Yun Jin stood back, watching Merlin move through the clearing with surprising ease. The boy had adapted astonishingly fast, not only mastering the basics of Qi-guided movement but also instinctively learning Qi Hardening—a technique that strengthened the body from within without flaring excess energy outside his form.

  It didn’t just give him better defense. It boosted his physical health and accelerated his recovery, too.

  “No wonder you never seem tired! This is cheating!” Merlin exclaimed, twirling with excitement as he flexed his arms and bounced on his heels, delighting in his newfound endurance.

  Yun Jin chuckled. “Your magic was the real cheat. I can’t even imagine if someone in my world had that kind of power...” His voice drifted into thought. Qi, after all, was still bound by physical limits. A stronger cut was still just a cut. Even a master swordsman couldn’t bring down a whole town in a single blow. Magic, on the other hand... one fire spell could wipe out armies and leave cities burning.

  That was why even the greatest beings—his master, Baek Tianjun, or even Cheonma the Heavenly Demon—had to plan their battles carefully. No matter how strong they were, a single firestorm could injure or kill them.

  “What about sword techniques? Like the ones you taught the villagers?” Merlin asked, swinging his staff in wide arcs, mimicking the forms he had seen back when they first met.

  Yun Jin frowned slightly. “I don’t recommend it for you. Your mana fluctuates too much. Even if the movements differ, the principle’s the same—you'd have to force energy outward. And we can’t risk that.”

  The moment Merlin's energy pushed outside his body, his Divine Death Star condition would trigger. It would draw far too much mana, overloading him all over again. They had worked too hard stabilizing him to undo it now.

  Merlin’s face fell. “Aw…”

  “Don’t worry,” Yun Jin said, ruffling the boy’s hair with a small smile. “Someday, when your body adapts to your condition, I promise I’ll teach you every technique I know. Well—except the Light Blade Sovereign Style. That’s my master’s specialty.”

  Stretching his arms above his head, Yun Jin grinned. “Anyway, it’s my turn to learn now, isn’t it?”

  Merlin hesitated, puffing out his cheeks slightly. He didn’t seem thrilled about being Yun Jin’s teacher. After all, the last time he tried, he lost a bet and had to dress like a girl for an entire day—a memory Merlin clearly hadn’t forgiven.

  “Still upset about the bet?” Yun Jin asked, a little sheepish.

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  Merlin crossed his arms. “I’m not upset,” he lied unconvincingly.

  “I’m sorry,” Yun Jin said sincerely. “I just wanted to check something.”

  “Check what?” Merlin tilted his head, his clear blue eyes brimming with innocent confusion. Somehow, it made him look even more adorable—like a curious rabbit.

  “Uh... never mind,” Yun Jin waved off the thought.

  The truth was, back in Yun Jin’s world, there were strict ways a man was expected to treat women. Yet when it came to Merlin, he genuinely couldn’t tell. The boy seemed to exist somewhere between both sides—both at once and neither. And this wasn’t coming from ignorance: Yun Jin had lived in the imperial palace, where even seasoned assassins disguised themselves flawlessly. Yet Merlin... Merlin simply defied the distinction.

  But in the end, it didn’t matter. Merlin was his partner. That was enough.

  Besides, having a perfectly balanced yin and yang energy in one body? That was unheard of in Yun Jin’s world. Maybe it was common here. Either way, he decided to stop questioning it.

  “Weird,” Merlin muttered under his breath. “But fine. What did you want to know? Your affinities are already rank C, so most abilities should emerge naturally.”

  Merlin still seemed reluctant to teach. He wasn’t confident about it—after all, he had only learned through books and his grandfather’s library, not by hands-on practice like Yun Jin.

  “I’ve got this thing called Spatial Affinity,” Yun Jin said casually. As he spoke, he opened a small pocket of space on his palm. The air shimmered faintly, like a blurred mirror.

  Merlin’s jaw dropped.

  “THAT’S SO UNFAIR!” he shrieked, grabbing Yun Jin’s collar and shaking him. “You’ve got LIGHT and SPATIAL?! HOW?!”

  In this world, elemental affinities were graded by rarity.

  For example:

  Common Tier: Fire, Earth, Wind, Water.

  Special Tier: Ice, Lightning, Poison.

  Rare Tier: Light and Dark.

  Legendary Tier: Spatial, Time, and Soul.

  Elements like Spatial were practically myths. Unlike others that appeared every generation, these "Law Affinities" were so rare that entire eras might pass without a single individual possessing one.

  Those who did left permanent marks on history.

  The first Spatial mage created teleportation arrays that shaped modern travel.

  The first Time mage founded the Hall of Memory, preserving moments across centuries.

  The first Soul mage built the Tower of Heroes, where warriors of the past could be summoned to train the living.

  Every Law Affinity user had changed the world.

  And Yun Jin? He now had two very rare affinities—Light and Ice—plus the extraordinary Spatial Affinity, and on top of that, he wielded Qi, something entirely outside this world's magic system.

  “You WALKING CHEAT!” Merlin howled, shaking him even harder.

  The boy, whose entire life had been defined by a curse that crippled his potential, had never felt so insulted by fate.

  All Yun Jin could do was laugh—a deep, hearty laugh that echoed through the garden as Merlin fumed in outrage, clinging to his shirt like an angry, betrayed kitten.