As Northern and his group stepped onto the airship, the crew began moving around with practiced efficiency, adjusting the sails and checking the glowing runes that lined the ship's edges.
The air was filled with the sounds of creaking wood and soft commands, blending into the steady hum of activity.
Shin and Ryan stood beside him, both casting curious glances around the ship, though Shin's calm demeanor betrayed little of his thoughts.
Ryan, on the other hand, seemed captivated by every little thing he saw on the ship.
It made Northern wonder if he had never been on an airship before. But that was impossible- they had all been in one before being sent to the Dark Continent.
Northern sighed and looked away.
Now that he thought about it, he realized he didn't know much about Ryan, aside from the fact that he was silent most of the time and had an insanely broken talent that allowed him to control ice.
'I wonder what his profile is like.'
Northern blinked once, his mouth dropping slightly as Ryan's soul profile manifested as letters on panels before his eyes.
True Name: Frozen Flames
Attributes: [Ice and Fire]
Soul Core Saturation: [Mid]
Talent Ability: [Ice Manipulation], [Shards of Ice], [Ice Meteor]
There it is... that broken ability that costs five thousand fragments. Damn, I want it so bad... or should I just save for it?'
Northern was faced with the dilemma once again. It was like he wanted something so badly, but he couldn't afford it because he was just so broke.
Ryan's ice ability was so powerful, and considering Northern's talents were more related to fire, it would be a huge step up.
He stood frozen for a while, staring at Ryan's soul profile, particularly his talent.
Then something clicked in his mind.
'Wait, that's true! If I choose not to use all my talents, I get one thousand talent fragments for each unused slot. If I leave five slots empty, that's five thousand talent fragments... I'd be able to get it.'
But then a question followed.
'Would it be worth it?'
Sacrificing five talents for one ability was a lot, but at the same time, Ryan's ability was worth more than five low-level talents.
Not to mention the potential it held. Yet, while Northern wanted it badly because of how powerful it was, he began to ask himself if it suited his playstyle.
'Should I go copying every goddamn talent out there just because I can? Or should I focus on talents that fit my style and create a synergy with my true essence?'
Somehow, the ice ability didn't seem to fit. If he could obtain it without sacrificing five slots, maybe it would've been different.
But sacrificing five slots meant giving up five potential talents that could merge well with Void and Chaos to create a synergy far beyond Ryan's ice ability.
Even with all these thoughts surfacing, Northern still craved the damned talent.
He sighed. 'I don't have to decide immediately... let's not think too much about it.'
He dismissed the soul profile and looked around. The ship seemed to be preparing to set sail, and most of the passengers were already inside.
However, a few still lingered around the deck, including Alystren, who leaned casually against the railing, arms crossed as he gazed out over the city below. He seemed completely at ease, as though this was just another routine journey for him.
The sails above began to unfurl slowly, each one catching the light breeze that swept through the docks.
They shimmered faintly, the threads of soul essence woven into their fabric glowing as they caught the wind.
"Brace yourselves," Alystren said over his shoulder without looking at Northern. His voice was barely loud enough to hear over the increasing noise of the ship's preparations. "The lift- off's always a bit jarring for first-timers."
'Jarring? How jarring could it be? I've been on a ship befo-'
Northern's eyes narrowed slightly as he felt a shift in the air. The hum beneath his feet grew stronger, the wooden deck vibrating in time with the pulsing energy of the ship.
He glanced over at the thick ropes that still anchored them to the platform, watching as the runes etched into the wood began to glow brighter.
Then, with a sudden, almost imperceptible lurch, the ship began to rise.
The sensation was unlike anything Northern had experienced.
Now that he thought about it, he'd never experienced a ship's takeoff before. The first and only airship he had been on, he was teleported into it midair.
At the very least, Northern had expected a jerking movement, something that would throw him off his feet. Instead, it was smooth-like being lifted by an invisible hand.
The airship gracefully ascended toward the sky. The ropes that had anchored them snapped free, recoiling back to the dock as the ship floated higher and higher.
Northern gripped the railing, his eyes widening as the platform beneath them shrank away.
The city of Elmuish spread out below, its twisted wooden structures and towering pillars fading into the distance as they climbed into the clouds.
The air grew cooler, and the wind whistled through the sails. The hum of the ship's energy grew steadier now, matching the rhythm of the wind.
Northern exhaled slowly, his grip on the railing loosening as he took in the view below.
For a moment, the world seemed small-like a distant memory fading into the background.
Alystren walked to his side, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "First time on an airship, eh?" he asked without looking over.
Northern lingered for a moment before nodding. "Yeah... apparently."
Alystren chuckled. "Pretty smooth, ain't it?"
"Not what I expected. It's different."
"That's the beautiful thing about wooden-built ships."
Alystren smirked, taking out a pipe and igniting it with a thin black rod that birthed a spark.
"You'll get used to it. The skies have a way of making everything down there feel
Northern didn't respond, his eyes still locked on the shrinking city below.
For a brief moment, he blanked out, his foresight called by the chaos ahead in the timeline.
His eyes regained focus almost immediately, and his expression darkened.
"Boy, something wrong?"
'Should I tell him or should I not...'