Chapter 3

PS1: Hello everyone, I am the top student, a new author with a new book. I humbly request your recommendations, collections, and support (serious tone).

PS2: Thank you to Li Laohan, Zheng Guagua, and other readers like those with Y initials for your generous support. Indeed, old readers... I mean, old patrons are truly generous... I will add more updates after signing the contract to show my gratitude.

PS3: I will update at least twice a day, with 2,000 to 3,000 words each time, around noon and 6 PM. That's how it is.

￥￥￥￥￥ Yes, I am the RMB symbol that reveals the author's wolfish ambitions. ￥￥￥￥￥

Under the gloomy weather with a drizzle, the Necromancer Academy did not adjust its outdoor classes due to the weather. Mages must learn to complete their training in any environment.

During rainy weather, the use of rain gear is not allowed, but students can still find other ways to avoid the rain. For example, talented students can use any spell they know to repel the rain. Students whose spellcasting abilities are insufficient can only get wet. As for a certain bear student who feels uncomfortable without causing trouble, he broke the neck of a gargoyle guard with a bone spear, then tore off the wings of this unfortunate puppet, turning them into a unique "rainproof magical device."

It was not yet time for class, but Instructor Arno had already arrived early at the training ground. This powerful necromancer was once a promising warrior before he delved into the realm of the dead, always believing that the early bird gets the worm. He liked to share insights and experiences with the early-arriving students before class, but his manner of expression was as simple, crude, and direct as his appearance.

"Any mage who wants to engage in melee is a fool! But a mage who doesn't understand melee is a fool among fools!" The deafening roar echoed across the vast training ground, with the scar-faced, fierce instructor leaning against the wall, surrounded by a circle of students. "Mages are artists, they should cast spells elegantly from a distance and destroy enemies in a grand manner. There's no need to learn crude melee—get rid of this damn idea, you bastards! A bucket's capacity depends on its shortest plank, and a mage's ability to survive in dire situations depends on their weakest aspect!"

Sigma kicked the incapacitated gargoyle away and walked towards the instructor. According to the rules, destroying school property would incur a fine, but he was an exception. When a master personally recruited him to the academy, promising many favorable terms to trick him into joining, Sigma casually crossed out the "miscellaneous fees" from the "tuition and miscellaneous fees." At the time, the master thought Sigma just wanted to save some money on meals and materials, but little did he know that this laid the groundwork for future revenge. For necromancers, who highly value order and the spirit of contracts, even if Sigma destroyed one-fifth of the Twilight Valley, they would grit their teeth and pay for the reconstruction themselves.

As he approached, the instructor's lecture continued, this time covering some simple but often overlooked truths, very practical and useful.

"The pale-faced bards and third-rate writers all say that spellcasters are the core of the team and will be heavily protected. When it's the mages' turn to engage in close combat with the enemy, the team is doomed—true, but does the team's doom necessarily mean the mage's survival?" The burly combat instructor roared, waving his thick arms. "Remember! Don't treat your opponents as idiots! They won't stand foolishly at a distance waiting for you to cast spells! They will target your weaknesses, find ways to get close to you, bind you, and wear you down! When your mana is nearly depleted, when your enemies approach you with speed, strength, schemes, and traps that you can't react to, when your guards are all dead, and when their sharp weapons are about to tear your fragile bodies, will you still have the time to cast spells elegantly?"

The bell from the main clock tower rang deeply, and the students, who were already accustomed to the instructor's lectures, quickly lined up. The instructor's lecture turned into a formal address.

"Since the inception of the mage profession, there has been a question: how can weak mages effectively protect themselves in dangerous environments? Besides the continuous optimization and development of defensive spells, mage-specific combat techniques have also emerged." The instructor walked past the row of students with his hands behind his back. "Effectively utilizing the physical effects of low-level spells, through the use of a mage's vast computational power, to judge the enemy's attack methods, angles, force, and the surrounding environment, and then respond accordingly to reduce damage, escape the battlefield, avoid attacks... or even make effective defensive counterattacks! You will use mage knives, wheel blades, wands, and other arcane weapons, combined with short, powerful quasi-instantaneous spells, to launch unexpected counterattacks on enemies who get close to you!"

This course introduced new movements. The complete set of mage combat techniques was fully formed fifty years ago and has been continuously updated, with major revisions every five years on average. When revising these techniques, representatives from almost all major schools participated in the discussions, and a large number of martial experts from various races and professions were invited to contribute, ultimately creating a set of combat techniques specifically designed for mages and most suitable for mages.

"Starting this semester, the combat techniques course will become a mandatory and examinable subject! Your performance in this subject will directly affect your evaluation scores! We will invite assassins from the Dark Brotherhood to assess you. You can only use limited magic to defend against the assassins' surprise attacks in various dangerous and complex environments! Successfully defending against three attacks is passing! Repelling the assassins is good! Taking down those bastards who like to hide in haystacks is excellent!" The instructor shouted loudly, "I will remind you one last time! A qualified mage will never completely rely on the excellence of so-called companions for their safety! Never! We only rely on ourselves! Now! Combat practice begins! Verify what you have learned with each other until you remember it!"

With the command, the students immediately dispersed, as if they had prearranged it, without the need for invitations or discussions. Fourteen students immediately formed seven pairs and began their pre-combat training.

—There were fifteen students in total, and only Sigma stood alone, looking quite lonely.

Everyone had probably heard of Sigma's reputation. If they practiced with him and accidentally triggered one of his sensitive nerves...

The instructor grinned and cracked his knuckles, "Looks like you're isolated."

"In practical combat training courses, the total number of students is always odd. After pairing up, one student will inevitably be left out, and the student who practices with this student is the course instructor." Sigma shrugged at the clearly ill-intentioned instructor. "Practicing with a peer of the same level is far less effective than practicing with an experienced instructor. Unfortunately, they are many and have mixed thoughts, pushing and yielding, and in the end, it benefits me."

"Fine, if that's what you think." Arno nodded, "Now... hey!"

A bone spear shot from Arno's hand, meeting another bone spear head-on and colliding. The fierce combat instructor bared a bloodthirsty smile, "You sly little brat..."

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