Kyle, feeling anxious, began searching for any response that could satisfy the question. However, he knew that lying would only lead to trouble. With no other option left, he resolved to tell the truth, plain and simple. But before he could respond, Zyl interjected.

"Look, lying won’t help you. I know it is lower than 5; I just want to know. I won’t probe you more if you do not want to answer, but know that I’m trying to help."

"My… my strength stat is 3."

"I see, that is really unusual for someone your age." Zyl placed his hand on his chin, deep in thought.

"Are you maybe one of those stat fanatics who think just boosting one stat to the extreme would get you to some sort of truth? If so, what stat did you boost?"

"Uh… no, I’m not."

"Then, did you not allocate any stats yet?"

Thinking about a convincing answer, Kyle could not come up with anything that would be considered convincing, so he chose to say the truth again.

"The thing is, I’m still only level 1…"

"WHAT? But you’re too old to be only level 1. Were you living under a rock or something? That's not possible, even for people who never fight and just hold normal jobs. They would level up. Even practicing mundane skills would give you experience."

With a puzzled expression, he continued to stare at Kyle for a few seconds before breaking the silence.

"Kyle, where are you from?"

Knowing he would be faced with this question sooner or later, Kyle had already thought of creating a sad backstory with the little information he had mixed with lies. Putting on a small act, he scratched the back of his head and looked at the floor.

"I… I’m from Honos."

A bit confused still, Zyl probed more.

"Ok, but that does not really explain why you are still level 1."

"Well, to tell you the complete truth, I was a slave. I never had a real opportunity to study or practice anything. About a week ago, we were being transported when our caravan was attacked. They handed us rusted, old weapons to defend ourselves and assist during the attack. In the chaos of the fight, many people died, including our owner. Witnessing it, all the slaves started running for their freedom. So, I just followed suit and ran away. After several days of running, when I was about to give up hope, I stumbled upon this village, and that's where I am now."

Betting all his hopes on the lie he fabricated and that, in a more medieval setting, Honos—a military country—would have slaves, a DING noise rang in his ears, his head still down. He glanced at the prompt; it was fairly small: Deception level up.

The prompt gave him a bit of relief, knowing his lie was accepted. He looked up to see Zyl’s eyes still on him, but his expression was now a mix of confusion and sadness.

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"I’m sorry to hear that, also sorry for probing you, and thank you for trusting me. It must be hard trusting people after living that life…"

"It’s ok. I’m free now, so that’s good, and I have a full life ahead of me to get back what I lost. I’m not going to let it bother me and dedicate my life."

"I like your spirit. Take a rest for now since you are too weak to even lift a crate," he said with a warm smile on his face, showing no sign of mockery.

"The caravan should be here soon, so I should place them outside and take care of that, then we have to figure out what to do with your situation."

He then started moving the crates and placing them at the front of the shop. Kyle sat on a chair in the room.

'It really worked, yes thank God. That was the only idea I was able to come up with. Thank you, deception. If he didn’t believe that story, I don’t know what I would have done, but that means my guess was right: there are slaves in this world…'

While thinking about the principles of this world and debating the morality of slavery with himself, time passed, and Zyl came back.

"Hey, are you feeling alright? You seem pretty deep in thought again."

"No, I’m fine. I was just waiting for you."

"Good to hear. Then let’s address the level 1 problem. Honestly, right now, you are pretty much useless as you can’t even lift a crate from the ground, but I do have a pretty good idea to get you stronger if you’re willing to give up the rest of your time."

"Yes, I’m willing." Kyle responded inwardly, realizing he didn't really have a choice; it was either this or face starvation while begging for money.

"Good, good. Follow me then."

Exiting the shop, Kyle felt a bit confused.

"I’m sorry, why are we going out of the shop?"

"We are going to see some friends that will help you get stronger."

Not wanting to question further, Kyle followed quietly until they reached a fenced-off area where a group of half-naked, sweaty men were engaged in various activities. Some were running, others were sparring with wooden swords. It resembled some sort of military barracks for training. Zyl entered the barracks grounds, and Kyle followed suit. Everybody seemed to know him; some smiling while nodding their heads, others making a formal bow. They continued deeper into the barracks until they encountered Brock sitting on a bench. As they exchanged greetings, Brock turned and looked at Kyle.

"Nice to see you again, young man. Have you found the inn I was telling you about?"

"Yes, I did. Thank you for your help, sir."

"No problem, son. So, what brings you here, Zyl? Is there a problem with the order?"

"Nothing of the sort. I’m here to ask for a small favor."

"Of course, anything I can do for you, friend. What might you need help with?"

"Kyle here is in dire need of training. I was hoping that you could let him join the training and go on hunts with you to acquire some knowledge and get a bit stronger."

"That is easy enough to do. Wanna be a knight now, don’t we?" He chuckled, casting a glance at Kyle.

Confused and a bit scared from being put on the spot so suddenly, Kyle never agreed to be a knight at all. What was Zyl thinking? Was he not going to hire him anymore?

Seeing the confusion and panic in Kyle’s eyes, Zyl broke the silence.

"No, nothing of the sort—or at least that’s what I think. He is trying for an apprenticeship in my shop, but he is rough around the edges and needs to get stronger. I thought a few weeks with you guys would teach him some basics."

"Is that so? Then he won’t be receiving any pay for the training duration. Is that alright?"

"That won’t be a problem. Then I leave him in your care."

Shaking on it, Zyl turned to Kyle before leaving.

"From now on, he is your boss. Listen to what he says and know that if you fail here, you are fired. When you’re done here, come see me at the shop. I have some things for you. Good luck."

Hearing that he would be fired if he failed the training here, Kyle got stiff and nodded his head in agreement. With that, Zyl left him in the hands of Brock and went back to his shop. Seeing the slightly panicked Kyle, Brock patted his shoulder.

"There is no need to worry, son. With a bit of determination, you will be able to do it. You need at least that much to be able to survive in this world."