System Activated: Soldier's Returned

Chapter 5: Expert Intelligence

Having said all that, Bruce walked in. Hearing his words, the security guards just looked at each other without stopping him. Classes had already started, so only a few people were walking around the school area. As he walked, Bruce flashed a satisfied smile.

System: "You have completed your mission to teach Mateo Kovacic a lesson and received one Expertise Point."

"Create a list of abilities that can be exchanged for one Expertise Point."

SWOOSH!

In an instant, a list of skills appeared before Bruce's eyes. The list consisted of Academics, Communication, and Gait.

The details of the three skills were straightforward. Academic Expertise would make Bruce highly knowledgeable, his Gait would improve his walking, and Communication would enhance his speaking ability.

"It seems like one Expertise Point can't give me much. Well, I'll choose Academics first. It will be helpful to help me in the university entrance exam later.

Bruce considered his desire to go to university before choosing. His grades at school were average, so it would take much work to get into a good university.

System: "The points redemption for Academic has been successful."

A moment later, Bruce felt pain filling his brain with knowledge in various subjects, ranging from War Strategy, Weapons Science, and Applied Maths.

The influx of all that knowledge ended just as he arrived at his classroom door. A moment later, Bruce knocked on the door and walked in. Instantly, all the other students' gazes fell on him.

"Bruce, where have you been? Do you know that you are late? Show me your manner!"

It was time for the War Strategy subject. The Military Teacher on duty was a regular lecturer, a middle-aged woman named Martha Tilaar.

"Sorry, I'm late. Some things held me up," Bruce apologised and walked to his seat.

"Huh? I don't take that stupid reason. Is this the attitude the school taught you? Remember this is the important class and you are all in senior year. Bruce, I would like to have a word with your parents. Call them later!"

"Mrs Tilaar, Bruce is an orphan. Some said he lived as maid in a lady house" one of the students said with a chuckle.

Bruce stopped his steps and squinted at the student who had just finished speaking. "Shut your goddamn mouth or I'll fucking beat your ass!"

The student was silent for a moment in surprise. After feeling Bruce's angry gaze, he reflexively looked down.

"Bruce Waylen, your languange! That doesn't reflect the behaviour of a good officer!" Mrs Tilaar kept scolding Bruce, so he started to feel annoyed.

Unconsciously, Bruce replied, "Maam, please no drama. I'm tired of hearing so many bullshit today. You can continue this class and don't bother me. I'll ignore you too."

Hearing those words, everyone stared at Bruce with a look of disbelief. Then, the stares turned into stares full of mockery and contempt.

They thought he was boasting. Even the best students in the class didn't dare say that they knew everything the teacher would teach.

"So, you already know everything, huh? All right then! Let me test your knowledge here, right now. I won't care what you do in class if you know everything from today onwards. However, if you fail to answer my questions, be prepared to drop out of my class today, and prepare yourself for the same class next year, because I will declare you a failure. You will learn your lesson!"

Martha was going through menopause, so her feelings were in turmoil. She was known as a bad-tempered teacher among the senior year students.

As Bruce sat down, the girl beside him quietly glanced at him. With an indifferent expression, the girl said, "If you apologise now, maybe she will still forgive you."

"Ah, it's fine. I can pass it."  When Bruce saw who was speaking, the girl was a little surprised.

The only thing Bruce considered a blessing while studying at the Officer Military School was that he was lucky enough to sit next to Donna Agnesia, the belle of the ball at the academy.

Donna's body looked ordinary, but her face was beautiful; it was as if she was born to be a celebrity. Her hair was always in a curly flow style, giving her the impression of a next girl crush. However, Donna barely talked to Bruce.

Hearing Bruce's answer, Donna snorted and looked down to continue reading her book.

Bruce crossed his arms and raised his head to look at Martha. Right now, he was confident enough to face the university entrance examination. If he could make this teacher not care about him, he would be relieved of much trouble in the future.

Martha started with the most challenging topic. "Strategy is the key to the conduct of war and is governed by principles that prescribe that a large force take offensive action against a weak enemy force to produce victory. Tell us the strategic concept of the Civil War according to General Nathan."

All the students turned their heads and looked at Bruce with a glimmer of pity in their gazes. Indeed, the concept was part of the syllabus, but it was almost impossible to memorise it without preparation because it was so long. Only a few people were capable of doing so.

"It looks like Bruce will fail today."

"It's his own fault. Didn't you see how arrogant he was earlier?"

"No, but I heard his girlfriend dumped him yesterday and go with Mateo from the Defence Civil Engineering Class!"

"Oh, I've heard that especially after that halloween party. Mateo is quite handsome. Well, Bruce is a terrible person. Who would want to date him?"

"Shut up! In my class, you're not allowed to gossip about relationship!"

Bruce flashed a bitter smile as he listened to his classmates talking to each other.

"The old me was foolish, but I'm no longer the same person!" Bruce said to himself.

System: "Mission: Make all your classmates admire you. The Admiration Level must reach 10,000 points. Reward: Two Expertise Points. Time limit: 1 hour. There is no penalty if you fail this mission."

"Mission: Prove Martha Tilaar wrong by utilising your knowledge. Reward: One Expertise Point. Time limit: 1 hour. There is no penalty if you fail this mission."

"As an Among Gods System User, your mission is to show others that you are the greatest!"

The system seemed to have a mind of its own and deliberately added the last sentence; Martha sneered when she saw the confused expression on Bruce's face.

"How dare you fight me! Just wait, I'll teach him a lesson," she thought happily.

A moment later, Bruce expressed the concept confidently, "Firstly, Objective (Any direct military operation in a clear, firm, and achievable direction). Second, Attack (Defend, and exploit the initiative). Third, Mass (Concentrate combat power at the decisive place and time). Fourth, Economy of Force (Allocate a minimum of combat power to secondary efforts). Fifth, Manoeuvre (Place the enemy at a disadvantage through the flexible application of combat power). Sixth, Unity of Command/Government (For each objective, ensure unity of effort under one responsible commander). Seventh, Security (Never allow the enemy to gain an unexpected advantage). Eighth, Surprise (Directly hit the enemy at a time, place, or in a manner the enemy does not expect). Ninth, Simplicity (Thorough and clear readiness, uncomplicated and clear plans, concise orders to ensure thorough understanding)."

Every point of the concept sounded from Bruce's lips. Now, he only needed to think of the title, and all the contents would come to mind. He continued to explain the concept of war strategy without pause.

Meanwhile, all the other students picked up their books. After confirming that every verse Bruce recited was correct, they stared at him in disbelief.

Even Donna turned round to look at him. Since they were sitting next to each other, Donna was sure he wasn't reading a book. However, even though she had been sitting next to Bruce, she had never seen him so seriously reading a book.

After Bruce said the last sentence, he said flatly, "It's finished, Mrs Tilaar."

GLUCK!

The students in the class gulped in unison as they stared at Bruce. Their jaws seemed like they were about to drop to the floor.

"How could he explain that concept without the slightest pause? In fact, he didn't even read from a book! He read everything from his memory, and he recited it perfectly!" they wondered.

As Bruce looked into the eyes of his classmates, a line of numbers appeared before his eyes.

[Admiration Level: 957/10,000]

"Damn it! Still not enough!" Bruce said to himself.