The students eagerly speculated as they viewed the team list and order on the screen.
"Oh? I'm on the same team as Neike! This is great, just great!"
"I got Piel! Yes, yes! I hit the jackpot in the draw!"
"Hey, we're the 16th in order? Not bad."
"That's really good, isn't it? The ones before us will have drained their stamina, right?"
"Exactly. Even if they're among the top 100 teams of the continent, how can 5 of them take on 20 groups of 50? Plus, we just have to hold out for 3 minutes."
However, discussing which team they teamed up with or what their order was had no real significance.
It didn't take long for the students to understand this.
─ Ugh, ughhh... I can't feel my arm...
─ Ahhhhhhh-!! My leg, my leg!!
─ Hey, start here! Treat the one with the protruding ribs first!
─ This is insane... I get it's practical training, but to wreck first-year students like this... Request support from [The Hilté]!
It was because every group, regardless of who they were, got equally crushed before Oliver's team.
Oliver's team had decimated all the teams up to the 10th group.
Each group had a minimum of 20 seriously injured.
The training took place in a private area.
Meaning, students who had not yet undergone the training were unaware of Oliver team's capabilities.
However, the screams of the injured in front of them were more than enough to plunge the students waiting into terror.
"Is, is Oliver some kind of crazy psychopath?"
"I, agree... I wouldn't even do that to my worst enemy."
"Haah... The injuries get worse for those who entered later."
"Then, that means...?"
"It means the more they fight, the more warmed up they're getting, not tired."
"This is really bad."
Theo too was observing the current scene.
He paid particular attention to the injuries of the wounded.
'Hmm.'
His thoughts differed from the other students.
'This Oliver guy, he's holding back a lot.'
With each group having at least 20 injured, the total number of casualties so far exceeded 200.
However, none of them had sustained permanent damage.
With continuous treatment using healing magic, all of them could return to normal within a week.
Captured alive is the most difficult in war, followed by rendering temporarily incapable of action.
In other words, Oliver's team was in a position to exercise restraint if they wished.
"Hmm..."
There was an opening to exploit.
Oliver, being a named character in the game, Theo was well aware of his team's artifacts and tendencies.
However, he didn't know the current fighting style and psychological state of Oliver's team.
To devise a strategy with a high probability of success, Theo needed to know these details...
As Theo was deep in thought, Alice, who was beside him, spoke up with a worried expression.
"Theo..., what are you thinking about?"
"How to defeat Oliver's team."
"Wh-What?!"
Alice's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You mean not just endure, but actually defeat them?"
"Yes."
"A-Ah, but... isn't that difficult? I know you're exceptional, Theo, but..."
Alice stopped speaking, silenced by the seriousness in Theo's eyes.
Instead, she thought to herself.
'Just looking at the injuries the others have suffered... It seems best not to get hurt...'
No matter how extraordinary Theo's abilities were, she couldn't imagine him bringing down Oliver's team.
Even now, top students were writhing on the ground, groaning in pain.
Theo silently observed the group list and order on the screen, paying particular attention to the order.
'My group's training order is 13th.'
Since the 10th group's training had just finished, there were two still groups ahead of them.
The 11th was Piel's team, and the 12th was Neike's.
'That's right, Oliver was obsessed with fair fights.'
Suddenly, Theo recalled Oliver's character setting from the game.
Oliver believed that brutal one-on-one duels were the best way to determine the strongest.
Even during his school days, he had challenged not only instructors but also professors, and upon joining Ataraxia, he had even challenged the guild master and Hollow, the 3rd ranked hero of the continent.
'Yes. It's a strategy worth trying.'
Having thought of a method, Theo quickly stood up.
I passed on a potentially effective strategy to both Piel and Neike.
"What...? Are you crazy? How can I say that?!"
"Hearing it out, it does seem plausible. Should I call this a strategy or a provocation? Anyway, I'll give it a try."
"Okay, got it! Thanks, Theo~"
Afterward, I returned to my seat to observe the outcome.
Soon, Piel's group returned.
Only 4 were injured.
This was the best record so far.
"What the heck, only 4 got hurt?"
"Is it really because of Piel...?!"
"What are you waiting for! Hurry up and go ask how they did it!"
Students who hadn't undergone the training yet swarmed out to surround Piel's group.
Piel, surrounded by students, glanced at me with a resigned look.
I responded with a slight smile and a nod of my head.
A little later, Neike's group returned.
4 injured.
It was a tie with Piel's team.
Just like with Piel's team, students who had not yet received training swarmed out.
I looked down at Neike, who was surrounded by students and scratching his head with a smile.
"..."
There might have been differences in how it actually went down.
But it was clear they had used the strategy I had suggested.
'It worked.'
My hypothesis had been proven by the current results.
I was confident that we could give Oliver a significant blow.
"Everyone, gather around."
I immediately assembled my team members to explain my plan.
Finally, it was Theo's group's turn for training.
Before moving to the arena, Theo gathered the entire group.
There were some murmurs of discontent, like "Who is he to order us around?" but they quickly dissipated.
This was because Jang Woohee, the highest-ranked student among the current group, naturally paid attention to Theo's words, and there were rumors among the team members that Theo had given advice to Piel and Neike.
Theo spoke up.
"It seems everyone's here."
─...
"Then I'll explain my plan. If you trust and follow it, I promise we can at least match the records of Piel and Neike's teams."
─!
All the team members listened intently to Theo's story, holding their breath.
However, after Theo finished speaking, they looked at each other with surprised faces, pouring out their doubts.
─Really, can we do that?
─Even if we follow it, can we handle the consequences?
─Isn't that too underhanded... What if an enraged Oliver breaks one of our arms each?
Then, the voice of the staff was heard.
─13th group, please enter the training ground immediately.
Despite the pressing time, the team members were still murmuring among themselves.
Theo, instead of showing annoyance, calmly stated.
"I'll prove it with the results. Trust me."
Before Theo's group entered, inside the arena where training was underway.
Hailey frowned as she looked at Oliver, who was lying on his back in a comfortable pose on the arena floor, his brown belly exposed.
'Haa... This guy is uncontrollable.'
Hailey's reason for coming to Elinia Academy today was to see the budding talents who would later make a name for themselves across the continent.
Thus, she had canceled her schedule and joined with Oliver's team.
However, Oliver had acted as he pleased, leaving no opportunity to assess the students' skills.
He literally smashed the groups that swarmed him.
With the skills of Oliver's team, they could have easily handled each opponent one by one.
'It would have been better that way... I could have seen the movements of all 50 students.'
Oliver had also smashed the 5:5 team battles proposed by Piel and Neike's groups.
Both sides were completely destroyed.
However, this time, only the abilities of five members from each group were visible, making it a less than satisfactory evaluation.
What conspiracy they had plotted, only 5 members participated while the rest of the 45 just watched...
As Hailey was clutching her throbbing head,
─ 13th group, please enter the arena!
Theo's group entered the arena.
'Hmm. This team includes Theo and Jang Woohee. Perhaps they'll be different.'
Hailey refocused her attention on the arena.
Oliver watched the 13th group ascend to the arena.
He smiled broadly at the sight of a male student walking gracefully in the lead.
"Oh, our cheeky junior. Happy to see you? Did you come fully prepared~?"
There was no response.
Step, step──
Theo walked up to Oliver without giving him even a glance.
Still smiling broadly, Oliver commented.
"Oh, you're quite tall. Let's see, you seem to be at least 15 cm taller than me──"
He couldn't finish his sentence.
"Always got something to say. Shut up, you're annoying, bastard."
Theo's remark cut him off.
Contempt was evident in Theo's voice and face.
