Chapter 31: Corrupted Grade Class! The General

The entirety of the class of over fifty students kept silent as they listened to the words of their teacher, Sir Antonio.

Some watched in clear mesmerization, others in boredom, and for a few like Finn, it was pure elation.

Sir Antonio, who was perhaps Finn’s only favorite pastime in the entirety of the academy’s ruthless teachings, was once again explaining Corrupted Beasts.

With all the experience Finn had gained from his adventure into the Labyrinth, hearing Sir Antonio’s stories pertaining to Corrupted Monsters no longer sounded like fairy tales to him.

Every word, every description spoken, allowed Finn to nearly picture the hideous monstrosities Antonio described.

It was bone-chilling in a way.

Sir Antonio cleared his throat, resting himself against the small wooden desk placed upon the podium.

"As some of you know, the Grey Knights have grouped certain categories of Corrupted based on their energy levels and the amount of available data," Antonio began once more. "Not all Corrupted are the same... Some might be able to level a house, others a city, and others an entire country. Before going up against a Corrupted, it’s better to know exactly what level of monstrosity you’re dealing with."

He then raised his hand, and a blue screen flashed into existence above his wrist.

"On my wrist is something you would see on every Grey Knight. It is a Beast Grade Detector, and it scans the danger level of any Corrupted within a few meters’ radius."

He paused for a moment, staring at the students as though waiting for them to ask questions.

And as he did, a hand rose from the crowd.

At that, he nodded.

The next moment, a recruit rose from her seat—a black-haired beauty who wore glasses and had freckles scattered across her cheeks.

"Sir Grey Knight, what is the precise distance or range of this device, and would we be getting one ourselves for the expedition?"

Sir Antonio let a brief silence linger between them before he replied.

"At most, it scans Corrupted within a twelve-meter radius. Sometimes it doesn’t detect them immediately, but its maximum range is twelve meters, so be mindful of that. As for getting the program on your Digital Markers, you’ve already had it since the moment we placed them on you. This is merely a precaution in case there is a sudden outbreak within the academy."

"..."

"Outbreak?" the girl called out, raising a brow in curiosity, a curiosity shared by the entire class as most of them did not understand what Antonio meant by the word.

Antonio sighed and folded his arms.

"An outbreak occurs every now and then when the Barrier starts to weaken and therefore allows a number of Corrupted past it. We can normally sense when this happens, but just in case, it’s always better to be safe than sorry."

Chills ran up everyone’s spine.

The girl with freckles slowly sat back down, falling deep into thought.

Finn swallowed hard.

He grasped the entire situation without a second thought.

’This academy is just like back home... It’s located close to the Corrupted Wall.’

Finn’s stomach churned.

’If this part of the Corrupted Wall fails... Does that mean back at home...’

Finn did not complete that thought.

He dared not.

After all, he and his mother had been living there for more than a decade, and no Corrupted Monsters had ever gotten through.

Still...

Even with that reassurance, he could not get that detail out of his mind.

"I’ll continue with the Grades of Corrupted Beasts. As for the Grades of Mages, we’ll discuss those another time," Antonio continued after leaving enough time for the students to digest his previous statement.

"Corrupted Grading spans from..."

"Tainted.

Hollowed.

Forsakened. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Abyssal.

Profane.

Sovereign."

Each rank was spoken slowly, carrying an invisible weight that seemed to settle upon the classroom.

"Each one is more brutal than the last. For a Grey Knight such as myself, my power caps at a Corrupt Forsakened. Anything beyond that, and I will die a horrible death."

Antonio watched as the faces of the class grew grim yet increasingly interested in the topic.

His lips curled slightly.

"For untrained recruits like yourselves, most of you wouldn’t even last against a Corrupt Tainted, while the very best among you would likely cap at a Corrupt Hollow."

Finn’s mind drifted for a moment.

Just what level were the Hideous Creeper and the Horrid Knight?

They had been incredibly difficult to battle, especially the Knight, whom he would never have managed to defeat if not for the help he had received from Estes.

’I really wish I could ask questions about it and describe my encounters to get a better grasp of my growth... But alas, doing that would doom me to exposing all my secrets, and I don’t need to be a genius to know what happens next.’

Finn’s expression contorted into a grimace.

He was never going to risk his secrets just for the excitement of knowledge.

He loved learning.

But not nearly as much as he disliked throwing his neck before an executioner’s axe.

"Always remember this—every Corrupt Tainted belongs to the same rank, but not all Tainted are the same."

Antonio did not need to say more than that.

The implication was obvious.

He lingered for a few seconds before continuing.

"Now, as for Mage Grading, we’ll discuss that some other time. You all should ponder what you’ve learned today. So... any questions?"

Again, a hand was raised.

It was the girl with freckles standing once more, ready to ask another question that the entire class seemed intrigued to hear the answer to.

"You said that you cannot defeat a Corrupted beyond the Forsakened Rank."

She paused.

Antonio nodded for her to continue.

"What about the Lieutenants and the General? What are their power caps?"

Antonio’s eyes arched slightly at the question before he glanced around at the faces of every student present.

They were all eager to hear the answer.

Finn too was curious about just how powerful Lieutenant Harold and General Eric truly were.

After a stretched moment of silence, Antonio finally spoke.

"What is your name, little girl?"

The girl raised a hand and adjusted her glasses confidently.

"I am Esther Monroe."

Antonio nodded, his smile fading away.

"I’ll answer your question. For the Lieutenants, such as Harold and the others, their power caps are very likely at the Abyssal Rank..."

A faint murmur spread through the classroom.

Antonio ignored it.

"As for the General..."

His expression grew solemn.

"I once saw him with my own two eyes decimate a Corrupted Profane in a single strike."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Not a single student dared make a sound.

Antonio’s gaze swept across the classroom.

"His cap level is unknown."