bdsm-fiction Chapter 65 Wizards are Glass Cannons
Chapter 65 Wizards are Glass Cannons
"Lucas, I'll now teach you the most important insights about practical combat. Many of the subtleties were crammed into me by Mr. Moody over the past few days, and to be honest, I haven't fully grasped them myself."
"I originally wanted to learn and teach you at the same time, but it's too late now. You need to remember today's lesson carefully and digest it properly later."
Lucas nodded solemnly.
It turns out that this lesson was a joint teaching session between the legendary Auror Mad-Eye Han and Tonks!
"Battle is basically a combination of three aspects: attack, defense, and evasion. Of course, if you have a reliable healer by your side, then healing and recovery can be considered an additional aspect."
"If we only consider attack, defense, and evasion, which aspect is the most important?" Time was of the essence, and Tonks didn't keep them in suspense any longer. "Evasion, of course!"
"Most spells don't curve; even the killing curse, which is instantly fatal, will leave you unharmed if you dodge it!"
"But conversely, if you can't avoid it... watch out!"
Tonks gave a reminder, then waved his wand at Lucas!
Lucas reacted quickly, lunging to the side as her wand lit up, but Tonks was even faster; with a flick of her wrist, a spell struck Lucas.
In an instant, Lucas felt an irresistible tingling sensation sweep over his entire body, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter, his body going limp and him breathless.
It was the "Tickling Curse" that Lucas had previously learned.
Tonks dispelled the tickling spell and reached out to help Lucas up.
"Lucas, your reaction is not bad, but your movements are too big and full of openings, making it easy for others to see through your dodge direction."
"Then, just like I said, if you don't dodge it, even being hit by a small curse will make you lose instantly."
In that instant, Lucas had a sudden realization: so most wizards are just "glass cannons"!
Wizards do possess magical abilities, but they are still mortal beings. No matter how powerful their spells are, if they are hit by an enemy without proper defense, they will surely lose.
"Therefore, dodging is the most important aspect of wizard combat. A successful dodge not only makes the opponent's attack miss, but also creates an opportunity for you to counterattack."
"The ability to attack while dodging, or to strengthen defense, is a skill that all wizards who aspire to enhance their combat power must hone."
"Of course, that's still your next goal. Right now, you need to learn how to simply dodge, which includes two aspects."
"First, how to dodge correctly, making it difficult for the enemy to judge your dodge direction, and even misleading the enemy with feints."
"Secondly, how to judge the enemy's evasive intentions, not be deceived by the enemy's feints, and at the same time accurately hit the enemy."
"These two aspects are based on the same principle, so I'm discussing them together."
Tonks's gaze was intense, and his violet hair was slowly turning red.
"Listen, Lucas, most rookies are always staring intently at the tip of their opponent's wand, or drawn to the light emanating from the spell—that's a huge mistake!"
"With just a flick of the wrist, the tip of the wand will spin dramatically, and your body simply cannot keep up with that speed."
Lucas nodded. "So, what we need to observe is the enemy's wrist movements?"
Tonks laughed: "No, not just the wrist. Our eyes must always be on three parts of the enemy's body: the shoulders, the feet, and the wrists."
"The direction a wizard's shoulder is facing when wielding a wand will reveal the approximate sector of his attack. If he wants to cast a spell that requires a large swing of the wand, the shoulder movement will be even more obvious."
"But they can use their upper body to feint. So, you need to keep an eye on their feet!"
"The direction a wizard's feet point determines where his center of gravity lands and the direction in which he exerts force. Even if he uses his shoulder to deceive you, his supporting foot will always be firmly planted in the position where he exerts force. By observing his feet, you can predict his next move and attack tendency."
"As for the wrist," Tonks raised his wand, his wrist twirling deftly, "this is the final signal. Silent casting is not just about not using incantations, but about omitting both incantations and hand gestures. A sixth-level wizard who has mastered silent casting makes very small movements when attacking, relying solely on a momentary flick and tap of the wrist to complete the spell—swift, stealthy, and difficult to defend against."
She summarized: "Therefore, you must always maintain this habit: cover your opponent's entire body with your eyes, especially their shoulders, supporting feet, and wrists. Judge their spellcasting and movement direction from their shoulders and feet, and judge the final landing point of the spell from the direction and angle of their wrists."
"When your observation skills are perfected, you don't need to dodge much. Just tilt your head or turn your body to the side and the spell will fly past you."
Lucas meticulously recorded all of this, but he knew in his heart that although this set of insights and theories sounded simple, it was extremely difficult to put into practice, and he didn't know how long it would take to get the hang of it.
"Next is your dodge move."
She pointed with her wand at the spot where Lucas had just been hit by the "Tickling Charm": "The bigger your movements, the more openings you create. You threw yourself out of the way. Even if you managed to dodge the first attack, how are you going to counterattack immediately? Before you can even get up, your opponent's second and third spells will already be on your face."
She used her wand to draw a circle less than a meter in diameter at her feet.
"True masters dodge within this small area. We call it the 'core dodge circle.' Unless your goal is to escape, all dodging actions should be completed within this circle as much as possible. Remember, quick dodging leads to quick counterattacks."
Tonks lowered his body slightly, adopting a stance similar to a Muggle boxer, but more relaxed.
"Dodging isn't about big jumps, it's about quickly shifting your weight," she said softly. "Watch closely, I'm going to dodge to the left."
Before she finished speaking, her left shoulder dipped slightly, and her body seemed to lean to the left. But just as Lucas thought she was about to move to the left, she stepped to the right, sliding half a step to the right like a feather, just enough to allow the imagined spell to brush past her. The whole process was swift and fluid, with almost no unnecessary movement in her upper body.
"See that? The swaying of your shoulders is a feint, a deceptive move to mislead your opponent. The real key lies in your waist, hips, and footwork." Tonks steadied himself again. "Use your waist and hips to generate power, driving your feet in small, explosive movements. That's the key to efficient dodging."
Lucas nodded in approval, and at the same time gained a deeper understanding of what Tonks had said earlier: "Keep an eye on their feet."
Another question came to his mind: "Don't wizards have magic for quick evasion?"
"Yes, by using Apparition, one can almost teleport," Tonks said. "But it's very risky and requires extremely high skill. Perhaps only those who reach the [Legendary] level can freely use this method in combat."
"Of course, besides dodging, we can often use Polymorph or Defense Charms to block enemy attacks. But we don't have time to talk about those today, and besides, dodging is the fastest and most effective way. So you should focus on practicing that."
"Did you write it all down? Okay, let me explain it to you again—the attack."