Ch.337337 – A Test Where Survival Is All That Matters

<337 – A Test Where Survival Is All That Matters>

Jaydas insisted on the goal of allied victory, but that was a foolish thought that missed the essence of the test.

Should I say he committed the foolishness that newbies often make by misunderstanding the passing conditions of the test?

Winning on the battlefield.

Defending the fortress until the main force arrives.

These are objectives presented by the commander-in-chief, not conditions for passing the test.

In short, what’s called a “challenge task.”

An element that gives bonus points if achieved.

Even if you accomplish the challenge task, it means nothing if you die in the process.

The title of this lecture is <Surviving as a Commander on the Battlefield>.

Survival is the top priority.

Also, you must not lose your position as a <Commander>.

You must maintain a minimum number of troops to keep your title and command them.

These are the conditions to keep in mind for the turn-based war simulation strategy test.

If you understand these basics, the range of strategies you can take becomes very wide.

“Hestia is indeed smart like an active mercenary!”

Unlike the honor-focused knight Jaydas who insisted on an honorable victory, Hestia, despite having the Berserker class, avoided death on the battlefield like a ghost avoiding fatal situations.

You should fight battles worth fighting, but on a chaotic battlefield like this, fighting recklessly at any time leads to big trouble.

If enemies all rush at you while allies wait until you fall to claim the credit, how could you live with such injustice?

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【Turn 1 Start】

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[Battlefield Briefing]

Baron Triton, commander of the regular infantry, has sent his subordinate knight Otos as co-commander to lead the penal unit.

“Cooperate with Otos to lead the prisoners and block the enemy’s advance in the western swamp area.”

(Order deadline: until turn 20)

You are Oknodie, the head jailer in charge of the prisoners and guards of the penal unit.

Otos wants to discuss future plans.

━━━

Select or input your command for this turn.

[Move][Garrison][Scout][Messenger][Observe][Attack][Strategy][Special]

You selected <Special – Talk with Otos>.

━━━

[Special – Conversation with Otos]

Otos conveyed Baron Triton’s true intentions.

“In wartime, even food for prisoners is too precious to waste, so it doesn’t matter if they all die on the battlefield, but if even one enemy crosses the swamp, the heads of the guards and commanders will roll.”

The Baron proposed assigning a few prisoners with several days’ worth of food to serve as human alarms, shouting when they detect enemy approach in the swamp.

You’ve just heard this excessively inhumane scouting method.

Will you accept this proposal?

━━━

See?

Why show loyalty to people like this?

If they don’t even see prisoners as people, why would they treat guards or the head jailer as humans?

This is a <trap>.

If you follow Otos’s instructions, you can survive comfortably until turn 20 by sacrificing the prisoners.

But in the end, once you’ve outlived your usefulness, you’re destined to die either by Otos’s hand or Baron Triton’s.

If such cruel troop management becomes known to the world, the commander who would be compromised wouldn’t let witnesses live.

‘Unless I were his trusted confidant, but since knight Otos is the one delivering the information, it’s clear that Otos is the confidant and I’m the one being used!’

A veteran player won’t just sit back and take such an unfair event.

━━━

[Special – Conversation with Otos 2]

Before implementing the proposal, you suggested boosting morale with a grand feast so the prisoners would willingly enter the swamp as scouts.

Otos frowned at the waste of food but allowed the feast out of respect for you as co-commander and head jailer.

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[Feast]

At the feast, Knight Otos gathered prisoners whose bravery he noticed and shared drinks with them.

They are the prisoners who will soon be abandoned as scouts.

Will you join Otos in praising the prisoners?

Or will you choose your own <special method> to enjoy the feast?

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“Of course, a special method!”

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[Rebellion]

You revealed Otos and Baron Triton’s plan to trustworthy guards and prisoners.

Enraged, they expressed their willingness to join the rebellion, following you as their head jailer.

While Knight Otos and his followers were drunk, you led the guards and prisoners in an ambush.

“Urgh, you coward. Ambushing during a feast… Baron Triton won’t let you get away with this…”

Otos and his followers died.

The penal unit now follows only your command.

━━━

Continuing to turn 2.

I removed all traces of Otos and his followers’ bodies and the feast.

Then I sent a fake messenger to Baron Triton in Otos’s name.

“I held a feast to boost morale to drive prisoners into the swamp and used too much food! Please send support!”

Baron Triton clicked his tongue and sent supplies in turn 3.

When I saw the record of the messenger asking where Sir Otos was, I immediately cut the messenger’s throat.

These supplies are mine now!

I ambushed near the swamp with the supplies.

When Baron Triton became suspicious about the unreturned messenger and sent someone, my scout brought back a notification that they found only an empty base.

Before the Baron could approach us, I attacked his scouts near the frontline, disguised as enemy scouts.

Now’s the chance, with Baron Triton tense and immobile, his eyes blinded from all directions.

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【Turn 8】

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[Battle Briefing]

While you’ve blinded Baron Triton and tied his feet, you approached the peasant conscript unit led by Knight Siso.

Knight Siso was startled by your appearance.

“What’s going on? How is the penal unit that should be guarding the western swamp here in the central plains? And where is your co-commander, Sir Otos?”

How will you respond to this rigid knight who doesn’t understand the situation?

━━━

Select or input your command for this turn.

[Move][Garrison][Scout][Messenger][Observe][Attack][Strategy][Special]

You selected <Strategy>.

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“Enemy high forces froze the swamp and a large army descended! Sir Otos died on the frontline, and Baron Triton’s main force urgently requests aid, so let’s move together!”

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[Strategy – Deception]

The rigid Knight Siso requested to see Baron Triton’s written orders.

Of course, you don’t have such a thing.

What to do?

Should you stall for time to forge an order?

Or try to persuade him with words?

Taking too much time or making a sloppy excuse will arouse Knight Siso’s suspicion.

━━━

[Strategy – Deception 2]

Surprisingly, you perfectly forged an official document.

Have you actually seen Baron Triton’s orders somewhere before?

“The Baron is truly in danger. Let’s hurry!”

The rigid Knight Siso completely trusts you.

With the knight’s back turned to you… what will you do?

━━━

“Ambush and kill Siso!”

━━━

[Strategy – Deception 3]

Knight Siso died.

You tell the confused conscripts about the evil plan of Baron Triton’s faction to make the penal unit prisoners into cannon fodder.

The peasant conscript unit, empathizing with their similar situation, accepted your command.

━━━

By killing commanders leading similar conscript factions in nearby battlefields and absorbing them, by turn 11, the enemy’s main force began to advance.

My unit, which started with 1,200 prisoner infantry, has now absorbed 2,200 peasant soldiers, 1,700 slave soldiers, and 1,320 forced conscripts, becoming a large force of 6,420.

With this many troops, even conscripts can’t be ignored.

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【Turn 13】

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[Battlefield Briefing]

Following messages left in the swamp and plains, the enemy commander has personally come with his forces to your position.

“Head Jailer Oknodie. Are you the one who led a rebellion, claiming to bring conscripts who were unjustly oppressed in their homeland to join our righteous country’s forces?”

You could ambush with hidden forces blocking the retreat path, or simply surrender as is.

What is your choice?

━━━

Select or input your command for this turn.

[Move][Garrison][Scout][Messenger][Observe][Attack][Strategy][Special]

You selected <Special – Display>.

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[Special – Display]

The enemy commander was shocked to see your forces already blocking the retreat path and preparing to ambush from all directions.

“A trap!?”

You laughed and replied that it was just a performance to show our usefulness.

The enemy commander, though blushing, valued you even more highly than before.

“Impressive strategy. I see it wasn’t because Baron Triton’s subordinate knights were inexperienced. I will convey your abilities to my lord without reservation.”

The enemy commander feared your abilities while being wary of you.

The likelihood of your value being properly conveyed has increased.

━━━

Afterward, the flow of battle became one-sided.

If everyone had worked together to delay, they could have easily lasted 30 turns, but because of my unit’s active betrayal, the frontline was breached in an instant.

Baron Triton gathered Count Bearvold’s units and retreated from the frontline, leaving the fortress isolated and conquered.

Realizing the one-sided tilt of the battle, Hestia and the Thunderbolt Divine Knight Order withdrew from the battlefield.

Thus the test ended.

“Jaydas is dead. Hestia retreated. The only commander who remained on the frontline until the end was Oknodie. The winner of this match is determined to be Oknodie.”

“This is unfair! Betrayal? Such behavior would never be tolerated on the frontline!”

“Why not? The passing condition for this match wasn’t to win honorably but to survive as a commander. Until you understand this difference, you’d better give up on your second semester grades.”

As the match ended, rewards poured in.

Achieved <Traitor’s Victory> and received challenge task rewards too!