[Book 1 Completed] Industrial Mage: Modernizing a Magical World [Kingdom Building LitRPG]
B2 | Chapter 25 – Futile Efforts

James POV

Haha! Perfect. Absolutely fucking perfect.

As he saw the plasma explosion make contact with Theodore's chest, James couldn't help but smile gleefully. James had always disputed his master's pyromaniacal ways, but he did feel something as the orange-white orb of superheated energy struck Theodore like a meteor.

James felt chills of sheer delight as he heard the sound of impact. He now had a far better understanding of his teacher's fascination with fire.

Though he would never admit that.

For thirty minutes he had been putting all the mana he could muster into making that spell capable of piercing solid stone, and by the gods, it had succeeded.

The intensity of the blow was evident from the crater in the cave wall where Theodore had been thrown. The smell of superheated rock and what James believed was burnt flesh was conveyed by the smoke that billowed out from the collision site. There was that delicious burn of channeling such energy that always made him feel as like he was holding lightning itself, and his fingers were still tingling from the spell's leftover mana.

This was what real power felt like. It was real, focused destruction, not the pitiful little fireballs that most [Mages] tossed about like party tricks. The form of sophisticated fire manipulation known as plasma magic was what distinguished the gifted from the average.

The two plasma orbs that remained hovered next to him, each throbbing with enough thermal energy to melt through anything he could imagine.

Pretty flames and dramatic movements are what most wizards associate with fire magic. They are mistaken. At its most basic level, it is about manipulating thermal energy.

James had heeded the lessons Elder Korren had imparted to him. He had forced himself to learn the more complex mechanics, while other trainees found it difficult to sustain even simple fire spells. Plasma was much, much more than simply very hot fire.

And Theodore? Theodore was just a Rank 2. He was not indestructible, even though it seemed that he had survived whatever clusterfuck had occurred in that slime chamber. James has witnessed many arrogant adventurers be humbled by the realization that Rank was not everything.

James was nearly bouncing on his toes with eagerness as the smoke began to dissipate. He turned to see Liam standing a safe distance away, his hands covering his ears, which were likely still ringing from the blast. Poor bastard looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. Unfortunately for him, this was the result of being involved in guild politics.

"Holy shit, James," Liam said with awe and something that might have been fear. "That was... I mean, fuck me, that was incredible. You actually hit him dead-on."

James preened at the compliment, rolling his shoulders back and allowing his chest to swell with pride. Damn right it was incredible. After training under Elder Korren for ten years, during which time his mana channels burnt raw and his eyebrows were singed off due to pushing plasma spells beyond what his body could withstand, he finally had something to show for his efforts.

"That's what real magic looks like," James boasted.

"Yeah?"

"Yep. The majority of people believe they understand fire magic, but I'm using the sun itself, while they're just playing with matches. Do you see that? It's thermal energy, not simply fire." James boasted shamelessly.

James had another wave of delight when Liam whistled softly to himself. It was satisfying to be recognized, especially by someone who had most likely never seen magic beyond simple spells. The power to channel forces that might instantly change the battlefield was what set guild members apart from ordinary rabble.

With his usual calculating expression, Rufus was observing the entire interaction as if he were valuing everything he saw for potential use in the future. James had to concede that Rufus understood how to plan a successful ambush, but he didn't much like the man, he was a bit too political, too ready to sacrifice others for his own gain.

"You think that finished him?" Liam asked, squinting through the dissipating smoke. "I mean, that was a hell of a blast, but..."

James sneered, "Of course it finished him," but he kept his remaining plasma orbs charged and ready in case something happened. No matter how certain he was, he wasn't foolish enough to presume victory without proof. "That spell could punch through a [Mana Shield] like it was made of tissue paper. Theodore might be Rank 2, but he's not invincible."

As the smoke began to clear, more of the crater became visible, and James found himself bending forward a little in anticipation of the outcome of his handiwork. Maybe Theodore could still be alive, even if barely. Actually, that would be much better. James could do the follow-up shots at his own pace.

There were times when you simply had to have faith in superior firepower, but his master had always stressed the value of knowing your opponent's capabilities before engaging.

The crater was becoming more visible, and chunks of stone were still radiating heat in patterns that spoke to the incredible energy transfer involved in the blast. But something was moving in there.

James blinked, confident that he was seeing things wrong. He had to be, right? There was no way he was seeing correctly. Why was there motion there? The smoke was still too dense to discern specifics but James was feeling rather uncertain.

"What the hell?" Liam muttered, apparently seeing the same thing.

For the first time since beginning his attack, James's confidence wavered when a person appeared out of the smoke. Theodore emerged from the crater, wiping dust from his clothing.

There wasn't a mark on him.

Not a single fucking mark.

There was dust in his hair and his clothing were definitely singed, but Theodore himself appeared to be in perfect health. James would have expected someone who had just been struck by enough thermal energy to kill a man many times over to seem somewhat bewildered, but there were no burns or other obvious injuries.

"Are you kidding me?" Liam exploded. "How is he still standing? That blast should have turned him into paste!"

As he stared, James's mind struggled to comprehend what he was seeing. A small building may have been leveled by the concentrated energy contained in that plasma orb. He had witnessed his master slicing through solid rock like butter with similar spells. Instead of acting as though nothing had occurred, Theodore ought to be a blazing crater himself.

James, however, wasn't going to display his surprise. His instructor had taught him that psychological factors accounted for half of battle. Even when things went wrong, you had to project confidence. Particularly when things took a wrong turn.

"Ha!" James barked out a laugh that sounded forced even to his own ears. "That was just a practice shot! Had to test your defenses before bringing out the real firepower."

Those eerily serene eyes of Theodore's gaze swept over him. There was no anger on there, none that James could see, no pain, not even annoyance. Just... mild curiosity, as if James were some fascinating creature he had discovered beneath a rock.

"Was that the best you could do?" Theodore asked.

Was that the best he could do?

Ten years of intense study had culminated in that plasma orb, a spell that tested the limits of his magical talents. It symbolized all he had learned about channeling destructive power and thermal manipulation from his instructor.

And Theodore wanted to know if that was the best he could do?

"And here I even lowered my [Mana Shield] for you," Theodore shook his head with what looked like disappointment. "I was interested in that curious development of fire magic you're using."

A chilly sensation settled in James's stomach.

Theodore had lowered his [Mana Shield] intentionally?

This indicated that he had been hit by the plasma blast without any protection and had managed to walk unscathed.

It was like firing your final cannon ball at a man, seeing it hit center mass, and then having him ask if you have anything more powerful.

"Shut up!" With an uncontrollable roar, James launched the final two plasma orbs one after the other, using all of his remaining mana to make them as destructive as he could.

Two more would be plenty if one hadn't been enough. James was confident that Theodore's defenses weren't as robust as they appeared. Theodore must have just gotten lucky.

But instead of the fulfilling effect James was hoping for, an impossibility occurred.

Theodore grinned.

Theodore was hit squarely in the chest by the first plasma ball, which appeared to collapse inward rather than explode forth in a thermal energy burst. Dimming and condensing, the dazzling orange-white light was pulled into Theodore's body like water absorbed by a sponge.

The destructive force of the second orb appeared to seep into Theodore instead of burning him, following the same pattern as the first orb. James was horrified to see his strongest blows not just nullified but strangely devoured.

"How...? How are you doing that?" James felt mentally crushed.

Theodore straightened up.

"I understand it now," Theodore said with satisfaction. "So that's how you absorb thermal energy out of such attacks."

Blood drained from James's face.

Absorb thermal energy? That was impossible!

The human body wasn't designed to contain that kind of energy without being torn apart!

Theodore moved with a sudden burst of air that quickly bridged the gap between them before James could comprehend what was happening.

In an attempt to withdraw, James tried to cast a protective spell, but his mana supplies were exhausted. He had been so exhausted by the three plasma orbs that he could hardly stand, much less use magic.

He was only able to summon a few simple fireballs, which were insignificant in comparison to his plasma work, but they were also the only thing he could do at the time due to his exhausted mana reserves.

Theodore swatted them aside casually. Then his hand closed around James's face.

"Wait—"

The words never made it out.

As Theodore's hand touched James's forehead, a concentrated burst of thermal energy that had been absorbed from the plasma attacks suddenly erupted back out.

Before his head exploded like a watermelon struck by a sledgehammer, James had had time to comprehend what was happening, to realize that his own magic was being used against him in the most direct way possible.

A moment of despair at losing at his own game was the last thing he went through.

***

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