Chapter 215: Endless Stun
The young blond professor, Jennings, adjusted his glasses and unfolded a map.
Since ancient times, maps had been one of the most important factors in determining victory or defeat in war.
On this thin sheet of paper depicting the terrain and roads, commanders predicted where armies would clash, which chokepoints would decide the battle, and how the flow of troops and the outcome of the battlefield would unfold.
...Jennings was no different.
He was both a professor and an official commander.
However, there was one thing that set him apart from other commanders.
His unique skill, Insight.
Simply by looking at a map, the placement of troops, their movement routes, and the flow of the battlefield naturally formed in his mind.
As though invisible lines were being drawn across the map.
Jennings' gaze slowly swept over it.
“They're still inexperienced.”
A moment later, the corners of his mouth curled up ever so slightly.
“...But they're at least better than they were during the first mock battle. Their movements, which had once been rigid and predictable, have become considerably more creative and free. They've adapted to this battlefield. Humans are creatures that learn. Wouldn't you agree, Assistant Chariot?”
Standing beside him with her Uniform Cap pulled low and her hands clasped behind her back, Chariot cautiously replied.
“It's all thanks to your teachings, Professor.”
“Flattery is unnecessary. However, your statement has merit. I won't deny it.”
“Yessir...”
Though he said that, the smile on Jennings' lips seemed to deepen.
Beside the map he was holding was a simple summary of the current Contribution Score rankings.
The standings were as follows:
「1st - Kaelyn
2nd - Heidel
3rd - Kunking
4th - Elined
5th - Sia
...」
Quite some time had passed since the mock battle began, yet the rankings at the top remained completely unchanged.
The students who had stood out from the beginning continued to hold their positions.
And...
The bottom of the rankings was no different.
Jennings shifted his gaze toward Chariot.
She also appeared to be looking over the rankings.
“Assistant Chariot, what do you think?”
“......”
Chariot let out a quiet sigh.
‘Here we go again...’
Jennings occasionally liked to throw out questions like this.
After thinking for a moment, Chariot answered carefully.
“I don't think opportunities to make a comeback are open to everyone.”
Jennings' eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.
“Assistant Chariot, you're rather optimistic.”
He paused briefly before continuing.
“However, I do not disagree with that statement.”
Jennings slowly traced the rankings with his finger.
“I've seen countless battles where certain defeat was overturned. Anything can happen on a battlefield.”
His finger slowly moved downward before coming to a stop.
“There is always a chance for a comeback.
However.”
Tap.
Tap.
His finger lightly tapped the very bottom of the rankings.
「37th - Villed」
Total number of Schulers: 37.
A Schuler was a Direct Disciple personally chosen and trained by a professor.
Their talent far surpassed that of ordinary students.
Therefore, it was only natural that Villed—the least suitable person to be a Schuler—ranked thirty-seventh.
“The chances of that opportunity reaching Dedencman's second son are slim.”
Dedencman's second son.
Too afraid to step onto the battlefield, he had spent nearly all his time hiding in the forest and running away.
“Miracles do not simply fall into the laps of the lazy. To call forth a miracle, one must first possess the ability worthy of it.”
“Your words are absolutely right, Professor.”
Chariot replied.
Yet her expression remained unconvinced.
...Because something had been bothering her for quite some time.
After hesitating, she finally asked.
“...But there's something rather strange.”
“Speak.”
Swallowing nervously, Chariot opened her mouth.
“Dedencman's second son is currently deep inside the enemy forest, isn't he?”
“So?”
“It's been well over an hour and a half.”
Still unable to understand it, she continued.
“If it happened once, it could've been luck.
Twice, maybe.
But for him to spend well over an hour without encountering a single enemy...”
Villed had somehow managed to avoid every enemy soldier.
Could that really be a coincidence?
“He's been inside enemy territory this entire time. How could he not run into a single opponent? Isn't that... a little too lucky?”
Silence lingered for a moment.
“...Ho.”
The straight line of Jennings' lips slowly curved into a smile.
“A good observation. Quite a sharp curiosity, Assistant Chariot.”
After staring at the map for a while, Jennings spoke.
“As a matter of fact, I was wondering the same thing. How has Dedencman managed to avoid every battle?”
His finger slowly traced the forest on the map.
Jennings narrowed his eyes.
...Dedencman wasn't merely avoiding combat.
His route itself was remarkably efficient.
There were no unnecessary backtracks.
He naturally avoided dangerous areas.
And he moved as though he already knew where the enemy would be.
‘Is it coincidence?’
Or...
Skill?
Jennings pondered.
This should have been his very first mock battle.
Yet he moved like someone who had fought on this battlefield countless times.
Like someone who knew the terrain inside and out.
Jennings disliked Dedencman's second son.
...Yet he couldn't help admiring the elegance of his movement routes.
...Then.
Jennings' eyes widened slightly.
A quiet laugh escaped him.
...Because the answer to his question had finally appeared.
“So the Goddess must have been watching over him all this time.”
Keeping his eyes fixed on the map, he continued,
“But it seems even that blessing has finally come to an end.”
The luck that had allowed Dedencman to run forever had finally run out.
At the end of his current route, an enemy was approaching.
Unaware that anyone was there, Villed continued heading straight toward them.
“The man who has spent all his time running will finally be forced into battle.”
As Jennings continued watching Villed's movement—
One person suddenly came to mind.
A professor with black hair.
A woman who always wore a meaningful smile.
Hilda.
She had personally chosen him as her Schuler.
There was no denying that Dedencman's second son possessed absurdly little Magical Energy.
...But perhaps.
Just perhaps.
Because of the beautiful movement routes he had displayed, Jennings had begun to harbor the slightest expectation.
Folding his arms, he quietly continued watching the map.
I walked through the dark forest.
A rabbit doll was in one hand.
The ring rested on the other.
Whenever I imagined duplicating the doll and focused on the ring—
Ring of Replication Activated!
A-rank - Clockwork Stuffed Doll has been duplicated!
Just like that.
The doll was copied, becoming two.
The ring could create one duplicate every thirty seconds.
In the game, you could only possess three duplicate Objects...
“...How many did I copy again?”
I opened my Subspace.
“Five... ten... twenty-four.”
Countless dolls floated peacefully inside.
For the sake of experimentation, I took all of them out.
I extended my hand and shook each one's hand in turn.
Only after shaking hands with all twenty-four dolls did I return them to the Subspace.
“...Good. Everything functions normally.”
The next thing to verify was their combat capability.
Following the route I'd planned, I soon found a Lizardman.
“Let's just use ten for now.”
Hiding behind a tree, I took nine dolls out of the Subspace.
Then I duplicated the Magic Mini Cannon ten times and distributed one to each doll.
“When I give the signal, fire. Understood?”
The ten dolls nodded simultaneously.
Taking out Illaune's Heart, I slowly approached the Lizardman.
Grrrr...
Apparently sensing my presence, the Lizardman raised its sword with hostility.
I reached into the air and drew out the Huayo card.
Fwoosh—!
Before closing the distance, I snapped my fingers.
‘First one.’
Boom!
A small explosion erupted.
The blast knocked the Lizardman backward.
Its eyes rolled white as it lost consciousness.
Smack!
Crunch!
Using the flaming Illaune's Heart, I smashed the Lizardman's forehead.
Grrrk?!
After taking several hits, it finally regained consciousness.
Its eyes focused directly on me.
...At that moment, I snapped my fingers again.
BOOM!
Grrrgh?!
Another explosion.
The Lizardman lost consciousness once more.
A monster could be stunned by a single Mini Cannon shot for roughly three to four seconds.
The cooldown was thirty seconds.
However...
If ten dolls fired one after another...
That effectively meant the enemy could be stunned forever.
‘Against multiple opponents, the dolls would get attacked.
...But in a one-on-one fight, this is practically guaranteed victory.’
No.
To be precise...
Wasn't this a one-versus-eleven?
In any case, every three seconds I gave the signal.
The dolls fired their cannonballs.
The Lizardman remained permanently stunned.
After repeating the process several times—
Crack!
I defeated it with ridiculous ease.
The green gemstone in its forehead shattered into pieces.
The Lizardman dissolved into black ash.
The Object I obtained this time was...
B-rank - Remote-Control Dynamite
Press the button on the remote to trigger an explosion.
A bundle of red explosives.
Several short cylindrical charges were bound together and wrapped with black electrical tape.
‘...So pressing this detonates it.’
I looked at the remote control packaged beside the explosives.
‘I want to test how powerful it is...’
Unfortunately, now wasn't the time.
I'd been hearing noises for quite a while now.
Jingle...
Jingle...
The Danger Detection skill had been activating continuously.
This was the southern part of the forest, inside the enemy Blue Team's territory.
Ever since entering enemy lines, the ringing had constantly echoed in my ears.
Due to the nature of Danger Detection, the bell rang louder whenever enemies approached and quieter as they moved away.
Judging by the intensity, there seemed to be roughly five people nearby.
‘The Mini Cannon explosions don't seem to reach them...
...But I don't know how powerful this bomb is yet, so I'd better be careful.’
If I detonated it carelessly, I'd reveal my location.
My objective was to gather Objects in the forest, combine them, and then begin attacking buildings in earnest.
‘To do that, I need to avoid enemies as much as possible and focus entirely on hunting monsters.’
Following the shortest possible route, I rapidly hunted monsters and collected their Objects.
About an hour passed.
Thanks to the efficient route, I managed to hunt a considerable number of monsters.
‘It's getting crowded in there.’
Opening my Subspace, I saw it packed with all sorts of Objects and rabbit dolls.
B-rank - Forced Movement Trap
Moves any enemy that steps on the trap two meters in any direction designated by the installer.
D-rank - Super Golden Banana
An exceptionally delicious banana.
Can be shared with both allies and enemies.
And so on...
‘I've probably hunted around thirty monsters.’
Despite defeating that many, I hadn't obtained another Object ranked A or higher.
Getting both an SS-rank and an A-rank at the very beginning had simply been incredible luck.
...But that didn't matter.
As long as I assembled the right combinations, even low-rank Objects could demonstrate tremendous power.
‘There aren't any monsters left now, and I think I've gathered enough Objects.’
Besides, monsters needed time to respawn.
I couldn't afford to wait.
‘Quite a bit of time has passed.
I suppose it's time to head toward the watchtowers.’
Preparations were complete.
It was finally time to enter the battle.