My Magic Has No Upper Limit

He really did have the air of that boy genius who became a Junior Swordsman at fifteen.

"Oh..." Maki’s eyes narrowed slightly. He gave his sword a flourish and settled into a balanced stance as well.

"Five Silver Coins."

Zelir said, "I’m betting Gray lasts more than ten rounds."

"Weren’t you just worried Gray was going to get beaten to death?" Valles glanced at Zelir.

"You said he wouldn’t die, so I might as well have some fun," Zelir said with a shrug.

"You’re on."

Marcus smiled faintly. "I’ll bet Gray won’t last ten rounds."

The words had barely left his mouth when the two figures in the field clashed!

With a sharp cry, Gray took the offensive.

He lunged forward with a powerful Front Slash!

But Maki calmly brought his sword horizontal, easily parrying the blow.

In an instant, he transitioned from defense to offense. His Wooden Sword became a whirlwind of wide, horizontal slashes, forcing Gray to retreat step by step.

Then, with a quick Thrust, he knocked aside the Wooden Sword guarding Gray’s chest and followed through with a slash to his abdomen.

"Oof..." Gray let out a muffled groan, feeling as if the blow had rattled his internal organs out of place.

He could no longer keep his footing, staggering back two steps before collapsing onto the sand.

"He really didn’t last ten rounds..." Zelir muttered, his brow furrowing in frustration.

’Judging by Gray’s stance earlier, I really thought he had a shot.’

This was the first time he’d ever lost a bet.

"The gap between a Junior Warrior and a Middle Level Warrior isn’t so easily closed."

Marcus wasn’t surprised by the outcome at all. "But Gray has definitely improved a lot."

"Not a bad stance, though you’ve still got a long way to go."

Maki said with a smug grin, "But at least you’re good enough to make me take things a little seriously now."

"Tch..."

Gray wiped his face, still feeling defiant.

’For a moment there, he really felt like he’d touched upon the level Maki was talking about—infusing Fighting Qi into his very flesh and blood.’

’But that subtle feeling was fleeting. I just need more practice to find it again...’

...

「Deep within the Gray Wood Forest.」

Dense, ancient trees blotted out the sky, casting the forest floor in a dim, oppressive light.

The squad traveled in a line, with Marcus at the front clearing a path, followed by Maki, Gray, Valles, and Zelir in that order.

As they journeyed, Marcus periodically used his Battle Saber to hack away thorns and vines blocking their path. It was all much the same as any other quest.

There was just one difference.

Every one of them was bundled up in extremely thorough protective gear.

That’s right—from head to toe. Not a single gap was left exposed, not even their hair.

Thick leather hoods enveloped their heads, their hands were covered in double-layered tanned leather gloves, and even their face masks were made of thick burlap.

Even their eyes, the only parts that might have been exposed, were carefully shielded behind thick goggles.

They looked less like Adventurers and more like Physicians about to enter a plague-ridden zone.

After walking in silence for a good while longer, Gray finally couldn’t bear it anymore. He stopped, leaning against a nearby tree trunk for support.

"Mmmrphh grmmphh..." he mumbled.

"Huh?" Maki cocked an ear, looking puzzled.

It seemed that because of the thick masks, no one’s words were coming out clearly.

Gray ripped off his mask, gasping like a drowning man breaking the surface.

He took a deep breath of the fresh air before speaking loudly.

"So, how much longer until we get there? I’m suffocating in this thing!"

"Should be soon."

Marcus also took off his mask for a breath of air.

He pulled the commission scroll and a map from his coat and studied them. "According to the markings, we should be close."

"Marcus."

Maki also tore off his mask, revealing a face flushed red from the stuffy air.

"It’s just a few [Difficulty]-rated Demons. Is all this really necessary?"

"Extremely necessary," Valles said.

Marcus unrolled the commission scroll.

[Commission: Cleanse the Flesh-Corrupted Zone]

A bizarre land of flesh has recently been discovered within the Gray Wood Forest. All flora and fauna in the area have undergone terrifying mutations.

It has been identified as a breeding ground for the [Difficulty]-rated Demon, the [Life-Devouring Blood Boil].

This Demon is highly infectious and expansionist. If left unchecked, the consequences will be dire.

Adventurer Squads are hereby summoned to cleanse the area.

Commission Rank: Middle Level (One Star).

Commission Objective:

Eliminate all Life-Devouring Blood Boils. Leave none alive!

Bounty:

Thirty Gold Coins per Life-Devouring Blood Boil.

Guild Note:

Extreme Warning: Do not, under any circumstances, allow any part of your body to come into contact with the fleshy tendrils or parasitic slime of the Life-Devouring Blood Boil. Take all necessary precautions.

It possesses a terrifying power of assimilation!

If contact is made, do not hesitate. Carve out the flesh or amputate the limb immediately. Disability is preferable to death.

"This Life-Devouring Blood Boil is a nasty piece of work,"

Valles said. "It’s not that hard to kill, but its method of infestation is incredibly hard to defend against. One slip-up, and you’re done for."

"Is it really that bad...?"

Maki grumbled. "Isn’t it just a lump of rotten flesh?"

"It’s that bad. You’d know if you’d ever seen someone infected by a Life-Devouring Blood Boil,"

Marcus said.

"This was before I came to Black Stone Town. I happened to witness something like this at a clinic."

"He was a young Adventurer whose arm had been pierced by the tendrils of a Life-Devouring Blood Boil. Instead of decisively cutting out the flesh, he thought he could get it treated at a clinic."

"The physician took one look and immediately tried to call the guards to have him thrown out."

"Of course, the young Adventurer refused to leave. In the middle of the scuffle, the guy suddenly let out an inhuman scream."

"A tentacle shot out of his mouth. He died on the spot, his body collapsing like a pile of mud."

"But the tentacle that had burst from his mouth wasn’t dead. It even tried to attack the people nearby, searching for a new host... In the end, a passing Middle Level Ranger had to put it down."

"Ugh..." Just hearing the description sent a chill down Gray’s spine.

"But that’s also why a commission involving a mere [Difficulty]-rated Demon was given a Middle Level rank."

Marcus folded the commission scroll. "And why they’re offering an exorbitant bounty of Thirty Gold Coins per Life-Devouring Blood Boil."

For comparison, a typical [Difficulty]-rated Demon rarely pays more than Five Gold Coins, and the absolute highest is Ten Gold Coins.

But the bounty for a Life-Devouring Blood Boil is a whopping Thirty Gold Coins!

And according to the intel, there’s more than one Life-Devouring Blood Boil in this area.

If you add it all up, the total payout will be a fortune.

Before accepting this quest, Marcus had discussed it with the team.

They had concluded that the risk was manageable.

Valles and Zelir were both powerful ranged attackers, and given the low Defense Power of a Life-Devouring Blood Boil, it would likely be a one-shot kill for either of them.

The others just needed to stay protected and draw the creatures’ attention.

It was an opportunity too good to pass up.

It was certainly better than fighting the Griffin Queen on Wailing Summit or cleansing Scorching Canyon of the Lava Tyrant.