"There are three classes of monster species," Drake began. "Swarm class, Boss class, and Special class." The rookies gathered around him to listen.

A gentle breeze blew from the direction of the river. Birds chirped, frogs croaked, minuscule monster species added strange cacophonic sounds to the forest babble. However, the Ace's formidable voice cut through with ease.

"Swarm classes are always part of larger groups. They are unevolved creatures with low, stunted levels. Players above level 30, which all of you are, with a strategic plan, can clear a level 10 swarm without breaking a sweat. However, if they surround you, things can get sticky. I forget his name. One of our recruits charged into a swarm of level 9 Gremlins all by himself. It was a dare that he followed through. The Gremlins surrounded him immediately, and let's say he got into a lot of trouble."

"Is he okay?" Nadja asked with a wrinkled forehead.

"Gary?" Skylar scoffed. "He's dead." The rookies let out a collective exclamation. They had heard of player deaths worldwide—especially teenagers who walked into fights without leveling up.

Monsters were creatures who could overpower even a grown man. Luckily, the Covenant Government had made all players sign away liability before joining. Parents had only themselves to blame for the worldwide massacre that had followed.

However, a good number of players had leveled up to gain stats and abilities.

A 15-year-old at level 30 could practically have the strength and vitality of three grown humans.

A 20-year-old at level 50 could be as strong as 50 humans or 40 cyborgs or 30 hybrids. And so on and so forth.

As the level increased, the player stats grew geometrically. Enough to tackle low-level monsters with ease.

The economic repercussions of adventurers rising in the Trinity Network were much higher. The Gross Domestic Product of every city doubled within months. And so did the number of player deaths.

"Out there, all it takes is a silly mistake for a swarm to overcome you," Drake continued ominously. "So, here's my advice. Don't be stupid." The newbies exchanged glances and nodded.

The Ace took a seat on a high tree stump.

"Next! Boss classes rein over niche regions or appear after you kill a swarm. They are mothers, leaders, rogues, kings or queens, and the like. Mark my words- they are ridiculously powerful, and it is impossible for single players to handle a Level 50 and above boss. It takes a large experienced party or a guild even to attempt such a campaign. No player, party, or guild has ever defeated an over level 60 boss."

"The Karkadann was a boss class, right?" Chad posed. "Then how did you kill it?"

"Because our leader was level 51 then, dumbo!" Alice mocked. "The monster was level 40."

"Oh, right!" they said in unison.

"I have top-notch gear designed in the mech labs of Providence to boost my stats," Drake continued. "It would be difficult for a random player of my level to defeat a mature Karkadann. I leveled up instantly to 52 after killing the beast."

"But most significantly, your skills and experience matter during combat. I have met several Karkadann in the outlands and am acquainted with their attack patterns. It was a cakewalk for me." The Ace laughed heartily.

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However, the mention of the outlands sent shivers down the spines of the rookies. They were the infinitely unpopulated lands outside city boundaries. Unsafe because of radioactivity and teeming with monsters, the horrible legends about the outlands made for scary bedtime stories.

The Zanzibar forests were a safe haven compared to them.

When the Worldwide Trinity Network was launched in a beta phase during the early days, around a hundred players had ventured as multiple squads into the outlands. Only a little over twenty returned alive, leveled up. Drake Ace was one of the survivors.

The unfortunate deaths apart, the exercise proved to the world that Trinity and God Formula could bring salvation to Galatea and the Star System. Support poured in from all cities to launch the network on the entire planet.

"Last but not the least is the Special class," Drake explained. "It's called 'Special' because the monsters which fall into this category are undocumented, and their behaviors are too sentient."

"Sentient? Like us?" Rin spoke up. She was a short-haired tomboy who had not been paying attention until then.

"Exactly! They possess intelligence, and their patterns are not unpredictable. Their abilities appear from arbitrary evolution and mutation. The player deaths that happened in the outlands were primarily because of encounters with special class monsters."

"Most significantly," Alice added, unhelpfully for the rookies. "Their data is not on the Trinity cloud. Therefore, in research mode, you won't be able to uncover any of their weaknesses or habits."

"I had never heard of them before today," Omar said, biting his lip.

"And pray you would never have to face one," Skylar said sternly. "The most powerful sub-class among them is the God class, with monsters exceeding level 100!"

"Above level 100?" the rookies murmured to each other.

"Yes!" Drake said with excitement. "Their mana, defense, and attack could be sky-high. However, you can relax. God-class monsters have never been encountered. I say they are purely theoretical."

The newbies nodded and shrugged.

"Ah, yes, I left out an important subject. The battle mode!"

"But we are thorough with battle mode…." Chad insisted.

The Ace glowered at him, and the boy's voice trailed away.

"Idiots! You almost got yourselves killed yesterday! I don't care about your useless lives! But none on my team shall be incompetent!"

The rookies fell silent and stared at the ground. Drake was growing sober.

"So! Where was I? Yes! As soon as you enter battle mode, you are asked to choose a weapon, a defense system, and special skills. You must choose the perfect combination for coping with the specific monster."

"Let's review yesterday's choices. Chad wielded an exploding belrite ax, while Omar manifested an electric charge gun. While these would be quite effective with swarm monsters, they are worthless against a boss."

Chad and Omar's faces turned pale.

"Then how do we fight a moderate-level monster?" Shay asked boldly. She was the shortest in the entire squad but the bravest.

Drake smiled at her wittingly. "Always choose a highly offensive, special weapon against bosses if you want to survive. I hate to admit it, but the most powerful weapons on the Trinity network are swords. Depending on the metal, they are best for ramping up attack stats. You can also use them to defend and parry. Sword skills are easy to gain."

The rookies nodded. They had seen their leader use his sword dexterously.

"What about defense, then?" Chad asked.

"You must choose the defensive armors and shields wisely as well," the Ace said, shrugging. "For a powerful forest creature like a mature Karkadann, an elemental shield, say, the earth shield would be perfect. For a magical beast like a lake goblin or a sand howler, a magical shield works best. Perhaps a mana shield shall be effective. However, mana shields are severely draining. Keep that in mind."

"Quick quiz!" Skylar posed. "Who can tell me which shield would be appropriate for mechanical monsters? Let's say- an Iron Satyr?"

"Magnetic shield!" Rin answered. She was the nerd in the group.

"Correct!"

The lessons were going well with the rookies. They were allowed a pee break while Drake grabbed his rum bottle. His patience was slipping, and it was almost time for a demonstration.