Preparatory work took almost an hour. During that period, Xiao Lin did not forget to instruct each class to send some people to guard the main roads down the hill. It was to ensure that the enemy in the fortress would not be allowed to slip away that easily.
He was still worried in spite of that and coordinated once more with the various class monitors to gather students with relatively high Basic Archery skills. The task for them was very arduous—they were responsible for ensuring that no flying beast left the sky above the hill.
There were a few people who voiced out on how Xiao Lin seemed to be preparing for a huge war, but Xiao Lin merely replied, “Aren’t you puzzled? All signs indicate that the orc army is coming, but the landfall itself was a sudden attack. How could the orc army know and respond so quickly when we were surrounded by water?”
“We didn’t manage to kill all the fleeing merfolk. They must have informed the orcs.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Haven’t you asked the captain of your respective warship before this? This supply depot is three days away from the nearest orc barracks. This estimate applies if the cavalry is moving at full speed. It would take much longer if they’re journeying on foot. The merfolk are an amphibious race too and they can’t stay on land for too long. The most they can stand is one or two days, after which they’d have to head back to the water.”
It was not that Xiao Lin had more information, but in fact, it was because of the sudden change in topic by all their course’s tutors and lecturers before the monthly exam. Xiao Lin found it a little strange at that point and made a point to remember it. For example, knowledge on merfolk was specifically mentioned in Professor Dai’s history class.
In order to prevent everything from dragging along further, Xiao Lin conducted a simple discussion with the other monitors and instructors after Cheng Ming gathered a sufficient number of people. The decision was to launch an immediate attack.
There was a total of more than a hundred people in the vanguard, including six acting monitors and nine instructors. According to Xiao Lin’s vision, that team was the elite and avoided unnecessary casualties. They quickly went to the fortress and opened the gate, allowing a steady stream of people to invade.
Chen Dao was responsible for organizing remote fire suppression using spells and archery from the foot of the hill. Of course, he remembered Xiao Lin’s order not to let anyone with Basic Archery below LV4 or Basic Perception below LV3 to get involved. There was no guarantee that those below that level could aim their spells or arrows at the enemy instead of their own people who were engaged in a melee.
Gu Xiaoyue’s mission was simple but very important. She had to apply Elementary Speed Boost spells to everyone in the first wave of the charge. There were more than 100 people in total, which equated to more than 100 people she had to cast on.
Even though it was only a low-level spell, the consumption of mental power was surely astonishing. Although there were several other people who knew how to cast that spell, their skill levels were too low and the acceleration effect was only 10%.
A 10% difference was still very obvious, and while Xiao Lin was still hesitating, Gu Xiaoyue made light of it and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”
She immediately ignored Xiao Lin and waved her wand, applying the spell to everyone who was about to attack the hill. With her standard, the Elementary Speed Boost could be completed in almost half a second without needing breaks or rests in between. The light green halo immediately shrouded the crowd, attracting the attention of many.
Xiao Lin stared blankly, with three minutes already passed when he snapped back to his senses. Gu Xiaoyue had already returned by then, and she adjusted her spectacle frame before saying in her usual calm tone, “It’s done.”
The corners of Xiao Lin’s mouth twitched a couple of times and he finally sighed, “Alright then. You won’t be participating in the long-range fire suppression during the hill attack later, so have a good rest for the time being.”
“Mind your own business!” Gu Xiaoyue was not used to Xiao Lin’s demeanor.
Xiao Lin said unhappily, “Look at yourself in the mirror. It’s as white as a piece of paper! Don’t try to act tough. A hundred Elementary Speed Boost spells is hard to manage, even for you.”
Xiao Lin forced the arrangements on his own initiative and also reasoned that he was the commanding officer, and Gu Xiaolin was the group leader appointed by him. He was still uneasy when he left, so he shouted in Chen Dao’s direction, “Chen Dao! I won’t spare you if I come back and see Gu Xiaoyue in your team!”
After speaking, Xiao Lin picked up the Holy Soul Sword in his right hand, and held the Peakfire Staff in his left. He rushed towards the hill in large strides. The rest followed closely and the other monitors had a quick pace too. After three months of studying, their confidence was at an all-time high, especially after such a heaty battle on the beach with the merfolk. Most of them felt really good about themselves
Chen Dao was left with an inexplicable expression on his face and he muttered to the person next to him, “Why the hell is that guy so pissed?”
Regardless of what Gu Xiaoyue thought, she had indeed won the envy and admiration of countless people earlier. Despite having been named the strongest mage in freshman year by everyone since her enrollment in the academy, seeing her in action was a true sight to behold. There were always people who remained skeptical and others who felt that they were better than her.
Under normal circumstances, it was impossible to compete with each other in the academy. The previous two monthly exams were also conducted in separate classes. On that occasion however, Gu Xiaoyue casted more than 100 Elementary Speed Boost spells in one breath, which came as a shock to everyone. If that woman’s mental strength could be likened to the sea, the mental strength of could be likened to streams at best.
The charging team who enjoyed the acceleration effect was also very grateful to Gu Xiaoyue, especially when they tore open the Elementary Agility special effect scroll. They discovered that the 20% acceleration effect actually had an effect on the additional five agility points from the scroll.
Xiao Lin was the one who enjoyed it most. He felt as light as a swallow if without activating the Miracle skill. The distance from the foot of the hill to the fortress was short, and things became tense when they entered within 50 meters. Sharp weapons were thrown like rain, including throwing axes, javelins, or spears, and occasionally some arrows.
In fact, the power of ordinary bows and arrows was not as powerful as these directly-thrown weapons. The throwers seemed to have considerate strength, as the weapons made a harsh screeching sound against the air. Before anyone could react, someone had screamed and fell. The person, despite wearing chain armor that had significant defensive ability, was pierced through the heart with a spear.
One-hit kill!
The charge’s footwork halted slightly and everyone felt a chill come up their backs. Xiao Lin’s roar then came, “Do you want to be a live target by standing there like idiots? We can’t retreat now! Charge! We can only rush forward and hope to survive!”
Chen Dao had been keeping close attention to the developments on the hill and did not hesitate to shoot a flaming fireball. He majored in flame spells and used a flame ball to start the prelude to the attack.