Chapter 308
At the mention of a [mock battle], the second-years began murmuring in excitement.
“A large-scale dormitory war?”
“So that means the entire dorm participates in the battle?”
It was, literally, a massive clash involving the entire second-year class.
“Quiet.”
At that single, curt word, the chatter died instantly, and every student focused on Professor Harrid.
“This practical exam will evaluate your capabilities in large-scale combat against other human forces.”
His cold gaze swept over the gathered students.
“In your first year, your training focused on one-on-one duels or battles against monsters, demonic beasts, and demons.”
The students nodded.
“From the second year onward, you must learn about warfare against groups of humans—or other intelligent races.”
The statement puzzled most of them.
Chelsea Lewellin raised her hand.
“What is it, Chelsea Lewellin?”
“Why differentiate? Isn’t it all combat either way?”
Harrid scanned the faces of the students.
Most seemed to agree with Chelsea’s question.
“Anyone want to answer Chelsea’s question?”
A few hands went up.
“Emio Luchan. You answer.”
Emio, who had raised his hand first, straightened his back.
“In large-scale warfare, the tactics and strategies are completely different. Unlike monsters or demons, who act with simple instincts, human armies—or those of other races—operate in units with advanced coordination. If you mistake them for mindless monsters, you’ll fall prey to traps and strategy.”
Harrid nodded approvingly.
“Excellent. Five points added to your presentation grade.”
“Thank you, Professor.”
Emio bowed slightly, then shot Chelsea a smug grin.
Chelsea stuck her tongue out in annoyance.
Coming from a military family, Emio had received military training from a young age, so he understood the stark difference between fighting beasts and fighting people.
“Anyone else wish to add something?”
The students exchanged uncertain glances.
Then Chen Xia raised her hand.
“Chen Xia, answer.”
“No matter the reason, the key difference is this: in real combat, you’ll have to take many human lives.”
Her face was utterly emotionless.
The students around her flinched.
Even as hero candidates, they were still only teenagers—far too young to fully grasp the weight of taking a life.
A dry swallow echoed among them.
“Five points,” Harrid said calmly.
Chen Xia lowered her hand without a word.
“The greatest enemy of heroes has always been Tartarus,” Harrid continued.
“That’s an unchanging truth.”
His sharp gaze swept across the class.
“But someday, because of circumstances or allegiance, you might find yourselves facing each other on the battlefield.”
Though they all studied together under Lumene’s banner, each student belonged to a different nation or faction.
This academy gathered the brightest talents from across the world—many of whose countries stood as rivals or even enemies.
A heavy silence fell over the class.
“However, keep this in mind,” Harrid said, taking a deep breath.
“This mock battle isn’t meant to simulate a war between nations. It’s preparation for a future confrontation against the [Hero Hunters]. Never forget that.”
“Yes, sir!”
The students’ unified voices rang out. Harrid nodded.
“Now then, let’s go over the rules for the exam.”
He snapped his fingers.
A shimmering projection appeared in midair.
“This exam’s battlefield will be [Lumeria Lake].”
The students’ eyes lit up at the familiar scenery displayed before them.
“Each dormitory will be given a base of operations.”
He snapped his fingers again—three floating islands appeared over the lake.
“Whoa! That’s intense!”
“They’re giving us actual bases for this mock war?”
The students erupted in excited chatter.
“This looks fun!” Carr Thomas exclaimed.
Harrid’s frosty gaze turned toward him.
“Carr Thomas.”
“Y-Yes, sir?”
“Chelsea Lewellin.”
“Uh, yes?”
“Both of you. Step forward.”
Carr’s heart dropped, but seeing Chelsea also being called up gave him some relief.
Harrid handed Carr a bracelet.
“This is a magical artifact that will protect your body. Put it on.” (T/N: Ah yes. The typical protective bracelet trope all academy novels has lol.)
Carr did so without hesitation, and the bracelet glowed green.
“Oooh?”
As he marveled, Harrid spoke again.
“Chelsea Lewellin.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Attack Carr Thomas with magic.”
“[Wind Storm].”
KWA-GAGAGAGAGANG!
“GRAAAAHHH?!”
Without a shred of hesitation, Chelsea unleashed her signature high-speed chant.
Carr was blown across the field and slammed into the ground, twitching.
Everyone winced sympathetically.
A few moments later—
“W-Wait! Was that really necessary?!”
“It was the professor’s order.”
“You could’ve used something weaker like [Magic Arrow]!”
“It’s an experiment. Strong spells make better data. You’re not hurt anyway, right?”
“I am hurt! I’m just not injured!”
Chelsea smiled sweetly.
Harrid pointed at Carr’s wrist.
“Everyone, look at his bracelet. See the red glow?”
The green light that once covered the whole band was now dimmed, except for the upper edge glowing red.
“The red color indicates a critical state. This artifact serves both as a protective device and a [Life Indicator]. When the light completely goes out, you’re considered ‘dead.’ You won’t be injured, but you’ll still feel pain.”
The class nodded solemnly.
“Does the exam end when all life points are gone?” Chloe Mueller asked.
Harrid shook his head.
“No. When your life is depleted, you’ll respawn at your base after five minutes. Then you can rejoin the battle.”
A collective gasp of awe spread through the crowd.
“However,” he continued, “the opposing team gains five points for every enemy defeated.”
The students murmured excitedly.
“Additionally, you can establish forward bases with [Warp Gates] for faster reinforcements. Destroying an enemy’s forward base grants twenty points.”
“Can we capture the enemy’s main base?” Celia Zerdinger asked.
“Yes,” Harrid replied.
“Capturing and occupying an enemy base earns three hundred points. Once your base is lost, your team can no longer respawn. Total annihilation means defeat. Of course, you can reclaim a lost base.”
Tension filled the air.
“So the team with the most points at the end wins,” Abad Lewellin summarized.
“Correct.”
The class buzzed with excitement.
“Awesome!”
“This is going to be fun!”
“We’ll be able to use all kinds of strategies!”
Harrid raised his voice over the commotion.
“There’s one more victory condition besides points.”
The students immediately fell silent.
“If your dormitory’s [King] is defeated, your entire dorm is eliminated.”
Their eyes widened.
“The King cannot respawn.”
—
Glory Dormitory – Lounge
“Everyone, gather up!”
“Is anyone missing?”
Every Glory dorm student assembled in the common room.
At one side, Chloe sat quietly, reading a thick book.
“What’re you reading?” asked Rhetdam, a male student from the Summoning Department.
“A book on tactical theory,” Chloe replied with a calm smile.
Then Leo Plov spoke up.
“Let’s begin our strategy meeting.”
Chloe closed her book.
“Before that,” Leo continued, “we need to choose our strategist.”
“I volunteer! I’ll do it!” Eliana raised her hand enthusiastically.
But protests immediately erupted.
“Yeah, right! Your only strategy is ‘charge!’”
“You’re a reckless brawler even in duels. You’d get us all killed!”
Arms crossed, Eliana huffed.
“Hmph! Have you forgotten I’m from the Laden family? We’re a lineage of war heroes! Our family motto is literally about war!”
“What’s the motto?” Rhetdam asked skeptically.
“‘Overwhelming Power, Swift Annihilation!’”
“So you mean annihilating our own allies too, huh.”
Cold silence followed.
“I vote for Chloe as strategist.”
“Yeah! Chloe’s great with tactics and planning!”
“She’s a chess master too!”
Chloe nodded.
“Alright. I’ll do it.”
“Then I’ll be the vice strategist!”
“Rejected.”
“Whaaat?! They’re ignoring me again!” Eliana whined to Leo.
Chloe ignored them and continued.
“Before we plan strategy, we need to choose our [King].”
Everyone’s expressions grew tense.
“Any volunteers?”
No one moved. Even Eliana, normally quick to jump in, stayed quiet this time.
The King was the single most critical role in this exam.
No matter how many points they earned or how many bases they captured, if their King died, they lost.
It made sense to pick someone strong—
but choosing their strongest fighter as King meant weakening their offense.
It was a difficult trade-off.
“Tricky, huh,” murmured a student.
“Yeah. We need someone strong enough not to die—but not someone so crucial we can’t risk losing them.”
“Even defending the base is risky. If things go south, they’ll have to retreat.”
As everyone hesitated, Chloe spoke.
“If no one volunteers, I have someone to recommend.”
All eyes turned to her.
“I think Leo should be our King.”
The room fell silent.
“Isn’t that a waste? He’s our strongest member!” Rhetdam protested, and others nodded.
But Chloe shook her head.
“The other dorms won’t know who our King is.”
Indeed, the King’s identity would remain secret from the opposing teams.
A faint smile curved her lips.
“So we use that to our advantage.”
“What do you mean?”
“Leo is our strongest asset. No one will expect him to be the King—they’ll assume someone else holds that role.”
Leo rubbed his chin.
“You’re suggesting I become King and intercept the enemy head-on.”
“Exactly.” Chloe nodded.
“Most opponents will avoid you altogether—they won’t risk giving you points.”
“By making Leo our King and placing him at the front, we’ll actually make the battlefield safer,” Chen Xia observed in admiration.
“Of course, there are still variables,” Chloe added, eyes glinting.
“Warden Thaiden, Duran Moira, and Eliza Hergin will definitely target Leo.”
“But with your strength,” she continued, “you can hold them off. And those three will never cooperate with each other—their pride won’t allow it.”
“As for Celia, Abad, and Chelsea—they’ll avoid unnecessary conflict for practical reasons.”
In essence, the plan was to hide their most crucial piece in plain sight—the strongest player on the most dangerous field.
“Still, isn’t that too risky?” Eliana asked worriedly.
Chloe nodded.
“It is. But…”
She smiled at Leo.
“The moment they decide ‘there’s no way they’d make the strongest their King,’ the battle tilts heavily in our favor.”
The Glory dorm students stared at her.
Her sly grin made her look like a cunning witch out of a fairy tale.
“So,” she asked softly, “what will you do?”