Leon first headed to the Valley of Souls with Reisia. Since Reisia couldn't help with Arpina's research, she agreed to take on the task of guarding the Valley of Souls alongside Leon.

The Valley of Souls was a den of beasts managed by Astellia, where periodic subjugations took place, and magic stones were extracted from the beasts.

Its scale was beyond imagination, and it was essentially a business venture that Astellia had obtained when it was once part of Arcane.

When the two stepped onto the teleportation circle, they were instantly transported to a barren, eerie landscape.

A thick fog wrapped around Leon's ankles.

The person who had previously been in charge of managing the other area saw Leon and Reisia, nodded expressionlessly, and moved to another part of the valley.

The two of them started to look around the Valley of Souls.

Leon’s task was to ensure that the beasts didn’t cross a certain boundary. A defensive magic circle separated the area where the magicians lived from the beasts’ territory.

The first task was to ensure that the beasts weren’t behaving suspiciously near the defensive magic circle, keeping them from getting too close. The second task was to periodically check for any anomalies in the defensive magic circle.

Though simple, the Valley of Souls was vast, so a single inspection took a long time.

There was also the task of monitoring the movements of the beasts beyond the defensive circle and recording any unusual activity, a task Reisia volunteered to handle.

Leon entered the defensive magic circle, immediately greeted by a foul stench.

Frowning, he began pulling out the golems he had prepared from his large storage pouch.

“No point in letting these golems sit around and rot in my pouch.”

From this perspective, the guard duty was a perfect fit for Leon.

Fifty scorpion golems. Twenty armor golems.

The scorpion golems would patrol and check for approaching beasts, while the armor golems were tasked with intercepting them if necessary.

He placed the golems in front of the defensive circle, giving them simple instructions to guard and alert him if any beasts got too close.

“Phew…”

Reisia looked up at the massive armor golem and let out a sigh of disbelief.

“You’re just going to help with your master's research while these golems stand guard?”

“I’ll leave it to you.”

“Oh, really.”

Reisia sighed.

“I thought we might get to know each other better while working together, but instead… I get to stand guard with your golems.”

Leaving behind a pouty Reisia, Leon returned to Arpina’s lab.

“You’re back?”

“What can I help with?”

Arpina led Leon deeper into her lab, to a room connected to a library filled with books.

The space was vast, with large windows, and its walls and ceiling were made of reinforced stone.

In the center of the lab, there was a pedestal-like area with a translucent crystal orb floating above it.

“This is a crystal orb used for research into elemental properties.”

The orb emitted a slow, steady flow of elemental magic.

Surrounding the orb were several different zones, each reflecting a different elemental environment.

“Elemental magic is strongest when it mimics the natural environment.”

For example, the fire zone radiated intense heat, and the water zone housed a small lake.

“So, what am I best at researching? Elemental harmony, of course.”

Arpina stepped out of the lab and brought Leon over to a chair placed off to the side.

“My current research focuses on the harmony between light magic and other elements.”

“Light magic?”

“Yes, Astellia recently obtained some high-grade light magic from ancient ruins, so I’m researching how to incorporate it.”

Light magic naturally made Leon think of Lia and how the Tower Lord had called her for a conversation.

“Could it be related to that?”

“This is my first time working with light magic, aside from the usual six elements.”

“Is it difficult?”

Arpina nodded.

“It’s quite complex. Sometimes, I call Lia in to help since I can’t use high-level light magic myself.”

There was more meaning in her words than was immediately apparent.

“Could Arpina possess six elemental affinities?”

She also seemed to already know that Leon could use light magic. She might even have known about his higher-level abilities.

That made sense, as there was no other explanation for Leon’s prowess.

“What you’ll be doing is fusing elements according to my instructions.”

With that, Leon immediately understood Arpina’s intent.

“So, I’m a test subject.”

“…It won’t be dangerous. Do you think I’d put my disciple in danger?”

“I trust you.”

Leon was eager, as the research topic intrigued him. He figured he had a lot to gain from it.

A week had passed.

Arpina had already established most of her theory, and while she was finishing up, Leon was experimenting with different methods on his own.

Standing in the center of the lab, Leon slowly raised his hands. A small orb of light began to form above his palms, emitting a faint glow.

The light was pure and clear, but it had a sharp, cold aura to it.

The light orb gently pulsed, as though it had a life of its own, swirling the surrounding air.

Leon controlled the light, stabilizing it with one hand, while summoning the wind element with the other.

“….”

He cautiously tried to fuse the two elements.

However, as soon as the wind gathered in his hand, the light orb reacted strongly.

The light expanded, as if rejecting the wind, and the two elements clashed, repelling each other with a burst of energy.

The wind dissipated as it touched the light, and the orb soon trembled and shattered into fragments.

Tiny sparks scattered from his hand, swirling like wind before quickly fading away.

Leon lowered his hand, feeling a pang of frustration.

“I didn’t expect it to be this difficult.”

His voice betrayed his exhaustion.

Unlike other elements, light was so pure and powerful that it resisted fusing with any other element.

Even though he was following Arpina’s method of suppressing the forces to combine them, rather than preserving each element's natural strength, it was still incredibly challenging.

Leon sat down to meditate and recover his depleted energy.

While he rested, Arpina approached him with a relieved expression, chuckling when she saw him.

“I told you it would be tough.”

In fact, Arpina had warned Leon before. She already knew how difficult this method was.

“That’s why I suggested you try fusing it with fire. The two elements are more similar.”

She handed him a stack of papers, which contained her theories on the fusion of light and fire.

Leon decided to follow her advice and try the fire element next.

After several failures and refining the theory bit by bit, two weeks passed.

Leon slowly began to get the hang of it.

Arpina’s suggestion about the elements’ similar properties wasn’t wrong. Unlike with the other elements, he was starting to make progress with fire.

He waved his hand, clearing the remnants of the failed magic, and once again summoned a light orb above his palm. Slowly, he reached out with his other hand to summon the fire element.

As flames rose from his hand, the heat filled the lab.

Leon carefully adjusted the properties of the light and fire, bringing them together.

This time, the light orb didn’t reject the fire. Instead, the two elements naturally embraced each other.

At first, the flames seemed to consume the light, but soon the two forces intertwined in a harmonious dance.

The light and fire seemed to feed off each other’s energy, growing stronger.

Even with the power suppressed, the flames became brighter, and the light grew warmer.

The result was a brilliant golden flame, radiating beautiful and mysterious light from Leon’s hand.

“Success.”

They burned together as one, a perfect fusion.

Leon focused on the glowing sphere in his hand.

The combination of light and fire was truly a sight to behold. The orb grew brighter, illuminating the entire lab.

Leon carefully controlled the flow of energy, making sure it didn’t become overwhelming.

“This went smoother than I expected.”

Although he had chosen an easier path, Leon marveled at the glowing sphere in his palm.

He remained cautious.

The light and fire were in harmony, but their combined power was so immense that it could explode at any moment.

He needed to continuously monitor and control it.

Leon slowly cut off the flow of energy, allowing the orb to shrink and gradually vanish.

Once the glowing sphere had completely disappeared, the lab returned to its calm state.

“The first phase of the research is complete.”

Arpina clapped her hands.

“I’ll make sure your name is included in the paper when it’s published. How many mana stones do you need?”

Arpina seemed to indicate that Leon’s part in the research was finished.

“Hmm…”

But Leon didn’t answer right away.

“Is the research really done?”

“Harmonizing other elements will take much more time.”

In Leon’s mind, the SSS-level light magic, The Radiance of Creation, crossed his thoughts. In order to fully integrate that magic with other spells, he needed to continue his study of elemental harmony.

“Let’s keep going. I think we can succeed with other elements as well.”

Leon’s enthusiasm left Arpina slightly taken aback.