164: The decisive moment (I)

Inside a huge, crude wooden cabin, a heated debate was underway.

A lean, slender male Wizard was speaking loudly:

"In my opinion, we should directly launch a fierce assault, using our overwhelming advantage to strike a decisive blow, completely defeat Blood Fortress, and seize the treasure chest key."

"Our forces outnumber theirs, and we have more abundant war supplies. Furthermore, the Wizards of Blood Fortress are already in a state of panic and low morale after the large-scale interception in the first phase. As long as we apply enough pressure, we can settle the outcome in one battle."

"Wizard Alpha, please take a seat. Does anyone else have anything to add? This is our pre-war meeting. If your opinions are adopted, they can be converted into a good number of points."

"Wizard Green, you speak as well. Don't you usually have a lot of cunning ideas?"

Vice Dean Bruce Kline looked at the dozen or so Wizards in the wooden cabin with a smile. These were all high-level decision-makers from Plant Heart Academy, and they were discussing the final battle strategy. The current situation in the secret realm was excellent, so Vice Dean Bruce Kline was in a very good mood… During the first phase of the dense forest interception, the Peak Wizard Apprentices of Plant Heart Academy, relying on various plant-based wizardry and methods, truly distinguished themselves in this vast jungle, eliminating nearly half of Blood Fortress's effective forces in one go.

As for Green, he managed to organize his forces at the end, eliminating two Peak Wizard Apprentices who fell into a trap, achieving an overtaking. On the academy's war achievement ranking, Green was ranked first.

(Green couldn't help but thank these two big fish; they were war achievement delivered right to his doorstep. If not for their greed and arrogance, believing that two Peak Wizard Apprentices alone could kill Green, they wouldn't have fallen for Green's trap, drawing the snake out of its hole, and essentially delivering their heads on a silver platter. What a pity, what a lament…)

In the second phase of the treasure chest scramble, the Wizards of Blood Fortress, due to their initial strategy of dividing their forces with great ambition to swallow two treasure chest keys at once, were seized upon by Plant Heart Academy, who defeated them one by one, forcing them to desperately cling to the last treasure chest key.

The current situation is that Plant Heart Academy has two treasure chest keys. One treasure chest key was opened from Treasure Chest No. 3, obtained through Plant Heart Academy's own sacrifice. The other was seized by Plant Heart Academy after Blood Fortress Wizard Academy completed its sacrifice.

The third treasure chest key is still in the hands of Blood Fortress. They are now holed up on a small hillside, defending it to the death.

Therefore, a major battle is inevitable between the two Wizard Academies… "Hmph…"

"What time is it now? It's the moment of the decisive battle! We are discussing tactics for a frontal assault, so there's no need to mention any petty tricks that aren't presentable here."

"Wizard Bruce Kline, Green's little tricks can be slowly added as supplementary details after the strategic plan is set. Don't you all agree?"

The speaker was Wizard Douglas, who had initially proposed the fierce assault plan. His method, blending softness with hardness, suppressing with one hand and appeasing with the other, was very skillful, and he even pulled in public opinion as an ally.

Green stared at Wizard Douglas for a while. This middle-aged Wizard, no more than 60 years old, in his prime, having honed his skills at the Peak Wizard Apprentice level for over a decade, and possessing a 30% chance of successfully breaking through to a Formal Wizard, was Green's biggest rival in the academy's internal competition for the fruit of life.

Although Green's success rate was 40%, one-tenth higher than Wizard Douglas's, Wizard Douglas had practiced for twenty years longer than Green, making him more experienced and seasoned. Thus, the two could be considered evenly matched.

It was also for this reason that, by decision of the Plant Heart Academy's highest management committee (with the approval of His Excellency Joyce), the fruit of life obtained in this secret realm competition would be awarded to the person with the highest war achievement… wizard's path, October, Year 28, Finalists for the fruit of life competition—

Contestant No. 1: Wizard Green

Age: 38 (28 years on the wizard's path)

Basic success rate: 40%

Combat power: Peak Wizard Apprentice combat power (Bio-armor Experimenter + Advanced Elemental Wizard + Ultimate Bloodline Great Knight)

War achievement: 1892 points

…Contestant No. 2: Wizard Douglas

Age: 58 (48 years on the wizard's path)

Basic success rate: 30%

Combat power: Peak Wizard Apprentice combat power (Bio-armor Experimenter + Advanced Elemental Wizard + Ordinary Grand Knight)

War achievement: 1762 points

… "Heh heh…"

"Even small cleverness can hold great wisdom. What are strategies and tactics, if not individual clever ideas, brainstormed and summarized into a large framework plan?"

Green showed no deference to this aggressive Wizard Douglas who was wantonly belittling him. In the face of a dispute over the wizard's path, he would not yield an inch.

"Wizard Douglas, have you ever considered how many of our academy colleagues we would have to sacrifice to break through the tight defensive perimeter set up by those Blood Fortress Wizards, if we were to attack relentlessly as you suggest?"

"Or rather, do you not care about these lives at all, and merely wish for a quick victory, paving your way to becoming a Formal Wizard with the lives of numerous academy mentors?"

"War? How can there be no deaths?"

"So far, the academy has already sacrificed over twenty Wizards. Next, we have to tackle a tough challenge, and some sacrifices are inevitable."

The middle-aged Wizard Douglas, with his hawk-like gaze, stared intently at the young Wizard Green. He was extremely wary of this rising star in the academy and attacked him with full force, as if they were mortal enemies.

"Wizard Green, you're not… afraid of death, are you? Where were those grand words from the expedition oath ceremony? At the critical moment, you're actually retreating."

"No wonder. I heard that Wizard Green, you've only been on one large outdoor mission, and merely cut off the head of a Black Wizard. Your experience in live combat must be insufficient, so a little fear is inevitable."

"Haha, Wizard Green, I understand you. Fear of death is normal for any newcomer. I think you still need to experience more things, like me. I've fought and battled for the academy for over thirty years, experiencing hundreds of missions, big and small, and I've long since come to terms with personal life and death."

"In my eyes, as long as the mission can be completed, there's nothing that cannot be sacrificed. Moreover, this fruit of life concerns the survival of our academy, so even if there are greater sacrifices, it is worth it."

…The other Wizards in the wooden cabin listened silently, including the overall commander, Vice Dean Bruce Kline.

He offered no opinion on the competition between the two candidates, letting them contend. This was their stage to perform.

In the first two phases of the secret realm competition, the five candidates relied on their war achievement from hunting enemies, testing their individual combat ability and luck. Three candidates had already been eliminated.

Now, the final two candidates are competing on battlefield command ability and strategic thinking. Only the most comprehensive, most destined, and most outstanding Wizard is qualified to become a Formal Wizard and become a new pillar of Plant Heart Academy!