〈 Chapter 74: Mock Battle (1) 〉

*

The tactics class was broadly divided into two: theory lessons and practical lessons.

Of course, it would be better to learn theory while engaging in practical lessons simultaneously, but the resources of the ‘lake’, where practical lessons could take place, were limited.

Because of this, practical lessons could only be held once a day for one group.

Two days after taking the tactics theory class with the students from Swordsmanship Class 2, our group finally had our practical lesson scheduled.

Eight from the Swordsmanship Class, two from the Spear Class, two from the Archery Class, and four from the Magic Department.

Our group consisted of 16 members, split into Team A and Team B of eight each.

This was all for the mock battle that would take place during the first practical lesson.

‘Team vs. Team Mock Battle.’

That was the assessment method for the first semester.

The method was simple. Eight teams, each composed of eight members, would compete in a league format.

The wins, losses, and individual performances during this process would determine the personal rankings used for evaluations in the second semester.

Of course, those rankings didn’t necessarily represent strength as a hero.

After all, they were based solely on interpersonal combat.

For heroes, who primarily fought chaos beasts, interpersonal combat was secondary.

Even so, conducting evaluations for the first semester through interpersonal combat aimed to encourage growth among the students through competition.

‘That said, interpersonal tactics are quite important.’

No matter how much the primary enemy of the hero is chaos beasts, not all foes fall into that category.

First of all, demon kings are essentially sentient humanoid enemies, and there may be occasions where heroes would end up fighting alongside them.

At the very least, being familiar with the tactics they would employ would certainly be beneficial.

I turned my head to glance at the members of my B team.

Wilhelm, who was naturally from the Archery Class, ended up in the other Team A, and Yusera, a familiar figure from Swordsmanship Class 2, was also placed in Team A.

As a result, the remaining members of Team B were mostly individuals whose names I had only heard or knew nothing about.

‘Well, I can take my time to assess them.’

Anyway, for a while, only mock battles would be taking place, not evaluations.

In particular, today’s mock battle would continue in a team death game format without special rules until the last candidate died.

That method was quite advantageous for assessing individual capabilities.

‘Moreover, since the archer occupies the rear position, it should be easier.’

That was the advantage of the archer role.

They could view the entire battlefield from the back and survey the situation.

Therefore, even if the leader was the strongest hero, it wasn’t uncommon for archer parties to hold the command in battles.

‘The problem is, I’m not in a position to lead yet.’

Currently, I knew nothing about my teammates.

Furthermore, they knew nothing about me, so there was no reason for them to follow my command.

Thus, this mock battle would likely turn into chaos, with everyone just hitting and fighting randomly.

‘I’ll have to observe that from the shadows as much as possible.’

Of course, I would step in to help when necessary.

However, since it was just a mock battle, I had no intention of getting deeply involved.

The location for the mock battle was a forest artificially created inside the ‘lake’.

The barrier separating Team A and Team B divided this forest.

During the waiting time with the barrier in place, I moved along the edge of the forest as far as possible.

Then, with the sound of a trumpet ringing out from somewhere, the mock battle began.

‘Wind’s Power.’

Using Wind’s Power, I jumped onto a sturdy-looking tree branch.

I gracefully moved between branches, climbing higher.

However, I didn’t reach the very top. The mid-height with a decent amount of leaves was better for hiding.

‘At this height, I should have a clear view of the situation.’

I could see the entire forest where the mock battle was taking place.

Of course, there were still blind spots, but I had to accept that.

‘By the way…’

As the barrier disappeared, battles erupted in the center of the forest.

It seemed that there were at least a couple of hot-headed individuals on both teams.

I focused my eyes, and I could see some of the students fighting from quite a distance.

Now that I think about it, Allen…no, my eyesight is surprisingly good.

It was something I had noticed before, but my ears were also pretty sharp.

Perhaps I had sacrificed aspects like strength, stamina, and talent, but my senses were rather acute.

‘Yeah, we need to win that one.’

In the first fight, Team B achieved victory.

It was an obvious victory. Four from the Swordsmanship Class of Team B all moved out, while only one from Team A advanced.

Those who won began pushing forward.

However…

‘Their targeting is off.’

According to proper tactical methods, it would be correct to locate the opponent’s magician first.

Magicians could potentially wipe out entire armies single-handedly, depending on how they were utilized.

Yet, the four from Team B’s Swordsmanship Class were huddled together, just charging forward.

‘At this rate…’

For a 4v1, it wasn’t particularly fast either.

They hadn’t even assessed the opponent yet, and since teamwork was nearly nonexistent, engagements with enemies were dragging on.

By the time they spotted the opposing magician, it would probably be when the magician had already finished their necessary casting.

In contrast, Team A’s situation was different.

Aside from the two unfortunate souls who faced Team B’s sword fighters, the remaining spear fighter and the two sword fighters scattered and entered Team B’s field.

I inspected our two magicians.

One from the battle magic department and one from the support magic department.

Fortunately, those two were situated together, which was a basic tactic they seemed to have learned.

And when the four from the Swordsmanship Class of Team B moved out, the spear fighter stayed behind to provide support for the magicians.

‘With that, even if they get discovered, we should be able to buy some time.’

It was a force they couldn’t win against alone.

I would have to call in the other teammates.

In that case, I could at least buy some time.

‘As long as it’s just one of them.’

My gaze lingered on a girl advancing through the forest.

She was constantly surveying her surroundings as she moved forward.

And in her intended direction were our team’s magicians.

‘Not good.’

Of course, Yusera currently had a significant flaw.

The fact that she still hadn’t stepped outside the basic build yet.

Why is that a deficiency, you ask? To explain that, you must first understand this.

‘Basic Build’ and ‘Standard Build’ are different.

The Standard Build is synonymous with the so-called ‘meta build’ that has been universally acknowledged as good through user research.

But the Basic Build was different.

What if she hadn’t had the Divine Seat attached? What would have become of Gwen or Elsie?

If Gwen didn’t have the Divine Seat, she might be able to find the relic faster. The goal of Gwen’s Divine Seat is to delay the acquisition of her relic as much as possible.

In Elsie’s case, she would probably be living in a state akin to being a prisoner in the Leim Kingdom.

That was the Basic Build.

It refers to the build a character walks through when the Divine Seat is not involved.

And unfortunately for Yusera, learning swordsmanship was set as her Basic Build.

‘That doesn’t mean Yusera currently lacks a Divine Seat.’

There are times when players exist who wish to see the outcome with a Basic Build.

Even if it appears like a Basic Build, it might actually be a perverted build.

…No, leaving that aside, Yusera initially couldn’t survive with a Basic Build.

Of course, it wasn’t as abysmal as the chances of escape from Elsie’s route from the kingdom.

With just a little help from the Divine Seat, Yusera had the potential to survive. After that, with the help of the Apostle, she wouldn’t walk a flower path, but at least she would be on a paved road.

However, Yusera without a Divine Seat was fundamentally destined to die.

‘The fact that Yusera is here means…’

It means there is a Divine Seat involved.

But for some reason, the Divine Seat was nurturing Yusera as a Basic Build.

Why, you ask?

‘How would I know?’

Be it quirky behavior, neglect, or something else entirely.

Whatever it may be, it wasn’t something I needed to concern myself with.

Unlike Elsie, who was in a death-at-the-moment situation, Yusera seemed to be on a paved road now that she had entered the Hero Academy.

‘The Divine Seat should take care of things.’

The important thing is that even as a character with a Basic Build, Yusera was strong enough in the mock battle environment where relics could be used disposable without restraint.

If she were to confront the Spearman, the outcome would already be almost decided.

‘I need to keep her in check.’

At this distance, my arrows wouldn’t reach.

Even if they did, the accuracy would drop significantly.

I wrapped my feet in Wind’s Power again and began to close the distance.

After diligently moving between branches, I was able to reach the range before Yusera discovered the magicians.

I repositioned myself in a shaded high point.

As much as I wanted to use the optical modulation skill to hide myself, with my meager mana at F regardless of skill proficiency, it was impossible.

‘Still, it should be hard to spot from afar.’

I confirmed that there were no other students from Team A nearby.

In that case, no one could check me here.

If Yusera was drawn to me, it would be a rather fortunate outcome.

Just as I pulled the bowstring back…

I caught a glimpse of something glimmering in the corner of my vision.

And fortunately, something faster than my hands and feet existed.

‘Wind’s Power.’

I deflected the incoming arrow using Wind’s Power.

Barely escaping immediate danger, I turned my head towards the direction the arrow had come from.

It was towards Team A’s formation.

From there, I saw another arrow rising again.

‘What the…’

That place looked at least twice as far as my range.

Naturally, my accuracy would be impossible to manage at that distance.

Wilhelm was pulling off such long-range shots as if it were nothing.

‘Is this what it means to be a playable character?’

I deflected another arrow that came flying at me using Wind’s Power.

The accuracy was even deadly; if it weren’t for Wind’s Power, it would’ve been right on target for my head.

‘What should I do?’

No matter how versatile Wind’s Power seems, it has its limits.

At my current skill level, helping with aiming while also deflecting incoming arrows was impossible.

If I had to choose one…

*

Confirming his own arrow in flight, Wilhelm couldn’t believe his eyes.

“What the…?”

Due to the support magic called Magic Shield, attacking the magician side was pointless as they were immune to ranged attacks.

Therefore, he decided to check the enemy archer.

The archer’s marksmanship had seemed rather clumsy during the first class, but since they had made it through this year’s particularly fierce entrance exam, he thought they might be hiding something.

And that judgment was accurate.

The opponent had dodged his arrow using an unknown ability.

Yet, something felt off.

To confirm, he shot another arrow.

“What the…!”

He witnessed the opponent bending his arrow without even moving their body.

“Was it Sung Yoo-rang?”

For some reason, he sensed an unknown strength emanating from the opponent, who still seemed relaxed.

He pulled back his bowstring once more.

“Let’s see how this goes.”

*