After noticing only four J rankers are guarding their target, the F ranking ambushers from the blue team charged at them viciously.

“Hah, these whelps think to stop us?”

Pulling out long swords, they pressed their assault to swiftly cut down Kairos’ group then move on to the red commander. Once they take out George, the rest of the match would be easy.

Facing them, Kairos stood cross-armed without moving an inch while calmly observing the daring tactics that the hostiles adopted with furrowed brows.

“By bearing our team’s red badges, they made use of our unfamiliarity with our members and snuck in. Considering that everyone only received the assignments the day before, this level of preparation is far too incredible.

This is already more than the common tactical pre-emptive ambuscade. Could the opposite’s leader be… her?”

Although it felt incredulous, the facts are before their eyes that their opponents had laid a snare for them right after the lady instructor commenced the exercise. The assault was flawless, taking advantage of the exact time when George tried to rally the morale of the red team.

If Kairos had guessed correctly, then this could only mean one thing. ‘She’ had anticipated she would be facing George and made specific measures against him.

Their attack came swift and forceful, as expected of F rankers. But fearlessly waiting for them at the very front is Tommy, who stood proudly like a tall tower. His figure, larger than the average 12 years old, and his rising fighting spirit exerted immense pressure on those who faced him. For a moment it looked to them as though their path has been blocked by a giant.

Catching an instant of hesitation from his startled foes, Tommy’s fist smashed into the face of the first who reached him and pounded the F ranker headfirst into the dark forest soil.

The others seeing this scene, widen their eyes with shock. They checked the badge on his arm once again, as if affirming the rank written on it is still J.

Their teammate was downed so quickly that the rest still couldn’t wrap their minds around the situation. With Tommy’s strength far beyond what his badge suggest, they suddenly found themselves silently screaming for aid from their archers.

But before they could begin to wonder where their reinforcements are, Edward loosed three arrows their way. So quickly, that all the shots fired were in the air at the same moment.

The arrowheads struck unerringly with dull thuds, eliciting loud screams as the last three turn-coats joined their friend on the floor writhing in pain.

Though blunted by gel coating, the incredible velocity of his shots had enough stoppage force to break bones.

But during this high-tension moment, came a rustling from the tall undergrowth of the forest that caused everyone to turn their heads nervously. Thinking their help has come those that were groaning on the ground secretly breathed a sigh of relief, regardless their pain.

However, it was unexpectedly Alan who strode out from the brushes unhurriedly, dragging two enemy archers tied to a piece of rope behind him.

The short time they used to suppress the turn-coats, was enough for him to find the hidden snipers and catch them unaware. Their concealment, meaningless before his Soul Perception.

Alan’s return signalled the end of this skirmish. They removed the badges from their captives for points, with most of the score benefiting Alan and Tommy, who took down the captives. Followed by Kairos’ entire group whom they belong to, and finally, the Red Team.

Afterwards, just by rendering their prisoners immobile with a rope, a member of the Academy will come to retrieve the students, resulting in their expulsion from the match.

While they were about to tie up the six, a beautiful crystal-like voice bellowed out at this crucial time from the other side, "All men charge!"

Everyone turned their heads at the voice, and on the other end of the foot of the hill, they saw a large group charging towards them. Right at the forefront of the fighters, was a gallant-looking young lady. Her figure lithe as she moved gracefully like a flowing river, while fearlessly facing George and the red team. Springing forward, the beautiful white robes appeared to roll off her shoulders as her long, straight hair fluttered in the wind, gleaming in pure silver. A trait that belongs to those from the White snow clan.

As Kairos had guessed, it is Luciette who had set up this entire battle. She is the commander of the Blue Team and heir apparent of another famous strategist’s clan in Saint Empire.

Under her lead, her team, hidden at the far side of the hill, was able to accurately assess the situation. Amid the previous commotion dealing with the turn-coats, not even Kairos’ team with their Soul Perception could detect the central unit of the Blue Team coming this close, until Luciette revealed herself.

She had proven herself as a terrifying commander to fight against, the sequence of sudden attacks from her team had impeccable timing. Though their objective to take George out eventually met with failure due to Kairos team’s timely interception, this charge had perfectly disrupted the expulsion of their captured members.

It is a fearless but well-thought strategy right from the start of the exercise.

Facing such a fearsome raid, it is little wonder that George’s men began to falter and the clash between the two teams ended up with a constant retreat for the Red Team.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Luciette rushed right into the middle of the battle. With her cultivation at Peak E rank and having inherited her family’s White Wind arts, she is a terrifying opponent on the battlefield that mowed through any who drew their blades at her. Behind her, a retinue of guards followed closely behind, protecting her back and removing the badge of any that fell by their swords.

Although they do not have time to expel fallen opponents from the match, just taking these badges will give them ample points.

The Blue Team charged out of battle as swiftly as they rushed in, taking back their captured teammates with minimal casualties. Within this short exchange, they have effectively turned around their previous disadvantage.

The exam had only begun, and the red team was already caught by a snare and had fallen behind.

However, at this time, both George & Kairos had a deep frown on their faces. They believe that things would not end this simply, and something that they had not yet thought about was definitely wrong. Surely, someone like Luciette wouldn't have made such a half-baked plan!

"Commander! We need to secure our base quickly!" Kairos suddenly shouted to George, who in turn immediately yelled out crisped commands.

He then personally led their strongest group, choosing to charge towards the cave entrance with a small but swift detachment.

There is only one way into the hill base, the single entrance carved into the side of the hill, to a series of tunnel spiralling upwards from within, until it reaches the top where the flag pole room is situated.

The two hills of the training ground are made in such a way that they are both steep and tall, making it impossible to mount without specific gears and anyone who tries into an easy target.

With many roomy spaces within to cater for all kinds of defensive strategies, it is an ideal fortified location against assaults. Yet, the Red Team could only watch in trepidation as they discovered a squad of Blue Team hurrying towards the East Hill ahead of George. This group had been sent ahead, separate from Luciette’s main unit and moving clandestinely towards their true objective, long before the charge happened.

If the Red Team lost their base, their team would turn into homeless fighters. Unfortunately, another group led by Luciette was waiting in place.

They harassed George’s group, slowing them down. And by the time the Red Team had reached the entrance, Luciette's group has already blocked it off using a small amount of elite E rank students.

No one expected such a great loss to happen right at the start. This unorthodox tactic is the first of its kind in the history of Saint Cadets Academy. Choosing to subvert the enemy’s stronghold without even having the flag in their possession. It was a quick and vicious move, but no one can say that it is not brilliantly effective.

In all the first-year exams in the past, since everyone figured it would be a difficult fight to possess the flag, it seems wiser to secure their own base first before venturing out.

However, Luciette begs to differ. Right after the briefing from the instructor, she had already instructed the team of her plans, and after sending a small detachment to West Hill, they made a big detour towards the East Hill. Because of George’s reputation as a brilliant tactician, she had instead taken additional precautions by keeping a distance until they are ready to engage. And coincidentally, due to this, they had been out of Kairos’ detection range.

With their recent overwhelming success, the Blue Team now have ownership of both the bases, and once one is captured, it wouldn’t be an easy thing to retake.

There is no doubt that for the rest of the exam, as long as Luciette made no major mistakes, she will surely become a passing candidate.

Unwilling to give up, the Red Team charged relentlessly at the newly fortified position, but whenever they assaulted the hill base, the Blue Team came out from under the cover and concealment of the forest to stop them.

Moving about in the nearby forest, shrouded in shadows and cover by large trees, they mount attacks and retreat in one breathe.

The Red captains, including Kairos, immediately set up defensive measures to protect their commander, but not yet established any chain of command, they were ineffective against the whirlwind of attacks sent their way.

It is evident by now, that the moment they had unknowingly allowed the Blue Team to enter their group this result has already become inevitable.

As the Red Team are finding a way to regain control of the situation, Luciette has scattered the majority of her troops into the forest. Their task is to find the hidden flag within the training ground while covering both the forts.

Once they acquired the hidden flag, it would be a breeze to stroll into the East Hill and complete the exam.

Time is running out for Kairos and the boys, and it is unmistakably not in their favour.

“Damnit! Without defeating Luciette and her team in the forest, we wouldn't be able to get out of this situation.” One of the captains shouted vengefully at George.

"This is going downhill rather quickly, isn't it? I thought that this exercise would last a month at least" Alan sighs.

"Well, usually this exercise will take a month, but this time our opponent is simply too familiar with George, who isn't that good with covert strategies," Kairos shook his head. As the captain of the group, he had studied the traits of every reputable person.

It is well known that Luciette's White Snow clan is a renowned strategist's clan that focus their tactics on swift, timely and aggressive tactics, while George's Mountain Cat clan prioritises powerful defence and counter-attacks.

It is, therefore, Luciette’s plan to ruthlessly assault the Reds, without giving George any time to devise a counter. It was a bet that she won beautifully.

With the Red Team failing to put up any proper form of retaliation to retake their base, the battle soon ended with their failure. They gathered once again now at a safe distance with grim faces all around.

A few of the captains are already showing undisguised dissatisfaction at their commander. With their side already in disarray, their low morale is another blow to the team.

“Just what kind of commander are you George? It’s almost certain that we’ve lost the match already and we haven’t even started yet!”

“As I thought, the heir to the Mountain Cats clan is merely selected because of his blood-relations. What a shame to their family.”

“I say we should switch to someone who’s more competent.”

Looking at the scene of injured teammates nearby, and the number of badges they already lost, it cannot be helped that the people are starting to lose confidence and are questioning George's authority.

A setback right at the outset is the most dangerous thing that can happen during a campaign, and Luciette has driven her daggers close to the heart of the Red Team.

"There’s no point in giving up now. We have to pass this test unless you guys rather become craftsmen and looked down upon." Kairos sighed. There are quite a few students in the same situation as Kairos, but even those who did well in class wouldn’t want a blemish on their results.

The other team leaders, having heard what Kairos said, couldn't help but sigh as well. They are indeed in quite a pathetic predicament at this moment. Most of them know from the beginning that the Red Team are expected to lose. With the majority of their members made up of low ranking nobles or commoners, they are a mishmash of castaways. The remaining guys in their faction are all students like George who had already secured their place in the second year before the examination began. They are only put on this team, so that they may experience things that hadn’t before.

“We are holding a strategy meeting. All captains, please step forward,” instead of acknowledging their complaints, a girl called Snow from George’s team stepped forward and yelled. She is yet another brilliant tactician from a famous clan, Autumn Blossom, yet unacknowledged with discontentment running high. The captains only reluctantly obeyed because they have no better plans for their team.

Naturally, Kairos being a captain joined in the meeting.

As per instructed, each of the leaders explained what is on their instructions cards for their squad. And very soon every team is categorised into their assigned roles. Some tasked for frontline assault, while others in the back as combat support, all given to them as per their results in class.

Those that were given covert operations like Kairos’ squad are either excellent at their jobs, or washed outs sent on a highway to failure.

After quickly memorising every teams’ instructions and their members’ abilities, George gained a clear picture of what needed to be done.

"This exercise is intended to run over a month; we have some time before the Blue Team finds the flag. Our only opportunity in this situation is that there is only one place they can go to win, and we will be there when they try," He looked at his men and said confidently. It is apparent from his conduct that he is largely unaffected by their complaining, and instead focused on creating an upset. If anything, he looks even more motivated by the challenge.

Now that they are without a base they are at a huge disadvantage; therefore, George’s first command is to forbid anyone from carrying out their assignments and erect a fortified perimeter that could cut off the Blue Team access to the East Hill.

This is a bold move, seldom used by any commanders. Most of his predecessors only dared to reassign a few members from their tasks, but George included everyone.

As their superior in the field, he had the right to overrule any mission cards. Carrying out his commands will likewise give the squad points, but he will have to bear the results no matter his decisions turn out favourable or otherwise.

The captains did not complain about this. Instead, they welcomed it for it means that they could earn easy points at George’s expense.

He has staked his reputation and future on the line for a victory. Should things end in failure, he will be judged as an incompetent commander, and his current position in the Mountain Cat Clan will also be taken away.

As one who had a guaranteed future, his decision is either exceptionally arrogant or incredibly bold and confident.

Hearing this, the men all felt that it sounds reasonable and slowly calmed down. Though their situation had not changed, and the captains still dissatisfied with their team’s disadvantage, no one believed they could do better than George.

"Currently we can be sure that Luciette has split her forces into three groups. The first are in her own base. The second are occupying our base, but the main bulk of her team I'm rather confident that she had scattered them throughout the forest to find the flag as well as hinder us from any attempts in taking back our base", George continues, analysing the entire situation for the captains.

Then, seeing that he had their attention, he took a deep breath and said with a dramatic sigh, "I have to acknowledge that our situation is indeed appalling. But at the same time, we have an excellent opportunity on our hands. With such overwhelming odds, we only stand to gain much more points than usual. Just as the ancients said, the barefooted are unafraid of the shoed.”

He played the group to his tune, sympathising with them, and encouraged them in the same breath.

“Besides, our situation is, perhaps, not as abysmal as you believe. We have already clashed with them three times, but we have yet to lose anyone. Instead, the Blue Team revealed themselves, taking a position where we can easily see. And since we can observe them, we can target them." George finished his speech to a complete silence of the crowd around him. They are no longer murmuring, and wordlessly agreeing that he is their best option.

George Kitty of the Mountain Cat clan certainly lives up to his name as a descendant of a strategist family. He quickly assessed the situation and with a few words, managed to quell a possible mutiny with cool logic. The captains know that it isn't easy for a leader who is being held responsible for their failure, to see things as an opportunity.

George carefully observed his crowd, and their reactions told him that he had finally managed to win them over. For now.

What they needed the most now, is a general direction to head towards.

"While building our base to cut off their entry to East Hill, our most vital objective is to take down as much scattered blue team members as we can, without losing any of our forces.

The only reason that we outnumber the defenders of the East Hill, yet unable to retake it is because of those hiding in the cover of the forest.

The rule of thumb in a siege is to have four times the amount of those defending a fort. The chance will come after we whittle down their numbers.

While they have to protect both bases and search for the hidden flag, their units will be separated, and hence they are simply for our taking.

Kairos! Your squad seems to be the most intuitive to the changes in the surroundings, and I want you for this undertaking.

Scout out any blue member that moves too far away from Luciette's web of control and take them down!"

Kairos nodded immediately and went to rally his group, briefing them about the mission.

Of course, George will be judged for sending out a group of J rankers to take down their enemies. However, there's no detriment for Kairos decline.

Completing his command will only net them valuable points, and at this stage where they could lose the match any time, all opportunities are a godsend.