“Did you get it?” Silas asked, though his tone indicated the question was more of a formality. He probably already knew that Owen had succeeded. Apparently, while Owen was absorbing the spirit energy, he had walked over, though he remained a meter away to give him space.

In response, Owen nodded and asked, “Yes, but is there a faster way to do this? If it’s always like this, I might end up getting ambushed in the middle of absorbing it or something.”

Silas chuckled and crossed his arms. “I asked my dad the same thing back when he taught me. He said it gets faster as you continue doing it. Ever heard of a Spark?”

Upon hearing the familiar word, Owen immediately thought of the innate skill in his skill list. He wasn’t an idiot. Since Silas asked if he knew about it, then it obviously had something to do with spirit energy, as well as his level.

“I’ve heard of it,” Owen said, nodding.

Silas blinked. He was genuinely surprised, but shook his head and chuckled at himself while saying, “So you heard about the Spark without knowing any Pathwalkers.” Then, he looked at Owen’s expression and realized something. “I’m guessing you don’t know anything else about it, based on your face.”

Owen affirmed the statement with a shrug.

“Well, it’s like a cup inside our soul that can hold energy and strengthens as we absorb more spiritual energy. That’s about all my dad was able to learn about it though. Some of the Pathwalkers who were at the forefront of power probably know more.”

“Interesting…” Owen mumbled to himself while rubbing his chin.

The ‘pathway’ the spiritual energy traveled through was probably something like a vein which could carry spirit energy. The only thing he struggled with was one word Silas mentioned. Soul. Did souls really exist? If so, then that alone would shatter a large part of his worldview. The few days he had spent here were enough for him to realize he wasn’t even at the level of a frog in a well, nor even a drop in the ocean. He was just a speck of dust in a vast universe. It was a humbling thought.

He thought of some of the pantheists who used to visit his gym and how they used to discuss chi and inner pathways. At the time, he thought they were spiritual nutjobs, but perhaps there was more to their ramblings than he thought. Their misguided cult-like behavior made him less willing to accept that something similar would exist, but it did make sense that someone might have somehow discovered the existence of Sparks and somehow exaggerated it into a religion. Rather than accepting their take on it, he closed his eyes and tried focusing on the Spark inside himself. If he hadn’t absorbed spirit energy from the ratilla, he would have never realized its existence. The only strange thing was that other than the energy which settled near his heart, he could also sense a small crystal-shaped thing in his lower abdomen. Was the Spark not located around his heart?

Hoping for an answer, Owen opened his eyes and asked, “Where is the Spark usually located?”

Silas’ brows furrowed briefly with evident concern as he answered, “It should be near the center of your waist. Why do you ask?”

“The energy ended up near my heart.”

Upon hearing that, Silas’ face darkened.

“Is that bad?” Owen asked.

“No, not exactly. There are multiple places in our bodies that can hold spiritual energy, but it won’t make you stronger unless it goes into your Spark. I’m guessing your spirit veins are clogged or something, which makes sense if you never learned Spirit Arts. You can still absorb the spiritual energy from the corpses on the way back, but absorbing large amounts of energy without opening your spirit veins can have horrible consequences, like your heart stopping or internal bleeding.”

Eyes narrowed, Owen glared at the young man and said, “Would’ve been nice to have some warning.”

Silas bowed with hands clasped in front of his chest while replying, “Sorry. That was my fault for not thinking to keep your situation in mind.”

The sincere apology caught Owen off guard. It wasn’t a reaction he was accustomed to since most people back home tended to be obstinate. He could only sigh and say, “Nevermind. Just tell me how to open my veins and we’ll call it even.”

“Sure,” Silas replied, rising from his bow. “It will take some time to open them, so it’s better if you absorb all the energy from the corpses on our way back, and then you can open your veins once you’re in a safe environment.”

“As long as it doesn’t kill me, it’s fine.”

“Umm… Yeah. Well, after you absorb the energy from the other ratillas here, follow me. I made notes of where all the corpses are.”

With that, Owen nodded and absorbed the spiritual energy from the corpses one-by-one. Each time he absorbed energy, the so-called spirit veins gradually became more noticeable. He wasn’t sure if they were physical, metaphysical, or anything, but he could definitely feel them.

Once he was finished with the ratillas in the immediate vicinity, Silas led him through the woods until they encountered a kanga corpse. After Owen absorbed the spiritual energy from the corpse, Silas procured some surprisingly heavy duty twine from one of his pouches, tied its legs together, and slung it onto a small hook which was strapped over his shoulder.

From there, they gradually traipsed through Barkstone Forest at a leisurely pace. Many expressions crossed Silas’ face, much to Owen’s amusement. It was pretty obvious that the guy was normally the talkative type but was restraining himself for Owen’s sake. Occasionally, Silas initiated small talk, but the two otherwise traveled in silence, which Owen was perfectly fine with at this point in time. It would probably take another day or two for his mind to settle into a more reasonable state, anyway.

About an hour later, Owen absorbed the so-called So-uhl from the last kanga, which Silas afterwards tied up for him to carry. Altogether, there were six kangas. Silas carried four of them on his back while Owen carried two. Shortly after they set off again, Silas muttered something which caught him by surprise.

“Shame they won’t taste as good since they weren’t killed instantly.”

Brow raised, Owen asked, “They taste better if killed quickly?”

“All animals do. The longer they suffer, the worse they taste. There’s even a verse in the Pneumacon about how we shouldn’t let the creatures we hunt as sustenance suffer.”

Briefly, Owen furrowed his brows at the mention of what sounded like a religious text, but he quickly moved on by saying, “That’s a rather practical teaching, I guess.”

“It is. You don’t seem too familiar with Aeonism?”

“No.”

Silas rubbed his chin and his brows wrinkled from contemplation. “You really must’ve come a long way, then… Erm… Well, Aeonism is the main religion in Legauria, so it might be in your best interests to learn a bit about it.”

Owen almost declined since he didn’t have much interest in seeking out the local religion, but he quickly realized Silas wasn’t trying to convert him or anything. Indeed, learning something about the religion could potentially help him avoid unwanted trouble or maybe even open up avenues for growth in this foreign world. Perhaps a link to the so-called Spirit Arts could be found within. If there was one thing he was lacking most, aside from clothing, it was information. He couldn’t afford to turn away from an opportunity to learn more about his current situation. Eventually, he nodded and muttered, “I might just do that.”

“Want a copy of the Pneumacon, then?”

“If you have an extra, sure, not that I have anywhere to store it right now.”

Suddenly, Silas’ lips widened into a smile. “If you need a place to stay, you can always stay at my place. We’ve already got a slough of freeloading kids. One more can’t hurt.”

Owen clicked his tongue, partly to avoid grinning at the generous offer and partly at the fact that a guy almost ten years his younger just called him a kid. This young man he had just met wore his emotions on his sleeve and was obviously trustworthy. However, the guy seemed to trust him enough to invite him into his home already. Was Silas simply a fool, or did he have some other reason?

Thinking along these lines, Owen asked, “Are you sure you want to let a dangerous guy like me into your house?”

“Haha. You might be strong and dangerous, but so am I. Strength is just a tool, yeah? Though, I guess I’m a bit less brutal… Anyway, I have a good eye for people. It’s fine.”

A sigh slipped from Owen’s lips. This guy really was naive. It wasn’t a lie that Silas could probably wipe the floor with him. His footsteps were light as a feather and his stamina was leagues above most fighters Owen knew. Just walking alongside Silas and observing his movements gave Owen an idea of his raw capabilities. Mentally simulating a spar was still a bit difficult since he hadn’t seen him fight, but he knew he would lose handedly if they did exchange blows. Most likely, there were a few levels of difference, though Owen didn’t know how much.

While Owen was busy simulating a spar in his head, the edge of Raylea came into view. Puffs of smoke wafted from a few chimneys beyond the treeline. Clucking from small birds similar to chickens but with black feathers entered his ears alongside subdued voices from townsfolk interacting with each other. The atmosphere was rather quaint. It soothed his soul in a different way from the beauty of the forest. Perhaps living around here wouldn’t be so bad. However, he knew he needed to get stronger, and defeating stronger beasts would probably become a daily necessity. Staying in Raylea would be fine for a few days, but living the life of a vagabond suited his needs more.

“Well,” Silas said, interrupting Owen’s thoughts, “we’re back. You decided whether or not you want to stay at my place?”

“Maybe for a few days until I get my bearings.”

A smile appeared on Silas’ face again. “Great. I’m always happy to help a guy down on his luck.”

“Thanks.”

Silas nodded. Although Owen didn’t know it, Silas’ main reason for inviting him to stay at his house remained only in his thoughts. Even without the teachings of Aeonism, it was simply in his nature to not leave hurting people to their own devices. Every time he helped someone, it made him feel like life was still worth living.