Chapter 75: Tactical Report
"At the time, I was only thinking about how fire counters biological carapaces, but I completely ignored the high humidity of the riverbank."
Cecilia looked at the notes in the book, her voice filled with admiration for Lance.
"My senior was right. If I had forced the Spell, the resulting high-temperature steam would have instantly engulfed the entire battlefield, and even he would have been burned."
"He’s obviously not a Caster and has barely any Ethereal Fluctuations, but his predictions about a Spell’s consequences are even more accurate than mine. He’s truly amazing."
Seeing the look of adoration on her friend’s face, Yuna couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.
Compared to Cecilia’s day, which was full of challenges and rewards, her own experience standing guard outside the Goblin Camp was mind-numbingly boring.
"I’m so jealous of you..."
Yuna sighed and flopped back onto the sofa.
"Even if it’s dirty and tiring, at least it feels like being a real Adventurer."
"I want to learn this stuff too."
She rolled over and looked at Cecilia seriously. "Let’s make a promise. From now on, every night when you get back, you have to share your internship experiences with me. I want to learn too!"
"Of course."
Cecilia agreed with a smile.
Having gotten her promise, a satisfied Yuna yawned and got up to wash up in the bathroom.
The room fell quiet again, leaving only the soft scratching of a quill pen against paper.
Cecilia referenced her textbook and finished supplementing all the content related to battlefield environmental analysis.
Then, she swapped the book in her hand for another one.
This one was *Subordinate Demon Anatomy Illustration*.
Professional books like this, which contained detailed records of the physiological structures of various Low Tier Demons, were extremely difficult to buy on the open market. They usually only circulated among the nobility or within academies.
This just went to show how much richer the educational resources controlled by the noble class were compared to those available to ordinary, commoner Adventurers.
Combining the anatomical diagrams from the book with her own observations from handling the carcasses that afternoon, Cecilia wrote several sprawling pages on the physiological weaknesses of the Stone Shell River Crab.
After finishing this foundational work, it was finally time for the most important part.
A Caster’s tactical planning.
This was the thought exercise her senior had left for her, and it was the key to proving her own worth.
The young woman took a deep breath, picked up her pen, and listed all the Ringless Spells and One Ring Spells she currently knew.
After the lessons of the day, she had come to deeply understand the limitations of Molding System Spells, which purely pursued damage, in complex environments.
After deep consideration, she wrote a heavy line of text on the paper.
"Abandon the Molding System as the main offense; switch to Controlling the Field with Combined Spells."
She continued to write:
"When facing a Demon like the Stone Shell River Crab—with its low chassis, strong grip, and heavy carapace—I will prioritize opening with the One Ring Spell [Oily Skill]."
"I will spread the grease along their inevitable charge path, stripping their limbs of their grip."
"This type of Demon charges with immense momentum. A sudden slip underfoot will cause them to flip over on a massive scale and trample one another."
"Not only will this greatly relieve the blocking pressure on the front-line Warriors, but more critically, the overturned crabs will expose their softest weak point—their abdomens—creating a perfect opportunity for my teammates to finish them off."
As she wrote this, Cecilia’s thoughts became increasingly clear.
"For subsequent support, I will use the Ringless Spell [Frozen Beam]."
"Although its damage is low, in a highly humid environment like the riverbank, the conduction efficiency of Frost Energy will be multiplied, allowing it to effectively restrict the movement speed of any that slip through the cracks."
"Furthermore, a Trick has an extremely low cost, allowing for high-frequency, continuous support."
"Additionally, in the extreme event that a large number of Demons break through the front line and swarm the rear guard..."
The young woman’s pen tip didn’t pause in the slightest.
"Based on the Stone Shell River Crab’s Trait of relying on its eyestalks for vision, I will use [Seven-Color Spray] to blind them."
"Alternatively, I could use [Secondary Illusion] to create a diversion and lure them back into the controllable area of my teammates..."
As line after line of tactics was written on the paper, a mature and highly specific tactical system for a Mage came to life on the page.
In this process, Cecilia’s astonishing Talent was on full display.
It wasn’t just because she could construct such clear tactical logic at her age.
It was also because her listed repertoire of Spells, in both number and variety, had already far surpassed that of other Mage Apprentices of her year.
She could even hold her own against the upperclassmen at Violet Academy who had already officially taken up their posts.
Only after filling another two sheets of parchment with dense writing did Cecilia reluctantly put down her pen.
She looked at the thick report on her desk, a feeling of unprecedented fulfillment welling up inside her.
This made her happier than getting a perfect score at the academy.
Only by truly combining theory with practice did Cecilia have a sudden realization.
There was a chasm between the rigid Knowledge learned in the Ivory Tower of the academy and real combat.
’A Caster should never be just a stationary turret, foolishly unloading firepower from a distance.’
’By understanding the actual battlefield environment, using one’s knowledge to analyze the situation, and then tipping the scales of battle at the lowest possible cost.’
’That is what a true Caster should be like.’
This was the profound understanding she had gained from her full day of internship.
In a cheerful mood, Cecilia carefully folded the annotated report and gently placed it inside the old canvas bag Lance had bought for her that day.
In the bag’s outer pocket was the payment Lance had given her during the day.
She carefully counted the coins like a little squirrel hoarding pinecones.
’When this internship is over,’ the young woman silently calculated, ’I’ll use the money I earned myself to buy gifts for my aunt, my professor, and my senior.’
Just as the profile of Raven’s face, hidden beneath his hood, appeared in her mind, her left wrist, without fail, began to turn faintly red again.
’What’s happening?’
She quickly pulled up the sleeve of her silk pajamas and held her arm under the bright Magic Crystal Lamp to get a good look.
’It’s triggered just by remembering, so it doesn’t seem like an infection from something unclean.’
It was as if just thinking about his touch made the cells in her body automatically recall and recreate the scene.
’Tomorrow...’
’I have to find a chance to test it again tomorrow.’
The young woman was a little worried she might be sick, which would definitely affect her internship.
...
「The next morning.」
When Lance received the observation report, which was several pages thick, he was thoroughly impressed, even though he had been mentally prepared.
’The level of detail... it’s hard to believe this was a homework assignment rushed out in a single night.’
’As expected of a top student from Violet Academy.’
’If it were him from his past life writing this, a tactical analysis this logical and heavily cited with professional books would be about half the workload of a final thesis.’
Moreover, she had meticulously and properly cited the sources for all her referenced points in the report.
*Introduction to Atlas Environmental Shaping*, *Subordinate Demon Anatomy Illustration*...
They were all academic works that sounded high-level just from their titles.