Recently I have been having strange emotions. It is as if I reached the center of something grand. Soon, a juncture shall arrive. Soon, a storm will beset upon me. When that happens, what will become of me?

It’s been about five months since I received my new eye. I’ve been using it in combat to great success, not that our recent opponents have been challenging. We’ve mostly been stomping out rebellions and capturing cities.

Autumn arrived a few weeks ago, and campaigning season will be over soon. Ozisa told me that next year, we will be marching on the capital. If we can capture the capital, we will receive a great advantage. With luck, we could perhaps win the war.

Despite the advantage it would provide, it is unlikely that capturing the capital would end the war. The Amidonian people, more than anything, value liberty. In the past, the citizens of The Republic enlisted en masse for the sake of resistance,

It is likely that the republic will place every single fighting male, young and old in between us and the capital. While I acknowledge the threat, this is irrelevant to me. Peasants with blades are no real threat, and I have no desire to win this war.

I have created a situation where all members of the spider unit will be forced to confront me. That opportunity was the sole reason I entered the war, no others.

With important battles that I must participate in sparse, I often find myself at the training grounds. When I am there, Ozias often visits.

“Come.”

Our first sparring match of the day begins. I throw a left fist, he blocks it and throws a right. I dodge back and he pushes forward. Exchanges like this continue back and forth for a few minutes until…

An uppercut drives into my solar plexus. All air evacuates my lunges in seconds and I reel on the ground.

“Good job, you are still improving even after reaching this level.”

“You say that as if you aren’t far beyond my level.”

“By the time I reached your level of strength, my progress had plateaued. You will surpass me soon, I am certain of it.”

“Even if I become physically stronger than you, my martial arts and magic need work.”

“That is true, but what I have stated before signifies something important. My training of you will soon come to an end.”

A creepy look in the eyes of Ozias formed. It was something I had not yet seen, not in the years we have been fighting together, A tinge of… excitement?

“Anyway, come sit with me for a second.”

“Sure.”

The ground was beat up, muddy in some places, covered in ash in others. We found a dry spot that didn’t have any major holes in it. I picked up a leaf that was to my right, I started spinning it in my hand with the stem.

“If you are going to do battle with the Spider Unit next spring, you will need the information I have collected.”

“Go ahead.”

“There are six members of the Spider Unit. The most notable one is ‘King Spider the Bold.’ who is known to be the strongest member. He is a pure swordsman who combines overwhelming speed and strength with world-class technical abilities.”

That definitely fits the description of the person I’m searching for… wait? World-class technical skills? That guy moved like a total amateur with a sword. Perhaps that was an act? Still, he is the most likely suspect of the group I would imagine.

“His right hand is ‘Alexander the Precise’. He was born with a magic defect. Due to this, he has extremely low reserves of mana and can only cast a few minor spells in a battle. Despite the odds, he reached the pinnacle of Amidonia’s mages. He chains spells in ways beyond typical comprehension.”

“Who is next?”

“Drusa the enchanting. She is the greatest support mage in the country. She is also renowned for her beauty. She has a ridiculous supply of mana, combined with skills in healing, enhancement, and weakening magic.”

Honestly, she comes across as the biggest pain in the ass. Without a support mage of our own to counterspell, the advantage she provides could be immense. Support mage, huh…

“Faunus the Lowborn is their archer. Born from a slave, he discovered his talent for sharpshooting after crafting his own sling. He is slow, but also able to draw back a bow with enough force to pierce an arrow through absolutely anything.”

“Albanus the sturdy is a large man who is deceptively fast and strong. In terms of raw power, he might be greater than King Spider, but he is clumsy and an idiot.”

“The last is Blandus the Crafty. A thief who uses unconventional tactics and is rather quick. Honestly, you are a great match-up against him. His choice of weapon is a dagger with a chain attached.”

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“Thanks.”

This information will be extremely useful. When Ozias and I confront the Spider unit, I want to be prepared with both training and tactics.

“That’s all I can do for today, finish your training on your own.”

That was exactly what I planned to do. I have officially mastered that technique. Once I have mastered this skill, I will be ready for the final confrontation.

After experimenting thoroughly, I discovered a fundamental truth. Magic can take the structure of every plausible element. The more protons, electrons, and neutrons you add, the more difficult the spell which forms it becomes.

Mana can be shaped into any element, particle, or molecule. No matter how stable it is, or unstable. Using this knowledge I have formed a new spell. Once it forms an insanely unstable element, one that probably doesn’t exist in my old world, and then rips itself apart using an added electric/fire spell.

The result is a magic explosion far greater than anything I’ve ever seen before. If I form the element in the right way and with the correct shape, I am able to control the direction this explosion goes in.

Even if the theory works perfectly. There is a reason I am coming across so many roadblocks. If spells that used this much mana, and with this much complexity were easy, then everyone would be using them.

The half-life of the element I create is just a few seconds. If I take too long the element will decay and either lose potency or just not work. If I rush the spell too heavily, the activation of the explosion might fail, or I could build the element wrong in my mind.

This spell requires perfect focus, an absurd amount of mana, perfect control, all within a couple of seconds. In return, it provides firepower unmatched by any other spell I have come across. At first, I failed 19/20 times. Recently, I have gotten it down to 3/5 times. By the end of winter, I will get it down to 1/5.

I build up my mana, I build the neutrons, protons, and electrons. Next, form it into a cone shape with the tip facing my target. For the final touch, the hottest lightning I can conjure! And….

The spell worked, but I was slow with casting it, and it lost potency. The hole I created burrowed deep into the mountainside I used as my target, but it should have been deeper. This was not good enough.

Hm? There is a tunnel inside of that hole I created. I suppose I should investigate, there seems to be something in there.

I was right, within the cave was a cabin. Was there even an entrance to this place? Ah, I see, I broke down a false wall. Now, I should check out this cabin. I should probably be cautious, this could very well be a spy base for the Amidonians.

I pretty soon decided that was not the case. There were dead flowers lining the side of the road, and dead trees as well. Still, there was evidence they grew tall at one point. It must have been a while since anyone was in here.

A one-way wall allowed sunlight to enter, it was long past noon at this point. The sky was a deep orange, just enough light broke through to illuminate the humble porch. It was a small cabin, just big enough for two people to live in.

I push on the door lightly, the door creaks and eventually gets stuck. After a few more seconds of pushing I step back and then kick down the door. The house is abandoned anyway.

*Cough cough cough*

Damn, this place is caked in dust. I blast it with wind magic to quickly air it out. I guess I’ve officially become a bottle of computer duster. I hope nobody gets high off me.

Once I cross the door-frame a fireplace lights up as well as a couple torches. Automated magic? From what I’ve heard, it takes a master magician to pull something like that off. The technique has died out too. The few remaining users have congregated in the College of Tyr.

The cabin had a retirement vibe, everything was close together and mobility aids were scattered about. There wasn’t a corpse anywhere in here, so they were probably buried properly. I personally don’t care if I get buried, but I know some people get pissy about that.

I pass through the living and dining room without finding anything of interest. The bedroom had some comfy-looking sheets, but I don’t need any of those. Based on the clothes, it was a woman who lived here.

The last room was the storage room. I slightly open the door as something, but something catches my attention and forces me to freeze. A wire is coming off the door, if I push any further it will go off.

I close the door and go to the room to the left of it. With low-level explosion magic, I break a hole in the wall big enough to slip through.

The wire was rigged to an axe on the roof. I imagine they used wire for the trap rather than magic to avoid collateral damage to the goods stored here. Whatever is stored here is worth protecting with a hidden cabin and traps after all.

The thing they were protecting so thoroughly was a… mannequin? No, it is the clothes on the mannequin obviously. Gray leather pants and a gray leather tunic. It wasn’t made in the modern style of tunics, it was something more ancient.

Above the pants and tunic was a gray robe. It was the ideal robe in every way, soft on the inside, tough on the outside. It appeared to have a great deal of cut resistance as well. The boots on the bottom were sturdy and gray as well. Why was this person obsessed with the color gray?

Maybe I should take these? They come off as expensive high quality pieces. I was wearing… old rags covered in dried blood and mud.

Wait, the person who lived here was a woman… Maybe I shouldn’t take them after all.

Ok, I will try them on.

The clothes were, as I expected, a little too big. I’m probably 5’2 by now, I will have to grow a few more inches to fit properly, but it works better than my old clothes. Maybe if Lucanus was alive he would take me clothes shopping…

*CRASH*

Thinking about Lucanus pissed me off a bit too much. I blew a hole in the wall in a fit of rage. I need to calm down.

Anyway, these clothes will work fine. There is a staff on the wall that looks expensive as well, but I don’t use one of those. I will just leave it here.

I collapse the cave behind me after I leave. That place is dense in mana, there is a good chance a strong monster would choose to inhabit it.

…

“Do you remember what we named you?”

“I do.”

“They call you Cassius the Wrathful now, don’t they?”

“They do.”

“Do you think this was the life we wished for you? What Cassius would wish for you?”

“I… don’t know.”

“Please, survive.”

“I… don’t want to.”

“I know it’s hard honey.”

“There’s no way you know how hard it is.”

“I don’t, but I know something else. When you enter hell, there will be another walking beside you. You aren’t alone.”

“What does that mean?”

Damnit, I woke up before I could hear the answer.