Chapter 163 - Second Mission [1]

What are the qualities of the moon and why was it able to be classified as its own affinity?

In truth, the latter half of the question could remain unanswered for eons if nobody looked into it. The reason was simple, the sheer number of affinities and elements existing was too large,

Although most people are born with the average affinity towards one of multiple of the most basic elements, it wasn’t that rare to see someone with a unique affinity.

Something like Ruyue’s moon affinity, however, was especially rare. It was because of how specific it was more than anything else.

In fact, even with her yin affinity, Ruyue had the ability to manipulate lunar energy. It was a facet of yin’s connection to all things cold or negative.

However, she was specifically born with an affinity toward the moon as well. It was something that should grant her a less streamlined set of abilities, but even now she hadn’t been able to understand it.

Why did she have an affinity with the moon and what could she truly do with it?

That’s what she had spent all these years trying to learn. She even halted her progress on the yin element to focus on this. Yet, she got nothing.

At least, not until this moment.

When she watched Damien summon flames from the sun, something seemed to click within her. She watched how he used the energy of celestial bodies and it seemed to make much more sense.

And so, she became immersed in a meditative state as she stared at the flame. And even after the flame vanished she continued to stare at its position.

Why was the element of the sun a fire? That much was obvious considering what the star was made of. But as Ruyue looked at the blueish-white flame on her palm, she had to wonder.

Why was the element of the moon a fire as well?

The moon absolutely didn’t align with the element of fire, which was yang attributed. It was too destructive. Meanwhile, what Ruyue had learned from the moon in all these years was how gentle it was.

It didn’t use much force, continuing along with the flow of things, but it still managed to assert its power. It still managed to cause tides to rise and fall.

As Ruyue’s gaze shifted to the flame on her palm, she tried to comprehend something from it. Oddly enough, the flame felt cold to the touch, as if she was running her fingers along an ethereal form of ice.

Pointing her palm towards the wall to her right, Ruyue mobilized this new flame, causing a burst of flames to shoot forth like a flamethrower.

And in those flames’ wake, there was a path of what seemed like ice. Yet, Ruyue knew better. It wasn’t necessarily ice but it wasn’t fire either. It contained the properties of both.

It burned hot enough to seem cold, but conversely was cold enough to cause burns. This kind of contradiction was something Ruyue simply couldn’t fathom at the moment.

Her glowing silver eyes slowly returned to gold as Ruyue was snapped out of her comprehension state. There wasn’t anything she could learn at this moment.

All she knew was that she finally had a path forward. Looking at the man in front of her, she knew he was the cause. But the man himself seemed clueless. He was staring at the Icefire Ruyue had released with interest clearly written on his face.

She hadn’t really taken the time to look at him before today, but he was a really interesting guy. His eyes were strange even by this world’s standards yet nobody seemed to have a problem with them.

The two colors contained within them swirled as if they were alive and his cross-shaped pupils were like a small boat in the midst of a raging ocean. It was an oddly peaceful sight.

His hair looked like a representation of space, especially once you got to know him and understand his affinities. As for the rest of him, it was always hidden under layers of black clothing so she hadn’t really seen it.

‘Wait…why do I want to see that?’ Ruyue wondered as she forcefully stopped her train of thought. Since when was she the kind of person to think about such things?

Perhaps the strange atmosphere that had enveloped the room was affecting her. Yes, that had to be it. Either way, she couldn’t keep her eyes off him.

However, he soon turned back around and noticed her gaze. “I know I’m handsome but is there any need to stare?” He said with a teasing smile.

And just like that, the atmosphere was shattered. ‘That’s right, this guy is so annoying, there’s no way he could be as I was thinking.’

“You? Handsome? I just found out that hearing those two words in the same sentence makes me want to gag.” She responded in annoyance.

“What do you mean by that?”

“What do you think I meant?” Ruyue clutched her stomach while acting like she was sick, “look what you did, I think I’m going to be sick just by looking at you.”

“As if you can talk! It’s not like you’re any better than me.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know exactly what it’s supposed to mean.” Damien quipped while imitating Ruyue’s previous motion.

“You-!”

“Hahaha! Doesn’t feel good being on the receiving end, does it?” Damien laughed with a triumphant grin on his face.

Tian Yang, whose presence in the room was somehow ignored by the two who were getting closer at a rate he thought was far too fast, decided it was time to step in.

“Are you two ever going to stop quibbling like little kids? Or did you just forget I was here and decide to flirt?”

His interruption immediately shut them up as they diverted their gazes, refusing to look at him. Still, he didn’t mind it much. Turning to Ruyue, he continued.

“It looks like you’ve learned something new. Although I want to congratulate you, I can see that you haven’t fully grasped what this fire is. Until then, I can only guide you in practice.”

Ruyue nodded in understanding. Her master was always like this, even though he’d recently become more open. She would have to perfect her new ability much more before she would even get a semblance of praise from him.

“As for you,” he said to Damien, “Ruyue was right in her assessment. Although you have an extraordinary amount of brute strength, you don’t have a proper move set besides your sword art. You need to work on improving this.”

Damien also ended up nodding, although reluctantly. He didn’t want to accept it, but he really had no choice. There would inevitably be times when raw strength alone wouldn’t cut it, or his lacking comprehension would catch up to him.

Especially with the fact that he’d be improving his base understanding to reach 4th class, comprehension and variety were the things he needed most.

“From what I’ve seen, you lack a proper foundation. It’s as if you’ve learned everything you have through battle alone. Although I don’t want to influence your path too much, I will help you solidify this.”

For the first time in a few years, Damien would take the time to properly train.