Ch.335335 – Preview Experience

# 335 – Pre-Experience

Recently, first-year students have been increasingly troubled.

“Haven’t the lectures become too difficult?”

“Yeah. And suddenly assignments are pouring down like crazy.”

“It’s overwhelming just trying to keep up with the pace…”

The lectures had become insanely difficult!

During the first semester, they could always create leisure time if they wanted to.

Unlike the first semester when they had time to check out clubs, wander around looking for food, and do whatever they wanted, from the second week of the second semester, all lectures generally became more difficult.

“Until now, they’ve been going easy on us because we were baby first-years, but now that the first semester is over, the professors are finally showing their true colors.”

“How can a person eat, attend lectures, do assignments, prepare lecture materials, and work on group projects in just 14 hours? This is a nightmare!”

“I want to go home. Back in my hometown, I could train leisurely for 5 hours a day, help with domain work for two or three hours, and spend the rest of the time doing whatever I wanted!”

Dorothy cursed inwardly.

Those dirty talented bastards.

They complained, but in reality, they had plenty of time to spare.

‘Even commoners have to consistently put in 14 hours a day just to make a living.’

How many commoners lived a life of waking up at dawn at 6 AM and returning home at 9 PM when the moon rises?

Rather, Dorothy found it chilling that so many students had enough talent to enter the academy after training for just 5 hours.

If they consistently followed the curriculum demanded by the academy, they seemed highly likely to become even more outstanding talents than herself, who had advanced to the upper class.

“I should take a class with Oknodie too.”

In Dorothy’s eyes, there was one lecture in Oknodie’s schedule that particularly caught her attention.

━━━

Saturday, 1st period, 9 AM-1 PM.

Professor Warerd’s <Wrath of Nature> lecture.

Magic Department elective, 3 credits.

━━━

It was a new lecture by Professor Warerd, whom she had already been indebted to in the first semester with <Basics and Understanding of Mana Usage>.

“…You’d better not.”

“Hestia?”

Hestia, who had overheard her muttering, advised her to reconsider with an extremely tired face.

“Listen to what happens when you take the same class as Oknodie…”

Hestia told her a story that was sufficient to change Dorothy’s mind.

* * *

Hestia was honestly happy that Oknodie had added many lectures.

Thanks to that, Oknodie had signed up for a Knight Department elective, giving her the opportunity to take the same class.

“Gentlemen. Welcome to the battlefield.”

━━━

Wednesday, 3rd period, 2 PM-6 PM.

Knight Department Professor Raregrills’ 3-credit elective.

<Surviving as a Commander on the Battlefield>.

━━━

“Hmm hmm.”

“Ah, Hestia! What brings you here?”

“Just. Somehow I wanted to take this.”

“That’s interesting. Hestia doesn’t usually become a commander. Has a new mercenary captain route opened up?”

“Route?”

“Nothing!”

Oknodie’s strange comment made Hestia’s heart flutter, wondering if it meant she was a dignified and reliable woman who could lead a mercenary group.

Unlike her silly thoughts, Professor Raregrills did not allow students’ idle chatter.

“━FOCUS!!!”

“Ugh.”

“Gah.”

“My, my ears…”

Ziiing.

The professor’s voice was so loud it caused ringing in their ears, startling not only Hestia and Oknodie but other students as well.

“This lecture has been prepared to increase the survival rate of you who will be appointed as battlefield commanders by nobles in numerous countries or as commanders of small units participating in battle. Carelessly joking around and disrupting concentration is prohibited.”

The atmosphere of the second semester was definitely different from the first.

The professor’s strict personality, the seriousness of the lecture content, and the students’ compliant attitudes.

All these were elements that would not have been easily accepted in the first semester.

‘If it were the first semester, there would have been students who would have talked back, saying “Who do you think you are to raise your voice at a noble heir?” and gotten beaten up.’

Of course, even now in the second semester, no student would commit such a crazy act at the academy where even their far senior students behaved properly in front of professors.

“Since there are students attending this lecture for the first time today, let’s do a brief review. Today’s wars are decided by the operation of high-tier forces. Therefore, the role of large-scale forces is to blockade, lure, or protect high-tier forces. Commanders help with these operations.”

This was something Hestia already knew.

Large-scale wars are divided into extremes.

Cold wars where both sides accumulate forces and try to deceive each other about the location of their high-tier forces.

Chaotic battles where they try to find and kill the opponent’s high-tier forces, spilling blood across all battlefields.

There are battlefields where not a drop of blood is shed, but there are also battlefields where once blood starts flowing, it leads to the annihilation of entire units.

“Therefore, if you are a commander, the matter you should always prioritize is this: Never, under any circumstances, set foot on a battlefield where the enemy’s high-tier forces outnumber your own. If you have already set foot there, be sure to evacuate from places the enemy high-tier forces might target.”

Was it jealousy because only Oknodie was choosing additional lectures?

Due to many students protesting, the additional registration period was extended, and another student who came to attend the new lecture raised his hand.

“War is waged to win, but if we’re so scared and just keep running away, won’t we lose wars we could have won and lose even more badly in wars we were going to lose anyway?”

“The questioner should state his name first.”

“I apologize. I am Jaydas, a first-year student of the 981st class.”

Jaydas!

Hestia’s arms tensed up.

A holy knight famous for the Western Ear Connection in the Western Region, renowned throughout the three Western countries.

One of the three rising stars of the 981st class—Irene, Hector, and Jaydas—and according to rumors, he possessed capabilities as extraordinary as Northern Grand Duchess Irene.

Although both were of mercenary origin, the popularity of Hestia, a Berserker class, and Jaydas, a Holy Knight class, was worlds apart.

For Hestia, who secretly harbored an inferiority complex toward Jaydas, this was an opportunity she couldn’t help but get excited about.

A chance to defeat that Jaydas with her own hands!

However, Jaydas only glanced at Oknodie, not Hestia.

As if Hestia didn’t even exist in his mind.

But just as Jaydas seemed to ignore Hestia, there was someone who looked at him as if he were a neighborhood dog.

“What nonsense from a stupid freshman!”

“…!”

“A holy knight is a follower of God. Do you not even realize that the battlefields you’ve experienced were comfortable playgrounds provided because they feared the name of God?”

Oknodie nodded beside him.

“True masters should do it raw without faith!”

“At least the top student of the year has the right mindset.”

Jaydas trembled with anger.

“The fact that you are strong, Professor, does not invalidate my experience.”

“Are you uncomfortable being evaluated by me, Raregrills, just because you’ve gained some fame in the three Western countries? You don’t even know your place!”

The professor burst into laughter and then flashed a chilling gaze from under his helmet.

“Originally, you would only experience this in practice during the midterm and final exams, but today I’ll make a special exception and move it up. Everyone, pay attention. This is the trial you will all face on exam day.”

At Professor Raregrills’ gesture, teaching assistants in armor set up several large mana boards with grim expressions.

What appeared on the largest central mana board was a three-dimensional tactical map.

Troop formations and scales of various symbols and sizes appeared throughout the map.

“Is there a challenger who wants to compete with Jaydas?”

“I will step forward.”

Hestia stepped forward without hesitation.

“Hmm, I want to try too!”

With Oknodie joining, making it three participants, the professor nodded.

“Let me explain the test method for <Surviving as a Commander on the Battlefield>. From now on, you can input commands to your units on the tactical map.”

“You are free to decide what actions to take with your units each turn, and the test ends when the commander is killed. The students who die last or survive until the final turn will be the winners of the test.”

“Also, the blue army will be commanded by my faithful assistant Gratio, and the enemy army will be commanded by me.”

Jaydas looked at the tactical map with suspicious eyes.

“If everyone’s position is shared on the map, isn’t it just about running away from the enemy?”

“The explanation of the rules is over. Individual turn actions will be operated through your own mana boards, and only the results will be displayed on the central main mana board.”

“How are the unit size and initial starting positions determined?”

“Originally, before the test begins, you could choose options such as position selection priority, scale expansion, or recruiting skilled personnel with points earned from midterm assignments or additional points, but since no one has earned points in this test, unit selection will be done in order of first semester rankings.”

Jaydas made a sour face.

He felt that the professor was deliberately trying to mess with him.

If units were chosen by rank, the upper class students Oknodie and Hestia would choose better units first, and he would start at the most disadvantageous position.

━━━

Battlefield Briefing

Enemy invasion forces have been detected in the border area.

The border guard must cooperate with the Holy Knight Order and the vanguard forces to defend the fortress.

All units that hold out for 30 turns until reinforcements arrive will receive survival bonuses.

━━━

Unit Selection List

Falcon Cavalry (300 light cavalry, 30 mounted archers), Frontline Risk Level 3

Regular Infantry Unit (1500 spearmen, 1500 shield bearers), Frontline Risk Level 3

…

Border Guard (1400 elite guards), Frontline Risk Level 5

Peasant Conscript Unit (2200 peasant soldiers), Frontline Risk Level 6

…

Otos Penal Unit (1200 convict infantry), Frontline Risk Level 8

Thunderbolt Heaven Divine Church Holy Knight Order (10 holy knights, 50 apprentice holy knights), Frontline Risk Level 8

━━━

Jaydas had already marked two options.

‘The safest places are the Border Guard, which strengthens defenses along the walls, and the Falcon Cavalry, which is prepared to ravage enemy territory. These two.’

Other places, even with more soldiers, would either be used as arrow fodder in the upcoming war or become easy targets in the main engagement.

Among them, he had to find the next best option.

After all, Oknodie and Hestia wouldn’t leave those two for him.

“Next. It’s Jaydas’s turn, the third one, to choose his unit.”

Looking at the remaining units, Jaydas was greatly surprised by the unexpected list.

“What’s this? Did they make a mistake?”

The Falcon Cavalry was chosen by Hestia.

However, Oknodie had not chosen the Border Guard but the most dangerous penal unit.

“It’s a service! We should be kind to newbies!”

“…I don’t understand your meaning, but I can tell you’re looking down on me. I’ll show both you and the professor.”

Without hesitation, Jaydas chose the Border Guard.

And so began the three students’ second semester midterm pre-experience.