Camilla’s outstretched hand hung in midair.
Shana stared at that hand for two seconds, but didn’t take it. Instead, she struggled to prop herself up and, swaying slightly, stood on her own.
Her cheeks were flushed—whether from shame or the aftermath of the fight was unclear.
“I can get up myself.”
She gritted her teeth as she spoke, her voice slightly muffled.
Camilla didn’t mind. She retracted her hand and turned to walk to the edge of the field to fetch her satchel, with Limlu bouncing cheerfully at her feet. The scorched marks on Limlu’s body were slowly healing.
The onlooking classmates began to whisper among themselves.
“Lost again… How many times is that now?”
“But the fight lasted longer this time. Shana’s really improved.”
“Who exactly is that Camilla? Her martial arts are so strong, and her summoned beast is strange…”
“I heard her older sister is Ophelia Veilrit.”
“Oh, the monster freshman’s little sister—no wonder…”
Amid the murmurs, Shana walked over to her wounded Blood Wolf, squatted down, and checked its condition.
Blood Wolf whimpered softly, nuzzling its master’s hand. It seemed listless but showed no signs of serious internal injury. Shana breathed a sigh of relief, pulled out a healing potion from the pouch at her waist, and carefully fed it to the wolf.
“Why isn’t your slime afraid of fire?”
She suddenly asked, without turning around.
Camilla had just slung her satchel over her shoulder and paused at the question.
“It is scared. Didn’t you see it smoking earlier?”
“An ordinary slime would have melted the moment it touched flames.”
Shana stood up and faced Camilla, her gaze complicated.
“Your Limlu withstood Blood Wolf’s Flame for so long and only suffered superficial damage.”
“Maybe it’s just more fire-resistant?”
Camilla offered an offhand guess and bent down to pick up Limlu.
“Or maybe I feed it well.”
After all, she couldn’t exactly say that her spiritual power was so strong that she could easily defeat both of them alone.
Her answer was as good as saying nothing. Shana frowned, wanting to ask more, but a stern voice interrupted them.
“What are you all gathered here for?”
Ms. Victoria walked through the crowd into the arena. She glanced at the messy ground and the injured Blood Wolf, then finally fixed her eyes on Camilla, her brow furrowing slightly.
“The class bell rang ten minutes ago. Everyone, return to class immediately.”
The gathered students scattered at once.
Camilla and Shana exchanged a glance and silently followed Victoria. The three walked in a line into the Summoning Arts Tower, ascending the spiral staircase. Their footsteps echoed in the empty corridor.
Inside the second-floor classroom, the other students were already seated. When they saw Victoria enter with the two girls, the room fell silent, all eyes turning to them.
“Sit down.”
Victoria went to the podium and motioned for them to return to their seats.
Camilla, cradling Limlu, headed for her corner seat. Shana sat in the front row, still looking somewhat dejected.
“Today’s lesson: Tactical choices in actual combat.”
Victoria stood behind the podium, both hands pressed on the table as she scanned the class. She paused, her gaze settling on Camilla.
“Veilrit, describe the tactic you just used.”
Every eye immediately turned to the corner. Camilla sighed, put down Limlu, and stood up.
“Uh… I had my summoned beast defend against the enemy summoner’s attacks while I distracted the enemy’s summoned beast myself.”
“Your reasoning?”
“My summoned beast isn’t strong in head-on fights, but it’s good at harassment and can resist most magical attacks. Shana’s Blood Wolf is powerful up close, but I have a tool that can expose its weakness… This is the simplest form of Defense-Link Tactics.”
She spoke plainly. A low murmur rippled through the classroom; they had heard of Defense-Link Tactics before.
“Was it effective?”
“I won.”
“Well done.”
Victoria nodded in satisfaction.
“But it’s risky. If your summoned beast fails to contain the enemy summoner, or you can’t hold off the enemy’s summoned beast, what would happen?”
“I’d lose.”
Camilla answered honestly.
“So what’s the key to this tactic?”
“An accurate assessment of both sides’ strengths, grasping the right moment, and… the summoned beast has to be obedient enough to follow complex orders.”
Victoria nodded and signaled for her to sit down, then turned to Shana.
“Shana, why did you lose just now?”
Shana stood up and pressed her lips together.
“I… I didn’t expect her to use a tool to hold up Blood Wolf, and I underestimated Camilla’s martial skill. I thought I could finish her quickly.”
“So you made two mistakes. First, you misjudged your opponent’s strength. Second, your tactic was too single-minded and you had no backup plan.”
Shana lowered her head, her ears turning red.
“But it’s not entirely your fault.”
Victoria’s tone softened.
“Veilrit’s combat style is indeed rare among first-years. Most summoners prioritize protecting themselves and send their summoned beasts to fight. Defense-Link Tactics like hers require the summoner to be able to protect themselves.”
She walked back to the podium and knocked on the blackboard.
“Alright, let’s return to the lesson and start the class proper.”
Victoria picked up a piece of chalk and drew a simple triangle on the blackboard.
“Fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, wood, ice, light, and dark—the nine basic attributes. They form the fundamental Attribute Cycle. This is the most basic tactical knowledge. But today, what I want to stress is: in real combat, true ‘countering’ goes far beyond just that.”
She tapped the blackboard again and continued in a calm tone.
“A summoned beast’s racial traits, battle habits, even body size, all can become a ‘counterpoint’ to exploit.”
The classroom fell silent as the students took notes earnestly.
“For example, Shana’s Blood Wolf is fire-attribute and excels at frontal assault. If it faces a slow-moving Stone Golem, its fire attacks are less effective, but Blood Wolf’s speed gives it an advantage—hit-and-run tactics, avoid direct confrontation.”
She glanced at Camilla.
“And Veilrit’s slime, though its race is low-ranked, has high body plasticity and some resistance to energy attacks. Against opponents who rely on magic bombardment, this trait becomes an advantage.”
Everyone listened intently, except for Camilla, who was distracted, playing with Limlu under the desk—she had mastered all this knowledge by the time she was eight.
“So remember.”
Victoria continued summarizing.
“In real battles, don’t just stare at the attribute chart. Observe your opponent’s habits, analyze your own summoned beast’s strengths and weaknesses, and find that ‘counterpoint’ that lets you win against the odds. There are no weak summoned beasts, only weak summoners.”
The bell rang right on cue.
“For homework, each of you will write an analysis report on your summoned beast’s strengths and weaknesses, due next week. Class dismissed.”
The students packed up and left one after another. Camilla slowly stuffed Limlu back into her satchel, just about to slip away when she noticed a few students at the front crowding around the podium.
“Professor, I heard… the hills behind the Academy have been dangerous lately?”
A bespectacled boy asked in a low voice.
Victoria paused in the middle of sorting her lesson plans.
“Why do you ask?”
“This morning I overheard some upperclassmen talking about a ‘Dark Beast Legion’… They said it might be related to next month’s assessment? Teacher, what is the Dark Beast Legion?”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.