Anticipating that the question would eventually come, Fred had already thought of all the possible answers. With a soft sigh, Fred said, "Huh... yeah, I suppose it's best to explain everything from the beginning..."
Much of their journey was filled with the story of Theodor's son, which ended up pulling Theodor into the emotional current of his past memories.
"So... in the end, he died a hero for his friends, holding off the beast on his own. Even though we found him still breathing, his condition was already critical.
When Theodor saw him, he embraced him, and his son died in his arms."
"From the way he treats you, it's like he still regrets being too late to save his son. That's one of the reasons I feel he's so driven to help you."
"Maybe it's also because he sometimes wished that a hunter had shown up when his son was dying—someone who could've saved his life."
"But what's done is done. Regret can't change anything. All we can do is keep moving forward and build a better life," Fred explained, leaving Aaron deeply touched.
"Um... yeah, I think I truly understand how he feels. It's just... he was truly left behind by the fate of death," said Aaron, a faint, bitter smile curling on his lips.
That didn't escape Fred's silent observation.
"Hm... still, I think it's a bit too much, considering we don't even know each other. Not that I'm ungrateful—on the contrary, I'm incredibly grateful, truly!"
"If it hadn't been for the similarity between his son's situation and mine when I was found, I probably wouldn't have survived the jaws of the beast ready to devour me while I was unconscious," he continued.
That may have subconsciously driven Theodor's actions, perhaps out of instinct or hope that someone had saved his son as quickly as he acted to save Aaron.
"I know it feels strange to you, but I'm not surprised. Honestly, I wouldn't be shocked if he decided to adopt you as his son," Fred said, teasing Aaron with a smile.
But Aaron's response was what truly surprised him. He said, "I wouldn't mind that."
Aaron's direct and thoughtless response left Fred stunned. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.
The small kindness Theodor had shown felt like water soaking into the parched earth. Aaron, who had long forgotten what it felt like to be loved and cared for by a parent after losing his own, found it hard to resist Theodor's sincere attention, even if he knew it was driven by Theodor's memories of his son.
But for Aaron, a teenager who had gone years without affection or care, Fred's idea didn't sound so bad at all.
"Alright, kid! Let's put aside the sad talk for now. Maybe you've got your own stories to tell someday.
But right now, we need to pick up the pace—we're running a bit late to catch up with the others. Trion might blow up again since we haven't caught up in over thirty minutes," Fred explained.
They picked up speed and started running, though Fred paced himself to make sure Aaron wouldn't fall behind.
To his surprise, Aaron easily kept up with him, running right beside him.
Fred gradually increased his pace to maximum, m—and still, Aaron kept up without even breaking a sweat. The sight was so astonishing that Fred couldn't help but ask:
"Kid, did you manage to form a Soul Fragment, or maybe even a Soul Core, just now?"
"Huh... I couldn't form a single Soul Fragment, but—"
"Yeah, I figured. It's a bit too hard on the first try, so I bet your stamina must've developed naturally from surviving on your own all this time," Fred interrupted before Aaron could finish.
"Besides, if you had formed one, I should've been able to see your current level," he added.
Though Aaron hadn't been able to form one at the time, he already had Soul Cores and Soul Fragments that had formed inside him. But since Fred had interrupted, he let it slide.
"How can you see someone's level?" Aaron asked, curious about Fred's earlier words.
"Oh, it's simple. Just focus your mind on someone—as long as they're not too far above your level or just an ordinary human, you can see it for yourself," Fred replied.
Sure enough, when Aaron tried it on Fred, he immediately saw two Soul Cores and three Soul Fragments clearly.
"And what did you see when you looked at me?" Aaron asked, wondering why Fred couldn't see his level.
"Ehm... I don't really know how to put it. Your energy feels weak and flickering... very unstable... even people who just started cultivating Natural Energy don't feel this chaotic," Fred said, clearly puzzled by Aaron's anomaly.
"Can you explain the differences in each level?" Aaron asked, still curious, especially since he had never truly tested his powers after gaining two levels from consuming the Fire Mushroom.
"It's easy. A person who manages to form their first Soul Fragment will have a more refined physical condition than an average human of their age. When they form their first Soul Core and become a Warrior, they can channel their power through their entire body, even into their battle gear.
Once someone reaches the Elite level, they can shape and manifest their energy into physical attacks. But it consumes a lot of energy, so it's rarely used unless absolutely necessary."
"When you reach the Master level, you can freely use energy-based attacks since your energy reserves are much higher than an Elite's. On top of that, a Master can train in high-level techniques powerful enough to wipe out our entire settlement in a single strike," Fred explained.
"As for a Grand Master—or King level—you've seen it yourself. But... what you saw back then was just child's play. If he had unleashed all his power..."
Fred trailed off, shuddering at the thought, implying that something terrifying could happen at any moment.
Even from just that explanation, Aaron could already imagine what might happen if someone reached the Ascendent tier.
"It looks like the battle has started. Let's go faster!" Fred snapped, snapping Aaron out of his daze.
And sure enough, as Aaron focused again, his senses sharpened. He could now smell blood and hear the distant screams—far more clearly than Fred could.
"Arghhh!"