GameDev Reincarnated into His Own Creation

Vol 2 - Chapter 20.1: Inheritance

"Everyone's picking what they're familiar with," Mira observed, watching the predictable choices unfold.

"That might work in our favor," Vel said quietly as they approached their designated table.

Instructor Lyvenna appeared beside the unstable attunement group, clipboard in hand.

"Three per team, with six total that divides perfectly," she stated briskly. "Mira, Tomas, and Velarian—you'll form one group."

She gestured toward the neighboring table. "Rohen, Enya, Lars, you three take the other table."

Vel noticed disappointed looks cross the faces of Rohen and Enya, as if they'd been hoping to team up with him instead. Lars just shrugged, seemingly indifferent to the arrangement.

"We will be watching you closely—how you perform, not just the results," Lyvenna explained, her gaze moving between both groups. "Besides, Lars, you've done this before three years ago, haven't you?"

The older student looked around, trying to appear confident, but his eyes betrayed his uncertainty. "Last time it was on the field..."

"The strategy fundamentals haven't changed," Lyvenna cut in. "You're just thinking like a commander instead of a soldier this time. Show us what you've learned."

With that, the groups settled in at their designated tables.

Vel stepped toward the war table. Three symbols carved into the stone surface caught his eye: a Crown, a Double Triangle, and crossed swords. His palm pressed against the table's edge, and the miniature landscape blazed to life. Swirling magical mist shrouded most of the terrain, leaving only fragments visible through the haze.

"Fog of war," Vel thought, recognizing the tactical limitation immediately.

"This is... a Real-Time Strategy game," he muttered under his breath, "Who could have designed this?"

"What force should we take?" Tomas asked, fidgeting with nervous energy.

Mira leaned over the table, studying the Royal Forces marker. "The Royal Forces seem balanced—fast reinforcement, advantage with numbers. We could overwhelm opponents through superior positioning."

Tomas shook his head. "The Church seems like a better choice. They have magical advantages, buffs, and mages. Their reinforcement is slow, but their healing and enchantments make up for replenishment issues."

Vel hovered his hand over the Guild Forces symbol on his side of the table. Transparent images of four figures appeared—a heavily armored knight, a robed mage, an archer, and a cloaked scout.

Tank, damage dealer, support, scout, he quickly categorized based on their appearances. The classic adventuring party.

But why only four? Vel thought, glancing at the dozens of units filling Mira and Tomas's sections. Compared to other forces, this seems like suicide.

Unless...

But if I lose one, the whole formation crumbles along with the advantages, he realized. No resurrection, no reinforcement.

"High risk, high reward," Vel concluded.

After considering their options, Vel turned to his teammates. "Mira, you seem to understand Royal Forces well—you should take command of them. Tomas, your magical knowledge could prove useful with the Church Forces."

"And you?" Mira asked.

"I'll take the Adventurers," Vel decided. "I suspect there's more to them than appears at first glance."