Roleplaying games were a popular category of games back on Earth. There was a large assortment of different kinds of RPGs, but the most well-known was the action-adventure fantasy genre.

Generally, there were four major archetypes in an RPG.

The fighter.

The mage.

The archer.

And the healer.

But in this world, they were the Vanguard, the Defender, the Support, and the Explorer.

This was the most basic of party compositions in the world of Elysia, but it made for a fairly well-balanced Adventurer party.

The vanguard fought at the front, as the defender protected their support.

The support, be it a ranger, mage, or a Healer, supported the party from a safe distance.

The explorer was a wildcard role that excelled outside of combat and were responsible for managing supplies.

Party compositions were among the first things that were taught in the Academies. Certain quests also had party size and composition requirements.

For example, a Cockatrice required a minimum of three Adventurers regardless of their Adventurer Rank due to its Petrification Condition.

If one were to be petrified, then another could splash salty water or make direct contact onto the afflicted part to cure the condition.

But how did RPGs translate to a real combat situation?

Roles were arbitrary to Frost, because combat was dynamic.

However, the tactics involved were not useless information.

People had individualized strengths and weaknesses that made them fit into these predefined roles.

Of course, it would not work on Earth because everyone had maxed stats in their ranging abilities thanks to the advent of firearms. Moreover, humans on Earth did not possess the miracle of P-Factor Augmentation (stats).

"Hayte (Vanguard). Draw the attention of the Corrupted. Usari (Support), don't fall back to where Icara is. But do not in any circumstances go beneath the hearts. Icara (Defender), stay exactly where you. You all only need to target what I tell you to."

A combination of their stats and observed experiences made it easy to judge what they were useful for. Thus, Frost already had their roles in mind.

"Icara. Maintain a barrier over Usari at all times."

A faint circular magical circle appeared above Usari. It was a pitiful barrier capable of only mitigating 50 damage at most.

But Frost wanted to test herself. She had commanded in fights before, but her units were always powerful enough to give them a simple command to finish the job.

They're at a similar power level. A weak vs strong matchup against Raoul might not produce the intensity to get him to speak his mind. People who Corrupt can develop as the fight intensifies. Like they have their own Emotional States.

Frost then activated [Inspiration II] to keep them focused.

< ACTIVE: Inspiration! II [3/10] >

< Temporarily inspire allies. Grant resistance to Trepidation Stacks if Allies RESIST is lower than 60 >

"[Analyze Target]."

The Wolf Who Had No Heart in His Body

< Basic Observation >

< A voiceless wolf yearning to fill its chest with a heart. Its electrical fur warns others to stay away >

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Hearts shivered in their frigid shells before collapsing like their strings had been snipped at Hayte. The machine-man could barely avoid them and was constantly grazed by their immense speed.

< [Weighted Heart] >

< Burden me again, forevermore and everlasting. Quell this ache of fault >

< EFFECT: Drop a heart. Deal 150 ATT direct damage and 50 MAG ATT area of effect damage >

< "A need to fill. Emptiness. Leave my chest open for the next directive." >

But any time that his HP fell below 30%, a Healing Bullet would slam into him and return ruined components, flesh, and blood to their original state.

So long as they did not die, then they did not expend precious Reconstituting Fluids.

"It's ravenous and resentful. Yet, it is different from the ire of wrath." Hayte noticed as frost climbed along his metal arm.

He scraped them off as flames erupted from his elbow. Then, he landed a devastating punch into one of the hearts.

"What misadventures had this one faced to become frozen over?"

Cracks formed along the frozen shell.

Captive Heart

HP: 981

The twelve Captive Hearts collectively made up 12,200 HP. Damaging one also damaged the Corrupted's main body.

However, it replenished 5% of its total HP, bringing it back to max.

This was because this was neither its Linked Heart nor the Found Heart.

However, this was fine for Frost.

"Usari. You can open fire. Shoot each heart once. Icara. Keep her protected."

"Usari's got it! Thirty seconds!"

A low-pitched murmur came from her Mana Repeater. The tip began to glow with a dangerous pale glow as Hatye fought in the front alone. He endured a vicious cycle of being destroyed and reborn.

His emotions did not change, yet the way he moved, and the way his body emitted a faint orange glow along the metallic bits reminded Frost of coal after a roaring flame.

< "I nod, so that I may never be heeded again. My fangs are sharpened to hurt those I wish to protect." >

"Usari doesn't care what a miserable wolf thinks. Jump in a fire and DIE!"

Bullets soon began to soar through the battlefield. Deafening cracks of thunder and the shattering of ice drowned Usari's battle cry.

Repenters can hear the murmurs too, huh? Then again, this Corrupted was born from a person.

"Raoul. You say that felt as though you had no choice. But I don't believe for a second that you thought your voice didn't matter."

Frost spoke to him as her eyes fell upon two particular Hearts that did not replenish the HP of Raoul's phantom body. They were the Linked Heart and the Found Heart.

"You actively tried to push Cer away. You admitted that you believe Corruption was the only way to survive in the future, however far away that is. You regurgitated the same words that were told to you. You believed in it."

At that instant, Frost ordered Usari to spare those hearts, and for Icara to raise a second barrier over Usari.

Icara wore a perplexed look beneath those stagnant eyes. But she trusted Frost. A second later, the Corrupted pounced forward and delivered a dark slash against Usari.

< [Ordered Claw] >

< Deaths brought by the commandment of my masters shall not weigh on this heart >

< EFFECT: Retaliate against the target that deals the most damage to the Captive Hearts. Deal 200 ATT damage >

"Tch–! Good barrier! But Usari needs healing!"

"On our way…"

"Administering 2ml of Serum H via intramuscular injection. Site: Abdominal cavity."

The twins arrived at the scene. Dangerous claws craved away at Usari, but the twins moved unbothered by it. Either way, Frost's [Protection Ward] defended them against all of Raoul's attacks.

< "Remove the heart. Kill the senses in me, so that I may only howl at the Moon. It must never move from its place." >

< "Let my failures and the ice around my hearts remind me of what I failed to howl. It will never change anything." >

"What should it do if it can't move? Even if it doesn't move, the world turns on its own. Our perspective changes regardless of what the Moon does. Raoul…"

Frost removed a glove from her right hand, revealing the precious ring that sealed her love with Jury. She produced a thread between two fingers, steam hissing loud enough to drown out the chatters of combat.

"Nothing can be stagnant. You, me, the world, and everyone around us will change. It's an inevitability. However, I don't think it's a bad thing. And I don't believe your howling was without purpose. You've seen the kind of world we live in. But you've chosen to give up."

What would I do if I had lost Jury the same way he lost his loved ones?

She shut her eyes and dwelled on the thought.

The light of her halo intensified.

"Cer knew what she was. But you refused to acknowledge her. Raou! You tried to become her heart!"

Raoul released a frenzied howl.

< [Voltaic Howl] >

< Hear my warning. Do not heed it >

< EFFECT: Area of effect attack. Deal 100 MAG ATT all targets >

"U-Usari's ears… deafened… Dumb mutt!"

"Interesting. The frequency has been dampened by the steel."

Electric ripples ran across the deck of the Leviathan. It was a laughably weak attack, but it deal severe damage to Usari and Icara. The mute woman's body was reduced to a paste and was miraculously brought from the brink with a Healing bullet.

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