(The Fire Gorilla Avatar Monster)
Aaron, who had entered a meditative state, felt immense joy when he saw the three Soul Cores and three Soul Fragments that had somehow formed without him even realizing it.
But that joy didn't last long—he quickly came to the realization that he had to absorb the power from enemy attacks to grow stronger or consume highly potent Herbal Plants rich in Natural Energy.
That method seemed simple on the surface, but in truth, it was risky. Aaron didn't know whether his powers had certain limits or not.
His passive Chaos Power was extremely useful in desperate situations or during battle, but even that had its constraints. The skill could only absorb damaging Energy-based attacks—it couldn't absorb direct physical attacks. And the limitations didn't stop there. At some point, Aaron had to face the fact that he couldn't absorb Natural Energy the way others did.
If Aaron wanted to increase his power through pure Natural Energy, he had to find Herbal Plants rich in such energy—or even better, something like the Fire Mushroom. However, plants like those were rare and usually already claimed by powerful monsters like Ziva.
Because of this, Aaron felt he needed to be far more cautious and not rely too heavily on his passive skill before fully understanding the boundaries of his abilities and gaining deeper insight into them.
His thoughts grew heavier as he remembered an anomaly—something that should've been impossible—and he began to think harder, trying to find an answer.
"But still... how did I manage to kill a King-level Monster back then? My level at the time was only Warrior..."
There was nothing particularly special about the moment he unleashed his power to envelop his body and coat his bow and arrows—except for the tingling sensation that spread across his entire form.
"Well, whatever... things are way better now," he said to himself, trying to cheer up and not overthink.
At that moment, Aaron truly began to explore his inner world—until he recalled something about the Avatar that appeared in the system's virtual display.
"Hmm... what does the Zenit system mean by Avatar?"
Just as Aaron was wondering about his avatar and how to use it, he suddenly flinched in fear. In the distance, a Fire Gorilla appeared and was charging toward him at terrifying speed.
"Ah—Argh!"
Aaron tried to run as fast as he could through the sea of his thoughts, but the Fire Gorilla was much faster than him.
As the distance between them closed to a few hundred meters, Aaron noticed something odd—he couldn't feel any vibration from the monster's thundering steps. This made him glance over his shoulder.
But it was already too late. The Fire Gorilla had leaped through the air and was now directly above him, about to crash down.
"Argh!"
Frozen by fear, Aaron collapsed, his limbs giving out beneath him. All he could do was scream and cover his sweat-drenched face with trembling hands.
He braced himself to be stomped on—or worse, devoured—by the furious gorilla seeking revenge. But the terrible moment he feared never came.
Slowly, he opened his hands and peeked out to assess the situation, mentally preparing himself for whatever horror might follow.
Yet even then, Aaron was completely shocked to find the monster merely standing still in front of him. Its body was massive and muscular—exactly as it had been in life.
Seeing no immediate threat, Aaron decided to calm himself and refocus on the situation.
"So... how do I use this Fire Gorilla Avatar?" he muttered.
As Aaron thought about it, a connection gradually began to form between his mind and that of the Fire Gorilla Avatar.
Once the connection was fully established, Aaron felt a mental link between them. Thanks to this link, he immediately understood how to wield it.
"Hmm... this feels just like when my mind connects to my dimensional ring. So, I guess I just have to use my thoughts to summon this avatar," Aaron concluded.
"Alright then! Looks like it's time to test everything I've got. Hey, big guy! This battle might be your debut—so don't disappoint me!" Now that he had learned more about his abilities, Aaron focused his thoughts, ready to return to the real world.
His mind felt a little strange, spinning, dizzying. It was like his consciousness was being pulled outward and thrown into momentary chaos.
Perhaps it was a side effect of what Aaron was doing. After all, this was the first time he had ever tried something like this, without any further guidance or detailed explanation from Theodor about what might happen.
When he finally became aware of his physical body again, he slowly opened his eyes. Even the soft sunlight touching his face felt blinding, like a spotlight shining straight into his eyes.
Slowly, he began to readjust to his surroundings, though oddly enough, he felt far more sensitive to everything around him—even invisible energies didn't escape his perception.
"This... why is it so quiet here? Where is everyone?" Aaron asked, puzzled.
As soon as Aaron's voice was heard, Fred, who had been waiting some distance away, immediately rushed to him and said, "Finally! You're done! Come on, kid! We need to catch up with the others."
Still trying to process what was happening, Aaron asked again, "Can you explain what's going on, sir?"
"Get ready. I'll explain everything along the way," he replied curtly.
Since most of the supplies Aaron was supposed to carry had already been taken by the others, there wasn't much left for him to bring. He quickly moved to walk beside Fred.
"Could you tell me now, sir?" Aaron asked again. Even though his senses had become sharper, he couldn't feel the presence of the others—they were already far ahead.
Hearing the question, Fred explained everything from the moment Aaron had entered his deep focus state, to the argument between Theodor, James, and Trion, which ended with Fred volunteering to stay behind and guard him.
Aaron said nothing as he digested all the information. A deep guilt crept over him for Theodor—but at the same time, he felt something he had never felt before: the warmth of being genuinely cared for. It made him incredibly happy and touched.
"I really need to thank Theodor... but why is he doing so much for me? I'm not even someone important—I told him I'm not an Archon!" Aaron wondered.
Even though he was overwhelmed with joy, he couldn't help but question the reason. To him, it all seemed too good to be true.