The fourth stage of the "Van Kanighem" tournament.

Yeah, the first outpost is clear, but was Grand quickly obtained by leveling up in a battle like "hero vs 1 squad" as some kind of surprise from VDV?

Grand was obtained on the first turn. But not by leveling up in one battle, rather in battles—many battles; you also need to take two more Scouting altars. One is to the right of the home Fortress, the other is behind the Walking Plants near the Fire-elementals and the hut with a script that opens the oasis near the home Fortress.

Added after 3 minutes

Yes, hopes for a good result are melting faster than ice cream under a stream of boiling water.

The main thing is to participate in the post-game analysis and discover something new; then you will approach the next game with a new mindset for a new result, like playing better than your previous self. That is also interesting.