How Could Anyone Be This Useless?

How Could Anyone Be This Useless?

In the vast, silent forest, aside from the occasional one or two birds flying overhead, there was not the slightest movement.

Luo Zhen led the Servant of the Archer Class through the forest, sometimes turning and sometimes going straight ahead, advancing without the slightest hesitation.

That decisive mobility made him look nothing like someone who had only just entered this forest. It was as though he had lived here for years, his steps utterly free of confusion or hesitation, remarkably firm.

Of course, that was not because Luo Zhen was actually familiar with this forest.

The battlefield for Simulated Battles was almost different every time.

This was meant to train Masters to organize battles effectively under all kinds of circumstances.

Naturally, because of that purpose, their opponents were different every time as well.

Sometimes, they were monsters.

Sometimes, they were humans.

Sometimes, they were even Servants.

"What will the opponent be this time?"

As he said that, Luo Zhen already knew the enemy's true identity.

But before that...

"So tired..."

Having walked for less than ten minutes, Luo Zhen simply lay down.

Archer stopped behind him and lowered his head, seeming to look at Luo Zhen, who was drenched in sweat.

That look seemed to be saying...

"'How could anyone be this useless'—you aren't thinking something like that, are you, Archer?"

Luo Zhen turned his head and glared at Archer.

"..."

Archer remained silent, not saying a word.

That was only natural.

The Servant before him did not possess something like will or consciousness at all.

In other words, it was merely Luo Zhen's inferiority complex acting up.

As if trying to justify himself, Luo Zhen began rambling on.

"I'm a Magus to begin with. A Magus should stand in the back line, throwing fireballs and casting buffs. How could I be like those crude idiots, rushing up to fight people head-on? So there's no need for especially good stamina, right?"

"..."

"What? You say I can train? That's the sort of thing only idiots would do! A dignified Magus training their body? Wouldn't that be a joke?"

"..."

"You say modern Magi are required to learn self-defense too? That's definitely just an illusion!"

"..."

"When it comes down to it, Magi in the Age of Gods were far purer. They definitely wouldn't do something as foolish as training their bodies. They were Magi, after all. Magi should be more mysterious, more elegant, more..."

"..."

"...Fine, I admit my stamina is terrible."

Realizing he was talking to a wall, and that the more he tried to explain himself, the more pathetic he sounded, Luo Zhen flopped face-first onto the ground, looking utterly devoid of hope.

Perhaps Luo Zhen's excessively outstanding magical talent had incurred heaven's jealousy. As the price, his physical fitness was abysmally poor.

When it came to running, even Mashu could beat Luo Zhen. Even his useless older brother Roman could completely crush him in terms of stamina, making Luo Zhen Chaldea's undisputed athletic idiot.

Now, that weakness was on full display.

Though it was only natural for stamina to drain faster while walking along uneven forest paths, the fact that he was exhausted enough to collapse after less than ten minutes showed just how poor Luo Zhen's stamina was.

"This is what they mean by 'nobody's perfect.' There's nothing I can do about it."

Luo Zhen comforted himself as though making excuses.

Besides...

"I've got as many Familiars for transportation as I need."

With that, Luo Zhen snapped his fingers.

Mana flowed within him, and a Magic Circle formed directly from a spell formula. Amid hazy mist-like light, a huge wolf sprang out from it.

"Awwooo!"

The Big Wolf let out a cry and rubbed against Luo Zhen's chest, looking affectionate.

"Good boy. Come on, let me ride on your back."

Luo Zhen climbed directly onto the wolf's back, completely ignoring the fact that wolves had weak waists.

"Woof!"

The Big Wolf immediately let out a cry like a loyal dog's. It actually continued forward under Luo Zhen's command.

Archer silently followed once more.

Not long afterward, the two humans and one wolf arrived beneath a tree.

It was a tree clearly much larger than those around it, standing several times taller.

"This is the place."

Luo Zhen closed his eyes briefly. As though he had received some message, he confirmed that this was the place he had been looking for and climbed down from the wolf's back.

Gazing at the enormous tree before him, Luo Zhen began issuing orders.

"Archer, take me up."

Having received the instruction, Archer stepped forward, picked up Luo Zhen, and leaped. Displaying astonishing jumping power, he stepped from branch to branch and shot all the way to the top of the tree.

After landing atop the tree, Luo Zhen nodded, having formed an estimate in his mind.

"Archer should be a High-Level Familiar, right?"

As a Magus proficient in summoning, Luo Zhen had classified Familiars by their abilities in order to better judge the capabilities of those under his command.

Low-Level Familiar: Individuals without any special abilities. Ordinary beasts, ferocious animals, and insect beasts all fell into this category. The wolf Luo Zhen had just summoned was one of them.

Mid-Level Familiar: Beings with certain special abilities. Those capable of magecraft, monsters that had broken free of ordinary biological systems, and lifeforms possessing strength beyond that of humans all belonged to this category.

High-Level Familiar: Beings that even excellent Magi could not contend against. Rumored demonfolk, powerful oni and monsters, and even Servants all fell into this category.

Top-Level Familiar: At this level, they could crush an army or conquer a city on their own. Even among Servants, only first-rate beings could rank at this level. They were extremely terrifying.

Luo Zhen used these four levels to distinguish an individual's capabilities, making them easier for him to judge and consider.

Of course, this was only a basic classification.

Low-Level, Mid-Level, and High-Level Familiars aside, once one reached Top-Level, there was only a lower limit and no upper limit.

Being able to crush one army was Top-Level. Being able to crush ten, a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand armies was also Top-Level. The gap between them was enormous.

For that reason, Luo Zhen further divided Top-Level Familiars as well.

Those capable of crushing an army alone were Tactical Class.

Those capable of conquering a nation alone were Strategic Class.

As for anything beyond Strategic Class, Luo Zhen could not yet imagine such a realm.

Therefore, this level of distinction was enough for now.

"Archer is already a High-Level Familiar. If Archer could be summoned as a normal Servant, he would probably be a Top-Level Familiar. I wonder whether he'd be Tactical Class or Strategic Class."

As Luo Zhen made that estimate inwardly, he also sighed.

"No matter how gifted a Magus is, they really can't compare to Chaldea's system."

At present, Luo Zhen could only summon Mid-Level Familiars. He was still unable to summon High-Level Familiars.

No matter how talented he was, Luo Zhen had only studied magecraft for three years. Being able to summon Mid-Level Familiars was already astonishing.

But before High-Level Familiars, Mid-Level Familiars were probably nothing more than cannon fodder.

"If I could casually summon High-Level Familiars, or even Top-Level Familiars, then I'd be incredible."

While indulging in fantasies, Luo Zhen sat down and closed his eyes again.

Mana surged from his body.

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