The water sphere around the Hushclaw’s head trembled violently. The surface rippled and tightened as though trying to burst forward.
Ren gritted his teeth. He couldn’t let the Spell collapse before the monster died. Creating a new Water Bullet wouldn’t solve the problem. The issue wasn’t the sphere of water itself. It was the Spell—the underlying Domain—rejecting how he was using it.
He tightened his control, forcing the sphere to remain intact.
The Hushclaw thrashed weakly inside the water prison.
Just before the Water Bullet broke free to launch itself, the monster’s movements stopped.
A notification appeared.
[Level 3 Hushclaw killed.]
[355 days lifespan gained.]
[600 EXP gained.]
Ren released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and let the water sphere shoot forward harmlessly into empty salt plains. It flew straight and fast. As it was apparently meant to.
He stood and walked carefully to where the Hushclaw’s body had become visible. Using the knife Freya had given him earlier, he harvested the soft and flexible segments of the exoskeleton, some usable meat, and extracted the Core. He worked efficiently, minimizing noise.
Afterward, he collapsed a mound of salt over the corpse to dull the scent and slow decomposition. He packed the meat into a thin storage pouch Freya had provided.
He returned to his original position. His Mana Zone had remained active during the entire process. No new voids had appeared within the radius. Freya had been kept safe.
He sat down again and summoned a Water Bullet in front of him. This time, he simply held it in place. The spell began to quiver after barely ten seconds.
What do you want? Ren asked silently.
The Water Bullet wanted to fly fast! It wanted to shoot forward like the bullet it was!
But a bullet is just a projectile. We can keep bullets loaded into a gun without shooting them, Ren countered.
The Water Bullet didn’t care about technicalities! It was a Water Bullet, so it would fly like a Water Bullet!
Ren felt the corner of his mouth twitch. He tried being patient. That patience thinned after they went back and forth for several minutes.
You are a Bullet! Not a Quickshot that needs to unload as soon as it gets loaded! he said.
But Water Bullet—
Shut up! Which bullet is shot the instant it’s loaded? The Spell description doesn’t say that either! he jabbed a metaphorical finger into Water Bullet Spell’s metaphorical forehead.
The Water Bullet did not care about the status description! It was Water Bullet and it would fly like a Water Bullet—
Stop whining like a child. Do you see other Spells acting like this? Shouldn’t I be the one complaining? Your performance is so bad, he countered.
He decided to escalate. If logic didn’t work, he would out-stubborn it.
The Water Bullet is strong! It just needs to fly and it would show its true worth!
Strong? You complain about being held, but your power doesn’t increase when I hold you. That’s pathetic! he said.
What does that mean?
Take a slingshot, or a bow for example. The longer I pull and hold, the more force builds up. I held you for a full minute earlier and your damage didn’t increase at all, he explained.
Bullets are different from slingshots and bows!
Bullets aren’t fired the instant they’re loaded either. Yet you are complaining! If you want to insist on flying quickly, then increase your power while I hold you. Otherwise stop complaining! he said.
The two kept bickering. They were not speaking in words, not truly. The Water Bullet was not alive. It did not possess thoughts in the human sense, and could not converse. But at Level 2, it could push back when its conceptual identity was being violated. Like right now.
Ren, however, had grown up arguing on the internet. He knew how to push his nonsense until opponent’s nonsense collapsed.
For several minutes, he mentally cornered the Spell, hammering it with illogical but persistent demands. Unlike the Domains of Class, Physical Stats, and Elements that were older, the Water Bullet Spell at Level 2 was only a child. It was facing him, a veteran internet trash talker, someone who had names like “Strongest Keyboard Warrior in the West”, “Troll Master”, “King of Ragebaiting.” There was no way the Water Bullet could win the argument. He verbally beat Water Bullet Spell to the point it would’ve started crying if it had real body.
After five minutes, he finally won his argument.
A new notification appeared.
[Water Bullet Spell has been modified.]
[Water Bullet]
[Rank: Normal]
[Level 2]
[Description: A tightly compressed sphere of water fired at high speed. Carries a sharp, rain-clean scent. Effective range: 10 meters. Impact force: can dent light armor.]
(New) [Modification: For each second the Spell is held, its damage increases by 1% up to ten seconds.]
Ren grinned, seeing the proof of his victory.
Now, he could hold the Water Bullet for up to ten seconds and increase its damage by ten percent before firing. If he exceeded ten seconds, it would still destabilize. That was acceptable.
More importantly, the Spell no longer resisted being held for that duration.
He tested it.
He summoned a Water Bullet and held it steady.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
One second.
Two.
Five.
The sphere remained stable. He could feel a subtle increase in internal compression.
At ten seconds, he fired it. The impact against a distant salt mound was noticeably stronger.
Ren nodded slowly. If he needed to suffocate an enemy, he could still do so by repeatedly replacing stationary spheres, as long as he fired each one within ten seconds. The Spell would not protest, unlike last time where it started complaining and did not allow the new Water Bullets to be stationary.
Modifying a Spell is harder than leveling it, he thought, wiping the non-existent sweat from his forehead.
[Spell Modification] was different from leveling up a Spell or increasing its rank.
A spell’s foundation could be seen as a small piece of paper with spell’s information written on it. As the spell's level increased, the paper which was its ‘foundation’ increased in size. That was why Spells became stronger upon leveling up. However, after the paper’s size increased, it now had an empty area on it where nothing was written. Writing something on this new part of paper was called [modification]. It granted new modifiers to the Spell.
Of course, as seen with Water Bullet Spell, modifying a Spell was no easy task even if it had leveled up. It was possible that the Spell would reject your modifications if you told it to do something too outlandish. Like telling a Water Bullet Spell to create Black Hole. In these cases, the Spell would modify itself over time as the awakener used them more and more.
After completing the spell modification, Ren mediated.
Five minutes passed, and new notifications came.
[EXP: 600 → 0]
[Stats: 1 → 7]
Ren opened his Status.
He followed the plan he had formed earlier for investing stats.
First, he placed two stat points into his [Name].
[You have leveled up. Strength +1, Agility +1, Constitution +1, Mana +4]
He felt the now-familiar strengthening ripple through his body. His limbs felt lighter, and his stamina steadier. Even though his Mana remained sealed by the bracelet, the physical gains were significant.
He was now Level 3.
Without wasting time, he allocated two stat points into [Water Bullet].
The screen updated.
[Water Bullet]
[Rank: Normal]
[Level 2 → Level 3]
[Description: A tightly compressed sphere of water fired at high speed. Carries a sharp, rain-clean scent. Effective range: 10 meters → 12 meters. Impact force: can dent light armor → can crack thin armors and stones.]
[Modification: For each second the Spell is held, its damage increases by 1% up to ten seconds.]
The improvement was substantial. Cracking thin armor and stone meant a dramatic increase in lethality. Based on his estimation, he could now kill a Level 3 Hushclaw with five Water Bullets instead of ten. That alone reduced lifespan expenditure by more than half in most engagements.
The spell leveled up, and its foundation expanded again. Its basic aspects strengthened as a result, but the modification stayed the same, he observed.
He had expected that. Though information on Mage Cass was rare, the fundamentals of Class systems were similar across the four starting Classes. If you understood the structure of one, you could infer parts of another.
A Spell was like a sheet of paper. Leveling up increased the size of the sheet. The original text grew clearer and more powerful. Modification was writing additional lines in the empty space. Now that the “paper” had grown again, he had more room.
I can either add a new modification, or strengthen the existing one.
There was no real debate in his mind. Adding multiple weak modifications would dilute focus. Strengthening what he already had was more efficient.
He summoned a Water Bullet and began another mental negotiation. The Spell resisted again, though less stubbornly since he wanted to strengthen an existing aspect of it. The Spell wanted to be a bullet, and complained that the modification was not a bullet.
After five minutes, it begrudgingly accepted the modification.
[Water Bullet Spell has been modified.]
[Water Bullet]
[Rank: Normal]
[Level 3]
[Description: A tightly compressed sphere of water fired at high speed. Carries a sharp, rain-clean scent. Effective range: 12 meters. Impact force: can crack thin armors and stones.]
[Modification: For each second the Spell is held, its damage increases by 1% up to ten seconds → twenty seconds.]
Ren’s eyes brightened slightly. Twenty seconds. That meant a potential twenty percent damage increase before firing! He could hold it longer for suffocation tactics or launch it as a heavily charged projectile when needed. That flexibility allowed him to use more tricks.
He checked his full Status.
[Name: Ren Buttowski (Level 3)]
[Class: Mage]
[Elements: Wind, Water, Earth, Fire]
[Spells: Mana Zone, Wind Bullet, Water Bullet, Earth Bullet, Fire Bullet]
[Talent: Heir of Demonic Magic]
[Strength: 6 / Agility: 8 / Constitution: 6 / Mana: 0 (sealed)]
[Free Stats: 3]
[EXP: 0]
I have three stat points.
He could level up again. Or push the Water Bullet even further. But something else mattered more at this moment.
I need a spell that can act as a distraction for the “gaze”. Something eye-catching.
He allocated all three stat points into [Fire Bullet].
The blue window changed.
[Fire Bullet]
[Rank: Normal]
[Level 1 → Level 3]
[Description: A compact sphere of condensed flame launched at high speed. Emits a scorched scent and leaves a faint heat trail. Base Range: 8m → 12m. Impact: Blunt impact with burning damage → increased heat concentration that allows it to scorch light armor and ignite sturdy dry materials.]
It’s Level 3, so time to add a new modifier, Ren thought.
He rolled his shoulders and prepared himself for another round of bully— ahem, negotiations.
Hey, Fire Bullet. I want you to extend your range. Make yourself a long-range projectile, he said internally.
What? the intentions came back.
You’re a Fire Bullet. Increase your range when I feed you more energy. That should be possible, right? Ren said.
Okay!
[Fire Bullet Spell has been modified.]
[Fire Bullet]
[Rank: Normal]
[Level 3]
[Description: A compact sphere of condensed flame launched at high speed. Emits a scorched scent and leaves a faint heat trail. Base Range: 12m. Impact: Increased heat concentration that allows it to scorch light armor and ignite sturdy dry materials.]
(New) [Modification: For each unit of extra mana added up to 15 units of Mana, the range can be increased by 10%.]
…That was easy, he thought.
Compared to Water Bullet’s stubborn personality, Fire Bullet was cooperative. Water Bullet would’ve whined here if Ren asked for this modification. Really. A person only appreciated a treasure after handling a trash.
The range can increase by up to 150%. Twelve meters will become thirty meters at maximum input, he calculated quickly.
If he fired from the outer edge of his Mana Zone, which was ten meters from him, that meant the total distance from his physical location could reach around forty meters. That was more than enough to throw off the giant decapitated woman’s gaze if needed.
He did more experiments, and found one day of lifespan equaled one unit of mana.
He was about to continue experimenting when two voids appeared within his Mana Zone.
Two Hushclaws?
Last time, there had only been one. The steady increase in their numbers was strange, but he dismissed it as a coincidence.
He wrapped a Water Bullet around both of their heads almost simultaneously. The smaller one began thrashing immediately. The larger one reacted differently. Instead of panicking blindly, it oriented toward him and charged.
Ren’s eyes narrowed.
It realized I’m the one behind the attack. Makes sense. It must be smarter if it could reach a high level.
Ren formed a Fire Bullet directly behind the larger Hushclaw’s hind leg. He fired. The flaming projectile slammed into the back of its knee joint. The impact almost shattered it, but not completely.
The monster roared silently, its body still invisible, and continued forward.
Ren fired again. The second Fire Bullet struck the same weakened joint. This time, the thin armored segment cracked apart. The Hushclaw collapsed forward, crashing into the salt. The fall forced it to inhale sharply. But its head was still sealed inside the water sphere. It inhaled water instead of air. The monster began convulsing violently.
Ren’s brows furrowed slightly, but his expression remained firm. If the monster had been stronger, it would have killed him without hesitation, and eaten him. There was no need to pity it.
Twenty seconds passed. The Water Bullet Spell signaled that it needed to be released. Ren fired both water spheres into the struggling bodies, then immediately formed two new ones around their heads.
“Are there more monsters?” a whisper came from behind him.
“No. I’ve taken care of all of them,” Ren replied.
Turning his head, he saw Freya. She woke up as soon as she heard the second Fire Bullet hit the monster and grabbed her sword.
Her gaze flicked between the twitching shapes and Ren’s calm posture.
“…It looks like you can sense the monsters? How are you doing that?” she asked, frowning slightly.
