The Fatal Drop from Above
"I'll place just an archer and a fighter up front, with everyone else positioned out of the golem master's line of sight in the rear."
Ji Suhyun's eyes narrowed with interest as she listened to me.
"Wouldn't two people be too few to hold off a horde of golems charging in?"
"The hint was in what you said, Instructor. Even golems made of asphalt and concrete—no matter how tough they seem, any Awakener could smash them easily. Two should be enough to buy some time."
That's right. I wasn't putting the archer and fighter up front to break through. It was to hold.
"Even so, they wouldn't last long if things go as you described."
"The archer's an Awakener too, aren't they? If it gets dicey, tell them to pull out their backup daggers. They won't have to hold out long anyway—the rest of the team waiting right behind will take over."
I pointed to the space mage on the simulation screen as I spoke.
"You said you designed this simulation based on your own experience, Instructor. That means the space mage has the same specs as you did back then. So, I'll move the rest of the holy knight, warrior, and even you up above the golem master—somewhere he can't see."
And just like I said, the pieces shifted atop the golem master.
"Hm, not bad. But breaking through his defenses with just that would still be tough."
"That's why we drop them from even higher. High enough that no defense can save him."
I adjusted the controller, changing the starting positions. The pieces slowly rose into the air, climbing to a height equivalent to the rooftop of a 50-story building.
"At this altitude, no terrain he could use would let him block it."
I grinned and pointed at the pieces. Ji Suhyun and the kids around me all stared in disbelief.
"So, you're saying if we drop them from here, the simulation ends in a win with zero losses?"
I nodded, and she flicked her finger to reset the board.
"Fine, you're last, so I'll show you how we actually took him down back then."
The formation she displayed had the space mage at the tip of a wedge. With another finger snap, the pieces charged toward the golem master.
And then, the anomaly began. Golems vanished like they were being erased, clearing a path in the direction the space mage moved.
Everyone reacted with confusion, and Ji Suhyun explained.
"Golems aren't really living things. They're just stone puppets following orders, no will of their own. That's how we shoved them aside and carved a path."
Clearing the surrounding golems, they reached the golem master. Moments later, his body swelled to the size of a building.
"But he wasn't stupid. Realizing he couldn't block us with more golems, he bulked himself up instead. That's when we faced him five-on-one."
Even without golems, he was a named villain who'd made his reputation. The fight stayed even despite the odds.
The warrior and fighter chipped away at his outer shell. The archer and mage struck the gaps. The holy knight raised a holy shield, protecting the team from his attacks.
The warrior and fighter got blasted back sometimes, but the holy knight's powers got them back on their feet. They battled to the end.
In the end, the golem master's body crumbled.
"Final result: heavy injuries to the warrior and fighter. Treatable wounds, no casualties. We took him down clean."
For heroes, it was the ideal victory. A brutal foe defeated without a single death.
No wonder Ji Suhyun took pride in being part of it.
"Alright, Han Yujin's turn. It'll look something like this, right?"
Time rewound. The pieces shifted into my formation: the holy knight, warrior, and space mage hovering high above.
Before starting, I looked at Ji Suhyun and the class.
"The biggest flaw in your strategy, Instructor, was that it all happened right in the golem master's sight. He bulked up the moment he realized golems wouldn't cut it. So, I came up with this."
A battle starting from a position he could never spot. Unimaginable for any normal person.
"I'm curious too. Shall we?"
"Please do."
She grinned and snapped her fingers. Golems poured toward the lone fighter and archer like a tidal wave.
They fought back fiercely. Arrows rained from the sky. Aura erupted from the fighter's punches, pulverizing golems.
But the golems pressed on like zombies, shrugging off arrows and fists, closing in bit by bit.
Even as the encirclement tightened, the archer and fighter resisted—but it was only a matter of time.
"At this rate, the archer and fighter get wiped out."
Ji Suhyun smirked at me amid the dire scene.
"If the others up top don't make their move, yeah."
──────!!
A deafening crack split the air. A flash erupted in one corner of the simulation room, followed by a massive boom and a mushroom cloud.
The three plummeting from on high had slammed into the golem master.
"This is the highlight. No way he expects an attack from building height. No time to defend overhead. Then the warrior hits him with a gravity-charged skill? Even a real Golem Doctor would drop dead."
(For the record, the Golem Doctor was the actual golem master's villain mentor.)
The golems around the archer and fighter began crumbling and vanishing, just as I'd predicted. Proof the golem master was toast.
"Ha, fine up to here. But that impact? The space mage and the other two would die too."
"Nah, that'd just be suicide, not a plan."
Something broke through the mushroom cloud. The warrior, holy knight, and space mage, crawling out unscathed.
"......They're alive?"
"No way."
"Don't Awakeners die from falls that high?"
The class buzzed as the three walked out casually, no major injuries.
Ji Suhyun gaped, then turned to me.
"How?"
"The holy knight and space mage weren't just standing around while the warrior attacked."
I continued explaining.
"The holy knight's Holy Shield skill reduces impact—it works on crash landings too. The moment they hit ground, the space mage deploys countless mana panels underground to absorb the shock."
Like falling through tree branches; each layer softens the blow.
"Holy knight cushions the initial ground hit, then multiple layers as they punch through. Minimal damage overall."
One kid up front—Noh Yoo-woon, I think—shot his hand up.
"Wait! Underground? What do you mean?"
"You said 'Gangnam-daero at Gangnam Station,' right, Instructor? Anyone thinking a bit would know there's empty space underground from shops and subways."
It required perfect grasp of the holy knight and space mage's abilities, tech, and terrain. That's why I was confident.
(I'd simmed it plenty in-game too.)
Well then...
"Satisfied with the answer, Instructor Ji Suhyun?"
She bowed her head with a pfft.
The kids exchanged glances, probably thinking: We could've won clean back then too, but Han Yujin's embarrassing the instructor.
But—
"Pfft... Puhaha! Kkhaha! Of course it is! Who'd think of something this wild?"
The Ji Suhyun I knew wouldn't crumble over this.
"This class isn't about regretting the past. It's designed to share and learn tactics based on real events, so you're ready if it happens again."
She approached, plopped a hand on my head, and ruffled.
"And Han Yujin here delivered a very satisfying result. Good job."
......Semi-forced headpat in progress.
But the mood made it impossible to swat her hand away.
"Tactics have no one 'right' answer. They twist based on allies' abilities, terrain, enemy traits. But—"
She faced the class, voice more serious than ever.
"If you never give up, keep thinking, and put your comrades first, you can become victorious heroes anywhere."
A cheerful tune blared from the speakers, signaling class end. The sim field vanished with a pop. Desks returned to place.
"Class dismissed. Good work today, everyone. Han Yujin, pick up store credit later."
"......Thank you."
She waved, said her piece, and left with a bright smile to the end.