CH 17 Please, Be Gentle

After the encounters he had experienced so far, he realized something else was just as important.

Stealth.

If monsters couldn’t detect him easily, he would have far more control over when and how battles started.

Ren focused on the Wind Element again.

Wind, use the last level to create a spell that wraps around a target and erases their noise and smell, he said.

That’s easy~!

A new notification appeared.

[Silent Veil spell learned.]

[Silent Veil]
[Rank: Normal]
[Level 1]
[Description: Wraps a thin layer of controlled wind around a chosen target, continuously redirecting sound vibrations and dispersing scent particles. While active, the target produces almost no audible noise and leaves little to no detectable smell. Effective radius: 1 meter around the target. Duration: 8 seconds.]

Ren read the description and nodded slowly. The ability was simple but extremely useful. Many monsters relied heavily on sound and smell to locate prey, and this spell directly interfered with both.

However, the duration felt slightly short.

Ren thought about it for a moment before making a decision. Since this spell would play a supporting role in many situations, improving its duration would significantly increase its usefulness.

He immediately invested levels into the spell.

[Silent Veil]
[Rank: Normal]
[Level 1 → Level 4]
[Description: Wraps a thin layer of controlled wind around a chosen target, continuously redirecting sound vibrations and dispersing scent particles. While active, the target produces almost no audible noise and leaves little to no detectable smell. Duration: 8s → 12s → 16s → 20s. Effect Radius: 1 meter around the target.]

Ren nodded in satisfaction after reading the updated description. The twenty second duration was much more comfortable. More importantly, as the spell leveled up, a stream of knowledge naturally appeared in his mind. He could feel that the winds generated by the spell had become more stable and controlled. Because of that stability, the spell could suppress movement noise more effectively while dispersing scent particles faster into the surrounding air.

None of those improvements were written directly in the description, but Ren could clearly sense them through the knowledge transfer that came with leveling spells.

It’s pretty useful now, he thought.

After finishing his spell upgrades, Ren opened his status panel to review everything.

[Name: Ren Buttowski (Level 11)]
[Class: Mage]
[Elements: Wind, Water, Earth, Fire]
[Spells: Silent Veil, Wind Blade, Wind Wrap, Wind Surge, Mana Zone, Wind Bullet, Water Bullet, Earth Bullet, Fire Bullet]
[Talent: Heir of Demonic Magic]
[Strength: 14 / Agility: 16 / Constitution: 16 / Mana: 0 (sealed)]
[Free Stats: 2]
[EXP: 98]

Ren examined the panel quietly before closing it. He had two free stat points remaining, but he decided not to spend them immediately.

I’ll keep them for emergencies, he said to himself.

With his preparations finished, Ren began practicing his spells again. The improvements to his control allowed him to maintain multiple spells at the same time, but doing so required significant concentration. At the moment he could technically control four spells simultaneously, but only if he focused entirely on spellcasting. In a real battle where enemies were constantly moving and attacking, that level of focus would be difficult to maintain.

Realistically, Ren could only use three spells comfortably during combat.

That’s something I need to improve, he thought while practicing.

He continued casting spells repeatedly, adjusting his control and timing with each attempt. Wind Blade sliced through the air while Wind Wrap enhanced his movement, and Silent Veil occasionally activated around him as he experimented with its effects.

As time passed, a new thought slowly appeared in his mind.

The size of a Spell’s Domain depends on how many levels it consumes from the Element when it’s created.

In other words, stronger Spells create larger Domains.

That idea immediately led to another conclusion.

If that’s the case, then weaker Spells should create smaller Domains.

Ren’s eyes narrowed slightly as a strange possibility appeared in his thoughts.

Do Spells that don’t even consume a single level from an Element exist?

If a Spell was extremely weak, so weak that it had a tiny Domain and it wasn’t even worth one level, then theoretically the Element should be able to produce it without leveling up the Element.

Ren decided to test the idea.

He focused on the Water Element and spoke casually,

Hey, Water. Give me a Water Ball spell.

No reply came.

Ren wasn’t surprised. The Water Element was only Level 1, which meant it couldn’t properly relay its intentions.

Still, he knew the Element could hear him. So, he spoke,

I already use Water Bullet as an improvised water ball when I hold it. So technically that proves I should be able to create a simple water ball too. If I can already manipulate water that way, then it should mean you can—”

A notification suddenly appeared.

[Water Ball Spell learned.]

[Water Ball]
[Rank: Normal]
[Level 1]
[Description: Forms a small floating sphere of water. The spell has no offensive power and simply gathers and holds water in a stable ball shape. Diameter: ~10 cm. Duration: 20 seconds or until dismissed.]

So it works, he said quietly.

The result confirmed his theory. It was possible to obtain Spells from Elements even without spending levels, as long as the requested Spell was extremely weak.

However, something about the situation felt a little strange.

Hey, Water… are you angry? he asked.

He focused carefully on the faint intentions coming from the Water Element. Because it was still only Level 1, the Element’s intentions were very vague and difficult to interpret. If he wasn’t wrong, Water hadn’t given him a Spell generously. It was more like… Water Element slapped him with the Spell and told him to get lost.

Ren had to sit quietly for almost two minutes before he finally understood the general meaning behind the feelings.

His expression became slightly speechless.

The Water Element was angry because Ren had been bullying the Water Bullet spell.

What do you mean bullying? It was negotiations! he said righteously.

The intentions that came back from the Water Element were blunt and unimpressed. They were something along the lines that if Water Element could, it would have already filed a child abuse case against him on behalf of Water Bullet.

Ren coughed and clarified, You are misunderstanding me. I wasn’t mistreating it. I was just… persuading it.

The Element did not seem convinced.

For the next several minutes Ren had to patiently explain himself while trying to calm the Water Element down. The communication was slow because the Element’s intentions were vague and weak.

He decided he wouldn’t level up the Water Element until he was absolutely sure it had completely calmed down. If he tried to request a new Spell while it was still angry, the Element might simply give him something random or completely useless out of spite.

After spending several more minutes reassuring it, the Water Element’s hostility slowly faded. It didn’t seem fully satisfied, but at least it no longer felt actively offended.

Once that situation was mostly under control, Ren decided to address the other party involved.

Hey, Water Bullet buddy. How are you doing? he spoke shamelessly with a friendly tone.

Water Bullet didn’t want to talk to him!

Come on, don’t be like that. I’m sorry about what happened last time, alright? I was in a dangerous situation and things were urgent, so I had to get stronger as quickly as possible, Ren said.

He paused briefly before continuing in a slightly softer tone,

You know how it is. When monsters are trying to eat you, you don’t really have time for polite negotiations.

Ren continued speaking in a friendly manner, carefully choosing his words. He was fully aware that the Water Element was observing the entire interaction, so he had to maintain the appearance of someone who treated Spells with respect.

Bullying? Never!

Ren was someone who only spoke kindly and politely when requesting modifications!

Of course, in reality, the situation was far from what he hoped for.

Water Bullet refused to cooperate for quite a while. Every attempt Ren made to talk to it was met with stubborn resistance. The Spell clearly remembered the earlier “negotiation” sessions and had no interest in repeating the experience.

Ren spent nearly an entire hour coaxing it.

He praised its usefulness in battle, and even promised that future modifications would be handled more respectfully.

Eventually the sulking began to fade.

After nearly an hour of careful persuasion, Water Bullet finally relented.

A notification appeared in front of him.

[Water Bullet Spell has been modified.]
[Modification: For each second the spell is held, its damage increases by 3% → 10% up to twenty seconds.]

That’s a nice modification. Thank you, he told Water Bullet.

Water Bullet was already at Level 10, which meant its base damage was already quite respectable. With this new modification, the damage would increase by ten percent for every second he held the spell, up to twenty seconds.

That meant the final damage could reach two hundred percent.

A fully charged Water Bullet would hit three times harder than the normal version.

Satisfied with the improvement, Ren moved on to another idea. Since he had successfully obtained Water Ball earlier without spending any Element levels, he wanted to see whether the same trick worked with the other elements.

He focused on the Earth Element next.

Earth, can you give me an Earth Ball spell? he asked.

The answer came back slowly through the Element’s intentions. According to the Earth Element, a proper Earth Ball required significant mass. Because of that, at least one level of the Element would be necessary.

Ren thought about it for a moment.

Alright then. Is there anything you can give me without spending a level? he asked.

A moment later the system responded.

[Dirt spell learned.]

[Dirt]
[Rank: Normal]
[Level 1]
[Description: Creates a small amount of loose dirt.]

Ren stared at the notification for a moment before chuckling softly.

The Spell’s Domain was extremely small inside his Domain of Oneself. Its presence barely occupied any space at all. If he ever leveled it up, the Spell would probably expand and take more space, but for now it took almost nothing as it was weak.

Still, Ren wasn’t disappointed.

Loose dirt. That can be quite useful, he thought.

He imagined throwing the dirt directly into an enemy’s eyes. Even a moment of blindness during a fight could create an opening.

Next Ren turned his attention toward the Fire Element.

Fire, can you give me a Fire Ball spell? he asked.

The response came back quickly. According to the Element, maintaining a Fire Ball would require roughly the same amount of mana as Fire Bullet because the flames needed to be generated constantly. That meant it would require at least one Element level.

Ren wasn’t too surprised by that answer.

Alright. What about something weaker? Maybe something like embers? he said.

The Fire Element snapped at him, telling him to stop acting like a miser. If he wanted something from Fire, he should spend levels properly. Otherwise, he should get lost.

Ren’s lips twitched slightly.

He decided not to argue with the Fire Element any further and moved on to the last one.

Wind, can you give me a Wind Ball spell? Ren said calmly, focusing on the familiar presence.

He wanted a Wind Ball spell?

Yes. I can already hold a Wind Bullet in one place for a short time. If I can hold it steady, that’s basically the same as a Wind Ball, right? That means I already know something that functions like a Wind Ball, Ren replied.

Okay!

Ren was a bit surprised at the immediate acceptance.

However, more intentions quickly followed.

If he could hold a Wind Bullet in place for more than ten seconds, the Wind Element would give him a Wind Ball spell.

Ren was a bit suspicious.

It was obvious that the Wind Element was enjoying itself. Ren wasn’t even sure whether obtaining a Wind Ball without spending a level was actually possible. The Element might simply be confident that he couldn’t complete the challenge.

Either way, Ren decided to try.

He created a Wind Bullet in front of him and began holding it steady.

The compressed sphere of air spun violently while hovering in place.

Ten seconds passed.

The Spell collapsed.

Ren frowned slightly.

He created another Wind Bullet and tried again, this time focusing carefully on what was happening inside the Spell. As he concentrated, he began noticing something he had never paid attention to before.

The Wind Bullet is made of multiple sharp winds rotating inside it, Ren murmured.

The more he observed it, the clearer the structure became.

The winds inside the Spell were moving in an incredibly chaotic pattern. At first glance the motion looked completely random, but the longer he watched it, the more he realized there was a subtle order hidden inside the chaos.

The chaos was not meaningless.

It was controlled chaos.

The orderly chaos is foundation of the Wind Bullet, Ren realized.

He felt genuinely amazed as he continued observing the internal structure of the Spell. Even a Normal-rank Spell like this had surprisingly complex mechanics behind it.

However, as the ten second mark approached again, something changed.

The chaotic winds inside the sphere reached a tipping point. The delicate order maintaining the Spell’s structure suddenly collapsed.

The Wind Bullet burst apart.

It’s impossible to maintain it for more than ten seconds, he realized.

The internal chaos was simply too intense. Controlling that level of turbulence after the order collapsed required an absurd amount of precision. Ren doubted he could organize the internal structure even if he spent weeks practicing.

You already knew I would fail, didn’t you? he questioned with a small wry smile.

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Hahahaha! That’s right! But there was no need to worry, it had been a long time since Wind saw something that amusing. Since he entertained it, Wind would give him another Spell! The cheerful intentions came back.

A notification appeared.

[Gentle Wind Spell learned.]

[Gentle Wind]
[Rank: Normal]
[Level 1]
[Description: Creates a faint current of wind around a target. The breeze is soft and barely noticeable, capable only of lightly stirring dust or small particles. Effective range: 1 meter. Duration: 15 seconds.]

As promised, he got a spell. It’s useless though! Hahahah!

Ren didn’t laugh.

He didn’t even look amused.

If anything, his expression became slightly stunned as he stared at the spell description.

This… isn’t useless at all, he thought.

Without wasting time, he immediately invested a stat point into the spell.

[Gentle Wind]
[Rank: Normal]
[Level 1 → Level 2]
[Description: Creates a soft, comfortable breeze around the target. The wind is gentle but steady, lightly moving dust, hair, and small loose particles. The airflow can provide mild cooling and improved comfort in warm environments. Effective Range: 1m → 2m. Duration: 20 seconds → 25 seconds.]

Gentle Wind, add a modification that makes the air you create breathable, he said after reading the upgraded status.

H-huh? But that’s… useless? What would that even do? The breathable air wouldn’t be permanent, came the timid intentions.

That’s fine. Just add the modification, Ren said.

But that would waste a modification slot—

Just do it, Ren insisted.

But—

I know what I’m doing, he said firmly.

Gentle Wind had a shy personality and didn’t seem comfortable arguing for long. After a moment of hesitation, the spell finally began preparing the modification. Ren didn’t explain his real intention. If the Spell realized what he planned to use it for, it might refuse entirely. Because it was a ‘gentle’ Spell.

A notification soon appeared.

[Gentle Wind has been modified.]
(New) [Modification: The wind is breathable.]

Ren grinned the moment he read it. On the surface the modification looked pointless. Gentle Wind already created air currents, and air was naturally breathable. Asking for a modification that made the wind “breathable” sounded redundant to anyone who didn’t understand how Domains truly worked.

The concept of Domains had been studied for decades by scholars, yet no one had fully agreed on what they truly were. They were real and measurable, yet they weren’t alive. Because they weren’t alive, they lacked instincts such as fear or self-preservation. That was the reason awakeners couldn’t threaten their Domains into obedience. A Spell or Martial Technique simply didn’t care whether its owner lived or died.

Among the many theories proposed over the years, the most widely accepted explanation described Domains as localized laws of reality.

They were not universal laws like gravity or inertia, but they behaved in a very similar way. If a Domain declared that something worked a certain way, then within the boundaries of that Domain the rule became absolute.

That was why they were called Domains instead of Laws.

Each one only governed a small portion of reality.

An example many scholars used when explaining the concept was Domain of Strength and Domain of Agility.

Strength and Agility Stats, in other words.

Logically speaking, those two things should be deeply connected. Strength was generated by muscles. When someone’s muscles become stronger, their physical movement should naturally improve. Stronger muscles should allow someone to run faster, jump higher, and react quicker.

Yet within the System those two attributes existed as completely separate statistics.

A person could increase their Strength dramatically while their Agility barely changed at all.

Why?

Because they belonged to different Domains.

The Domain governing Strength did not automatically affect the Domain governing Agility. Real-world logic about muscle power was overshadowed by Domain-based laws.

The same logic applied to Spells.

The Domain of Gentle Wind now declared that the air created by the spell was breathable.

That meant the wind produced by the spell would be breathable for any creature capable of breathing.

And there were countless species across the world that breathed different types of air.

Some breathed oxygen-rich air. Others relied on entirely different gas mixtures.

But according to the Domain’s rule that appeared due to modification, the wind produced by Gentle Wind was simply “breathable.”

Therefore, every species could breathe it. Their bodies would break down that breathable air for sustenance.

The real trick came afterward.

Gentle Wind was not a permanent Spell.

Ren could cancel it at any moment.

Which meant the breathable air created by the spell could vanish.

Even if someone had already inhaled it.

If the air inside their lungs suddenly disappeared, their bloodstream would lose the oxygen—or whatever breathable substance they relied on—instantly.

Ren slowly exhaled while imagining the result.

It was an overwhelmingly powerful attack.

W-what?! This was a cruel modification! He tricked Gentle Wind!

So that’s why he said it was not a useless Spell. He was a psychopath to think of such a method! Hahahaha!

Ren could clearly distinguish the two intentions. The first belonged to Gentle Wind, flustered and uneasy, while the second came from the Wind Element itself, which seemed far more entertained than concerned. He was just about to respond when his senses sharpened suddenly.

Something had entered his Mana Zone.

Ren’s focused his senses upward toward the branches.

A Huntscale Viper.

It had slithered onto a thick branch slightly above and to his right, its long body coiled loosely as it observed the surroundings.

Ren narrowed his eyes slightly as he analyzed the situation.

I’m pretty sure this one was among the earlier group, the ones that came out of the window before Freya and I found the Window, he thought calmly.

The later monsters wouldn’t have been able to reach this area so easily. Ren and Freya had been careful while moving, making sure to leave as little trace as possible. Tracking them here should have been nearly impossible, and reaching their location by coincidence was just as impossible due to scale of forest.

Which meant this Huntscale Viper had been likely wandering since some time already.

Ren slowly shifted his posture, becoming more alert.

However, he didn’t feel particularly threatened.

Instead, a small smile formed on his face.

This is perfect, he thought.

He had just gained a new Spell and a dangerous idea to test.

Without wasting time, Ren activated Gentle Wind.

A faint, almost imperceptible current of air began to wrap around the Huntscale Viper. The movement was so subtle that it felt no different from a natural breeze. The Huntscale Viper twitched slightly, its tongue flicking out as if testing the air, but it didn’t react aggressively. To the creature, nothing seemed out of place.

Ren maintained the spell carefully, ensuring the airflow remained smooth and consistent.

Th-this is wrong… the intentions came from Gentle Wind.

Unlike Water Bullet, the Spell wasn’t resisting directly. It wasn’t trying to break free or collapse. It was simply… uncomfortable. Uneasy with what it was being used for.

Ren could have ignored it.

The Spell would still function as long as he maintained control.

But he didn’t.

Ignoring it would only cause problems later.

Gentle Wind, how about we make a deal? Ren said calmly in his mind.

N-No! Gentle Wind didn’t like harming others. It’s fine if he used other spells, but Gentle Wind didn’t want to be used like this. It didn’t want an obviously sh-shady deal—

I’ll always make you my priority Spell to upgrade, he said, cutting off Gentle Wind.

The Domain of Gentle Wind fell silent.

You’ll be the first Spell I push to the next rank. And whenever I have spare Stat points, I’ll invest them into you, he added.

B-But still…

The Gentle Wind’s softened resistance proved it was considering the offer.

Ren had expected this.

Domains might not be alive, but they could grow. Growth was one of the few things they responded to instinctively. Stat points were essentially nourishment to them, and any Domain would naturally desire more.