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I recently completed the following challenge:

Use the HARDEST menu code, which strengthens enemies well beyond Hard mode.
Use the MOREFARM menu code, which increases the amount of EXP required to rank up.
Don't use any other menu codes.
Gain as little EXP as possible.

The idea behind using MOREFARM is to finish the game at a lower rank; since rank-ups require more EXP, you will get fewer of them for the same amount of EXP. I first did this challenge on Normal mode and found it trivial. Then I tried on Hard mode and, while it was somewhat more interesting, it was still pretty easy. So, I gave it a shot on Hardest mode. Going in, I didn't know whether it would be possible to finish. There were a few boss battles, especially the two forms of the final boss, that I feared might be too tough under these conditions. Ultimately, though, I beat them all, finishing the game at rank 7 with 107/130 EXP. It ended up being a very fun challenge. For more information, see my topic on GameFAQs:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/265304-/80946200

This video shows a few of the most difficult boss battles. If you're interested in taking this challenge, I recommend trying to find your own strategies before watching the video. Below are some notes and a timestamp for each battle. One trick I used throughout is to spy the enemy, then fail the battle and retry. This lets you start the battle with the enemy's spy data.

Heavy Drone B-33 (0:00):

This boss likes to summon helpers. If he summons one, I must kill it to finish the battle. This would provide extra EXP, which is not allowed. So, I need to kill the boss before he summons. Preparing for this battle was tricky because once you enter the Honey Factory, you can't leave until you finish the level. I didn't know what items I would want, so I brought in a wide variety. Ultimately, Spicy Fries, an item I had never used before, worked out quite nicely. It restores 4 HP and raises attack power for 2 rounds.

I forgot to show my medal setup after the battle, but I think I was using the following:

Last Wind (Leif)
Break (Leif)
HP Plus x 2 (Vi)
HP Plus (Leif)

Primal Weevil (4:54):

This boss seems even fonder of summoning helpers than Heavy Drone is. To kill him quickly, I use a combination of Royal Decree, Last Wind, Berserker, and Fly Drop to dish out lots of damage.

Ultimax Tank (7:41):

While he's in the tank, Ultimax can summon helpers, but I don't need to kill them to win the fight; once I destroy the tank, any helpers disappear without giving EXP. Still, a helper will deal extra damage on top of what the tank does, so I want to get rid of the tank quickly. Once again, I use the powerful combination of Last Wind, Berserker, and Fly Drop.

Wasp King (13:28):

The We Owe Ya medal provides a very easy way to beat this battle. Equip the following medals:

Life Cast (Leif)
HP Core x 2 (Leif)
We Owe Ya
Helper Boost

Then simply use Bubble Shield Lite on Leif every round. This consumes 2 HP per round. The HP Cores restore 4 HP every 2 rounds, so Leif maintains his HP. While Leif hides in his Bubble Shield, Madeleine kills the boss.

I should note that the rules of the challenge prevent you from learning Leif's Icicle ability, since you must fight an optional battle in order to do so. This would give extra EXP, which is not allowed. Thus, the normal method of obtaining Life Cast cannot be used. However, I recently found a way to get it without Icicle:

   • Life Cast Without Icicle (Bug Fables)  

Everlasting King (17:54):

This was the hardest battle to find a strategy for, but once I found one, it was quite easy to execute. I initially tried the strategy I used against the Wasp King, but it doesn't work. When the Everlasting King flies into the air, Madeleine is unable to hit him. The only other helper available in this challenge is Zasp. He can hit the king, but even with Helper Boost, he only deals 2 damage. He also knocks the king onto the ground, which will cause him to recover 3 HP. If the king recovers 3 HP every time I deal 2 damage, then I won't make progress.

The strategy I settled on is a variation of one I posted a few years ago:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/265304-/79985270

I use Bubble Shield every turn, making me invincible. However, because most of my actions are spent on defense, my damage output is severely limited. This causes the battle to be very long and boring. After the first few rounds (which were messy in this video because I was still figuring out the strategy), the battle is just the same thing over and over again, so I can't recommend watching the whole thing. Toward the end, I was tempted to finish off the boss with a few Fly Drops to save some time, but I didn't want to risk messing up, so I just stuck to the script.