They were gathered now inside Luke's cave, only the main group. It was the one place they could speak without half-truths, without hiding their powers, without pretending they were completely in control. A board had been set up against the wall, covered in papers and sketches. They'd already discussed their plans over the past few months, but this was the final meeting.

A rough drawing of the castle dominated the center. Ronan pointed at it. "I'll start with my theory. There's a demon in there."

Groans rose immediately. "Still with that theory?" Mason muttered.

Ronan sighed. "It's the most likely one. We had a stone angel before, now it's time for a demon. That's what I think is waiting inside."

"And how exactly do you think a demon works?" Eleanor asked. "How do you even fight one?"

"I don't know. Crosses? Holy water?" Evangeline suggested.

Luke stayed quiet while the debate deepened.

Mason stepped forward to the front of the circle. "My theory is that it's a stone golem."

"What's a golem like?" Luke asked.

"Golems can take any damn shape," Erza said flatly. "Terrible theory."

Allison moved closer to the board. "From what we know about the mechanism rooms, there was once a civilization of ancient beings who worshiped a six-eyed entity seated on a throne. They called it the Architect. That was from an era when the race of angels still existed. Maybe it's some kind of undead. The King could be that six-eyed being."

"The Midnight Lord at least has a good chance of being undead," Evangeline added.

"Or a really big statue," Luke said.

Their clues were the Midnight Warden and the Midnight Watcher.

Pinned at the top of the board was a sheet of paper with a single word written in large, bold letters: Level?

They were facing three final bosses, and that question haunted not only their group but everyone else in the tutorial. What level were the bosses—especially the last one, the Midnight King?

"The Beast Lord was level eighty-three," Luke said.

"And the Orc Lord was seventy," Allison added.

The unease was clear. These three bosses were almost certainly stronger than the Beast Lord, and he alone had been capable of taking on an entire army. Now they would be facing three of them.

"The plan to restrain the Midnight King so Luke can finish him off is our best shot," Erza said. "But you all remember what we discussed about ranks, right?"

Luke had learned a lot about how ranks worked during his time training with her. Every being started at the lowest point—Rank F. It was the first step into the system. Within each rank, there were three stages, like climbing a mountain from base to peak. Everyone started at level zero at the base, growing stronger as they ascended, gaining more attributes with each step.

Skills, of course, could make someone far more powerful—able to take down opponents much stronger than themselves—but attributes couldn't be dismissed. They were what turned a fragile human body into something capable of surviving a hit with the force of a train.

Up to level 25 was considered the early stage of Rank F. From level 25 to 40 was the mid stage, and from 40 to 50 was the peak. The rank was tied to the race level, which took the longest to increase. Race levels were gained through a broader range of activities, which made the process slower. They benefited from experience points earned through class, profession, and even simple actions like reading or walking long distances. That was why leveling up the race took more time; it required much more experience due to its broader scope.

Starting at level 50, when Rank E became available, the body would change, growing stronger and evolving from Rank F to Rank E. The transformation completely assimilated all that accumulated power and rebuilt a new, more powerful body from the ground up, capable of withstanding a greater number of attribute points.

Rank E ranged from level 50 to 99, and that was where things truly began to escalate. Rank F only offered a small glimpse of what was to come, allowing people to push their class up to level 60, just enough to tempt them with the next tier of power. If Luke had never triggered a class mutation, he would've capped out as an Assassin at level 50, earning the same standard stat gains as always: +2 Agility, +1 Strength, +1 Vitality, +1 Perception, and +1 Free Point per level.

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But at level 50, his class evolved—and the system rewarded him with an absurd leap in attributes: +10 Strength, +7 Perception, +6 Agility, +6 Vitality, +6 Intelligence, +5 Endurance, and +8 Free Points.

In 50 as an Assassin, he would have gained 50 free points. In just 10 levels as a Demonic Predator, he'd earned 80. That was the real difference—what happened once you broke past level 50.

"In terms of raw power, the Midnight Lord might actually be stronger than the Beast Lord," Ronan said.

"If he's about ten levels higher, that'd put him around level ninety-three," Mason added.

"Then all that's left is to figure out where the Witch and the King rank in comparison," Allison murmured.

A short silence followed.

"There's a chance," Erza said finally, "that the Midnight King is level ninety-nine… or strong enough to touch Rank D."

Rank D was above level 99, and the power gap was even greater than that of Rank E.

But their reasoning was based on the argument that the Witch was stronger than the Midnight Lord, and therefore, the Midnight King would be even stronger than her. However, if the Midnight King was only a few levels above the Midnight Lord, then perhaps he was just a level 99 creature… or maybe not.

"Everyone has the mission statue open?" Allison asked.

"Yes," came the collective response.

Luke glanced down at his system screen, the mission still glowing faintly. Then he read it again.

*Mission Statue Activation Detected*

You have reached the heart of the kingdom, the Grand Capital. Well done, Challenger. The fate of this world now lies in your hands.

Hidden across the vast city lie three ancient mechanisms. They hold shut the castle gates, sealing the path forward. You must find them. Activate them. Only then will the way open. But be warned, the journey ahead will test you.

Each mechanism is protected by one of the Three Lords, sovereigns of their domains and unyielding in their power.

The Orc Lord, who bathes the weak in blood and rules through brute force.

The Beast Lord, whose primal dominion commands the creatures of the wild.

The Midnight Lord, the tireless guardian of the Capital and eternal servant of the throne.

But know this, there is a cost. Once the ancient seal is broken, the Midnight Wardens will never again rest. They will rise and march without end, consuming all that stands in their path. Even the long-abandoned lands will fall once more beneath their shadow. The Midnight Lord himself will awaken, bringing swift and merciless punishment to those who dared to defy the sealed order.

Beyond the castle gates lies a portal, the only exit from this world. But passage through it is not freely given. It is watched endlessly, guarded by forces that do not permit escape without challenge.

At the very heart of the castle, upon a throne forgotten by time, waits the Midnight King. Those who cross into his domain must face the Witch, once sealed away for endangering the balance of the realm. But she is not the final trial. For the one who truly rules these lands watches still, unseen, awaiting the moment to pass final judgment.

"As you all know, when I killed the Orc Lord, he told me that the witch is the King's weakness, or perhaps one of his weaknesses. Either way, that's what he said before he died," Allison said.

For weeks, the group had gone in circles about that line. How exactly could the witch be the Midnight King's weakness? How could she help them? None of them had a clear answer. The most obvious theory was that killing her would grant them an item crucial for defeating the King. Something powerful, like the katana Allison had earned or the Familiar Rune Luke received.

"The order of death theory still makes the most sense," Mason said.

The idea was simple: every boss they killed dropped something valuable enough to help them take down the next one. The Lords were optional, but rewarding.

"When the Midnight Lord shows up, we take him down, grab the item, and that's when our rush to the castle begins," Allison said.

That was where both the Witch and the Midnight King would be waiting.

"The bigger problem," Eleanor pointed out, "is if the Witch is with the King. Or hidden somewhere inside the castle."

The mission text also mentioned she was sealed, which only made things murkier. They'd have six hours to cut through a massive enemy army, kill a Lord, storm the castle, and face the King, and possibly still have to hunt down another powerful enemy inside.

"Either way, the strategy doesn't change," Erza said. "If the Midnight Lord appears on the battlefield, Anne, the maids, and I will handle him while the rest of you push forward. If he's stationed behind the army, we deal with him together."

That was the reality. Everything hinged on where the Midnight Lord appeared. If he joined the main army, Erza's team could take him out with the help of heavy weapons, cannons, ballistae, even explosive shells. It would still be brutal, but manageable. But if the enemy stayed behind the front lines, protected by the horde, the main group would have to break through and fight him without that support. And with a time limit ticking down, trying to lure him across the battlefield into artillery range would be suicide.

Ronan pinned a new paper to the board, a large sketch of the battlefield formation. "Once the Midnight Lord falls, most of the enemy army should go down with him. When that happens, we'll start the civilian evacuation from the fortress. I'll lead them and the soldiers straight to the castle. Whatever's left standing by the time we get there, if you haven't already taken it down, we'll crush together."

That was the plan: help the main group cut through the enemy army, thin their numbers, take out at least two of the three final bosses, and secure a safe path for civilians and soldiers to reach the castle.

If everything went right, the King would die just as the last civilians arrived. If not, everyone would have to fight together, against the King and what remained of the enemy army. That would be the final battle, where even the smallest mistake meant death for all of them.

The Midnight Lord, the Witch, and the Midnight King will all have to be faced in a single night, within six hours, or we'll all die to a cursed winter. This tutorial really wants to give us one hell of a farewell party.

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