Chapter 20

After Aslan knelt and begged to become Grandpa Erwin's disciple, he began training intensely. Three years had passed since he became Erwin's student, but so far, he'd only learned the basics—stances, sword techniques, how to absorb Tors energy, and more. Through Erwin's teachings, Aslan came to understand a few things.

When someone uses Tors energy, their physical strength and endurance increase instantly, but the moment they stop using it, the effect fades. Still, their body becomes slightly—very slightly—stronger than before on a permanent level.

The stronger your body is, the more Tors energy you can use. The more you use it, the stronger your body becomes—and the cycle continues. This is what creates the ever-growing gap between the weak (commoners) and the strong (nobles).

Whenever someone weak tries to rise higher, those at the top will do everything to push them back down. That's why the strong only grow stronger, and the weak are left struggling—or worse, they fall into despair. But of course, some manage to endure and rise above the rest… like Grandpa Erwin.

Realizing how unfair the system was, Grandpa Erwin wanted to close the gap between the strong and the weak. He could technically pass his Tors energy to others and teach it to the commoners. But it wasn't that simple. Even if regular people could sense Tors energy, they still couldn't use it—they lacked a trigger and hadn't awakened. Erwin couldn't teach them spells because the ones he knew were low-level, and he couldn't share his techniques either, as they only worked on those already awakened.

So, Erwin began researching on his own to develop a technique that could help awaken ordinary people—and eventually, he succeeded.

The technique involved implanting a spell directly into someone's mind. It allowed the user to see the thoughts of the person the spell was cast on. It could detect lies and even influence their thoughts. This is the same technique Grandpa Erwin used to uncover Aslan's lies back in Chapter 18.

The mind-influencing part wasn't very powerful—it didn't affect people who were conscious—but it could influence dreams, making them feel incredibly real.

That's how Grandpa Erwin used it to awaken others. He'd manipulate their dreams to create realistic, emotionally powerful scenarios that could trigger awakening.

Thanks to this technique, many people were able to awaken. Naturally, those in power weren't happy. They already resented Grandpa Erwin for surpassing them—but now that he was helping others rise too, their hatred deepened.

They wanted him dead, but no one dared take the risk. Erwin knew this. What he didn't expect was that the one to stab him in the back would be the person he trusted most—someone he once called his brother.

After hearing the full story, Aslan was deeply moved and committed himself fully to fulfilling his promise.

Once he figured out where they were, Aslan realized he had been teleported by the spell from the ruins. The place they were in now was one of the Gray Zones on the western edge of the continent. In terms of power, the monsters here weren't particularly strong—maybe up to level five at most—but what made this area untouchable by the kingdoms was the sheer number of monsters living here.

Aslan trained within a one-kilometer radius of the cave. The reason the monsters didn't attack was due to Grandpa Erwin's aura, which scared them off. Aura is something fighters begin to develop at level three, though most don't master it until level four. Once someone strengthens their aura, it won't weaken—no matter how injured they get—unless they feel fear.

Aura doesn't impact combat much, but it's a powerful intimidation tool. A strong enough aura can make a weaker opponent collapse to their knees or even faint on the spot.

Grandpa Erwin had marked the one-kilometer radius around the cave with his aura, a behavior similar to how monsters mark territory. Weaker creatures could sense it and avoided the area out of fear.

"Aslan, take a break—it's getting dark. Rest is also part of training," said Grandpa Erwin.

The two of them sat down for dinner inside the cave. Over the past three years, they'd grown close. Despite Grandpa Erwin's annoying quirks, he truly cared about Aslan. Without Aslan knowing it, Erwin had already come to see him as a son. When he first began training Aslan, he was reminded of his own son—long gone. Aslan's reckless and stubborn nature reminded him so much of the boy he once raised.

Grandpa Erwin stared at Aslan for a while. Watching the boy eat so eagerly brought a faint smile to his face.

"What's up with that creepy smile? You going senile or something?" Aslan asked, pointing at him.

"Hahahaha! Not at all~ I was just thinking about how badly I'm gonna beat you tomorrow!" Erwin replied, then chucked a piece of meat at Aslan's face so hard it knocked him backward a bit.

"You senile old man! What's wrong with you?!"

"Wha~ wha~ whaa~! Sounds like the idiot child never owned a mirror in his life," said Grandpa Erwin, throwing another chunk of meat.

"Hey! Cut it out!"

"Zip it! First thing in the morning, I'm going to teach you one of my signature techniques. We won't have time to cook tomorrow, so eat now or you'll pass out from hunger."

"For real?!" Aslan asked, eyes wide with excitement. After three years of only learning the basics, he was finally going to learn one of Erwin's real techniques. He couldn't wait. After finishing his meal, he rushed to bed.

To be continued…