Chapter 7 | Forest Mutation

The rain came suddenly.

It was a clear morning, but by noon, the clouds were pressed down as if by someone, and the mountains and forests were instantly darkened. The wind blew out from the depths of the forest, carrying a damp and cold aura, as if the mountain was breathing.

Chen Ye stood under the eaves, looking at the distant mountain shadows, and felt a strange tightness in his heart.

It wasn't a weather problem.

[Warning]

[Spatial Overflow Symptoms Detected]

[Affected Area: Forest Edge]

[Status: Unknown]

This was the first time the system had used the word "warning."

Chen Ye didn't hesitate, turned and went into the house, slung his Type 56 semi-automatic rifle over his shoulder, crossed a shotgun over his back, and tucked a pistol into his waist. His father stood at the door of the main room, without stopping him, only saying:

"Don't go where there are many people."

This was not a warning, but a judgment.

Less than a mile into the mountain, Chen Ye noticed the abnormality.

The forest was too quiet.

No birdsong, no insect chirping, even the wind was swallowed by the leaves. The sound of the fallen leaves underfoot was pressed very low, as if absorbed by something.

He stopped.

Space was vibrating.

Not an interface jitter, but a feeling in reality—

The air became thick.

[Spatial State Change]

[Domainification Process: Activated]

[Current Effects: Enhanced Perception, Resource Response Acceleration]

Chen Ye's heart skipped a beat.

Domain.

This word shouldn't appear now.

The bushes in front of him suddenly parted on their own.

Not pushed open, but as if someone "made way."

A deer walked out.

It stood very close, but didn't run.

Its eyes stared directly at Chen Ye, reflecting his figure in its pupils, but without fear.

Then, there was a second one.

A third.

They formed a semicircle, but kept their distance, as if confirming something.

Chen Ye slowly lowered his gun.

His intuition told him—

As long as he didn't move, this forest wouldn't move him.

[Domain Judgment]

[Core Will: Chen Ye]

[Biological Response: Neutral / Observation]

The system's voice was so low it was almost nonexistent.

This was the first time, space didn't hide in his body.

It stood out.

The wind stopped.

But the rain began to fall.

Not cold rain, but warm, falling on him, but not soaking his clothes.

Chen Ye clearly felt—

The rain was avoiding him.

Not a coincidence.

At this moment, a gunshot rang out in the distance.

Not a hunting gun.

It was a rifle.

Chen Ye's eyes turned cold.

People from the black market had entered the mountain.

He didn't approach immediately, but stood in place, his consciousness sinking into the space.

This time, he didn't enter that "room."

What he felt was a boundary.

An invisible line, centered on him, extending outwards.

Trees, ground, and water flow were all responding.

[Domain Expansion Completed]

[Range: Radius 80 meters]

[Function Unlocked: Environmental Suppression (Low Level)]

Chen Ye's breath was slightly heavy.

This was no longer a "storage space."

This was—a territory.

The gunshots rang out again.

Three figures broke into the forest.

Their movements were fast, but they clearly became sluggish.

Not because of the mud.

But because their sense of direction was failing.

"What's going on?"

"It was just here!"

Chen Ye stood behind a tree, not appearing.

He just lifted his foot and gently stepped on the ground.

At that moment, the forest wind suddenly rose.

Not a gale, but it made it hard to stand.

One of them slipped and fell directly.

[Environmental Suppression: Effective]

[Target Status: Balance Impaired]

Chen Ye's heart sank.

If this continued, it was already a "hunter."

He didn't want to go that far.

He walked out.

The three people turned sharply, and when they saw him, their faces all changed.

"It's you!"

The gun was raised, but stopped halfway.

Not because of hesitation.

It was because their hands were trembling.

"This place is not where you should be," Chen Ye's voice was steady.

No threat, but it made people instinctively retreat.

One of them gritted his teeth: "What did you do to this forest?!"

Chen Ye didn't answer.

Because he himself was still confirming.

The system's prompt, as if the final confirmation, slowly emerged:

[Domain Confirmation]

[Contract Space · Form Transformation Complete]

[Note: The domain will change according to the will of the contract person]

Chen Ye looked up and looked around.

The forest regained its voice.

The sound of rain, the wind, the rustling of leaves, everything flowed again.

As if the mountain had acknowledged him.

The three finally retreated.

Not escaping.

They were "sent" out of the boundary.

They walked quickly, but kept looking back, as if afraid of something waking up behind them.

In the evening, Chen Ye stood at the pass.

His father watched from afar, not approaching.

He only glanced in the direction of the mountain forest and understood something.

"Remember," his father said, "The mountain recognizes you, but people don't."

Chen Ye nodded.

He knew clearly—

The domain was protection, but also responsibility.

Once used, he could never return to the position of a "common hunter."

Night fell.

Space became quiet, as if sleeping.

But Chen Ye knew that it had changed.

This mountain forest, from today on, was no longer just his place of survival.

But—

A place he must protect.