Yuder calmly withstood the intense gaze directed at him and slowly began to recount his experiences in the Great Sarain Forest.

"When I headed west, I took with me an object imbued with the power of the Red Stone. Later, I suffered an unexpected injury that left me incapacitated for a while."

"I recall hearing something about a severe injury... Are you referring to that time?"

"Yes."

The news of Yuder sustaining an injury while facing a colossal monster in the Great Sarain Forest was well-known. However, very few were aware that he had been unable to use his powers for some time afterward, aside from those directly involved at the time.

"I managed to heal, but then a situation arose where I had to use my powers while still not fully recovered. At that moment, I decided to use the object in my hand to amplify my abilities, but then..."

Just then, something unexpected happened.

A burst of red light emanated from the medium, connecting with the red power that resided in Yuder's right hand. The two forces, both sharing the trait of being pure energy from the Red Stone, resonated with each other. Subsequently, Yuder regained his lost abilities.

This was entirely different from when Alik had held the object imbued with the power of the Red Stone.

After this event, the object that Yuder had carried changed color, and the power within it disappeared.

"The red light that came out of your hand must have been the one that came out during the accident that occurred in the basement of the Cavalry headquarters at that time! Ah...! To think such a thing would happen again..."

Thais Yulman, who seemed as if he desperately wanted to know everything, finally managed to suppress his emotions before sharing his thoughts.

"Anyway, if what you say is true, then it's clear that you absorbed the medium's power. Astonishing, truly astonishing."

"Do you think so?"

"What else could it be?"

Thais Yulman's long beard quivered with excitement as he gave a decisive answer.

"This proves that my theories were not in vain! I'm dying to know if there are others who can also absorb the power stored in such mediums! How have your powers been since then? How about the potency and duration? Have you attempted absorption again?"

"As you know, the medium is confidential and dangerous. I haven't tried it again since then. I don't necessarily feel that my abilities have become stronger, but it certainly helped me regain the power I had lost."

"Hmm, I see. I do want to figure out why the absorption that was impossible for Alik worked for you. But comparing your abilities to Alik's now would be difficult due to the vast gap in power. Still, I've discovered through my research that by increasing the time spent using the medium for amplification, abilities can slightly evolve. That's a significant finding!"

"Is that so?"

"Indeed. I consider it akin to the theory that the more one is exposed to the Red Stone's power, the higher the chance of becoming an Awakener. It's a result not too different from what I had previously thought! If one could utilize the medium's power as freely as you did, then building upon that..."

As his mumbling grew faster, it seemed he was on the verge of being lost in his own thoughts once again. Whether Yuder responded or not, the old mage was too engrossed in his own theories to notice. Yuder quietly observed him.

‘Now is the perfect time to bring up the real issue.’

With a casual expression, he posed a question.

"...Master Yulman, what do you think distinguishes those who awaken from those who are exposed to the power of the Red Stone but do not awaken?"

"Ah, that is indeed one of the subjects that fascinates me. As I just said, it's certain that prolonged and significant exposure to that power can change a human body. But as you've mentioned, it doesn’t affect everyone."

Thais Yulman took Yuder's bait immediately. He seamlessly shifted the topic and continued speaking.

"You might know better than I do, but most of those who turned into Awakeners were neither too young nor too old; they were mostly young adults. This doesn't mean that the younger you are, the more likely you are to awaken. Furthermore, among mages, knights who can use aura, or priests, have there been any who have awakened? Of course, my own disciple is the first case."

Technically, Kishiar would have been the first, Yuder thought, but he simply nodded. In the future, the limitations would expand, and even young children or elders, as well as priests and knights, would become Awakeners. But for now, such cases were rare, which in itself was thought-provoking.

Thais Yulman seemed to think so as well.

"A priest from the South, who is acquainted with me, once said this, 'God gave each human a vessel of different sizes, allowing them to fill it with whatever they like, but they can't overflow it.' I’ve wondered if that might apply in this case as well."

It was a somewhat ambiguous statement. Thais Yulman looked at Yuder’s puzzled eyes with satisfaction and explained with fervor.

"Look, children and elders either have vessels that haven't properly formed yet or have lived long enough that there’s no room for anything new. Knights, priests, and mages are those who have already filled their vessels with the power they possess. There may be those whose vessels are less full, but such cases are not common, are they?"

"That seems plausible," Yuder conceded.

"As for me, I'm an obsolete mage with no potential for further development, but my disciple, Alik, was considered to have potential for growth if he trained diligently. In other words, his vessel was still empty, creating room for the transformation into an Awakener."

"Hmm…"

"Based on this hypothesis, while you all were in the West, I have been continuously researching the relationship between the medium and Alik, and under what circumstances and conditions an Awakener’s abilities continue to change."

According to Thais, when Alik attempted to amplify his power using the medium, the increase in ability was not always at a consistent level. After more than a hundred attempts to understand this discrepancy, Alik told his Master he felt he was onto something.

"According to Alik, when he felt that the power was amplifying more than usual, it was during moments when he was desperate and yearning for self-improvement. The more stable his mental state, the less the power increased, and there was no further development of abilities."

After repeated experiments, Thais Yulman became convinced that it wasn't just a matter of perception. He formulated a new hypothesis.

"Consider this. Perhaps becoming an Awakener isn't just influenced by physical condition and innate talent, but also by some measure of one's inner self. Don't you think so?"

'Physical condition and the inner self... along with desires.'

The thought carried a certain gravitas. As Yuder pondered, Thais Yulman's eyes gleamed and he continued.

"It's fascinating, and not dissimilar to the requirements for becoming a mage. First, one has to be born with the ability to sense magic energy. Next comes having a robust heart and vessel that can accumulate and absorb that energy, and, of course, willpower."

Those talented in magic could gather energy much more effectively and use powerful spells much more quickly than other mages. But it wasn't as if the opposite meant no hope at all.

"Well, if you're not like me, who wisely chose to abandon wasting time early on and turned to scholarly pursuits, practicing in areas rich in magic energy will definitely boost your magic power. This has been empirically proven by mages over time."

"I see."

"Yes. So if you think of the power of the Red Stone as similar to magic energy, it only makes sense that Alik, who has trained relentlessly while surrounded by the densest energy, has grown stronger, doesn't it?"

Sensing that the old mage Thais Yulman was veering off track again, Yuder skillfully steered the conversation back.

"So, if I understand you correctly, you're suggesting that even someone who's not currently an Awakener could become one if exposed to a large amount of the Red Stone's power, or if they hold intense desires when they are most susceptible to change—that is, when their 'vessel' is empty?"

"Exactly so. But of course, that's not all there is to it. This is still an unproven hypothesis, after all. Think of it as adding just one more condition to the still-unknown factors that contribute to someone becoming an Awakener."

'Well, I myself became an Awakener for no apparent reason, so that can't be the only factor.'

Yuder considered several new ideas based on what Thais Yulman had said.