The previously pitch-black screen suddenly flickered to life, instantly drawing the attention of most of the customers. These were the people who had just suffered crushing defeats in the Arena and were currently resting to soothe their bruised egos.

  "Wait, that scene looks familiar..."

  "Familiar? That’s literally the Arena stage!"

  "Why did a stage suddenly appear? Wait, there’s someone on it."

  "That’s the Manager!"

  The figure standing on the digital stage was unmistakable. Seeing that face on the screen caused the resting crowd to burst into exclamations of surprise. These shouts quickly alerted the others who were still fighting, prompting them to pull their heads out of their crystal balls.

  "What is the Boss planning to do?"

  "So that new thing on the wall was meant for this?"

  Kael glanced at the screen to confirm everything was working, then cleared his throat.

  "Ahem."

  "In a moment, I will be providing a demonstration and commentary on how to defeat the Archer class," Kael said, testing the audio feed before continuing.

  The crowd below the screen grew excited. When they had challenged the eight classes, they had all naively assumed that an Archer’s combat effectiveness would be weak in the confined space of a small arena. They had been quickly and brutally "educated" by the AI. They now knew that in this Arena, no class was truly weak.

  "Does the Manager have some kind of prejudice against Archers?" Lan Qin’er muttered, sitting on the sofa and munching on her Bacon Sandwich.

  As an Archer herself, Lan Qin’er hadn't tried the Single Player mode; she usually played as long-range fire support in Multiplayer. Hearing Kael talk about how to "beat" Archers on a stage made her feel a little slighted. Isn't this just bullying? How is an Archer supposed to fight a melee class head-on?

  Kael didn't care about their feelings. After testing his voice, he officially began the lesson. To finish the system mission, he was going all out.

  "To deal with an Archer, the best class is an Assassin," Kael explained. "However, since Assassin is a niche class, I’ve chosen a Longsword for this demo. Of course, the logic remains the same for a saber, sword-and-shield, or a knight’s sword."

  Kael controlled his character and summoned a longsword. Below the stage, the AI Archer leaped onto the platform. Hearing the battle prompt, Kael didn't rush to attack. This was a live tutorial, so he had to avoid high-level mechanics. Otherwise, he could have just used a Short-range Blink to end the match in a second.

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  But Kael knew Blink; the others didn't.

  "Remember, an Archer's attack rhythm isn't particularly aggressive. Just focus on dodging," Kael said calmly. "This is the first hurdle when facing an Archer. As long as you don't panic, they generally won't pose much of a threat."

  As he spoke, he casually flicked his wrist, parrying a flying arrow mid-air. An Archer’s terror lies in surprise attacks; against someone truly prepared, their standard shots aren't that difficult to evade.

  However, talk was cheap.

  The people in the shop stared at the screen, watching the absolute storm of arrows filling the sky, and fell into a collective, stunned silence.

  Generally won't pose much of a threat... huh?

  The customers had a very specific, very foul-mouthed retort in their hearts. But because of the shop's "mute" setting on aggressive language, they couldn't voice it.

  Advanced Martial Technique: Volley of Ten Thousand Arrows.

  This was a high-level Archer skill. Most Archers in the real world didn't even know it—not because it was hard to learn, but because there was nowhere to learn it. Advanced techniques and high-level magic weren't common goods; without a family inheritance, a hidden sect, or access to an Academy’s secret library, one would never even see them.

  Kael’s comment—"generally not a threat"—was becoming incredibly awkward for the audience. Even Lan Qin’er stopped chewing her sandwich.

  Does the Manager think every Archer is supposed to fight like this?

  This combat style of spamming high-level skills like they were basic attacks was something she could only dream of.

  As the crowd watched Kael casually deflect a literal cloud of arrows, he moved on to the next step.

  "Once you've cleared the first hurdle, you need to find a way to close the distance. While attacking, an Archer’s movement speed is quite slow. Or rather, Agility-based classes are naturally at a disadvantage on a small stage."

  These two sentences triggered another wave of bewildered protests in the shop.

  "An Agility class... not fast?!"

  "The Boss is truly the Boss. He can say things we can't even comprehend with a straight face."

  "Isn't 'Kiting' (moving while shooting) the basic skill of an Archer? Boss, did you think before you said that?"

  Facing the wall of skepticism from outside the screen, Kael didn't respond. He simply picked a direction, raised his sword, and suddenly lunged forward.

  Seeing Kael’s sudden advance, the AI Archer immediately dodged to the side. As the protesters had noted, kiting was a basic skill; once discovered, an Archer had to maintain cover fire while retreating rapidly.

  However, to the shock of everyone watching, the path the Archer chose for its dodge fell exactly into Kael’s trajectory. It looked as if the Archer had deliberately slammed itself into Kael’s sword.

  Kael swung his blade in a sweeping arc, catching the AI mid-dash.

  "This is the second hurdle: Prediction. Anticipate where the Archer is likely to dodge and wait for them to run into you. With enough practice, this shouldn't be too difficult."

  Blood Wolf and the others were speechless.

  Technically, he was right. If you could cut off an Archer’s escape path like Kael just did, you didn't need to worry about chasing them. Against an Agility class, this was indeed the optimal choice.

  But in the heat of battle, everything changes in an instant. Predicting a master opponent's next move?

  "Shouldn't be too difficult"? Is that something a normal human says? Reading the enemy’s intent was one of the hardest skills in combat—an elite-level technique. In Kael’s mouth, it sounded like a minor chore.

  "Actually, getting close doesn't mean you've won. Archers aren't strong in melee, but they aren't just going to stand there and let you hit them either," Kael added.

  "Exactly! I’ve been screwed over by that before," someone shouted.

  "Boss, your closing speed is fast, but the result will probably be the same!"

  "Even if you're fast, if the Archer slips away again, it’s still a loss!"