The moment I cast [Unstable Amplification] on the Skeleton King.
The mana extending from my fingertips seeped effortlessly into the deep purple barrier enveloping him.
'Got it!'
I instinctively knew the spell had taken hold successfully.
And then.
Hmm…
Nothing much to do now?
That was it.
All that was left was to wait a little.
Like pouring hot water into instant ramen and waiting three minutes.
'No, probably even faster than that.'
I doubted it would last three minutes.
In the game, the Skeleton King's demise was handled via cutscene, so I didn't know exactly how long he could hold out.
Either way, it wouldn't take long. That much was certain.
"Mm? I sense a strange energy. What is this?"
I glanced at the Skeleton King, who sounded puzzled from within the orb, and thought to myself.
"J-Jeron! Don't tell me that was… an enhancement spell…?"
Just then, Artel's trembling voice came from beside me.
I turned to see her already pale face drained even whiter.
Ah. She must have sensed the mana flow of [Unstable Amplification].
From her reaction, she didn't grasp exactly what spell it was, but she seemed to have figured out the general type.
"N-No way…?"
Artel looked like she wanted to deny reality.
However.
"Oh ho, what's this? My power is overflowing even more!"
The Skeleton King's reaction confirmed her suspicions.
"Hahaha! Intruders! I don't know what you've done, but I am truly grateful! Thanks to you, my ritual will complete even faster!"
"No… The demonization is accelerating. At this rate, we won't even have time to escape…"
Artel's expression shifted from shock to gradual despair.
It was only natural for her to panic.
In a desperate situation where her ally needed to somehow stop the demonization, he'd stood there casually—then suddenly buffed the enemy.
Still, her falling into total despair wouldn't do.
She still had a job to do.
"It's fine, Artel."
I lightly gripped her shoulder as she looked ready to collapse and said.
"Trust me."
"…But!"
"Trust me and just do exactly as I say. Go to that corner and create the biggest, sturdiest ice barrier you can."
At my calm voice, Artel stared at me with confused eyes.
In the end, she seemed to decide to follow my instructions, half-doubting though she was.
"…Okay."
Stumbling, she headed to the corner and summoned every ounce of mana, as if drawing from her very soul, to erect the barrier.
After that, I hid with Artel behind it, then called out to Karen, who had turned to prepare some kind of ultimate attack.
"Karen, don't waste your energy. Come over here."
"…? Aren't we supposed to go all-out now?"
"It's fine. Just come."
With Karen gathered beside me too, the three of us huddled together as I reached into my Subspace Pocket.
'I saved this for a moment like this.'
And out came my secret weapon.
The third bag of popcorn.
This time, it was a half-and-half mix of caramel and classic flavors!
"…P-Popcorn? Again?"
"…Just how many did you bring, Jeron?"
"Here. Munch on this and enjoy the show."
I handed a handful to each of them.
"…"
The sheer absurdity of the situation made them accept the popcorn surprisingly obediently.
I peeked just my head over the barrier to watch the Skeleton King.
"U-Ugh? Something feels off."
Gone was his earlier triumphant air.
"Why does the power keep…?"
He seemed to be catching on to something strange.
His frantic voice burst from within the black orb.
But it was already too late.
"Grk?!"
The barrier around him began to shake unstably.
Cracks formed on the orb's surface, and uncontrolled energy leaked through the fissures.
"The power won't stop…! Y-You intruders! What have you done to me!!!?"
I chewed my popcorn leisurely as I watched.
'It's starting.'
The penalty for supercharging 'demonization' with [Unstable Amplification].
Overload.
Demonization was a precise spell that strengthened its target exactly to the limits of their vessel—their body and soul's durability.
I wasn't an expert, but the protagonist character I'd maxed out on the black magic route had said as much, so it was probably true.
Anyway.
What happens when you force power beyond those limits into such a delicate spell mid-cast?
Especially with highly 'unstable' power.
"N-No! Stop! Stop it! I don't need this much power!"
The answer was simple.
*Crash.*
The vessel shatters.
'Especially since the Skeleton King hadn't fully prepared his ritual, per the lore.'
It had come up in one of his lines.
Most players glossed over it, but a few lore nerds caught the hint.
That's how the strategy was discovered.
"N-No! This can't be…! My ritual, prepared for thousands of years…! Graaaaaah—!"
With the Skeleton King's final scream, the black orb swelled as if reaching its limit.
And then.
*Booooom—!*
An explosion roared forth.
The aftermath battered the ice barrier we hid behind, sending sharp bone fragments and mana residue flying everywhere.
A moment later, the storm died down.
The barrier had some hairline cracks but, fortunately, held firm.
'It's not really an attack—just a plain explosion, so it's fine.'
That's what I figured.
You wouldn't even die taking it barehanded.
But it hurts, right?
That's why I'd asked Artel for the barrier.
That's when I noticed Artel and Karen beside me.
Having confirmed the boss's death, they wore expressions half shock, half bafflement.
*Plop.*
A few pieces of Artel's popcorn fell to the floor.
Oh no. What a waste.
***
Artel felt like she was dreaming.
Not just any dream, but one of those disjointed, feverish ones where nothing made sense.
The boss of a mere green-grade dungeon had begun demonizing.
The barrier it raised blocked every attack from her and Karen completely.
'What do we do?'
'Should we run now?'
'But… is there even time to escape?'
As countless thoughts and worries raced through her mind by the second.
"Demonization, huh? Fun."
Jeron stepped up.
"Waiting's a drag, so I'll lend a hand."
His voice so nonchalant it bordered on playful.
Then he cast an enhancement spell she'd never seen before.
On the enemy. Not an ally.
In that moment, Artel truly thought Jeron had lost his mind.
But what was the result?
The dungeon boss's shattered remains lay scattered before her eyes.
'…How in the world.'
Artel's sharp mind spun rapidly.
Soon, she arrived at her own conclusion.
Most likely, he'd forcibly amplified the demonization with an enhancement spell, pushing the opponent beyond its limits to self-destruct.
Everything Jeron had shown so far was impressive, but this was on another level.
Analyzing the properties of the enemy's defensive spell in that split second.
Piercing it with an enhancement spell, then reversing the demonization into overload?
Still, after encountering Jeron's magic a few times, she'd grown too.
During their first spar, she hadn't understood its principles at all until Luna explained.
But now, she could at least glimpse it.
The reflection spell that repelled the Kaiser's magic, the slashing spell that diced the combat puppets, and now this enhancement spell—they all followed similar principles.
Achieving dramatic results while using the minimal amount of his own power.
That was Jeron's way.
'Why?'
What was the reason?
Why did Jeron fight like that?
Did he have low mana reserves? Or maybe he didn't know any other spells?
'No way.'
She couldn't imagine it.
A more logical guess was…
'…He's just lazy.'
No need to use more power than necessary.
It fit his personality perfectly.
Artel gazed at Jeron's profile as he casually munched popcorn after such an astonishing feat.
A terrifying thought crossed her mind.
Even against an enemy on the verge of demonization, Jeron hadn't gone all-out—saving his strength simply because it was a hassle.
But.
'What if… Jeron used his full power?'
If something made him push past the laziness and go all-in—what would happen then?
She couldn't even fathom it.
***
Karen was a swordswoman.
Naturally, she didn't know much about magic.
So unlike Artel, she couldn't fully grasp how Jeron had defeated that monster just now.
But one thing was clear: Jeron had effortlessly dismantled the barrier she couldn't even scratch with a single gesture.
And what astonished her even more than the outcome was.
'…The leisure of the strong!'
That unique aura only true powerhouses exuded.
The absolute confidence she'd felt from her father and master, the general.
She sensed it vividly from Jeron now.
She'd vaguely felt it when he blocked the skeleton mage's ambush earlier, but now it was unmistakable.
*Gulp.*
Karen swallowed dryly.
'Jeron is far stronger than I thought…'
Her instincts, honed as a warrior to the bone, told her so.
Perhaps this man.
Possessed strength that far surpassed her wildest expectations.