Villain With The Strongest System

( Day 3 of University )

The third day of University saw Rocky waking up at 5 am as he reported to practical combat class for the morning training.

Somehow, his body had grown accustomed to training hard everyday and when he broke this routine, his muscles went into a sort of workout withdrawal where he received a weird itch that made him feel uncomfortable until he worked out.

Professor Mave went in hard with his morning training for the students as well as he covered everything from running, to stretching and power poses that were sure to engage all the muscles in one's body and help build physical strength.

Then, he made all the students repeatedly hit their shins and elbows against a semi-hard rock to improve bone strength of these vital areas.

By the time the class ended, everyone walked out with swollen shins and elbows as they headed over to the breakfast hall to officially begin their days.

*********

The breakfast hall was where the practical combat students regrouped with the rest of the batch who had just woken up as after a light and nourishing meal, everyone headed for their classes for the day, which just happened to be the monster weakness class for Rocky, Buhara and Erin.

The monster weakness class was taken by Professor Deril who on the first day explained the course structure, the grading method and how there would be a final written paper for this subject at the end of the year.

He then went on to explain the popular monsters found on floor one to floor three of the tower and their weaknesses, as apparently his method of teaching was to cover fighting monsters on a case by case basis.

Professor Deril began the class by highlighting the weaknesses of Slime Creatures, a common nuisance on the first floor of the tower.

These gelatinous beings were known for their amorphous shapes and ability to absorb physical blows, making conventional attacks nearly ineffective. "However," he pointed out, "their weakness lies in their susceptibility to cold temperatures. Freezing spells or icy weapons can cause them to solidify and shatter."

" But, because I know that most of you won't spend money to deal with mere slimes, so the other elements that they are weak against are fire spells, water spells and a direct blow to their slime core which will kill them instantly".

Next, he moved on to Dire Wolves, menacing predators found lurking on the second floor of the tower.

These creatures were larger and far more formidable than their ordinary wolf counterparts, with razor-sharp teeth and a pack mentality that makes them dangerous opponents. "Dire Wolves," he said, "rely on their sense of smell and hearing more than sight, making them formidable in the dark. However, their reliance on these senses is also their downfall.

Strong, pungent scents can overwhelm their sense of smell, and high-pitched sounds can disorient their hearing, creating opportunities for attacks."

He explained how adventurers could use alchemical bombs that released a strong odor or magical instruments that emitted high-frequency sounds to gain an advantage over Dire Wolves. "Furthermore," Professor Deril added, "while Dire Wolves are fast and powerful, they are not the most agile creatures.

Quick, nimble fighters can outmaneuver them, especially in terrain that restricts their movement", he explained as he displayed some useful videos on how to fight direwolves, which the students found most informative.

Finally, the class was introduced to the Skeletal Warriors that haunted the third floor.

These undead soldiers, animated by dark magic, were immune to poison and fatigue. "But," Professor Deril explained, "being devoid of flesh, they are particularly vulnerable to bludgeoning weapons. Hammers, clubs, or any heavy object can shatter their bones easily."

As he concluded the discussion on low-level monsters, Professor Deril emphasized the importance of strategy over brute strength. "Understanding your enemy's weakness is key to defeating them," he reminded the class.

"Always observe and adapt; what works on one creature may be ineffective on another" he emphasized as the students scribbled notes fervently, knowing that this knowledge would be vital for their survival and success in the tower as well as for scoring well in their final exams.

*********

" Puny humans, I, Buhara, like the monster weakness class much more than the Power dynamics class.

This class does not bore Buhara" said Buhara as both Rocky and Erin agreed.

When one could sense that the knowledge being imparted to them was actually useful for their lives, they naturally listened to it intently and it made the learning process that much more enjoyable.

Since they already knew that they were bound to face these creatures sooner or later, studying about them and their weaknesses helped them gain confidence to someday face them in reality.

"I certainly hope that battlefield strategy class will also be as fun as this one, it's the last course we have yet to explore-" Erin said, as the trio headed to the library together to study more about monsters before lunch.

**********

Post lunch, the group headed towards the last class they had yet to attend which was the 'Battlefield strategies and leadership' class taken by Professor Beach.

Unlike the other professors, she had a very laid back personality and with her class having only 20 students total, the atmosphere was also very intimate and one on one compared to the other classes.

Professor Beach, began the 'Battlefield Strategies and Leadership' class by outlining the core objective which was to teach the students not just about the tactics of war, but about the leadership qualities necessary to inspire and direct comrades effectively in the heat of battle.

"Leadership on the battlefield," she started, "isn't just about giving orders. It's about understanding your environment, your enemy, and most importantly, your team. It's about making decisions under pressure that could mean life or death" she explained as she looked into the eyes of each of her students with a smile.

She moved on to discuss historical battles, drawing parallels to the strategies employed by famous commanders and how they could be applied to battles against monsters or in the tower and used a combination of interactive holograms and real-life anecdotes to bring these scenarios to life, making complex tactics accessible and engaging.

"Consider the Battle of the Narrow Pass," she proposed, projecting a detailed map of a hypothetical narrow pass similar to ones found in the tower. "The key to victory here is control. By utilizing the terrain, a smaller force can potentially hold off a larger enemy.

Trap placement, archer positions, and the timing of a counter-attack can turn the tide of battle" she explained as she took one of the most historical battles of the God Shakuni, and broke down the strategy used by him to defeat an army of 100,000 men with only 1,000 soldiers.

Next, Professor Beach divided the class into small groups, assigning each a different scenario where they had to come up with a strategy to overcome a superior enemy force.

Rocky, Buhara, and Erin found themselves tasked with defending a village from a horde of Dire Wolves using only a limited number of fighters.

The exercise forced them to apply what they had learned about the wolves' weaknesses and the principles of leadership.

They debated the merits of using scent traps to disorient the wolves and positioning their strongest fighters in key chokepoints to protect the villagers, as about 20 minutes into the discussion it became clear to Erin and Buhara that Rocky's insight into understanding a battle far outclassed their own as Rocky seemed naturally inclined for the role of a leader.

"We need to make use of the wall, it's foolish to fight outside the village areas when we can first dwindle their strength using traps and archers while being behind the safety of a wall" Rocky said, as most of his tactics and suggestions went over Buhara's head who was used to a very simple way of fighting which was to attack when the chief yelled 'attack'.

While not as bad as Buhara, Erin struggled to think as creatively as Rocky as in the end it became a session of Rocky explaining his thoughts to his two friends who just nodded along.

As each group presented their strategy, Professor Beach offered insights and critiques, highlighting the importance of flexibility and adaptability in leadership.

She praised Rocky and his plan declaring his team to be the winner of this round of discussions as she was most satisfied with the plan that Rocky proposed, albeit it not being perfect and having some areas where he could still improve.

The class ended with a discussion on the moral responsibilities of a leader, touching on the weight of decision-making and the impact of loss of life.

Professor Beach's approach to teaching battlefield strategies as a blend of tactics, psychology, and ethics left a lasting impression on the students, making it clear that leadership in battle was about much more than just fighting.

As they left the class, Rocky, Buhara, and Erin felt a new sense of respect for the complexities of leadership and strategy.

They had initially thought that the subject would be slightly rigid and definite just like monster weakness, however, after just the first class they understood that there was no 'one' standard solution when it came to strategizing.

Every situation needed a unique solution and with enough thinking one could always come up with a unique and better solution and hence the subject revolved around critique and expanding one's line of thought rather than rigid knowledge.

After only the first lecture, the trio realized that the knowledge gained here was sure to be crucial not only in their future battles within the tower but also in any leadership roles they might assume in their careers, whether it was as an orc chieftain, a guildmaster, or a messiah.

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/// A/N - Bonus chapter 2 of 3 for the day. This bonus chapter is sponsored by patron Cervantez91, please thank him in the comments for the same! ///

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