Chapter 151: Controller

Zulu sat opposite Zane and immediately asked him questions about the first Chapters; Zane, in turn, asked her to clarify what he didn’t understand, and they talked for half an hour. Finally, Zulu gave each group homework before leaving. On their way out of the tutoring center, the group began discussing the lesson for a second round of verification. They went to the cafeteria for lunch, then separated for their afternoon class.

For the rest of the day, nothing much happened except in the analytic club. After weeks, Professor Malida stopped talking about Poly-Circle Matrix and began discussing an even more advanced concept: Grimslow Orbital Model. In simple terms, Poly-Circle Matrix is smaller circles inside the prime directive, but Grimslow Orbital is circles outside it; they are essentially smaller magic circles that complement the larger primary circle.

To say Zane was confused would be an understatement. However, he’s not the only one. For the first time ever, everyone was confused—even the descendants of Grand Mages, such as Zulu. Professor Malida acknowledged the topic’s difficulty, even saying she hadn’t completely mastered it. However, it appears in a few third-circle spells—mostly spatial, life, and divination—and is something Grand Mages must master. If any of them want to condense their 4th ring or earn the title of Grand Analyst, they must learn it.

The next day, Zane woke up to an announcement from Sara Madina, the Communication Director, about the opening of tutoring sessions. The announcement came with a link, and after opening it, Zane couldn’t help but click his tongue. Evelyn said she had bought the best service, and at these prices, Zane and everyone else owed her a favor.

Friday, Day 70, Elite Class:

Zane calmly waited for the countdown to reach zero, his mind focusing on the orc in front of him. "As usual, he’ll start the battle with Tactic 1, Variation 1, with a follow-up of Tactic 2, Variation 3 or 4." As soon as the zero appeared on the hologram, the orc threw his knives. By now, Zane knew better than to casually dodge them. Instead, he used his staff to knock them over. However, this was not the end of the attack; the knife flew back from the side, targeting his legs.

By the time they reached their target, Zane had condensed his magic shield, blocking both knives and the orc’s spear aimed at his heart (Variation 5). With a wave of his staff, the magic shield flew forward, acting like a battering ram; the orc stabbed a few times with immense strength, destroying the shield and draining a decent amount of Zane’s mana. But, according to his plan, it was a worthy sacrifice. By the time the shield disintegrated, Zane’s second spell was almost completed.

"Tactic 3, Variation 1," he thought as soon as the orc raised the spear above his head. Then, on instinct, Zane jumped and easily evaded the spear swipe targeting his legs. He finished his incantations and immediately began firing mana ropes one after another.

"Tactic 5 —Defensive Mode," Zane thought. The orc spun its spear, deflecting every projectile that came toward him. The move signaled Zane to change tactics, and he did. He fired five ropes in a row, but this time they weren’t projectiles; they stayed attached to the tip of his staff. Under his control, the mana ropes wrapped around the spear and the orc’s arm, stopping all rotational force.

Zane was immediately dragged with just one yank from the orc, but unlike last time, he was ready: his arms and legs were heavily reinforced with mana channeling, allowing him to resist the pull. Then, he projected his mana once again to cast the Lightning Magic Bullets. The orc realized the danger and dropped its weapon, signifying that it was using Tactic 7 (unarmed combat).

With both arms, the orc’s strength fully manifested, dragging—almost pulling—Zane to him. However, before he arrived, the spell was completed. The orc raised his hand in a defensive position to block, but the bullets just pierced through him. Zane won.

"Not bad."

"Thanks."

"How is your individual training going? Under how much pressure can you project your mana?" Instructor Seiya asked.

"I just reached 0.3."

"That’s fast progress. What about mental channeling?"

Zane smiled wryly. "I keep triggering neurological issues." Ever since he created the resonance technique, he had experienced countless seizures, paralysis, and other issues with his body.

"For your safety, you should raise your life energy."

Zane nodded. Professor Burbank said the same thing.

"I’ll give you a voucher to experience the [Flow State] for half an hour every day, five days a week, in the Virtual Lab. Maybe you can be inspired and find the key to success."

Zane’s eyes lit up. "Thank you, instructor."

"Alright. Keep going until you’re consistent."

Instructor Seiya nodded before walking away. Ms. Luna approached him and said, "It seems he’s becoming a controller."

"Indeed." In the tower’s system, mages are trained in seven fighting styles: attacker, defender, healer, assistant (buffs & debuffs), evader (high mobility), legions (number advantage), and controller. Controllers, as the name implies, control the battlefield; they control the fight’s tempo through strategy, spells that limit movement and defense, and psychological pressure, creating openings for attackers to deliver the final blow. During this training, the instructors will encourage the students to choose a main fighting approach and a secondary support method. Based on all previous fights, it’s clear Zane is slowly becoming a controller.

"His limited spells have forced him to rely more on strategy, slowly molding him into a controller," Ms. Luna continued. "I’m glad we didn’t force him to buy more spells." Controllers are the hardest to train individually since they must rely heavily on battle strategy.

"Send him more videos about controllers."

"Will do. But what about the others?"

"It’s too early for most of them since they are still figuring out their fighting styles. However, you can send the legion videos to the Necromancers and the Summoners."

By the end of class, Zane achieved a 40-50% success rate against the orc. After memorizing the patterns, the fight became easier. The only reason he hasn’t achieved a perfect victory and moved on to Stage 4 is that he sometimes can’t act fast enough, even when he recognizes the orc’s tactics or variations. That’s especially true when the creature uses a chain attack of one or more tactics.

"How did you do it?" Keesha asked after class. As usual for the past few days, Myk came running to meet her, and Zane gave him the usual side-eye.

"I can tell you, but it might not help."

"Just tell me."

"The orc has 7 tactics, each with 5 variations —except for Tactic 5, which is purely for defense. Tactic 1, Variation 1 involves throwing his knives at your head and controlling them from behind. If you block them..."

"How am I supposed to remember all that?" Keesha complained.

"Excellent. If I can react fast enough, this fight should be straightforward," Tom Nguyen said.

"As I said, it might not help. I recommend you remember the 7 tactics and rely on your extraordinary reflexes to deal with the variations."

"That might be the only way."

"What about me?" Evelyn asked. By now, all the top 5 had already reached the Stage 3 Orc.

"Honestly speaking, this fight should have been the easiest for you. With your superb defense, you can ignore most attacks. The only issue is he will sweep your leg and put you out of commission. Watch out for that, and you’ll have the advantage." Now that Evelyn had solved her speed issue, Zane found it incomprehensible that she was still struggling with that orc.

Evelyn thought it over and realized he was right. Most of her fights ended with her on the ground; the orc rarely pierced through her rock defense. "I’ll keep that in mind."

"What about me?" Evans asked.

"You haven’t even reached that stage yet," Tom Nguyen commented.

"I’m almost there. I can prepare in advance."

"Your situation might be a bit unique. Keesha, does mind spell work on the orc?"

"No." Spells like Mind Shock were useless, so she relied on Weak Telekinesis or Psychic Wind Shock, which uses telekinesis to release a burst of intense wind.

"Without a mind, you can’t influence its negative emotions," Zane said. "So, I recommend you use curses to weaken him; overwhelm him with enough curses until he’s as weak as a chicken."

"Thank you."

Zane nodded.

"Email me those tactics and variations; I’ll see if I can remember them," Keesha said.

"No problem. And you might want to invest in a spell that improves memory if that’s a problem for you."

"I’ve been thinking the same thing."