Chapter 287: Chapter 287: Something big to hunt (3)- The concealment tool’s reveal!
"The only time that a human is recorded getting abilities of its own in the status screen is the sword aura, Theo," the baron explained. "It’s unique enough that that artifact bestows a name for it to us, to show appreciation of our hard work. At least that’s what I believe."
"Other than that, there have been no records of humans getting abilities. Sometimes you get one in sharing with the beast you tame, but they are definitely weaker than when a beast uses it."
"I see..." Theo spoke. The dilemma couldn’t have become more stressful.
"And other than that, it is only in legends, but there are some records that state breaking through level twenty could get you skills that a human cannot possess normally."
Theo’s eyes flashed with understanding.
"You’re level sixteen currently, so four more left..." Theo muttered to himself, but the baron chuckled.
"If I could get to level eighteen by the end of the next one hundred years, I would be really happy, Theo. You will think I am slow, but when you reach this level too, you will know what I am talking about."
Theo waited for a moment, then spoke up with a slight smile. "I think I already get it, father. Though only at my level, the EXP still feels like it takes time to get. And I don’t want to level up mindlessly without making myself stronger in the process. It will be like giving a sword with aura to a rookie swordsman; even after having such a great weapon, he will still die because of his incompetence," Theo stated.
The baron looked at Theo with an amused expression, "I guess you get the gist then," he said, and started eating again, making the conversation have a slight minute gap.
"Do you want to one day reach level twenty and break through, father?" Theo asked without trouble. The little hesitation he had with his father before had all vanished now. It was the way it should have been in the first place.
"Why do you think I still go to gates?" the baron spoke with a ’hmph’, "At the level of strength I am at currently, I can just get a higher noble ranking and sit on a chair for the whole two hundred and fifty years without a problem. Many do that after reaching level fifteen and breaking through... but not me." The baron’s eyes flashed with determination.
Theo could not know about it because he couldn’t see his own eyes, but they were completely the same as his. If Elias or Clara were there, they would have gotten shivers in their spine with how similar they were.
Until the baron came back to the real world. "You really fired me up. Anything more than that and I might have wreaked havoc on this whole place until nothing was left alive," the baron spoke casually.
But Theo took it as anything but casual. Those words were real and truthful; he could feel it.
But his mind went back to his own problems again.
"Father... do you think an opportunity like this... to reach a better level of human with an evolution... would this be the right decision to not take it?" Theo asked with a heavy heart.
The baron went silent, not for a few seconds, but for minutes.
Theo waited there patiently, thinking of various things he could do with the ants. There was less sunlight here down in this world, but from the opening in the ceiling, there was still direct sunlight on them.
So the Spiked Worker ants were just sitting on top of the big soil cube while the smaller ones were foraging in the vast forest, much like what Theo had promised the ant queen at the start, to get them to a real forest one day.
"I can’t decide, Theo." A voice finally came, making Theo focus on the baron, who was staring at him with a frowning face as if he was done thinking.
"You take the decision... no matter what you become or what you take, the whole family will support you," the baron spoke.
Theo nodded, but then there was silence for a few minutes in the camp.
The baron silently ate so much of the roasted crawler meat. Theo’s whole mind went to just how much he was eating.
’Is this what stress eating looks like?’ Theo thought while looking away, as the baron always stopped midway to look at him when he did.
Until he stopped completely and Theo saw an expression of realization on his face.
"WAIT!" the baron spoke and got up with a wild grin and looked at Theo.
"I think we may have what you need in the castle’s storage, Theo."
If his mouth was any more flexible, that grin would have gone right to his ears like a demon smiling, but Theo was glad that was not the case. It would have been really horrific.
"What is it, father?"
"Don’t you realize it? BAH! I will tell you. It’s a status concealment artifact I got ten years ago from a unique tamer! I totally forgot about it. HAHAHAHAH...!"
The baron’s crazy laughter kept on resounding everywhere, but Theo was too shocked to say anything.
Soon enough, both Clara and Elias came back with a bunch of crawlers in their hands. There were many on the boar’s back too, and a lot being carried by the ape, who didn’t seem to like it one bit.
"The crawlers all fled away mysteriously, my lord, young master. I think there is something wrong with this place," Elias spoke with a serious demeanor.
The baron looked at him, then at Theo, and then at Clara. A hand went up to the back of his head to scratch it.
"It seems I got a little too excited. My aura has already doubled around the area. Let me fix this," the baron spoke with a smile, yet the trio was dumbfounded.
It seemed they had to be more careful about the baron than the gate itself.