The Emperor Class

The adventurers fought the demon with much difficulty. The narrow tunnel prevented them from using their numbers effectively. Not only could they not maneuver properly but the ranged supports struggled to avoid hitting their companions with their attacks. To make matters worse, the front liners found their weapons useless against the demon’s armor. Lacking ranged support, one of the front liners was quickly killed when the demon’s claws went through his chest and armor. The demon then tossed the corpse aside to turn its attention towards the other front liner.

The corpse landed near Dreu who was still hyperventilating. The sight jolted him back to reality but he cursed as he tried raising his sword arm. He barely had the strength to grip the sword handle. He kept cursing internally until a prompt showed up before him.

Dreu’s eyes widened at the sight of the prompt appearing before him. While prompts were available to anyone regardless of their mastery in magic, they were generally only useful for those with magical or ability skills. When he first learned of the prompt, Dreu summoned the window only to find his name. He later learned that prompts not only provided more details of unlocked skills but also provided valuable information on how to unlock new skills when certain hidden requirements were met. If used properly, the prompt could bring out the full potential of its user. Up until this moment, Dreu had no use for the prompt since working as a laborer didn’t unlock any abilities within him.

Following a brief pause, Dreu selected the “Yes” option. The prompt then updated.

With no hesitation this time, he selected "Yes." A second later, he felt drained and struggled to keep his eyes open. When he forced himself to look up, a frown formed on his face. He was not expecting a footman in rusty armor armed with a broken sword. The footman looked more like a large man who dug through the discarded equipment pile from a smithy than a soldier he had hoped for. While the footman’s physique was larger than that of a front liner, Dreu had doubts the footman could even last a minute against the demon given its current condition. He then looked down with a sigh but his eyes were drawn to his equipment.

“Take these,” Dreu said weakly as he offered his sword and shield to the footman.

Thank you!

Dreu looked around before returning his focus on the footman who had just equipped itself with the sword and shield. Then, a prompt showed up.

< +2 Reputation with the Footman Class. >

Dreu was pondering on what just happened and, as he sought for more information on the footman, the prompt responded in kind.

< Lv 1 Footman:

Description: Serving as a basic infantry in the armies of the Emperor, the footman is a versatile foot soldier with basic training but lacks the proper weapons and armor to fully utilize its training. Despite lacking proper equipment, a footman has unquestionable loyalty to the Emperor and will fight to the end if ordered to.

Recommendations: Strong against weak monsters. Best used in numbers and in close formation.

Status: Possesses the combat ability of a Lv 2 Footman due to the new sword and shield equipped. >

Hold off the demon, Dreu thought as he tested his theory of communication with the footman through his mind.

Understood!

The footman then charged into combat without hesitation. While Dreu was equipping the footman, the remaining front liner was losing against the demon. Unlike the other front liner, he chose a full defensive stance hoping to buy time while getting support from the other adventurers. Yet, the demon was not only deadly with its claw strikes but it also actively kept the front liner between itself and the other adventurers, effectively neutralizing any ranged attacks. The claw strikes, after breaking the shield, targeted the armor joints of the front liner resulting in multiple wounds to the human adventurer.

With a sudden swing of its arm, the demon sent the weakened front liner flying. Before it could dash forward to deliver the finishing blow, the footman charged directly into it. The footman managed to force the demon back a few steps with its charge. The demon turned its attention to the new combatant and growled at it. The growl shook the tunnel and Dreu covered his ears, closing his eyes.

Go away! Go away!

Dreu muttered his thoughts multiple times. When the growl ended, the young man hesitantly opened his eyes and cursed upon seeing the demon was still there. The footman had raised its shield as it waited for the demon to make a move. Dreu noted that the footman showed no sign of fear and simply stood there concentrating on its opponent. The demon then spoke in some non-human language which was followed by a violet light shining from its two claws. Dreu watched in horror as a wicked warhammer materialized from the violet light. As soon as the weapon fully materialized, the demon gripped it with its claws and effortlessly did a practice swing.

< Hint: Footman can be buffed by clerics and buffs are twice as effective. >

Upon seeing the prompt, Dreu turned to the backline adventurers. Due to the Illuminate spell, he could see all the adventurers clearly for the first time. He assumed the one with the arrow was a ranger class. As for the other two, both wore robes commonly worn by spellcasters. While one summoned fireballs from her hands, the other was chanting an incantation followed by a light that spread to all the humans in the vicinity.

< You have been buffed with the Courage spell. >

The prompt then showed new information on him.

< Dreu:

Status:

-Courage: +15% to Fear Resistance (can stack with other buffs) >

With the Courage spell, Dreu felt he could breathe slightly easier. The demon still terrified him but his instincts weren’t screaming at him as loudly to run.