Shang took a deep breath. It was definitely a huge risk to tell teacher Niria about his one-of-a-kind Affinity.
However, this was still the safest bet.
First of all, teacher Niria already knew that Shang had more than just a Darkness Affinity, which meant that she already knew that his Affinity had to be very special.
Second, teacher Niria had already indirectly taken the first step. If she hadn't given Shang several hints, he would have never found out that teacher Niria had a Darkness Affinity. In a way, she had tested Shang's intellect and had also shown him her trust.
She had taken the first step by unveiling her own secret.
On top of that, teacher Niria was probably the only person that could help Shang without too much risk.
The dean?
Shang doubted that the dean would help him. The dean seemed like a very strict parent to Shang. If Shang asked him for help in that matter, not only would the dean not help him, but he would probably even call Shang weak.
It was Shang's responsibility to become more powerful. The fact that he was allowed to study in this academy was already more than enough help.
"At the moment, I have four Pure Affinities," Shang said.
"That's impossible," teacher Niria said, "but I don't believe you're lying. Prove it."
Shang pointed to the side, and his arm shone with a bit of light for a second. Luckily, they were alone right now. Shang trusted in teacher Niria's capability to notice if someone tried to spy on them.
Teacher Niria hadn't been shocked by the light. She had already anticipated that Shang also had a Light Affinity.
Why?
Because she knew that Shang must have a Mixed Affinity that couldn't be covered with Mixed materials, like a Poison Affinity. In her mind, a fusion of Light and Darkness made the most sense.
However, when teacher Niria saw Shang's left arm, her eyes narrowed.
Shang's left arm had shriveled up.
This definitely wasn't normal.
"I thought you had a Mixed Affinity," she said. "Seems like I have been mistaken."
"What do you mean?" Shang asked, interested in her thoughts.
"Affinities don't damage the user," she said. "After all, an Affinity is something that you have great compatibility with. Someone with a Fire Affinity won't be damaged by fire as much and not at all by their own fire."
"However, your arm has been damaged by the release of Light Mana. That is not normal," she said.
"How would that normally work?" Shang asked.
"Someone with a Light Affinity can heal others and themselves," she explained. "They convert the Mana in their body and mind into Light Mana. This means that they can unleash Light Mana as long as they have Neutral Mana left in their body."
"But you have used your own life energy, or by the looks of it, the life energy in your left arm. This is not normal. Affinities always only make use of the saved-up Mana in your body and mind, not your life energy."
Teacher Niria walked forward and held her hand out for Shang. "Go heal your arm. You might as well show me the peculiarities of your Darkness Affinity."
Shang nodded and took hold of teacher Niria's arm. Then, he used his Darkness Absorb to absorb a bit of her life energy.
"I'm not a weakling," she commented. "I want to see if your Darkness Affinity also has a negative side-effect. If it has one, show me."
Shang nodded and absorbed more of teacher Niria's life energy.
Shang's arm swelled up, and he let go of her.
When teacher Niria saw Shang's left arm, her eyebrows furrowed. "Just as expected, you directly absorb life energy without converting it to Mana."
"The balance of Life Energy inside your body is important. Too little, and you will slowly succumb to many tiny injuries appearing all over your body. Too much, and you will explode."
Shang's arm was close to exploding, but it hadn't crossed the threshold yet.
"Your Darkness and Light Affinities have transformed into a control over life energy," teacher Niria said as she combed her long hair with her fingers, her eyes distant. "However, the most shocking part is that your two Affinities do not interact with Mana at all, which should be impossible."
"All Affinities interact with Mana. Mana is the very medium that makes these transformations possible. Yet, your Light and Darkness Affinities don't interact with it at all."
At that moment, Shang pointed his left arm to the side.
Then, he released a Fire Blast.
Teacher Niria was pulled out of her thoughts as she felt a large amount of Fire Mana leave Shang's body.
At the same time, she also noticed that Shang's left arm was now filled with Ice Mana.
Then, Shang unleashed an Ice Blast.
Shang's arm got severely injured, but the added life energy inside his left arm was being used up to heal it now.
In just a single second, Shang's left arm was in its peak condition again.
Teacher Niria needed a long time to react after witnessing Shang's abilities.
"Shocking," she whispered. "Your Fire and Ice Affinities also don't interact with the Mana inside your body. They only interact with the Mana in the surroundings."
Teacher Niria narrowed her eyes as she combed her hair. "This should be impossible. Affinities are precisely the transformation of your own Mana into different Mana. Yet, your four Affinities don't touch your Mana at all."
"In a way, this doesn't even conform to the definition of an Affinity."
"According to the definition of an Affinity, your Affinity doesn't belong to you. After all, it doesn't interact with your Mana."
pᴀɴdᴀ nᴏveʟ "From what I've seen, you basically only count as a medium. You are something that transforms the Mana of your surroundings into something else."
"Maybe you are the Affinity?"
Shang felt like teacher Niria was onto something, but he also wasn't sure what she was thinking about. Her words were too abstract.
"Or maybe, since your Affinity doesn't interact with your Mana but the Mana of the world, this Affinity is the world's Affinity."
"And you're only its hand."