Chapter 103: Learning about new skills

Jelo pushed aside his frustration with the system’s secrecy and decided to move on to the next piece of information. There was still plenty to learn, and dwelling on what the system wouldn’t tell him was a waste of time.

“Alright, system,” Jelo said, refocusing his attention. “Tell me about the second notification. Fire Control has been activated. What does that mean exactly?”

The system’s voice responded promptly, as clear and professional as ever. “Fire Control is exactly as the name suggests. You now possess an elemental affinity for fire and can manipulate flames directly. This ability allows you to generate, shape, extinguish, and command fire according to your will.”

Jelo nodded slowly. “I suspected as much, given that my aspect is fire and everything.” He paused, considering how to phrase his next question. “But I want to know if this ability will come innately. Like, will I just know how to control fire automatically, or do I have to learn it from scratch?”

“Fire Control comes naturally to you as a dragon with a fire aspect,” the system explained. “Basic manipulation—generating flames, directing their movement, adjusting intensity—will feel instinctive, similar to moving your own limbs. However, you will need to practice and develop your skills to unlock advanced techniques and higher levels of Fire Control. Mastery requires experience and deliberate training.”

That made sense to Jelo. It was like having a natural talent for something versus being an expert at it. He could probably create fire and move it around without much thought, but creating complex shapes, controlling multiple flames simultaneously, or using fire in sophisticated ways would require practice and refinement. The foundation was there, but he’d have to build on it himself.

“Okay,” Jelo said, satisfied with that answer. “What about Dragon Aura? What is that?”

“Dragon Aura is essentially presence projection,” the system began. “When activated, it allows you to manifest your power level as a tangible, oppressive force that others can sense and feel. If you are stronger than your opponent, activating Dragon Aura will make them acutely aware of the power gap between you. It creates psychological pressure, inducing fear, hesitation, and doubt in weaker opponents. In practical terms, it can force them to act more cowardly, make them second-guess their decisions, or cause them to lose confidence in their ability to fight you effectively.”

Jelo processed that information, his brow furrowing as he thought through the implications. After a moment, he spoke his thoughts aloud. “That skill seems kind of… redundant, doesn’t it?”

“Explain,” the system prompted.

“Well, if I’m already stronger than an opponent, then I don’t really need any external help to beat them in the first place,” Jelo reasoned. “I should be able to win based on my actual strength and abilities. Having the opponent stunned or intimidated by my presence wouldn’t really make a practical difference to the outcome of the fight. They were going to lose anyway.”

The system remained silent, neither confirming nor denying his assessment.

Jelo continued thinking out loud, working through the logic. “Unless… I suppose if I’m in a fight with maybe ten or more weaker opponents at once. Then having Dragon Aura would actually help, wouldn’t it? If I’m outnumbered but individually stronger than each of them, the aura could break their coordination, make them panic or retreat, reduce their effectiveness as a group.” A small smile formed on his face as he reached that conclusion. “Yeah, okay. I guess the skill can be pretty useful in specific situations. Mass intimidation. Crowd control without actually fighting.”

It made more sense when he thought about it that way. Dragon Aura wasn’t meant for one-on-one duels where strength would naturally determine the victor. It was a tool for handling multiple weaker enemies simultaneously, or for ending conflicts before they even started by making opponents too afraid to engage. Psychological warfare rather than physical combat.

Jelo turned to Mira, who had been watching him quietly during his conversation with the system. “Okay, so the system just explained two of the new abilities to me,” he said. “First is Fire Control. Basically, I have an elemental affinity for fire now. I can create flames and manipulate them naturally, though I’ll need to practice to get really good at it. Advanced techniques and higher levels of control will come with training and experience.”

Mira’s eyes widened with interest. “So you can just… create fire? Out of nothing?”

“Apparently,” Jelo confirmed. “I haven’t tried it yet, but the system says it should feel instinctive.”

“That’s amazing,” Mira said, genuine awe in her voice. “Fire is one of the most destructive elements. If you can control it freely…”

“Yeah,” Jelo agreed. The implications were significant. Fire could be used offensively, defensively, for utility purposes like light and heat. It opened up entirely new tactical options.

“The second ability is called Dragon Aura,” Jelo continued. “It’s basically a presence projection. If I activate it and I’m stronger than my opponents, they’ll feel my power level and it’ll make them scared or hesitant. It’s psychological warfare, good for intimidating multiple weaker enemies or ending fights before they start.”

Mira nodded thoughtfully, absorbing the information. “So it’s like… a fear effect? Making people too afraid to fight you properly?”

“Something like that,” Jelo confirmed. “The system said it can make them act more cowardly or make them doubt themselves. Break their confidence.”

“That could be really useful,” Mira observed. “Especially if you’re outnumbered. You wouldn’t have to waste energy fighting everyone individually if you could just scare most of them into backing down.”

“That’s what I figured too,” Jelo said.

As Jelo explained his new abilities, Mira’s mind began to wander into deeper, more complicated territory. She stood there listening to him, nodding along, but internally she was thinking about something that had been bothering her for a while now.

Before today, before this evolution, she had already realized that Jelo was quite different from every other student at the Military Academy. His abilities weren’t like normal superpowers. They didn’t fit into the established categories that educators and researchers used to classify ability users. He could do things that shouldn’t be possible—consuming Dabba hearts to gain strength, accessing some kind of game-like system that tracked his progress and gave him quests, evolving beyond human limitations.

His abilities seemed to have the potential to outclass not just every other student, but perhaps some of the highest-ranked supers in the world. The top-tier ability users—the S-ranks and beyond—were already considered near-superhuman, capable of feats that defied conventional understanding. Yet Jelo, at only level four in his system, was already demonstrating capabilities that rivaled or exceeded what many of those elite supers could accomplish.

As a result of this realization, Mira found herself feeling a little worried about Jelo’s power and what he intended to do with it. Power corrupted. Everyone knew that. History was full of examples of people who started with good intentions but were twisted by the strength they accumulated. Would Jelo be different? Would he stay the person she knew—kind, protective, somewhat awkward—or would his growing power change him into something else?

Now that the system had evolved into something that seemed even more powerful than its previous version, Jelo was definitely stronger and more powerful than most of the students at the Military Academy. Probably all of them, if Mira was being honest with herself. Even the top students in the advanced classes, the ones who were being groomed for military leadership positions and elite combat units, wouldn’t stand a chance against what Jelo had become.

She wondered if he had realized how powerful he truly was. Did he understand the magnitude of what he was becoming? Did he grasp that he now had the potential to stand among the world’s strongest ability users, maybe even surpass them eventually?

And if he hadn’t realized it yet, what would happen when he did? What would his plans be once he fully understood the scope of his own strength?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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