Chapter 254
"And that's why we're going all out to prevent the world's collapse!!"
I returned home with a smile and cheerfully announced this to the group, who had been waiting in a gloomy atmosphere. I might be accused of being tactless or needing to be more considerate, but I couldn't care less.
"Can you really handle it?""If anyone can, it's Liberta."
False enthusiasm is still enthusiasm. Since the Spirit King told me to keep up the bravado, I'm putting on a bold front, crushing any possibility of failure with sheer force.
I blow away Nell's anxiety with a thumbs-up, assuring her and the others that everything will be fine.
"But I can't do it alone, so I need your cooperation!"
However, I make it clear what I cannot do.
With my knowledge, I understand Azhdaha's weaknesses, and I've asked the Spirit King to urgently craft specialized weapons.
I never thought I'd have to prepare for this so early in the game...
"Can we really be of help?""On the contrary, the only people I can rely on most in this world are everyone here."
Including Amina, everyone here has been leveling up under my supervision, in optimal condition.
I can confidently say that their high stats and extensive know-how in utilizing their abilities are unmatched.
If I can't get their cooperation, I'd have to return to the outside world, beg the Duke on my knees, and bring soldiers to form a party.
I really don't want to start leveling from scratch again.
"This body exists to serve Liberta-sama. Please command me as you wish. If it's for the world, I am prepared to offer my life.""I appreciate the enthusiasm, but please value your life. Don't worry, I'll make sure everyone returns safely."
Besides, I doubt I could find such a well-balanced and talented group so quickly elsewhere.
"Of course, I will cooperate too! If Liberta says it's okay, then everything will work out, right?""That's a lot of pressure, but I'll live up to those expectations."
Nell, Amina, and Ingrid were unknowns to me.
Yet, I never imagined they would be so talented.
"As their guardian, I can't run away either. Moreover, if I can fight strong opponents, this trial might actually motivate me.""If we overcome this battle, most other enemies will feel like nothing in comparison.""Hmm, is that a concern?"
Lady Esmeralda is a figure from the past, but now she's here by my side.
Claudia was strong even in the game, but she's striving to become even stronger.
And after all this, it's only now dawning on me that this incident will undoubtedly break the original storyline.
I've been doing as I please without much regard, but we're moving from a state where corrections might have been possible to a future completely off the rails.
If that happens, my knowledge will often become useless.
This will be especially evident with people.
Those who should have been saved might not be, those who shouldn't have been saved might be, or perhaps nothing will change at all.
This world resembles the game, but it's not the game world.
It's a solid reality.
There was never a fixed future; from here on, it might become a world unbound by the original story.
But the trial to get there feels excessively heavy.
"Alright, Liberta! Tell us what we need to do!""Leave it to me!"
But since we've decided to do it, let's go all the way.
It might sound cool to declare, "Screw the original storyline!" but right now, I need to focus on defeating Azhdaha.
If I think about the unknown developments awaiting us beyond this, it's actually exciting, but I'll set that feeling aside for now.
"First, we'll resume leveling with the goal of defeating Rainy Devil! For unique skills, only Lady Esmeralda will acquire hers, and then—""Wait a minute! Liberta-kun, you said we can't win against that thing, right?""Yeah, we can't win now, but we'll make sure we can! I won't give up just because we can't win yet, so don't worry!""Is there any reason to feel reassured?"
Well, I'll keep saying reckless things from here on, but I won't ask for the impossible, so rest assured.
As Nell gestures as if enduring a headache, Lady Esmeralda smiles wryly and touches her cheek in exasperation.
Ingrid stands quietly, and Claudia nods approvingly at the prospect of fighting it.
Four different reactions.
"There isn't! So we'll create them from now on!!""This is so like Liberta-kun. When you think about it, everything we've done has been incredible."
Satisfied with their reactions, I outline our plan of action to eliminate uncertainties.
"First and foremost, we need to level up and acquire skills, or we can't even talk about the rest. Starting tomorrow, we'll begin leveling and aim to reach Class 8 eventually.""? But the dungeons in the spirit world only go up to Class 7, right?""That's true, but the dungeon boss for Class 7 is Class 8, so we'll level by fighting bosses, though inefficiently."
Fundamentally, if we don't become stronger, we can't even step onto the stage to fight.
There's skill slot acquisition and skill acquisition, but since we're in the spirit world, all that can be secured, so it's not a problem.
"First, let me explain the leveling requirements for Class 5.""We heard a bit about it before, right? Something about the number of skills and levels being related.""To be precise, it's about the total class levels of your skills."
From Class 5 onward, leveling carelessly will lead to real regret.
"There are five conditions for earning EXBP, but at this class, they become quite troublesome."
Until now, achieving each condition guaranteed at least one EXBP.
"First, the prerequisite: the total class levels of your skills must exceed 50. This is the sum of each skill's class level. Check your status.""Eh, we have to calculate it?""Amina has many skills, so it's fine, but I'll make calculation drills later, so we'll study together.""Eh!?"
Without meeting this prerequisite, you can't earn EXBP at all.
If you enter with too few skills or underdeveloped ones, EXBP will stop coming entirely.
Class 5 EXBP is still like an introduction, with only one gentle prerequisite, but Class 6 has two, Class 7 has three, and the prerequisites increase and change each time.
Amina looks dismayed at the mention of studying, but I ignore it and explain the usual EXBP acquisition conditions.
"I believe everyone has met the prerequisites. Based on that, here are the five EXBP acquisition conditions. First, possess at least one passive skill at 'Extreme' rank or higher, and have two skills raised to class level 10 when defeating an enemy.""......This demand implies that with our training, it should be理所当然 (a given).""Among the soldiers employed by the ducal house, very few reach Class 5, and even then, none have skills raised to class level 10. Moreover, passive skills at 'Extreme' rank or higher are legendary."
Just hearing the first condition, Claudia and Lady Esmeralda imply that meeting it would be abnormal.
I completely understand that feeling, but this is essentially an evolution of Class 3 and still on the easier side.
"Second, level up by defeating monsters at least 10 levels higher than yourself.""Simple.""But since we haven't done that before, it's kinda scary to just fight stronger enemies.""It's fine for now, but at Class 6, the gap becomes 20, at Class 7 it's 40, Class 8 is 60, and Class 9 is 100. This continuous condition gets increasingly stricter.""Eh"
And here comes a condition that forces us to fight higher-level enemies.
If you've been earning EXBP, you can meet this condition without issue currently, but this is a recurring trial given each time you reach a new class.
The conditions gradually become stricter, and the stat gap narrows, forcing difficult battles.It's easy now, but Nell and Amina pale at the thought of it getting tougher.
"Third, end a battle within ten minutes.""A time limit? Where is the cutoff?""It refers to defeating all monsters and having no attacks from monsters for over thirty seconds.""I see, so even if monsters are visible in the distance, if there's a thirty-second gap without engagement, it's fine.""Exactly."
And now, restrictive conditions keep appearing.
Well, it's reasonable to earn extra points only by achieving strict conditions.
To meet this condition, using Ingrid's unique skill to adjust monster numbers and scouting to investigate enemy numbers becomes crucial.In short, maneuvering becomes important.
"Fourth, do not use encounter avoidance items.""Encounter avoidance items?""Simply put, items that prevent monsters from approaching. Highly effective ones can make monsters completely avoid you, while others are finely tuned to allow slight approach.""That would make dungeon exploration much easier.""But in exchange, you won't become stronger."
The next imposed condition is a ban on convenient items.
I haven't used them until now, but items to avoid monsters do exist.
These items show their true value in dungeons; used well, you can reach the boss room in a straight line without encountering any monsters.
They also allow adjusting encounters during leveling for safety, making them convenient items.It's a trap: if you're used to using them and accidentally use one in a dungeon, you'll miss out on EXBP.
"And finally, the fifth condition: level up by defeating monsters while meeting all four previous conditions.""Ugh, we had this before too.""Was it during Class 3, perhaps?""This condition is a staple for odd-numbered classes. The conditions keep increasing, so missing even one costs you two EXBP, which is really unforgivable."
For Class 5 EXBP acquisition, the conditions are simply summarized and are no longer as irregular as before.If anything, they test the results of your efforts so far.
It's like a midterm exam on whether you've grown properly, without taking shortcuts, and can defeat enemies efficiently.
"We need to be careful.""I'm worried about having to calculate again when allocating stat points. What if I make a mistake...""Then I'll add that calculation to today's homework.""Seriously!?"
But for us, who have trained diligently until now, this is just a passing point.
It's simply about fighting normally and conquering.
"Don't worry, Nell and I will train you to calculate properly.""Um, please go easy on us?""I'll keep it to a level that won't hinder tomorrow's activities!"