After hearing them all out, I came up with a simple lineup.
Brian, with his Skin Hardening Gift, would be the tank.
Melissa, with her Adaptive Boost Gift, would be the support.
And lastly, Isabelle and I would be the damage dealers.
It was the most basic of the basic lineups.
Though, I was a little surprised by Melissa's Gift.
Gifts that buffed other people were pretty common, but Gifts that buffed people according to their level and Grade were really rare.
No matter the level, she would be useful in any kind of group.
After I got everyone sorted, Brian walked ahead of us. Isabelle and I were side by side, and lastly, Melissa was behind us.
"They are just goblins. Why go through the trouble of making a whole formation?" Isabelle asked.
"What if they're not just goblins?" I hummed. "If our portal was tampered with, what else do you think they've done?"
My words made the others stiffen slightly.
That was kind of the goal though.
If they were somewhat aware a demon would come, they might not die in one hit.
If I recall correctly, the demon that the main character fought was a Grade 7.
With my current abilities, I should be able to deal with a Grade 7. Grade 8 or 9 might be possible if I overexert myself.
But that was only if I was alone.
Isabelle was strong enough to make up for the difference, so the two of us could easily defeat a demon.
Shaking my head slightly, the four of us continued walking until finally, we reached a small village surrounded by a wooden wall.
There were screeches coming from inside.
On the outside, there were several green midgets running around with all sorts of weapons.
They seemed really weak. I could probably crush them without even breaking a sweat.
Though...
"Is something wrong?" I asked, elbowing Brian.
He turned back, startled. After realizing it was just me, he exhaled.
"I'm fine. It's just my first time seeing a goblin."
Was he afraid of goblins?
Melissa wasn't in the same boat. Her breathing was fine, and so was her heartbeat.
Strange...
"Should I take the lead?" Isabelle asked.
I shook my head.
"Stick to the formation."
But clearly, my words fell on deaf ears as her question wasn't a question at all.
Isabelle summoned a few spears of ice and sent them flying at the group of goblins just outside of the village.
The spears pierced the goblins and tore through the wooden walls, impaling several more goblins inside the village.
Some of their hut houses were destroyed, and the damage was clearly done.
But even as I stared at that sight, I was left unsatisfied.
"You're on your own."
The three turned toward me with confused looks.
"Did I bruise your ego?" Isabelle asked.
"Since no one's watching us and you don't want to do this team-building exercise, then just do everything for me. I'm going to laze around, princess."
That little comment of mine caused her brows to furrow.
Princess was one of the things she hated being called the most.
And since I just did that to her face, it was only natural she retorted.
But she didn't.
She simply shot me a cold glare and created an ice slide.
As she slid into the goblin village and began massacring everybody, Melissa and Brian reluctantly followed.
I, on the other hand, waited for them to no longer see me and at the perfect moment, I launched myself high into the sky, overlooking the entire goblin village and the massacre that was happening.
Isabelle could handle it, that much I was sure of.
Though I glanced around, trying to find any notable landmarks.
However, the forest was massive, extending as far as my eyes could see.
There were only three such forests in this world.
All three were nowhere near Aldraazan.
"..."
This sucks.
In the worst-case scenario, all we would be able to do is fight.
I was confident in fighting and defeating demons, since I had fought them so many times in the game.
I knew their weaknesses and strengths. Every single one.
Still, I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
Shaking my head, I floated back down, landing on one of the tree branches.
As I overlooked the fight below, I decided to glance at my status screen.
•—Amon Everness—•
Level 39 → 41 [High-Grade 3] → [Low-Grade 4]
▷Stats
[Strength 31 → 32]
[Stamina 42 → 45]
[Speed 22 → 23]
[Perception 50 → 52]
[Vitality 50 → 53]
▷Inherent Gift
★Telekinesis [Intermediate] (Lv.38→ Lv.52)
▷Special Abilities
★Blood-Sight (Lv.4 → Lv.9)
▷General Abilities
☆Sprint (Lv.21)
☆Pain Tolerance (Lv.29 → Lv.30)
☆First Aid (Lv.12)
☆Mental Resistance (Lv. MAX)
▷Core Traits
◆Dragon Heart [Beginner] (Lv.1 → Lv.3)
•——•
It was a little higher...
My thoughts were interrupted by the strange sight in the goblin camp.
Brian and Melissa were getting swarmed.
Although Brian was strong and Melissa was a good support, the two weren't strong enough to defend against hundreds of goblins.
Then there was Isabelle, who was fighting against the goblin general.
It had a bow, and it wielded it perfectly, keeping enough distance and destroying all the attacks that came its way.
In short, it was doing a perfect job of stalling Isabelle while its goons killed Brian and Melissa.
I waited for a few more minutes.
Surely, these people who were trying to join one of the most prestigious academies in the country would be strong enough to deal with goblins, right?
Wrong.
They sucked.
But at the very least, they didn't run away.
I hated cowards.
And when I realized that those two might actually die, I decided to step in.
With a flick of my hand, I created a telekinetic barrier around the two of them, blocking the goblins' attacks.
The goblins tried and tried again to pierce through the barrier, but nothing they could do would work.
I jumped down the tree, attracting the goblins' attention.
Those little fuckers jumped at me and tried to slice me, but my barrier didn't let a single one of their attacks through.
I could kill hundreds of them so easily...
But I also wanted to save my strength.
A demon would come at any moment, so if I wasn't at least at 90 percent of my energy, we would all be screwed.
Eventually, I arrived in front of Melissa and Brian.
Brian stared at me with a conflicted look. On the other hand, Melissa's eyes were glowing in amazement.
Not sure what they were expecting from me though.
They refused to listen to a solid plan.
Then, they got ahead and nearly got themselves killed.
At this point...
I should stop being this nice.
"I'll ask this once, and your answer will determine whether you live or die."
Taking a deep breath, I narrowed my eyes at both of them.
"Do you want to do this test in a team, or not?"