Just then, a hoarse voice interrupted them.
"Levi."
Xander and Levi turned.
Levi frowned. He stood up and ran away—back to the cottage.
Gato tried to reach for Levi, but his hand simply hovered in the air, before falling in despair.
Xander stepped forward. "If you give up, you will end up losing the only family you have left.
He needs you now... more than ever."
Gato nodded—swallowing hard as his gaze tightened with zeal.
He stepped forward towards the cottage.
Paused.
Turned back and walked to Xander, pulling him into an embrace. "Thank you."
Then he turned about and headed to the cottage.
[Ding]
[Physical Connection Depth: ▓░░░░░░░░░ 10/100]
Gato patted his back one more time before he turned and retreated to the cottage.
Xander stood there.
Frozen.
"Psychological, Emotional, and now Physical—what’s going on?"
Xander could not help but remember that the system rewarded him for splashing the acidic blood of the scavenger on that soldier’s eyes.
He hoped desperately that this was not a count down to hurting Gato.
If it was, he would never forgive himself for that.
He tightened his fist—hard enough that his fingers went white.
Suddenly, the crying voice of Levi reached him.
His clenched fist eased, as a smile stained his lips.
He did not need to go check. The old man had made right with Levi.
Just then, he heard a call.
"Old man Gato! Old man Gato!!"
Xander turned, "the old man’s neighbors."
Immediately, he rushed into the Cottage. Two men, one in his sixties, and another in his thirties.
Xander remembered that only a few weeks ago, these two had come to Gato’s farm to laugh at him.
After all, Gato had been trying to plant high yielding crops like them, but unfortunately unable to.
They had mocked him heavily before retreating, promising to return for more later.
As Xander entered the cottage to hide, Gato patted him on the shoulder, "Don’t worry, I’ll handle these assholes."
Xander saw him wiping his teary eyes, with genuine smile on his face as he stepped out to meet them.
At the end of the day, Xander watched through a curtain as Gato chuckled happily while proudly displaying his bountiful yield from the spinach harvest.
And even more so as he pointed at the mix of crops he had planted.
All the while, his neighbors were left mouth opened wide in shock.
Xander smiled.
...In this blissful manner, many more days passed, turning into weeks.
By now, Xander had spent nearly three months with the family duo.
During the time, aside working on the farm, he had tried to understand what the System’s Absorption Connection Depth was, but no matter how deep he tried to figure it out, he discovered nothing.
Even more so, he was forced to simply watch as the gauges kept filling up.
However, for some reason he could not figure out, about a week ago, they all stopped at 99/100.
Of course, Xander also selectively ignored the request to kill the Baron from Gato.
No matter how many times it popped up, he pushed it aside.
In such a peaceful manner, they lived their lives.
Today’s dinner was a special one.
It was Levi’s birthday.
The boy was turning Eleven today. Earlier in the day, Gato had rushed to the market to sell and trade produce from his farm for items to create what he could a Noble’s Dinner.
Xander was in charge of cooking, and he spared no skill in the kitchen.
Soon, the table was filled with an assortment of dishes.
In the center of the table was a big bowl of boiled Rice, porridge, Neatly cut slices of fried pork dipped in Sweet sauce.
There was some freshly cut Kale on the side, and even a goat’s thigh.
Just the aroma of the meal as it filled the cottage, made Levi’s mouth water.
He tried to steal a slice of pork meat, but Xander smacked his hand with spatula. "Wait a bit. The table is not yet ready."
"But it’s not fair." Levi turned to Xander, trying his best to plead with puppy-dog -eyes.
"But...It’s my birthday. You are supposed to pamper me."
Xander rolled his eyes at this. "Nice try. No is No."
Levi turned to his grandfather, "grandpa... Xander is bullying me."
Gato could only look at the duo and chuckle lightly.
"Okay. The table is fully set." Xander announced, and everyone took their sit.
This time around, it was Gato that wanted to dig into the food, but Xander raised the spatula again. "We have not said Grace."
Gato’s hand quickly retreated before Xander made at example of it.
"Levi." Xander signaled, as he took the boy’s hand and also Gato’s.
Levi nodded. "Thank you for this meal, Wiseman Socrates, and thank you for bringing Xander into our lives, and if you can, I’d really want him to be my dad instead."
Xander turned to him, touched by those words.
Gato also turned to Levi, and then back to Xander.
He gave a slight nod in approval. "Honestly, I’d want that too."
Xander was speechless, eyes navigating between Gato and Levi.
"We already talked about it." Levi added. "Grandpa does not mind adopting you as his son."
Xander could not help but smile as he nodded back, gratefully.
[Ding]
[Psychological Connection Depth: ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 100/100]
[Physical Connection Depth: ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 100/100]
[Emotional Connection Depth: ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 100/100]
[Host has established full understanding of Target]
[Target’s Profession Gifted]
[Gifted Profession: Rune Master]
[Note: This Profession was not assigned by the Orb.]
[The system is... surprised.]
Xander froze at the continuous alerts.
’Gifted another profession, what does tgst even mean?’
"Xander... Xander!" Levi called, snapping him from his daze. "Are you okay?"
Xander nodded vigorously.
Levi looked closely, "don’t tell me you want to cry!?" The boy teased.
And all three of them chuckled as they began digging into the food on their table.
"However, as they served themselves, Cander paused. "Damn it. I forgot the carrots."
Levi nodded. "Don’t worry, I got it." He hurried for the door, heading towards the farm.
He opened the front door.
As the moon light touched him, so did a silhouette.
Shluck...
A dull, heavy, Stab noise was heard.