In the real world, a powerhouse who has followed a normal growth trajectory typically possesses combat techniques and battle awareness proportional to their raw power.

  That was why Gu Pingchuan and the others hadn't taken the opponents' strength seriously, opting directly for eight opponents.

  In their view, no matter how strong the combat techniques in this arena were, the enemies were merely virtual consciousnesses created by alchemy. How could they possibly be stronger than three seasoned masters?

  At worst, it would just be the three of them carrying the fight against eight people.

  "Instructor Zhong, do Dean Meng and Dean Wu always talk like this?" Ying Feng couldn't help but whisper to Zhong Lingyun.

  "Pretty much. But they don't mean any harm by it," Zhong Lingyun nodded.

  Tiger Hunt didn't want to talk anymore. He silently selected a greataxe as his weapon.

  The moment the weapons were chosen, everyone’s stats in the room were adjusted to the same baseline.

  "Although I knew beforehand that Online Mode adjusts attributes, I didn't expect this arena to actually achieve it perfectly," Gu Pingchuan exclaimed, feeling his Hero Rank stats being forcibly suppressed.

  The shocked expressions on the others' faces mirrored his internal astonishment.

  Adjusting a fighter's strength was possible in Brilliant Academy's dueling rings, but that was done by suppressing Battle Qi and Mana to create a relative balance. It wasn't a true attribute adjustment. Furthermore, that method only worked on the Professional and Brave tiers. Suppressing a Grandmaster or a Hero was impossible.

  Yet, this crystal ball had achieved true attribute suppression. Even a Hero Rank expert like Gu Pingchuan had been brought down to the level of a common combatant.

  It seemed that breaking the iron laws of the world was a common occurrence in this little shop.

  "In that case, the opponents' combat techniques should be worth looking forward to."

  Gu Pingchuan smiled at the thought, then looked at his team. "Is everyone ready?"

  [Environment Simulation: Grassland.]

  [Number of Opponents: Eight.]

  [Battle Start!]

  "Finally!" Meng Xiangyu raised his shield, his sword arm held low behind his back, and charged forward to take the lead. He couldn't wait to test the strength of these opponents.

  "Don't—!"

  Tiger Hunt’s warning was cut short.

  The enemy Battle Mage had already charged at Meng Xiangyu.

  The Grand Mage’s binding trap and the Archer’s support fire followed instantly. The attack chain was flawless, leaving almost no gaps for reaction.

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  The Assassin vanished from the grassland the moment the battle began.

  "Leave the Lancer to me!" Ling Xiao got excited, wanting to show off in front of Dean Gu.

  "Perfect. They have a Knight too; I'll take him!" Ying Feng followed the charge.

  "Forget it." Tiger Hunt let out a helpless sigh and rushed forward to intercept the enemy as well.

  The remaining four on the player team were all Mages.

  On the opposing side, the frontline consisted of a Lancer, a Berserker, and a Battle Mage. A Swordsman and an Assassin flanked the formation, ready to secure kills or dive the backline. A Guardian Knight stayed back to protect the Archer and Grand Mage, who provided artillery support.

  In terms of team composition, Gu Pingchuan’s group was already miles behind.

  In terms of coordination, the eight AI opponents seemed to share a hive mind. They knew exactly what their teammates were thinking. Their synergy was seamless.

  In contrast, while Gu Pingchuan, Meng Xiangyu, and Wu Zuozhou had years of friendship and decent coordination, the remaining five...

  They were basically harvested by the Swordsman and Assassin like wheat.

  Only then did they realize how correct Tiger Hunt’s scream of "Choose three!" had been.

  These AI opponents were monsters when it came to technique. And their teamwork? It was godlike.

  As the only Hero Rank Mage, Gu Pingchuan possessed the strongest combat techniques among the players. But when facing the AI Grand Mage, he was shocked to find that in a contest of pure skill, he was losing.

  The ingenious spell combos, the impeccable rhythm, the adaptability to any situation... It all left Gu Pingchuan in awe. He had to admit that "combat talent" was a very real thing.

  Unsurprisingly, they were wiped out in less than two minutes.

  And that was only because the three Deans had superior instincts, allowing them to last that long. As for Ying Feng and the others, they had been beaten senseless. Even as they died, they didn't know where the Assassin had come from.

  "I told you to start with three people. It wasn't that I didn't trust you guys," Tiger Hunt said in the lobby, laughing and crying at the same time.

  Meng Xiangyu and Wu Zuozhou stared at their noses, silent as statues. Thinking back to how they had mocked the veteran player earlier, they realized how ignorant they had been.

  "Then this time, let's try three opponents," Gu Pingchuan said, accepting Tiger Hunt's advice.

  Kael, witnessing the entire process from behind, nodded. He now had a rough understanding of their skill levels. His judgment, honed through countless deaths, was rarely wrong.

  In a 1v1 duel, the three Deans would have high odds of winning. They were established powerhouses with unique understandings of combat.

  But in a squad battle? Kael could only say: It depends on RNG (Luck).

  Expecting a ragtag group to out-coordinate the AI hive mind was unrealistic. Their only hope lay in the randomized enemy lineup.

  If they choose three opponents, as long as they don't roll a Full Dive Comp that includes a Battle Mage, they should be able to fight, Kael analyzed objectively in his mind.

  Saying it out loud would be rude.

  Then, the crystal ball displayed the new match settings.

  [Environment Simulation: Forest.]

  [Random Opponent Selection: Battle Mage, Swordsman, Assassin.]

  Seeing this, Kael turned around and walked away immediately.

  He really had a jinxed mouth; whatever bad luck he thought of immediately came true.

  "The opponents this time... seem a bit strange," Ying Feng said, feeling a chill run down his spine.

  "It's over again. Wait for the next round," Tiger Hunt groaned, nearly despairing the moment he saw the enemy classes.

  Having played so many matches with Kael and listened to his commentary, Tiger Hunt knew the characteristics of enemy lineups.

  Battle Mage, Swordsman, Assassin.

  This was a "Full Dive" (Rush Down) composition.

  Without knockback skills or heavy crowd control to peel for them, the four Mages on their team wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure.

  And the Boss, who had been watching from behind, had suddenly left at this exact moment...

  "Don't be so pessimistic. Just protect yourselves; there are only three opponents this time. Leave them to us," Meng Xiangyu said, patting his chest and vowing confidently.