“How lucky were we to find a Gearsmith, right, Kaelar?” Andre said with a smile as he sat beside the driver’s seat of the now-fixed Manashift Cruiser.
We had just taken off from the village that had been assaulted by a young Sky Dragon. We spent about an hour helping them out with the post-destruction aftermath.
Fortunately, no one had died, and only a few were seriously injured. As a token of gratitude, the villagers introduced us to a Gearsmith who lived some distance away from the village.
Through [Appraisal], I discovered that the Gearsmith was Level 24, and his class was indeed Gearsmith.
‘So, the jobs in this world equate to classes? No... It doesn’t work that way for Hana, Andre, and Kaelar. Their classes reflect their combat specializations.’
‘Could it mean that the classes shown on the status screen represent what individuals are more inclined toward in terms of ability and skill level?’ I wondered.
That was the most logical conclusion I could reach. The class attribute seemed to be more of an indicator of a person’s skills and capabilities rather than their actual profession.
The Gearsmith, named Baff Regge, was a kind elderly Stonekin, around 364 years old.
He thanked us for saving the village and expressed his gratitude because his family, who lived there, came out of the ordeal unscathed. He even offered to repair the Cruiser for free, but Andre insisted on paying.
I initially thought the Manashift Cruiser was beyond repair and assumed we’d need to get a new one, but Kaelar explained that as long as the parts were salvageable, a skilled Gearsmith could work wonders and rebuild the entire thing.
Depending on their skill level, a high-level Gearsmith could potentially improve the Manashift Cruiser beyond its original state, while a lower-level Gearsmith might only restore it to a functional condition, albeit with some parts missing or underperforming.
After Baff Regge finished his repairs, the Manashift Cruiser looked as good as new, albeit with a few scratches here and there. Andre paid him 2,500 Luma and thanked him for his assistance.
The transaction made me realize I had some money on me as well. I’d have to check how much I had later and figure out the exchange rates in this world.
I was also curious to see how wealthy I was in this world.
Now, after about two hours, we were back on the road, heading toward Drakenfall.
“It’s surprising to find a mid-level Gearsmith in such a small village. He must have been honing his craft since childhood,” Kaelar responded to Andre’s earlier comment.
“I don’t think it’s much of a surprise; most Stonekins tend to excel at these kinds of things,” Hana added.
“Well, either way, we’re back on our journey. Just three more days until we reach Drakenfall.”
As they continued their conversation, I drifted into my own thoughts.
‘Celestra... I noticed the Gearsmith using it while he repaired the Cruiser. It happened right after he activated his skills, though it seemed like he wasn’t consciously aware of it.’
While Baff Regge was rebuilding the Manashift Cruiser, I kept an eye on his status screen. I observed his Celestra bar gradually decrease whenever he used a skill.
When the Celestra bar was critically low, he would either stop using skills for a while or take a break. In either case, the bar would slowly refill over time until it was full again.
I also heard him grumble about how the job of a Gearsmith wasn’t easy and how frustrating it was to recover his mana slowly.
‘He referred to the Celestra recovery as mana recovery whenever he took breaks. So, is Celestra just another term for mana, or is there a difference?’
‘When the Celestial Concord members fought the Sky Dragon earlier, I noticed the same phenomenon. But unlike the Gearsmith, the Celestial Concord members seemed strategic in their use of Celestra.’
Andre, Hana, and Kaelar only activated skills when absolutely necessary, focusing more on their base stats and weapons, which led to another question.
‘What’s the difference between Skills and Abilities? Everyone has these two categories on their status screen, but what sets them apart?’
So far, I had only seen people using Skills, but no one had activated any Ability.
I was hoping for a system screen to pop up and explain it to me, but nothing happened.
‘I guess I shouldn’t be surprised... sigh.’
It seemed that the pop-up screens only appeared when they pertained directly to my status screen or someone else’s status screen.
‘Well, I guess I’ll figure it out eventually. I should be grateful I survived the dragon encounter, if anything. Wait a sec, now that I think about it...’
“Hey, Andre, aren’t you a dragon? Didn’t we just fight your kind, or are your races like cousins or something?”
I had to ask. I’d never really thought about it before, but Andre was an Aether Dragon—whatever that meant—and we’d just fought a Sky Dragon. There had to be a difference.
Suddenly, a heavy mood settled over the Cruiser. Kaelar and Hana shifted uncomfortably, as if something was wrong. They even started sweating a bit. As I glanced at them, I began to feel uneasy too.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
‘Did I say something wrong?’
Andre must have picked up on the tension in the Cruiser as well.
“It’s fine, everyone. If Jay’s asking a question like that, it truly means he has no memories of this world at all. The Aether Dragons and the Sky Dragons are not the same, Jay.”
He continued, “We Aether Dragons are a proud race of intelligent lifeforms. Sky Dragons, on the other hand, are mindless monsters. Comparing Aether Dragons to Sky Dragons is like comparing Kaelar to a Barewolf or an Undine to a fish. They’re fundamentally different.”
“If anything, that’s probably the gravest insult you could make against a race, and saying something like that could get you killed on the spot. I understand your current situation, but others won’t care to listen and will most likely react violently the moment you utter those words.”
“So, try to be careful when speaking to other races. I’d suggest running anything potentially controversial by one of us first. Is that okay?”
Andre was calm as he spoke, showing no sign of offense.
Hana and Kaelar immediately breathed a sigh of relief after he finished talking.
“Oh... I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that. I apologize,” I quickly responded. I didn’t want to come off as rude.
“It’s fine.” He gave me a reassuring smile.
‘This guy... he’s too nice,’ I thought to myself.
Once again, I glanced at his status screen.
==============================
[TARGET STATUS]
────────────────────────────
Name: Andre Volck
Race: Aether Dragon
Class: Hex Mage
Level: 13 (■■)
────────────────────────────
Health (HP): 2,910 / 2,910
Celestra: 3,195 / 3,195
Stamina: 1,557 / 1,557
────────────────────────────
[Attributes]:
* Strength: 68
* Dexterity: 62
* Endurance: 63
* Intelligence: 71
* Charisma: 48
* Luck: 13
────────────────────────────
[Known Skills]:
* [Arcane Disruption] (Lv. 2): Interrupts spellcasting, silences enemies for 5 seconds
* [Elemental Bolt] (Lv. 2): 150 elemental damage + 5% chance of status effect (burn, freeze, shock, stun)
────────────────────────────
[Known Abilities]:
* [Elemental Mastery]: Enhances the potency of all elemental attacks, increasing damage and duration of status effects by 15%
────────────────────────────
[Affiliations]:
* Faction: The Northern Aetherian Order, Celestial Concord
* Standing: The Northern Aetherian Order Representative, Celestial Concord candidate
────────────────────────────
Power Level: 36
Rank: D
────────────────────────────
[System Note]: His hair is very sleek in his true form.
==============================
He must have noticed me staring at him because he suddenly said, “In case you’re wondering, yes, I do have a dragon form.”
“A dragon form?!” I exclaimed, eyes wide.
I hadn’t been thinking about that, but now I was definitely interested.
“Yeah, he does. All Aether Dragons do,” Kaelar chimed in with a small smile. “They’re far more powerful in that form, although it makes traveling in a Cruiser a lot harder due to their size. Plus, they hate being ridden.”
‘Oh! That must explain the restricted information next to his actual level on the status screen. It’s probably his level in dragon form,’ I realized.
‘Is it restricted because I don’t have enough authority or for some other reason?’ I wondered.
“We prefer our humanoid forms,” Andre added. “It’s more refined and comfortable for us. We rarely ever shift into our dragon forms. This size suits us better.”
“Whoa! Can I see it?!” My eyes sparkled with anticipation. I wanted to know if it looked anything like the Sky Dragon we encountered earlier.
“Tch! There you go again. Don’t ask things like that. Aether Dragons aren’t here for your entertainment,” Hana snapped.
“That’s also not something you just casually ask an Aether Dragon,” Kaelar said with a nervous laugh, casting a glance at Andre.
“Oh... I’m sorry. I didn’t know that was insulting too,” I said, trying to sound genuinely remorseful.
‘Ugh, so many rules. This is going to be tough,’ I thought.
“It’s fine, just be careful when speaking to others,” Andre said, still smiling warmly.
“If it makes you feel any better, I’ve never actually seen an Aether Dragon in their dragon form either,” Kaelar admitted.
“Really?” I asked, surprised.
“It’s a rare sight,” he replied. “They simply prefer their humanoid forms. That’s all there is to it.”
“Ignorant,” Hana muttered, clearly directing her comment at me.
“Hey, the kid’s got amnesia. He doesn’t know what’s going on, so cut him some slack,” Kaelar said, smirking at Hana.
“That’s his problem, not mine,” Hana shot back, not missing a beat. “With that loose mouth of his, it wouldn’t surprise me if he got himself killed by one of the races.”
“Ooh, maybe you should teach him then. We can’t have you crying again if he gets hurt, can we?” Kaelar taunted her.
“Huh?! You wanna go? That dragon earlier was barely a warm-up. I don’t mind putting you six feet under right now,” Hana said, her eyes narrowing as she reached for the dual guns at her sides.
“Now, now, let’s all calm down,” Andre interjected, trying to defuse the tension with a nervous smile.
As I watched their interaction, I realized how close they were, almost like siblings. Andre had the vibe of an older sister, while Kaelar and Hana were like bickering twins.
“You guys have only been together for 15 days, yet you’re already so comfortable around each other,” I observed, leaning back in my seat.
“And earlier, during the Sky Dragon fight, you coordinated almost seamlessly, like you’ve been fighting together for years. How do you explain that?” I asked, genuinely curious.
Kaelar shrugged, a thoughtful look crossing his face. “Well, when you’re born into a world like this—filled with monsters, mana storms, and who knows what else—it’s basically a battle for survival every single day.”
“You get used to adapting quickly. It’s not something you can avoid.”
Andre nodded in agreement. “You learn to fight regardless of the situation. Whether alongside allies or against enemies, you figure out how to hold your own. That’s just the reality here. Each race has its own approach to combat, and we’ve all had to adapt, even if our methods differ.”
Hana surprisingly decided to chime in. “Not everyone is born with a natural talent for combat. Verenthia’s population is around 12 million, but only about 80% actually have some form of combat ability,” she said, her tone softer than usual.
“The rest... well, they focus on other aspects of survival, like crafting, healing, or managing the cities.”
Andre chuckled lightly. “You can’t really blame them. Not everyone enjoys the thrill of battle. Some people would rather live peacefully if they can. But for the rest of us, fighting is just a way of life.”
I nodded, taking it all in. It made sense why they seemed so in sync despite barely knowing each other.
“So, it’s not that you all understand each other perfectly,” I concluded, piecing it together, “but more like you’re drawing from years of experience fighting alongside or against countless others.”
“Exactly,” Kaelar confirmed, flashing a grin. “It’s like muscle memory at this point. Doesn’t matter who’s beside you—you just know how to react, adapt, and adjust based on what you’ve seen over the years. Sometimes, it’s not about trust or familiarity, just skill and instincts honed over countless battles.”
“Interesting,” I mused, finally understanding. “That kind of experience... it’s not something you can teach, is it?”
Kaelar shook his head. “Nope. You have to live through it, bleed for it, and fight to keep breathing. That’s the only way you learn.”
“I see... I’ll just have to learn the hard way, I guess,” I sighed, feeling a bit disheartened.
"Don’t worry too much; that's why you have us, right Andre?" Kaelar said, throwing an arm around my shoulder.
"I don’t mind," Andre replied, his usual smile in place. "He’s got some potential."
‘Wait, what’s going on right now?’ I thought, utterly confused.
“Umm, I don’t understand. What do you guys mean?”
“Isn’t it obvious? We’re going to train you!” Kaelar declared, flashing a huge grin. “You’ll need at least some combat experience if you want to pass the human test, won’t you?”
I was stunned. I never expected this from them. They must have really taken a liking to me.
“Are you serious?! I can’t believe this! Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!”
I was practically bouncing with excitement. If I could get training from these guys, I might be able to hold my own—not against a Sky Dragon, of course, but maybe a Vergrizzler wouldn’t be a problem… probably.
“But what made you change your minds?” I asked, a bit suspicious of their sudden offer.
“Nothing much,” Kaelar replied with a shrug. “We were originally going to drop you off at Drakenfall, but after you expressed interest in joining the Celestial Concord and seeing how you handled yourself since we met, we figured you’d be a great fit.”
Andre's expression turned serious yet understanding. “For starters, it's clear you have potential. Even with no prior training, you held your ground against that Sky Dragon.”
He paused, letting his words sink in. “Thrown into a life-or-death situation, instead of freezing up, you reacted on instinct and even managed to land a blow that actually hurt it. That shows you can think under pressure, which is crucial for a candidate.”
Andre’s gaze bore into me as if evaluating every ounce of my resolve. “You’ve also shown resilience and adaptability—qualities needed for a Celestial Concord candidate.”
“Sure, it might have been luck that you survived, but that kind of tenacity, that willingness to push forward even when terrified, is what makes a true fighter.”
“With proper training, you could be much more than just a survivor,” Kaelar chimed in.
“We need people who can adapt to any situation, and you’ve shown promise, even if it was by accident.”
“Wow, thank you so much! I won’t disappoint you!” I said, pumping my fist in the air with enthusiasm.
“I still vote to drop him off at Drakenfall and let him fend for himself,” Hana muttered.
All three of us turned to stare at her, our faces blank.
“What?” she snapped, glaring back at us.
“Just ignore her,” Kaelar said with a laugh.
Andre shook his head, clearly used to their bickering. “We’ll start your training after we pick up the StoneKin candidate. It’ll last until we reach Raldorin, so be prepared.”
“Yes, sir!” I shouted, my excitement renewed.
And just like that, three days flew by, and we arrived in Drakenfall.