Ambush

On Fern's side, the three of them were walking through the sparse woodland on the edge of the basin.

Lanto adjusted his glasses, cautiously surveying his surroundings, and finally concluded. "In short, we have captured the Stille. The best strategy now is to conceal our presence and smoothly pass the exam until it ends."

"Well---so-boring---" Ubel drawled, swaying like a child, her single ponytail bobbing gently. "Hmm~ how about we play cards? I've got 'Duel King' and 'Human-Demon Summoning' cards with me~ let's have a thrilling duel!" She pulled out several beautifully crafted decks from somewhere, deftly flipping them between her fingers.

Fern remained expressionless, his pale purple eyes calmly fixed on her. "... Miss Ubel, the magical fluctuations generated during a duel could also reveal our location."

"Since someone's here, let's stretch a bit~ We can't possibly lose anyway..." Ubel put away his cards and did a stretching exercise, "It's better than just sitting there."

Lanto shook his head, his tone carrying an academic rigor. "A mage's first priority is to learn to avoid unnecessary combat and magic consumption; this is the most basic of basics."

"Really... one after another, they're all just like that trouble-averse Demon King." Ubel curled his lip.

In the distance, Lowell, who was observing Frieren's situation with magic, suddenly sneezed and rubbed his nose. "Who's talking about me...?"

Ubel untied the water bottle from his waist, tilted his head back to drink, but only managed to pour out a few drops.

She shook the empty water bottle. "Tsk. Even if we want to conceal our tracks, we need to replenish our water first. I remember the map showed that there wasn't a forest in the center of this basin, but a large lake."

Fern unfolded the map to confirm. "Yes. Let's go. Speaking of which, it's great that we were able to catch the Stille successfully." She gently patted the Birdcage covered with cloth hanging at her waist.

Lanto nodded. "Indeed. As long as we aren't discovered and robbed by other teams before sunset, we'll pass the first test smoothly."

"Hmph..." Ubel let out a meaningful chuckle.

Lanto looked at her. "What's wrong?"

Ubel tapped the ground with his toe. "Looks like things won't go entirely as planned, Glasses Guy. You really are a pure magician; your observation skills still need some work. Look at where we're standing. This ground is clearly about thirty centimeters lower than the surrounding area, isn't it? What looks like a path is actually a dried-up riverbed. And we've already passed several similar marks along the way."

Fern looked closely and indeed noticed something amiss. "...? I remember this exam area was completely surrounded by a powerful barrier. The water shouldn't be able to flow out, right?"

Reminded by her, Lanto immediately understood. "Yes, the barrier set up during the exam must be a powerful physical barrier that wouldn't even let a speck of dust escape. So... I understand."

Ubel had already crouched down, running his fingers across the dried-up riverbed soil, examining it carefully. "Judging from the dryness and cracking of the soil, this river has been dry for at least a week. The barrier should have been set up around the same time."

Fern quickly realized, "In other words, the water in the basin has changed its flow direction under the influence of the barrier, and it's basically all converging into the large lake in the center. The existence of the barrier ensures the basic water supply needed for the candidates to survive as living beings, but also..."

Lanto continued, "So... the Stille that need water will inevitably be active around the lake. Other teams that realize this will likely be lying in ambush near the lake, waiting for their prey to come to them, or... ambushing other examinees who might be carrying Stille, which means us. That area is now a veritable danger zone. Okay, it's decided, let's abandon the plan to go to the central lake to replenish our water supply."

"What are you saying?" Ubel dusted off his hands and stood up. "Is it okay to be so cruel to a lady? She'll never have a girlfriend, you know. My throat is parched."

Lanto calmly suggested an alternative. "Go find any small puddles or seepage points that might exist. Although the water volume is small, they are more concealed and safer."

Ubel pouted. "What about hygiene? Is the water in those puddles drinkable?"

Fern spoke softly, her tone carrying a hint of reliability. "It's alright, Miss Ubel. I'll use fire magic to boil the water."

"Okay, okay..."

However, the instant she finished speaking—

"Whoosh--!"

Several solid beams of Ordinary Attack Magic shot out from the dense forest to the side without warning, aiming directly at Fern and his two companions!

Fern's pupils contracted slightly, but she instantly summoned her staff and flicked her wrist. The next moment, three honeycomb-shaped, semi-transparent Defensive Magic circles precisely unfolded in front of her, steadily blocking the sneak attack beam with muffled thuds.

Lanto's gaze calmly fell upon the source of the attack. From the shadows of the forest, three figures emerged— Wirbel, Ehre, and Scharf.

"Oh, isn't this Senior Wirbel?" Ubel's face showed no sign of tension, but rather a smile. Before she finished speaking, she had already lunged forward, closing the distance, the tip of her staff almost touching Wirbel's nose. But Wirbel's staff was also pointing at her, and the two instantly faced off.

"Long time no see, so enthusiastic the moment we meet?" Ubel's tone was flippant. "Aren't you afraid you might accidentally kill us all?"

Wirbel grinned. "Heh, just a greeting. If you can't even handle this kind of sneak attack, you'll be dead in the monster's mouth sooner or later." His gaze swept over the Birdcage at Fern's waist. "Enough nonsense. You're all students of the academy. Hand over the Stille, and I'll let you go this time, so you don't suffer."

Ubel raised an eyebrow. "What if I say no?"

"Then there's no need to say more...!"

The two were on the verge of exchanging blows, while Ehre and Scharf watched Fern and Lanto warily.

Just as Wirbel's staff glowed faintly, preparing to launch the first attack—

A massive and chilling surge of magical energy, like a tidal wave, Swirl outwards from the center of the basin!

The people in the standoff all paused, turning their heads in unison, their senses focused on the source of the fluctuation.

In the direction of the lake in the center of the basin, a huge white ice pillar rose into the sky, and even from a distance, one could feel its astonishing chill. The entire surface of the lake was completely Frozen in a short time, reflecting a dazzling white light under the sunlight.

Where did this Aokiji come from?

"This is...?" Wirbel frowned. "The magical fluctuations from that ice mage in Team Two, Frieren's squad... She froze the entire lake? What is she trying to do, declare war on all the squads?"

Almost simultaneously, exclamations and complaints rose from other examinees around the lake.

A member of one of the teams stared in disbelief. "Hey! They've frozen the entire lake..."

Edel not far away, stomped her foot in anger. "Stop joking! Hey! Hurry! You two! Melt the ice!"

Her bald teammate Bly, tried to Melt the ice with fire magic, but with little success. He said helplessly, "But... with such a huge magical commotion, the Stille definitely won't dare to approach this area anymore... shouldn't that have been taught in the academy? Your book knowledge is clearly better than ours!"

Edel was nearly driven mad. "What Stille! I melted the ice because I needed water! I was dying of thirst! I finally made it here!"

Bly: "..." He chose to remain silent.

Further away, the experienced Duncan observed the situation and shook his head. "They're wasting time and magic. Even if the ice Melts, the Stille won't approach this area again anytime soon." He looked at his teammate Lichta beside him, "Let's change our target. Let's take the Stille from that second team that's causing chaos. Since those guys dare to make such a big fuss, they're definitely not just causing trouble; they have a clear capture plan."

Unexpectedly, their conversation was overheard by Edel, who immediately turned around and shouted, "Hey! I already said! I melted the ice because I wanted to drink water! I wanted to drink water!"

Duncan was taken aback, then waved his hand helplessly. "... Never mind, anyway, track down that little girl who unleashed the large-scale Ice-Freeze Magic and find Team Two."

The incident in the center of the basin temporarily interrupted the conflict between Fern's team and Wirbel's team. However, this brief period of calm did not last long.

Wirbel was the first to regain his senses. He waved his staff, and an even more powerful Ordinary Attack Magic shot straight at Ubel!

Ubel reacted quickly, dodging to the side. The magic beam grazed the hem of her clothes, leaving a charred hole in the tree trunk behind her.

Her smile remained unchanged, "Senior, being in such a hurry to grab something isn't like you. Has your team not succeeded yet? Oh dear, Senior Wirbel, with such a high history degree, can't even catch Stille? How weak..."

Wirbel had a bloody gash on his face, cut by something unknown, but he didn't seem to care, coldly scoffing, "Enough nonsense! We just haven't found the Stille yet!"

"Oh? So you're admitting you're having bad luck?"

"Enough talk, let's get started!" Wirbel shouted.

War has broken out again!

Ehre out a sharp cry, and her staff glowed, unleashing several wind blades towards Fern. Fern retreated steadily, lightly waving her staff to create a thick, honeycomb-shaped shield in front of her. The wind blades struck the shield, producing a piercing cutting sound.

Scharf and Lanto silently moved towards the distant battlefield. Melee was too easy to cause friendly fire; one-on-one duels were better for controlling the situation.

Ubel grinned wickedly as he met Wirbel's renewed attack. "Looks like the greetings are over, senpai."