Florida Man in Magus World: Unleashing Liberty and Freedom

Garudeer was speechless for two reasons - the creation and the form.

It usually took a decade of experience for an artisan to craft a detailed object with mana. Meanwhile, Felix had already started fine-tuning and decorating the obscene baseball bat with veins and muscle lines, making it look disturbingly realistic.

This raised another question for Garudeer - how did Felix maintain the object's shape for longer than a minute?

Upon closer observation, Garudeer was astonished. Felix had been stroking the object to control the mass of mana. As he did so, the surface of the mana mass hardened. He then injected more mass into the container, increasing its size and density.

Just like that, Felix had figured out how to master the Mana Molding technique instead of the Mana Compression technique.

Garudeer had no idea that Felix's "Fast Learner" talent was at work. Felix picked up skills faster than the average person if he was interested in the subject.

But before Garudeer could complement Felix, the junior's action got more disturbing. Garudeer almost fell from the sky.

Felix suddenly peeked into his pants, looked at his thing, then at his creation, comparing the two. The weirdo snickered, "Oh, I forgot about this part."

He added strings to the cross-guard, making it look as though the balls were covered in pubic hair.

Once again, Jessica facepalmed. Garudeer made another mental note.

"Add a social education class and double the etiquette lessons!"

Garudeer allowed Felix to play with the first two skills for two hours. Afterward, he dragged Felix to the shack and spent the rest of the day teaching him about modesty, etiquette, and the qualities of a gentleman until nightfall.

…

Nighttime

Garudeer returned to his office, leaving Felix alone in the wild for the night. However, he assigned Felix a new homework task - find his own food.

Once Garudeer left, Felix shrugged and decided to cheat. He pulled out his ATV from his inventory and activated its barrier dome. Then, he brought out kitchen wares and began cooking a simple meal using leftover ingredients.

The ATV's barrier dome not only prevented hostile creatures from entering the perimeter, but it also electrocuted any small bugs and insects that dared to cross it.

As night fell, lurking monsters crept toward Felix once more. Since Felix had stopped using his breathing technique, his body temperature was only slightly hotter than a cat's - 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit).

*ZAP*

A mosquito touched the barrier and was instantly electrocuted by a 50,000-volt charge. It dropped to the ground, burnt to a crisp.

The other insects paused after witnessing their companion's demise. They eyed the barrier warily, recognizing it as a threat. In unison, 10,000 ants, mites, spiders, and mosquitoes transformed into giant monsters, surrounding Felix's straw shack and ATV.

Felix glanced at the monsters outside and checked the map. Upon seeing their color, he sneered and turned his attention back to the pan in his hand and the gas stove. He dropped a lump of butter into the pan, preparing to fry a piece of steak.

The smell of hot butter enticed the monsters, and they lunged at Felix simultaneously.

*ZAP*

*ZAP*

*ZAP*

*ZAP*

One after another, the giant bugs were electrocuted and burnt alive. Their burnt odor seeped into the barrier, stinging Felix's nose.

"Oh, God, this is nasty. They smell worse than my neighbors in winter," Felix complained, scratching his nose. Ignoring the commotion, he placed the rib-eye steak onto the pan. The butter and meat sizzled, filling the air with a delicious fragrance that overpowered the foul smell.

While cooking, Felix cleaned his hands with soap and water. When he was done, he flipped the steak with his right hand and tested the pan's temperature by placing his fingertip on it.

It wasn't hot, but the steak was cooking.

Felix pulled his finger back and licked it. The butter tasted delicious.

"I guess I should try this…"

Felix suddenly had an idea. He emitted flame mana from his fingertip and created a stream of fire, cooking the raw part of the steak with magic. The upper side quickly turned brown.

Surprised by the quick result, Felix pulled his hand away and examined the steak. After disabling the energy, he flipped the steak again to compare its condition.

The upper side was more cooked than the lower part.

Felix narrowed his eyes, feeling inspired.

"If my flame mana can cook faster than the gas stove, could I cook people if I increased the volume?"

Testing his theory, Felix stood up and looked at the commotion around him. He jokingly pointed his fingertip at one of the monsters and unleashed a stream of flame mana.

*FWOOM*

A long trail of flame shot from Felix's fingertip. The flame expanded and widened like a fan, engulfing everything in its path.

Felix was astonished. He liked the feeling, but he didn't realize that the range kept increasing.

Five seconds later, the flame had traveled 200 yards, setting everything in its path on fire.

"…Whoops."

…

The next morning, Garudeer returned to his once-prized garden, only to be met with a scene of utter devastation. His eyes widened in shock at the sight before him.

At the far corner of the flying island, a hundred trent monsters huddled together, trembling in fear. Their once-formidable forms were now reduced to pathetic, sobbing figures, their gnarled branches intertwined as they clung to each other for comfort. None dared to look toward the center of the island, where the source of their terror lay.

The landscape was littered with the charred remains of giant insects, ants, and mosquitoes. Their corpses were scattered across the ground, their bodies twisted in futile attempts to escape the inferno that had claimed them. Some had tried to dig into the earth, seeking refuge beneath the surface, but they were no match for the powerful magic that Garudeer had woven into the land.

His spellwork, designed to keep the island aloft against the relentless winds, had also trapped them in their fiery doom.

By the lake, flower monsters and enormous spiders had formed a desperate raft of bodies, climbing atop one another to stay afloat. They refused to set foot on the scorched earth, their instincts screaming at them to avoid the predator who slept peacefully nearby.

In the midst of this chaotic aftermath, Felix lay in his sleeping bag beside the ATV, oblivious to the devastation he had wrought. The remnants of his meal—used cooking utensils and half-eaten food—were scattered around him, unwashed and forgotten.

Garudeer could only sigh deeply, his heart heavy with regret. He stared at the scene, wondering if he had made a grave mistake in bringing Felix to this place.

"What have I invited into my academy?"