Every living creature has a tendency to avoid danger and seek safety. The human in Tristina is no exception to that.

To the people coming from the outside world such as the summoning heroes, or Lexar group, Tristina is a world full of possibilities, fantasy and miracles. There are fantasy creatures, magic, mysterious yet beautiful wonders, and a level up system. But to the native citizens of this world, it is a normal, mundane world full of uncontrollable dangers. In this world, human is not the dominant species, and the danger of losing life comes from all types of sources.

The RPG-like system, in the eyes of the otherworlders, is a miracle bestowed to them. By just simply defeating monsters over and over again, they can get stronger and stronger, gaining superhuman strength that they have long dreamed of. By having such a mean to become superman, they are envious of this fantasy world’s people. I just only need keep killing monsters after monsters, and then I can be invincible and obtain everything I want. Be it money, fame, land, treasures, women, or men, and so on. It is such a straightforward and easy way to obtain everything. That’s what the summoned heroes have thought after enjoying the power of leveling up.

However, reality is much more harsher than expected. Although this world has this game like system, everything aside from the level up is the same as any real world. If you get damaged, you will bleed and hurt a lot. That sensation does not spare anyone, including the people in this world, and the summoned heroes.

Every human when they are born starts from level 1. Everyone starts from the beginning and has about the same status values in their tables, except some special individuals. This means that human is initially weak and cannot do much again monsters. To defeat a monster, they have to grow up to a certain extend or do some training. Both methods are the only known ways to increase status values without needing to level up, but the former requires time, and the latter requires hard work and determination.

When people are strong enough, they will start killing monster to level up. In normal cases, a goblin is usually chosen. Not because it is a weakest creature, but because it has a fair amount of exp, defeating one will usually instantly get to level 2 or sometimes 3. The other reason is to cultivate courage in people.

Goblin is a weak monster, true, but it is also a dangerous monster, and can be scary at time. Their maliciousness toward other creatures, especially human, can be extremely frightening. They know how to torture their victims. The females are raped, forced to give birth to the ugly offspring, while being beaten and harassed cruelly; while the males are dismembered into parts, with the meat being used as food, bone for making decorations, and skins to make clothing. Their vicious actions are often told in the children’s bed stories, teaching them the scary nature of the monsters. However, inflicting fear of the monster is not the intended use of those stories.

The monsters are not invincible, human is strong enough to fight them. In the old stories, the heroes did not look at the goblins’ actions in fear. They looked at them in anger, in fury, and in shame. Because they were weak, because they were cowards that they lost everything to the monsters. That’s why they had to become stronger, train harder, take up the weapons, muster courage and kill some monsters. The heroes became stronger and stronger through time, at later part of the story, they encouraged and raised up the courage inside the victimized villagers to take up the weapons and raided the monster’s lair, taking back their everything and completed their revenge. The ending is a happy story with every monster nearby slain, giving way for the people to have a happy life and build a country.

Revenge and hero story is a sweat deal and folk story tellers know that. With the art of storytelling, the scary deeds of the monsters are frightening to the point of giving goose bump, but later become enraging to the point of madness. The children, while listening to the story, are afraid and cry out during the first part, then slowly regain courage, give admiration to the heroes, and become motivated to become a hero themselves in the future. At the end of the session, the storytellers often say to the children: “As you have experienced, all of you have experienced fear at the beginning, but it is only temporary. By facing it, later you become more courageous and then motivated to fight the monster back.. Courage is the guidance to your heart and survival. Only the braves can withstand all the fear and hardship and achieve the happy ending for oneself and the others.”

Courage is the most important moral value in this world. Only when you are brave, you can face and fight the monsters, level up and survive in this world. Courage, in combination with hatred toward the monsters, helps fortifying the resolve for the people to fight against monsters.

This has lead to a culture practice of this world. When any child is considered strong enough, the adults will capture one goblin and have the child fight it. It is called the coming of age ritual. As the child fights and kills off the goblin, they are considered a grown up and strong enough to defend for themselves. Not only they level up during the process, the fighting experience, the feeling of killing the first monster, the bravity to face against the danger. All of these are essential for the human to live in this world.

Unfortunately, that courage usually does not last long when challenged at the higher level. A goblin level 1 does not represent a tiny bit of the true terror of monster in this world. With higher level monsters, not only they are stronger, they are also crafty, careful, and full of things that can surprise a human. Fighting them is no longer a simple battle of strength and courage, but also wits, experience, and skills. And not everyone is capable of that.

In those higher level fight, any injury can be very fatal, either with a very deep wound, or a large amount of meat torn apart. The pain is extremely painful that they can drive trauma inside anyone. Although with the support of healing magic, it is possible to restore the lost body part and heal a deep wound with a short amount of time, many people do not want to taste that pain again and stop fighting monster to level up. In worse case, they will not want to pick up a weapon again.

As a result, a normal citizen adult’s level is about 5 to 10, as this is the best extend they can reach with only killing low level monsters. If one wants to reach higher level, they need to start focusing on combat professionally and those people usually become either adventurers or solders.

That’s how the natives cope up with the harshness of this world. But how about the summoned heroes? To describe them in short and simple term, they are irregularities.

Although they are a bunch of teenagers who just only study in a peaceful school in Japan, when they arrived at Tristina, they have showed to be highly proficient in combat. It is unknown whether it is their natural talent, or the work of their hero attribute. They can kill a monster in a calm and efficient way several days after summoning. Their combat instinct, attitude and courage in their first fight were beyond any normal seasoned adventurer or solder. It’s like all the problems related to the difficulty to become stronger or having courage to face monster do not exist to them at all. But that is not all.

There is this hero whom the other heroes call him a game otaku. He is a genius in analyzing the monster. With just only a single glance, he can tell all of the possible attacks from the monster, and what kinds of attack should be careful of. He is one of the important members of the hero command team that successfully prevented everyone from getting any traumatic injury that the normal people are afraid of. After studying the encyclopedia of the monsters, his command and analysis of the monsters have reached a higher level, giving important tips that can help solders fighting monsters more safely.

One more important hero is a leader of their class. He is a genius at commanding people, giving suitable and on time judgment to the party. His quick wit in analyzing the overall situation of the allies and enemies helps formulating good strategy to take down monsters in the most efficient yet safe manner.

In addition to their very strong initial status values and unique skills from the summoning ritual, all of these elements combined together has helped the heroes complete one of the hardest achievement in the history of mankind: to reach level 60 before twenty.

With those 30 heroes together, they can become one of the strongest army in the world. It is Xavier’s evaluation after observing them for so long. However, they are only limited to being a strong army. That’s all. They are not 30 different one man armies like the previous hero.

The emperor has noticed something in them. A constraint, a limit, a limit that is impossible to overcome no matter what. With that limits, not a single hero can enter the list of strongest beings in this world, even when combining all of their power together. Thus, the heroes can be very strong, high quality pawns, but not a threat in the emperor’s eyes. He has won the bet.

The summoning ritual has a limit. It can only give a certain amount of blessing to the hero, and summon hero with certain amount of potential. In the past, the hero was the only one summoned and obtained all the blessing and had the highest potential that the ritual could summon. Thus, she became absurdly strong later and had the power to destroy everything.

However, by summoning many heroes, the blessing is divided, distributed to all thirty heroes. Not only that, the potential of the current heroes is much lower than the past, with the quota divided to meet requirement to summon 30 people. This dividing has created a bunch of excellent yet half-assed heroes that cannot cause as much trouble as before.

Things became too convenient to the emperor as the heroes are a bunch of teenagers from a country called Japan. They actively shared their other world’s knowledge to the country and expressed that they have longed for the so called isekai experience. With honest praise and acknowledgement, and these kids got over excited. It made him wonder about their origin world, why such a bunch of smart kids lack the experience of being praised.

……………………………………………………………………..

“You!” Makoto and Yuuko become angry hearing the emperor’s thought.

He had purposely kidnapped thirty students from their world against their wills, separating them from their own parents and families. To make it worse, he used them as weapons against a bunch of dangerous existences known as monsters and demons. Further than that, he was going to use them as the vanguard in the war.

Although the heroes have a certain degree of cheats, this does not change that the battlefield they are going to dive in is extremely dangerous. Makoto and Yuuko fully understand how dangerous a fight can actually be, and if it was not for their fighting experience gained from their other selves, they would have died back in their own world. But they have made their resolves and are willing to get through it. However, it is different for the summoned students.

It is clear from their previous conversation that a majority of them are not prepared to fight for their own life yet. They just go with the flow, and barely withstand the pressure. To push them at the front of the battlefield, it is unacceptable for Makoto and Yuuko. The heavy pressure will break them, and in a dangerous situation, it can cost their life. Furthermore, Xavier confirms himself that he sees the heroes as the spears to fight the demons, which means he is seeing them as nothing more than pawns.

Those girls they have just met, although their status tables are amazing in the eyes of normal people, they are still nothing compared to all the monsters in this room. It is plausible that if those girls do not show any more worthy values as a summoned heroes, the emperor will see them as lesser pawns, increasing the chance to use them as disposable when the situation needs.

Xavier’s words also makes Lexar frown. This confirms Lexar’s wild speculation on the matter. Judging from Makoto’s behaviour when she secretly examined everyone in the room and the emperor, the power of the top humans in this world is very powerful, to the point that he questions whether a hero’s strength is actually needed like in those isekai stories.

In a world where strength is measured by status values, levels, it is very apparent that to rise to the top, it is necessary to defeat monsters and level up. The strength is measured in terms of level of individuals, not an army or a technology difference. To sum up, every human activity in this world should surround that. And to the people who are considered the strongest of this world, they must be an expert at leveling up. Under the long history of constantly fighting and leveling up, the study and experience of leveling up is advanced and in depth beyond the imagination of any genius gamer or game designer on Earth can have, after all, the systems they play with is just imaginary product, not real world. A very concrete proof is that they have been at wars with the demons for a very long time and never once, they lost too badly to the demons. This means that the strongest human can rival against the strongest demon.

When the humans do not lack of strength, what does this world need from the heroes? That’s why he bet on the other possibility: their otherworld knowledge.

It is unknown whether the knowledge of the highschool students can benefit the emperor or his country. But from Xavier’s words, their knowledge is useful and fits what he needs. Knowing that is good enough, because it lets him know one of his cards is effective.

However, the point of being able to easily dismiss the summoned heroes’ strength concerns him. They have arrived at this world for a short time and obtained considerable strength. At this rate, they will become much more stronger than the present. In addition, being heroes, they must have a lot of potential to grow and can achieve something unbelievable. Yet, Xavier even looked down on their strength. Lexar doesn’t believe that the man in front of him did not take account of the future.

Either he has a way to defeat the heroes, or he has a strength that is even beyond the future heroes’, or even perhaps both options are possible. From the emperor’s knowledge on different forms of energy, there is also a possibility he has other types of strength aside from the RPG system. That unknown strength is a risk to Lexar’s plan. But even so, he has to push forward.

“That was beyond my expectation. I did not you would hold a bunch of students’ strength in such high regards. Even so, you have already seen their limits, right? With their power, as well as their knowledge.” Lexar continues the conversation.

“Oh, why are you thinking so? Their knowledge is wonderful, though in early stage, but in the future, it will bring a lot of revolutions to us. Their strength too, is excellent. Though I belittle them a bit, they are still very strong nonetheless. In the future, each of them can be a high caliber general, leading their own troops. 30 generals, that’s a large number to include in any nation’s army. There is nothing more satisfying than that. What can I expect more? That’s enough for us to win the war against the demons already.”

“Forgive me for saying this, your highness. But I am thinking you are just talking of things you don’t believe yourself. If you are really thinking those alone can help you win the war, and I will say that you are disqualified for a king.” Lexar makes a smirking smile as he says so.

“Insolent!” A guard shouts in anger.

Xavier’s smile stiffens a little bit before he returns his normal smile again. He amused asks the cat “Hou, why do you think so? I’m being very open and generous to you, friends with the summoned heroes. I spoke to you with my honest thought and sincere treatment like the summoned heroes, telling you secrets that the nobles do not even have the right to know. Yet, you are questioning the authority of the host who treated you with such hospitality? Don’t you think you are very rude?” His face is smiling but his eyes are not.

“I’m very sorry for that, but it is a custom of our world. It is normal for us, citizens, to criticize our leaders when it is related to a serious problem and concerns everyone. When a bad solution or thinking comes out from our leader, it will meet criticisms and be scrutinized as why it is a bad idea. This practice is also common when both sides are working toward a long and good relationship.” Lexar explains.

“I don’t see making criticism can help building a good relationship. If anyone makes criticism out of me, that means he is looking for a fight.” The emperor’s word is stern.

“It is true that making criticism every time means you are trying to sell a fight. However, a true, honest, and meaningful criticism at a right time is very valuable, as it portrays the other side is giving their most objective analysis on the issue at hand with you. This is the lesson that a lot of successful people in our world know. When you are at the top, you’d want someone who can argue against you, instead of people flattering you all days.” Lexar calmly says.

Xavier’s smile curves upward as he listens to the cat’s words “When you are at the top, you’d want someone who can argue against you, instead of people flattering you all days. I can see the deep meaning behind those words. As expected of the teacher of the two powerful and beautiful warriors, you are the most intelligent cat I’ve seen. I’m starting to like you more and more.” His smile suddenly freezes a little bit “However, an emperor’s authority must not be questioned. Since you have demonstrated that you have a good will, I will give you a chance to prove it. Tell me, why are the heroes not enough?”

“Because of the cultivator inheritance.” Lexar looks at the emperor’s expression, before continue again. “This has been proven by the invasion of the goblin army. What do you see when the goblin army is more organized, stronger, and more advanced than anything in the past? It’s not the goblin king is stronger that it can command the goblins better, make them stronger. It’s the revolution that the goblins are experiencing. A very good one on top of that. It’s the same kind of revolution that you are expecting from the heroes.

I don’t know how long since the heroes have given their knowledge, and how long until the revolution takes off. But there is one thing for certain. The goblin has started their own revolution earlier than us. And when it comes to one of the most important factors in war, it is the time of the revolution that can decisively decides the outcome of the war. The enemy has started applying their advancement on the large scale while we haven’t started a single thing yet.”

“The goblins are just a bunch of weak monsters. No matter how advanced they are, we can simply crush them in a few days. A mere step forward of an ant does not mean anything to half step of an elephant. We can win them easily.” Xavier flatly rejects the cat’s thinking.

“You are forgetting one thing, your highness. The goblin is just one side. We also have the demon army.”

Hearing the demon army, Xavier frowns heavily.

“The demon army has stationed at your border, I have learnt about that. Do you think it is mere coincidence that they are there? I don’t think so. Either they are behind this incident, or they learn about it somehow. A revolution is not a simple thing that can be done in a few days. It needs planning, resources, management, facilities, and time to do it. It is unthinkable how the goblins do it without anything mentioned above, even with the cultivator inheritance, Therefore, someone must have provided them all of that, and helped concealing the goblins from your surveillance network.

Who is the one behind that? High chance that is the demon side, and if it is not, this means you have one more enemy to concern. Either possibility means that someone knows about the revolution of the goblins.“

Everyone’s face frowns further when they hear of that.

“So you mean that there is someone who used the goblin army to attack the kingdom? And there will be more attack following after this?” Xavier thinks he gets the direction where this talk is going.

“Possible. But that’s not what I try to emphasize. A revolution is a dramatic and wide reaching change in the way something works or people’s idea. And pay attention to the word “wide-reaching”. This means a revolution can be learnt and mimicked. If the other side have known about the goblins for some time, it means they have observed and learnt something from them, applying the revolution in their own way. This means we and our enemies have started our and their own revolutions, and the enemies has strike us first. We lost the initiative.”

For the first time, a sign of worry appears inside the emperor. He has clenched his hand instinctively without knowing.