Affinity

Name: Ailin

Level: 10

Health: 73%, Stamina: 190/190, Magic Power: 137/137

Attributes: Strength 12 (+2), Agility 11 (+2), Constitution 18 (+3), Perception 15 (+1), Arcane 13 (+5)

Affinity: Water 1

Thirteen attribute points gained. As expected of the Drowners King!

After all his attributes rose above ten, the decimal values disappeared.

But when he focused on a specific attribute, he could still see the more precise numbers.

Ailin smacked his lips and looked over them several more times in satisfaction. His Arcane had increased by nearly a third.

"Now the development of the mirage pearl can move on to the next stage, and the Signs can continue to level up."

The attribute increases alone proved that dumping all his Special Skill points into Monster Hunting that afternoon had not been a loss.

But what concerned Ailin even more was the newly appeared "Affinity."

"Does Affinity mean Elemental Affinity?" Ailin wondered.

But he was not a sorcerer, and he only knew a few Signs. What use was Water Element Affinity to him?

With those doubts in mind, Ailin carefully sensed the power gradually surging inside the body after the freezing numbness faded.

The swelling of his muscles, the rushing of his blood...

Other than his strength and magic power being much greater than before, there did not seem to be any other changes...

No!

There was something different.

The Witcher Apprentice suddenly discovered that he could faintly sense a trace of coolness within the fibers of his muscles.

After sensing it several more times, he confirmed that it was not an illusion.

"It seems... it seems a little like the field around the Drowners King's body..."

Ailin was not entirely sure. After hesitating for a moment, he activated his skill.

Monster Hunting

After entering the Monster Hunting state, Ailin's mental power completely permeated the muscles of his body.

"That's right!"

"This really is a blessing of Chaos Magic!"

But wasn't this kind of biological force field something only monsters could possess naturally?

As he once again sensed the things spread throughout every muscle in his body—things that should count as wandering Water Elements—a strange thought suddenly surfaced in Ailin's mind:

Does this mean that if someone wants to kill me in the future, they'll need a silver sword too?

Top floor of the main keep.

This was the reception hall of the Chief of the School of the Wolf's residence.

The Chief rubbed the beard on his chin and circled the small mountain of flesh at the center twice before looking up and asking:

"Vesemir, are you saying this large monster appeared out of nowhere?"

Vesemir nodded. "That was a dead end with only one exit."

"Besides, I was blocking the cave entrance, holding back a tide-like swarm of drowners. There was absolutely no way a creature could have passed by me without being noticed, especially one this large."

"Hm?"

"What was that about a swarm of drowners?"

Soyer stopped in confusion. Vesemir had only just arrived and had told him about this unfamiliar monster.

A tide-like swarm of drowners?

The last time a beast tide formed by drowners had attacked a village was centuries ago.

Drowners might be everywhere these days, but their numbers should not have reached the scale needed to form a beast tide, should they?

Vesemir paused at that, then, recalling the Chief's relationship with the Sorceress, took out the Drowner Whistle.

"As expected of Lady Vesemir's work. I merely shook it a little, and every drowner in Killer Lake was disturbed."

The Chief accepted the pale bone tool in confusion. His witcher senses told him that this was not a magic item.

But out of trust for Vesemir, he hesitated for a moment before reaching into his chest and taking out his medallion.

Soyer's medallion was different from Vesemir's and the others'.

The round medallion was covered in marks left by time.

On the silvery-white medallion was carved a scar-covered knight returning on horseback.

"Knight's Triumph Beneath the Iris."

That was the medallion's name. It had been personally made and engraved by Cosimo Maraspinna, the creator of the Witcher Conclave.

The medallion drew closer and closer to the Drowner Whistle, but even after they were pressed tightly together, the knight remained completely still.

"As expected of Lady Vesemir. Even your medallion can't detect any magical fluctuations from it," Vesemir praised.

The Chief raised his head and gave Vesemir a speechless look.

Soyer knew Lady Vesemir's abilities.

Although her strength had reached Cosimo's level, her alchemical skill was still somewhat lacking.

And his Conclave medallion had never failed to detect magical fluctuations before.

There was a high chance that this whistle simply was not a magical item.

But Soyer did not refute Vesemir.

He merely thought for a moment before asking, "Are you planning to return this whistle to Ailin tomorrow?"

Vesemir nodded and withdrew his gaze from the Chief's Conclave medallion. "I'll give it to him tomorrow afternoon."

"Vesemir, tomorrow I'll deliver—"

Bang—

Before the Chief could finish speaking, a portal opened before them.

"Soyer!"

"Before you left, what did you promise me..."

The voice arrived before its owner.

However, when Lady Vesemir strode furiously out of the orange-yellow portal and saw that there were other people in the Chief's residence, she immediately swallowed the words she had yet to say.

Then Lady Vesemir pretended nothing had happened and glanced at Vesemir from the corner of her eye.

Vesemir tactfully took his leave.

Bang.

The heavy wooden door shut.

"Lady Vesemir, did you find a clue?" Seeing that the Sorceress had come in a foul mood, the Chief asked first.

Lady Vesemir ignored the Chief's thoughts and anxiously asked:

"Where is Ailin?"

"Is he all right?"

"Lady Vesemir, Ailin is fine," Soyer immediately answered. Then he asked curiously, "How did you know something happened to Ailin?"

The Sorceress did not answer and instead pressed on. "Was he injured?"

"He's fine. Don't worry."

"Ailin was just at the bonfire feast in the castle hall. He should already be in the apprentice dormitory by now."

The Chief of the School of the Wolf wanted to pat Lady Vesemir's back and soothe the Sorceress's agitated emotions.

But she sidestepped his hand.

Soyer helplessly withdrew his hand and recounted everything he had learned from Vesemir.

Only then did the Sorceress notice the mountain of flesh behind her.

"Have you seen this kind of monster before?" Seeing Lady Vesemir shift her attention to the monster's corpse, Soyer quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

How could he have known that Ailin would run into trouble while hunting drowners with Vesemir? The two of them had been right near Kaer Morhen.

The most formidable monster nearby was Old Spearhead.

But that Cyclops only came out to hunt a few drowners when it was hungry. At all other times, it never left its cave.

Lady Vesemir approached the Drowners King's corpse and carefully sensed the magical field still faintly lingering around it.

"I haven't seen this kind of creature either."

"The magical composition feels very similar to that of a drowner."

The Sorceress circled the Drowners King once, then added:

"Several of its characteristics are also similar to a drowner's."

"And you said this monster appeared suddenly."

Lady Vesemir stopped and sighed.

"Clearly, it came through the Conjunction of the Spheres."

The Chief of the School of the Wolf nodded.

"That was my thought as well. Also..."

He took out the Drowner Whistle and handed it to Lady Vesemir.

"Lady Vesemir, did you make this?"

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