"How many levels are there?" Grace asked in confusion, her voice trembling slightly. A Lv400 fighter was beyond anything she had ever heard of; the concept was suffocating. He's simply too powerful. Even Lord Hayatobi haven't reached that level. The gap between them and the enemy seemed infinite.
Hayatobi looked at her, his expression softening just a fraction as he addressed the fear in the room.
"The highest level of strength you can reach in our current world is Lv500... If there are more worlds out there." He sighed softly, his gaze drifting upward as if looking past the ceiling of the Grand Classroom.
"I don't know the level of their strength, that's why you all must get stronger, none of us know what is waiting for us if the barrier gets destroyed." He said.
The silence that followed was heavy.
Mirabella, who sat at the back, shadowed by the rows of students before her, slowly nodded her head at his words. Her expression remained impassive, but her mind was racing.
'That is the third server upgrade,' she thought, analyzing the information against her past memories. 'In my previous life, I died before I even set my eyes on it. So I am also lost about the monsters or strength ranking.' She stared at Hayatobi below, realizing that even with her reincarnation advantage, they were venturing into unknown territory.
Hayatobi cleared his throat, the sound snapping the students out of their existential dread, and went back to his topic.
"Ok... About the test in the core region. The test you all went through yesterday." He said, drawing everyone's attention, including Mirabella's. The atmosphere shifted from fear to curiosity.
"The Bosses you all got to face in the core region are Vassago's 25 Elite guards, with five being his pillars."
He moved his gaze across the room, locking eyes with specific individuals: Hitachi, Mirabella, Austin, and Rose. Then his gaze landed on Aurelia, who lowered her head, which made him sighed, because out of the five prodigies, Aurelia was eliminated before she stepped forth in the core region.
"You four who made it to the core region... The Bosses you fought are the pillars under Vassago!" He revealed, his words stunning everyone, except Mirabella, who already knew the truth of what she had dismantled.
"What?!" Austin yelled in shock, nearly jumping out of his seat. He had thought he was fighting a standard dungeon boss, not a high-ranking demon commander.
"Yes... Each of the 20 elite guards are all Lv250... While the pillars are all Lv300 above... Their strength were reduced greatly during the test, but even with that. Only Hitachi and Mirabella could easily kill them both..." Hayatobi revealed, staring pointedly at Austin.
The realization hit Austin hard. He hadn't just struggled; he had been outclassed by a suppressed enemy.
Hayatobi then turned his gaze to a specific group huddled together.
"After some investigation, we discovered team ten were the ones who fought the fifth pillar. So sorry for your bad luck, team ten." He said, his apologies not reaching his eyes. In this world, luck was just another stat, and theirs had been terrible.
Carl, Mitsuki, Gabby, Daniel, and Connor could only grimace. Their defeat was still fresh in their minds, a humiliating memory of being toyed with by an overwhelming force.
Hayatobi's mind worked quickly as he assessed the students.
'With Hitachi's strength, he can surely hold his ground against that knight in a real battle,' Hayatobi thought, acknowledging the boy's raw power. He then turned his head to Mirabella, whose eyes were closed, appearing almost bored.
'But Mirabella... I am scared that even Vassago will have a hard time dealing with her... Without any skill like the Tri-pupil future, She is invincible against any enemy.'
A cold sweat pricked the back of his neck.
'I shouldn't get over my head. Of course, Vassago has such a skill; not to mention that skill.' He shivered lightly at the thought of the Demon Emperor's true capabilities, and clapped his hand to break his own train of thought.
"Ok... Now--"
"Um... Lord Hayatobi." Gabby raised her pen, staring at Hayatobi with eyes that sought logical answers in a world of madness.
"Yes, Gabby?"
"If the demons are this powerful, why haven't they destroyed the three empires already?" She asked. It was the question everyone wanted to ask. If the enemy had Lv400 leaders, humanity should have been wiped out years ago.
"That is a very good question dear." Hayatobi said, staring at them with approval.
"The three empires have four factions in them. You already know all the fractions, the protectors... Their combat powers aren't weak." He turned to the huge screen, his tone becoming conspiratorial.
"The empires also have their hidden powerhouses. They're so strong that the demons won't dare attack us without serious planning."
He waved his hand, and the screen changed. Ten distinct words, glowing in gold and silver fonts, appeared. They represented the foundation of their society: the ten bloodlines.
[Warrior] [Knight] [Mage] [Priest] [Healer] [Assassin] [Archer] [Swordsman] [Alchemist] [Rune Master]
"As most of you can tell... Some of these bloodlines aren't suitable for combat, for example, Alchemist, and Healers. Yes, Healers are important in any team, but they aren't good for battle. This is the job of the knight to defend, but having the knight defend the healer also reduces the strength of a team." He said, his words confusing the students who had been raised on standard party tactics.
Seeing the confused faces, Hayatobi elaborated, his voice taking on the tone of a seasoned tactician.
"Look at this... When your team of five is fighting against a group of smart enemies. They will target the healer first, and when this happens, all the teams will do their best to defend the healer, which gives away their attacking advantage, they can only defend." He explained, pacing across the stage.
"Let's say the Knight defend the healer, what about the rest of the team? They will be open to serious attacks."
"Are you saying having a Healer in a team is a bad thing?" Ken asked, staring at Hayatobi with a slight frown. As someone who valued the support classes, this sounded like heresy.
"No! Having a healer in a team isn't a bad thing, but charging into a battle with a Healer is a bad thing! Get my meaning right... A Healer will only slow down the team in a battle, so before charging into a fight, make sure the healer stays close by, hiding in the shadows... Yes, he or she won't be able to help in the battle or heal your injuries, but at least, you will be fighting without thinking of protecting someone!" He said firmly.
He was rewriting the rules of engagement they thought they knew.
"After the battle, the healer can finally reveal themselves and heal the wounded, and the mission continues... Note, this strategy can only be used when fighting enemies with brain, not mindless monsters."
He moved his gazes on some healers in the room. They looked nervous, realizing that on the battlefield, they were moving targets.
"Healers! You must learn your healing skills with dedication, but that doesn't mean you will ignore defensive skill! No matter how good you are at healing, you can never heal yourself with your current level of strength! So focus on defensive skills too!" He yelled, his words silencing the room.
It was a harsh reality check: in the Dragon Empire, even the doctors needed to know how to take a hit.