To say Felix was stunned would be an understatement. He was beyond that. Felix wanted to believe so badly that Aaron was lying, but the truth was right there in his face. Everything Aaron said had all connected and answered every lingering question he had—but they raised many more.
Felix was the first to be called in to receive a class system, while Aaron had been the last. Every class system had something like the snake he'd encountered in the pool which the Sage training addressed as Spirit Animals. These beasts were a representation of the nature of one's class system and were sentient to an extent.
Back when Felix had just received his class system and was walking back to the crowd where he noticed he was calmer than he was supposed to, he didn't understand it before, but the Sage training had taught him it was the effects of his Spirit Animal, which was more obvious than the others because it was an SS-Rank class system. Those with lower ranks didn't really feel the difference, as the lower their class system rank, the lower the intelligence and influence of their Spirit Animals.
These Spirit Animals also chose their candidates. The snake had rushed at Felix during his time in the pool—except it wasn't supposed to maul him but instead poke at and show him it was harmless before forming a bond.
Felix wasn't given that privilege. Not like it made any difference, as one couldn't reject a Spirit Animal once chosen—as there wouldn't be a second option—and you can't really know the rank of the Spirit Animal till the bond was made.
Felix also learned from his fellow Sage candidates that when they were in the pool, it was filled with all kinds of Spirit Animals that swam in wide circles around the candidate, till one broke the current and approached them to bond. If two had broken the current, the weaker one would naturally be scared off and rejoin the current. They claimed it was the most beautiful thing they had witnessed, unlike when Felix had been there and the spirit sea had looked dead and devoid of life when the snake jumped him.
Felix never understood why only his turned out to be different until now. The other Spirit Animals had been clearly scared off by the presence of something dark and powerful in their midst and didn't dare to fight over the candidate it had chosen. If that much didn't tell Felix that his class system had indeed been different from the others right from the beginning, then he didn't know what else would.
Not to mention he had been transformed into a woman, which contradicted what the Sage official at the awakening hall had been claiming about minor alterations and had shocked even her. She clearly hadn't witnessed anything like it over her years of swearing in the new generation of Sages.
There was too much evidence pointing fingers at his class system and proving the legitimacy of Aaron's words.
The only thing Aaron had mentioned that Felix had no clue about was the Dark Lord once being the second in command of some Witch Master, the original king of the underworld.
If so, then what had happened with them? Why was the Witch Master now out of the picture and never mentioned? Why was his second in command, the Dark Lord, now in his place as the king of the underworld? Did that mean he's dead? Was that even possible? If so, then who killed him? Because these beings were immortal and couldn't die of health issues or old age.
Felix had so many new questions he wasn't sure Aaron had answers to.
More importantly, if the other Spirit Animals knew something sinister was in their midst, then how was it possible Goddess Zemira didn't know about it or wasn't tipped off?
As for Aaron's dual classes, it was totally understandable how he had achieved the last two class systems.
The last two Spirit Animals in the pool after the rest of the candidates had gotten their class systems probably knew that one of the candidates had been taken by an imposter, making Aaron likely to be the last, and so they probably fought over him unwilling to be the one left behind. And in a case where they were both of equal strength and a winner couldn't emerge from the two, they both likely came to some sort of truce or understanding and both bonded with him instead.
Now that meant, if Aaron had an SS-Rank class system which was the Gunner class system he let them and everyone know of, there was likely another SS-Rank class system he never let anyone know of beneath the surface, but has hinted at once. "You see, my class system is actually a dual-wield type between a gun and a sword. But that would be so unfair for you guys if I were to mistakenly kill all the monsters myself. So that's why I'm with a shield instead!"
The memory of the time Aaron had made this statement resurfaced in Felix's thoughts. This was right before they ventured into the Sahuagin dungeon after Aaron had distributed their weapons and gears. And Felix could remember having the gut feeling that Aaron was the kind of person that said their minds but disguised them as jokes—turns out he was right all along.
There was no such thing as a dual wield between a gun and a sword. They were both abilities from different class systems. And that meant that not only was Aaron currently in possession of many more skill sets than Felix could think of, but as Aaron was currently at level 2 in his Gunner class system, he was likely also at level 2 in two places. Two SS-Rank class systems. As they both shared the same host and whatever attribute Aaron gained was recorded in both.
That made it twelve skill sets in Aaron's arsenal—three more than Felix had even at Level 3. And of them all, Felix only knew about one—Aaron's teleportation skill.
Lucy was right all along. She had claimed to have seen Aaron in his private training session and wasn't bluffing and flexing her intelligence and appraisal skill.
After all, Felix was indeed the frog in the well.
"Fuck."