Rody stood still, deep in thought. He felt that what Dean Buck had said aligned somewhat with his own assessments using the Ink Crystal Magic Mirror and the evaluation of the divine servants.
The assessments of the Ink Crystal Magic Mirror and the divine servants were more similar, both using star emblems as indicators. However, upon closer examination, Rody found a correlation between Dean Buck's statement about people only having five percent of their potential and the half-star rating seen in the Ink Crystal Magic Mirror. If this was true, then the black servants he had were reasonable; as ordinary humans, Marcus and Emma both had half-star potential, while Nicholas, a high-level mage, had one and a half stars of potential.
An old goblin wizard with the strength of a six-pointed star magic master was considered decent, but as a goblin, he only had half-star potential. As a magical beast, Cato had two stars of potential, indicating that magical beasts and humans are subject to different restrictions.
Even the merged mantis and the seemingly weak bone pet rabbit had potentials of two and a half stars and one and a half stars, respectively. It was hard for Rody to imagine a rabbit having the same potential as Nicholas, and two palm-sized mantises surpassing the potential of a high-level mage by a whole star.
It seemed that the focus of contracting black servants in the future should not be on human swordsmen or mages, whose potentials are destined to be low, but on magical beasts.
However, Rody later thought about his own seven-star potential, which seemed incredible. If a Sword Saint or Law Saint only utilized thirty percent of their potential, equivalent to about three stars, then his seven-star potential was frighteningly high. Rody was anxious because the Ink Crystal Magic Mirror couldn't see his own potential, leaving no way to confirm this as fact.
Rody discreetly used the Ink Crystal Magic Mirror to observe people passing by, but didn't find anyone over one star. He saw many swordsmen, but the highest was only one star, with over ninety percent of people having only half-star soul potential.
"What are you doing, Rody?" The beautiful tutor's voice came from behind. To Rody's shock, the Magic Mirror's assessment read, "Observation target's strength is too far from the observer, unable to judge." Previously, the strongest person Rody had observed with the mirror was a level six swordsman, but using it to observe the non-hostile beautiful tutor resulted in "unable to judge."
"Idiot, don't you know it's rude to probe others' strengths like that?" the tutor scolded upon seeing the Ink Crystal Magic Mirror on Rody's face. "Keep good things carefully hidden. If gods, demons, or those in the Temple of Light learn about it, your life will be in danger!"
"Got it," Rody hastily put away the mirror.
"Ask quickly if you have questions; I don’t have time to dawdle. If not, I'm leaving," the tutor turned to leave, then added, "I came to tell you one thing: during the trial, or in the future, no matter what happens, you must protect Jill. She is Felik's treasure and cannot be harmed, understand?"
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"My abilities are limited..." Rody felt this task was not easy.
"Of course, your abilities are very limited. Since you’re aware, work even harder!" the tutor snorted. "If there’s nothing else, I'm leaving."
"Wait," seeing the tutor in a relatively good mood, Rody quickly seized the rare opportunity to ask, "Does the one-star soul potential seen in the Ink Crystal Magic Mirror correspond to the ten percent potential mentioned by the Dean?"
"Soul potential and physical potential aren't exactly the same, but they are similar. Soul potential is stricter. If someone has one-star soul potential, they definitely have ten percent potential, but the reverse isn't necessarily true. It's complicated, but you'll understand eventually," the tutor explained impatiently, then asked, "Who took you to the Divine Domain Ruins? You shouldn't have gone there yet. If people find out you've been assessed, it won't be good."
"My guide was called Eracles. Do you know him?" Rody was eager to know the identity of those mysterious old men.
"So it was him," the tutor nodded without much reaction. Rody couldn't determine Eracles' strength or weakness, but one thing was clear: the tutor knew this middle-aged man and had probably been assessed herself. After scrutinizing Rody, she asked, "What was the divine servant's assessment of you?"
"Over five stars," Rody didn't reveal the truth but wanted to gauge how high five stars were.
"Listen, Rody, I’m serious. Don’t forget a word I say," the tutor's expression turned grave, speaking into Rody's ear with a magical voice transmission, "No matter who asks you in the future, you must not say you have more than five-star potential, or you will be eliminated immediately! Even a god, upon learning there's a human with more than five-star potential, will consider killing them!"
"I understand..." Rody broke out in a cold sweat, feeling overwhelmed by the tutor's seriousness.
Now, he realized just how unimaginably high seven-star potential was. No wonder those old men residing in the Divine Domain Ruins, detached from worldly affairs, favored him so much, gifting him the Ink Crystal Magic Mirror and the magic ancient book. They had unspoken intentions.
By giving him the ancient book, they helped him practice and break through his current realm. The mirror was given to detect powerful enemies to avoid being killed unknowingly. Those old men in the Divine Domain Ruins truly had deep intentions, and Rody felt embarrassed, having previously misunderstood their motives.
He had told them about his seven-star potential, but none of them had the intention to harm him; instead, they assisted him covertly.
"Their broad-mindedness is beyond imagination," Rody thought.
"Do you know why the Felik Empire collapsed three hundred years ago? It was because of a person with talents not tolerated even by gods, having more than five-star potential. Do you know why the seven clans' warriors and loyal soldiers defied the gods' warnings and fought to the death? It was to protect those descendants with potential surpassing the gods, talents that even gods felt threatened and jealous of, treasures gifted to humans by the ancient original gods! Only once in a thousand years does such a person appear. Including the one from three hundred years ago and you, Felik, known for its treasures, has only had three such individuals in a millennium."
"What if someone discovers this?" Rody felt a chill, fearing discovery by something like the Ink Crystal Magic Mirror.
"Even gods cannot easily see through others' potential," the beautiful tutor shook her head and said, "I don't know about the heavenly realm, but on the earth, something like your device that can assess others' potential is unique. It is a treasure crafted by the Earth Mother Goddess and the Goddess of Wishes, a precious artifact guarded by each generation's Soul Saint. When you acquired it, did you not make some significant vow?"
"Yes, I did," Rody admitted, his heart racing as he realized the gravity of possessing the Ink Crystal Magic Mirror, which was, in fact, a dangerous divine artifact.
"There are two things you must do: first, protect Jill with all your might; and second, preserve your own life. If there's real danger, escape to the Divine Domain Ruins with Jill! Moreover, no matter what happens, even if millions are killed before your eyes, these two tasks must be your top priority," the tutor patted Rody's shoulder, then softly added, "A man should bear more responsibility. Strive to do your best."