Bell remained completely focused as he continued his studies at ho.
That unwavering focus allowed him to make gradual progress in using magical fluctuations to inscribe Runic Letters.
It was similar to transcribing characters from mory—magic served as the ink, and Bell’s mory acted as the mold.
At the mont the magical wave passed, he had to vividly recreate the image of the rune in his mind and shape it using magic.
It might sound simple, but the process was incredibly difficult.
There were no shortcuts when it ca to mastering Runic Letters. The only path was through painstaking trial and error.
Only with a deep enough understanding could the runes be applied in actual combat. A single mistake in how a rune was constructed could alter its entire effect. And because Runic Letters held such broad and potent power, even a small error could completely change their function.
That’s why Bell had to beco familiar with each and every rune.
However, trying to master all of them at once would take too long, so Bell decided to study them in phases.
He would start with the most commonly used runes, focus on getting those down, and once he was confident, begin practical training. The rest could wait until after combat practice.
Right now, the runes Bell needed were: "Heal," "Body Reinforcent," "Spirit Recovery," "Power Enhancent," and "Presence Concealnt."
These were carefully chosen support buffs and recovery effects tailored to the two Status paraters he needed to improve. As for "Presence Concealnt," that had simply beco second nature to him.
Bell had always been cautious, constantly hiding his presence no matter the situation.
With only a few runes in active use, the number of characters he needed to master dropped from eighteen to fourteen.
If he only had to learn four runes, Bell felt confident he could begin applying them in battle as soon as tomorrow.
’The magic flow feels stable. Finally finished one.’
An invisible rune shimred faintly in the air.
’A trained mage might notice it with close observation, but the fluctuation is so weak that it shouldn’t be detectable in combat.’
In battle, there was simply no ti to perceive such subtle fluctuations.
But outside of battle, soone might sense it.
’After returning from the field, I’ll have to find a way to hide the inscribed runes.’
Bell already knew the solution. It was just like how "Presence Concealnt" worked within the runic system—he could apply it to the rune at the ti of inscription to suppress its presence.
Though it required adding another rune and using more magic, as long as it wasn’t during combat, he didn’t need to worry about magic consumption.
Bell paused briefly, then used his counterforce to inscribe a layered rune.
"Presence Concealnt" was a simple application—just one rune was enough to activate it. As for how effective it would be, that still needed testing.
...
The door to the church’s secret basent creaked open.
Hestia tiptoed down the stairs quietly from above.
She had co ho early today just to check if Bell was getting proper rest.
But the basent’s magic lamp was still on, and Bell—who should have been sound asleep in bed—was nowhere to be found.
"???"
Puzzled, Hestia quickly walked over to Bell’s bed and reached out to touch the blanket.
Cold.
"Hmm... don’t tell Bell-kun went to the Dungeon again?"
She wasn’t sure if that was truly the case, but the signs in the room clearly suggested that Bell had already left ho.
Fuming, Hestia plopped down on his bed with a huff.
"Seriously, Bell-kun, doesn’t he realize that his body is more important than his Status?"
"If he keeps rushing to level up like this, he’s going to wear himself out sooner or later."
Sure, raising one’s Status was crucial for an Adventurer.
But maintaining their body was just as important.
Hestia didn’t want Bell to fall into a mindset of chasing power at the cost of everything else. That kind of recklessness could lead to serious consequences.
"No! When Bell-kun gets back, I’m definitely going to sit him down and have a proper talk."
No matter how lofty the goal, making such irrational decisions was never worth it...
Of course Hestia was happy to see Bell’s strength grow—but only as long as it happened steadily and safely.
Impulsive behavior could easily get soone killed in the Dungeon.
...
"I didn’t go to the Dungeon, Goddess-sama."
"!?"
The sudden voice startled Hestia.
But once she recognized Bell’s voice, she quickly turned her head.
Bell was sitting calmly on the sofa.
’Was Bell-kun sitting there the whole ti?’
The basent wasn’t tiny—but it wasn’t spacious enough to miss soone sitting on the couch either.
That made Hestia all the more curious. She jumped off the bed and hopped over beside Bell.
"Bell-kun, were you sitting there just now?"
"Yeah."
After hearing Bell’s confirmation, Hestia leaned in closer, peering suspiciously at his face.
"There’s no way I wouldn’t have seen you."
"You’re not exactly small. Even with bad eyesight, I wouldn’t miss you sitting there."
Seeing how genuinely shocked she looked, Bell inwardly confird the effectiveness of "Presence Concealnt."
If even Goddess-sama hadn’t noticed him, then using "Presence Concealnt" when going out would definitely make movent easier in the future.
Of course, he couldn’t rule out Adventurers with heightened perception.
That’s why his usual clothing and disguise were still necessary. "Presence Concealnt" was to fool those without perception skills, while proper disguise helped avoid those who did.
As Hestia’s curiosity grew more intense, Bell decided not to keep it a secret.
"Goddess-sama, I stayed up all night outside working on this."
As he spoke, Bell quickly traced his fingers through the air. A glowing Runic Letter appeared before them.
"This is a special type of magical symbol. Different characters produce different effects. The reason you didn’t see right away earlier... was because I used the power of this rune."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake
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