The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses-Chapter 7 - Pseudo-Extreme Flame Meteor

The Hysterm family’s outdoor magic training grounds were vast but largely abandoned. Despite it being spring, the ground was barren, with patches of dirt and sparse grass.

The enclosed experimental huts typical of training grounds had broken doors and windows. The guard posts meant to keep outsiders away had been removed, and the tool shed was overgrown with weeds. It lacked any grandeur one might expect from the Hysterm family, resembling more of a neglected factory yard than a noble estate.

However, the area was undeniably large. Standing at the edge of the grounds, the Hysterm family’s main house appeared significantly smaller in the distance.

Anyone familiar with the Hysterm family’s situation would find this unsurprising.

Will’s older brothers had shown little talent in magic but excelled in business. They now held prominent positions in various trade guilds and adventurer-related industries. Naturally, this training ground had fallen into disuse.

Until today, when Will arrived.

In the middle of the abandoned grounds, he set up a square wooden table, placed his notes on it, and added a magical auxiliary lamp for good measure—making the setup look much more professional.

Because the training grounds were located just outside the Hysterm estate, they were a semi-open area. By the time Will had finished setting up, a crowd had already gathered outside the fences.

The Hysterm family had close ties with the Dungeon Adventurer’s Guild, and a sizable branch was located nearby—making it convenient for Will to exchange letters with S. Naturally, the adventurers passing by were drawn to the commotion. Among them were seasoned captains, vice-captains, and countless magic experts.

“Hey, isn’t this the Hysterm family’s training ground? No one’s usually here.”

“Yeah, that’s the youngest Hysterm son, Will—the one who topped the magic entrance exam for Entark’s First Academy.”

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The Hysterm name always attracted attention. Will noticed the murmuring crowd but continued his preparations without pause.

“Alright, the table goes here. This coin will serve as the medium. Hmm… the catalyst is ready too…”

Among the onlookers was a burly man carrying a massive crimson greatsword, built like a double-door refrigerator. Will recognized him as the captain of the 30th-ranked adventuring party, Magma. Their party specialized in fire-based dungeon expeditions, hence the name.

“He looks promising. Maybe we could recruit him into our party someday.”

“Ha, Captain, don’t joke around. Do you know how precious the Hysterm family’s youngest son is? Sure, he aced the knowledge exams, but his potential and talent tests were below average. Even his physical training scores barely passed.”

As much as it stung, Will had to admit the truth. As the cannon fodder villain destined to be crushed by a slime, he had already done his best over the past fourteen years.

His knowledge of magic came from his previous life, where he had worked on designing magic skills for games—from effects to damage multipliers and mechanics. For him, the exams were like open-book tests.

But physical training? That was beyond him. Born prematurely and with the Hysterm family’s naturally weak constitution, no amount of effort could make up for it.

The fact that Entark’s First Academy publicly disclosed student scores was a real nuisance…

Now the whole city knew he was a weakling.

“Young Master, is there anything Eir can help with?”

Eir seemed to notice Will’s unease about the outside chatter and tilted her head, asking softly.

“Hmm… For your safety, not yet. Take the stone slabs I brought and place them ten meters in front of me. We’ll run a preliminary test to measure some important data. Once it’s safe, you can step in.”

“Understood.”

Will had brought a small cart loaded with several slabs of crystalline ice stone, each about ten centimeters thick and uniformly dense. Tied together, the slabs formed a one-meter-thick block.

“So pretty…”

“Pretty, huh? It won’t last long.”

Will patted the slabs.

“These are calibration slabs, used to measure the exact strength of offensive magic. The more slabs a spell can penetrate, the stronger it is. The material is standardized magical crystal. I had to beg my father to buy these from the magic academy—they’re not usually sold as experimental materials.”

Eir scratched her head, not fully understanding, but she obediently pushed the slabs to the marked spot ten meters away. A line had been drawn on the ground.

She dragged and pushed the slabs into place.

Was Young Master planning to destroy these with magic? And penetrate them?

She didn’t quite get it, but just moving the slabs into position made her realize how heavy and solid they were.

“Hmph, that kid’s just playing with the Hysterm family’s wealth, pretending to do research. Does he think using calibration slabs makes him a scholar? A one-meter-thick ice crystal slab requires at least 8000 Shee of energy. A student’s magic barely reaches 200 Shee. Using these slabs is overkill!”

Will glanced at the speaker—a white-bearded professor from Tifars Academy, wearing a tall wizard’s hat. It wasn’t unusual for academics to frequent the area, buying and selling dungeon materials.

“Shee” was the unit of magical strength. After studying it for a few days, Will realized it was equivalent to the base damage of a character with 1x skill multiplier, assuming no additional bonuses and the target’s defense was 1—a raw damage value, essentially.

His experience as a game designer for this trashy novel’s mechanics was proving invaluable.

“Sigh, let’s go. Nothing to see here.”

“Yeah, just a young master playing pretend.”

“What a disappointment. I thought the decadent Hysterm family might finally produce a genius.”

Hearing this, Will paused mid-motion as he applied the catalyst to the coin.

He chuckled softly.

Now it was time for his performance.

In a way, choosing the Hysterm family’s outdoor training grounds was intentional—a chance to showcase his and Eir’s abilities to these bystanders.

“Eir, step back. See that line over there? That’s the safety line.”

“Oh, o-okay…”

Eir pouted, her tail swaying as she reluctantly backed away.

On the barren ground, she noticed a chalk line Will had drawn. She hadn’t even realized when he had done it.

“Young Master, is this far enough?”

“Perfect.”

Will picked up the staff resting beside the table and positioned the coin a few centimeters above an alcohol lamp’s flame using a clamp. The catalyst had already ignited, but it hadn’t exploded yet.

“We seek the ultimate flame, the meteor of the night sky, the imitation of divinity.”

Breathing steadily, Will channeled his magic into the staff, reciting the chant. He felt the surrounding air heat up, moving in rhythm with his breath.

Though the effect was limited to a one-meter radius, it matched the description in the ancient text. The air, a necessary component for combustion, flowed and gathered around the coin as he chanted.

The small, burning coin began to grow into a massive fireball.

Will felt as if he were rolling a snowball down a hill. What started as a coin-sized flame grew larger and faster, gaining momentum with an almost uncontrollable intensity.

“Brand our fate, burn our souls, sear our lives—this is Extreme Flame Meteor!”

The air and wind swirled around him. With the final words of the chant, Will lightly tapped the staff, sending the coin hurtling toward the calibration slabs like a meteor.

In the clear, sunny skies above the long-abandoned Hysterm training grounds, a light brighter than the sun erupted.

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