Laelynn lazily stretched as she moved around on her bed. She couldn’t remember the last time she had such a fulfilling night’s sleep and was so relaxed she forgot the situation where she previously was in. As she lazily rubbed her eyes until she realized something was off before she looked at her hand, one she hadn’t seen for a long time. She quickly touched the rest of her body as tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly looked around the room to find Martel before she heard some voices in the other room.

“You’re abnormal,” Lily said.

“I take after my teacher.” Martel retorted.

“Is that a compliment or an insult?” Lily replied in a slightly miffed tone.

“Both.”

“Master!” Laelynn exclaimed as she entered the room and quickly made her way over to him. “Look, I’m all better! Now I can be useful to you.” She chirped.

Martel’s expression became soft. The first thought that came to Laelynn mind was not her restored body, but that she could be useful. It was as if she never considered her situation.

Lily snorted. “Well, now that she’s awake, you can take that slime of yours and leave.” She said as she gave a cold stare to Midori, who seemed depressed.

Martel nodded as he quickly put away the apothecary lab. “Well, we won’t bother you anymore. I’m sure we will be back in the future.”

“I won’t hold my breath,” Lily replied as she shooed them away.

Once everyone left, Lily had a slight smile on her face before it froze. “I must’ve had an excellent sleep to become so soft.” She mumbled to herself as she sat back down to read her book.

“Alright, we’re going to try and awaken everyone’s Soul Armament,” Martel said in the carriage as they made their way back to the city.

Martel then began to tell them what the Soul Armament was and how to awaken it. After doing so, Martel went to check his Soul Armament as he noticed something was different since he killed so many bandits. When he entered, the previous scene of a hallway was replaced with an island with a giant tree he had seen previously. He frowned as he looked into the earth below the tree as he felt an energy brewing below. After a couple of seconds of thought, he realized that this should be the soul-power absorbed from the bandits he killed. However, this was only a small amount of energy compared to the energy swirling beneath.

Martel wondered where all that energy came from before he concluded that it most likely was collected from the people he had previously killed in Kuhon. He began to get worried when the new soul energy appeared to have provoked a sleeping beast as the ground started to shake and become unstable. After several seconds, the tree seemed to take notice, and the soul energy began to be siphoned through its roots.

The tree became lush, many different fruits began to appear on the tree, and a large amount of information suddenly appeared and Martel’s mind. From this information, Martel learned that Soul Armaments had four different tiers: Mortal, Saint, Heaven, and Metamorphic, which were further split into nine levels. Mortal, Saint, and Heavenly were relatively similar in function. Mortal would typically increase one Stat, Saint two or three with the potential for additional abilities, Heavenly would affect multiple Stats with the potential for additional abilities. Metamorphic would be similarly powerful but not follow the previous trend.

The amount of which Stat to be affected was dependent upon the level of the Soul Armament. Additionally, Heavenly and Metamorphic Soul Armaments had the potential of obtaining a spirit and becoming sentient. This was where the information Martel got came from. Unfortunately, the spirit failed to form in the last step. However, this didn’t stop Martel from obtaining insight into how it now worked.

In addition to this information, he also obtained more information on how to use the Crown of Origin. After he received this information, he broke out into a cold sweat. It turned out that he had a limited number of Soul Armaments he could have at once. He was dangerously close to that limit, which could have caused the Soul Armament to explode. He took a deep breath and quickly assessed his options.

The tree had spawned an incredibly large number of fruits that he could use to manipulate the Soul Armaments in his possession. Any changes he made to the Soul Armaments of his wives would also change theirs, naturally for the better. He could upgrade their level and even rank directly, but the number of soul fruits required was staggering. In the end, he decided to focus on building a strong foundation instead of going for immediate gain.

The first thing he did was to become the official owner of all the Soul Armaments. This did not mean that he cut off the link between the Soul Armament and his wives, but it was no longer a projection. Instead, it meant that he had more options with how he could change the Soul Armaments, and he would not be required to bring out the Crown of Origin to utilize them, saving mana in battle. Next, he gave all the Soul Armament’s the ability to evolve into higher ranks and upgrade to higher levels. Finally, he took nearly all of the remaining soul fruits and then fused Soul Armaments. After several seconds, a new Soul Armament appeared called Soul Armory (Godslayer Series).

Overall, none of the abilities of the Soul Armaments included were improved. Instead, they all became part of the Godslayer series. However, it had now become far more useful in battle. The initial cost of summering the Soul Armory was significantly more costly than any single armament. However, the cost of summoning the entire set of armor was already cost-effective. Additionally, summoning or switching out other Soul Armaments within Soul Armory would not cost any mana. However, not all Soul Armaments could be included, like Morgan’s Wand of the Fae, as the Soul Armory was martial.

The next thing Martel needed to consider was how to upgrade and evolve some of the Soul Armaments. His first option was to use Soul Fruits to do so. This was now cheaper as all the Soul Armaments could evolve and upgrade on their own. It still seemed somewhat of a waste as they could be used to manipulate them further instead. The other option was to sacrifice the fruits to fuse similar soul armaments. However, this wasn’t easy in this world. Soul Armaments either did not exist or were not known. It was theoretically possible to have been formed on their own, but the chance was meager. Luckily for everyone in his party, Martel had a method of forming Soul Armaments. He decided if he had a significant number of criminals, he could teach them this method and then forcibly take their Soul Armament. However, these criminals would have to be guilty of crimes punishable by death. Doing so had a relatively high chance of killing them.

Additionally, the rank and level of their Soul Armaments would most likely be low and thus not very useful. The final way was to find unique items of the same element or type, but this was even more difficult as it was extremely vague. However, it would technically be possible for the Soul Armaments to upgrade or evolve on their own; it was just improbable. Martel couldn’t help but put this idea on hold as anything the short term seemed unlikely.

After covering all his bases, Martel opened his eyes. He saw somewhat surprised him as all the girls had a big silhouette behind them, signifying that all of them had the potential to form a Soul Armament. This caught him off-guard as it was unlikely. However, he realized that this statistical difference could be because they were in a different world.

The first person to successfully condense a Soul Armament was Laelynn. It was a harp made of wood decorated with vines.

Harp of Nature (Mortal-9)

Nature Affinity and Resistance +50%

The harp can be used as a conduit for magic, allowing for the casting of spells through playing music for a unique effect. Playing the harp can be used to strengthen and control the surrounding nature, natural or magic.

Martel nodded as this was a relatively useful Soul Armament, especially for Laelynn.

Hestia Soul Armament was a suit of armor that seemed to be made of lava as it appeared to flow throughout the suit with flames coming off the edge.

Lava Armor (Saint-9)

Armor made of magma used to protect the body and harm those who come in contact with it.

Fire and Earth Affinity and Resistance +50%

DEF *25%

Fire counter-attack based on fire resistance when damaged by a non-ranged enemy within 5 feet.

Martel couldn’t help but take a cold breath when he saw Hestia’s Soul Armament. It made her defense even more abnormal. Coupling this with Mana Barrier to block powerful attacks, Martel could foresee she would be nigh unbeatable on the battlefield.

Very satisfied with the Soul Armament, he turned to look at Kogane’s and what he saw caused his jaw to drop.

Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit (Heaven-9, Sentient)

A Soul Armament in the form of a Nine-Tailed Fox.

It can act as an avatar and share senses

It can become corporeal and physically attack

It can possess and control others

It can posses the owner and enhance all aspects

WIL, SPR, MAG, AWR +50%

Illusion Affinity and Resistance +50%

Kogane had the highest rank and level of Soul Armament. Coupled with her Elemental Tails Talent, she was shaping up to be a terrible offensive mage.

While the three girls were getting used to their new Soul Armaments, they made their way back to the city. Martel drove Terra to one of the best Smithies in the capital available to the public. The saleswoman was busy for the moment, so everyone went around browsing their wares.

Martel was casually copying the shields in the store as his shield could turn into any type after merely touching it. He found shields that increased resistance to every kind of attribute by +20%, increasing his defense capability. This, coupled with Cali’s Yin and Yang Swords, meant that he could perfectly counter enemies with element damage and resistances. Now, he could switch his shield to defend against their element and his weapon to counter.

After looking around the casual merchandise, he found a peculiar stone that looked as if it had been melted several times set on a pedestal.

“Do you recognize this, Sir?” The saleswoman asked as she had just finished with the previous customer.

“Yes, it’s adamantine,” Marty replied just before a big crash happened in the back where the smithing was done.

Looking towards the noise, Martel saw a relatively small woman rush out. She wore smithing attire and tools and was covered in soot, but all this only accentuated the sparkle in her eyes. In her hurry, her brunette hair swung behind her ears, revealing their slightly larger and rounded shape, exposing the fact that she was a dwarf. “Do you know what this piece of metal is?” She asked Martel earnestly.

“Yes, it’s adamantine, one of the strongest and heaviest metals known.”

“Then, is it possible to use it as a material for smithing?”

“It is, but you won’t be able to do so with this piece.”

“Really?” The dwarf asked, suddenly disheartened and a little skeptical.

Martel nodded as he took one of his spare katanas out and handed it to her. “This piece you have has been heated multiple times. You see, adamantine has a very high melting point, but the exact point is based upon the number of impurities within it. Having more impurities means a lower melting point and vice versa. This piece here has few impurities from repeated forging attempts, so it will only melt at temperatures too high to smith. The metal will be too hard to shape and brittle.” Martel replied, although he only noticed after that she was staring at the sword with rapt attention.

“Little fella, is what you said true?” Similarly dressed in smithing attire, an older bearded man asked as he came from the back room.

“Naturally, although that’s not the reason why I’m here.”

“Of course, of course. I’ll help you personally.”

At this point, the dwarf finally came back to her senses, but Cali quickly pulled her aside before she could speak up, and they began to talk.

Martel handed several drawings over to the old Smith whose eyes lit up. The drawings included all the specifications and information required to suit Martel’s party with armor and weapons.

“In addition to this, I would like to borrow one of the forges for a while.”

The old Smith nodded. “We’ve been making a surplus of armor and weapons in preparation for The Invasion, so we should have what you want already premade. Typically, we don’t rent out a forge, but I’ll make an exception for you. As for the mage robes, the tailor shop my wife runs next door will have what you want.”

Martel nodded as the dwarf made her way up next to him. “Yes?” Martel asked as she had a conflicted expression on her face.

At his question, her expression became firm, and she bowed to him. “Please make me your slave.”

Martel nearly staggered. His face was covered in black lines when he looked over at Cali, who had a ‘praise me’ expression on her face. That being said, Martel was looking to expand his party so he wouldn’t immediately refuse her. He took a glance at her stats and became dumbfounded when he saw her Talent.

Hammer It Home

Any process that significantly uses a hammer is increased by *50%

Her Talent was extremely short in its description, but its vagueness is what made it most impressive. For example, as a Smith, the final product would be 50% better than it would be without this Talent in every way. This included the success rate, which is vital when using unique materials that increase failure. It would also work with not only attack power but theoretically anything included with the attack. For example, it would be theoretically possible to create a hammer with a 50% chance to paralyze the enemy would become 75% chance in her hands.

Quite happy with the dwarf, whose name he now knew was Crystal, he took a glance at the rest of her stats and was quite pleased when he found out that she was a Level 4 Smith. This was different from Hestia’s Level 4 cooking. Even though the levels were the same, it was theoretically easier for Hestia to become a Level 4 cook. Martel wondered why she could become Level 4 at her age. It then dawned on him that, on top of her being a smithing genius, her Talent possibly increased the experience she would receive. If this were true, the same could apply to her level growth so long as she fought with a hammer.

Quite content in her levels, he gave Crystal a look over. He found that she was quite pretty. Her face looked a bit cute and naïve, her body proportioned for her height, and her assets certainly were not lacking. If she were clean and dressed up, she could turn a few heads.

“Asking someone to become their slave is a bit unusual. Why?” he asked.

“Because if I become your slave, you will teach me how to Smith the adamantine,” Crystal replied.

Martel glanced at Cali as she had made promises in his place. “Can you fight?”

“It’s not my forte, but I can hold my own.”

“Equipment maintenance?”

“Leave it to me.”

“Well, that seems fine.” He replied with a nod.

Crystal’s eyes lit up. “Good!” She said, quite happily.

After a quick discussion, Crystal agreed to be a slave for five years in return for his training. Given that this was far beyond the Waves' length, Martel wasn’t worried in the slightest. Utilizing some of the additional paperwork here bought from the slaver, they quickly made it official.

The old Smith could only sigh that he had lost such a valuable Smith, but she made her intentions known to him when she first showed up.

Martel gave each of the girls their storage bag and money and told him they would go next door to the tailor shop to buy clothes.

While the girls were cloth shopping, Martel went to the forge. Besides grinding his smithing, Martel was also preparing the carriage. The old Smith and Crystal watched Martel with some interest. The general process did not differ from what they knew. However, as Martel continued, the two could tell that his eyesight and control were excellent. However, towards the end, the two of them became confused. Typically, if someone were creating weapons or armor, they would beat the metal to form and shape it. At first, Martel did this to remove impurities, but he was now putting the ore into a liquid state that would typically require a mold, which he didn’t have. The two of them further became dumbfounded. Martel began to utilize his Ki into the shape of a spring.

Ki was something that existed but was rarely emphasized due to the existence of the System. Utilizing Ki in such a way was something they had never heard of, much less considered. Martel poured the liquid metal into the Ki mold before he carefully began to quench it. Soon, a spring was created. Martel continued this process for a short while until all the metal parts required and outfitting the carriage to become a more stable ride. Further modifications would be considered in the future.

Crystal was enthralled and barraged Martel with questions before Cali came and pulled her away to buy clothes.

After the girls had finished their cloth shopping, Martel noticed that Hestia seemed a little embarrassed, but thought nothing of it. Instead, he gave her a pen and paper to write to her parents as he knew that she was worried about them. After promising her he would get the letters to them as quickly as possible, Hestia promptly wrote one for each of her parents.

“I see you’re busy.” Kurt, the Guild Master, said. He walked up to the carriage as Martel was putting on the final adjustments.

“I see your informants are accurate,” Martel replied, commenting on how Kurt had found him.

“The old man wants to see you.”

“Good timing,” Martel said as he got up from under the carriage and turned to the girls. “Once Hestia gets done with her armor fitting, wait for me at the Adventurers Guild training area. I’m going to have someone give you pointers. He’ll be wearing all black with a mask, okay?”

“Sure.” The girls replied.

“Shall we go?” Martel asked.

“Of course,” Kurt replied as the two of them began to walk away. “Say, could you use that teleporting magic?”

Martel didn’t reply, but the two of them disappeared in a flash purple.

...

A short time later, Martel and Kurt walked towards the top of the hill just outside and above the city. There was a small plateau upon which a house stood. Overlooking the city and much of the planes beyond it, an in-shape older man was sitting down in the meditative posture. Upon their arrival, the older man suddenly looked over towards them and smiled at them.

Martel’s hair suddenly stood out on end as the next thing he saw was a fist approaching him. [Fast] was the only thought Martel had before he instinctively reacted. He quickly gathered his Ki to his arms and released his Soul Armory. The armor was no longer multicolored but completely gold, decorated with lines. These lines contained the previous armaments' moving colors. However, there was no time to admire this as Martel punched out with a fist covered by Kuroka, previously a bracelet, towards the older man’s neck. The older man continued his punch unperturbed as he blocked with his other arm, and Martel could only raise his shield to block.

With a *Bang!* Martel shot backward. His Soul Armaments were cracked up from the impact, which Martel compared to being hit by a truck.

The older man had a look of surprise and appreciation in his eyes. “Only slightly injured, not bad.” He mumbled.

“Only slightly?” Kurt said with an eye twitch. “Master, are you trying to kill him?”

*Thwap!* “Master? I don’t remember accepting such a worthless apprentice. Call me properly.” The older man said as he punched Kurt on top of the head.

“… Father-in-law.”

Martel’s face was covered in black lines as he looked at the comedy duo. Especially at how the older man had a stricter policy for an apprentice than a son-in-law.

The older man turned to look at Martel. “Well, you pass. I’ve read over what you want, and I agreed. It’ll take a little time for the other Guild Master’s to get the notice, but I’m sure that none of them would refuse your offer even without my authorization.”

“Thank you.”

“How long until you can open up a basic shop?”

“The only bottleneck to my progress should be the personnel obtained from slavers. Otherwise, the facilities for the personnel will be completed within three days of obtaining a building. This refers to only transportation; it will take a little time to get my inventory ready.”

“Very good. I’ll be able to contact even the furthest branch within a week.”

Martel nodded as he tossed a red token the dragon carved on it. “I may not be there to open a shop personally, but my personnel will be carrying this token as identification.”

The older man nodded as he gestured for the two of them to sit down on his porch. “So tell me, what are your plans?”

Martel cocked an eyebrow. “For what?”

“Besides all of this store business, what do you plan to do without support from the kingdom? Are you going to try to find support somewhere else?”

Martel shook his head. “I prefer to get by on my efforts and do not need any particular kingdoms support. As for my plans...” Martel began as he brought out a map of the continent. “For now, my first plan is to head north with my party towards the First Wave. It should be adequate experience, both literally and System-wise, to get everyone used to their situation. Besides combat, we also prioritize finding survivors and building a base of operations for both my party and any survivors we find. After that, we will make our way back here to enter the labyrinth to dive for additional experience and resources. If everything goes to plan, we should finish shortly before the second wave hits. At this point, aside from a general plan, my only other intent is to take out Sin City.”

Sin City was named as such because it was an exceptionally lawless city. The power was controlled by a set group of individuals who managed a large number of slaves. Crimes would often happen on the streets, but it was only from the fear of retaliation from the people in power that kept any sense of order. There were three primary reasons for Martel’s desire to take out Sin City. The primary reason was that it existed near the exit to the Land of Dragons, the central and natural chokepoint which Martel could use to counteract an eventual dragon invasion. The second reason was due to the number of supplies available. The people in power would hoard the resources obtained through robbery and slave labor, which had become quite large over the years. The final reason was due to his overall disgust with the entire city. It felt it would be in the world's best interest, and his Karma, if it disappeared.

The older man nodded as Martel spoke, but frowned when he mentioned Sin City. “Why take out Sin City? Don’t get me wrong, I’d welcome its destruction, but it seems unnecessary in the long term.”

“If I said that there is an extremely high chance that there will be an invasion from the Land of Dragons?”

The older man’s eyes shot open before they narrowed. “That’s a fairly big statement. The natural barriers are not so easy to break through to create anything resembling an invasion.”

“Unless they are led by someone who’s not from this world, like the number of unwilling summons, or … others.”

“Brat, you sure know a lot.”

“When I eventually die, I would like to know why.”

The older man briefly laughed before he took on a severe expression. “Well, if you’re going after Sin City, there something you should know. The one behind it is a dragon.”

“Really?” Martel asked with genuine surprise. “How strong?”

“For a Dragon, not that strong as it is rather young. Between the two of you, it’s unclear who would win with the strength you just showed. It could get the upper hand if you’re not prepared as it is a Poison Dragon.”

Martel’s eyes lit up. One of his most significant concerns was poison, as it was one of the few things that he could not counter very well. Potions could help to a certain extent, but fast-acting poisons administered in surprise could still kill him. This information only furthered his desire to take out Sin City.

“If you know a Dragon is behind Sin City, why haven’t you taken any measures to take it out?”

The older man made a bitter smile. “Sin City exists between two rivers which act as natural barriers between the Halfling and Gnome Kingdoms. The land between the rivers was always disputed between the two until they agreed that neither would fully control it, and they would both drive out any foreign powers that entered it. Utilizing this no man’s land, several wealthy individuals created a city and paid both kingdoms handsomely to allow it. Their criminal tendencies were only discovered later. By that time, they had become strong enough to give both the gnomes and halflings enough of a headache as they had amassed power during the waves while the kingdoms had lost it. Eventually, they reached the stalemate that we see today. It’s built to fight an army, and neither kingdom is willing to expend the resources to put it to siege.”

“All right, but then why haven’t you or someone fully capable assassinated these people?”

“We’ve naturally considered that, but the dragon makes us hesitant. You see, every race has old monsters, and dragons are the pinnacle of this as there are multiple out there. While they tend to be loose and unaffiliated, if it were found out that someone of my strength killed a weaker one of their kind, they would use that an excuse to go on a rampage, as they have done before. This is an unspoken rule between all the different kingdoms and races. Let the younger generation solve their issues, and only in the face of destruction do we come out.”

Martel nodded as this made sense. “Should I be worried then?”

The older man shook his head. “You shouldn’t. Suppose the dragon dies at someone's hands besides the old monsters, especially someone whose identity is unknown. In that case, you should be fine unless there is an old dragon in the general vicinity.”

“Well, thank you for this information,” Martel said as he stood up.

“Naturally. It’s an honor for me to help guide the promising younger generation. Feel free to stop by if you ever need any help.”

Martel nodded before he disappeared in a flash of purple.

The older man watched Martel disappear with interest before he sneered. “That fool King just became a lucky fool.”

“Old man, what do you mean?”

“That kid is an experienced killer.”

“How do you know?”

“Why else do you think I attacked him? You can learn a lot about a person based on how they respond to a dangerous situation. I don’t know what those kid’s powers were, but he was able to trigger multiple of them nearly instantly, and his first response was not to defend but to attack and go in for the kill.” The older man continued as he unwrapped his arm wrappings, revealing a fresh bruise.

Kurt took in a cold breath as he couldn’t even remember the last time he had seen him injured.

“That kid punched me four times in an instant. He used the rebound from those punches, jumped back, and deflected my punch to lessen the overall impact as much as possible. This kid has fought a lot and is unafraid of taking lives.”

“Then why is the king a lucky fool?”

“This kid knows forbearance as he has not retaliated right away. However, if he wanted to retaliate, he probably would’ve done so by now. The fact that he hasn’t means he is probably taking the overall situation into account and wants to prevent the chaos that would ensue from the assassination of a monarch. Or he sees the King as nothing more than a fool. I say he’s a lucky fool because he is still alive.”

“... What do you think of this generation’s Shield Hero?”

“I’m glad he’s on our side.”

In an alley near the Adventurers Guild, Martel changed his clothes into his appearance to Kuro. He was about to do something that he would prefer not to. Test the resolve of his new party members, and see their ability to overcome their fear of death. Those with weak resolve would only endanger their lives and their companions' lives, which was not something Martel wanted to see.

After Martel was dressed, he made his way to the training grounds. There, he found all the girls practicing, exercising, and turning heads.

Hestia noticed him and walked over. “Excuse me, are you the trainer our Sir mentioned?” She asked politely.

Martel nodded and said nothing as the other girls also came and stood in front of him.

Martel looked over the girls. “Disappointing.” He said with a gruff mumble to disguise his voice.

The girls all heard him and showed obvious disapproval, but said nothing.

Martel looked at Hestia. “You follow me alone.” He said before he turned around and walked into the trees out of sight of everyone else.

“Sir, what kind of training are we going to be doing?”

“Training? With someone like you, is it even useful?”

“Sir, what do you mean?” Hestia asked, a little angry.

Martel withdrew a dagger. “You want me to train you? Fine. But first, you have to pass my test. You can either give up and leave, move out of the way, or die.”

Hestia became vigilant. “Sir, what do you…” Hestia began before she froze on the spot as Martel’s overwhelming Killing Intent, boosted by his Slaughterer Title, was focused heavily on her. She couldn’t move; She could barely breathe. It was as if the life was being squeezed out of her. She watched and slight horror as the dagger in Martel’s hand silly began to float towards her, pointed at her neck, as she remained unable to move.

As Martel used his newly discovered telekinesis to manipulate the dagger and attempted to read her surface thoughts, he continued to speak. “Do you think this is child’s play? Do you even understand why you’re following him? Is it some flimsy reason like to repay his grace for saving you? Perhaps that is a part, but I believe it’s more you’ve decided to protect him. Tell me, do you think he needs protecting from you, someone so weak that they can’t even protect themselves? You are weak. Do you think you’ll ever be able to protect him?”

Hestia’s mind was nearly blank in fear. Martel’s words echoed in her mind as if to degrade will and resolve. [I am weak. If not for him, I’d be being abused by some wealthy noble. But… But… But I believe I can be strong! I believe I’ll be strong enough to protect him one day.] Strength and resolve filled Hestia’s eyes as she gritted her teeth and forced her body to move. The dagger eventually passed by harmlessly. She took some deep breaths as she gave Martel unwavering gaze. “Sir, thank you.” She said as she realized what Martel had done.

“You pass. Wait over there outside of sight.” He said as he turned back to the group.

The girls were still waiting and talking amongst themselves, noticeably looking for Hestia at his approach.

Martel then took Laelynn and gave her the same essential speech before also sending the dagger towards her. “Do you think you’ll be useful to him?” He asked her.

Laelynn was scared at Martel’s killing intent, but she was faring better than Hestia until Martel said those words. She took on an angry expression, which Martel could only describe as cute, and reached out and grabbed the dagger as it approached in front of her. She didn’t move as she looked directly at Martel. “I’ll definitely be useful to master!”

“You pass,” Martel said before he healed her hand and instructed her to join Hestia. Laelynn had been through a lot, and, while those traumas still existed within her, being able to overcome them fully would make her WIL all the stronger.

Next was Kogane. Her initial response was similar to Hestia but reacted as fiercely as Laelynn did when Martel mentioned that she was too weak to save her mama. Martel couldn’t help but appreciate her robust mind far beyond her age.

Out of the current group, Crystal was last, and the worst she only barely passed once Martel had brought up the fact that she was going to let her family lineage down. Martel was not worried about Cali as he knew full well just how stubborn she could be.

Martel only gave a slight nod at the girls who were noticeably sweating from the mental and emotional strain. “Well, you all pass. Martel, who I already tested, will be more than adequate when it comes to actual training. My only real concern was making sure you are ready to take on your new responsibilities. Take care.” He said as he walked away, unaware that Hestia was looking at his back with a thoughtful expression.

A couple of minutes later, Martel made his way back to the group. He was slightly pale and sweating. This wasn’t him acting. The punch from the Guild Grand Master plus the additional mental strain of using telekinesis and mind-reading had taken its toll. He looked over the girls with a smile. “Well, I hear you all passed Kuro’s assessment. We’ll take a break for now, and I’ll give you a crash course in self-defense and Ki before dinner, okay?” He asked.

Everybody responded either vocally or physically except for Hestia, who looked at him with a thoughtful expression.

“Is there something on my face?” Martel asked with a smile as he had temporarily taken off his mask as they were in a secluded area.

“Sir, do you know many people with masks?”

“Not many,” Marty replied nonchalantly. However, he couldn’t help but be amazed at a woman’s intuition. He had changed his mannerisms and voice enough to confuse the average person. He somewhat regretted not using a Soul Body to give himself an alibi. “Well, let’s head back to the inn.”