Chapter 161: Elemental Body [Class Slot {1/1}] [Class: Elemental Mage] [Skills: Elemental Attack, Elemental Body] [Duration: 24 hours] Staring at the notifications flashing across his retina, Moon’s previous assumptions were immediately and conclusively confirmed. Selene had successfully evolved her Four Elements Affinity skill during their rest period following the feast, and the resulting ability—Elemental Body—was distinctly different from his own Five Element Affinity evolution path. ’Let’s see what this skill actually does in practice,’ Moon thought with a genuine tinge of excitement at the prospect of mastering this powerful Epic-rank skill through practice and deep comprehension. Moon currently possessed three Epic-rank skills in his personal arsenal: Tenacity, Five Element Affinity, and Ignite. All three were formidable abilities in their own distinct ways, each contributing meaningfully to his overall combat effectiveness and survivability. What made him particularly excited about this new acquisition was the fundamental fact that Elemental Body represented a clear variation of his own elemental skill foundation. This high degree of conceptual overlap theoretically meant the skill should be considerably easier to comprehend and integrate through practical application over a relatively shorter time investment compared to unrelated abilities. Unlike Explosive Flame—which he’d copied from Kael and painstakingly comprehended through extensive practice before evolving it into Ignite through massive life expenditure—this skill shared extremely high compatibility with abilities he already possessed good mastery over. [Elemental Body] [Rank: Epic] [Proficiency: 0%] [Details: Your body has been fundamentally tempered by the four classical elements: water, fire, earth, and wind. You gain exceptionally strong affinity with all four elements, granting significantly superior control and raw power. +10% Elemental Control. +10% Resistance to the four elements.] Staring at the detailed skill description with growing understanding, Moon’s eyes widened momentarily. The skill was unquestionably powerful in multiple dimensions, remarkably unique in its defensive approach compared to his purely offensive elemental skills, and absolutely useful as an addition to his combat toolkit. Having substantially higher resistance to the four primary classical elements would prove incredibly valuable in numerous combat scenarios. Not only would elemental attacks from more powerful A-rank and S-rank beasts cause dramatically less damage to his physical body, but he’d also inflict considerably less collateral self-harm when casting devastating close-range spells like Ignite at dangerously close proximity to his own position. The burn damage and residual heat that currently forced him to maintain certain minimum safe distances could potentially be mitigated enough to allow near point-blank detonations without suffering major injuries himself. As for the elemental control bonus, Moon wasn’t entirely certain whether that percentage buff would stack additively alongside his Five Element Affinity’s existing bonuses or if they operated through separate systems. That would require testing to determine definitively. Selene didn’t waste much time finishing off the level twenty-four beast. By the time Moon completed reading the skill description and began processing its usefulness, she’d already eliminated the creature efficiently and stored its corpse in her spatial storage ring. "Let’s keep moving forward," Selene said with a noticeably happy smile, clearly satisfied with her new power as she rejoined the group. The expedition continued their purposeful journey toward Tagul Mountain’s volcanic depths and the Magma King’s lair. During the travel, Moon began openly experimenting with his newly acquired skill, testing the its capabilities and limitations through use. He summoned small orbs of controlled flame that he kept juggling between both hands, their heat carefully regulated. Sharp wind blades that he formed and dispersed repeatedly, sharp pins of earth. Yara, observing his unusual behavior with growing curiosity, couldn’t resist asking, "Moon, what exactly are you doing? You’re playing around with so many different elements simultaneously. It’s the first time I’ve seen you practice like this during travel, are you worried about something?" Hearing the question, Selene also turned her attention toward them, her observant eyes landing on Moon with subtle suspicion. Moon wasn’t fazed by the inquiry nor did he become flustered at being caught, he wasn’t hiding his use after all. "I’m just bored from the journey, so I decided to create random things to occupy my hands and mind. It also helps me maintain good connection with my elemental affinities, it improves my precise control ever so slightly through constant practice without wasting mana." Yara’s expression shifted to understanding acceptance, her mouth forming a small "oh" moment. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶 Selene, however, didn’t seem entirely convinced by the casual explanation. Her eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly with thought. But she chose not to comment or challenge his stated reasoning aloud. Moon continued his practice. An hour had barely passed since he’d begun testing the elements directly on his own body—making flames hot enough to cause minor burns on his skin, creating earth spikes sharp enough to produce small cuts, subjecting himself to wind blade grazes—before his proficiency increased by leaps and bounds. [Elemental Body] [Rank: Epic] [Proficiency: 35%] [Details: Your body has been tempered by the four elements: water, fire, earth, and wind. You gain exceptionally strong affinity with all four elements, granting significantly superior control and power. +30% Elemental Control. +30% Resistance to the four elements.] Moon was pleasantly surprised by the rapid progression rate, though upon reflection he understood the underlying reasons perfectly well. His natural affinity toward elemental manipulation was extraordinarily high—Epic rank in his case with five elements rather than four. Just like he predicted, the proficiency would rise quickly. During this practice, Moon had come to the understanding that the main challenge in comprehending this skill lay purely in the physical adaptation component—he simply needed to train and condition his body, exposing it repeatedly to the four classical elements in controlled doses, tempering his flesh and nervous system until his natural resistance kept steadily increasing. It was more physical conditioning than anything else. Just like his previous bronze skin skill, Moon understood that this skill would require will and perseverance to acquire. By the time they reached the Magma King’s territory, Moon intended to have this skill comprehended as thoroughly as possible to increase his chances of winning. Every advantage mattered when facing S-rank threats.