As she walked towards the place where the man had set up his camp, the spider-woman broke the silence:
"I am Helydia."
Samuel, walking at a slow but steady pace, replied without turning around:
"Well, Helydia, you seem remarkably calm for someone whose body I've just sliced."
"Don't worry," Helydia replied with a light laugh. "My paws take between one and two months to regrow." "And then, I am even happier to have found another species endowed with intelligence and, moreover, with communication skills."
A few steps from his camp, Samuel stopped to turn towards her:
"By the way, what is this 'skill' you're talking about?"
Helydia smiled slightly, as if amused by his ignorance.
"Don't worry, I will explain to you the principles that govern this world." "But first, tell me: what is your level?"
Samuel frowned.
"What's my level?"
"Yes." Are you not aware of it? Ah... I see, you really don't know anything about it. "Well, just say 'Status'."
The man, although hesitant, stopped in his tracks and spoke aloud:
"STATUS."
Suddenly, as if appearing out of nowhere, a glowing interface appeared before his eyes, filled with numbers and letters. Surprised, Samuel remained frozen. It strangely resembled something he had only seen in the video games of his childhood, but never in reality.
"And now," Helydia said in a calm tone, "read me the number in the center."
Samuel scans the interface for a few seconds before responding: "My level is 16."
Helydia stopped abruptly, her eyes wide with surprise.
"What?! You reached level 16 without using an ounce of magic?! "Me, I'm level 22, and I..."
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She suddenly cut herself off, regaining her composure after a moment of confusion.
"Well... you are entitled to three basic spells."
"What's this about spells?" Samuel asked, still as bewildered by this new reality.
"Every five levels, you can choose a skill or a spell from a specific list that your interface will offer you." "And you, since you're level 16, you get three skills."
Samuel nodded, trying to process this new information.
"Okay, I understand." It's like a kind of game. But I didn't choose my Telepathy skill, yet it's checked on my list. "How is that possible?"
Helydia replied with a smile:
"Yes, when someone is born into this world, they receive a random passive skill related to their species." Me, for example, I have 'Resistance to Poison', which is a common skill for my species. But for you, 'Telepathy' is rare for a human. "You must be special, then."
She observed Samuel's body, particularly his well-defined abs, while biting her lower lip.
Samuel, somewhat embarrassed by this sudden attention, clenched the spider's leg in his hand and turned his gaze to the interface, studying the skills that were being offered to him.
After a brief reflection, and knowing that he generally fought in close combat, he chose two basic but crucial skills for himself: 'Muscle Enhancement' and 'Awakened Speed'. These choices perfectly matched his fighting style.
Upon arriving at his camp, Samuel sat on a stone he had placed near the fire and continued to review the list of available skills. Meanwhile, Helydia was exploring the camp, curious, while playing with the purple lizard trapped in a jar.