When thinking about the element of water, I have rarely felt threatened by it.

This is because I have encountered it so frequently in daily life, and the water we interact with isn't inherently dangerous.

The water we guzzle down when thirsty, or casually pour over our heads when we feel sticky, is the same substance.

Because of this, water as an element has never seemed particularly threatening. There were few instances where I felt the need to be cautious of water, which I use every day.

However, in my mind, I know.

The element of water... Among the phenomena formed by water, there is enough to claim a person’s life.

"No."

Sticky moisture clung to my skin. The air was thick and heavy.

Magic power and unique energy surged, and from the spot where a spear pierced the ground, a violent wave of water erupted.

The vast stage was being stained a dark, blueish color.

Shadows spread across the ground, casting it into darkness.

A massive wave swept the floor, and the stage, with Baek Ahrin at its center, began to gradually submerge.

The water kept flowing in. The stage, which was the size of several soccer fields, was slowly being overtaken by blue.

"Tch..."

Facing this scene, I screamed inwardly.

"So unfair...!"

It felt unfair. And cowardly. That was the emotion I felt.

Right before the match started, she said strange things to throw me off, and then launched a surprise attack as soon as it began.

And as if that wasn’t enough, she used her expansion ability before I could even regain my stance.

It was a shocking turn of events in many ways.

Although a strange sense of betrayal made me tremble, deep down, I admitted that this was typical of Baek Ahrin.

On the surface, she was always cheerful and full of energy, but inside, she was cold and determined—a dual nature.

— Swoosh!

Though I was bewildered, the sound of water still reached my heightened senses.

At the same moment I perceived the blue line cutting across my observation range, I kicked off the ground.

The spot where I had just been standing was pierced by a stream of water. I twisted my body to dodge the sweeping blue line.

— Shlk!

The blue stream cut across the ground, slashing through the walls in its path.

Boom! The vibrations rattled my eardrums like a hard slap... The violent cutting sound and subsequent explosion made my lips tremble.

The floor and walls of the stage were sturdy. The material, reinforced by several layers of defensive magic, guaranteed its durability.

I broke into a cold sweat at the sight of the clean cut that ran from the ground to the wall.

This stream of water... It was nothing like what came from a showerhead. It couldn’t even be compared to that.

The force was akin to a water jet cutter. In fact, its power was even stronger.

Seeing me evade her attack, Baek Ahrin whistled and waved her hand.

Following her gesture, droplets of water floated into the air.

A water droplet the size of a person’s head bubbled and roiled before it unleashed a fierce stream of water.

"Tsk."

Clicking my tongue, I summoned my magic power.

The energy spread throughout my entire body, forming an aura around me.

Boom! I dove beneath the oncoming stream of water. The ends of my hair grazed against it as I maneuvered forward.

I dodged one stream.

Behind Baek Ahrin, massive water droplets floated ominously.

And there weren’t just one or two. There were at least a dozen, each poised to unleash an attack.

Their trajectories weren’t straight. The streams lashed out like whips, slashing through the stage.

Three streams followed one after another. Then more came.

Facing the sharp, cutting streams that sliced through the air, I didn’t hesitate for a moment before launching myself off the ground.

"Observation Power."

I didn’t rely on my eyes to perceive the world. I simply gathered information about my surroundings, analyzed it, and acted accordingly.

I tracked the trajectories of the water streams. I predicted where they would move next. Based on the information I gathered, I calculated my next actions.

It was something I had grown quite accustomed to.

My body moved according to my calculations. My improved physique responded well, twisting and lowering as the streams narrowly missed me.

For paths I couldn’t avoid, I wrapped myself in a thick layer of aura to deflect them.

While the power of the water streams was impressive, it wasn’t strong enough to completely pierce through my aura.

I closed the distance with each step.

"The ground."

I didn’t let my guard down. I was wary of the ground beneath me... or rather, the water steadily covering the stage.

Elemental abilities are highly influenced by the environment.

In a place saturated with the energy of a particular element, that element becomes even stronger, while in an environment incompatible with the element, its power diminishes.

Baek Ahrin’s expansion ability.

Sea Overflow.

It was an expansion ability focused on dominating the environment.

The ground where her spear had struck continued to pour out an overwhelming amount of water.

The surroundings, which were initially neutral, were now gradually becoming soaked with water energy.

As time passed, the environment became increasingly favorable for Baek Ahrin.

I didn’t have any techniques capable of overturning this situation.

"Get closer."

But not much time had passed since the expansion ability had been activated.

It hadn’t fully manifested yet. The current situation was manageable.

In other words, this was the best time to engage in close combat.

With that in mind, I carefully advanced, remaining cautious of the water spreading across the floor.

With Baek Ahrin’s level of elemental control, the water on the ground could easily turn into countless spears and rise up at any moment.

"......?"

For some reason, the water didn’t rise. Baek Ahrin allowed me to close the distance, wearing a strange smile on her face.

I pushed my doubts aside for the moment, clenched my fist tightly, and pulled it back.

Boom! Magic power surged around my fist. The aura that covered it was stronger and fiercer than before.

Facing me, Baek Ahrin mirrored my movements, pulling one hand back.

Water energy wrapped around her arm, transforming into an aura. It was the same.

Then.

The aura coiled around her elbow like a serpent.

"?"

A deep blue aura, reminiscent of the ocean and sky, wrapped around her elbow, forearm, and wrist in succession.

I launched my fist forward.

But Baek Ahrin didn’t throw a punch. Instead, she thrust her open palm forward.

"Wave Palm."

With a soft murmur, the coiling aura shot out like a raging current.

Boom!

The water stream collided with my fist, and the pressure against my arm was intense. My arm bent under the force.

The pressure continued to increase. The torrent became a whirlpool, pushing my fist back.

My aura was being worn down. I could hold on, but I couldn’t push through.

Deciding quickly, I twisted my body and retreated.

Boom! With a loud explosion, my body was flung into the air. Instead of resisting, I let the force carry me diagonally backward.

The arm that had been overpowered cried out in fatigue.

Boom! The spot where I had stood was now engulfed by the whirlpool. The water spun wildly, crashing against the walls of the stage before finally coming to a halt.

As the whirlpool lost its form, the water spread out, leaving deep cuts in the floor and walls.

"Whirlpool Water Palm."

In the original work, only a select few members of the Changhae Family, including Baek Ahrin, used this technique.

It was a martial art that utilized water energy, which was originally specialized for support and healing, in combat.

I knew about it. I knew Baek Ahrin could use it, and I had confirmed it in the game as I explored the Changhae Family’s secrets.

"But why?"

I found it odd. The slight unease I had felt since the start of the battle grew stronger.

It wasn’t strange for Baek Ahrin to use this technique, but I didn’t understand why she would bother.

Whirlpool Water Palm. It was a very useful technique for someone from the Changhae Family, who specialized in water energy.

But... Baek Ahrin wasn’t just specialized in water energy, she was also highly skilled in ice magic. There was little reason for her to rely on this technique.

Even earlier, though it had been chilling, I didn’t understand why she had bothered to use high-pressure water to launch a preemptive attack.

And now, I didn’t understand why she had allowed me to close in and then responded with Whirlpool Water Palm.

If she had used ice magic for the initial attack, it would have been far more threatening...

"I don’t get it."

Would it be more advantageous for her to start the battle with water-based attacks? At least in the original work, Baek Ahrin didn’t fight like this.

I couldn’t grasp her intentions. But that didn’t mean I could just stand there doing nothing.

— Hoo...

I exhaled heavily, drawing in the damp air.

It was humid. I could clearly feel the water energy saturating the area.

"Sigh..."

The spear embedded in the ground continued to spew water as if it were a fountain, and most of the stage was now submerged.

Even here, where I had put some distance between us, the water was steadily creeping up.

It was spreading faster than I had anticipated. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before the water rose past my ankles and possibly submerged my entire body.

What’s more, if Baek Ahrin decided to use the accumulated water to launch an attack, or even freeze it, I would be at a severe disadvantage.

If I couldn’t control water energy, this was a very unfavorable environment.

"In that case..."

Having confirmed as much, I activated my core.

I drew out a considerable amount of magic power and spread it throughout my body.

I didn’t channel it into my aura. I simply allowed the magic power to flow through my entire body.

While I did this, Baek Ahrin watched me from a distance.

That strange smile on her lips, her unusual behavior, and her odd reactions earlier...

She was a hard person to figure out.

"Expansion Ability."

Clicking my tongue, I manipulated my magic power.

"Assimilation."

At the Tower of Growth, I had unconsciously mimicked the Flame of Fear. At Sifnaha, I had mimicked Changhae and Baekya.

After being discharged from the hospital and returning to Shioram, I had run several tests to understand it better.

What I discovered was that, as expected, I wasn’t limited to mimicking just the Flame of Fear, Changhae, and Baekya.

Thump! My heart pounded. The subtle, unique energy from my core wrapped around my entire body.

Everything shifted. The ability I had mimicked overlaid itself on me.

The magic power filling my body surged. The aura surrounding me flickered like an unstable flame before gradually settling into a clearer, blueish hue.

— Splash.

The sound of water echoed. The waves that had steadily risen to the wall finally reached my ankles.

And then.

The bluish aura surrounding me... absorbed the water.

It didn’t help much, but the aura swelled slightly.

"......"

— Drip, drip, drip.

Droplets of water fell from the ends of my hair.

Expansion Ability, Assimilation.

"Waterflow."

Mimicking Changhae’s abilities would make it too obvious. The repercussions would be too much to handle.

But there was no reason I couldn’t use water-based magic.

With just magic manipulation, I could control water energy.

I could use water-based magic, elemental techniques, and even summon water spirits.

"If this is an environment favorable to my opponent, I’ll just use the same energy."

Regulating my breath, I slammed my foot down hard, propelling myself forward.

Baek Ahrin, who had been watching with wide eyes, pulled her arm back again. Just like before, water energy coiled around her arm.

At the same time, multiple water spheres floated behind her, each one preparing to fire powerful streams of water.

Whirlpool Water Palm.

And the water spheres behind her—if I recalled correctly, they were called Water Mirror Orbs.

I dodged the streams of water as they came.

This time, they didn’t just shoot from the orbs; they also rose from the ground.

My Observation Power made it easy to detect the signs. My body moved well. Dodging wasn’t difficult.

— Fshk!

Some streams grazed me, and a few hit their mark, but since my aura was now imbued with water energy, the damage was minimal.

Avoiding and countering the chaotic water attacks, I continued closing the distance.

The gap between us narrowed. It was a situation similar to before.

Just like last time, I pulled my arm back.

I gathered my magic power. It was the same.

My aura flared up. The same as before.

And then...

Boom...! The aura covering my arm surged. It coiled around my elbow like a snake.

"Whirlpool Water Palm."

I thrust my palm forward, and the two whirlpools collided and tangled in the air.

— Roar!

The fierce currents and whirlpools twisted and tangled together. I resisted, but... as expected, I was pushed back.

I twisted my wrist, slightly altering the trajectory of my whirlpool just before it dissipated.

Baek Ahrin’s whirlpool grazed right past me.

My posture wavered.

Seizing that moment, Baek Ahrin’s Water Mirror Orbs shot out streams of water.

There were six of them. I acted based on the information I had gathered.

I dodged three. I deflected two with my aura.

The last one was headed straight for my forehead.

I didn’t move.

Just before the final stream could hit my forehead—

— Bang!

A stream of water from behind me shot it down midair. A spray of water droplets splattered across my face.

Behind me, a slightly smaller sphere of water floated in the air.

Whirlpool Water Palm and Water Mirror Orbs.

Even without being a member of the Changhae Family, I could replicate their techniques.

Was my proficiency lacking? To be honest, how often had I been less skilled than those around me?

If I had to retreat because of that, I might as well push forward and learn from it.

After all, standing right in front of me was the perfect teacher to instruct me in both water and ice magic.

The teacher, Baek Ahrin...

— Hehe.

...smiled even more broadly than before.

Nodding as if satisfied, she manipulated the water energy again.

The water currents coiled around her arm like a snake, and the Water Mirror Orbs trembled as they prepared to fire again.

Even the water covering the floor resonated, sending ripples through the air.

It seemed she was about to make full use of the water she had accumulated.

Changhae’s mastery... or rather, her control of water energy was so swift and precise that it left me in awe.

"......"

But why was it...

As I observed her, I felt as if she was deliberately showing me every step of the process, as though she wanted me to watch and learn.

____________

[Your Unique Ability "Magic Affinity" is growing.]
[Your Unique Ability "Jack-of-All-Trades" is growing.]