Chapter 74: Real-time Strategy Game

"I'll show you how it's done." Alaric shrugged, walked forward, and the Black King obediently moved to the side.

"First, understand the temperament of the chess pieces," Alaric muttered to himself. "So, let me see what temperament you all have."

He drew out the Spellweaver releasing his entire magical power.

Immediately, a massive surge of magical power swept over the Black side of the chessboard, overwhelming all the Black Knights, making them struggle for breath under this terrifying force.

After a while, Alaric reined in his magic, slightly panting, but maintaining a calm demeanor on the surface. He had used the powerful magic of the Spellweaver, but couldn't fully control it.

"Now, who rules this chessboard?" He loudly asked.

Chess pieces couldn't speak, but they all respectfully lowered their heads, expressing their submission. Even the Black King on the sidelines was no exception.

The four people below were stunned by this scene. They had never seen anything like it, but being off the chessboard, they couldn't feel the terrifying aura.

However, they still looked at Alaric with admiration—this man always managed to do things that defied common sense.

Seeing all the pieces showing submission, Alaric nodded satisfactorily and continued to announce loudly, "I know you all have your own opinions on how to play and attack in chess. Your experience is richer than mine. 

But now, I am the commander, and I have only one demand—obedience!

No other opinions! No autonomous actions! Only obedience!

After hearing my orders, all pieces must not hesitate! Whether there are mountains of blades or seas of fire ahead, they must execute immediately!"

This disregard for the opinions of the pieces and the direct commands shocked the four young wizards. They had never heard such straightforward orders, especially from a newcomer commander rather than an experienced chess player.

Just when they thought the pieces were about to rebel, reality slapped them in the face again.

All the pieces lowered their heads in unison to Alaric, showing their submission.

"How... how can this be?" Ron couldn't believe it, muttering to himself, "Is this the real way to play wizard chess?"

He had never seen such a confident pre-match command. All wizard chess players usually had to sweet-talk and please all the pieces before the battle, or else, during the match, if pieces kept giving orders, it would be a disaster.

Only experienced players or famous wizard chess masters could initially gain the trust of the pieces.

Alaric completely overturned their common sense.

However, what unfolded before them next left them completely dumbfounded.

In the match that followed, Alaric continuously issued commands at a rapid pace. His speech was fast, uttering almost ten words per second—this surpassed any known record.

This demonstrated Alaric's incredibly fast calculation speed. He issued nearly four or five commands every second, a speed eight or nine times faster than his opponent.

In other words, he could simultaneously control more than eight or nine times the number of pieces his opponent controlled, and each move was clear-headed.

Although the speed of individual pieces was limited, in Alaric's hands, controlling multiple pieces simultaneously meant each piece covered eight or nine times the average distance.

This was no longer playing wizard chess; he treated it like a real-time strategy game—although no one in this era knew what a real-time strategy game was.

The young wizards below were astonished. Ron swore on his entire Chocolate Frog card collection that if Alaric could speed up a bit more, he could control even more pieces simultaneously.

Within minutes, the Black side's pieces split, surrounded, and defeated the White side, wiping them out, while the Black side only lost a pawn initially.

When Alaric left the chessboard victorious, they still thought they were dreaming.

Especially Ron, who felt defeated in his own specialty. He kept muttering to himself, "How can he play like this? How can he play like this?"

However, they had to admit that a genius was a genius. Alaric had just learned the rules and won the match with such tactics.

Now, no one doubted Alaric's ability to lead them through the entire game.

They eagerly stepped onto the chessboard to act as Alaric's pieces, and he let two knights and two wizards leave the board.

As they passed by Alaric, Ron, with a somewhat unwilling expression, said to him, "With your skill... you can participate in the International Wizard Chess Championship. I don't think anyone can be your opponent."

In this game, Alaric won even more decisively. He didn't even move the knights and wizards replaced by the young wizards.

Instead, he used the castle to pave the way, and pawns took turns attacking the opponent's baseline.

In the end, he summoned four queens (pawns can transform into a castle, knight, wizard, or queen upon reaching the baseline), overwhelming the White side.

When the game ended, they stood at the Black side's baseline without moving.

"Did we win just like that?"

When they reached the last room, Cho Chang was still immersed in the thrilling match they had just experienced.

Only those who had experienced the immense pressure of facing an opponent operating ten times faster in a real-time strategy game knew how challenging it was.

Entering the next room, a nauseating stench hit them. They had to lift their clothes to cover their noses, and tears welled up in their eyes.

This time, Hermione thought ahead of how to deal with it. Waving her wand, she cast a Bubble-Head Charm on each of them, giving them relief.

Through the transparent film, they saw a giant creature lying motionless on the floor ahead, unconscious, with a bloody lump on its head.

"Oh! It's one of these disgusting creatures again." Hermione frowned, fear flashing in her eyes, evidently recalling the encounter on Halloween night.

Alaric noticed this and comfortingly patted her head.

Harry opened the next door, and for a moment, they dared not see what awaited them yet there was nothing scary. There was only a table with seven differently shaped bottles arranged on it.

As they crossed the threshold, flames suddenly rose behind them, blocking the doorway. These flames were different; they were purple.

At the same time, flames burst ahead, towards the next door, but these were black. They were trapped in the middle.

"This is Dark Flame," Alaric explained to them. "

Also known as Darkfire, it's a potent dark magic. It can't be extinguished by normal means. Only the corresponding counter-curse can deal with it."

"So, what do we do?" Ron panicked immediately. "We can't be stuck in here forever, right?"

"Look!" Hermione picked up a piece of parchment placed beside the bottles and read aloud:

Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,

Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,

One among us seven will let you move ahead,

Another will transport the drinker back instead,

Two among our number hold only nettle wine,

Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.

Choose, unless you wish to stay here for evermore,

To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:

First, however slyly the poison tries to hide

You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;

Second, different are those who stand at either end,

But if you would move onwards neither is your friend;

Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,

Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;

Fourth, the second left and the second on the right

Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight

'Haha, this is like an elementary school logic problem'

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