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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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“The Tanteroi students must be in a state of chaos right now. With their leadership decimated and a temporary representative in charge, there’s no way they’ve regained control.”
Arak’s unexpected defeat.
If even one of his close associates had survived, the situation might have been different.
They could have assessed Mirinae’s strength and formulated a counter-strategy.
“Everyone who knew us is gone. That makes us even more terrifying.”
Unfortunately for Tanteroi, all the students who’d witnessed Mirinae’s tactics were eliminated.
And that’s where the real problem arose.
“They have no information. They don’t know how they were defeated, what tactics we used, or what skills we possess.”
While Mirinae Academy knew Tanteroi well, Tanteroi knew nothing about the current state of their opponent. This information asymmetry, compounded by their devastating loss, created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty within the Tanteroi camp.
They might try to project an image of strength, but with their main forces decimated, there wasn’t much they could do.
“The moment they realize how vulnerable they are, they’ll see the truth. It’ll be devastating. Their S-Class is gone, and their A-Class is down to half its strength.”
And with the well-known disparity in skill between Tanteroi’s S-Class and A-Class, this was the perfect opportunity to strike.
Lee Seok-hyun, confident in his assessment, strode towards the Tanteroi camp without a hint of hesitation. He didn’t even bother checking for ambushes or traps.
They wouldn’t have the resources or the manpower to set them up.
“The most foolish thing a commander can do after a defeat is to recall all their scattered forces for a regroup. To pull back their soldiers from established positions under the guise of reorganization and redeployment.”
It was a rookie mistake, one that Tanteroi, in their current state, was almost certain to make.
A 17-year-old with no command experience making sound tactical decisions? The probability was close to zero.
If they had possessed such strategic brilliance, they wouldn’t have been so thoroughly defeated in the first place.
“Their numbers have dwindled, which means they can only defend a smaller area. They’ll be huddled together, trying to hide… And there’s only one place they could be…”
Right in the center.
–Thump, thump.
As if to prove his point, they reached the center of the forest and plains territory without encountering any resistance.
And there they were.
The Tanteroi students, huddled together in small groups, whispering amongst themselves.
A perfect example of a leaderless army, fractured and disorganized.
“Hey! Tanteroi!”
Lee Seok-hyun casually waved, stepping into their midst.
“I’ll get you second place!”
He delivered the irresistible offer with a disarmingly cheerful smile.
It was time to make a deal.
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Meitan, the student to whom Arak had entrusted the representative position just before his elimination, desperately wanted to forfeit.
All he could do was sit there, clutching his head, his mind racing.
‘What am I supposed to do?’
Arak, who’d vowed to return victorious, was gone. The other officers, who’d planned to implement the secondary strategies, were also eliminated.
He’d been chosen as the temporary representative simply because he’d happened to be standing near Arak.
While sometimes a position of authority could empower an individual, this wasn’t one of those times. He was completely out of his depth, with no experience leading hundreds of soldiers.
‘No one wants to volunteer…’
As soon as he’d received the system message announcing Arak’s elimination, Meitan had searched for a replacement representative.
He’d pleaded and begged for ten, twenty, thirty minutes, but no one had stepped forward.
No one wanted to bear the weight of the crown, the responsibility of leading a defeated army.
‘They’re all afraid of taking responsibility.’
With their leadership decimated, last place was practically guaranteed.
In such a demoralizing situation, no one wanted the burden of leadership.
They craved recognition, praise, and admiration, not the scorn and ridicule of their peers.
‘They’re not even looking at me.’
Meitan glanced around and realized no one was paying attention to him. They were ignoring their leader, their faces reflecting their own struggles.
Their knightly pride, their oaths of loyalty—all forgotten in their desperate attempts to survive.
He was about to give up, to resign himself to their inevitable defeat, when,
“Hey! Tanteroi!”
A voice called out.
“I’ll get you second place!”
The directness of the offer, bypassing all pleasantries and formalities, and the promise of a second-place finish, immediately grabbed their attention. They turned towards the source of the voice.
“…Lee Seok-hyun.”
“Lee Seok-hyun? He’s here?”
“What’s he doing here?!”
Lee Seok-hyun.
The Mirinae Academy representative, the one who’d single-handedly orchestrated their near-total defeat.
At his appearance, the Tanteroi students instinctively reached for their swords, their earlier despair replaced by a burning desire for revenge.
“Don’t bother. It’s pointless.”
Lee Seok-hyun simply smiled, seemingly unfazed by their hostility.
–Shing.
As the Tanteroi students drew their swords, two figures behind Lee Seok-hyun followed suit.
Woo Do-hyun, the first-ranked student, known for surpassing every challenge with his innate talent, and Lee Hyun-su, who’d achieved remarkable results despite the dungeon’s unfair difficulty spikes.
They stood there, radiating power, their confidence stemming from their unwavering faith in Lee Seok-hyun’s leadership. They knew that if they simply followed his instructions, victory would follow. With their minds clear and their purpose defined, they could focus solely on the task at hand, free from doubt or hesitation.
“Sorry about this. Seok-hyun told us to do it. So, please… just stay calm.”
Just listen to our leader.
Woo Do-hyun’s words, delivered with a disarmingly friendly smile, held the weight of a threat. He radiated an aura that belied his youthful appearance, his single sword capable of silencing hundreds. Lee Seok-hyun, capitalizing on the shift in atmosphere, continued.
“So, Mr… Representative… what’s your name?”
“M-Meitan…”
“Meitan, I’m Lee Seok-hyun. Let me repeat myself. We can get you second place. What do you say?”
He didn’t bother explaining how they would achieve second place, nor did he offer any details about his plan.
He’d simply strolled into enemy territory and declared, “Do as I say, and I’ll grant you victory.” It was an absurd proposition.
If Arak had been there, he would have rejected the offer outright and immediately ordered Lee Seok-hyun’s capture. But Arak wasn’t there.
‘…Do I… not have to take responsibility?’
He looked around at his demoralized comrades, their faces etched with defeat.
In their current state, an offer from the academy that had just decimated them seemed surprisingly… appealing.
‘If we fight, we’ll finish last anyway. And that means no chance of improving next year.’
His mind raced, searching for the best possible outcome.
Even if Lee Seok-hyun’s offer was a lie, Tanteroi had nothing to lose.
They were already at rock bottom. The choice was between fighting and losing, guaranteeing last place, or surrendering and potentially finishing higher.
And the latter option held the enticing possibility of a second-place finish.
‘And if we can get second… then first place is within reach as well.’
A glimmer of hope in their despair.
Wouldn’t it be wiser to ally with Mirinae Academy, who understood their strengths and weaknesses, than with Velutos or Ruamos, complete unknowns?
That thought solidified in Meitan’s mind, a beacon of light guiding him towards a potential escape from their predicament.
“Meitan, bring your flag. We’ll put you to good use. I guarantee you second place.”
In that moment of chaos and uncertainty, as the leaderless Tanteroi students struggled to find their footing…
A new leader emerged.
Their fractured ranks coalesced, their gazes converging on a single point—Lee Seok-hyun.
“Just do as I say.”
His words, delivered with an almost demonic certainty, were impossible to refuse.
They felt compelled to obey, their bodies moving almost involuntarily as they retrieved their flag and presented it to him.
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Charisma ahhh move