Ch. 352 - Prometheus

The power of the atomic bomb was calculated using Adam's algorithm.

To put it in perspective, if Yurius considered the energy of a single fireball spell as one unit, then at full efficiency, the bomb could unleash the equivalent of two billion fireballs.

But full efficiency was a long shot. Adam's realistic estimate put the efficiency at around 30%. Even so, that would still make the bomb equal to 600 million fireball spells.

The mages carried the bomb to Cthulhu's surface, ready to detonate it and observe the results.

The gathered mages were eager to see the experiment unfold. Yet Yurius, the lead researcher who armed the bomb, seemed less thrilled.

Adam noticed Yurius standing at the back, frowning. Approaching him quietly, Adam asked, "You don’t seem happy. What’s wrong?”

"I feel like it’s not enough,” Yurius replied. "This bomb won’t help me ascend to become a Great Archmage. But... what am I missing?” The first part was addressed to Adam, but the second sounded like he was talking to himself.

Adam wasn’t surprised by his reaction. While nuclear fission might be powerful enough to elevate a mage to transcendent, it wasn’t sufficient for reaching the rank of a Great Archmage. Even nuclear fusion, which was more advanced, wouldn’t make the cut.

Yurius needed to dig deeper into the underlying principles. For example, he could explore why mass-to-energy conversion released such tremendous power or study the mysteries of strong nuclear forces.

His earlier research had shown potential, but for some reason, he seemed to have set it aside.

Adam decided to stay silent. The leap to a Great Archmage required personal breakthroughs. If Yurius could figure it out on his own, that would be best. If not, even Adam’s help wouldn’t solve the issue.

…

Minutes later, the observing mages took their positions.

An eighth-level mage from the Fifth Tower volunteered to ignite the bomb. Before he could proceed, Adam gave a serious warning.

"Sir, I recommend using your strongest defenses. If the bomb performs as expected, it will detonate within microseconds. Think of it as 600 million fireball spells striking you all at once, at point-blank range. And I do mean SIMULTANEOUSLY.”

The mage froze at the thought and quickly reconsidered. He fully activated his Elemental True Self and added layers of defensive spells. By the time he approached the bomb, he looked like a miniature sun.

Meanwhile, Adam and the others retreated to a safe distance—30 kilometers away. In theory, that should be enough to protect them, but Adam didn’t take chances. He cranked up his electromagnetic defense field to its maximum.

The volunteer mage surrounded the bomb with a fire-based transcendent spell. The intense heat and pressure caused the uranium-235 core to compress rapidly, passing its critical mass in an instant.

To Adam’s enhanced senses, the sequence was clear: the first spark ignited, followed by an overwhelming flash of light.

Then came the deafening explosion, and a massive mushroom cloud surged skyward.

Temperatures in the tens of millions of degrees obliterated everything within two kilometers of the blast center. Within three kilometers, all matter was reduced to radioactive dust.

Out to ten kilometers, the destruction left nothing but shattered remnants. The energy rippled outward in waves, shaking the whole world.

The mages emerged unscathed. Their Mage Armor deflected all harmful substances and energy from the explosion.

Even the volunteer who had ignited the bomb survived with no fatal injuries.

He flew out of the dust cloud with excitement, barely noticing the scratches on his Elemental True Self. Beaming, he exclaimed to the others, "What a masterpiece! Incredible! This explosion is absolutely amazing!”

He kept claiming, "It’s perfect! I’ve fallen in love with it. I MUST turn this into magic!”

The other mages crowded around, eagerly asking him what it felt like to be at the center of the explosion. Adam, curious himself, listened closely as the mage replied while healing his wounds. 

"It was... a strange feeling. For a moment, I thought I was going to die. But it was just that—a moment. Afterward," he grinned, his expression shifting, "it felt wonderful. The heat, the shockwave, that feeling of being sublimated in an instant—it was unbelievably satisfying!"

The mages' eyes lit up with interest. One by one, they displayed eager expressions, clearly wanting to experience a nuclear explosion for themselves.

Adam's face grew increasingly perplexed as he watched them. He simply couldn't understand their enthusiasm. 'What's so exciting about getting blasted?'

…

The successful detonation of the first atomic bomb marked the maturity of chain nuclear fission technology. From that point on, several nuclear explosions occurred daily.

Mages, covered in dust but grinning from ear to ear, kept coming back for more.

Their enthusiasm only grew. They poured their efforts into converting the principles of chain nuclear fission into runes, aiming to integrate the technology into elemental magic. 

The mages reasoned that if physical matter could achieve such explosive results, magical elements should be able to do the same.

They didn't plan to change the energy production method of every spell, but they believed they could create an entirely new category of magic based on these principles.

They even came up with a name: Nuclear Explosion Magic.

Adam agreed that converting fission into magic was possible, though it would be a daunting task.

Unlike fission, which had a clear uranium reaction formula, magic lacked a universal equation.

Still, this was the Mage World. Here, knowledge and power were close enough to be considered equivalent.

…

With fission mastered, the natural next step was thermonuclear fusion.

Fusion, in theory, was far more challenging than fission.

Technologically, it required far greater precision and control. Yet for these powerful mages, the precedent set by fission success made the leap to fusion much more manageable.

First, the isotopes needed for fusion—deuterium and tritium—were easy to produce. 

Second, the mages could use magic to simplify controlled nuclear fusion. For instance, the Master Mages of the Second Tower might achieve inertial confinement fusion, while Adam was well-suited to pursue magnetic confinement fusion.

If fusion experiments succeeded, converting it into magic would be straightforward. Fusion already had established formulas, and with proper experimentation and derivation, these could be translated directly into runes in the Mage World.

…

Research into fusion demanded massive resources. The first-generation particle accelerators were becoming outdated, and the team needed more advanced equipment with higher acceleration capabilities to continue their experiments.

Adam contacted the Mage Council's Resource Approval Department through the Mage Network to request increased funding and a new particle accelerator.

However, after his request was routed through several channels, it bypassed the council entirely and connected to a private entity.

A projection of himself appeared in the research facility. The moment his image materialized, the nearby transdimensional mages, who had been anxiously awaiting funding news, immediately bowed deeply.

"It is an honor to meet you, Your Holiness Prometheus," they said in unison.

Editor’s note: Hello readers, from today onwards (6 Jan 2025), Mage Adam will be on hiatus. This doesn’t mean we are abandoning the novel! We plan to review the situation again in a few months and we may pick it up again. Until then, take care and stay healthy for 2025!

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