Since they had run into the pirate group that Hods and Stitches came from, Toz had expected there to be more pirates around. But the only thing they encountered as the island continued drifting through the Void was the strange void beasts' relentless assault. And thanks to Nil's continued work on the island, expanding it and making it more attractive to the beasts, the void beasts who attacked them were getting stronger.
It was only seldom that a high level beast appeared. However, with the group's increased strength and the island's fortifications, the group took down even high level beasts with ease before they could cause any damage.
The island only suffered when several high level beasts attacked together, but those damages were repaired and reinforced by Nil. Toz was almost beginning to wonder if every part of the island had been strengthened or covered by wood grown from metal mana.
The island's improvements weren't only good for attracting stronger beasts. They drew more beasts in total to the island as well. And with more beasts to eat, Toz and the others didn't have to worry about starving, and they ended up with an abundance of food, even if it was merely more of the same almost tasteless void meat.
And since they didn't have to worry about running out of food any time soon, Toz was free to unleash fireballs on the void beasts whose bodies they didn't need to conserve.
Toz was elated at finally getting a chance to attack something with his fireballs. Ever since he had learned the spell, he had never gotten the right opportunity. But now that they were constantly attacked by more beasts than they could eat, Toz was able to launch his fireball spell almost as much as he wanted.
The first beast Toz turned into smithereens was a seventh level jellyfish that attacked by itself. The jellyfish arrived at the island right after another swarm had just been cleaned up. The warehouse was almost bursting, and Hods and Stitches, while not quite tired, didn't feel like cleaning up anymore.
Toz got the okay and, after just a short moment, cast the spell at the jellyfish.
The ball of fire was slightly larger than the head of an average human, and it flew toward the jellyfish at a notable speed, but it wasn't too fast either. If Toz had seen it coming, he would have been able to dodge it, but the jellyfish was too big and slow. Even if it had been capable of reason and thought, the jellyfish wouldn't have had enough time to dodge.
However, since the jellyfish didn't even show signs of registering the fireball as a threat, Toz didn't have to worry about the fireball missing its target.
Toz had practiced the spell on numerous occasions. But since he didn't have a way of telling how effective it was, it was difficult to improve it. However, Toz could still see and sense the fireball's power while it flew. And based on those observations, he had managed to condense and contain all the power of the spell within the radiant ball of flames. The fireball flew through the air until it reached the jellyfish, upon which it released the full brunt of the concentrated power of Toz's magic.
The moment the fireball made contact with the surface of the jellyfish, it exploded and unleashed an inferno. While there wasn't a proper sky on the island or in the Void, the fireball unleashed a shower of flames that would have covered the sky if there had been one. Thankfully, the flames rained in the same direction the fireball had been flying in and dispersed shortly after, leaving the island and its inhabitants untouched, aside from a wave of heat that washed over them.
Eventually, the flames dissipated and revealed an empty spot in the air above the island. It was the place where the jellyfish had been prior to Toz's attack. However, there was not a single trace of the jellyfish following the fireball's explosion.
Everyone on the island had grouped up when it was decided that Toz was going to attack something with his fireball for the first time. And all of them stared slackjawed at the empty space where the jellyfish had been. Hods and Stitches were especially shocked but at the same time relieved that Toz wasn't a volatile person.
If Toz hadn't decided to wait and see what the pirates were up to, or if he didn't want any visitors and blown up the two boats before they landed on the island, the pirates wouldn't have even known what hit them. Even if Kart hadn't been specialized for combat, he had still been a seventh level mage. However, there was no way he could have survived that blast.
Toz hadn't made any drastic progress or broken through during the time that Hods and Stitches had been on the island. So the fireball would have had about the same power back then as it did when Toz attacked the jellyfish.
Hods and Stitches turned to look at the fourth level mage, who, thanks to his extraordinary mana pool, affinity for mana, magic, and fire, and singular use of a recently learned spell, was able to ignore the difference of an entire division and obliterate his enemy.
There was, of course, a difference between an insentient jellyfish large enough that it was more difficult to miss it than hit it and a seventh level mage or fighter with combat experience and one or two spells of their own. However, as long as Toz landed his fireball, most fights would already be won, depending on his opponent's inclination.
While some of the island's inhabitants reeled in shock at Toz's display of power, others weren't that affected and kept working on Toz's coat. And the cats took the display for granted but, at the same time, became motivated to work harder. Toz had several elements and the extra strength that it garnered, so the only way the cats could maintain an equal footing power-wise would be to be at least one level higher than him. Preferably several since Toz would grow exponentially stronger each time he reached a new level and refined his mana even further.
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