"Pathetic," Malrik says, "look at those idiots! They're not even using their Champions! The Fake Champion is getting into the fray with a bunch of noble Elves. They're not bad to be first-year students, but they're not even the best of their kind! They could probably take on a few Early Platinum monsters at best on their own! And even together, what do they think they're going to do against an entire pack of Stone Wolves!"

"That's an Intermediate Platinum Rank threat," Taron nods. "But they're still far from the monsters that'll create real trouble for the Champions, Malrik."

"I know," the blood mage responds.

They have gone back to the room where Malrik summoned the blood mirrors to watch the Champions next moves. Malrik, being partially responsible for the overflow of Mana in the Dungeon, can control some of the monsters inside. It's one of the blessings that those who belong to the Cult of Asmodeus receive: the ability to control monsters. And the thicker one bonds with the God of Monsters is, the stronger the monsters he can control.

"Arrogance, once again," Malrik says, "we're going to see a Champion die, perhaps. But it doesn't matter. As long as we have the real Champions to sacrifice, we'll wake up our Lord from his Long Slumber."

* * *

Jacob's sprouts Infernal horns and wings, and he takes Althir under his arm, propelling them both forward at insane speed.

The moment they reach Fatty, who's smacking and killing one Stone Wolf after the other, Elyndor closes up the barriers all around them, leaving them all trapped together.

While the Stone Wolves clearly had initially thought they'd surround and eat these people alive, making them their next dinner, sort of the opposite is what's actually going down. Fatty, who's got no self-control or discipline, is killing them by mistake, just trying to clean his body from the gore and actually just generating more and more of it.

Jacob and Althir, instead, fight like one. Jacob uses Flame Slashes with both his Hellbane's Sword and the Dark Blade, trying to cripple as many Stone Wolves as possible by aiming at their joints, helped by the stealthy Ithriel, who does the same by popping in and out of reality and slashing at the tendons of the monsters. The ones that are crippled by Ithriel, in the midst of their pack, hamper the mobility of all the rest. While the ones that Jacob targets become Althir's target in the next moment.

With Jacob having only a mana-heavy attack such as Black Fire as his main weapon, he's saving his resources to let the Breaker of the group exert his dominance with the razor-sharp wind blades of his. Althir, helped by Jacob's directives, is easily able to slash the throats of all the Stone Wolves they're fighting. It's almost as if Jacob's attacks are putting the Stone Wolves right where Althir needs them to be able to finish them.

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None of the present except Fatty, who's clearly someone who panics and isn't able to keep his head straight during a fight, could take these many monsters on their own.

Even Zibrek, who's the only other Guide apart from Jacob and has the better assessing Skills of all Champions, can tell that the three Elves are not stronger than Jacob himself. In fact, none of them should be even remotely able to perform at the level they're currently performing at. Against such a pack, even with a good Guide, they should have been taking a massive beating.

However, with the Stone Wolves mobility cut down and Jacob's uncanny ability to strike their weak points, Fatty's taunts and stupid strength, they're making short work of them.

"They're fighting at an Intermediate Platinum level," Zibrek finally says out loud.

None of the Stone Wolves has actually attacked the group. There's something about the Fatty, who's still bawling his eyes out, that clearly entices them to keep attacking him.

A Skill of some kind, or maybe more, Zibrek thinks, narrowing her eyes.

Soon, the battle is over and Jacob's clothes are still looking pristine. He barely has any marks at all, other than some dust that they kicked up during the fight. He's…

If one just looked at the result of the fight, this wouldn't look impressive at all, Zibrek reasoned. And if someone wasn't a Guide, they wouldn't even be able to understand the extent of what Jacob had just done.

He seems perfectly acquainted with everybody's Skills, down to how much damage they could deliver. He was inflicting more damage on the strongest Stone Wolves, and he served them on a silver platter for the guy who manipulates wind. He's also fought in very close quarters with him. Normally, a Guide would just get into a Breaker's way by being in his line of sight and being so close… yet, he perfectly integrated himself in this scenario.

Zibrek also has to recognize the sheer genius of how Jacob utilized Lancelot during the fight. The Fatty wasn't just the strongest of the five, but he was clearly unable to control his strength and utilize it properly. But by being used as live bait and a distraction for the Stone Wolves, Jacob and the others had managed to cripple enough monsters to stop them from moving well, trapping them in a close space where their numbers wouldn't be able to overwhelm Jacob and Althir.

The Goblin girl can tell that Jacob doesn't have any formal training as a Guide. But that just makes him even more impressive.

He just has such a spatial awareness… he seemed able to tell where the other Elves were at all times. Whatever Skill he has, too, is clearly the perfect fit for a Guide.

But just then, as Jacob tells the other that it's time to move again, a beast howls and a monster appears in front of the group.

It's a gigantic Stone Wolf, five times the size of every other monster. But, the scariest feature of it is the black veins that go all around his body and the frenzied look in his red eyes.

[Corrupted Alpha Stone Wolf - Level 450]

"That's an Early Diamond Regional Boss!" Zibrek shouts, not being able to help herself from warning everyone.

Vyrrak steps forward, his silhouette slowly disappearing as Asterion and Iskara walk to his right and left.

This is going to be the real test for Jacob, Zibrek thinks. He can Guide the normal Gold Rankers. But can he do the same for Champions-level fighters?

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