After a tumultuous night at the inn – a night when Samuel had fulfilled his promise to Helydia – the trio emerged at the first light of dawn. The purse of Helydia had been enough to cover their stay, although the establishment offered only the bare minimum. Nevertheless, all three of them had managed to regain a bit of energy.

The village was still quiet as they made their way to the local forge. The sound of horses' hooves in the distance and the low conversations among villagers accompanied their walk. Samuel, always at the front, remained silent, as usual, his eyes observing every detail along the way.

At one point, Samuel broke the silence that had prevailed since their departure from the inn.

"Kai"

Surprised, Kai lifted his head towards Samuel. He was not yet used to hearing his master directly in his head, and he instinctively replied aloud before catching himself.

"Yes, Master," he thought quickly.

Samuel observed him out of the corner of his eye, his expression remaining neutral. "What is your level?" he thought with the same coldness.

Helydia, who had been busy admiring the small stalls of the market in the distance, suddenly lifted her head with marked interest. She leaned in very close to Kai, a mischievous smile on her lips.

"Ah yeah, that's true!" she said, her mental voice almost melodic. She moved even closer to Kai, her eyes shining with persistent curiosity.

Kai, taken aback by this sudden attention, felt a slight pressure. He still felt inferior, as if he had to prove his worth at every moment. He swallowed before timidly responding in his thoughts: "I... I'm only level 2...Master."

Before Samuel could respond, Helydia, who hadn't heard the exchange, frowned and pinched Kai's arm in annoyance.

"Hey, what about me ?, I can't hear your thoughts like Samuel, When you talk to me, do it out loud, okay ?"

Kai, somewhat embarrassed, straightened up slightly and repeated aloud, his cheeks red: "I am level 2..."

Helydia remains silent for a moment, her gaze quickly shifting from Kai's face to Samuel's, incredulous.

"What? ,Level 2 ?!" she exclaimed, clearly surprised. She shook her head, as if to make sure she had heard correctly.

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Samuel, for his part, showed no outward reaction, merely continuing to walk towards the forge. But inwardly, he was already thinking about how this young man could accompany them while making progress.

Then, after a moment of silence, he thought again of Kai.

"And what about your passive skill ? , Everyone has one, no matter their level, right?"

Kai swallowed again, searching for his words. "it's name is... 'Evaluation,' he said in a somewhat hesitant voice."It allows me, just by looking at someone, to determine how much mana they have, what their level is, and even the names of their skills."

Samuel sketched an almost imperceptible smile, but in his gaze shone a glimmer of interest. "That could be very useful to us," he thought towards Kai.

Helydia raised an eyebrow, observing the young man with renewed interest. "Well, you might not be as useless as your level suggests, after all." She gave him a friendly pat on his shoulder, seeming pleased with this discovery.

Samuel stopped moving, turned to Kai, and said, "So, show us what you're capable of." He thought, "Tell me, when you look at us, me and Helydia, what do you see?"

Kai, always hesitant, replied while glancing at Helydia. "Helydia... level 24 , Passive skill, 'resistance to poison'. Other skills: 'Steel Wire' ,'Shrill Cry' ,'Accelerated Regeneration' and 'Venom Spit.' ,Mana level, 3058."

Then, turning his head towards Samuel, he continued, in a slightly more confident voice: "Samuel Butler... level 21, Passive skill 'telepathy'. Other skills, 'Muscle Strengthening', 'Awakened Speed', 'Celestial Shield'... and, um... 'Immortal anger' ? " Kai's face betrayed an obvious curiosity about this last skill.

Samuel cut him off immediately in a curt tone: "By the way, kid, do you know anything about this skill?"

Kai shook his head from side to side to say no, his eyes always avoiding Samuel's.

Helydia was astonished by Kai's ability to read her skills like an open book. Her face expressed a combination of surprise and distrust. "So, you can really see all that just by looking at me ?" she asked, perplexed.

Samuel sighed, slightly annoyed, but said nothing more. He simply turned and resumed his walk towards the blacksmith, Helydia closely following him with Kai.