A mage taking on a disciple…
I guess that makes him an apprentice?
“This is…” Samir stared at the ring in his hand, bewildered.
“The [Ring of Premonition],” Duke explained with a wave of his hand.
“It enhances your sixth sense, allowing you to sense danger in advance. It’s just a minor magical item I whipped up on a whim—a crude little toy. Keep it.”
It was indeed nothing special—a mere 10-point trinket in terms of Talent Points.
But Duke’s traditional Eastern sensibilities kicked in: *Since he’s my follower now, I should probably give him a ‘meeting gift’ or something, right?*
“Thank you, Master.”
“Don’t call me Master. Just call me Boss.”
“Yes, Boss… but… how do I wear this?” Samir’s expression turned awkward.
The ring was tiny—too small to fit any of his fingers.
“Prick your finger and let a drop of blood fall on it. Any finger will do.”
The ring had been crafted to Duke’s own measurements, and Samir’s fingers were clearly much thicker.
“Oh.”
Samir bit his fingertip hard, and as a drop of blood fell, it was instantly absorbed by the ring’s surface.
He stared in astonishment.
When he tried to put it on again, the ring suddenly expanded, sliding easily onto his pinky.
“Is this… a pinky ring?”
The moment he slipped it on, a jolt shot through Samir’s body like an electric current.
Charlie tossed a small pebble at him.
But as if sensing it 0.5 seconds early, Samir jerked his head back.
The pebble zipped past the tip of his nose.
“This… this is incredible!” Samir exclaimed.
He couldn’t explain why, but just now, he’d felt danger approaching and knew he had to pull his head back.
He’d acted on instinct.
He never expected this.
Everyone else was stunned.
Charlie, who had thrown the stone, was completely bewildered.
He was certain that from his angle, Samir couldn’t have seen him coming.
Diana, however, wasn’t surprised.
Paradise Island was full of magical artifacts, many of which enhanced one’s intuition.
She just found the whole thing curious—the ring had suddenly appeared in Duke’s palm.
Charlie quickly ran over, pointed to his own nose, and flashed a goofy grin.
“Boss, what do you think of me? I’m willing to follow you too…”
Duke laughed.
“Your aptitude is too low!”
“Huh?” Charlie’s spirit immediately deflated.
He trudged back, his head hanging low.
He’d have loved to force the issue, but he’d witnessed Duke’s power firsthand—the man could insta-kill him in a heartbeat.
Even a hundred Charlies wouldn’t stand a chance.
The Eye of Truth had already analyzed Charlie’s stats.
[Magic Aptitude: E; Loyalty: 10%.]
An E-rank aptitude was practically the lowest of the low.
—The system ranked aptitude from S, A, B, C, D, E, to F.
Charlie was at the sixth level; the fact that he could even step foot in the door was impressive enough.
Samir, on the other hand, had surprised him.
Beyond needing someone so tactful to handle affairs, the data revealed by the Eye of Truth was a crucial reason for his value.
Samir—[Magic Aptitude: B; Loyalty: 65%.]
His loyalty had just increased by five points after receiving a ring.
A B-rank magic aptitude was quite impressive.
Although the system stated that a follower’s maximum magical achievement could only be one major realm lower than Duke’s, it didn’t guarantee they would actually reach it.
With Samir’s B-rank talent, he could potentially touch the threshold of the Legendary realm.
But without a stroke of luck, he would likely remain at the Hero Perfection Realm for the rest of his life.
“Perfection” isn’t a realm in itself.
To be precise, it should be called [Peak Perfection].
Each major realm is divided into four minor stages: Early, Mid, Late, and Peak.
“Perfection” means you are on the verge of breaking through to the next major realm at any moment, but… not everyone can cross this watershed.
The Chief knew his own limitations, yet he still asked.
Duke shook his head with a smile.
*[Magic Aptitude: F; Loyalty: 20%.]*
His aptitude was even weaker than Charlie’s.
Someone like this couldn’t even get their foot in the door.
As for the loyalty—perhaps they had just gotten along well during their first meeting?
Duke turned his gaze toward Steve.
The other man smiled faintly.
“I’m… not very interested in magic.”
This was a lie.
He simply knew Duke would never recruit him, so he might as well just say no.
“A pity. Your aptitude is actually quite good—Magic Aptitude B… But what’s a shame is… you harbor 20% hostility toward me?” Duke remarked playfully.
*Hostility*, huh?
He understood.
He’d stolen the man’s sweetheart, after all.
Though he hadn’t *fully* stolen her yet, the situation was already clear.
If he did, this hostility would surely soar.
“Hmm?”
A chill glinted in his eyes.
They had bonded through battle and shared a common nature.
Duke had also revealed his true identity to them, an act of trust that earned him their gratitude.
While they weren’t best friends yet, they were definitely comrades.
As for Victor, he had long since vanished.
Diana frowned slightly, her gaze fixed on the man.
“Ahem, I don’t know what you’re talking about. What hostility? And what’s this about 20%? How did you even calculate that?” Steve stammered awkwardly.
He was indeed very annoyed with Duke, but calling it “hostility” was a stretch.
At most, it was just jealousy.
*Exactly.
20% is just like this.
Once it hits 50%… then it becomes true hostility.*
Duke pointed to his right eye, where a brilliant, purple magic circle made of runes suddenly erupted.
“This is the magic ‘Eye of Truth.’ It can see through all falsehoods!”
Steve’s face flushed crimson, and he didn’t know where to put his hands.
Diana frowned.
“Alright, I was just joking,” Duke said with a cold smile.
“20% hostility is nothing—at most, it’s just a little jealousy. But you’d better be careful… once it breaks 50%, that’s true hostility. I will then carry out a humane extermination of you. I am a man who eradicates evil completely; I will never allow someone who hates me to exist by my side.”
“Ahem… just a joke, right? Um… I-I’m going to go sleep now.” Steve turned to flee in a panic, nearly tripping over his own feet.
“Steve!”
“Hey—wait for me!”
Charlie and the Chief hurriedly chased after him.
Samir also wanted to follow, but he still asked eagerly, “Boss, what about… my aptitude?”
“The same as Steve’s.”
“B-rank?” Samir grinned excitedly, but his expression quickly turned to one of confusion.
“So… what kind of level is that?”
“There are seven ranks: S, A, B, C, D, E, and F. You’re in the third tier.”
“Whoa—that’s actually pretty good!” Samir did a little wiggle of excitement, then immediately looked apologetic.
“Boss, about Steve… he didn’t really mean… Let me go talk some sense into him. Please don’t take it to heart.”
“Go ahead.” Duke waved a hand dismissively.
He didn’t care about Steve in the slightest.
“Right.” Samir and Steve were good friends, and he didn’t want to see his old buddy walk a path of no return.
*The Goddess isn’t someone you can even get close to, Steve.
Just settle down and marry a local pretty boy.*
*You two aren’t even in the same world!*
“Logan!” Duke called out.
“What’s up?”
“Where’s Victor? I don’t see him.”
“Him? Don’t worry about him. He’s probably off enjoying himself again.”