Redd digested those words carefully while keeping note of the most interesting ones in his opinion.
Aether seemed to be more complicated than he anticipated. But, at the same time, it made sense that it would be this way. Nothing is perfect in the world. Everything has its flaws and drawbacks and since Aether is a part of this world and its most important asset, it would also be logical to think that it has its flaws.
"It's really unperfect," Redd said.
"Hm?"
"Aether, I mean. It's like it doesn't want people to use it. From what you said, the Hunter's Dream allows for a certain number of people to use Aether and yet Aether itself doesn't want it. Why is that?"
Redd's innocent question made Lodra blink a few times. He did indeed have a point. Aether was very powerful but also a very tenacious energy that didn't bend to the will of anyone, not even the Hunter's Dream itself. Which meant that these two entities had conflicting desires. Like a contract that both sides had to follow unwillingly.
That's why humans spent the last few thousand years trying to find a way to truly use Aether to its full potential while reducing the drawbacks that come with it. They all knew that if they made that breakthrough, humans would evolve beyond imagination.
"Hm, well, you do have a point. We still don't know enough about Aether to discover why it's like this."
"I see." Redd nodded his head.
"Anyway, as I was saying. Aether isn't versatile. So, there are only a few ways we know about that it can be used. However, for one individual at a time, they can only use it in one single way and it's determined from the moment they're born."
"Wait, really?!"
"Yes, your body anatomy determines which kind of Aether user you could be. Granted, most people end up never using Aether. But, those who do, can only be one of four categories. Augmenters, Craftsmen, Hexers, and Singulars ."
"Augmenters are the most common out of the bunch. They can imbue their bodies with Aether to enhance their physical capabilities. They're very good at close combat and could deal a good amount of damage. Craftsmen, on the other hand, are the complete opposite of that. They mostly can't fight since it's not their area of expertise. Instead, they're masters of creating artifacts like weapons, spells, potions, armor, and many other things. They're the most important category in the Hunter's Dream. The biggest clans always seek them."
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Because in the Hunter's Dream, your army's strength isn't determined by individual power. But, by the weapons and artifacts your army can use. Most people in the Hunter's Dream never exceed a certain threshold of power because of talent or because they aren't ambitious enough. So, if you have a large group of people with almost similar levels of power, the only thing that could give one side the upper hand on the other is the quality of their weapons. That's where the role of the Craftsmen comes into play."
Redd was rather astonished at how deep the complexity of this place goes. At first, he naively assumed that individual power is everything. But, apparently, he was wrong since even people who can't fight are looked at in high regard because of their skills.
"A good craftsman can mean a war won. It's as effective as that."
"What about the third category? The Hexers, right?"
"The Hexers are… a rather tricky bunch. Fighting them is a very tricky encounter. They can imbue Aether into talismans, curses, and many other supernatural objects to fight with them. It's not rare for even the strongest of individuals to end up dying in the hands of a Hexer because of a curse, a sickness, a poison infused into their bodies, or even by simply exploding into pieces. They're as dangerous as they're fragile and easy to kill when cornered."
"Oh, that sounds scary." Redd blinked in surprise.
Exploding into pieces?
"So, when you end up stumbling upon a Hexer. Never fight them or engage in any form of contact with them. Just leave. Even if you're certain you're stronger."
'Hmm, run away, huh?' Redd grinned inwardly. 'These Hexers sound fun to fight.'
*BONK*
"Ouch! What?!"
"It's all over your face, brat. Don't even think about it and let me finish. The final category is Singulars and they're by far the rarest out of the bunch. As I said before, the abilities one could get are endless, most of them can be categorized into those first three classes. However, in some cases, an ability doesn't fit in any of those classes so, by default, that person is a Singular." Lodra explained. "They are special, ones of a kind. But, that doesn't make them anything great. Since their abilities are so foreign and most of the times useless, they aren't sought after unless they have a powerful ability."
"A singular, huh?" Redd murmured to himself as he memorized all the names of these categories. "So even if you're special, that doesn't mean you're better than others?"
"Yes, most strong warriors are born with abilities that are fairly common."
Which also meant that Redd's power wasn't necessarily great.
"Now, listen closely as what you will do next will determine which type of these you are. Close your eyes."
Redd nodded his head before he did what Lodra asked.
"Now, I want you to ignore all of your senses and simply focus on the Aether you can feel around you. Can you feel it?"
"Yes."
"Good. Try to draw it toward yourself slowly."
"Huh? How do I do that?" Redd asked.
"Just focus on it and try to pull it toward you. Like calling for someone to come towards you."
"Hmm…" Redd tried to imagine himself calling for the Aether. At first, nothing around him happened. So, when he was about to ask why, he suddenly felt a subtle change.
The blue, radiant, and almost translucent particles of Aether around Redd started floating toward him in groups. It was a very slow process.
'Ooooh, it's happening!' Redd smiled in his head as he thought. At that moment, the particles halted in their place.
"Huh? Why did they stop moving?"
"It's because you probably stopped focusing on them."
Redd quickly readjusted his focus and almost immediately, the Aether particles started moving toward him again. Eventually, they reached his body before they started surrounding him.
Lodra watched the sight with focused eyes.
"Now, keep it that way and let the particles determine what you are. If you're an augmenter, a blue and flat Aether circle will appear around your torso or chest. If you're a Craftsman, two circles will appear around the wrists of your hands. If you're a Hexer, the circle will appear around the upper part of your head and if you're a Singular, Aether won't do anything."
Redd didn't answer but he still heard what he said.
'Oh, come on. Give me something cool. Well, they're all cool but I still want to fight from up close so an Augmenter might suit me, or a Singular since my ability is unique. Hmm, or maybe a Hexer too since I can fight from close and afar.'
Time passed slowly before the absorbed Aether particles suddenly exited Redd's body as they slowly surrounded his body, quickly forming a circle around his chest.
'An augmenter, huh? I guess that was predictable.'
As Lodra was about to look away, his eyes caught something.
"Hm?" Looking closely at Redd, Lodra thought he had just seen a faint blue halo appear around Redd's entire body. However, when he blinked, that halo vanished as if it never existed.
"Was I hallucinating?" Lodra kept looking at Redd. It was clear that Redd only had a blue circle around his chest.
'Sigh, I guess old age is getting to me.' He shook his head.
"You're an augmenter, Redd."
"Yeah! I can see that! An augmenter fits me perfectly!"
"They say that the higher the circle that appears around an Augmenter's body, the more talented they are. You have a good talent, kid."
Redd's talent didn't seem to be the best nor the worst. It was just barely above average.
'Considering how absurdly talented he was… I thought Redd might also follow suit. I guess he was lucky enough to avoid being born unique.'
Being unique in the hunter's dream isn't always a blessing. In fact, it was most of the time a curse. People look at strong Hunters in two lights, either awe and admiration or hatred and malice. Most big clans would find such talents as either a good addition they can scout or a threat they should kill if the first option wasn't viable.
How many rising rookies ended up dying brutally in 'Unknown circumstances' or during a monster hunt or a raid? Too many to count. So, seeing Redd's talent, he just felt relieved.