â You may advance from the 1st class Dragon Rider to the 2nd class Dragon Rider Chief.
â Would you like to advance to the 2nd class?
Despite not knowing what â2nd class advancementâ or âDragon Rider Chiefâ meant, Seon-Hyeokâs eyes grew wide as he heard the message. His bewilderment only lasted a moment, however, and he shouted cheerfully.
âHell yeah, I will! Iâm advancing!â
Although he suffered during the early levels, he was only able to reach his current status because he became a dragon rider. There was no reason to refuse the 2nd class advancement.
â You have advanced from Dragon Rider to Dragon Rider Chief.
As soon as the message disappeared, a brilliant flash of light enveloped his entire body.
He felt uplifted. The fatigue from his repeated, high-intensity training was completely blown away, and new vitality took its place.
â Status elements have been added and changed while advancing from Dragon Rider to Dragon Rider Chief.
â All stat values have increased slightly as a result of your advancement.
â Leadership has been added as a basic stat as a result of your advancement.
â The skill âCommand Squadâ has been added under possessed skills as a result of your advancement.
â The dragons tamed category has been renamed âDragon Squadâ.
â Drake (Goldrake) (Earth) (Lv. 06) has been added to the Dragon Squad.
Upon hearing the message, Seon-Hyeok immediately opened his status window to see the changes.
o Wind / Attribute Control 99
o Earth / Attribute Control 53
o Low-Tier Wind Spirit (Atiya)
o Drake (Goldrake) (Earth) / Obedience 100
§ Condition â Full, Sleeping
â Strength 37 / Stamina 35 / Agility 37 / Leadership 26 / Magic Resistance 48
o Dragon Riding (Low Tier)
o Command Squad (Low Tier)
o Attribute Weapons Mastery (High Tier) (Wind) (Earth)
§ Advanced Horsemanship + Charging = Complete Charging (Wind)
o Abnormal Spearmanship (Highest Tier) (Wind) (Earth) ââ Abnormal Cavalry Spearmanship (Highest Tier) (Wind) (Earth)
o Standard Kingdom Swordsmanship (Mid Tier) (Wind) (Earth) ââ Standard Kingdom Cavalry Swordsmanship (Mid Tier) (Wind) (Earth)
o Heavy Armor Proficiency (50kg) ââ Heavy Cavalry Armor Proficiency (90kg)
o Infantry Shield Proficiency (High Tier) (Earth) ââ Cavalry Shield Proficiency (High Tier) (Earth)
o Manual Labor / Civil Engineering (High Tier) (Earth)
The rank of chief or sergeant felt strangely familiar, but that wasnât important. What really mattered was the changes in his stats. The most noticeable changes were the newly created leadership stat, Command Squad skill, and the Dragon Squad category. It wasnât difficult to understand what kind of class the Dragon Rider Chief was based on these three new or altered entries. The Dragon Rider Chief specialized in commanding a dragon army.
[Now youâre one step closer to me.]
It was a voice he hadnât heard in a long time, but the dragon spoke like that wasnât the case.
âWow. Itâs been a while, dragon.â
Excited about reaching the 2nd class advancement that he didnât even know existed, he greeted the dragon joyfully.
[What an odd greeting. Like I said, your words and attitude are not compatibleâŠ]
âBut I donât even know your name yet! Thereâs nothing I can call you.â
[You are not yet worthy of knowing my name. When you build on the steps you have taken and the advancement you reached today to eventually come to me, you will be able to call me by my name.]
Seon-Hyeok found it surprising how the dragon could convey simple ideas in such a difficult manner. However, by now, he was used to the dragonâs speech, and he asked about the Dragon Rider Chief class instead of being taken aback.
[Gather the dragon subspecies scattered around the world. They will be your new strength.]
It was the right thing to say to the Dragon Rider Chief, who had the ability to command a dragon squad. However, there was a problem. Even if there were other subspecies aside from the drake, he had no means of locating them.
âIâm not in a situation where I can freely wander the world. Itâd be nice if you told me where those other subspecies are.â
In this world, it took almost a month to cross a kingdom located in the east, so how could he leave his territory unattended to search everywhere without knowing where the dragon subspecies were? The dragon didnât exactly answer his question.
[Find the smallest and weakest subspecies of dragon, one which has abandoned its form and maintained its aura of mystery.]
âThe smallest dragon species? Whatâs that?â
The dragon paused for a moment before responding.
[Fairy Dragon. That is the first guide you must find.]
The huge monster fell flat on the floor at his command.
The monster expressed his disapproval by huffing roughly, but he did not disobey Seon-Hyeokâs orders. The beast lowered his rear onto the ground and awaited the next command.
âOh. It really works?â
Seon-Hyeok celebrated as he saw Goldrake repeatedly sitting and standing up at his command.
Until now, Goldrake had been stubborn despite his obedience stat reaching 100. But now that Seon-Hyeok reached his 2nd class advancement, Goldrake faithfully carried out his demands like an obedient dog.
This was the strength of the Dragon Rider Chief â the power of âCommand Squadâ. The ability most certainly was not given so that he could treat the giant monster like a puppy, but it was a huge benefit for him to be able to control Goldrake at a distance. Thanks to this, he no longer had to worry about micromanaging Goldrake. He gave Goldrake a variety of instructions as an experiment, and Goldrake learned his commands through trial and error.
âUhh. I donât think this will work. I really donât think so.â
âIâll give you a vacation using my authority as company commander.â
Seon-Hyeok exercised his authority as he looked at Hansen, face pale as he stood in front of Goldrake laying on his stomach.
âNo matter how nice vacations are, thisâŠâ
âNot three days, but a week! A week of paid leave. You still donât want to?â
Hearing his offer, Hansen clenched his teeth and seemed to make up his mind.
âFine. A man can only die once.â
âOh! Hansen. Youâre so cool!â
The riders in the surrounding area cheered Hansen on for his determination.
âThen letâs begin.â
Seon-Hyeok gave a look at the determined Hansen.
âUh. Donât bite. Good boy?â
Hansen stuttered forward and stood close to Goldrake. His eyes were fixed on the monsterâs eyes as they followed his movements.
âAh, youâre such a coward. What are you doing! Get on already.â
âUgh. Fine. All right. All right!â
At his urging, Hansen closed his eyes and climbed onto the specially designed drake saddle.
âWhoa, whoa. Good boy. Stay still, Goldie.â
When someone other than his owner got on his back, Goldrake growled threateningly and expressed his disapproval. Seon-Hyeok hurried forward to calm down his drake. Thanks to this, Goldrake did not bite Hansen or cause an incident.
âOkay. Get up. Thatâs right.â
Goldrake slowly rose at his command.
Surprised at how high he rose, Hansen let out a strange noise between a scream and a groan. However, his reluctance was only temporary, and the simple and ignorant Hansen quickly let out a cheer.
âWow! This is awesome!â
Seon-Hyeok clenched his fist in victory when Goldrake didnât cause trouble even with Hansen on his back.
He was currently testing his âCommand Squadâ skill, a unique ability of the Dragon Rider Chief. It was an important test to see to what extent Goldrake would follow his instructions after he followed minor commands flawlessly.
The experiment was a success. In the past, the drake would threaten anyone who wasnât his owner if they approached. Today, however, he allowed a different human onto his back.
At this point, it could be said that his commands were being prioritized over the drakeâs natural ferocity and instincts.
âIf things go well, I really could make a Dragon Squad.â
Since he advanced to the Dragon Rider Chief class, which had the ability to control a unit, couldnât he look forward to forming a squad of dragon subspecies? Today was the first step towards that goal, and it had been a success.
âUgh. But where do I find those subspecies.â
The problem was that the only dragon subspecies he had successfully tamed was Goldrake. He had no idea about the whereabouts of the fairy dragon, supposedly his guide to the other dragons.
His concentration was momentarily broken while he was deep in thought, and the moment of carelessness almost caused an incident. The calm Goldrake took advantage of the opportunity to cause a disturbance.
âNo! Goldie! Back off!â
Hansen screamed and rolled onto the ground, and Goldrake opened its maw as if to devour the rider. Panicking, Seon-Hyeok rushed forward to avert disaster. He repeatedly smacked Goldrake on the back of his head.
âHansen. Are you okay?â
After checking that the drake was deflated and no longer acting violent after being hit, Seon-Hyeok asked whether Hansen was fine.
âUhh⊠I⊠think so?â
His words were jumbled. Hansenâs front teeth were broken.
Despite his face being covered in blood, Hansen looked happy at the prospect of having a week off. Seon-Hyeok felt bad for him and added another three days to his week-long vacation.
Hansen cheered excitedly, and he even said heâd like to ride the drake again if he got the chance, showing a surprisingly positive attitude.
âJulian. Give Hansen money for his vacation and medical expenses.â
He knew Hansen didnât completely neglect his body, and that he would find new teeth or something if given the funds.
After that day, Seon-Hyeok refrained from conducting additional experiments. There had been an accident during the process, but he was able to confirm the potential for a dragon rider unit. For the time being, however, it remained nothing more than an idea, as Goldrake was the only dragon subspecies under his control.
The important part was finding additional dragon species. Sadly, however, the dragon had not told him where to search. He had to do the legwork himself, as he didnât even know the location of the fairy dragon, which was supposed to act as his guide.
âWhere can I get the most information about monsters?â
Whether or not they were dragon species, they would have all been classified as monsters. He thought it would be possible to get relevant information by asking around on the distribution of monsters, and he asked Julian where he could gather as much data as possible.
âHm. In terms of having the most data, Iâd guess either the royal library, the mage tower, or the archives of the capital knights?â
âArenât all of those at the capital?â
Seon-Hyeok frowned at Julianâs response. He learned full well from his previous visit that he wasnât very compatible with the capital.
âYes, if youâre looking for information.â
Somehow, Julian seemed to be hinting that there was another way to gain information on monsters.
âThen what else is there?â