Chapter 10: Peculiar Magic

“Are those attack spells with negative effects?” Vivian asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice. “I’ve tried them. Although the debuffs stick to the opponent, I still take damage myself.”

“No, these are spells that purely apply debuffs to oneself. Well… some might also cause damage,” you said as you climbed out, stepping carefully on your magical robe. Fortunately, Vivian was well wrapped up.

Vivian looked puzzled. “Why would such magic even exist?”

Every spell must have its reason for existing.

Vivian found it hard to imagine the purpose of magic that only applies debuffs to oneself.

After all, people with her kind of constitution were extremely rare.

Seeing Vivian’s confusion, Ron was at a loss for how to answer.

He couldn’t exactly tell her that these spells were inventions from his own hobby about ten years ago.

The Resonance Spirit Realm was home to a diverse array of species.

Demons, elves, angels, merfolk...

Every species experienced debuffs differently when affected.

Ron usually wanted to experience the feeling by having the other person apply debuffs to themselves, which was why he developed this series of strange spells.

Why not just apply debuffs to others himself?

Of course, it was far more delightful when the other party voluntarily bound themselves out of submission.

You have to understand—the sensation of dominating others exudes an intoxicating aura of power.

Ron had never imagined that these odd spells would one day be used in actual combat.

You taught Vivian a self-binding spell.

Vivian learned quickly.

Before long, she had grasped the basics of the spell.

With a flourish of her staff, the selected target in the distance was successfully restrained.

“I did it!!!” Vivian was so overjoyed that you almost felt suffocated.

For the first time, she truly tasted the wonder of magic.

“But Ron, you’re amazing!” Vivian said as you both set off again, cradling you with a sudden sigh. “You even know this kind of magic, and it seems like you’re not affected by the Demon Lord’s lingering soul.”

It seemed Vivian doubted her own identity once more.

But Ron wasn’t in a hurry to reveal his true identity just yet.

He was mindful of the narrative.

He didn’t plan to disclose his real identity to readers early on—though many would probably figure it out anyway.

“What kind of influence does the Demon Lord’s residual soul have?”

Vivian answered, “Those affected become violent, selfish, and ruthless...”

“That’s human nature, and I’m just a cat.”

Ron had no argument against that. Ten years ago, in the Resonance Spirit Realm, that was exactly the image he had—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been called the Mad Demon Lord.

“True, many great heroes in history have carried a large part of the Demon Lord’s residual soul!” Vivian said with relief.

Perhaps out of boredom on the journey, Vivian began to recount the past five thousand years of history.

After the Mad Demon Lord’s death, the once unified empire instantly fractured.

Yet, perhaps due to the empire’s vast influence, countless heroes since then have regarded unifying the continent as their lifelong pursuit.

Several unifying empires appeared in succession under this ideal.

These empires learned from their predecessors’ mistakes, perfecting the logic of governance in this world.

Their golden ages were eras long dreamed of by many, further fueling the ambition for unity among later generations.

However, it was precisely this ambition that plunged the continent into endless wars whenever an empire collapsed, as all factions vied to become the new great empire.

Vivian was deeply worried, as signs of collapse were already showing in the current empire.

A chaotic era seemed imminent.

“When His Majesty Roland VI passes, war will likely break out. I heard the northern elves have already rebelled,” Vivian poked the fire before her. “The demons from the Abyss are probably stirring too. I wonder if a new Demon God will appear.”

“Northern elves? Aren’t elves supposed to live in the Eastern Natural Forest?” you asked, resting your head on Vivian’s lap, puzzled.

Also, what is this Demon God? I’ve never heard of it before. None of the gods I slew were like that.

“They moved north long ago. I heard it was a decision made by the Elven Queen who stood beside the Mad Demon Lord after his death,” Vivian explained. “Apparently, elves prefer colder climates.”

Well... that’s not quite true.

It’s just that I always liked playing the ‘freezing game’ with her.

The spell that freezes me was specially developed for her.

“So that’s why you want to get stronger quickly?” you yawned.

“Yes!” Vivian nodded resolutely. “I want to become a capable mage! Then I can protect everyone in the village!”

Vivian had lost her parents at a young age and was raised by the villagers.

Excellent! Just for that alone, you’re the protagonist!

A typical orphan protagonist in online novels.

Ron nodded with satisfaction.

After all, if the protagonist has parents, the story inevitably involves various family relationships, which many authors find hard to handle. It’s simpler to make the protagonist an orphan.

Thinking this, Ron suddenly felt uneasy.

Damn! I’m an orphan too.

Damn it, that means I’m also the protagonist!

Ron shook his head with a self-mocking smile.

Ten years ago, when he developed Resonance Syndrome, it was the loss of his parents that drove him to abandon all restraint.

Only by immersing himself completely in the release of desires could he feel some semblance of self.

Vivian’s words were very firm.

This girl had no grand ambitions; she only wanted to learn magic well enough to return and protect her village.

That goal was a bit small for a novel protagonist.

He needed to find an opportunity to ignite Vivian’s ambition.

With that thought, Ron had already returned to the residential building.

He lived in an old housing complex, with dozens of five-story buildings densely packed.

There were only stairs inside, no elevators.

Ron’s apartment was on the fourth floor.

As he passed the third floor, he heard loud noises.

Hmm? Shouldn’t the man of this household be at work at this hour?

With a hint of curiosity, Ron entered the room.

Compared to the chaotic private lives in the spirit realm, his real-world room was very clean and tidy.

Just as Ron put down his bag, a call came through from Bailu.

“Did you clear a dungeon?” she asked directly.

“Yeah. Will this be recorded in the novel’s data? After all, I haven’t published the book yet...” Ron asked the question he cared most about.

The number and difficulty of dungeons a creator clears affects the promotion of their work, calculated as monthly votes weighted along with reading data for the ranking.

The higher the rank, the more readers see your work, increasing character exposure and thus character card strength.

Ron naturally didn’t expect to top the monthly vote charts; his goal was the new book rankings.

The problem was that his book hadn’t even been released yet.

Bailu laughed. “Don’t worry, it won’t consume your data. But you need to hurry and send me the beginning of your new book. Your character card isn’t strong right now, and if you get pulled into another dungeon, you might not be so lucky.”

Ron agreed wholeheartedly.

Although he remained calm throughout the car ride, the feeling of death looming was deeply etched in his mind.

Fortunately, he wasn’t completely defenseless anymore.

Ron raised his hand, and a card appeared in it.

“Devil’s Contract.”