Professor Darius began explaining the rules. He didn't speak quickly, nor slowly. His voice was almost monotonous, but his words were heavy.
"Rule one: Know your opponent. Before you fight anyone, try to know everything about them. Their element. Their level. Their strengths. Their weaknesses. Their habits. Their way of thinking. The more you know, the greater your chances of victory."
Students took notes.
"Rule two: Know yourself. Don't overestimate your abilities. Don't underestimate them. Know your limits. Know when your spark will run out. Know when your body needs rest. Because your enemy may exploit your exhaustion."
"Rule three: Know your environment. The ground you stand on. The walls around you. The light. The darkness. The weather. All these factors can be weapons or shields. A smart fighter uses everything around them."
"Rule four: Don't give your opponent a chance to think. Surprise is the most powerful weapon. If you can make your opponent hesitate for a fraction of a second, you've won the battle."
"Rule five: Don't fight without reason. Every battle you fight must be necessary. If you can avoid fighting, avoid it. A wise person doesn't risk their life without cause."
He paused to take a sip of water from a small iron canteen hanging from his belt.
"Rule six: If you must fight, end the battle quickly. The longer the fight, the greater the chance of making mistakes. The greater the chance of depleting your spark. The greater the chance of reinforcements arriving for your opponent."
"Rule seven: Don't trust anyone completely. Even your ally might betray you. Not because they are evil, but because they may be forced to. Or because they may be afraid. Or because they may make a mistake."
He looked at the students. His grey eyes moved like a hawk's.
"Rule eight: If you are going to flee, flee intelligently. Don't let your opponent know you are afraid. Make them think you are luring them into a trap. Or use the terrain to hide your escape path."
"Rule nine: Exploit your opponent's weaknesses. Every person has a weakness. It might be physical – like an old injury or fatigue. Or psychological – like a fear of something or quick anger. Find it and exploit it."
"Rule ten: Never give up. Even if you are about to die. Even if everything is against you. Giving up means the end of everything. Holding on means there is always hope."
He paused. Let his words resonate through the hall.
"You must remember these rules well and apply them in my class because these are the rules I relied on to survive, and also, applying these rules will give you extra points in my subject."
Then he began explaining combat formations.
"The circular formation: Used when the commander is the main target. The commander is surrounded on all sides by rings of fighters. Each ring protects the one inside it. This formation is purely defensive, but it consumes many fighters."
He raised his hand and drew a circle in the air with his finger, as if illustrating the shape of the formation.
"The triangular formation: An offensive formation. Three fighters form a triangle. They advance together, each covering the others. This formation relies on speed and coordination."
"The rear-line formation: When you have long-range fighters – such as archers or long-range elemental users – they are placed in the back, while infantry protect them in the front."
"The sacrificial formation: Used as bait. A small group attacks then retreats, luring the enemy into a trap. Very dangerous, but effective if executed correctly."
He looked at the students.
"These are just examples. In reality, formations change according to the situation. According to the number of fighters. According to the terrain. According to the enemy's elements. A smart fighter is one who knows how to improvise a new formation on the battlefield, rather than relying on what they learned."
He raised his hand.
"Now, I will present you with some hypothetical scenarios. I want you to think of solutions and write them in your notebooks."
He began with the first scenario.
"Scenario 1: You are in a team of four. You face a team of five. Your opponents are physically stronger than you, but their elements are not very different from yours. What do you do?"
Students wrote their notes. Some wrote quickly, some hesitated before putting pen to paper.
"Scenario 2: You are fighting alone. Your opponent uses the fire element, and you use ice. The battlefield is a dense forest. How do you use the environment to your advantage?"
"Scenario 3: You are on a mission to protect an important person. Suddenly, your team splits in half. You don't know where the enemy is. What do you do?"
He looked at the clock hanging on the wall behind him.
"You have 15 minutes. Write your answers and give it to me. We will discuss them at the beginning of the next lecture."