Battalion Commander, maybe not the meat…"
"Yeah, I don't think I have much appetite for meat right now…"
"I need to go. I can't hold it…"
Returning to the temporary command post set up at the Battalion Headquarters, the first thing Morin did was duck into a tent, eager to check his gains. He first took out the two Spell Journals he had scavenged from the ordinary Mages. The covers were ripped, and the paper was wrinkled from soaking in blood. However, the system still indicated that the items were usable.
[Do you wish to use 'Incomplete Personal Training Manual (Intermediate)' × 1?]
[Do you wish to use 'Damaged Personal Training Manual (Advanced)' × 1?]
[Upon use, projected to advance to Level 6, Third-Circle Spellcaster]
"Use!" Morin mentally commanded without hesitation.
The next moment, a white light appeared on the two dilapidated manuals, then surged into his body. A massive flow of information instantly rushed into his mind. Theoretical knowledge about Third-Circle Spells, casting techniques, and Magic Power structural models were absorbed and understood by him in a moment of sudden enlightenment. The experience bar on his system panel immediately shot up significantly.
Morin felt his head was about to explode, but the sensation of instantly gaining such knowledge and power was exquisite.
[Use Successful!]
[Spellcaster Level increased to Level 6. Highest Spell Slot available: Third Circle]
[New Arcane Legacy Acquired: Projected Ward]
[Projected Ward: As a reaction when a creature you can see within 30 feet of you takes damage, you can attempt to absorb that damage with your current Arcane Protection.]
[Please select 4 spells from the spell list]
Looking at the system's prompt, Morin decided not to immediately choose the spells he wanted to learn, preferring to take time to think it over. Since the 4 spells could be selected from the First through Third-Circle spell lists, the possibilities were vast and required careful consideration.
As before, the two spell manuals showed no physical change after the 'use' was complete. Morin intended to submit them through the proper channels later. Although Magic Scrolls and Magic Equipment were also officially required to be submitted, Morin believed the powerful figures above would certainly allow him to use them first, given the situation.
Next, he took out the single, intact Magic Scroll. The scroll was made of some unknown animal hide, soft to the touch, and inscribed with extremely complex and profound magical Runes in gold ink.
[Magic Scroll: Bigby's Hand, Fifth-Circle Evocation Spell]
"Ohohohoho!" Morin's eyes widened as he carefully read the description of the Fifth-Circle Spell. [You create a shimmering giant hand in an unoccupied space within range that you can see. The hand persists for the duration of the spell and moves as you direct, mimicking the movement of your own hand. Duration: 3 minutes.]
"Excellent, excellent, a Fifth-Circle Spell Scroll!" Morin's heart pounded. This was a valuable item that allowed him to cast a spell above his current level! He had personally seen the Britannian Seventh-Circle Mage use this spell to crush a ten-ton Armored Knight like a toy. For his current situation, this Magic Scroll was an ultimate contingency that could single-handedly turn the tide of battle!
Morin carefully put the scroll away, placing it close to his body. He was fully resolved to keep this item, even if it meant arguing to submit a report later. I, Friedrich Morin, have risked my life for the Empire so many times, and have personally killed a number of enemy Spellcasters. A Fifth-Circle Spell Scroll—which I personally captured—is fair game. Surely, there can be no issue.
Finally, Morin's gaze fell on the necklace he had ripped from one of the Mages' necks. The chain was made of some silver metal, cold to the touch. The pendant was a dark blue gem, about the size of a pigeon's egg, with starlight seemingly flowing within, emitting a magical fluctuation.
[Magic Item Discovered: Guardian Necklace (Exquisite Grade Magic Item)]
[Effect 1: Increases wearer's saving throws.]
[Effect 2: Grants +3 Third-Circle Spell Slots, +2 Fourth-Circle Spell Slots.]
[Effect 3: Allows the casting of [Stoneskin] once per natural day. Current Uses: 0/1.]
"This is a treasure…" Morin was quite surprised by the necklace's properties, especially the Spell Slot bonus, which was extremely timely. After so many battles, he had increasingly felt that Spell Slots were the biggest limitation on a Spellcaster's endurance. Often, after one or two skirmishes, his prepared spells for the day would be depleted. He had been looking for ways to increase his spell slots, but hadn't found anything until now.
(End of this Chapter)