Aurora's sudden appearance had shifted Alex's focus away from the rewards bestowed upon him by the system.
"Are you using that system?" Aurora questioned, observing Alex direct his gaze towards the system screen.
As only Alex could see the system interface, its visibility to her appeared peculiar.
"Yes, I'm looking at the rewards, one of which I've already acquired—the one for awakening a random magic affinity."
"Aha, now that makes sense. That explains why I suddenly sensed an incredibly high level of Dark magic affinity from someone who was nearly devoid of mana moments ago."
"..."
Although Alex hadn't explicitly mentioned his affinity for dark magic, Aurora seemed to have pieced it together.
He offered her a somewhat vague explanation about the system, omitting the finer details of his affinity.
He went on to elaborate about the potion that materialized as a reward, seemingly conjured out of thin air within the system's inventory.
"Oh, spare me that look. I myself possess one of the highest affinities for it. At my level, such minor details are quite noticeable."
"Yes" he admitted, "I've gained an SS rank affinity for dark magic."
Aurora's eyes narrowed, her countenance growing serious.
'Is this fate, or how could he be in such a similar predicament as me?'
"Allow me to give you some advice: Keep that fact under wraps, don't let anyone know."
"..." Alex queried, puzzled by the need for secrecy in the first place.
"..."
Aurora's blank gaze fixed on him, as though expecting him to understand the reason without explanation.
Annoyance flickered across Alex's features, prompting her to elaborate.
"Sorry, I forgot that you're not from this world, and your previous self lacked mana as well."
"..."
"While you might not comprehend it at the moment, revealing your affinity and its rank to the world presents two main problems."
With two fingers extended, she began to explain.
"Firstly, you—a person who was feeble and nearly bereft of mana—suddenly holds the second-highest affinity for an element."
Alex nodded, acknowledging the issue.
"While someone might awaken an affinity for an element under rare circumstances, it typically requires serendipitous encounters or rare resources. Such instances are exceedingly uncommon and occur once in a million individuals. Awakenings of this level are borderline impossible."
But that wasn't the entirety of her explanation; she delved into the second complication.
"The second issue concerns the element itself. Dark magic affinities are exceptionally rare among humans—scarcer than any other element's affinities. Few in history have had S rank affinity. Dark magic is more commonly associated with demons and other nocturnal creatures. There are even radical beliefs that possessing dark magic affinity aligns one with demons or denotes some sinister connection."
"..."
Her words left Alex in a pensive silence.
Aurora allowed him time to absorb the information before she unveiled yet another revelation.
"Now picture this: a mere individual like you publicly declaring an SS rank affinity for dark magic. The news would spread like wildfire, and people would pursue him to the ends of the earth. They'd suspect he possesses a hidden treasure or made some sort of forbidden pact with the devil itself. This might even lead them to uncover your other secrets. If they were to discover you hail from another world, or know about the system, it could trigger a global conflict. Demons, humans, demi-humans, even those peace-loving elves—everyone would be after you. At that point, who can predict your fate? Power can drive even saints to commit heinous acts when consumed by greed."
The gravity of the situation finally sank in—Alex now understood the potential horrors that could befall him if his affinity and rank became public knowledge.
His existence could become akin to that of an alien, a being from another realm with intentions unknown to the inhabitants of this planet.
It was reminiscent of encountering an extraterrestrial on Earth; he might even become a subject of experimentation.
His status as a being from another world and his possession of the system were undoubtedly his most guarded secrets.
"Now, don't wear such a gloomy expression. It doesn't suit you."
"But my dream was to learn magic."
He confessed his shattered aspiration, his voice heavy with disappointment.
"Who said you can't learn magic?"
"But you just warned me against revealing my affinity. I know nothing about magic, and how can I possibly learn it in secret?"
His concern was evident in his words.
"..."
Aurora stared at him as if he were utterly foolish.
"What's the matter?"
"You already have me, and that system."
As she concluded her sentence, a system notification materialized on the screen before Alex.
[You have received a Quest from the system]
----------------------------------------------------
[Main Quest]
[Quest: Learn a Spell]
[Description: The host has to learn a Tier-1 or above magic spell]
[Time Limit: 3 days]
[Reward: 50 XP and 1 SP]
[Penalty: The system would reset your magic affinity]
----------------------------------------------------
"What?"
"Is something wrong? Is it related to your system?"
"Yes" he replied, "It presented me with a quest to learn a Tier-1 or higher magic spell. There's a three-day time frame, and failure to complete it would result in my magic affinity being revoked."
Aurora's eyes began to twinkle mischievously.
"Aurora, you did mention teaching me magic, right?"
"I'll teach you, but there's one condition you must agree to."
"What's that?"
"It's not overly serious, just a simple request—promise me that you'll never leave me and that you'll keep on conversing with me."
Aurora's plea bore a touch of anxiety, as if she feared he might abandon her.
Perhaps after being alone for such an extended period, his appearance became a glimmer of companionship.
He could only imagine the challenges she'd faced, dwelling in solitude until his arrival.
"Alright, I promise. I won't break my word."
"Once you've said it, you're bound by it, Alex."
"Got it" he replied, involuntarily letting slip a muttered "cute" under his breath, observing her radiate with delight.
A sizable smile spread across her face, fortunately going unnoticed by her keen hearing.