Chapter 23

Grandpa Erwin walked over to Aslan, helping him pick up the scattered monster cores.

"They're just a few level-4 monster cores, and you're already this angry? Hmph, annoying kid," Grandpa Erwin grumbled.

"Wait! No way! Isn't this…?!" he suddenly exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" asked Aslan.

"Look at this!" said Grandpa Erwin, holding out a glowing, crystal-like fruit.

"Oh, that. I found it in an underground cave. When it was still on the tree, it glowed so brightly it lit up the whole cave," said Aslan (if anyone forgot, this fruit first appeared in Chapter 9).

"I can't believe this thing is real," Grandpa Erwin muttered, staring at the fruit.

"What's so special about it?" Aslan asked.

"Not many people know about this… This fruit is thousands of years old and only appears once every few million years. When the Heaven Challenger Tree grows, it absorbs all the surrounding tors energy within a certain radius, preventing anyone from using their own energy. It takes tens of thousands of years for the fruit to fully mature," explained Grandpa Erwin.

"So… what does it do?"

"This fruit massively boosts the speed at which you generate tors energy, like monster cores do—but on another level. To match this fruit's effect, you'd need about 100 level-7 monster cores. With that kind of tors output, you could say you wouldn't even need to rely on techniques to absorb natural tors anymore. But that's not the real reason this fruit is so valuable. The real reason… is that it can bring someone back to life—restoring their body to the best version it's ever been."

"Let's say someone lost an arm at age five, but lived and grew stronger for hundreds of years. If they died, this fruit could bring them back with both arms, their peak strength, and in their prime," Grandpa Erwin continued.

Aslan was stunned. The value of this fruit was beyond imagination.

Grandpa Erwin kept staring at the fruit until Aslan suddenly spoke.

"You can have it, Grandpa. If you absorb it, you'll return to your prime. Then you can finally get your revenge."

"In that case, wait for me in the cave," Grandpa Erwin said quickly, and took off.

Aslan gave a small smile. He didn't regret it at all. After eight years together, their bond felt more like family than anything else. Besides, if Grandpa Erwin hadn't explained the fruit's worth, Aslan wouldn't have known in the first place.

Grandpa Erwin had done so much for him. Without him, Aslan would've been devoured by the forest monsters long ago. This fruit—this was Aslan's way of paying him back. And if Grandpa Erwin returned to his prime, then Aslan wouldn't need to fight on his behalf anymore, as he once promised.

Meanwhile, Grandpa Erwin went to a waterfall, dove deep into the pool, and emerged with a sword and several old items—his gear from the past.

"Hahaha, Peter! Look at this! Heaven is on my side!"

"With this fruit, I'll be back at my peak. Not just that—my tors energy will be nearly limitless. With all this, getting revenge will be easy, and I'll… I'll… I…"

—

The sky darkened; the sun was setting. Grandpa Erwin returned to the cave.

"Why do you still look old?" Aslan asked innocently. Normally, Erwin would smack him for that, but this time, he simply handed Aslan a set of black clothes. "Put these on."

After Aslan got dressed, Grandpa Erwin had him sit cross-legged in an open field.

"What's going on, Grandpa?" Aslan asked, puzzled.

"This is a gift from me for what you gave up," Erwin said, sitting cross-legged in front of him.

"Aslan, close your eyes. Focus. Don't move, or we'll both die," he warned.

A sudden wave of searing pain hit Aslan, but he gritted his teeth and endured it.

"After this, run north. Don't stop for anything. I've embedded my aura into your body—monsters won't dare approach you. But the aura only lasts 12 hours after the owner dies. No matter how tired you get, don't stop. Don't slow down."

Aslan's eyes flew open in shock, but Erwin stopped him from moving.

"You want to get us both killed, boy?!"

"I've implanted the fruit into your body. But you're still too weak to absorb it, so I'm helping you. I'll take on 90% of the pain."

"Technically, even if you died now, the fruit would revive you. But it'd bring you back just as you are now—which would be a waste. You can't die yet."

"I wanted to take the fruit for myself, to get revenge with my own hands. But then I thought… what would happen afterward?"

"I'd get my strength back, sure. I'd get revenge. But then what? My wife and son are gone. Without them, life doesn't mean much. I've got nothing left but revenge, so the fruit would be wasted on me. But you… you're still young. You've got something to live for. That fruit—it belongs to you."

"Aslan, you're an incredible young man. You still have time. Don't rush into revenge. First, get strong—strong enough to make the world tremble at your feet, like the most powerful man I ever fought. I believe you can do it."

"Aslan… the gift you gave me—it's priceless. Just being with you these past ten years has been the best thing in my life."

"Your stubbornness, your recklessness—it's just like my son. The way you question everything, the way you push back…"

"I have no regrets. You made me feel like I had a family again. Your presence warmed my life when it had gone cold. You brought light into my darkness. I truly have no regrets."

"Haa..." Grandpa Erwin took one last breath. Aslan opened his eyes.

"If I have one regret… it's that I won't be around to see the man you'll become."

And with that, Grandpa Erwin's body fell into Aslan's arms.

To be continued…