<335 - Preliminary Experience>
First-year students recently found themselves filled with worries.
“Isn’t the lecture getting way too difficult?”
“Right? The assignments are suddenly pouring down like crazy.”
“I can barely keep up with the progress…”
It was the fact that the lectures had become insanely tough!
In the first semester, if they set their minds to it, they could always carve out some leisure time somehow. Unlike the first semester, where they had free time scouring for food and wandering around, from the second week of the second semester, every class had generally become more challenging.
“Until now, we were just cute little freshmen that professors shrugged off, but since the first semester has passed, I guess they are finally showing their true colors.”
“How can one possibly fit eating, attending lectures, prepping for assignments, and working on group projects into 14 hours? This is a nightmare!”
“I want to go home. Back in my hometown, I could leisurely train for 5 hours a day, spend two to three hours helping out with territory management, and then play to my heart’s content!”
Dorothy cursed inwardly. Those dirty talent hogs.
They complain, but in reality, they still have plenty of time left.
‘A daily 14-hour grind is what commoners have to put in just to survive.’
How many commoners wake up at 6 AM when the sun rises and clock out at 9 PM when the moon rises?
The fact that there are so many students with enough talent to train for only 5 hours before enrolling in the academy sent chills down Dorothy’s spine.
If they continued to follow the curriculum mandated by the academy, it was likely that they would become superior talents compared to her, who had risen to the upper class.
“I should take the same class as Oknodie.”
Dorothy’s eyes were caught by a particularly intriguing class in Oknodie’s timetable.
━━━
Saturday, 9 AM – 1 PM.
Professor Weird’s [Wrath of Nature] lecture.
3 credits from the Magic Department.
━━━
It was Professor Weird’s new lecture, who had already made her life difficult with [Fundamentals and Understanding of Mana Usage] in the first semester.
“…You might want to rethink that.”
“Hestia?”
Upon hearing her mutter, Hestia suggested with a tired face that she reconsider her decision.
“Listen. You have no idea what kind of experience it’s like to take the same class as Oknodie…”
Hestia shared some stories that were enough to make Dorothy rethink her thoughts.
*
Hestia was frankly pleased that Oknodie had decided to pile on more lectures.
Thanks to that, Oknodie signed up for a lecture in the Knight Department, and it had given Hestia the chance to take the same lecture.
“Welcome to the battlefield, everyone.”
━━━
Wednesday, 2 PM – 6 PM.
3-credit elective lecture by Professor Raregrills in the Knight Department.
[Surviving as a Commander on the Battlefield].
━━━
“Hem hem.”
“Ah, Hestia! What brings you here?”
“Just felt like listening to it.”
“How interesting! You’ve never talked about switching to commander position. Did a mercenary leader route just open up?”
“Route?”
“Nevermind!”
Hestia’s heart raced at the thought that Oknodie’s nonsensical chatter may suggest she looked like a capable woman leading a mercenary band.
Unlike her goofy heart, Professor Raregrills did not allow chatter among students.
“━Focus!!!”
“Ugh.”
“Huh!”
“My ears…”
Zzzzziiiing!
The thunderous voice startled not only Hestia and Oknodie but all the other students as well.
“This lecture is prepared to enhance the survival ability of those who may be appointed as battlefield commanders among nobles from various countries or lead a small unit on the battlefield. Any distracting banter that disturbs concentration is strictly prohibited.”
The atmosphere between semesters was certainly different.
The professor’s stern personality, the seriousness of the lecture contents, and the obedient attitudes of the students—it all felt like elements that would have been hard to accept in the first semester.
‘If it were the first semester, there might have been students that would have gotten slapped for talking back to a noble’s heir about who they thought they were.’
Of course, now in the second semester, even the seniors would tread carefully in front of the professors, leaving no space for those crazy antics.
“Since there are students attending for the first time today, let’s do a quick review. Today’s wars are determined by the utilization of high-level forces. Therefore, the roles of large military forces are used for containment, baiting, and protection of high-level forces. Commanders help facilitate such operations.”
This was a fact that Hestia was familiar with.
Large-scale warfare is divided into extremes.
A cold war where both sides stockpile power, trying to bluff the location of high-level forces.
A chaotic scuffle where each side spills blood across the battlefield trying to hunt down the opponent’s high-level forces.
There are battlefields where not a drop of blood flows, but once it starts, it can result in total annihilation.
“For you commanders, the number one thing to keep in mind at all times is this: absolutely, no matter what happens, do not allow the enemy’s high-level forces to set foot in a battlefield dominated by your high-level forces. If they have stepped in, you must escape from the expected location.”
Did jealousy arise from the fact that Oknodie was the only one adding courses?
With many students protesting, the application deadline was extended, and a new student raised their hand.
“War is fought to win, but if you’re so scared that you just run away, won’t you lose even the wars you could have won and lose the ones you would have lost even more?”
“State your name first, questioner.”
“Forgive my rudeness. I am Jaidas from Class 981.”
Jaidas!
Hestia’s grip tightened on her arm.
He was a renowned knight from the Western Three Kingdoms famous for Seoguyeon.
Among the elite 981st class dubbed the ‘New 3 Strong,’ Jaidas was said to possess capabilities not too far from the Northern Grand Duchess Irene.
While both were mercenaries, the popularity difference between Hestia of the Berserker class and Jaidas of the Knight class was worlds apart.
For Hestia, who secretly had feelings of inadequacy towards Jaidas, this was an exciting opportunity.
A chance to take him down herself!
However, Jaidas glanced only at Oknodie, as if Hestia were nonexistent.
It was like he didn’t even acknowledge her.
Yet there were others looking at Jaidas with disdain, treating him like a neighborhood mutt.
“You’re talking nonsense like an ignorant freshman!”
“…!”
“Knights are followers of the gods. Do you not realize that the battlefields you’ve experienced were mere cozy playgrounds that were granted by the fear of God?”
Oknodie nodded along from the side.
“Real masters fight raw without faith!”
“At least the top student has their mindset straight.”
Jaidas trembled with anger.
“Just because the professor is strong does not make my achievements meaningless.”
“Do you feel uncomfortable that I, Raregrills, am evaluating you just because you have made a name for yourself in the Western Three Kingdoms? You clearly have no sense of your place!”
Professor Raregrills burst into a hearty laugh, his eyes shining ominously from under his helmet.
“Typically, real-world experiences come only during midterms and finals, but today, I’ll give you a special preview. All of you, pay attention. You will face trials on the day of the exam.”
With a gesture from Professor Raregrills, his armored teaching assistants set up giant mana boards with grim expressions.
On the massive central mana board appeared a three-dimensional tactical map.
Unit compositions of various sizes and symbols floated across the map.
“Is there anyone willing to compete with Jaidas?”
“I’ll volunteer!”
Hestia stepped up without hesitation.
“Um, I’ll join too!”
When Oknodie showed her interest, the professor nodded.
“I’ll explain the testing method for [Surviving as a Commander on the Battlefield]. From now on, you may input commands for your units on the tactical map.”
“Every turn, you can choose what actions to take with your units, and the exam ends if your commander is killed. The students who survive until the last turn or are the last to die will be the winners of the exam.”
“Additionally, the leadership of the blue army will be handled by my faithful assistant Grachio, while I will command the enemy forces.”
Jaidas looked at the tactical map with suspicion.
“If everyone’s locations are shared on the map, wouldn’t it just be a matter of running away to avoid the enemy?”
“The explanation of the rules is finished. Actions during individual turns will be manipulated via your respective mana boards, and only the results will be transmitted to the main mana board in the center.”
“How will the unit sizes and starting positions be determined?”
“Normally, before the exam starts, students would choose options like priority for location selection or unit expansion based on the points earned from the midterm assignments. However, since no points were earned in this exam, selections will be made based on first-semester rankings.”
Jaidas grimaced.
He sensed that the professor was out to get him.
If they picked units according to rankings, Oknodie and Hestia would select better units first, leaving him to start in the most unfavorable position.
━━━
Battlefield Briefing
An enemy invasion force has been spotted at the border.
The Border Defense Force must cooperate with the Knights and Vanguard to secure the fortress.
Units that hold out for 30 turns until reinforcements arrive will all receive survival bonuses.
━━━
Unit Selection List
Falcon Cavalry (300 Light Cavalry, 30 Archers), Frontline Risk Level 3
Regular Infantry Unit (1500 Spearmen, 1500 Shieldbearers), Frontline Risk Level 3
…
Border Defense Force (1400 Elite Guards), Frontline Risk Level 5
Peasant Draft Unit (2200 Peasant Soldiers), Frontline Risk Level 6
…
Otos Punishment Unit (1200 Prisoner Soldiers), Frontline Risk Level 8
Thunderbolt Celestial Divine Church Knight Order (10 Knights, 50 Squires), Frontline Risk Level 8
━━━
Jaidas quickly picked two choices.
‘The safest option is to cling to the castle walls for defense with the Border Defense Force and wreak havoc on the enemy with the Falcon Cavalry. These two are the ones.’
Even though other options might have more soldiers, they would end up as mere cannon fodder in the impending conflict or easily become targets in the main battle.
He had to identify the second-best options, as Oknodie and Hestia wouldn’t leave those two for him.
“Next. It’s Jaidas’ turn to choose his unit.”
As Jaidas surveyed the remaining units, he was struck with shock at an unexpected list.
“What? Did I make a manipulation error?”
The Falcon Cavalry had been chosen by Hestia.
But instead of the Border Defense Force, Oknodie select the most dangerous Punishment Unit.
“It’s a service! We gotta take care of the newbies!”
“…I don’t get what that means, but I can sense you’re looking down on me. I’ll show you both the consequences of my actions.”
Without hesitation, Jaidas picked the Border Defense Force.
Thus began the three students’ preliminary experience for the second-semester midterm exam.
