Chapter 110: Drone Swarm Tactics
Music Goddess Aphnora suddenly paid a visit, not just to see what Yu Sheng'an was up to, but also for the sake of the Dofi domain.
The sudden attack by the Five Great Righteous Gods not only disrupted Keville's planned apprentice mage assessnt but also shattered the Dofi domain's counteroffensive advantage.
With a large number of puppets reinforcing Keville, Duofei City was once again under siege.
The gradually recovering agricultural production in Duofei City was also interrupted.
This left Aphnora deeply frustrated.
Though the beastn army retreated again with the return of the players, this disruption to production had already made Aphnora loathe the beastn to the core.
She wanted to eliminate the beastn threat once and for all.
At the very least, she needed to secure enough territory to allow the forces of the Dofi domain to beco self-sufficient.
Otherwise, the Dofi domain, entirely dependent on external forces, would remain highly vulnerable to targeted attacks.
In truth, even without her seeking Yu Sheng'an, Keville had already restarted the apprentice mage assessnt.
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"Rember, this is an apprentice mage assessnt, not a ga. Do not treat it with a gaming mindset, or the consequences will be yours alone to bear—no one else can shoulder them for you."
The Magic ntor's stern voice echoed through the classroom as countless magic apprentices below felt both nervous and excited.
This year's apprentice mage assessnt had almost completely overturned past conventions.
First, it was no longer independently organized by individual Magic Academies but instead beca a nationwide unified exam.
Second, the assessnt location was set at...
Lastly, the difficulty of the assessnt had skyrocketed.
Holding the apprentice mage assessnt this way ca with both advantages and disadvantages.
The benefits were obvious—by conducting the assessnt this way, the issue of magic apprentice fatalities could be avoided.
Though the Empire revered the strong and scorned the weak, that didn’t an it could idly watch magic apprentices die.
After all, even the weakest magic apprentice was the product of invested resources.
To see them fall in the assessnt before they could shine—wasn’t that heartbreaking?
Of course, this thod of assessnt also had clear drawbacks.
Magic Puppets were no match for real bodies. Spells that could be cast instantly by a real body would inevitably suffer delays and reductions when channeled through a puppet.
Moreover, the puppets' indestructible nature would psychologically influence the apprentices' attitudes toward challenges.
Faced with life-or-death threats, a real body would likely flee, compromise, or find a workaround.
But with Magic Puppets, apprentices would inevitably act more aggressively, even resorting to reckless, mutually destructive tactics.
This contradicted the mage values of "rationality" and "calmness."
Finally, the apprentice mage assessnt wasn’t just a test of individual combat prowess but also a comprehensive evaluation of a mage’s overall capabilities.
If it were rely about combat ability, the academies could just hold martial tournants—why go through all this elaborate hassle?
In past apprentice mage assessnts, most tasks involved assigning guards to magic apprentices to carry out missions like magical beasts hunting, criminal pursuits, or solving magical cases.
Mages not only had to ensure their own combat strength but also the fighting capability of their teams.
Especially in magical beasts hunts.
They would operate deep in forests, far from any supply lines. Ensuring the safety of water and food, as well as maintaining soldier morale, was even more critical for mages.
This is also the fundantal reason why magic apprentices of the Keville Empire must learn the conventional seven basic elental magics.
It can be said that, regardless of combat prowess, the seven basic elental magics alone are enough to make a mage a versatile asset in the military.
Water supply, fire ignition, camping, illumination, marching—these and many other forms of support allow an army to abandon most of its supplies and quickly beco combat-ready.
However, assessnts in this area would undoubtedly be significantly weakened.
Yet, even so, the Empire has decided to hold the apprentice mage examination here.
After all, when weighing two benefits, one must choose the greater!
Moreover, in the recently concluded war, the Internet God’s psychological warfare opened new tactical doors for the Keville Empire.
They also witnessed another form of warfare—Drone Swarm Tactics!
How precious is a mage’s life?
A high-level mage often requires decades of resource investnt.
Yet on the battlefield, a single dagger or an ice spike could end those decades of investnt.
If a mage is killed before unleashing their destructive potential, the loss is absolutely devastating.
But Magic Puppets are different.
Magic Puppets are, after all, magical constructs. As long as the mage lives, these things can be produced endlessly.
Even if they have many flaws—lacking the flexibility and power of flesh-and-blood beings—they are cheap and unafraid of loss!
That alone is enough.
In the past, Magic Puppets were limited by the mage’s Soul Power, making long-distance control impossible.
But now, with the support of the Internet God, Magic Puppets have unleashed astonishing destructive power.
This apprentice mage examination is not only an assessnt for magic apprentices but also a large-scale tactical drill and a shift in the Empire’s core strategy.
"May the Internet God bless you!"
After explaining the examination’s contents, the Magic ntor offered his final blessing.
"Rustle!"
The magic apprentices in the classroom stood up in unison, placing their left hands over their chests and bowing their heads in respect.
Then, under the supervision of the Magic ntor, everyone sat back down, opened the Internet, logged in, and officially began the examination.
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"Great Beast God, we cannot retreat. Those damned Magic Puppets harass our tribes like flies, making it impossible for us to breed and train warriors! We must capture Duofei City once and for all!"
Shaman Gunel, who had discovered the Dofi domain, spoke solemnly to the Beast God.
As one of the wisest shamans under the Beast God’s command, he could stake his life on the fact that the Dofi domain was the most disgusting world among all the domains the beastn had invaded.
The enemies here were like flies, swarming everywhere.
They could erge from anywhere—narrow paths, farmlands, forests, wells, even dung pits.
This made it impossible for the beastn to breed and train warriors normally!
If that were all, it might still be tolerable.
Among the small domains they had conquered, there were races with unyielding willpower.
Even after the domains had fully fallen, they would scatter and wage guerrilla warfare, attacking beastn villages like wild beasts.
The beastn had grown accustod to this.
They even saw it as the best training opportunity.
But this world?
These damned Magic Puppets always attack in ways they never expect, completely ruining any training effect and even making them jump at shadows, constantly on edge.
Now the beastn don’t dare greet each other from behind, afraid of being misunderstood and getting a blade in the back from their own comrades.
Don’t ask why.
It’s all learned through blood and tears.
The worst part is, these Magic Puppets are utterly worthless once killed.
In other domains, at least the enemies could be gutted and eaten for a decent al.
But here?
They just disintegrate into magic elents, scattering into nothing.
Their morale never breaks—the harder you kill, the fiercer their retaliation.
"Duofei City has that bitch Aphnora’s Magic Tower, and this small domain restricts my power. Taking it down won’t be done in a day or two."
Beast God Bruhman’s expression was thick with suppressed fury.
"Great Beast God, why don’t we summon elite shamans from the major domains and storm Duofei City in one strike?"
"Mass-summoning elite shamans would only alert the other gods. Exposing this world before we’ve even secured it would be sheer stupidity!"
Gunel frowned at the words.
But then, Beast God Bruhman’s next sentence made his eyes light up.
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