The journey back to the academy was uneventful compared to the chaos they had endured in the cavern. The students remained quiet, some still reeling from the battle, while others were simply exhausted. Samson kept his head down, walking beside the group but lost in his own thoughts.
The tiger beast—his transformation—had fought with everything it had. He could still feel the lingering energy in his limbs, the way lightning had surged through his veins. But now, something else felt... off.
As they passed under the glow of the academy's towering entrance, something flickered in his vision.
His gaze snapped downward.
The watch.
It wasn't just displaying the three symbols he had seen before—the purple tiger, red crane, and icy blue deer—but now, a fourth symbol had appeared.
A lion.
A golden-yellow lion, glowing faintly next to the others.
Samson's breath caught.
"Another element? But how?"
His heart pounded as he stared at the watch's face. Until now, he had only wielded the three elemental transformations granted to him—lightning, fire, and ice. But this… this was something new.
Something foreign.
It wasn't just the color. The other symbols shimmered faintly with energy he recognized—lightning crackling around the tiger, flames dancing within the crane, and the frost-like mist surrounding the deer.
But the lion's glow? It was... dense. Heavy. Like something tangible rather than elemental energy.
What is this?
He clenched his fist, forcing himself to stay calm. The last thing he needed was anyone noticing his reaction.
He turned his wrist slightly, angling the watch to see if it would react. But nothing happened. The symbol remained still, waiting.
Waiting for him to figure it out.
---
An Afternoon of Curiosity
The moment classes ended, Samson wasted no time.
He had spent the entire morning distracted, barely paying attention to lessons. His mind kept circling back to the lion's mark, the way it had appeared so suddenly after the battle.
The connection was obvious.
The lion beast he had fought—its ability to absorb magic, to counter all elemental attacks—was unlike anything else in this world.
And now, his watch had taken something from it.
But what?
As soon as the afternoon arrived, Samson made his way toward a secluded part of the academy grounds, a quiet clearing near the outer training fields. He needed to test this before nightfall.
He tapped the watch, staring at the golden symbol.
"What are you?"
He tried channeling his mana into it. Nothing.
He tried focusing his thoughts, willing the power to activate. Still nothing.
Frustrated, he exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples.
"Okay. The first three elements were instinctual. The transformations happened on their own. If this one isn't activating..."
That meant either:
1. He wasn't ready to use it yet.
2. It wasn't an element in the traditional sense.
The second thought unsettled him.
Could this be an ability rather than magic? A mutation of the watch's power?
He clenched his jaw.
"Tonight. I need to test this properly. Somewhere I won't be interrupted."
His eyes flicked toward the academy's combat arena.
It was the perfect place.
---
Into the Arena
Night fell swiftly.
Samson slipped through the academy halls, moving carefully to avoid the patrols. Students weren't supposed to use the training facilities unsupervised, but he wasn't about to let that stop him.
By the time he reached the arena, the moon was hanging high above, casting silver light over the stone battleground.
Perfect.
He exhaled, stepping onto the training floor.
"Alright. Let's do this."
He tapped the top switch of the watch, just like he had done before.
This time, instead of thinking of his usual transformations, he focused entirely on the fourth mark.
The golden lion.
A sudden warmth spread through his arm.
The watch pulsed.
Then, something shifted in the air around him.
Samson's skin prickled as an unseen force wrapped around his body, heavier than any element he had used before.
His first instinct was to call lightning, but this wasn't electricity. It wasn't fire or ice either.
Instead—
CLANK!
A nearby pile of discarded training weapons suddenly lurched toward him.
Samson's eyes widened.
The metal was moving.
The wooden hilts of the weapons remained untouched, but anything metal—swords, daggers, even the metal clasps on a distant shield—reacted to his presence.
They weren't just shifting randomly.
They were pulling toward him.
Samson swallowed. His hand trembled as he reached out, focusing.
The weapons stopped.
The metal was responding to his will.
Slowly, he lifted his other hand. The watch shimmered, and suddenly, one of the fallen swords hovered upward, levitating into the air as if held by an invisible string.
Metal magic.
But that didn't make sense.
There was no such thing as metal magic in this world.
---
A New Power—Or a Mystery?
Samson took a steadying breath, watching as the floating sword trembled in the air.
"This shouldn't be possible."
In all his studies, no recorded mage had ever wielded metal as an element. Earth magic controlled stone, but not refined metals. Fire could melt it, sure, but it never manipulated it.
So how?
Then—a memory struck him.
The lion beast.
It had absorbed all elemental magic without taking damage.
At first, he had thought it was just resistant. But now, he realized—
It hadn't resisted magic.
It had conducted it.
Just like iron disperses electricity into the ground.
Magic in this world functioned like raw energy. If something could redirect or neutralize it, then technically...
It wouldn't count as an element.
Could that be what this power is?
If so, then it was unlike anything he had ever encountered.
It wasn't a standard magic type.
It was a fundamental force.
---
Limitations
Excitement surged through him.
But before he could celebrate, a sharp pain flared in his wrist.
The watch's glow flickered.
The hovering sword clattered to the ground.
Samson staggered, his breathing ragged. His limbs suddenly felt heavier, as though his entire body had been weighed down.
His mana was draining too fast.
"Damn it... I can't sustain this for long."
His fingers clenched. He had only scratched the surface of this power, but already, his body was reaching its limit.
Not to mention—
He still couldn't transform.
The lion beast's power was too advanced. Unlike the other three, it wasn't a straightforward element he could just summon at will.
He needed to understand it first.
Control it.
Master it.
He sighed, rubbing his forehead. This was going to take time.
But one thing was certain.
The watch had evolved again.
And whatever this new power was—
It had the potential to change everything.
---
A Silent Departure
Samson took one last look at the watch before flicking his wrist.
The golden lion symbol faded, retreating into dormancy. The metal around him stopped reacting, returning to normal.
For now.
He took a deep breath, steadying himself, before slipping out of the arena under the cover of night.
His heart was still racing.
He had gained a new element—or something close to one. But it was more than that.
This was proof.
The watch wasn't bound to normal magic.
It could adapt. Absorb. Evolve.
And if that was true...
Then there was no telling what other secrets it still held.
Or what it might become.