Chapter 203
Assignments
Ellie looked at her overly outstanding work and felt she had made a mistake. Who would have thought that working slowly would not diminish the brilliance of her results? Naturally, after frequent concentration practice, combined with training to control spores to take root in various areas, Ellie realized her mental and physical stability was quite high. However...she didn’t expect her stratagem creation training to start off so spectacularly!
When Professor Nico demonstrated, she thought he wanted her to replicate just 1 piece. The bone he used was from a small Rattus A, while the one she received was much larger. So, after considering this, she had methodically carried out her task, feeling bored, and simultaneously used her power to control spores and purple mushrooms from afar to monitor various situations. Who would have thought that a moment of carelessness would lead to her inadvertently revealing her exceptional capabilities?
"Alright, from now on, I want everyone to put in even more effort. As for Student Ellie...I don’t care if anyone says you have a special talent for potion-concocting. Please know that your talent for creating stratagems is far from lacking. If you claim to be the second best in the kingdom, no one would dare claim to be the first."
"I will focus on teaching you more diligently from now on. Originally, I guaranteed your professor that you would become a level 1 stratagem creator by the time you graduated. However...I will speak with him again. You will undoubtedly become a high-level stratagem creator. Perhaps...in the future, you may become a stratagem creator achieving levels no one else has. You should even become a top-tier member of the Annihilation Stratagem Association."
Professor Nico praised Ellie highly, and her status in the eyes of others soared. Nadia couldn’t believe it, but she could only clench her fists tightly.
She understood the significance of honing Rattus A rods, just as Professor Nico had explained. Honing Rattus A rods was the foundation of everything. Even she, known as a genius, couldn’t achieve what Ellie had done. Yet...accepting that all her efforts were in vain was unthinkable.
Regardless of what anyone said, she had spent her entire life and a lot of effort in training. Since childhood, she had been forced to stay with the numerous books her family provided, unable to play with friends like other children. Every day she woke up to a mountain of books. And if suddenly...her previous efforts and the hardships she endured were considered a joke, while a student of same age with no prior experience was suddenly more excelled...wouldn’t that be trampling on her life?
While Nadia was engulfed in her despair, no one paid much attention to her. It had to be said...this was another harsh reality of life. Nadia had never seen the injustice that existed, simply because she was a direct descendant of the Ryuger family, while others had always been aware of this inequity.
Even the senior from the Ryuger family who secretly observed Nadia’s expression sighed. He understood how Nadia felt because he had once felt the same way.
While Nadia learned all the secrets from their ancestors, he had to start from scratch by himself. No one in the family supported someone as insignificant as him. Thus, he worked tirelessly to become Professor Nico’s direct disciple. Meanwhile, Nadia could join right away because she already had the necessary skills. At that time, he also questioned where fairness lay. But...the one who discovered the truth first was the one who found happiness first.
He realized that the truth of life was like this: if one was content with what they had first, they could let go and enjoy life more than others.
After this, he hoped Nadia could find a way to resolve her feelings of frustration, enjoy her training, and do what she loves. No matter who excelled over her, just letting go was enough. Unfortunately, such thinking took time. So, when Nadia heard Professor Nico praise Ellie, she was furious!
"Therefore, for this first day, I ask everyone to be more dedicate to their training. All students studying with me must attend for 704 hours per academic year. You have 11 months. If not, I won’t recognize you as my disciples after graduation. You can choose how to allocate your time—whether you attend the first two months and then disappear, or attend the last 2 months and study 11 hours a day, it’s your choice. If you wish to learn more, no one will stop you from exceeding the required time."
"The time starts counting when you enter this Stratagem Creation Branch classroom. Every disciple of mine knows I have given you an important item, a magical device to track your hours. Usually, you must wear this symbol on your clothing to indicate you are my disciples. This symbol activates as soon as you enter the classroom and stops when you leave, tracking your time."
"Unfortunately, it only tracks from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM. So, if anyone thinks they can come here to sleep and let time pass without doing anything...I regret to inform you that it won’t work."
"As the head professor of this branch, I’ll be in my office most of the time, unless something urgent arises, and will help monitor you. Of course, when I am not present, there are assistant professors to guide and assist you. Honestly...I must admit I’m not very available. In 1 month, you might see me once."
"For direct students, there will be assignments given as well. Don’t worry; these tasks will earn you significant points if you complete them successfully. You can also share points with others. For example...if you need Rattus A rods, you can ask others in the branch for help, allowing them to practice their skills."
"For secondary students, if you want more points, you just need to work hard and sell what you make to me, assistant professors, or direct students, exchanging everything for points instead of money."
Professor Nico explained the teaching method in this branch, which relied heavily on practical experience. Unlike combat or potion-concocting training, creating stratagems required more than just “knowledge.” It involved perfect control of the body and all senses. Otherwise, one small mistake while working hard could mean starting over completely.
"Now...all direct students come forward to receive the tasks I have for you." He picked up papers detailing the tasks and how to complete them. This was also a way of teaching, more like providing guidelines rather than step-by-step instructions, allowing the students to learn by doing.
Ellie noticed that fourth-year students received about 5 tasks: 3 complex level 1-star stratagems and 2 level 2-star stratagems. Third-year students got 4 tasks, all complex level 1-star stratagems, which could say that it was a difficult task that appropriate for their skill level. Second-year students had the fewest tasks, with 3 assignments. The first 2 stratagems were simple level 1-star and the 3rd stratagem was a very complex level 1-star.
Nadia smiled with satisfaction upon receiving her tasks. She glanced at Ellie, knowing she had no prior knowledge of stratagems, whereas Nadia had already created a 1-star stratagem before. She recognized 1 of the basic stratagems she had practiced with her family’s instructor. Confidently, she thought she could complete it within 1 month, while she believed Ellie, who had no foundation, would take at least 6 months per stratagem, showing Ellie’s chances of success were much lower than her!
“I’ll give each of you 1 initial set of materials per stratagem. If you fail, you’ll need to supply your own materials afterward, whether by trading points or using money. But there is one rule: you must buy your materials from within this branch. I don’t allow outside materials,” Nico explained further about the rule. He had set this rule to ensure work for secondary students and prevented wealthy students from bypassing the system by purchasing outside materials with their money and not distributing points to their peers.
“Professor, what happens if we fail to complete our assigned tasks?” While Nico was explaining everything to the new students, Nadia asked, anticipating Ellie’s potential failure.
“Hmm? Failing the tasks? That’s a good question, but I don’t want anyone starting their tasks with failure in mind. Even though every year many students do end up failing,” Professor Nico chuckled. Fourth and third-year students laughed awkwardly, having experienced this themselves.
Nadia looked at everyone with contempt, their demeanor wasn’t hard to decipher. In her mind...this meant she was probably the only one guaranteed to succeed in her tasks!
"But I should answer this question. For students who fail to complete their tasks but have made a good effort and attended all required classes, in the final month before the academic year ends, you might end up practically living in this classroom. During that last month, assistant professors and I, which I’ll try to clear out all the workload, will supervise your work. In other words...any unfinished tasks must be completed by the end of that month!"
Professor Nico said seriously. He remembered how grueling the previous year had been, helping students complete their tasks to graduate. It was extremely demanding for him. Many students had tried hard but constantly made mistakes. However, this intense, round-the-clock effort ultimately brought everyone closer, including the secondary students who realized how hard the direct students worked.
"I understand, Professor." Nadia let out a sigh, not entirely pleased but unable to say more. It seemed everyone was already aware of this arrangement.
Indeed, many students felt that they had been in Nadia’s shoes before. They had also been confident that they would perform well, only to realize that the difficulty was beyond their comprehension. Even though these were only level 1-star stratagems, the tasks given were selected to provide enough points for passing the year. Therefore, they were quite challenging.
Standard level 1-star stratagems were manageable, but as complexity increased, even 2 years might not be enough to grasp them without constant guidance from the professor.
During their second year, they believed that after mastering complex level 1-star stratagems, the third year would be easier. However...they soon realized that the real challenge began in the third year!
The third year involved 4 complex level 1-star stratagems, each with its unique difficulties. In the end, they could only solve 1 or 2 of them, needing constant supervision from the professor for the rest. They had already prepared themselves for the fourth year, expecting it to be extremely tough, judging by the experiences of recent graduates. Though some fourth-year’s stratagems the professor given were indeed complicated, Professor Nico selected tasks that, once completed, would fetch a high price. This could be said that...if they could pass the fourth year, they could certainly support themselves well!
"Does anyone have any other questions?" Professor Nico asked, looking around. Seeing no hands raised, he clapped his hands a few times, signaling the students to start their tasks.
Ellie looked around the room. The third and fourth-year students worked with professional efficiency, including the secondary seniors. They interacted closely with one another. The fourth-year students had long queues of others lining up to receive tasks from them, mostly involving honing Rattus A rods, preparing usable crystals, making signal flags, and other stratagem-related tasks. The third-year student had only about 5 or 6 followers, but they seemed to have consistently worked together.
Some secondary seniors had already started their tasks, not seeking out the direct students like the others. They probably planned to complete their work and then sell it. “Raw” materials that hadn’t passed any process didn’t incur costs; direct students could either process them themselves or have the secondary students done it. However, doing the work themselves would be a waste of time. Hiring help allowed them to focus on setting up and assembling stratagems, which was far more important.
Nadia ignored everyone else, confidently walking past them to collect 1 set of resources from the professor. The first task Nadia would do was a stratagem she had learned before, so she was confident she could complete it successfully in 1 or 2 attempts.
Ellie, however, did not rush. Her first step was to refresh her memory. She seemed quite familiar with the task’s stratagem, suggesting she had read about it before...
"Mmm...it looks similar but has some differences, doesn’t it?" Ellie mumbled to herself. She noticed that this seemingly simple level 1-star stratagem had complexities that weren’t immediately apparent...
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