Advantage

Outside the hall, in the passageway not far away.

The fighting occurred simultaneously in different small areas and ended quickly.

Lichta shook her hand.

On the ground, the gray powder belonging to the "Rabiñe" clone was slowly dissipating. He glanced at the powder, his face expressionless.

Not far away, Rabiñe put away her staff and exhaled a puff of white breath. In front of her was the "Kanne" replica, which had just been impaled on the ground by several ice spikes and was now turning into fragments.

Kanne stood beside her, watching "himself" gradually disappear on the ground, muttering to himself, "Watching my own copy get shattered... it feels really weird."

"It's better than you getting smashed yourself," Rabiñe said.

Further away, the clones of Ton and Scharf lay among the rubble, turning to dust. Wirbel grinned, retracted his short staff, and scanned the battlefield, making sure nothing was missed.

Duncan stood near the entrance to the hall, using his magical senses to observe the battle situation. His steady voice echoed in the corridor, carrying a confidence born of years of experience.

"That's right," he said. "We've identified the opponents we're not good at dealing with, and we've also identified the opponents we are good at dealing with. Fighting should be this easy."

His gaze swept over the crowd that had gathered.

"Strategies can be developed through communication, allowing us to understand each other's weaknesses and strengths—this is the advantage of cooperation. Choosing the right opponent means using one's strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses."

Before the words were even finished, the winner was decided on the other side as well.

Laufen's figure darted around the "Methode" clone at high speed, leaving afterimages in his wake. Ehre's staff kept striking, and solid stones bombarded from tricky angles, disrupting the clone's spellcasting rhythm. Fern chose to launch his attack when the clone was on guard against the two's attacks.

The "Methode" clone attempted to construct Defensive Magic, but Laufen was too fast, and Ehre's interference was extremely precise. Laufen seized a slight opening, appearing beside the clone as if she had anticipated it, and the magic power gathered at the tip of her staff precisely pierced its ribs. Although it was blocked at the last second, Fern's magic arrived just in time.

The clone's movements suddenly froze, and then it crumbled into stone chips.

"It's resolved." Laufen landed, slightly out of breath.

Ehre breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slightly.

Fern silently put down his staff.

On the other side, Dunster steadily blocked the rock spikes blasted by the "Lichta" clone. Lanto and Scharf attacked from the left and right, respectively, alternating their magic attacks and sealing off all the clone's escape routes.

The Lichta clone attempted to alter the terrain to create cover, but Dunster created the perfect firing environment for the two behind it. In just a few breaths, the clone was overwhelmed by the relentless onslaught.

Duncan closed his eyes and sensed it, nodding slightly.

"When encountering an enemy that is difficult to defeat alone, use numbers to overwhelm them."

Methode walked to his side, her posture still elegant, but with a hint of solemnity in her eyes. She glanced at the faint aftershocks of the intense magical clash emanating from the entrance to the hall, then looked away and spoke softly.

"Indeed. But there's one thing I'm still worried about."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it drew the attention of several people around her.

"Although the examiner said she wouldn't help us, her conversation with Lowell actually revealed the clue that 'the stronger the ability, the slower the replication.'"

Sense glanced at her but didn't say anything.

Methode paused, her gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"Now that a copy of Mr. Lowell has appeared, and even a copy of Miss Frieren has been created... there's no reason why copies of other people shouldn't be copied as well."

"Furthermore, we already knew that clones could potentially reappear after being defeated."

Her gaze fell on Sense, then quickly shifted away, but the meaning was already clear.

"We can't handle Mr. Lowell's clone, but it shouldn't reappear anytime soon. Miss Frieren's clone just appeared, and it's the same. But what about the others?"

She lowered her voice.

"For example... if a clone of Sense were to reappear, we'd likely be in for another tough fight. And this is the only spacious hall here..."

She glanced at the entrance to the hall, which was now filled with Lowell, Frieren, and their clones, and was constantly rumbling and shaking.

"There's no room for us to fight anymore."

Duncan was silent for a few seconds, then slowly exhaled, but his brows seemed to furrow even deeper.

"... Indeed. In such a confined space, I would be no match for her. Her hair is both offensive and defensive, covering a vast area; even a surprise attack from Wirbel would likely find it difficult to get close."

He looked at Sense, his gaze complex.

"As for this... we can only pray that she doesn't reappear, or that she'll only appear after the battle inside is over."

Methode shook her head gently.

"Not only that. Since the clones can also perfectly conceal their magic, then we also cannot sense or control your own clones, Miss Fern and Mr. Duncan, in advance."

She looked at Duncan.

"We can only try using closer-range magic perception with higher precision. After all, you and Miss Fern are equally threatening. As for Mr. Wirbel... since we've already defeated one of his clones before, we shouldn't be too worried about him in the short term."

Lichta crossed her arms and turned her dead fish eyes toward Sense, who had been standing quietly in the corner as if it were none of her business.

"Honestly, if you hadn't come in with us, we wouldn't have had so many concerns about your clone. Now, things are in chaos inside, and we have to be on edge outside, worried you might pop out again."

Sense's eyes drooped, her long light brown hair motionless. Her voice was flat and emotionless, and her gaze swept over the crowd.

"I think the biggest threat is that guy inside."

"Moreover, First-Class Mage, even in the most perilous circumstances, will surely turn the tide."

Her gaze seemed to drift away for a moment.

"Back then, Ruby, as a First-Class Mage, successfully defeated the Demon King in the Hero Party."

His gaze shifted back to the examinees in front of him.

"Now, all you need to do is protect your companions' backs to pass. You can even break the bottle to escape in a real crisis."

"What a peaceful exam."

Lichta pursed her lips and looked away.

"... Tsk."

Just then, Ubel, who had been leaning against the rock wall and playing with his short cane, suddenly chuckled softly.

Her green ponytail swayed gently as she looked up.

"Speaking of which," she said lightly, with a hint of nonchalance, "As for Miss Sense... I should be able to beat her."

Lanto, who was next to her, pushed up his glasses and glanced at her from behind the lenses.

"... Hey," his voice was flat and emotionless, "Don't joke around. Duncan is undoubtedly the strongest among us. Besides, didn't you fail to defeat even Wirbel before? Don't go and get yourself killed."

"Ah, that's not how it's calculated," Ubel corrected with a smile, twirling his short cane between his fingers. "I am indeed still quite inexperienced... um, that's right... um, but you said that Sense's weapon is her hair... right?"

Lanto: "So what if it is?"

Ubel's smile remained unchanged. He lightly traced a shallow cut on the wall beside him with his short staff. "This is my specialty, the magic of 'Nothing Is Uncuttable'."

"I've seen it, and it's indeed very powerful," Lanto replied, "But it's useless. Anyone would know that hair used in combat is coated with multiple layers of Defensive Magic; you can't possibly cut through it..."

Before he could finish speaking—

A sudden change has occurred!

Without warning, dozens of strands of light brown hair, like living venomous snakes, silently shot down from the shadows of the rock wall above everyone's heads! They were so fast that they left only afterimages on the retina, heading straight for Ubel, who stood on the outermost edge and seemed completely unprepared!

Duncan, who was prepared, suddenly sharpened his eyes and slammed his staff heavily on the ground!

"Buzz--!"

Several layers of honeycomb-shaped Defensive Magic instantly overlapped and unfolded, barely managing to block Ubel's head at the critical moment!

"Hiss--!"

A loud cutting and friction sound erupted! The tip of the hair pierced the defensive shield, exploding into blinding magical Sparks! The shield trembled violently, and ripples Swirl wildly across its surface, but thankfully it did not break.

The sneak attack was thwarted.

The hair, having missed its target, retreated into the shadows like a tide.

But everyone knows it's still there.

"Tsk..." Duncan maintained his Defensive Magic, his voice low, "Looks like luck isn't on our side..."

He turned his head and looked at Ubel, who was protected behind the magic.

"Well, now that you've seen this move, how are you going to win? What do you need me to do?"

Ubel's smile deepened. She even calmly tidied her slightly disheveled hair.

"Ah, look, Glasses Guy," she gestured with her chin at Lanto, her tone slightly teasing, "The Court Mage is much more sensible."

She turned to Duncan, her smile unchanged.

As for how to do it...

She extended her slender finger and touched the Defensive Magic shield that enveloped her.

"Could you please remove the Defensive Magic on my side?"

At this distance, is Defensive Magic even necessary to deal with the elusive, incredibly sharp long hair of the Sense clone?

Duncan looked at Ubel, and the others around her, including Sense, also looked at her.

In the girl's green eyes, there was no madness, no hesitation, only a calm, almost resolute confidence.

He was silent for two seconds.

A flicker of weighing, calculation, and a hint of decision crossed his cloudy eyes.

Then he nodded.

"Good."

The words had barely left his mouth.

The Defensive Magic shield surrounding Ubel shattered and dissipated silently, like a bubble.

She was left completely exposed to the deadly threat Concealment in the shadows.

Almost at the same moment--

The shadows on the rock wall above writhed like living creatures, and countless light brown hairs burst forth once more! This time, there were more of them, they were faster, and the angles were more treacherous! Like a net of deathly tentacles, they enveloped Ubel's entire body!

Ubel stood still, without even raising his short cane.

She simply raised her head, gazing at the incoming web of hair, her face still bearing that faint smile.

Then, she blinked gently.

"Found you."