"I must remind you that this artifact draws upon your own energy to amplify itself. You are required to have at least twelve hours of rest before your third exam tomorrow," the staff said, handing Leomaris a wooden microphone and exiting the hall.
Eyes up at the ceiling, Leomaris took it in. When he’d read about the Strategic Warfare and Tactics hall, his mind had gone straight to the MSG Sphere, a programmable system from his previous life. He hadn’t expected it to be a spitting image in person.
He stood at the centre of a sphere where every direction offered images staring back, as though he were looking upon the world as its god. Everything was slightly overwhelming, though.
The sphere showed two posts. One occupied by blue minions, the other by red.
Each post was at the far end of the sphere, the space between blue and red filled with desert, mountains, water, and forests. Worse, these minions could move, and keeping track of all of them was harder than he cared to admit.
More paranoid than he wanted to be, that was what the scene made him.
Even so, he understood the weight of this exam. Failing it and still ending up in the top five would leave his academy career in an uncertain state. If there was one exam that mattered, it was this one.
Then, a mechanical voice echoed through the sphere without warning.
"Secure victory in the war and retrieve the magic orb of the Red Minions."
He stroked his chin and turned toward the Blue Post. Sentinels patrolled the walls, back and forth, while an army of two thousand waited within his walls. He had three ballistas and four catapults at his disposal.
"I believe I’m facing the artifact itself. This won’t be easy."
He spun toward the Red Post. It had vanished completely. He understood what was happening immediately. Something faint caught his eye from the left.
His expression darkened.
"Are those minions using camouflage?"
None of his soldiers had left the post, he was certain of that. And yet, two blue minions were making their way directly toward it.
"I believe they have no idea where my post is located... but this disguise is too shallow. Even a fool wouldn’t fall for it."
"Oh... wait..."
He moved the moment the words left him, stepping back, taking position exactly where his post sat. The interface came into better view. His own post, however, was lost to his line of sight.
’If I know anything about this exam, it’s that this artifact starts with its opponents’ last strategy and adapts as the war progresses.’
Something in the distance caught his eye soon enough, and it pulled a faint smile across his face.
The two he’d spotted in camouflage earlier were just bait. Within the forest, two red soldiers had covered themselves in leaves and lay in wait.
"I haven’t seen a single animal in this simulation... which means I’m not wrong. They want me to go after the camouflage units and kill them, then use that chance to find my post."
He paced back and forth. Leave the two camouflaged soldiers alone, and they’d eventually reach his post, telling the artifact exactly where it was. Attack them, and the two hiding in the forest could track the direction his soldiers came from. Either option fed the artifact information.
"Hmph. The artifact has no intention of attacking me directly. It has the magic orb. There’s no reason for it to take risks. It will stay on the defensive, gather information, and strike once my position is exposed."
His eyes moved across the landscape with more precision, weighing his options.
"I guess I have no choice. Since it learns and copies strategies... I’ll repeat its approach and limit what it can learn from me."
Leomaris pulled the wooden microphone close to his mouth and began issuing commands.
"Send two soldiers to the northeast. After two miles, hold position and await my orders. Two more will use red camouflage and crawl through the desert. Do not stop moving until instructed."
His minions moved the moment the commands were given, exactly as instructed. But Leomaris wasn’t done. He turned his attention to the south-east, where the ocean lay.
"Have the hand soldiers prepare and move to the ocean. After one mile, I want them to break into a run toward the shore."
His soldiers obeyed, but he wasn’t fully satisfied with his own call. He was offering the Red Army the bait they were after, while other troops moved into position for an ambush.
If the artifact reacted the same way, it would reposition its siege weapons for a clearer shot. From the ocean, his troops would gain a line of sight to their base.
"But then... if it adapts, it should already expect this."
His expression darkened mid-sentence. Something was wrong. The two he’d ordered to halt after two miles were waiting on his command, and the two that crawled were still at it.
The red army’s bait, however, had already turned around and begun running, and those in the forest were heading back to their post.
"Wait... they’re withdrawing?"
His ocean troops spotted movement, and the screen widened, pulling back to show something he hadn’t seen before.
They were gathered in the middle of the desert, preparing to fire.
His chest tightened, anxiety creeping in.
"Those bastards..."
Two thousand red soldiers, near enough, marched behind three ballistas and four catapults.
Leomaris frowned.
"No... that doesn’t make sense. If it was defending, it wouldn’t expose its entire force like this."
His gaze sharpened as the pieces fell into place.
"The bait wasn’t for information."
A brief pause.
"It was to make me believe it was on the defensive."
"Tch... it was never defending. It was preparing to force an engagement from the start."
He turned to the troops at the seashore, splitting them in two, and ordered one half toward the edge of the sea, two soldiers from that group moving slower than the others. He was aiming for infiltration, and had to be careful.
The remaining half stood waiting on his command.
"Deploy 500 additional soldiers to the shore at once!"
The five-hundred-strong army arrived soon enough, and he wasted no time ordering them to charge toward the red soldiers in the desert.
Leomaris knew five hundred soldiers were no match for two thousand. That was precisely the point.
The slaughter began soon enough. Red minions launched stones and arrows at his base, but every one fell short, just a few metres away.
Leomaris understood what the artifact was attempting now. It didn’t need precision — only pressure. If he committed fully to the fight, his position would be exposed sooner or later.
With the war in full swing, he’d advantage of the distraction and added more soldiers to the battlefield. They’d be harder to track now.
"Dispatch a thousand additional soldiers via the southern route to join the war at once."
He’d spoken clearly enough, and yet nothing moved. He ordered again to be sure. Not one soldier made a move.
He scowled, confused. "What the heck is going on?"
He repositioned himself and got a clear view of his soldiers.
They weren’t moving.
Not one of them.
Their weapons trembled in their hands. Sweat ran down their faces.
Leomaris’ eyes narrowed.
"...They’re scared?"