Dreu and Tragthan shed some tears before they continued deeper into the cave. After a short silence, the demon spoke up.

“The Emperor Class was inspired by the demonic skill: Summon Demonic Army.”

The young man was relieved the old demon changed topics so he encouraged Tragthan to keep going.

“When compared, the Emperor Class is superior to the Summon Demonic Army. The former focuses on quality while the latter focuses solely on quantity.”

“Quantity isn’t always worse than quality. I’ve seen how the kingdom was overwhelmed by mostly numbers within the demon ranks.”

“You are right about the power of overwhelming one’s opponent with numbers. Yet, the Emperor Class can even surpass the Summon Demonic Army in quantity if given enough time. The last emperor failed to bring out the full potential of the class.”

When Dreu stated that he didn’t understand, Tragthan began explaining summoning skills in general. Summoning skills all required the formation of a contract between the summoner and the summon. The summons would, in the best case scenario, be as strong as they were when the contract was made. In most cases, the summons would be weaker depending on the level of the summoning skill.

“Emperor Class summoning skills can break the limits of the summons. In other words, the creatures or beings can break limits and become stronger over time, regardless how strong they were when they first served the emperor.”

“You also mentioned that the former emperor failed to tap into the full potential of the Emperor Class?”

“Yes, have you not noticed the difference between what you inherited and what you have done so far?” Tragthan sighed when Dreu shook his head. “Unlike the former emperor, you have made contracts with nonhumans too. The cursed fox and the demon worms are your summons, something that wouldn’t have crossed the mind of the former emperor.”

“Essentially, the former emperor failed to form contracts with other races that may have different abilities and skill sets compared to humans?”

“Not only that but such an opportunity greatly expands the pool of summons you have access to. One can only imagine what army you can command if the Purificator didn’t go off.”

“Even with the limitation to the Summon Demonic Army, the demon invasion surpassed all expectations.”

“Indeed, Eglallin made them a lot more formidable than they should have with her spell. Otherwise, I highly doubt the demonic army could have reached the capital before the Purificator went off.”

Dreu took a moment to absorb all the information. With a demonic ability to compare with, he started seeing how strong his class was. Even without the likes of Bayard and Zhao, the ability had the potential to help him reach incredible heights. With his original summons forcibly removed, Dreu had to rely on this newfound knowledge to survive.

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“You mentioned making contracts with the summoned. How does that work?”

“For the Summon Demonic Army, one goes to the demonic gates where there are many willing demons for hire. A contract is formed between the two where the summoned would serve the summoner until the contract expires or the summoner dies.”

“What do the demons get in return for being summoned into combat?”

“For many, the promise of combat and blood spilling is enough. For others, there are certain tasks the demons must be allowed to conclude before they begin their contract. It becomes very complicated once you involve strong demons whose strengths are heavily sought after.”

“Emperor Class must work differently if I inherited Bayard and the others from the old emperor.”

“Correct,” said Tragthan as the group arrived by an underground river. “Let’s talk some more after we traverse through this.”

Without hesitation Tragthan stepped into the river. Dreu, Aggich and Zog stared down at the rushing river and at each other before they all stepped back.

“What are you three waiting for?” asked the demon impatiently.

“I cannot swim,” said Dreu simply.

Dreu didn’t bother mentioning the size difference between Tragthan and him. The demon, while old, was still double his height and the river level reached his waist. He half-expected the demon to scold him but Tragthan simply created a magical boat on the river surface.

“Get in,” ordered the demon.

Dreu and his companions took a deep breath before jumping into the boat. The transport surprisingly held their weight and, with Tragthan towing it and the current assisting him, the group made good progress. While enjoying the ride, Dreu looked down at Zog and noticed two things sticking out of the demon worm’s back.

Puzzled, Dreu checked his prompt window.

< Lv 5 Demon Worm (Zog):

Description: This caterpillar-like creature enjoys eating and playing. The creature’s good nature makes it an ideal playmate for demonic children. As a creature at the bottom of the food chain, the creature is known to be timid in battle and boasts little to no combat capabilities. If given a chance to engage in combat, the creature can level up rapidly and unlock evolutions.

Recommendations:

-Avoid combat if alone.

-In group combat, give the opportunity to support.

Evolution: Demon worms are capable of evolving once they gain enough experience. Evolution is unheard of for these creatures as they are never put in combat situations. Even if engaged in combat, demon worms generally do poorly and are easily defeated. Therefore, there have been no known cases for demon worm evolutions. With the lack of past history, the evolution tree of demon worms is completely unknown and can only be explored through trial and error. To evolve, the demon worm must reach level 7 and be fed a lesser demonic crystal.

Status: +5% attack and defense from veterancy. >

“Lesser demonic crystal?” muttered Dreu.

“What did you say?” asked Tragthan.

“Lesser demonic crystal. The Emperor Class mentioned it but I’m not sure what it is.”

“Odd it would mention the crystal,” replied the demon. “Demonic crystals are considered useless because they hold no special properties. For centuries, we have yet to find a purpose for them. Given their abundance, you can get many from the Demon Realm. We might even find some here underground if you’re willing to dig a little.”

Dreu checked his window prompt again. It provided no additional information on the evolution of Zog. He was however pleasantly surprised seeing his demon worm leveling to level 5.

Must be from participating in combat earlier?

Zog returned a nod at the question.