Chapter 74 : Secondary affinities

“​What's a secondary affinity?” William asks, leaning forward in his seat.

​Mark smiles, looking pleased . “If you remember from your first day, I explained the ranks of mages and mentioned that only Tier 3 mages are truly qualified to call themselves real mages. There is a very specific reason for that.

​“When you reach Tier 3, your entire body and soul undergo a profound rebirth,” Mark continues, placing his hands flat on the lectern. “The spell manipulations that require intense effort at Tier 2 suddenly become as natural and effortless as breathing. Your comprehension of your primary affinity and world delves far deeper, reaching a threshold where your will, body, and soul form a second agreement with the world—manifesting your secondary affinity.”

​“First, your primary affinities combine to form your first secondary affinity,” Mark continues, his voice echoing clearly across the room. “That is precisely why your fundamental comprehension of your primary element matters so much. Depending entirely on how you perceive and master your magic, your secondary affinity takes shape.”

​Mark turns and writes a few elemental combinations on the chalkboard.

​“For example, combining Earth and Fire might result in common secondary affinities like Metal or Ash—or, if your comprehension leans into intense, molten heat and pressure, much rarer variants like Magma or Glass. Similarly, combining Water and Earth can manifest as Mud, Clay, Swamp, or several other distinct forms. It all hinges on your individual understanding.”

​Mark steps away from the board and taps his own chest.

​“Take me, for instance,” Mark says with a dry, sharp smile. “Before coming here, my father worked in the South managing laborers in a noble’s mine. I awakened with Fire and Wind affinities. Because my life experiences shaped my comprehension of both fire and wind around pure, violent destruction and sudden force, my secondary affinity manifested as Explosion. I can trigger violent detonations by combining the two—because to my mind, fire and wind were never meant to soothe; they were only meant for destruction.”

​“Which makes my spells have much more destructive power than regular Tier 3 spells,” Mark adds, his voice dropping slightly. “However, that specialization comes at a cost—it also means I lack the flexibility to adapt those spells to non-destructive situations.”

​In the front row, Tye raises his hand again, his brow furrowed as he connects Mark's explanation to his own situation. “What about those who only have a single primary affinity?”

​Mark turns toward him with a patient nod. “They still develop secondary affinities upon reaching Tier 3. But rather than a fusion of two elements, their secondary affinity manifests as a deeper, specialized evolution of their single primary affinity. For instance, a primary Earth affinity might evolve into Stone or Sand, while a Water affinity might specialize into Mist, Ice, or—much more rarely—Bubble.”

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​Mark pauses, scanning the attentive faces across the room before delivering a final warning.

​“And let me be clear about one thing: no one, regardless of talent, can accurately predict what their secondary affinity will turn out to be.”

​“If they are derived from the same primary affinities, wouldn't it be possible for a mage to manipulate more than one secondary variant?” William asks, leaning forward with a thoughtful frown.

​“It is entirely possible,” Mark replies with a nod. “An Ice mage can learn to manipulate Mist, and a Sand mage can learn to bend Stone. However, doing so requires far more intense effort, focus, and mana cost than it would for a mage to whom that secondary form comes naturally.”

​Mark pauses, allowing the concept to settle before moving on to the next point.

​“As for your second secondary affinity... you will learn the fine details from your senior professors in the higher terms. For now, you can think of it as a direct gift from the world itself when a mortal transcends their limits and reaches Tier 3. It is considered a universal milestone—even knights receive a similar gift upon reaching that rank, though warriors refer to it as a 'Skill' rather than an affinity.”

​Mark turns back toward the center of the room, folding his arms.

​“Despite being one of the most studied phenomena among scholars, very little is concrete about this second gift. The only consistent pattern observed over centuries is that this second secondary affinity manifests as a conceptual force rather than something physical. Some of the most well-documented examples include concepts like Mind, Barrier, Growth, Decay, and Darkness.”

​A conceptual force…If physical fusions like Magma or Explosion come from life experiences, what kind of life experience triggers an abstract concept like Decay or Mind? Did a person's core nature,their obsessions, or their deepest drive—dictate what the world handed them at Tier 3?

William sighs and he thinks . I can't even touch my primary affinity yet, and here I am thinking about manipulating abstract concepts.

After pondering the concept for a moment, Tye raises his hand again.

​“Will the second secondary affinity be connected to our first, or will it operate completely separately?” Tye asks.

​“Well... that is a complicated question, because it can go either way,” Mark replies, leaning slightly against the podium. “For instance, a former classmate of mine awakened Sand as her first secondary affinity and Illusion as her second. Her strongest magic creates a terrifying sandstorm laced with realistic mirages and visual disorientations. However, another student developed Metal and Dream affinities—two forces that share almost no natural synergy.”

​Mark pauses, letting his gaze sweep across the entire classroom.

​“Yet even so, as I have told you time and time again... there are no weak affinities, only weak mages”

Suddenly, a voice calls out from the middle rows. “What about yours? Your first secondary affinity is Explosion, right? What's your second?”

​Mark freezes mid-step, and a wide, knowing grin spreads across his face.

​“Yes, it would be natural for all of you to be curious about that, wouldn't it?” Mark replies, leaning forward over his desk as his smile broadens. “However... mine is a secret.”