Chapter 160: Hello, Mr. Devil (2)
The curriculum of the Tulip was very full, and there were a lot of required courses in the first two years, in four semesters.
One of them is a course called "Combat Exercise".
Students from the production department detest it, while those from the practical faction can't get enough of it.
Wizards, or rather, all people in the world, can be divided into two factions, one being the theoretical faction, and the other being the practical faction.
Mathematics can also be divided into the realms of theoretical mathematics and applied mathematics. Using this analogy, it is easy to understand the logic of a sorcerer.
The mysterious systems born in different places in the world naturally have different structures. However, industrial development can synchronize, and technological revolutions can quickly advance, driving the development of scientific systems worldwide.
The mysterious systems, on the other hand, do not follow this pattern. The magic-based wizard system exists only on the Europa continent, while the cultivation system of the immortals exists only in the Ming Country. Trying to transplant it elsewhere is prone to failure, ultimately leading to nothing.
The only type of mysterious system that can be transplanted so far is the "evil god".
The alliance's mysterious system is mainly focused on "arts", but it isn't limited to just "arts", as there's also "swords".
In the Sword Blossom Alliance, blades and blooming flowers are indispensable.
Swords can be used for self-protection or for eliminating enemies.
In combat exercises, the subject taught is "swordsmanship".
With the passage of time, this swordsmanship may evolve into longswords, which can then transform into folding longswords, advanced longswords, defensive longswords... or even "revolvers".
In combat, practicality is everything. If you think revolvers are effective, you can choose them as your weapon. But it doesn't mean you will have an easier time, as shooting requires high accuracy, and the ammunition for firearms is expensive, something that most people can't afford. Moreover, non-specialized ammunition can cause minor injuries to many races. According to unofficial and unreliable statistics, since firearms were invented, the race that has been killed the most by them... is the humans themselves.
Although firearms were invented by humans, they have been used to kill their own kind.
Michelle tried firearms before, but Dragon Clan bodies can easily handle the recoil. She mostly chose firearms to avoid physical exercise.
However, combat exercises were different. It was a serious hands-on activity, and at that point, almost no one would choose firearms.
Unless they had a Black Dragon Cannon Sniper.
But in a one-on-one situation within a thirty-meter range, these large-caliber sniper rifles were not very effective. If the opponent charged forward with a shield, it could easily crush you.
When Michelle arrived at the field for combat exercises, her face turned pale, and her voice trembled as she spoke.
"You're so scared?"
Michelle ignored the person. Last time she was in combat exercises, she lay in the dormitory for two days. The time before that, she was sent to the medical room. The time before that, she had bandages wrapped around her for half a month. These memories were deeply imprinted in her mind. Unfortunately, school rules did not allow students to skip this course. Anyone who did would receive a warning.
So, this course was just a way to see a group of refined students from the production department being beaten down by the practical faction.
Since it was male against male and female against female, no mercy was shown. Women might even be more ruthless, not hesitating to pull each other's hair.
This strange combat exercise was also meant to cultivate students' fighting spirit, just like different armies training with each other.
The Sacred Religion was eyeing them. They weren't soldiers, but they needed to be prepared for battle just in case. If the Sacred Religion suddenly had a change of heart, and launched an attack on the Alliance, the Alliance needed to be prepared. While not everyone could become a soldier, they could at least muster a reserve force of several hundred thousand sorcerers.
If one wants to avoid being beaten, the best way is to become strong themselves. The best way to overcome fear is to face it head-on. The effect of combat exercises is to push these bookworms to come up with some useful spells for combat. The duration is only three minutes, so just hold on.
Michelle had no expectations and was constantly beaten in combat exercises.
In the past, with Alena and Chao Lu around, she could at least suffer fewer beatings. But now, once the other person started, they showed no mercy.
When everyone grows stronger and you remain weak and alone, exclusion follows.
Bai Wei stood beside the young girl, watching a muscular man in the practical combat training wielding a two-handed sword relentlessly hacking at a frail young man who was using the Rock Defense Technique. Although the sword didn't make contact, its power was still fierce. The swordsmanship of the enchantment discipline greatly enhanced its destructive force. The frail young man, hidden behind a rock, didn't seem skilled in close combat, but remained calm.
He must have suffered countless setbacks before, to be able to make stable judgments even in the face of a strong attack, switching magic techniques, and even counterattacking with Stone Bullets. He had also learned to summon a basic elemental puppet, a Stone Fist, though its effectiveness wasn't very strong.
After three minutes, both sides had suffered minor injuries, but they had achieved results. Their classmates applauded in praise.
The swordsman and the earth mage looked at each other, feeling a sense of camaraderie.
Competition leads to progress; this is a positive cycle.
Bai Wei couldn't help but marvel at this excellent teaching philosophy.
This teaching method seems really familiar.
Why does it remind him of the scene in the past when he was too lazy to teach and let the students fight amongst themselves, while he sat on the side munching on melon seeds and clapping?
It must be an illusion. Hmm, just an illusion...
The match ended.
"Next group," the Sphinx in charge of the combat training, whose lineage was not pure, with a lion's lower half and a human upper half, announced the names from the list. "Michelle Hope... and, Lacey Barber."
Upon hearing Michelle's name, many people unconsciously shrugged their shoulders. For them, watching Michelle get beaten up had become tiresome.
And Lacey Barber happened to be a Lamia with a sadistic streak, a weird race. They enjoyed "embracing" others.
The embrace of a Lamia is incredibly sensual for the races that can withstand it, but fatal for those who cannot. They would entwine their tails around a person's body and squeeze tightly. The best-case scenario would be multiple fractures all over the body, and the worst-case would be a ruptured liver and gallbladder.
After being called, a large snake eagerly slithered to the center of the arena. With pink scales, the upper half resembled a seductive beauty while the lower half was that of a massive python, weighing over 300 kilograms and measuring more than twelve meters in length, a true giant snake.
The mysterious voice echoed again.
"Do you really intend to go out there?"
No, I definitely don't want to!
If she strangles me for a moment, all my bones will break, even with strong regenerative abilities, I would still have to lie in the infirmary for three days!
But I don't want to face disciplinary action either. Three warnings and I'll be expelled.
Michelle reluctantly walked to the center of the arena, contrasting her lean and inconspicuous figure with the alluring Snake-woman.
Even the Sphinx felt a bit cruel, but rules were rules.
It was now the second half of the first academic year, and the nerds who used to cry and howl after being beaten up were no longer around. Even the most well-mannered young man had developed abs to avoid being beaten up and had acquired knowledge in several disciplines. Michelle was the only one who hadn't improved in combat. If she wasn't made to face some hardships, she would probably continue like this.
This is the cruelty of the Swordflower Alliance. One must transform into a strong individual both physically and mentally. This is the most fundamental way to stand against the Holy Decree Army, favored by the angels.
No mercy for the weak.
The Sphinx raised her arm and declared, "Begin!"
Michelle was mentally prepared for the hardships ahead and had made some preparations.
Lacey covered her mouth with her right hand and chuckled. She excelled in the elemental discipline. With a snap of her fingers, a green wind enveloped the arena, raising a large amount of dust and sand.
Disturb the vision first, then capture the prey from the hidden position and deliver a fatal blow.
Lacey had moved to Michelle's right side.
Michelle was still preparing her technique, trying to reduce her weight and increase her altitude to maintain a safe distance.
Unfortunately, she was too slow, lacking proficiency and reacting relatively tardily. She had a lack of practice in daily life and a lack of combat training.
"Left side," a prompt sounded, and she instinctively dodged to the right.
Lacey, who was behind her, hugged the air with her hands, surprised. Then she stuck out her tongue, revealing an interested smile. Her tail wagged, making a rattling sound, as she disappeared into the windy sand once again.
"It's not going well like this. Even if I can remind you of her position next time, you might not be able to dodge. You can only accept her passionate embrace. The feeling of being entangled by a snake is not pleasant."
The voice continued to disturb her, but what it said was straightforward.
"Then what do you suggest?"
Michelle's voice was drowned in the sound of the wind and sand. She could only hear the rattling tails of the numerous snakes around her, as if there were countless enemies, and cold sweat dripped from her forehead. She was now exposed to a terrifying life-threatening crisis.
Amidst all the noisy sounds, only the whispers remained calm and composed.
The young man's voice continued non-stop. As an onlooker, he resembled a resentful barrage master.
"What else can you do? Naturally, you have to fight back."
"You are a Witch, a Dragonborn. With such a powerful bloodline, it's your most potent weapon. Why fear just a snake?"
"My Dragonborn power has long been dormant, and witches... witches have always been the weak!" Michelle softly retorted.
In the next moment, a figure suddenly dashed out from the sandstorm.
Michelle's heart sank, and she immediately tried to dodge, but she could only avoid the embrace. The tail that followed tightly wrapped around her.
"Darling, accept my embrace," Lacey smiled and reached out her hand, layering her tail around Michelle.
Michelle felt herself almost suffocating as the heavy pressure from the outside continued to bear down on her. She murmured, "As expected... it's still the same. I'm still too weak."
