The Game Plan: Evolve or Die

The fact that Solitary wanted Lyra to use Metalos Surge, Call of the Forest, Mana Pool Connection and Elemental Focus at the same time was ludicrous to the female mages floating above. Metalos Surge was a spell only Lisa was familiar with, but the others were clueless. Mana Pool Connection was a legendary spell so its effects were quite well known while Call of the Forest, though less well known due to its strict requirements in terms of skillset, was still infamous to a certain degree.

The ladies however could not identify Elemental Focus. All they could do was identify what it could do and narrow the spell it could be from spells they were already aware of. Alison was the most knowledgeable of the quartet of ladies from the Frozen Asgard Sect while Lisa had the worldliest experience. Giselle was the wisest and most talented mage among them. Sophia was less intellectual but she made up for it with loyalty, courage and adaptability as she had the widest range of spells.

They moved as a unit because they made up for each other's weaknesses, their attributes brought variety and their core beliefs were the same. Yet now not only was there an elemental spell they could not identify, but there was also a group of beings defying one piece of core knowledge all mages knew. One cannot cast multiple large-scale Area Of Effect buffs over a long period.

This was difficult to do because it was extremely draining on the caster. So far Lyra had cast 2 buffs, Call of the Forest which was a sensory buff and the unknown Elemental Focus which was an elemental attribute buff. Mana Pool Connection was a mana buff of the highest tier while Metalos Surge was extremely difficult to even categorize outside of being a large-scale offensive spell.

Using all four spells under level 99 without knowledge of applying concepts was ludicrous. Lyra and Achilles were clearly not familiar with using Concepts often. They had barely scratched the surface of understanding concepts, let alone applying them, and were clearly not yet at level 99. Solitary was clearly at level 99 and had mastery over simple sword-type concepts such as Sharpness and water-type concepts such as momentum. Sophia was angry at being defeated by Solitary but even she had to admit that his application of concepts was quite smooth.

Lyra on the other hand had shown no such mastery of concepts. So the fact that Solitary was asking a druid below level 99 to cast multiple high-tier large-scale buffs at the same time over a long period baffled the ladies. It not only put Lyra at risk but even Lyra himself would probably be pressured due to the high level of difficulty involved in this.

"Perhaps the druid has a skill like Dual Mind, allowing him to multi-task at a high level?" suggested Alison. The others nodded as this was the only explanation for this. The only problem was, mental skills like Dual Mind were very rare. Skills that boosted the body were plenty, skills that boosted the Soul were somewhat rare while skills that boosted the mind were extremely rare. Dual Mind, although simple in description, allowed one to become a multitasking prodigy.

Dual Mind was a skill that allowed one to split their consciousness into two parts and have them work on two tasks without reducing one's memory or computational power in any way. It helped mages as spells often required a lot of calculation and mental processing. It helped warriors because martial arts required precise body control and hand-eye coordination.

"If he does possess Dual Mind or a similar passive skill, his value is quite high."

The ladies continued to discuss these things via intent as they were curious as to what Will and his friends would do.

…

Solitary, or Will as his comrades knew him, smiled and patted his shoulders, " Now that we know that we have two hours to work with, let's discuss the game plan in detail.

As you know there are three types of banshees typically speaking. Wailing Banshees, which are the lowest level, Mournful Banshees, which are mini bosses with extra abilities that can be quite annoying and Devastated Banshees, the Sector Bosses.

Ordinary Banshees are simple ghost-type creatures whose main weapons are their deathly aura, poisonous claws and their ability to become intangible at will. They still need to be tangible to attack so as soon as they close in to a certain degree they will have to materialize.

Thanks to Call of the Forest and Elemental Focus, your ability to detect their tangible state and your sensitivity to life force and intent should have improved greatly. Once Mana Pool Connection is active this effect will be even more exaggerated, especially for Achilles.

These Banshees have an incredibly hard outer skin that ordinary spells like water blades can't cut. You either need to use offensive concepts like Sharpness or higher powers like Truth to damage these.

Mournful Banshees are larger, faster, stronger, tougher and smarter. They fight like hunters and love sneaking up on you. But the real issue is their sonic attacks that can also damage your spirit. So your mental defenses have to be up from the beginning.

Devastated Banshees are a problem, because not only can they cause long-lasting illusions, but their poison also corrodes your soul. In other words, if their poison touches you, your soul will suffer permanent damage. Not only that, but they can resist death three times. In other words, to kill a Devastated Banshee, you need to use an attack that can kill it 3 times over. Honestly speaking, considering your levels, doing this with higher powers for you is impossible. You only have a chance at doing this by applying concepts.

Unfortunately, your higher powers are garbage at this moment in time and this is something that needs practice over a long period to improve. So we can't change that aspect about you guys. On the other hand, although your concepts are actually currently weaker than your higher powers, they can be improved within a short time frame under the right circumstances. And it just so happens that today we have that opportunity.

We can use this time to practice your application of concepts. This environment and Lyra's Buffs have made us multiple times stronger. Allowing even your comprehension of ephemeral skills like concepts to increase. Practice isn't just about the amount, it's also about doing the right thing at the right time. If we use this opportunity the right way, what you will gain out of the next battle could outweigh 100 days of practice in the outside world. Do you understand?"

Achilles and Lyra listened intently to Will's explanation. They ignored the loud screams of the approaching Banshees and felt their blood boiling with excitement. Both men felt their minds turn ablaze as Will ignited their desire to evolve.

Concepts were universal laws linked to elemental traits that one could manipulate and use together with spells or skills. Unfortunately, it was very difficult for the average cultivator to even attempt to understand concepts before level 99. Even after achieving level 99, one often still had to spend many years practising before they could receive enlightenment on applying concepts.

Now that they had been told of an opportunity that could accelerate their ability to learn about concepts, how could they refuse?

"If I could use even just 1 concept at will, I would be at least 10 times stronger." Achilles thought to himself as he tightened his fist."

Will nodded as he noted that his words had ignited something in the other two and continued his explanation.

"According to what I know, the trap sprung by revealing the entrance to Fafnir's True Corpse will have the banshees come in waves.

The 1st wave will only have at least a few hundred Wailing Banshees.

The 2nd wave will have a few thousand Wailing Banshees accompanied by a few dozen Mournful Banshees.

The 3rd wave will have 10 thousand Wailing Banshees, A few hundred Mournful Banshees and will be led by a handful of Devastated Banshees.

The 4th and Last Wave will have an Agonised Banshee leading a thousand Devastated Banshees against us.

Now I want you to know. I will not interfere in the first 3 waves. I will literally only sit down and meditate on my own issues. If your life comes at risk during this battle I will not interfere.

I won't lie. Even if you use all the abilities you possess, I do not realistically see any of you surviving against the Devastated Banshees in the 3rd Wave. The only way to defeat them is if you make breakthroughs in your understanding of concepts. In other words, you either evolve, or you die.

Once the third wave begins, I will allow you to include me in your Mana Pool Connection. This should help you improve your mental abilities and energy control for some time. As for the 4th wave, leave the Agonised Banshee to me. I will leave the cannon fodder to you guys."