It had been a week since BaiYun became the Queen’s personal advisor, yet he hadn’t seen her once since then. The palace wasn’t exactly a place he could waltz into whenever he wanted, and more importantly, the Queen hadn’t summoned him. Without an excuse to go, he could only stew in mild frustration.

But he could still visit Dawn Tavern often and see Vivian. To him, she was as dazzling as ever. Of course, his ever-reliable system didn’t miss a chance to pour cold water on his enthusiasm, throwing out a question that lingered in his mind:

"Ever thought about the day you might have to make a choice?"

“This is a fucking Isekai, you dumbass. Kids make choices; I want it all.”

Still, if there was one thing that annoyed him lately, it was Arthur constantly tagging along whenever he went to the tavern. Worse, the guy kept insisting on introducing him to some girl—someone from the Rogue Division, someone he claimed that BaiYun knew already. Arthur was oddly secretive about the whole thing, always giving him knowing smirks and nudging him like he was in on some big secret. BaiYun wasn’t exactly thrilled. He’d seen the vast ocean before; it was hard for a mere river to excite him.

That day, just as Arthur was about to drag him off for drinks again, an unexpected visitor arrived—Colin Vether, the head of the Mage Division.

“You’re coming with me,” Colin said. “It’s time for the Mage Division’s mount bonding ritual.”

BaiYun blinked. “Uh, I’m in the Rogue Division? Why am I picking a mount with the mages?”

Colin sighed. “The Rogue Division’s turn is next week. But Professor Ola doesn’t want to wait—he wants to see what you end up with today.”

Arthur, ever the enthusiast for chaos, was immediately on board. “Oh, this is gonna be fun. I did mine with the Warrior Division a few days ago.” He grinned proudly. “Ended up with an Icefang Direwolf.”

The process itself was simple. Students would release their mana into the academy’s mount ranch, drawing in a compatible creature. Once a connection was made, they would form a bond and store the mount within a mount stone, summoning it whenever needed.

The creatures varied widely—warhorses, giant bears, phantom panthers, night owls, and if one was truly lucky, even a legendary creature like a Pegasus.

Ola, for example, rode a majestic white Pegasus. Other elite mages often bonded with unicorns, a mark of their refined magical affinity.

Naturally, Arthur was eager to see what kind of mount BaiYun would attract.

When they arrived at the ranch, BaiYun immediately spotted an all-too-familiar figure—Hermann, aka "Pikachu Man," soaring through the sky on the back of a massive Thunderbird. The surrounding students looked on in a mix of awe and envy.

Hermann had lost their duel that day, but his magic prowess was still impressive enough to earn his place in the academy.

Watching him zip around on a bright yellow bird crackling with electricity, BaiYun felt a twitch in his eye.

“This is literally a damn Pikachu riding a fucking Zapdos.”

Hermann noticed him and waved from above. “Hey, Bulb Lighter! Long time no see! You picking a mount today? What’s it gonna be, a rolling lightbulb?”

BaiYun wasn’t in the mood for their usual banter—mainly because this whole mount selection ordeal had disrupted his plans to see Vivian. He shot back, “Shut up. Whatever I get, it’s gonna be better than yours.”

Just then, the entire atmosphere of the ranch shifted.

A sudden chill filled the air. The summer warmth vanished as frost formed on the grass, and a thin layer of ice crystals shimmered in the sunlight.

Sigurd stood in the center of the field, exuding an overwhelming aura of ice magic. The ground beneath him froze instantly, and towering ice spikes erupted skyward, cracking the earth apart.

Then, the sky itself seemed to split open.

A colossal, eight-headed serpent slithered out from the rift, its scales gleaming with a dark, eerie light. When it landed, the ground trembled under its sheer weight. The creature coiled around Sigurd, all eight heads lowering simultaneously, flicking their crimson tongues as if assessing the young mage before them.

Silence.

The entire field was frozen—not just in temperature but in sheer tension.

This wasn’t just a mount selection anymore; it was a battle.

Even Hermann, usually full of quips, muttered, “It’s just a big snake. What’s the big deal?”

For the first time, BaiYun glanced at Hermann with genuine approval. Finally, someone who understood the real problem here—why the hell was Sigurd always the one getting the spotlight?

Without a word, BaiYun grasped Hermann’s hand and gave it a firm shake, as if sealing a newfound alliance.

Colin, standing nearby, decided to clear up their ignorance. “That ‘big snake’ is Yamata no Orochi. A legendary-class beast. Easily on par with Ola’s Pegasus.”

Before they could fully process that, the massive serpent struck.

All eight heads spewed a wave of frost-tinged venom, a deadly mix of freezing poison that spread like mist, lowering the temperature even further.

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Sigurd reacted instantly. He summoned several layers of ice walls, blocking the toxic fog from reaching him. The clash of magic sent shards of frozen mist scattering into the air like glittering daggers.

The battle erupted in full force.

Orochi’s tail swept across the field, shattering the frozen ground and sending a shockwave through the ranch. Sigurd leaped onto one of his ice pillars, his hands forming a massive blade of condensed ice. With a single downward slash, he aimed for one of the beast’s heads.

Each collision sent a storm of ice and debris flying, the air crackling with raw elemental power.

After an intense exchange, Sigurd finally found his moment.

With precise control, he froze seven of the serpent’s heads solid, leaving only one remaining. The lone head let out a deep, resonant hiss—almost like a laugh—before slowly lowering itself.

With that, the bond was sealed.

The field was deathly silent.

No one could speak. No one could move.

Everyone was simply too stunned by what they had just witnessed.

BaiYun slipped away from the crowd, heading quietly toward the pasture. With everyone's attention still on Sigurd, he figured now was the best time to finish his own bonding ritual. Of course, he wanted to make a spectacle of it—who wouldn't? But based on his previous "lightbulb" moment, he had a sinking feeling that things wouldn't turn out impressive.

So, rather than setting himself up for another embarrassment, he decided to get it over with quickly.

He released his mana aura, and just as he expected, it was… utterly unimpressive. The same as any other student. He wasn’t particularly bothered and simply waited in silence for his destined mount to arrive.

Then, something unexpected happened.

A herd of unicorns—yes, a whole herd, not just one—rushed toward him, their hooves thundering against the ground as they formed a semicircle in front of him. They stood there, gazing at him with low, resonant calls.

Naturally, this caught the attention of the crowd. One unicorn alone was already an honour for a mage. But attracting an entire herd? That was beyond impressive.

BaiYun glanced at the stunned faces around him. A grin spread across his lips. Finally, this was it—his moment to shine.

Of course, it wasn’t quite on Sigurd’s level, but hey, it was close enough.

"Alright, alright, alright, this time, I fucking nailed it," he thought.

He carefully examined the unicorns, knowing he had to pick one. Then, he saw it—an absolute specimen.

Its coat was pure white, shimmering with an ethereal glow. Muscles rippled beneath its flawless frame, and its mane, silver-tinted and flowing, swayed majestically in the wind. Its horn was longer, sharper, and seemed to hum with magic. This wasn’t just a unicorn—it was the unicorn, the undisputed king of the herd.

BaiYun reached out, ready to seal the bond.

Then, the unicorn stepped back.

It even let out a low, dismissive huff, as if shooing him away.

BaiYun blinked. What?

His irritation flared. “If uou don’t wanna bond with me, then why the fuck did you come, eh? You messing with me, you dumbass unicorn?”

A few students chuckled.

Colin, watching the spectacle, suppressed a grin. He had seen people summon weak creatures before, but he had never seen one that straight-up refused a bond.

BaiYun scowled and moved to another unicorn. Same reaction.

"No fucking way."

One by one, he tried to bond different unicorns, and every single one rejected him.

The scattered chuckles turned into outright laughter.

Arthur and Hermann were howling, doubled over in mirth. Colin wasn’t far behind. Even Sigurd—who normally looked like he’d rather freeze his own emotions than express them—was visibly restraining a laugh, his right hand glowing with ice magic as he tried to calm himself down.

“You fucking rats with hooves! If you’re not gonna bond with me, then just piss the fuck off!” BaiYun snapped. He felt things couldn’t get any worse.

He’s wrong, they could.

A voice rang in his head.

"Kiddo, hey, over here, among the unicorns."

BaiYun frowned. He looked at the herd but couldn’t tell which one was speaking.

"Here, you blind motherfucker! Those fucking fog lights on your face just for show? Or you need me to shove a lighthouse up your ass so you finally see where the fuck I am?"

A path suddenly formed within the herd as the unicorns parted.

And from their midst… emerged a donkey.

Yes. A small, gray donkey.

BaiYun froze.

The crowd lost its collective shit.

Hermann was bent over, wheezing. Arthur was literally rolling on the ground. Colin, laughing too hard to speak, pulled out his communication stone to call Barrett. “Dude, get over here, you’ve got to see this.”

Even Sigurd was actually, genuinely laughing. Not just internally—but visibly.

“You still standing there, dumbass? Hurry the fuck up and sign the bond already! Having a bond with me is the best thing that’ll ever happen to your sorry ass!”

BaiYun’s brain rebooted.

He turned back to the donkey. “The fuck are you even doing here? What, you wanna drag me off to pull a plow or some shit? Get lost, dumbass donkey. I’m not wasting my time on you.”

He spun around, about to leave.

The donkey panicked.

“Wait, wait, wait! Listen! I know your mana is weak—I can fix that! Sign a bond with me, and I’ll solve your problem. Come on, kiddo, don’t be a little bitch about this!”

That… gave BaiYun pause.

He eyed the donkey again. “Fix my problem? Oh yeah? How? By inviting me over for some donkey BBQ?”

“You fucking idiot. Think for a second! If I was just some random donkey, would I be able to use mind-speak?”

That actually made BaiYun hesitate.

He glanced at the laughing crowd—and realized that no one was laughing anymore.

They weren’t even mocking him. They were just… staring.

They thought he had lost his mind, because he was talking to a donkey.

Clearly, they didn’t hear anything the donkey said.

“Wait. So this donkey is talking? And he’s actually using Telepathic Transmission?” BaiYun was too angry and too frustrated to even notice that.

BaiYun took a deep breath. Fuck it.

There were no other creatures coming his way. If it was a donkey, then fine—it could at least carry him places.

"Whatever. Let's just get this over with."

The moment BaiYun reached out and touched the donkey, the world exploded with light.

A surge of raw, powerful mana filled the air, shaking the ground beneath them. The donkey’s form twisted, morphing into something entirely different.

Standing before BaiYun was a Qilin.

Its scales shimmered in hues of blue, gold, and crimson, an ever-shifting dance of elements. Its mane burned with an ethereal flame, and its hooves crackled with lightning. The air around it vibrated with power—multiple elemental affinities radiated from its body, a presence so overwhelming that even the strongest students in the crowd instinctively stepped back.

"I’m Qilin. Nice to meet you, kiddo."

For the first time in his life, BaiYun was speechless.

He knew this name.

Qilin—the mythical beast from his homeland on Earth. The king of all beasts.

Qilin smirked. “Well? Not gonna hop on?”

BaiYun barely had time to process what was happening before he swung onto Qilin’s back.

And then—

They were gone.

One moment, Qilin stood there. The next, it had disappeared, vanishing in a blur of speed too fast for the human eye to follow.

The wind roared in BaiYun’s ears as he clung desperately to Qilin’s horns, his surroundings reduced to a blur of colors.

Between the wind and the sheer holy-fucking-shit-what-is-happening moment, he barely managed to yell out, “Why the hell were you a donkey?!”

“Because donkeys are hung, kiddo. You saw all those unicorns? Yeah. All my lovers. They worship me as their king. Being a donkey is fucking awesome.”

“…Pretty sure the first unicorn I picked was male.”

“My point exactly.”

BaiYun decided he was absolutely not going to think about that.

Qilin chuckled. “Alright, kiddo. Let’s get serious. I’m gonna teach you elemental magic. The good shit. The kind that works with your shitty-ass mana reserves.”

BaiYun perked up. “Fire, water, earth, wind. Which one are we starting with?”

“Four? Kiddo, you dumbass. There are five elements.”