Elemental magic—rooted in the four fundamental elements of wind, fire, water, and earth—was one of the most favored branches of magic among the mages of Vaelthor Continent. With its explosive power, overwhelming suppression, and sheer destructive force, it stood in stark contrast to arcane magic, which demanded precise control and deep understanding of mana's essence. It was also far more acceptable than the forbidden, eerie nature of necromancy.

Elemental magic was simple, direct, efficient.

Nearly every fledgling mage started their journey by learning elemental spells. But despite its accessibility, true mastery remained an elusive feat. The reason was twofold—first, the sheer complexity of combining elements made it virtually impossible for any one mage to become proficient in every variation. Second, the highest tiers of elemental magic required forming bonds with the very essence of these forces.

And it all began with the four basic elements.

But today, someone had just told BaiYun that there were five.

That meant he was about to confront an entirely new and unknown framework.

"I know the elemental system on this continent. But I don’t see how someone at your mana level will manage to do it proper, even if your potential is dope as hell, kiddo," Qilin said as he came to a stop deep within the forest. He yawned, then unceremoniously dropped BaiYun onto the ground.

BaiYun shot him an irritated look, his patience running thin, to which Qilin smirked.

"What’s the rush?" Qilin said with an exaggerated eye roll. "Listen up—I got my own way of doing things. In my system, there ain’t just four elements. There are five—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. But I don’t like calling them elements. I call them the Five Phases."

The naming wasn’t just for show. Unlike the traditional system, which focused on suppression and combination, Qilin’s philosophy was all about transformation—the constant shifting of mana from one phase to another. To him, each "element" wasn’t a distinct force but rather a phase that mana cycled through.

"Generate and overcome—that’s the key to fixing that little mana deficiency problem of yours," Qilin said cryptically.

BaiYun was quickly growing tired of this cryptic nonsense. "Spit it out already. If you’re gonna be my teacher, then fucking teach, instead of acting like some mysterious old geezer."

Qilin stretched out his front legs, stuck his butt up in the air, and yawned again—like a damn dog. No, actually, exactly like a dog.

"Too tired. I’m done for the day. I’m going to sleep. Talk tomorrow, kiddo," he declared.

BaiYun, despite his anger and confusion, pulled out his mount stone, expecting Qilin to hop inside. Instead, Qilin snorted.

"I ain't getting into that shit. If you need me, just call. Or if you’re in danger, I’ll know. Just like that dumbass snake today—I can rip through space just like he did. I dunno why the fuck he was showing off like some big shot."

And with that, Qilin casually tore open a rift in space, shifted into a donkey, and walked through.

Yes. A donkey. Again.

…

A week later, BaiYun found himself facing Queen Evelyn, and at that moment, he regretted asking for a sparring partner who specialized in elemental magic. A blazing Flame Lance shot directly at his face, the searing heat distorting the air and making it impossible to keep his eyes open. His eyebrows felt like they might be scorched off at any second.

Unsurprisingly, this was all Qilin's idea.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

True to his words, Qilin had been drilling BaiYun in the fundamentals of Five Phases magic for the past few days. It was entirely different from anything BaiYun had learned before—less about brute-force mana output and more about delicate control, seamless transitions, and a strange sense of “flow” between elements. Even with BaiYun’s limited mana reserves, Qilin had assured him that mastering this technique would allow him to fight far beyond his weight class.

That morning, Qilin had casually suggested, “Alright, kiddo. Enough book-learning. Time to get punched in the face. Go ask that serious-looking old man who runs the academy to find you a sparring partner.”

What Qilin hadn’t told BaiYun was that he also wanted to see Professor Ola’s pegasus… as a donkey.

The news of Qilin’s existence had already reached Ola, of course. After all, it was Ola himself who had arranged for BaiYun to undergo the bond ritual early, just to see what kind of mount he would get. He didn’t know exactly what Qilin was, but one thing was certain—just from the sheer presence of the creature, it was far beyond ordinary. Its mana flow was almost unreasonably vast.

Hearing BaiYun and Qilin’s request, Ola was delighted. He, too, wanted to learn about this unfamiliar elemental framework. However, he didn’t want to stir up too much of a commotion within the academy, so he decided to take BaiYun to Queen Evelyn, whom he described as one of the greatest elemental masters on the continent.

Qilin wasn’t impressed. Maybe it was because he didn’t get to see Ola’s pegasus, or maybe he was just feeling lazy. With a yawn, he told BaiYun, “You’re on your own. Just tell me how it goes” and walked off.

BaiYun didn’t mind much, as he very well knew already that the beast was a dick.

He, on the other hand, was actually excited—after all, it had been some time since he’d last seen Evelyn, and today was a great opportunity.

Of course, his excitement didn’t last long.

Staring down the Flame Lance hurtling toward his face now, he finally realized that he’d come here for sparring, and that hellish spear was surely going to hit his face. He quickly jumped backward, his right hand already channeling mana.

"Fire generates Earth."

For the first time in combat, he applied Qilin’s teachings, shifting the phase of the incoming element from Fire to Earth. The Flame Lance, once a searing spear of destruction, suddenly solidified into a hardened mass—an earthen staff that clattered uselessly to the ground.

Professor Ola’s eyes widened. He had never seen anything like this before. More importantly, he recognized something else—the mana cost was absurdly low.

"Transformation is not creation," Qilin had once explained. "It is a natural process, kiddo. All you are doing is accelerating that process, so of course, it doesn’t require much mana."

Queen Evelyn was momentarily stunned. But BaiYun wasn’t going to waste the opportunity—he used Arcane Manifestation to summon a giant magic hand, grabbed the still-hot earthen rod from the ground, and hurled it like a javelin straight at Evelyn.

And then something even more astonishing happened.

Mid-flight, the earthen javelin transformed into a metal one.

"Earth generates Metal."

Without hesitation, Evelyn conjured a stone shield in front of her, blocking the incoming metal javelin with a solid thud.

She hadn’t been particularly eager to spar with BaiYun at first. With his minuscule mana reserves, this match had seemed like nothing more than a waste of time for both of them. But now, she was intrigued.

She stood still, smiled—calm, confident. “Your little trick is interesting, but it won’t be enough to defeat me, my dear advisor.”

BaiYun, however, wasn’t paying attention to her taunt. Instead, he pointed at her shield frantically. “Watch out! Your shield!”

The moment the words left his mouth, sharp metallic spikes suddenly protruded from the inner surface of Evelyn’s stone shield, lunging straight toward her.

Evelyn reacted quickly, leaping backward just in time to evade the surprise attack. Only after she had safely landed did BaiYun let out a relieved sigh—this was just a sparring match, and he didn’t want her to get hurt simply because she was talking to him.

Ola, watching from the side, was deep in thought.

BaiYun had already moved far outside of his casting range, and yet, he had still managed to alter Queen Evelyn’s earth shield.

Then, his eyes fell on the metal javelin embedded in the shield.

Realization struck.

"That cunning little bastard." Ola chuckled to himself， shaking his head.

BaiYun had enchanted his transformation spell onto the javelin itself. Meaning, once it had struck the stone shield, it had become the catalyst to cast the transformation spell—not BaiYun himself.

To BaiYun, the logic was simple: A flying metal spear—against most mages, blocking was a far more natural reaction than dodging, as generally they weren’t the most agile. Earth magic was the most straightforward choice for a shield. Sure, they could use wind and water to conjure an ice shield, or even add some more earth to make it wooden. But why all the work when earth alone could get the job done?

BaiYun had gambled on that assumption. If his opponent chose stone as a defense, then all he had to do was exploit “Earth generates Metal” to turn it into a trap.

It was a calculated risk—but it had worked.

Evelyn gave BaiYun an amused nod, as if silently thanking him for the warning. Then, without another word, she unleashed her mana.

At once, Earth, Water, and Fire surged through the battlefield.

A thick, corrosive mist filled the air, obscuring everything in sight.

And within that suffocating haze, the real hunt began.