CH 3 I’m A Martial Artist, Nearest Base

“It’s nothing special,” Ren replied, deflecting. “More importantly, I thought you said you were a Martial Artist? But you clearly used Mechanic Force—”

“That was Aura.”

“…”

“It was Aura.”

“…Have you completed your first Class Evolution?”

“No.”

“Then you can’t use Aura—”

“I said it’s Aura,” she repeated, her tone slightly sharper this time.

Ren frowned internally. That had clearly been Mechanic Force. The blue lightning effect was textbook. Aura users manifested a different energy entirely, and it was impossible before first Class Evolution.

Why is she so angry just because I pointed the Mechanic Force out? he wondered.

It felt like he had stepped on something sensitive. Still, he had already succeeded in diverting attention away from his own class. There was no reason to push further.

“Alright. Maybe I misunderstood,” he said lightly.

They moved from one hiding spot to another, carefully timing their steps whenever the giant’s gaze shifted elsewhere. Fifteen minutes passed in tense silence.

Ren eventually spoke.

“Can we take a short break? I’m exhausted,” he lied. In truth, he wanted to use his EXP.

Freya stopped and scanned the surroundings before nodding.

“Okay. I’ll guard the perimeter. Take a break.”

Ren sat down behind a low salt ridge and opened his Status.

[Name: Ren Buttowski (Level 1)]
[Class: Mage]
[Elements: Wind, Water, Earth, Fire]
[Spells: Wind Bullet, Water Bullet, Earth Bullet, Fire Bullet]
[Talent: Heir of Demonic Magic]
[Strength: 4 / Agility: 6 / Constitution: 4 / Mana: 0 (sealed)]
[Free Stats: 0]
[EXP: 300]

He closed his eyes and entered a light meditative state.

Converting EXP into Stat points required focus. It was not automatic. One had to consciously guide the energy inward, allowing it to settle into the Status structure.

Even while meditating, he remained aware of his surroundings. He kept track of Freya’s movements and any unusual sounds. If she decided to attack him during this vulnerable moment, he needed to react instantly.

Five minutes later, the conversion completed.

[EXP: 300 → 0]
[Free Stats: 0 → 3]

Three points.

Now what should I strengthen?

Stats were the foundation of everything. Strength, Agility, and Constitution could be improved with Stats obviously. But there were more options.

Putting Stat points into [Name] would allow him to level up. The cost increased progressively.

One stat point to go from Level 1 to Level 2.

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Two stat points to go from Level 2 to Level 3.

Three stat points to go from Level 3 to Level 4.

And so on, until first Class Evolution.

Alternatively, he could put stat points in [Class]. Strengthening the [Class] allowed him to unlock new elements. He could also invest into [Spells] to strengthen a specific spell directly. Or invest into [Elements] to unlock new spells under that element.

His attention shifted to the Talent.

Can I strengthen my Talent with stat points?

Almost everything on the main Status screen could be improved with stat points. Strength, Agility, Constitution. Name. Class. Elements. Spells. You name it. It was the same for other Classes. They had options like Techniques, Beast Skills, and Mechanic Force. The only things that could not be directly strengthened were [EXP] and [Free Stats].

Talent was listed just like the others on the status screen.

He wondered what would happen if he tried to allocate a stat point into it. Would the Talent grow stronger? Would the lifespan absorption increase? Would the tenfold EXP multiplier become higher?

Or would the system simply reject the attempt the way it rejected changes to EXP and Free Stats?