166: The decisive moment (III)

Douglas the Wizard was stumped by this series of questions.

Blood Rong… peak combat power… desperate struggle… none of these were easy to deal with, let alone all of them combined. They were truly walking, colossal troubles.

Douglas still wanted to be stubborn and regain some ground:

“We still have 18 peak combat powers. If we deploy them well, there’s still hope…”

“Alright, Douglas the Wizard, stop for a moment and listen to Wizard Green.”

Vice Dean Bruce Kline interrupted him. Everyone present was a Wizard known for their wisdom, and even more so, an expert in mathematics. With a little mental calculation, it was clear that if all these factors were truly considered, Douglas the Wizard's plan had no major flaws and indeed had a high chance of success, but the losses would also be enormous. It might even cost several peak combat powers.

This concerned the lives and fortunes of everyone present, so they had to be cautious.

If Green hadn't proposed the low-cost solution, Douglas the Wizard's plan might have been worth considering. But with Green's better plan, who would still pay attention to Douglas?

Douglas the Wizard still wanted to say something, but another old Wizard beside him pulled him back, winked at him, and shook his head slightly. So, he slumped his face and remained silent…

“Ahem…”

Green, who had successfully gained the right to speak, happily gave a mental 'yay.' This was an excellent sign. As long as he had the right to speak and everyone allowed Green to lead this decisive battle, Green was absolutely confident of achieving final victory, and the fruit of life would very likely fall into Green's hands.

“I am honored that you are willing to listen to my plan. Please, seniors, point out any deficiencies. My plan consists of three steps.”

“Step one: Surround and Trap!”

“I plan to spend five hours extensively felling trees around the enemy’s small hill to create a simple line of chevaux de frise and pit traps. This line must be wide enough, at least 100 meters in width. I walked around the small hill and found many existing sparse forests that can be utilized. All we need to do is make it sturdy and dense enough.”

“This way, we can negate the charging advantage of these Blood Rong. Perhaps those massive Blood Rong will even become their stumbling blocks.”

“As for Blood Fortress’s reaction, seeing them continuously digging fortifications and appearing to be defending to the death, they probably won't send anyone to interfere. This first step should definitely succeed.”

“Good, that’s a great idea.”

Everyone agreed:

“It's certainly feasible. The Blood Rong of Blood Fortress have always been a major concern for us. Being able to neutralize one of their biggest trump cards, this step is worth taking.”

“Indeed, it’s not bad. They can utilize favorable terrain for a desperate defense, and we can also utilize the favorable terrain of the forest to surround them…”

“Haha, even if they come to cause trouble, what then? If too few come, aren't they just delivering military merits to us? If too many come, it's a perfect opportunity to lure the snake out of its hole, draw them down from the hillside, and wipe them all out…”

“Exactly, exactly. This first step is indeed indispensable. It’s like closing the door to beat a dog, so satisfying, so satisfying…”

...“Step two: Wear Them Down!”

“The enemy is still actively building defensive fortifications, which means they haven't given up yet and are making a final struggle.”

“However, we must seize this last treasure chest key.”

“Therefore, we cannot follow their thinking and be led by the nose to foolishly launch a frontal assault on their painstakingly prepared defensive positions. What we need to do at this time is let them do their thing, and we do ours.”

“I once used this tactic – smoke attack! – in a large-scale anti-sniping mission.”

“As Apprentice Wizards, breathing is still necessary. So, we will adopt a 'surround three, leave one open' approach. In three directions, we will light large amounts of firewood to create a massive amount of thick smoke. We can also add some ingredients to the smoke, then use the power of the wind to blow it towards the Blood Fortress Wizards on the small hillside, making them suffer and lowering their combat power and morale.”

“This way, we can completely dismantle their morale and fighting spirit, significantly reduce their combat power, and prepare for the final grand assault.”

“I guarantee this wave will reduce their combat power by at least 50%!”

...“Wizard Green, I have some questions about this tactic. How can you guarantee that our wind will be stronger than theirs? You know, they also have nearly a hundred people and are in an elevated position, so they can blow the smoke back.” A high-ranking Wizard asked.

“This involves the secret weapon I’ve prepared. As you all know, each candidate has the right to decide the types of supplies carried by 20 Wizards. I specifically prepared 20 sets of special blowers for this smoke attack tactic. The wind generated by each blower is equivalent to an Advanced Wizard Apprentice casting a Wizardry at full power to blow wind.”

“However, once these special blowers are activated, they only consume magic stones and do not require human maintenance. They can also continuously blow wind. So, what can their 100 people compare to us? Even if they had another 100 people, I wouldn’t be afraid.”

“Hahahaha…”

“Green, you’re addicted to smoking out rats, aren’t you? Oh, you…”

Brucekrin laughed and pointed at Green. Back on the anti-sniping battlefield, Green had used this very smoke attack tactic to make those Black Wizards truly miserable.

“Mentor, an old trick is fine as long as it works.”

...At this moment.

Douglas the Wizard, who had been silent on the side, spoke up, directly grasping the key point:

“Hehe…”

“Wizard Green, what effect can ordinary smoke have? How much combat power can it reduce?”

“Are you unaware of a Wizard’s powerful vitality and strong resistance to the environment?”

“Those remaining Blood Fortress Wizards are all top elites among Wizard Apprentices, either Bloodline Great Knights or Wizards of intermediate level or higher. Their physiques and resistances are extraordinary.”

“Furthermore, as Wizards, how could they not have some means to solve short-term breathing problems?”

“I’ve studied your battle reports. Your smoke attack in the last anti-sniping mission was indeed very effective and played a decisive role in the overall battle, but the premise was that it took you a full 8 days to finally succeed.”

“But!”

Douglas the Wizard looked around and spoke eloquently:

“Our time is limited!”

“The entire secret realm competition time is only 24 hours, and now only 14 hours remain. Subtracting your estimated 5 hours for the first step, we don’t have much time left…”

“So, may I ask, Wizard Green, how long will your smoke attack strategy take to be effective in the secret realm?”

“Don’t let it come to the point where we exceed the time limit and have to sign a humiliating treaty with Blood Fortress, selling off huge interests of the academy just to get back this treasure chest key.”

“Hmph, by then, you will be the academy’s sinner!”