Winter meanders through her newly formed sculpture garden, running her claws across the surface of the person-shaped blocks of ice, her claws screeching across the surface like fingernails on a chalkboard whenever she walks within arm’s reach of the frozen soldiers. Despite the disturbing sound, her claws fail to penetrate or even scratch the surface of the ice. To her surprise, the Adventurers are not rushing to attack her now that the soldiers have fled the battle, putting her on guard and causing her to take note of the lingering fools at the edge of the battlefield in the event they are organizing a coordinated ambush. “Well, this should be interesting.” She muses to herself.
Observing the Adventurers, she listens intently to their squabbling, allowing her natural regeneration to heal the minor damage to her wings caused by the earlier fireball bombardment. “Looks like they don’t like the Noble too much; it does not matter in the long run, but it’s useful information. It seems like the humans have some incompetent leadership.” With the lull in the battle, she takes the time to analyze the Adventurers, her glowing eyes scanning over each individual, her gaze boring into them, a malicious grin spreading across her face as she takes in the information, acquiring a general overview of her opponents through a cursory scan, settling her gaze on the large man wielding a greatsword as her first comprehensive analysis target.
----------
-----------------------------------------------------------
----------
Name: Jax (No Surname)
Class: Berserker
Rank: Low A
Level: 68
Traits: None
Strength – Very High
Agility – Very Poor
Constitution – High
Intelligence – Very Poor
Wisdom – Very Poor
Presence – Very Poor
Perception – Average
Speed – Average
Skills: Berserkers Rage, Charge, Cleaving Strike, Enhanced Senses, Iron Defense, Primal Instincts, Relentless Assault, Rend, Whirlwind Strike
----------
-----------------------------------------------------------
----------
After a quick scan of the Adventurers, she finds that while all of the members are at Rank A, most fall at the bottom of that category, likely only recently reaching that Rank. Jax, the large man wielding a greatsword, is a level sixty-eight, Low A Rank, Berserker, a front-line fighter that grows in strength and speed the more damage he receives, a true nuisance if not dealt with in a few decisive blows. Fortunately, for Winter, Jax focuses almost exclusively on strength and constitution, reaching a very high and high quality, respectively. His speed and perception seem to be an afterthought in training, only reaching an average quality; however, this type of training neglects all other stats, allowing him to quickly increase his Rank by sacrificing all other training, making him and his stats an unbalanced mess. Winter laughs to herself in amusement. “No matter how many humans I analyze, their odd way of development never makes any sense.” Shifting her attention to the Priestess, she finds a similar situation.
----------
-----------------------------------------------------------
----------
Name: Nina (No Surname)
Class: High Priest
Rank: Low A
Level: 70
Traits: Divine Blessing
Strength – Very Poor
Agility – Average
Constitution – Average
Intelligence – High
Wisdom – High
Presence – Very Poor
Perception – Very Poor
Speed – Very Poor
Skills: Assessment, Commune, Cure, Dark Resistance, Dispel, Healing Aura, Iron Skin, Light Magic Attunement, Light Magic Healing, Magic Casting, Mana Regeneration, Mending, Sending, Shield Black, Smite
----------
-----------------------------------------------------------
----------
Why humans need a dedicated healer is beyond Winter's understanding when picking up regeneration skills, healing spells, or both is a far more effective strategy. Much to Winter’s expectations, Nina is a level seventy, Low A Rank, High Priest, focusing on four stats: intelligence, wisdom, agility, and constitution, while neglecting the other four. Making Nina little more than a dedicated healer with high healing capabilities that can take a light beating. “Taking her out first would be ideal, but outmaneuvering the Guardian Knight will be problematic.” Winter’s ice abilities prevent wounds from fully healing, but that does not mean it stops all healing, dragging the battle out into attrition if she does not kill someone in a single strike. However, outside of Nina’s healing abilities, she possesses no combat utility. “Speaking of useless, nonthreats.” Winter directs her attention to the Noble.
----------
-----------------------------------------------------------
----------
Name: Clay Ferris
Class: Mage Adept
Rank: C
Level: 40
Traits: Noble
Strength – Very Poor
Agility – Very Poor
Constitution – Poor
Intelligence – Above Average
Wisdom – Below Average
Presence – Very Poor
Perception – Poor
Speed – Poor
Skills: Burning Hands, Fireball, Fire Lance, Fire Magic Attunement, Magic Casting, Mana Barrier, Mana Regeneration
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
----------
-----------------------------------------------------------
----------
She glares at the cause of this brazen invasion, with a cold and ruthless gaze, Clay Ferris, a level forty, C Rank, Mage Adept. Much like the Adventurers, he focuses on forcing his Rank higher by sacrificing his combat capability, survivability, and proper stat distribution, making the Noble little more than a harmless child in her eyes, given Winter’s extensive spell defense. Despite Clay Ferris’s level and Rank, many beasts in her kingdom at or below his Rank can effortlessly kill an insolent little insect like him. “I don’t know what the point of this training method is, but it seems lacking at best and detrimental at worst. The true human Heroes are a force to be feared, while this group looks like fools.” Winter stops, her attention drawn to a frozen knight, his shield raised in defiance, bracing against the attack that ultimately claimed his life.
Winter claws the face of the frozen knight in anger, sending a shrill screech across the silent battlefield. Winter glares at the Adventurers in the distance, considering the oddities of humans. The class system is a mystery to her, but she assumes the human’s odd manner of development is related to that system. Unfortunately, without knowing specifics about the class system that beasts do not have access to, it will remain an enigma. Winter’s stats are not equal by any means, but most of her stats fall into the very high or extreme category, her strength and presence being the two outliers, only reaching the above-average rating. However, her presence, while half that of her other stats, is still six to one hundred times greater than what a typical individual would have because of the difficulty in training that particular stat.
Winter assumes that the training, development, and evolution methods of beasts and those employed by humans are fundamentally different. “Dumb humans can’t even evolve.” She quips to herself in amusement. In the past, she considered capturing some humans to interrogate and run experiments on. Unfortunately, humans tend to get rather angry when their people are taken captive despite the blatant double standard they employ concerning beasts. Winter’s face twists into a mask of rage at that thought, causing her to lash out in anger. She slices her claws through the air, releasing five blades of blue energy that cut into the icy ground, leaving five deep gashes across its surface. After a moment, she pushes down her anger, directing her attention back to the Adventurers, focusing on the Guardian Knight.
----------
-----------------------------------------------------------
----------
Name: Alexander Lockwood
Class: Guardian Knight
Rank: A
Level: 72
Traits: Knight
Strength – Average
Agility – High
Constitution – High
Intelligence – Very Poor
Wisdom – Very Poor
Presence – Very Poor
Perception – Average
Speed – High
Skills: Assessment, Danger Sense (Comrade), Defensive Maneuvering, Enhanced Senses, Guardian, Guardian Shield, Iron Skin, Rend, Shield Bash, Shield Block, Shield Charge
----------
-----------------------------------------------------------
----------
She has already gotten the basic information about the Guardian Knight and Night Hunter, but with a generous lull in combat, she decides to get a general overview. “Don’t want any surprises just in case there is a competent individual among the fools.” To her surprise, the Guardian Knight has a better balance of stat distribution, Alexander Lockwood, a level seventy-two, A Rank, Guardian Knight with the Knight trait. Alex’s mental stats are still abysmal, but he does have high defensive and mobility stats, supported by average strength and perception, combined with a defensive skill set designed to protect his allies, making him an annoying opponent. “His protection abilities will make him challenging to outmaneuver. I can wear him down over time, but that will draw out the fight, especially with the Priestess healing him. I’ll need to see the limitations of his abilities before making a decision.” Sighing in annoyance, Winter directs her attention to the Night Hunter.
----------
-----------------------------------------------------------
----------
Name: Ashley (No Surname)
Class: Night Hunter
Rank: Low A
Level: 64
Traits: None
Strength – Very Poor
Agility – High
Constitution – Average
Intelligence – Very Poor
Wisdom – Very Poor
Presence – Very Poor
Perception – High
Speed – High
Skills: Arrow Barrage, Arrow Rain, Assessment, Enhanced Senses, Evasion, Piercing Shot, Shadow Arrow, Shadow Attunement, Shadow Binding, Shadow Lance, Shadow Manipulation, Shadow Mobility
----------
-----------------------------------------------------------
----------
After finishing her analysis, Winter is once again disappointed in the human’s training methods, finding that Ashley is a level 64, Low A Rank, Night Hunter, who has high agility, perception, and speed, giving her high mobility and precision, but her mental stats are all dreadful. Taking her average constitution into account makes her little more than a glass cannon; her only saving graces are her exceptional mobility skills, Shadow Mobility, and Evasion, making it difficult to land a decisive blow. “Her shadow skills could be annoying, but it’s unlikely her binding skill can restrain me; however, I need to keep it in mind since even a momentary loss in mobility could allow others to take advantage of that opening.”
Winter smirks, realizing the Adventurers are trying to cover for their comrade’s weaknesses. She smiles, finding it an entertaining strategy, but in a world that only cares about power, this tactic will only work on individuals at or below their weakest member’s strength. “At best, this tactic will allow this group to fight and possibly kill low to middle A Ranks, but high A Ranks and low S Ranks should be able to dismantle their group with enough time, and that’s not accounting for their opponent’s potential traits. Low A Ranks should be able to kill this group if they have several powerful traits.” Happy at her intriguing discovery, she directs her attention and appraisal skill towards Sparks.
----------
-----------------------------------------------------------
----------
Name: Cole Ignus (Sparks)
Class: Advanced Fire Mage
Rank: High A
Level: 82
Traits: Magister
Strength – Very Poor
Agility – Very Poor
Constitution – High
Intelligence – Low Extreme
Wisdom – Very High
Presence – Very Poor
Perception – High
Speed – Very Poor
Skills: Analyze, Burning Hands, Chain Lightning, Command, Elemental Barrier, Empower Spell, Enhanced Senses, Fireball, Fire Lance, Fire Magic Attunement, Fire Wall, Hero, Lightning Bolt, Lightning Magic Attunement, Magic Casting, Mana Barrier, Mana Regeneration, Misty Step, Sending, Spell Circle Casting, Suggestion, Teleportation
----------
-----------------------------------------------------------
----------
Winter stops in her tracks, almost freezing in place, her casual stroll coming to an abrupt halt; her smile turns into a frown that quickly transforms into anger and rage, palpable malice exuding from her now visible aura. She glares daggers at Cole Ignus, otherwise known as Sparks, a level 82, High A Rank, Advanced Fire Mage, and much like the other humans, he exclusively focuses on developing a handful of stats. His constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and perception all range between High and Low Extreme, making him a very effective Mage despite his poor mobility, making him a minor threat. However, this has nothing to do with Winter’s reaction when viewing his information.
Winter’s vision fixes on one skill Sparks possesses, which makes her seethe with rage, a skill that, if developed far enough, will become a trait, the Hero skill. At the moment, the skill is only level one, but even at this level, it gives him a ten percent boost to his stats that will grow alongside the skill, and if he develops it into a trait, it will provide the same strengthening bonus to all allies in range. Winter stares at Sparks for a long moment, her eyes filled with hate, glowing a brilliant blue, energy wisping from them like smoke, and in a flash of movement, she slashes her hand out to the side, her claws glowing with blue energy. The strike releases a wave of energy that obliterates a frozen mage, leaving a long gash in the frozen ground where it had once stood.
Winter rains in her growing rage, retracting her aura, focusing on the analysis of her opponents, attempting to distract her mind. “I need to avoid doing anything stupid. The Night Hunter will be a nuisance, launching attacks that will keep me on the move, limiting my dodging potential, cutting off attack roots, and trying to restrict my movement with the Shadow Binding skill. The Berserker will charge into melee in an attempt to tie me down. I will need to slow him down and ignore him until I can find an opportunity for his quick elimination; most of his skills are irrelevant. The Guardian Knight, on the other hand, has good mobility and defensive skills, allowing him to defend the Priestess and Hunter, making it troublesome for me to eliminate ether.” She sighs, letting out a slow breath. “It may be necessary to eliminate the Berserker and Guardian first or, at the very least, remove them from combat.”
She considers the remaining individuals, her mind more calm and focused than it had been a moment prior. “The Noble cannot harm me, but he could try to interfere in the battle; however, given his personality, he is unlikely to sacrifice himself to give the Adventurers an advantage.” She chuckles to herself. “It is safe to assume he will not interfere unless his life is in danger, leaving the Priestess and Mage to consider.” She takes a moment before continuing her thoughts. “The Priestess will be able to heal the wounds I inflict, and more annoyingly, she can dispel my Creeping Cold, but the Frostbite effect is something she does not have the skill or ability to remove; her presence will only draw out the length of the fight, but killing her will be troublesome.”
Winter narrows her eyes at Sparks, glaring at him, her aura flaring in tandem with her barely contained animosity. “I’ll make you suffer.” She grows out under he breath. “He can create both physical and elemental barriers, but they consume mana based on the damage taken, and with enough power focused at a single point, they can shatter. Exhausting his mana supply is an option, but I don’t know how many mana potions he has left, so that will be my last result. My best option is to ignore the spells and engage in melee combat, bypassing them entirely. His accuracy is not the best, so his targeted spells will be little more than things to dodge, but his area spells will be problematic, especially in a drawn-out fight.” She bares her razor-sharp teeth in a snarl. “I’ll rip you apart!” Her roar echoes across the battlefield.
Winter growls, rolling her shoulders and cracking her neck; her two swords fly through the air, returning to her hands. “Might as well take this seriously.” She grumbles to herself. She brings her hands together, slamming the swords into each other. The two ice scimitars glow, twisting around each other like coiling snakes, the blades merging, taking on a new form like reshaping molten steel before solidifying. The bright glow of the new blade dims, its form taking on the appearance of a sculpted ice katana; the transparent blade of ice with a light blue hue has two runes set on each side of the blade near the guard, while the handle and guard take on the appearance of blue frosted glass. Winter takes several two-handed slashes through the air before flourishing the sword, transitioning into a one-handed style, passing the sword between her right and left hand in a fluid motion without breaking the skillful display. Winter stops, returning to a two-handed stance; before relaxing, she takes a deep breath, releasing it slowly to center her mind.