The Duke's Worthless Daughter Awakens an SSS+ Guide Core

The countdown continued to tick relentlessly above the holographic battlefield, the crimson numbers shrinking with each passing second. The digital display read exactly three minutes and forty-one seconds of planning time remaining for the second phase of the examination.

Across the vast arena, candidates frantically finalized their opening strategies, desperate to establish their lines before the simulation accelerated into full combat mode. Virtual platoons began moving through the burning streets of the digital city as dozens of distinct simulated operations commenced simultaneously across the different platforms.

The enormous screens overhead displayed countless miniature battlefields unfolding in real time, creating a dizzying mosaic of tactical movements. Some overeager commanders immediately divided their thirty-eight soldiers into multiple small squads, hoping to cover more ground and locate the hidden civilians faster.

Others concentrated their forces into a single heavy formation, intending to overwhelm the nearest enemy checkpoint through sheer physical momentum. Within moments, however, bright red warning notifications began flashing across numerous individual simulations, signaling immediate tactical errors.

The automated system broadcasted the grim results of these rushed decisions to the struggling students.

[Friendly Casualties Detected.]

[Primary Route Obstructed by Debris.]

[Mission Efficiency Reduced by 40%.]

Several applicants frowned deeply as their carefully prepared plans unraveled almost instantly against the reactive artificial intelligence.

Merianah paid absolutely no attention to the failures occurring around her, completely detached from the panic of the room. Her crimson eyes remained fixed upon the western maintenance tunnel she had discovered beneath the industrial sector.

She enlarged the underground layout once more, tapping the console to reveal the structural schematics of the subterranean network.

A faint network of secondary maintenance shafts branched away from the primary tunnel, tunneling deeper into the earth. The data showed that these paths eventually reconnected with several minor utility facilities located directly beneath the residential district.

She traced each narrow passage carefully with her stylus, analyzing the vertical clearance and structural integrity of the old concrete walls. Most of these shafts were far too narrow to accommodate standard military equipment or mechanized armor.

"Vehicles cannot pass through here," she noted to herself, her mind calculating the logistical limitations. "But light infantry can navigate the space without difficulty."

She selected one of the branching tunnels that seemed to bypass the main enemy patrol routes entirely. A detailed engineering report immediately appeared beside the glowing holographic map, confirming her initial structural assessment.

[Utility Access Route 7-B]

[Structural Integrity: Stable (89%)]

[Environmental Hazards: Low]

[Maximum Capacity: Light Personnel Only]

"So the old structural path still exists within this campaign file," she murmured quietly to herself, satisfied with the hidden data.

The advanced simulation had hidden this specific passage beneath multiple complex information layers to reward thorough reconnaissance. Most candidates would never discover its existence because they had immediately focused on commanding troops rather than gathering intelligence.

She knew from her past life that a commander who ignored foundational logistics rarely survived a prolonged military campaign. She finally raised her hand and issued her very first operational order to the virtual command terminal.

"Reconnaissance Squad," she stated firmly, her voice clear and decisive.

The holographic interface responded immediately with a soft green prompt.

[Awaiting Orders for Team Alpha.]

"Send exactly four light soldiers through Utility Access Route Seven-B to scout the residential zone," she commanded.

Nearby candidates glanced toward her screen again, their expressions filled with confusion and open amusement at her conservative approach. They could not understand why she was risking such a small number of troops in a dangerous area.

"She already split her forces before even reaching the city limits," one noble applicant laughed softly, whispering to his friend.

"She only has thirty-eight total troops under her command," the other student replied, shaking his head.

"Sending four men alone into an unmapped zone is an absolute waste of resources."

Another candidate shook his head in mock pity, turning back to his own frantic battle plan.

"She has already lost the scenario by playing too defensively," he muttered under his breath, confident in his own aggressive strategy.

Merianah ignored their criticisms completely, keeping her absolute focus locked on the progress of her small scouting team. Those four digital soldiers were never intended to engage the enemy forces in a direct firefight.

They were meant to answer a single, critical question that would dictate the entire framework of her remaining rescue plan. She needed to know where the civilians had actually gone before committing the bulk of her platoon.

The simulation accelerated its internal clock, driving the timeline forward as the exercise truly began. The reconnaissance team disappeared quietly into the darkness of the maintenance tunnel while the remaining thirty-four soldiers stayed completely concealed in the forest outside the city limits.

She refused to move them forward a single meter, letting the precious planning time tick away. Every second that passed without an assault caused the observers in the elevated command center to grow increasingly puzzled by her inactivity.

Colonel Serena folded her arms across her chest, her eyes tracking the immobile blue markers on Merianah’s screen.

"Still no assault order from Candidate Twenty-Seven," she observed aloud, her interest thoroughly piqued by the anomaly.

A younger tactical officer standing beside her frowned deeply, tapping his fingers against his clipboard in disapproval.

"She is completely surrendering the tactical initiative to the enemy AI," he argued, believing her behavior to be a sign of hesitation.

"No, that is not what she is doing," Serena responded, slowly shaking her head as she corrected him. "She is simply refusing to gamble with the lives of her men."

The colonel knew that this subtle distinction was incredibly important for a true military leader to understand.

Most inexperienced commanders erroneously believed that taking immediate physical action always equated to making actual progress on the field.

Veterans understood that unnecessary movement often created unnecessary casualties, especially when operating with limited intelligence data.

Nearly forty seconds later, the reconnaissance report returned to Merianah’s console with a sharp electronic chime. A new notification appeared on her primary display, signaling the successful completion of the scouting mission.

[Reconnaissance Phase Complete.]

[Data Received from Team Alpha.]

Merianah opened the file immediately, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the environmental readouts. The results were exactly as she had anticipated when she first studied the enemy’s unusual defensive posture. The western residential shelters were completely abandoned, showing no signs of life or active civilian presence.

There were no refugees trapped in the basements, and no emergency camps had been established in the designated safe zones. The scanners only detected discarded personal belongings and emergency medical supplies that had been hastily left behind during a prior movement.

"The evacuation had already happened before the frontline reached this sector," she analyzed, her mind connecting the historical pieces. "The civilians recognized the danger early and continued moving south."

She expanded the boundaries of the holographic map farther south, tracking the natural flow of the riverbank. There, tucked away in an isolated bend of the river, sat a small water purification facility. The location held absolutely no military value, possessed no strategic resources, and lacked any major transportation hubs or communications arrays.

It was exactly the kind of unpretentious place that an opposing enemy commander would ignore during a massive offensive push. A quiet, knowing smile finally appeared on her face as she verified the life signs flickering within the facility.

"I found you," she whispered, her fingers locking the coordinates into her primary tactical computer.

She marked the purification facility as the true objective point of her operation, bypassing the academy’s original markers completely. Immediately afterward, she issued her second major command to the waiting platoon outside the city.

"Entire platoon, advance through Utility Access Route Seven-B in single file," she ordered the computer.

"Maintain absolute radio silence throughout the transit phase."

"Engage hostile forces only if it becomes absolutely necessary for survival."

High above the arena floor, Colonel Serena’s eyes widened slightly as she watched the blue markers slip into the hidden tunnel system.

Only then did she finally understand the profound logic behind what Candidate Twenty-Seven had been doing all this time. Merianah had never been searching for the shortest physical path to the objective markers on the screen.

She had been methodically searching for the safest possible route for her personnel. Before moving a single soldier into the jaws of danger, she had first made absolutely certain there was actually someone left alive to save.