Chloe adjusted her slide to display the images and details: Shifters and Cherubs are categorized into five threat levels, ranging from the bottom rank up to the absolute leadership.
First is Mindless or Ordinary—the basic Shifters and Cherubs that lack true thought and only disguise themselves to hunt for food. This is the common type that Grey and Gizelle have frequently dealt with before.
Second is the Seeker, far more intelligent than the Mindless. They attack using tactics, sometimes setting traps, deploy the Mindless for their own agenda, and possess significantly stronger physiques.
Third is the Trickster. This type operates as an infiltrator, assassinating or targeting objectives stealthily from the shadows. They gather intelligence, exercise patience, and wait for the precise moment to strike using elaborate strategies.
"Now, the last two types are the most terrifying and hardest to fight," Chloe stated.
The fourth category for Shifters is the Nergal, and for Cherubs, it's the Nephilim. They are physically powerful, live socially, can use unique abilities or magic, sometimes reach giant sizes, and possess extraordinary intelligence.
"Wow," Grey thought in his head.
"Didn't know they got that complicated," Gizelle added.
The fifth and final category is the Shifter's Seven Sins and the Cherub's Seven Seraph. Their forms are unknown, their abilities are unknown, and they have never left the dome.
"Now, this is what we know so far about the final tier. There are believed to be only seven individuals from each side. They are the bosses, the leaders who stay inside the dome and have built a kingdom within. We are still investigating them further," Chloe finished.
The entire class fell silent. For the new recruits, the revelation felt like they'd chosen the wrong damn life. For the veterans, it was a grim reminder not to underestimate the enemy. Seeing the question marks displayed on the screen, Grey's body instantly shivered—not from fear, but the exact opposite. He and Gizelle were imagining how much Soul they could gain if they managed to defeat everything listed there.
Unconsciously, Grey's expression changed; he was grinning wide and his breathing sped up, a stark contrast to his classmates, who clearly hoped they would never meet such enemies.
"Gizelle, a peaceful life is practically right in front of us," Grey said in his head.
"Yep, absolutely right. I want to level up fast, learn more skills, defeat all of them, and then we can finally live quietly together," Gizelle replied.
Grey glanced left at Marco, Lana, Cynthia, and Seong Ho; their faces were pale and their eyes were wide and unmoving. Then Grey looked right, at Ivan next to him, Karim, Kiara, Hazel, and Norman—their expressions were identical. Kiara and Hazel were visibly shaking and hugging themselves.
"Hey, why is everyone so quiet? Any questions?" Chloe asked.
Not a single person spoke or asked a question, but suddenly, "Shuuut," Grey raised his hand. Every eye in the room immediately turned to him.
"So when do we get to go to the front lines, Ma'am?" Grey asked directly.
The atmosphere became dead silent. All heads swiveled back to stare at Grey, who was standing with his hand raised, looking genuinely enthusiastic. Chloe looked surprised, but then smiled and glared sharply at Grey in the back. Suddenly, "Shuuut," Chloe fired five arrows from beneath her blazer sleeve straight at Grey. "Brrrs," the five arrows shattered against Grey's two-handed laser sword, which he had pulled from his item box with incredible speed to deflect the attack.
"Good. We'll be going soon," Chloe said with enthusiasm and a wide smile.
"Yes, Ma'am," Grey replied, smiling back.
A visible surge of energy and hope washed over the faces of the classmates watching Grey. Their expressions, which had been grim, pale, and full of fear, immediately regained color. They looked reinvigorated and ready to fight. The class atmosphere finally returned to normal, the silence replaced by renewed energy.
"Alright, that's enough for the lesson today. Starting tomorrow, all of you head straight to the field. We'll be doing live combat training there, and whenever a new team joins, this briefing will be repeated to remind us of our mission. Now, you're all dismissed to return to your dorms or check out the academy facilities if you're new. Everyone understood?" Chloe asked firmly.
"Understood, Ma'am," all the students, including Grey, replied.
"Good, you're dismissed. Fall out," Chloe said.
"Yes, Ma'am," all the students replied.
The students began filing out. As Grey walked down and headed toward the door, a hand suddenly touched his shoulder. "Tap," Grey turned to see Chloe standing behind him.
"I don't know if you thought about it or not, but your question brought the class back to normal. You must be really eager to die on the front lines, huh?" Chloe said, smiling.
"I want to live a peaceful and quiet life, Ma'am," Grey replied.
"Good. Keep that drive," Chloe said.
"Yes, Ma'am," Grey replied, smiling.
"Alright, move it. I still have work to do," Chloe said.
"Yes, Ma'am," Grey replied, giving a sharp salute.
Chloe returned the salute. Grey turned and walked toward the exit, but stopped just a step before stepping into the corridor.
"Haaah… them again," Grey sighed in his head.
"My turn, Big Brother. Let me handle this," Gizelle replied.
"Alright then," Grey agreed.
Grey opened his black portal and pulled out a thermos of cold water. "Cyuuur," he shifted into Gizelle. "Kretek," Gizelle immediately clenched her hands, cracking her knuckles. "Tap," she launched herself straight forward, then kicked off the corridor wall, rocketing herself back toward the door.
"Buaaaak," she slammed into Bryan and his two friends—a burly youth wearing glasses named Gustav and a skinny dark-skinned youth named Kyle—who were waiting just outside the door, knocking all three of them sprawling onto the floor with a simultaneous kick and punch.
Hearing the loud commotion outside the classroom, Chloe immediately ran out and saw Bryan, a muscular youth wearing glasses named Gustav, and a skinny dark-skinned youth named Kyle, all sprawled on the floor.
"You three again! How many times do I have to tell you, there's no hazing for new teams here! Just because you're Team Six and have been here a while doesn't mean you can act like spoiled brats! (She turned to Gizelle) Grey… ah, my mistake, Gizelle, you can go. I'll handle these three," Chloe said.
"Okay, Ma'am," Gizelle replied.
Bryan and his friends eyes darted toward Gizelle, glaring with pure vengeance, as if saying, "This isn't over." Gizelle immediately stuck out her tongue at them and casually walked away toward the academy exit. When she reached the lobby, Marco, Lana, Kiara, and Seong Ho were waiting. They all decided to walk out of the academy together and grab some food before heading back to the dorms.
***
Meanwhile, back in the classroom, Bryan, Gustav, and Kyle, who were still clearly in pain, knelt on the floor. Chloe stood in front of them, arms crossed and an angry expression on her face.
"How long have you three been here?" Chloe asked.
"Two years, Ma'am," all three answered.
"Hoo… that long, huh? And what exactly have you learned here?" Chloe inquired.
"A lot of lessons, Ma'am," the three replied.
Chloe fell silent. Suddenly, "Sreiiiing," three rope-like shadow tentacles emerged from beneath Chloe's shirt. "Grep," the shadow tentacles formed into human-like hands and simultaneously grabbed all three of them, hoisting them into the air. Chloe smiled, but her face was cold with fury. Bryan and the others immediately went pale.
"Alright, you're all going straight to the Special Training Room. Two years means nothing if you ambush someone and fail, especially getting taken out in a single attack by a girl. Pathetic," Chloe said, her voice flat and chilling.
"P-please, Ma'am, not the Special Room! Please!" the three begged, weeping.