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.

  He withdrew the gaseous and adjusted his approach. He thinned it, reducing its density as much as possible. He spread it into a faint, almost imperceptible mist. Then he extended it toward her again. This time, she did not react.

  She sensed it earlier because it was dense, he noted.

  As levels increased, sensitivity to energy likely improved. Eventually, others might sense his lifespan manipulation more easily. But since it was not Mana, they would not identify it as traditional magic.

  He expanded the gaseous lifespan further, letting it envelop Freya’s body. The lifespan gas covered her like a thin dome, but it did not enter her. It simply wrapped around her form.

  He focused carefully.

  Inside that dome, there was a strange limitation. Where her body occupied space, he could not form a spell. Everywhere else within the gas, he could.

  A realization dawned on him.

  By knowing where I can’t create a spell, I can determine where something is.

  He felt a slow grin form on his face.

  I can detect Hushclaws with this.

  Invisible monsters would not matter. If they stood within his gas field, there would be a “gap” where he could not form a spell!

  He pulled the gas back from Freya and centered it around himself. With himself as the core, he began to steadily expel more gaseous lifespan in all directions. This required focus. Producing the gaseous lifespan was easy. Controlling a large amount was not. The further it extended from his body, the harder it became to maintain its structure.

  He clenched his jaw and pushed.

  A dome formed around him, roughly five meters in radius. He tested it by forming a small Water Bullet two meters away from his actual body. It appeared instantly, hovering at that distant point.

  His eyes widened slightly. He could cast from anywhere within the dome! If someone stood two meters behind him, he could launch a spell from behind them without moving!

  He expanded the dome.

  Six meters.

  The strain on his mind increased sharply. The amount of lifespan required to maintain the expanded area rose. Sweat formed on his brow.

  Seven meters.

  Now the real difficulty emerged. It was not just lifespan consumption. It was concentration. One lapse and the entire dome would collapse, wasting everything he had poured into it.

  He steadied his breathing and maintained the structure.

  He experimented again, launching small Water Bullets at different positions within the seven-meter radius. Each formed exactly where he intended.

  This…

  This was control of space!

  It was a huge discovery!

  He held the dome steady for several minutes, testing angles and distances.

  A blue notification appeared before his eyes after five minutes.

  [Mana Zone Spell learned]

  [Mana Zone]

  [Rank: Rare]

  [Level 1]

  [Description: Create a dome of mana around you with a radius of ten meters. You can launch spells from anywhere within the dome.]

  A slow grin spread across Ren’s face.

  A Rare-rank spell!

  He had learned a Rare-rank spell at Level 2!

  The historical fragments at Blue Stone Academy said most Mages gained their first Rare-rank spell after their first Class Evolution. And that was in the era before the Domain of Mana was poisoned, when Mage development was still normal.

  He had learned it while experimentation! When he was only Level 2!

  He closed the window and immediately tested the Mana Zone again. This time, the difference was obvious. The gaseous lifespan flowed out more smoothly. He wasted far less gaseous lifespan. The strain on his mind lessened. Where before he had to grit his teeth to maintain seven meters, now he could expand with steady control.

  The dome reached ten meters.

  He felt the boundary clearly, like a thin but flexible shell surrounding him. Within that radius, he could create spells anywhere. Even better, anything that entered the dome created a “void” where his gaseous lifespan could not flow. Invisible enemies were no longer invisible.

  I have a trump card now.

  If Freya attacked him, she would not know what killed her. He could launch spells from behind her, from above her, from any angle within ten meters.

  He began calculating the lifespan cost of his new Spell carefully.

  Five days for a five-meter radius

  So roughly one day per meter up to five meters.

  But the pattern changed sharply after that. He tested the expansion and checked his lifespan count.

  Fifteen days for six meters.

  Thirty days for seven meters.

  Sixty days for eight.

  One hundred twenty days for nine.

  Two hundred forty days for ten.

  Ten meters was his limit at Level 1.

  Leveling up the spell would increase the range.

  But…

  He exhaled slowly. Rare-rank spells were expensive. He needed one hundred stat points to upgrade Mana Zone to Level 2. It showed how powerful Rare-rank Spells were compared to Normal-rank spells.

  Thankfully, the maintenance cost is stable, he observed.

  Once created, the Mana Zone only consumed one day of lifespan per second, whether it was five meters or ten. That made the spell manageable for long usage. If he ever leveled it up and expanded its radius further, the maintenance cost would likely increase.

  Excitement simmered in his chest, but he kept his breathing even. Training was more important than celebrating.

  He maintained the dome at a thin density to reduce detection risk. The gaseous lifespan was so faint that even Freya’s earlier sensitivity had not triggered when he thinned it enough.

  He was adjusting the flow when he felt it.

  A void.

  At the edge of his Mana Zone, around nine meters away.

  Ren’s focus sharpened instantly. The shape was distinct. Four contact points. Slightly elongated body. Four pincers.

  The shape of the void… It’s a Hushclaw.

  The Mana Zone was not a detection spell by design. But since his gaseous lifespan could not enter foreign bodies, any creature inside the dome created a hollow space. He could sense its outline by absence.

  The Hushclaw was moving slowly, and cautiously.

  It doesn’t seem to have noticed the Mana Zone. Good. Keeping the zone thin was the right call, Ren thought.

  He considered launching a Water Bullet directly at it from above the monster. Then he stopped.

  I can’t kill it with one attack, he realized regrettably.

  Based on the earlier fight, it would take at least ten Water Bullets to kill a Level 3 or 4 Hushclaw on his own. After upgrading Water Bullet to Level 2, the cost had risen from five days to six days per bullet. Ten bullets meant sixty days of lifespan.

  He had already burned roughly a year while learning and testing Mana Zone. He did not want to waste more than necessary. Each spell was made from a piece of his life. Even if he could farm lifespan back, the habit of waste would become dangerous.

  An idea came to him.

  Within the Mana Zone, he could create spells anywhere.

  He formed an empty sphere of water around the void that represented the Hushclaw’s head. This was the stage where the spell was forming. Completing the Spell would require him to gather the empty sphere of water into a point, creating a Water Bullet.

  The empty sphere of water gathered instantly, and enveloped the monster’s head. Then he compressed it gently, shaping it into a tighter sphere, completing the formation of Water Bullet. The result was a water globe around the Hushclaw’s head. The water was partially in Mana Zone, and partially out of it, covering Hushclaw's head.

  The monster reacted instantly. It could not breathe. It thrashed, claws scraping against the water globe. Nothing worked. Its body lurched violently. It tried to move backward, then sideways.

  Ren adjusted the water sphere, keeping it centered around the void where its head was. This was harder than launching a bullet. Moving a Spell like that would’ve been impossible without Mana Zone.

  The Hushclaw’s body itself was a void within his Mana Zone, meaning he could not directly create water on its head. He had to generate the water around the empty space and compress it carefully without collapsing control.

  Sweat rolled down his temple.

  Just a little longer, he told himself.

  The Hushclaw’s body convulsed. It stumbled against a salt ridge, then tried to burrow.

  Ren moved the water sphere with it.

  The monster’s movements grew more frantic. It needed air. A large body meant greater oxygen demand, even with a high Constitution. If it had a smaller body, it would’ve been able to hold its breath for longer duration with its high Constitution that came with being a Level 3 monster.

  An unexpected problem surfaced.

  The Water Bullet began resisting his control. The spell trembled.

  The Water Bullet Spell wanted to be launched.

  The spell was made to be shot after it was formed. It was not meant to be held while slowly moving around. It was supposed to be shot forward like a bullet.

  It was a Water Bullet! Not Water Ball Walk!

  The Spell started to go haywire.

  Ren gritted his teeth. He wasn’t surprised the Spell was fighting his control. Each thing on the status was a [Domain]. His [Name] was his [Domain of Oneself]. His [Class] was his [Domain of Transcendence]. His Elements were Domains of—Water, Fire, Wind, Earth. Spells were smaller Domains derived from those larger ones.

  These Domains were not ‘alive’, but they were ‘real’.

  Many scholars debated that EXP was fragments of ‘realness’ taken from defeated beings. Converting these fragments of ‘realness’ into complete portions was how EXP was converted into Stats. Then, feeding these Stats into a [Domain], like the Classes, Elements, or Spells in a Mage’s cases, made these Domains ‘more real.’ Getting stronger was a side effect of adding stats. The true effect was becoming ‘more real’. By becoming more real, the Domains could express their intentions.

  Ren shook the thought away. This was not the time for philosophy. The Spell was going haywire.

  Shut up! I’m using the Water bullet perfectly! What am I doing wrong? I’m using the Mana Zone to move it around. The Spell description doesn’t say I need to shoot it either. I can hold it in spherical shape as long as I want, he said.

  The Water Bullet Spell flinched, knowing he was correct. But instead of accepting logic, it doubled down on its whining.

  It was a Water Bullet. A bullet needs to be shot! It was a projectile! It’s meant to fly freely! Fly fast!

  He was using a loophole in the Mana Zone to exploit it! It would not accept exploitation!