CH 4 New Spell; This Is The Era Of Freedom! We Will Not Accept Exploitation!

Ren glanced upward. The sky was dimming. Soon, night would fall and the constellations would appear.

At Blue Stone Academy, they had been taught how to navigate using celestial markers. Each region had a known pattern of stars that could guide awakeners toward a Base. But to use that knowledge, he first needed to identify which region this was.

It was a simple process:

Identify flora and fauna → Now, you know which region you are in → Check the constellations → Follow the constellations to reach the Base in your region.

A Sea of Salt with a decapitated woman in the center. A gaze that turns everything into salt. Invisible monsters.

Among all the regions they had studied, nothing matched this description. That realization carried a chilling implication. If this place was not near any known Base, then—

No, that can’t be true. There is no way that possibility can be true. We can’t be that unlucky.

The possibility he had come up with was so terrifying it made Freya’s suspicious behavior look cute in comparison.

Ren forced himself to steady his thoughts. There was no benefit in spiraling. They needed to leave this Salt Sea region first. Once outside, perhaps he would encounter familiar terrain or monsters that could give him a clue about their location. From there, he could use the constellations.

As evening deepened, Freya slowed.

“We should stop here. We can’t keep moving at night,” she said.

Ren scanned the area. They were tucked between three large salt pillars that cast long shadows across a shallow depression.

“At night, the shadows between salt mountains make the area confusing. If we misjudge an opening and step into a visible area, the giant woman’s gaze might catch us. It’s best if we camp for the night,” she said.

“What about the Hushclaws?” Ren asked.

“…We don’t have a choice. Even if staying here makes us a target for the monsters, it’s better than moving at night. I wanted to leave this region before sunset, but moving carefully took time. So, we can only stay,” she replied.

Ren nodded. They had no other choice but to camp.

Staying at night in a place where invisible and silent monsters roam. What could go wrong? he thought.

They set up a minimal camp. There was no fire. Even a small flame could attract attention. Instead, they relied on the fading light to prepare their meal.

Ren passed the meat he had. Freya sliced them into thin strips. The meat was pale and firm.

“We have to eat it raw, since we can’t use fire. Get used to it. Even outside the Salt Sea region, cooking isn’t always an option,” she said.

Ren hesitated only a moment before taking a piece.

“You might want to invest some stat points into the Constitution eventually. It helps with digestion. Raw meat can upset your stomach if you’re not used to it,” she added.

He nodded. He had leveled up already, and his Constitution went up with it.

As they ate, Ren’s eyes widened slightly. Freya reached beside her, scooped a small pinch of salt from the mound next to her, and sprinkled it over her meat before taking a bite.

He stared at her.

She noticed his gaze.

“What?” she asked after chewing.

“You said the salt here might be… awakeners,” Ren replied.

“I also said it could be mountains, forests, or monsters. We don’t know. So just eat,” she answered, then added, “Just think the dead are giving us their blessing so we can continue living.”

Ren nodded, but he did not use the salt. Eating raw meat without salt was hard.

She studied his expression, then smiled faintly. Her eyes, however, remained dull.

“Eat, Ren,” she said in a softer tone. “If you want to survive, eat. Hunger is the worst monster you’ll face. When you have food, you need to fill your stomach. Don’t hesitate.”

Ren looked down at the meat in his hands.

He had been taught this. They had simulated survival scenarios. They had discussed rationing and nutrient deficiency and endurance under stress.

But theory and reality were not the same.

He had briefly considered relying on the Constitution to offset poor nutrition. But stats were not magic in that sense. If he constantly neglected proper intake, his body would suffer. Increased Constitution could delay the consequences, not eliminate them.

There was no guarantee when they would eat next.

Every meal was a resource.

“…”

He bit his lips, reached to the side, took a small pinch of salt from the pillar near him, and sprinkled it over the meat.

Then he began to eat.

His head remained lowered, his hair partially obscuring his face. Freya could not see his expression clearly.

After a moment, she said,

“It tastes better with salt, right?”

He nodded silently.

They finished eating without further conversation.

When they were done, Freya wiped her hands and leaned back against the salt pillar.

“You must be tired. It’s your first day. You can sleep, and I’ll take the first watch. I’ll wake you after a few hours,” she said.

Ren shook his head. “I’m not that tired. We only fought once, and that was mostly you. I just stood in the back. You should rest first instead of me.”

They went back and forth for several minutes. In the end, they reached a compromise. Freya would sleep first. Ren would wake her after four hours, then take his own rest.

She lay down without further protest and, surprisingly, fell asleep quickly.

Ren watched her breathing even out.

He could have slept if he wanted. At Blue Stone Academy, they had been trained in controlled light sleep—a state where one rested while maintaining a thin thread of awareness. It allowed awakeners to respond instantly to danger and still recover physically. The method could only be sustained consciously for about a week, but it was effective. He could have used it now. But he did not.

Freya is too suspicious, he thought.

They had argued openly, albeit in whispers, about who would take watch. Yet she refused to share basic information about the nearest base because “talking attracts monsters.” The inconsistency bothered him.

I can’t trust my back to her.

I need a trump card in case she decides to attack me.

Instead of sleeping, he had to check his abilities, and know what could be used.

He opened his Talent.

[Talent: Heir of Demonic Magic]
[Description: You are the last heir of the Empire of Demonic Magic.]
[Effect: You can absorb a portion of Lifespan, and 10 times the normal EXP amount from your target upon killing them. You can use Lifespan to replace Mana and fuel your Spells with Lifespan.]
[Total Lifespan: 84 years, 96 days]

My lifespan will decrease by one day on its own tomorrow, right? he wondered.

That was the natural flow of time. The system showed the total lifespan remaining. Every day spent alive reduced it by one. Using spells consumed it faster.

It was a strange thing to think about so calmly. Then again, he could gain a lot of lifespan by killing monsters, so there was no need to worry about running out of lifespan.

He shifted his focus to his spells. Unlike most other classes, information about Mage mechanics was scarce at Blue Stone Academy. After the Domain of Mana was poisoned, Mage Class research had nearly stopped. What little theory existed was outdated or incomplete. That meant he had to experiment.

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He summoned a faint stream of lifespan from within himself.

The now-familiar sensation returned. It felt as if a thin layer of something intangible—time, perhaps—was being peeled away from him. The energy traveled through his arm and flowed out of his palm in a faint, invisible gaseous form.

He studied it.

This gaseous form is my lifespan. It fuels my spells.

I can create a spell inside this gaseous form, then shoot it out or keep it inside.

What if I send this gaseous form away from me? If I place it ten meters away, can I create a spell there?

He gently pushed the gas outward, trying to send it away like a floating ball. The moment it fully disconnected from his palm, he lost control. It dissipated into the air.

Alright. That was a dud.

I just wasted two days.

Even without forming a spell, the released lifespan was still consumed. He exhaled slowly. It stung, but not enough to deter him. A single Level 3 monster had granted him nearly a year of lifespan. He could afford experimentation. Understanding the mechanics was more important than saving a few days.

I wonder if I can create a spell inside someone else’s body, he thought.

If that were possible, he could create a Fire Bullet directly inside an opponent. The fight would end instantly.

He placed his palm against his own chest and released a thin stream of gaseous lifespan. It entered his body smoothly. He focused, and a faint warmth gathered internally.

So I can create a spell inside my own body, he concluded.

He then pressed his palm against the salt ground and released the gaseous lifespan again. It flowed out, but it did not penetrate the surface. It dispersed slightly and then drifted uselessly.

It can’t enter the ground.

He tried again, pressing harder.

Nothing.

So I can’t create spells inside foreign objects.

What about living beings other than me?

He looked toward Freya. The thought was dangerous, but he needed to know. He released another stream of gaseous lifespan. This time, he did not sever it from himself. Instead, he extended it forward like a tether, keeping it connected.

The thin gaseous lifespan drifted toward Freya’s sleeping body. The moment it touched her, she twitched. Her hand jerked slightly, and she shifted in her sleep.

Ren froze.

He held his breath and waited. She did not wake up.

Two conclusions formed immediately.

She can sense my mana.

And it didn’t enter her body.

If it had penetrated, he would have been able to form a spell inside her. Instead, it was as if her body was a boundary. Just like the ground.