BOOM—!!
Veiled in the sudden burst of light from the explosion, Eric crouched at the edge of the platform, peering down below.
Two rounds of TNT bombardment had slammed into the clearing one after another. The two Orc squads down there? Let's just say, if they weren't reduced to atoms, they were definitely reduced to zero.
The area had been blasted into absolute chaos. Where the TNT had hit, there was now nothing but craters, some even deep enough to reveal the rocky layer beneath the soil. As for the trees and underbrush that once stood there? Obliterated. Gone. Vaporized.
Over twenty sticks of TNT had proven to be as terrifying as advertised. They'd carved out a whole "dead zone" in the forest—a smoking, scorched vacuum devoid of life. Nearby trees, caught in the blast's aftershock, had ignited and now burned merrily, thick black smoke curling upward into the night.
Eric stared at the apocalyptic scene before him and couldn't help but sigh in awe.
Ah… the sweet scent of civilization.
Of course, back on Earth, lighting up a forest like this would've earned him a one-way trip to maximum security.
Once he'd confirmed there was nothing alive twitching down there, Eric set down a bucket at his feet.
WHOOSH— A stream of water burst forth from the bucket, cascading downward in a makeshift waterfall. The torrent hit the forest floor, dousing some of the nearby flames. Only once he was satisfied that the fires were under control did Eric take a deep breath—and dove in, sliding down with the water.
Don't ask why he didn't just jump. He was afraid of heights, okay?
To this day, Eric had never confirmed if fall damage could be negated just by landing in water. And if it turned out that this world didn't follow video game logic, he'd end up as a splattered corpse with zero dignity. No thank you.
Once he landed safely, Eric got straight to work.
Step one: scavenging. He needed to check if any enemies had slipped through the blast, and more importantly, see if there was anything salvageable among the wreckage.
Unfortunately, the Orcs were either dirt-poor to begin with, or the TNT had been too effective. After rummaging for a while, he finally managed to dig out a few broken bits of armor and scorched weapons, along with a handful of blackened silver coins. He held one up to the torchlight and squinted. Couldn't even tell which kingdom minted them.
Still, silver was silver. Melt it down, trade it in—value's the same anywhere.
At least now he had some spare change. No more flashing expensive gems every time he wanted to buy bread.
"Hghhh—"
…Hmm?
Just as Eric was stuffing a charred sword into his pack, a low, guttural gasp echoed nearby. He almost jumped out of his skin.
Spinning around, he spotted a hulking half-Orc slumped against a tree, barely clinging to life. Limbs torn, body bloodied, armor reduced to shredded scrap by the explosion. A massive, blackened warhammer lay near his feet.
Eric narrowed his eyes. This wasn't just any Orc.
That was the Orc chieftain—the one who'd been yelling at the gates earlier, threatening to rip him limb from limb.
Now the guy looked like a half-chewed chew toy.
The chieftain glared at him, chest heaving in ragged breaths. He had that classic "this isn't even my final form" anime villain look—except it clearly was his final form, and it was very much dying.
"Y-You… filthy backstabbing maggot…!"
Pure hatred gleamed in his eyes.
He hadn't even known what hit him. From the first explosion to the last, he'd never once seen Eric's face until now. It wasn't some dragon that had wiped out his forces—it was this man.
And judging from the destruction, the method had to be some sort of powerful magic.
"You damn wizard!"
"Too loud."
Eric calmly drew his longsword and drove it straight through the chieftain's chest.
–6.
[0/40]
The half-Orc chieftain died without another word.
Eric blinked at the empty health bar. Then he whistled.
Damn. The guy had forty HP? Considering the average Orc barely had fifteen, this guy was practically a boss-tier elite. No wonder he survived the blast—at least for a while.
High health, thick armor… if he hadn't been smack dab in the center of the blast radius, he probably would've walked it off.
Rustle—
Just as the boss went still, the bushes nearby suddenly shifted.
Eric instantly dashed over.
An Orc—very much not dead—bolted out of the foliage like his pants were on fire, running like he was being chased by a dragon.
Unfortunately for him, Eric was faster.
After chopping down that last straggler, Eric swept the area again, clearing out a few more survivors scattered in the trees. Once he was certain there were no more enemies left, he returned to the site to continue his looting operation.
First priority: any and all bits of armor or weapons the Orcs had left behind—no matter how broken. All of it would be tossed into the forge back at the castle and melted down.
Next: the wargs.
They didn't carry gear, of course. But as creatures, they were surprisingly valuable. Once broken down at the crafting table, a warg corpse yielded three useful resources: meat, fur, and bones.
Meat went into the emergency rations bin. Fur could be crafted into leather armor. And bones? Crushed into bone meal.
A triple threat of usefulness.
Under the pale moonlight, carrying a full backpack of loot, Eric made his triumphant return to the castle.
On the way back, he even took the liberty of rebuilding the castle gate. He cleared the fallen rocks from the path and restored the entrance to working order.
"Back already, Eric?"
Farodan was waiting for him at the gates.
"I thought I heard strange noises—and saw flashes of light in the forest… was that you?"
As he spoke, his curiosity was barely contained behind wide eyes.
Truth be told, he'd been worried. Eric hadn't told him much about the plan—just that he'd "handle it." So Farodan had been left watching helplessly from the walls, unsure whether to hope or panic.
But then came the explosions. The fire. The raining water.
He wasn't sure what the hell he'd just witnessed.
"That Orc squad is dealt with. No need to worry," Eric said nonchalantly.
"Wait, what?" Farodan blinked.
"You mean you took out an entire squad of over a hundred Orc infantry… plus dozens of warg riders?"
And that was without even counting their leader—the massive brute who'd smashed the castle gate.
Eric raised a finger. "Correction. I didn't repel them. I eradicated them. I searched thoroughly. No survivors."
Hssss—
Farodan sucked in a breath. "That's… terrifying."
He stared at Eric like he'd just revealed himself as a demigod.
"How did you even do that?"
Farodan looked overwhelmed, but then something seemed to click.
"I remember reading in an old book once… about wizards. Some of them could summon fire and lightning at will—call the storms, bend the elements. The White Mage of Eastgard supposedly had powers like that."
It all made sense now.
The fire. The explosions. The waterfall from the sky.
It had to be magic. Powerful magic.
"You're one of them, aren't you?" Farodan asked. "One of those wizards?"
"If you mean some hooded old man muttering in riddles, then no."
"I don't believe you." Farodan grinned knowingly. "You've got too many tricks up your sleeve."
"Look, that explosion? That was gunpowder."
"Gunpowder?" Farodan tilted his head.
"It's a type of weapon. You pack it in tight, light a fuse, and boom—explosion."
"I've heard of something called blackpowder… dwarves use it in fireworks. But I didn't know it could be that powerful."
Farodan looked like he was trying to accept it, but remained skeptical.
"What about the waterfall?"
"…A bucket of water I carried with me."
Farodan gave him a look that said do I look stupid to you?
"You're telling me a bucket of water put out a forest fire?"
"…It was a big bucket?"
Farodan crossed his arms. "So the gunpowder's just a medium, then. A component in your spellcasting. You use it to channel your attacks, don't you?"
Eric paused.
You know what? That… kind of made sense.
Technically, he couldn't explain the TNT's inner workings anyway—it came from the crafting table. So if Farodan wanted to chalk it up to magic?
"Sure," Eric shrugged. "Let's go with that."
Farodan's face lit up like he'd just solved a great mystery.
"I knew it!"