Upon reaching the fortress, they headed straight for the counter where a man dressed in an academy cloak was standing, ready to submit the bodies of the wolves and the Minotaur to receive their points.
They arrived at the tent, where a middle-aged, quite handsome man with blue hair and green eyes was inside.
As soon as they reached the tent, the man greeted them, saying, "Good afternoon! It looks like you all arrived at the same time, huh," as he looked back at Lucca's group and saw many others approaching him.
Alice stepped forward, presenting a ring to the man. "We've completed the hunt for today, and here's what we managed to achieve," she said, her voice reflecting a mix of exhaustion and accomplishment.
The man examined the ring and nodded approvingly. "Good job. Let me calculate your points," he said, leading them to a nearby table with a ledger.
Once the man finished his calculations, he handed them a scorecard. "Not bad for newcomers. You've earned a decent amount of points. You received 3 points for the Minotaur and 1 for each wolf, which totals 13 points. Keep it up, and you might end up in first place in the camp ranking."
With their points secured, the group decided to go to the cafeteria to discuss their strategy over a meal. The fortress offered a warm and bustling atmosphere, a welcome contrast to the chilling battlefield they had just left behind.
As soon as they sat down at the table, Alice spoke to the group: "We did well today, but we need to strategize better next time. Losing valuable time on a single target almost cost us our lives!"
"You know, I like to be honest, and I was the only one who noticed that he seemed to be more resistant and even stronger than any other level 44 we've faced! And we've faced quite a few of them!" said Ana, realizing and analyzing the battle more closely. She looked back at the battle they had with the Minotaur to see if she made any mistakes during the fight.
"The teacher had already warned us!" commented Nolan.
In the middle of the conversation, 'I apologize for not hearing you, Ori!' I apologize for not hearing Ori when he was busy killing the Minotaur.
(No problem, just be more attentive next time!) Lucca was reminded to prevent such an occurrence from happening again.
"It's truly a very different experience when you're fighting for your life, without the assurance of being able to revive outside the dungeon. It's genuinely frightening!" commented Lucca, conveying the trauma of what had just happened in the field.
But before the group could respond to Lucca, Professor Elara sat at the table next to them, and everyone in the group greeted her, receiving greetings in return.
The group continued to discuss what they could improve for the next time they went into the field, aiming to avoid what had just happened.
The professor listened to the conversation about what happened to the group and asked, "So that's why you guys were losing HP, haha!" She laughed, and then continued, "How many wolves were there?"
At first, some were scared, others embarrassed, and another surprised that the professor had heard the discussion and laughed at their misfortune. They fell silent, but Lucca broke the silence by answering the professor, "There were 10 wolves."
"So it was a pack! Fascinating!" she remarked on Lucca's group situation, a twinkle in her eye. Then, she inquired, "How did you tackle that challenge? Share your strategy with me, so I can give you some advice from my experience." She engaged the group, keen on understanding and evaluating their approach, with the intention of offering some advice for improvement.
They detailed the situation they were in and how they resolved it, explaining how they had to change the strategy in the middle because they realized that putting Ana and Lucca at the front could create a gap in defense and end up with the death of the group.
After finishing the explanation, the professor fell into silence, analyzing the group's errors, seeking to offer advice to prevent them from making the same mistakes. At that moment, she shared her observations: "The first mistake you made was not analyzing the location where you began the Minotaur battle; the second, underestimating the time needed to defeat an enemy; the third, neglecting the importance of doing a Scout to assess the surrounding area. Additionally, it's crucial to improve the timing of using your abilities. It seemed like you used them without a clear strategy." The professor explained before departing.
Upon hearing the professor's frank and critical analysis, Lucca's group exchanged glances. Some expressed surprise, while others showed a mix of understanding and reflection. However, the group remained in complete silence, immersed in their thoughts while analyzing the professor's provided tips. Alice, as the group leader, scratched her head and glanced at the other members.
Alice responded, saying, "Well, I guess we have areas to improve. Maybe she's right about analyzing the location and the time we spend on a target."
Ana added, "She mentioned doing a Scout beforehand. We could have avoided the surprise of the wolves if we had done that."
Lucca pondered, "And about the abilities... I think she's right. We need to be more strategic about when to use them."
Ivy expressed, "It wasn't exactly pleasant feedback."
Nolan concluded, "Well, at least now we know what to focus on for next time. Let's learn from these mistakes."
The group, despite the initial surprise at the direct criticism, began to realize that the professor had offered valuable insights to improve their hunting and strategy skills. They agreed to focus on the mentioned points, aiming to avoid the same mistakes in the future.