Tactical Explanation

The day after Drew finished reviewing the intelligence, everyone on the list received an admission notice.

The notice stated that the school term would begin on the first of next month, and requested that all students confirming their enrollment pay the tuition fees beforehand.

On the first day of school, the academy's principal—the mage and alchemist Drew—would deliver a speech.

Please attend on time. Thomas held the admission notice in his hand, looked it over, and let out a long sigh. "I hope it's as good as I imagine."

He then tucked the notice into his backpack.

Nelson Eddie also received a notice, though he was clearly agitated; the hand holding the paper trembled slightly.

"Father, is this an invitation for you to attend the academy?" Nelson Eddie's son asked.

"Yes, it is a glimmer of hope.

I will be away for a while; you must guard the house while I am gone.

Endure what you can, and wait for my return for everything else," Nelson Eddie instructed.

"Yes, Father. It is all my fault—I failed to inherit your talent, forcing you to endure the mockery of others."

"Child, do not say that. You are already quite remarkable; those with mage talent are extremely rare.

You simply had bad luck, so do not blame yourself. With me here, I can naturally shoulder the burden of this family. Just stay home and wait for me in peace."

A total of seventeen admission notices were sent out, and on the first of the month, all seventeen individuals completed their enrollment—not a single one missing.

They were arranged in the same classroom where Joseph and the others had previously studied.

"It seems our appeal is quite good. Everyone actually showed up," Drew said to Joseph.

"It is all thanks to your efforts."

"Very well, go and prepare your speech."

"I have been preparing for days; there will be no issues."

"Everyone has arrived, so let us begin."

"Understood." With that, Joseph stepped into the classroom.

The classroom was clearly divided into several groups, each chatting amongst themselves.

The largest group was naturally composed of noble children, who had come with the express purpose of networking.

Moreover, since they were all nobles, they already knew each other within noble circles; even if they didn't, a quick mention of their family names was enough to establish a connection.

As they were the most numerous, they were naturally the largest faction.

The second-largest group consisted of the junior mages—individuals who had been stuck at the junior level for years without being able to advance. They had been official mages for quite some time, the least experienced among them having held the rank for seven or eight years.

Over such a long period, even for homebody mages like Drew who never stepped outside, they had all become acquainted with one another.

Some even organized regular exchanges, hoping that one day they might find the spark of insight needed for a breakthrough.

The remainder were two solitary individuals who didn't fit in. One was Thomas, who had traveled from afar and had no social ties, arriving entirely alone.

The other was, naturally, Nelson Eddie. He had also come alone without any attendants, believing it showed sincerity in his pursuit of knowledge. As a merchant, he was usually quite adept at socializing.

However, the two groups here—one of nobles and one of mages—were both a bit out of reach for a common merchant like him who lacked status and standing.

After finding himself rebuffed, Nelson Eddie had no choice but to keep to himself. When he saw Thomas also sitting alone, Nelson Eddie thought about going over to greet him, but seeing that Thomas was a mage and wore an expression that kept everyone at a distance, he dismissed the idea.

Just then, Joseph walked in. The classroom fell silent instantly, and everyone's gaze converged upon him.

Fortunately, Joseph was well-prepared, having rehearsed this many times.

He walked calmly to the podium at the front of the classroom, cleared his throat, and said, "Hello everyone, my name is Joseph. I am the person in charge of this academy, and also the teacher who will be instructing you from now on.

Since it is everyone's first day, let me introduce things first.

The purpose for which our academy was founded is (one thousand words omitted here), the mission of our academy is (one thousand words omitted here), and the rules of our academy are (one thousand words omitted here)..."

Just as everyone was beginning to doze off, Joseph said, "Alright, that concludes the introduction to our academy.

Congratulations on becoming the first batch of students at our academy.

Formal classes will begin tomorrow; today, you may take the time to familiarize yourselves with the environment.

To conclude today, our principal will deliver a speech. Let us welcome him with applause."

Listening from outside, Drew wore a look of helplessness; even an honest man like Joseph had learned how to set a trap.

There had been no such segment in the plan they had established earlier. However, since Joseph had called him out by name, refusing would only make him look small. Drew had no choice but to walk in with an expressionless face as Joseph ushered him onto the podium.

"Hello everyone, I am Drew, the principal of this academy.

Our academy may differ significantly from others, so you should be prepared.

Of course, it is nothing major, provided you remember the purpose for which you came here.

Hold fast to your own principles, and I believe you will all reap what you desire. Very well, I am finished. If you have any questions, you may ask them now."

In stark contrast to Joseph's long-winded lecture, Drew's speech was extremely brief.

It was so short that the students, who had braced themselves for a long ordeal, hadn't even prepared their thoughts before Drew had already finished.

For a moment, the students were caught off guard, and the scene fell into a profound silence. Just as Drew prepared to assume they had no questions and turned to leave, a voice rang out.

"Headmaster, I heard you single-handedly wiped out the Hurricane Bandits. Is that true?"

"Is it true?" Whispers immediately began to ripple through the crowd below.

"Could you tell us how you managed to do it?"

"To put it simply, it was a combination of strength, strategy, and tactics. Strategically speaking, you must first understand your enemy. The first step is reconnaissance."

"After scouting their strength, I analyzed that they had five intermediate-level professionals, thirty primary-level professionals, eighty-one apprentice-level professionals, and eighteen ordinary people. A direct confrontation was clearly out of the question."

"To defeat them, I had to find a way to leverage my own advantages, exploit their weaknesses, and apply tactics reasonably. My advantage and disadvantage were both the same: I was alone. My individual combat power was limited, but I possessed high mobility. I used harassment tactics to slowly erode their low-end forces."

"In the end, when only their high-end combatants remained, harassment tactics were no longer effective, and I had to engage them head-on."

"However, there is a difference in how one engages. The reasonable application of tactics plays a crucial role in any match."

"In this battle, I was one against five. If I had fought them head-on, I would have lost. But the previous harassment tactics were very successful, leaving the enemies exhausted and unable to perform at their peak. Then, I lured them into specific terrain that favored me, using the geography to bridge the gap in our strength."

"In terms of my own strength, I am equivalent to four average intermediate-level professionals. But if I had faced three of them in a direct, simultaneous assault, I certainly would have lost. If it had been two professionals with good synergy and well-matched classes, I might not have won either."

"Yet, by applying tactics reasonably, the result was that I defeated all five of them alone. That is the power of tactics." Drew paused right at the point the students were most eager to learn, leaving them with the feeling of a cliffhanger.

"Headmaster, how do tactics manifest in a fight? Could you explain that in detail?" As expected, many couldn't help but ask, all hoping to gauge Drew's combat prowess through the specifics of the situation.

"Very well, I will explain in detail. The core of tactics is to divide your opponents. As I said before, you cannot fight all opponents at once; two at most, as any more leads to mistakes. The enemy had two ranged professionals and three melee professionals. At the start of the engagement, only the ranged professionals could reach me."

"So, I ignored the melee fighters and focused my firepower on suppressing the two ranged ones. In the gaps, I used spells to disrupt the melee fighters' advances. When the battle stabilized, I launched a surprise attack, controlled the rogue with a powerful spell, and took him out."

"It is better to break one of the enemy's fingers than to injure all ten. Furthermore, the location I chose—the terrain advantage—was also planned. I used traps to deal with another melee fighter."

"That left two ranged and one melee fighter. The spot I chose was a large slope, and I stood at the top, where the back side was very steep. When the remaining melee fighter approached, I led him directly down the slope, so the two ranged fighters could no longer see us and were unable to provide support. In that one-on-one environment, I quickly knocked him down, and the remaining two ranged fighters were no longer a threat. It's as simple as that."

Simple? It was anything but simple.

Suppressing two professionals of the same level, instantly killing a rogue of the same level, taking out one before his companions could support him, and rendering the final two harmless—none of these feats could be accomplished by an ordinary professional, let alone with such calm, rational use of tactics, terrain, meticulous planning, and precise execution. These points all highlighted Drew's immense power.

The students were very satisfied after hearing this. The noble children felt that befriending such a powerhouse was definitely worth it, and the others felt that studying here would have a bright future.

This was exactly what Drew had intended to reveal; powerful strength is the foundation for standing firm. But if you don't let others know of your power, you will still face many troubles. By revealing it this way and letting them spread the word, it felt natural and harmonious. However, Drew still hid much, such as the potent effects of his potions and his ability to contend with high-level professionals.

Strength is a good thing, but being too strong makes others wary, leads to collective hostility, and might even expose one's secrets. This was the best approach: it demonstrated his strength, allowing his influence to remain stable and avoiding harassment from petty people, while not being so prominent as to attract higher-level powerhouses. This maneuver would likely keep him stable for a while. As for the rest, he would leave it to Joseph; Drew was ready to shift his focus back to alchemy.

After answering a few more questions, the day came to an end.