Vol. 11 - Chapter 529 - Showdown begins! Class 2 vs. Class 24!
"I see them, they're there!"
"Ah, the lake and the field's edge has completely blocked any other way, except the one! But they're completely in sight!"
The look in Class-2's gaze sharpened as they spotted the base of Class-24. It was sandwiched between a lake and a pond, plus with their back touching the end of the arena in the south, it only left one route to pass through.
For the defence, it was definitely one of the best locations.
It wasn't impossible to cross the water, but the challenging task was to avoid falling into water. The Water Scooter that Zephyr had, as an example, could be destroyed, and if that happens, they would surely drop in the pond. And if they drown, they would be immediately teleported out of the arena and out of the game.
Of course, they could also swim and save themselves from deporting...as long as they make it to the bank however. Albeit, it would be an impossible matter if they're wearing heavy armour or equipment.
The only disadvantage of this terrain was it put them in full sight, and as a result, Class-2 had found them in a short time. Though as for the enemies in plain sight, it went in both directions.
Class-24 could see Class-2 gallantly rushing toward their direction from the west. The lanky boy—Starkeus, saw that and gave his command at a leisure pace.
"Tank, take your position in front. Remember, stay only in the area you have been told. Mage Corps, make sure to target everyone."
Following Starkseus' orders, the tank team—eight students holding shields—advanced one square north from the base and formed a line near the edge of the second square with Group 2.
However, the positioning appeared slightly distorted, as if they had arranged themselves unevenly.
There were gaps here and there, creating a pattern that looked like waves from above, almost as if inviting the enemy.
"Everyone, they might be Class-2, but there’s no need to panic. If we stick to our practice, the results will naturally follow."
Starkseus' words carried a persuasive weight.
And rightly so. His job was «Advisor».
This was the low tier version of the recently talked-about «Brainiac» in the no category jobs. It was downward compatible with the «Master-Planner Princess».
Nonetheless, it was still a respected high-ranking job, and its abilities are undeniably useful for base assaults.
The skill «Calm Incantation» was a party-wide buff skill, casting its blessing on the classmates present within the same square. In reality, it also granted a calming effect, easing the tension of everyone present. Receiving the buff, tank corp proceeded with their preparation steadily.
In this way, Starkeus was the cornerstone of the Class-24's strategy. Their plan was simple; raise everyone's ability with his skills, surpass their opponent, and take them down. The whole class was moving as one body.
For the format of «Bast Capture», where classes scramble for points, they had made themselves a strong contender with the exceptional formation.
"The «Base Capture» format will make you think offence is the strongest option."
Starkeus turned to Gau, the student with a huge build, abruptly and started talking.
"I mean, it's not wrong to think so. After all, there will be no points without moving the class to mount raids on other classes' bases. The guardian monsters further emphasise this point with their revival system. The cooldown of 20 minutes means we can harvest another wave of points with them intermittently. It's a race against time to scramble points. But, there's more conditions out there than just that."
Speaking so far, Starkeus paused momentarily. Then he grinned, and resumed.
At this point, Starks paused for a moment. Then, with a cheerful expression, he continued speaking.
"It's the complete takedown of the opposing base. Yes, just like the meaning of «Base Capture»! It's only exciting when you bring in some suspense! The victory is through the mountain of opposition corps—what a soothing word these are, don't you think so?! This is why focusing on mere guardian monsters is just travesty. This is work for measly people!"
The more he spoke, the more Starkeus lost himself in his soliloquy, giggling like a maniac. Gou saw this and continued to listen quietly. He knew Starkeus would lose his temper if he's to be interrupted in his words. 'Might as well let him speak to his heart's content,' Gou had understood this principle well.
"This is why Defense is the true answer! Why should we, Class-24, ranked fourth, split our forces? Can we possibly win against Class-1 or Class-2 that way? It’s impossible, right? That’s why we must keep our strength together. We’ll take down those who come to attack us, just like a carnivorous plant! Lured by the sweet scent of our exposed base, we’ll devour every intruder! Then we can confidently assault the opponent’s base, which has dwindled in strength! It's foolish to panic over mere points!"
Starkeus spoke rapidly, seemingly forgetting to breathe, and finally paused to catch his breath. His excitement began to settle as he regained his composure. When he had calmed down, he transformed back into that cheerful, slender young man.
"Right? Don’t you think so, Gou?"
"Absolutely."
When he spoke, you had to just nod your head. If you don't, Starkeus's smile would break into a teary face. Gou knew how to carry himself around.
"(He would have been an exceptional prodigy…if only for not this)."
Gou thought to himself in silence, for the wise man he was.
—Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
"Ah, they're finally here. I had wished to fight Class-1 with our 100%, but oh well. Let's settle it with decimation of Class-2."
Starkeus remarked with a grin.
◇◇◇
Meanwhile, on the side of Class-2, Sedan had his back drenched in cold sweat as he gazed at the bizarre formation of their opponent.
Something was amiss. The enemy had established their base deep down a single path, limiting the places they could attack from. It was quite a good base arrangement.
But, it was this uncanniness that raised the doubt inside him. They appeared just too well prepared for the countermeasure.
“(It’s as if they were waiting for us to come to them? N-No, that can’t... can it be? If so...)”
If his intuition was correct, this place was a minefield. This was the enemy’s territory—ambushes and traps were to be expected. Trusting his instincts, Sedan warned his classmates.
“Listen here, they’re likely waiting here with traps all over the place! Form an anti-trap formation!”
“Whaat!? Damn it, no wonder they appeared so uptight! Those foxes!”
“Are you serious?! Tank, take the lead! Crush any traps!”
“No, that’s the same as stepping right into them! We need to clear them with skills!”
He had nothing but his intuition, and neither he had prior experience of «Base Capture», however this in fact really saved his class from the face of disaster.
The Class-2, just as eager they'd been for assault, hurriedly lowered their pace, and formed a three-column formation, each consisting of 6 students. The current assault squad had 18 students overall.
Tank took the lead, and they all proceeded while keeping a distance between members, breaking through the net of traps their opponent had laid.
"«Trap Crash»!"
"«Material Shot»!"
"Pay more attention to your feet. —«Bean Kick»."
They'd not been that far away, yet seeing that no attack had flown their way made Sedan further convinced of the traps.
Various area attacks swept over the ground, triggering or destroying the traps that had been set.
In dungeons, traps typically wouldn’t be so easily destroyed, but production traps have low durability, making them susceptible to area attacks.
Starkeus raised a chuckle when he saw their buried traps being blasted here and there.
"Hahaha, no wonder they're Class-2. I should have expected so from them. Alright then, it's your turn, Mage Corp. Greets our guests with a shower of magic!"
"Hahaha! It's no wonder Group 2 was chosen. They can see through traps like this. Now then, magic units, let’s unleash a rain of magic!"
“Enemy attacks are coming! Stay alert!”
Sedan had no way of hearing Starkeus's voice, but he assumed this should be when their enemy would make their move and commanded the class.
A shower of magical attacks poured down on Group 2, marking the beginning of battle between Group 2 and Group 24.
I'm so sorry guys, I had accidentally break down my glasses, and it just happened that stores were closed due to festival here. I will update the rest chapters soon.
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