NOVEL WEB Chapter 7
Flame Buster.
I had knowledge of that magic. Not from books, but because it was a spell that consistently appeared in the main game.
As the name “Buster” suggests, it’s an attack magic with exceptional penetration power, and I often used it to pierce through the defenses of enemy mage units.
But why did that suddenly come up?
I merely used Fireball.
I looked at Lumina with confusion, and she pointed to the neatly collapsed remnants of the wall.
“If there hadn’t been a magical defense barrier, the building would have completely collapsed!”
Magic defense barrier?
Upon hearing those words, I noticed the markings left on the debris. It was the trace of ‘defense magic’ I’d seen in magic books.
I could clearly feel the mana as well.
So, what you’re saying is that my Fireball broke through the magic defense barrier set on this building.
I roughly understood the situation now, except for one nagging question.
“Is it even possible for a Fireball to penetrate a magic defense barrier?”
I’m no ordinary player—I’ve logged over 1,000 hours in Hearts of General 1. Infantry, artillery, cavalry, and mage units—you name it.
I’ve practically mastered all military branches, so I know how powerful building protection magic can be.
It shouldn’t be nullified by a mere blind Fireball. Even basic defense magic can easily block a Fireball.
“What is going on here?!”
At that moment, Lieutenant Colonel Rockhart Cromwell entered, his face ashen.
With the battalion commander having witnessed everything, there was no time for excuses—only immediate punishment awaited.
“Captain Enok Revendale!”
“I apologize, sir.”
I bowed my head almost to the ground, sincerely apologizing. Even if I had ten mouths, there was nothing I could say.
“How did this happen?”
“I attempted a personal demonstration of magic but failed to control it. I apologize.”
“Magic demonstration?! Why in a perfectly fine dormitory…!!”
Lieutenant Colonel Rockhart clenched his lips tightly. His face was visibly flushed with anger.
“Get to the battalion office immediately!”
With that, the battalion commander turned sharply and left the scene. Watching him go, I felt utterly defeated.
Haha, this is bad.
“Damn.”
Facilities Officer Debra Bennett frowned.
She had just finished her morning work and was about to enjoy a peaceful nap when news of a collapsed building wall forced her out.
Initially, she thought it was the external storage warehouse she had hastily perforated last week, but it turned out to be the (old) barracks next to the main office.
“How did this collapse? The building may have been old, but it passed the safety inspection last month, right?”
“Ah, it’s not the building—it’s magic.”
Debra pressed her forehead. There was only one person in the entire battalion capable of collapsing a perfectly fine building wall with magic.
“Was it Bell again?”
Bell Meyer of the 5th Platoon. Debra and she were coincidentally from the same hometown when they were young.
They used to be close, but when both turned fifteen, they moved away and naturally drifted apart.
Thinking they would never see each other again, they unexpectedly reunited in the army—one an elite mage officer, the other a problematic junior mage officer.
“Did she break through dual defense magic this time? How far does she plan to go?”
Still, out of friendship, Debra had set up a magic defense barrier across the entire base.
Dual protective magic.
She had proudly believed that even if Bell Meyer went berserk, the buildings would remain safe amidst countless magical bombardments…
But was this insufficient?
However, what she heard from another soldier in the facilities management department was unexpected.
“It wasn’t Sergeant Bell. It was the platoon leader.”
“What?”
“The new 5th Platoon leader who recently transferred in.”
Debra quickly recalled the memory.
The blond officer she had frequently encountered around the base recently—that was the 5th Platoon leader?
Finally remembering, Debra snapped her fingers, prompting a quick response from one of her subordinates.
“Director, you really seem like someone from a different unit? You’re currently the hottest topic in our battalion.”
“I’m busy, and you know that best.”
Because of her job managing facilities, Debra Bennett spent more time outside than in her own department office.
Thus, she had missed out on the latest gossip within the battalion.
“Hmm, but yeah, being this hot makes sense since they caused a magical surge. If I recall correctly, their face was pretty decent.”
“Ooh~ What do you mean? Do you have good instincts…”
Debra slammed her fist into the back of the soldier’s head before he could finish his sentence. He fell backward instantly.
“Aahh—ouch! Director! There’s a bump on my head!”
“You deserve it. What do you mean by ‘good instincts’? Don’t you feel it too? They might look handsome, but there’s something off-putting.”
“Oh! I get it. Isn’t there something a bit alien about them? I wasn’t the only one to feel that way?”
Cold and rigid.
Even passing by briefly made one reluctant to get too close.
What can I say? As a subordinate, they seem precise, but as a superior or peer, they’re quite uncomfortable.
“Well, given the massive accident, they must be getting a serious scolding from the battalion commander.”
“Indeed, they were dragged away immediately.”
“Heh, I knew it.”
Debra casually shrugged while sweeping the broken fragments with her hand. At that moment, she sensed something strange.
“Hold on.”
“Did I hear wrong?”
“Did you happen to hear what magic the platoon leader used?”
“I didn’t catch it properly. According to Sergeant Lumina, it was called Flame Buster…”
“What?! That’s absurd! What Flame Buster are you talking about?!”
Even though she held the position of Facilities Management Director, Debra was also a certified mage, soon to be promoted to major.
Thus, she knew exactly how powerful Flame Buster truly was.
If it had been real Flame Buster, it would have not only neutralized the double defense magic she had set up but also demolished the building entirely.
“This isn’t Flame Buster.”
“Then what is it?”
Debra carefully examined the collapsed debris. She specialized in red magic, one of the five attributes, particularly excelling in anything related to fire.
In short, there was no way she wouldn’t recognize fire-related magic.
The flow of mana, the color of the residual mana, the pattern of the explosion, and the way the debris scattered—all these factors combined confirmed that the magic used by the platoon leader was indeed fire-based.
“But this mana pattern…”
No matter how many times she checked, the answer remained the same. The pattern resembled Flame Buster closely, but its power and execution difficulty were unmatched.
Fireball.
The lowest-tiered beginner magic among red magic.
This explained why Sergeant Lumina Blue Lumia mistook it for Flame Buster.
But the problem was…
‘Did they really break through my double defense barrier with just Fireball?’
Impossible. Yet there was no other explanation.
If they truly breached the double defense magic with just Fireball… that meant they were at least a Grade 1 Red Mage.
Grade 1 Red Mage.
The bare minimum threshold where an ordinary mage could barely compete against a grand mage.
‘A newly graduated second lieutenant straight out of the military academy?’
Debra immediately stood up and hurried toward the main office. A soldier clearing the debris called after her urgently.
“Director?!”
“Just keep cleaning. I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?”
Debra’s eyes gleamed.
“To the battalion commander’s office.”
“Do you have any excuses?”
“I apologize. I don’t intend to make any excuses. This is entirely my fault.”
“Hmph! I trusted you based on your high evaluation and enthusiasm as the captain of the Second Battalion!!”
Colonel Rockhart tapped his desk with his fingers and shouted. It was the moment his carefully built tower crumbled due to just one Fireball.
Now, whether or not there was a defense magic on the wall didn’t matter much. Failing to control magic and collapsing the barracks wall were undeniable facts.
“This is property damage! Do you understand how grave this offense is?!”
“I apologize.”
Didn’t the battalion commander cherish the base landscape immensely? And yet, I ended up touching such a sensitive issue.
“I’ll refer this case directly to the disciplinary committee. Be aware of that!”
“Yes, understood.”
“Damn it! I should have known. Your training officer’s evaluation was spot on.”
My heart raced. Was I experiencing arrhythmia? No, I was stressed.
Come to think of it, wasn’t what I did wrong not that significant? Nobody got hurt, the building didn’t fully collapse, and the structure was already abandoned anyway.
This feels unfair.
Being pulled into this game world was bizarre enough, and the platoon assignment was pure chaos.
During the week I’ve been here, the base hasn’t given me any special favors either. I handled all the paperwork myself.
And that wasn’t even supposed to be my responsibility. Why should I clean up after the previous platoon leader who neglected their duties?
“Hey, you idiot Kim Jin-hyuk, do it properly, will you? Even without me telling you, you should move quickly.”
An irritating voice echoed in my mind.
The battalion commander began pointing at me while gesturing. Suddenly, I heard ringing in my ears, making it impossible to understand his words.
Ah, I crave nicotine.
I want to smoke.
I fidgeted with my hands, reaching into my pocket.
At that moment, my head spun. My vision turned white, and my legs gave out.
“Keuhk…!”
I couldn’t breathe. My consciousness faded. I tried to cough but couldn’t open my mouth.
“What, what’s happening all of a sudden?”
“For glory to the homeland! Sir, this is the Facilities Management Director!”
Thud.
In my fading vision, I heard a voice that wasn’t the battalion commander’s.
“Eh?”
“5th Platoon Leader? 5th Platoon Leader!!”
The battalion commander’s frantic face rushing toward me was the last thing I saw before the world flipped upside down.