Wizard Lord:I can Extract Anything

The battle lasted nearly an hour, culminating in a decisive defeat for the white wizard apprentices.

Richard emerged from the conflict with eight badges. The intense elemental magic had significantly increased the battlefield's elemental concentration, allowing the fire giant to thrive, wielding immense power with every move.

As Richard surveyed the battlefield, he tallied the casualties: the black wizard apprentices had lost only a dozen, while the white wizard apprentices had suffered over three hundred casualties.

The lopsided casualty ratio left Richard silently astonished.

Both sides were composed of wizard apprentices, yet the white wizard apprentices performed so poorly.

Where was the vaunted corps training of the white wizards?

Richard's misjudgment wasn't entirely his fault, as he had no prior experience with planar warfare and was unfamiliar with the realities of wizard world conflicts.

Thus, he could only rely on his previous life's perceptions of soldiers to assess the white wizard apprentices' capabilities.

In truth, the two scenarios were vastly different, like night and day, with no real comparison.

During the battlefield cleanup, disputes frequently erupted as black wizard apprentices fought over a badge or two, forcing Richard to intervene personally to restore order.

"Sigh, what a headache."

Richard watched the black wizard apprentices squabble over the battlefield cleanup, feeling overwhelmed.

If not to prevent internal strife, Richard would have gladly ignored such matters.

"This is the downside of black wizard apprentices; the survival-of-the-fittest environment compels them to seize every opportunity for gain."

Reflecting on this, Richard ordered that in the event of contested badges, a coin flip would decide ownership. Should further disputes arise, he would personally intervene and eliminate both parties.

The black wizard apprentices adhered to their own rules: might makes right.

With the battlefield cleared, the black wizard apprentices, eager for another fight, were raring to go.

Their enthusiasm stemmed from the battle's ease, leading them to view the white wizard apprentices as walking sacks of gold.

Seeing his eager followers, Richard ordered a full-scale assault on the public resource point.

Though initially inclined towards defense and counterattack, Richard recognized this moment as ideal for striking the white wizard apprentices while they were down.

Moreover, given their current state, the public resource point likely lacked defenses, making it an easy target.

...

At the public resource point.

"Useless, all of you!" Orey roared inside the hastily constructed tent.

"Over a thousand apprentices against just over three hundred, yet we failed to make any progress and lost three hundred people! Isn't that laughable?"

Inside the tent, several senior apprentices from Keeper Academy wore grim expressions, their confidence shattered by the recent battle.

"So, what should we do next?" one senior apprentice inquired.

With heavy casualties and low morale, any black wizard assault would likely lead to another rout.

"What should we do?" Orey glared at the questioning apprentice. "Regroup, strategize, and take back the dignity we lost!

Do I need to spell it out for you?

Are we supposed to slink back and tell the other academies we were defeated by black wizard apprentices, losing over three hundred, while they lost only a handful?"

Despite his harsh words, Orey felt pessimistic about the upcoming battles.

This encounter gave him some insight into the white wizard apprentices' issues.

While they were numerous, their lack of combat experience left them easily disorganized under sudden attack.

Additionally, their inexperience with killing meant many were terrified at the sight of corpses, leading to irrational behavior.

Moreover, Orey realized his leadership lacked authority within the ranks. In adverse battle conditions, no one followed his commands.

These were just the issues he had discovered. Continued battles would likely reveal even more problems.

The senior apprentices silently exited the tent to organize the troops and set up defenses.

In contrast to Richard, who had little exposure to wizard warfare, the white wizard apprentices had been taught how to construct fortifications and defenses on the battlefield, making them adept at setting up defensive measures.

The white wizard apprentices' defenses were typical: sturdy walls, trenches lined with spikes, and dangerous magical plants deployed by Alchemy apprentices outside the trenches. During construction, Alchemy Wizards also inscribed magic arrays to create traps or reinforce walls.

For those terrified, nothing offered more security than a solid wall.

Unfortunately, their construction had barely begun when black wizard apprentices emerged from the dense forest.

"Necromancers, release the puppets," Richard commanded.

As an apprentice of the Alchemy faction, Richard knew well the methods of his counterparts.

The Necromancers summoned skeletons to advance, triggering several magic arrays.

The sudden appearance of fireballs and ice spikes drew admiring glances from the black wizard apprentices in the forest toward Richard.

Without Richard's foresight, many might have charged blindly forward.

The white wizard apprentices at the resource point quickly spotted the black wizard apprentices, but demoralized from the previous battle, they fled at the sight of them.

This rendered many usable defensive measures useless.

Watching this unfold, Orey, though seething with anger, managed to contain his temper.

"Ox! Bazak! Organize the apprentices to retreat in order, not like refugees!"

The two bewildered apprentices, hearing Orey's command, found their anchor. They promptly began organizing a retreat.

The black wizard apprentices stormed the resource point, unleashing their spells without restraint. The white wizard apprentices scattered like sheep, but with prior experience and organization, their losses were significantly reduced this time.

After clearing the battlefield, the resource point conflict left about a hundred white wizard apprentice corpses.

"It seems the white apprentices are starting to gain experience."

Richard mused over the statistics.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the white apprentices toughened up, marking the true start of the war.

"Regroup, no pursuit," Richard instructed the nearby black wizard apprentices.

"What? Boss Richard, we're not going after them?" a black wizard apprentice asked, bewildered.

"Are you questioning my orders?" Richard shot him a cold glance.

During their retreat, the white wizard apprentices had shown signs of organizing, while the black wizard apprentices, lacking corresponding training, pursued as a disorganized mob.

If the chase continued and the white apprentices regrouped, it would be the black apprentices facing defeat.

"Yes, boss."

The black wizard apprentice nervously saluted Richard, then began relaying his orders.

"The boss says stop the pursuit! Stop the pursuit!"

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