The System family's outdoor magic training ground was large, but essentially in a semi-abandoned state. Though spring had arrived, the grass barely grew, and bald patches dotted the ground.
Each training zone had a closed experimental cabin with dilapidated doors and broken windows. There had once been guard booths outside to keep intruders away, but they had long since disappeared. The tool room was empty and overrun with weeds. Nothing here reflected the former prestige of the System family—it resembled a shabby square outside a forgotten factory more than anything else.
Yet the space itself was undeniably vast. Standing at its edge and looking toward the main house of the System family, the manor seemed comparatively small.
For anyone who knew the System family, this neglect wasn't surprising. Will's predecessors had barely made any mark in magic, but their business acumen was exceptional. They now held key positions in various chambers of commerce and adventurer-related industries.
Naturally, this training ground had been abandoned.
Until today, when Will arrived.
He set up a simple wooden table in the deserted area, laid out his scratch paper, and placed a magic auxiliary lampshade. It lent a sense of ceremony to the scene.
Since the training ground lay just outside the System Manor, it was semi-open. No sooner had he finished setting up than a crowd began to gather along the fence.
The System family maintained close ties with the Dungeon Adventure Association, and a large branch was nearby. Without it, Will and S wouldn't have been able to exchange letters so conveniently.
The people chattering outside were mostly adventurers passing by—many seasoned captains, deputy captains, and countless skilled magicians.
"Ouch? Isn't this the System family's training ground? Usually, no one's here.""No, that's the current celebrity of the System family—the young master Will, who ranked first in the magic exam at Entak First Academy."
Naturally, the System family drew attention. Will observed the crowd without slowing his preparations.
"Okay, let's put the table here first. This prop is a coin—it should meet the requirements. And the mediator is ready…"
Will's gaze landed on a burly man with a red sword strapped to his back, tall as a double-door refrigerator. He was the captain of the thirty-ranked adventure team "Lava," so named because they attacked dungeons using fire.
"Looks like he's skilled. Maybe he could join our adventure team someday.""Aha, captain, don't joke. Let's not even mention how rich the young master of the System family is. Did you know that although he aced the knowledge courses, he failed the actual potential and talent tests? His physical skill scores barely passed."
Though frustrating, Will had to admit: as a miserable cannon fodder crushed by slimes in his previous life, he had given his best for fourteen years.
Magic knowledge came easily; he had been part of designing the game's magic skills—from special effects to attack multipliers and stages, down to the mechanics themselves. For him, it was essentially an open-book test.
But physical skills? There was nothing he could do. Premature birth and the inherent frailty of the System family made practice impossible.
It was frustrating that Entak First Academy's results were public. Now the whole city knew he was weak.
"Master, how can I help?"
Yi Ai'er, sensing his concern about what people might be saying outside, tilted her head as she asked.
"Well… for now, for your safety, don't come closer. Place the stone slab I brought about ten meters ahead. Let's do a pre-experiment to measure key data. If it goes well, you can come closer later."
"Okay."
Will pushed a cart carrying multiple cryogenic slabs tied together. Each slab was about ten centimeters thick with a uniform texture; stacked, they totaled a meter in thickness.
"So… beautiful…"
"Beautiful, isn't it? But it won't last long," Will said, patting the slabs.
"This is a calibration board, used to measure the penetration of bombardment magic. How much it breaks through indicates the power of the spell. The material is typically magic crystal of a unified standard. I finally convinced my father to buy it from the academy—experimental materials aren't usually sold outside."
Yi Ai'er scratched her head in confusion. She followed Will's instructions, dragging the stone slab to about ten meters away, following the line he drew on the ground.
The young master wants to bombard this with magic? And break it?
She didn't fully understand—but the slab was heavy and dense even to move.
"Hah, that kid is playing scientific research with the Systrom family's money again. He thinks learning to use a calibration slab counts as research? A one-meter-thick ice crystal calibration plate takes at least 8,000 sieverts of energy. A student's magic might manage 200 sieverts. Using this ice crystal plate is way beyond standard testing!"
Will glanced up. The speaker was likely a professor from Tifas College, with a long white beard and a tall wizard hat. College faculty often came by to trade dungeon materials.
A "sievert" is a unit of magical power. Will had studied it for days and realized it equated to the raw damage value of one attack from a single-multiplier skill, ignoring other bonuses and assuming the opponent's defense was one.
Perfect for numerical planning—even for this story.
"Ah, let them talk. I thought it was a big deal.""It's just the young master playing house.""How boring… I expected the decadent Systrom family to produce at least one genius."
Will stopped lighting the match on the coin when he heard this. He chuckled—now it was his moment to shine.
In a sense, the outdoor training ground had been chosen to demonstrate his and Iel's strength to these onlookers.
"Iel, stand back. Over there, I drew a line—that's the safety line."
"Oh… okay, okay."
Iel pouted, shook her tail, and stepped back slowly.
On the deserted grass, Will noticed the faint chalk line he had drawn. Iel hadn't even seen him draw it.
"Master, is this okay?""Yeah."
Will raised the staff next to the table, suspending the coin a few centimeters above a clip held by the alcohol lamp. The catalyst had been ignited, but it hadn't detonated yet.
"What we want is the ultimate fireworks. What we await is a meteor in the night sky. And what we wish for is the pseudo-relic of God."
He channeled magic into the staff. As he chanted, he felt the surrounding air warm and swirl, flowing like his own breath. Within a one-meter radius, the air gathered around the coin—just as the ancient books described. Combustion required this precise condition.
Initially, it was a tiny burning coin, with the catalyst included. But it began to grow into a massive fireball.
Will imagined carrying a snowball down a mountain—the snowball started the size of a coin, but grew thicker and heavier as it rolled. Speed and volume increased, threatening to spiral out of control.
"Brand our fate, burn our souls, and scorch our lives! This is the Extreme Flame Meteor—"
The air and wind swirled. With a final tap, Will sent the coin hurtling like a meteor toward the calibration slab.
In the bright blue daytime, with a gentle breeze, the long-abandoned System family training ground ignited with a light brighter than the sun.