"It would be a miracle if he didn't find out. There’s no way Zi'er would think to say those things on her own," You Jiu muttered, having seen it coming all along.

  "And here I thought our plan had failed," Xiao Ya said, sticking out her pink tongue playfully.

  "Alright, the fact that the Manager didn't have a big reaction is a good thing. But he did warn us—there won't be a next time," Fei Xue said, waving her hand to end the discussion.

  Gathering their newly acquired gear and pills, they followed the others into the shop next door.

  Nalan Qinqi, who had just returned after fetching a mana core, saw Lanye still sitting motionless in her booth. She leaned in curiously. "Sister Leaf, is this thing really that fun?"

  "It’s... alright. But I wouldn't recommend it for you," Lanye replied, rubbing her temples. She had just been whipped off the stage by the Lancer again.

  Taking on the Combat Strength Arena required immense mental fortitude. Anyone with a fragile ego would likely suffer a total mental breakdown after a few rounds.

  "Huh? What is it? What are you playing, Sister Leaf?" Lan Zi'er came running over, the [Black Tortoise Heavy Shield]—which was taller than she was—strapped to her back after she had deposited the four mana cores at the counter.

  "It looks like some kind of combat simulation," Fei Xue remarked, peering at the scene within the crystal ball.

  "You could call it that," Lanye sighed, taking a moment to steady her breathing before diving back into the fray.

  In the Arena, even a split second of distraction was an opening the AI would exploit to end the match instantly. Once the battle began, Lanye was essentially deaf to the world around her. She wasn't worried; the shop was safe, and she doubted anyone would come to such a remote location to cause trouble.

  "What's wrong with Sister Leaf?" Xiao Ya asked, startled by the intense expressions of the people gathered around the booths.

  "No idea," Fei Xue replied. She still didn't see what was so "fun" about this.

  "I think she's fighting that Lancer," Lan Qing'er explained, though she sounded a bit unsure.

  The rest of the Lanye Squad slowly gathered around, watching Lanye on the stage as she engaged in a frantic exchange of blows with the Lancer. They watched her parry, dodge, and counter—only to eventually be sent flying or killed outright.

  The cycle repeated, over and over...

  "Oh, right! I remembered I asked Kael to open a session for me too," Nalan Qinqi chirped, clapping her hands and immediately hopping into a seat.

  "Quick, Qinqi, try it out! See if you can figure out what’s got Sister Leaf so hooked," Xiao Ya urged, leaning in close.

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  Following the instructions, Nalan Qinqi placed her hands on the base of the crystal ball.

  [Welcome to the Combat Strength Arena.]

  The synthesized voice provided the newcomer with a detailed rundown of the rules. Nalan Qinqi, in turn, explained the mechanics to the rest of the girls in her own words. It wasn't hard to grasp; after all, the world was full of alchemical artifacts with strange and varied uses.

  "Then I'll try the Archmage," she decided.

  With the rules understood, Nalan Qinqi summoned a staff. She watched with eager anticipation as a young man leapt onto the stage with effortless grace. He wore simple grey robes, looking as ordinary as a commoner in a crowd.

  "I won't lose in a magic duel," Nalan Qinqi said confidently.

  Coming from a prestigious family, she possessed an innate talent for the arcane. It was the only reason she had reached such a high level of strength at such a young age.

  [Battle Start!]

  The moment the voice rang out, Nalan Qinqi swung her staff, striking first. Several ice spears materialized instantly and hurtled toward the Archmage.

  The Archmage didn't even look at the incoming spears. With a casual flick of his staff, a Mana Shield shimmered into existence, blocking the attack entirely.

  "Oho, not bad," Nalan Qinqi smiled. Mana began to swirl and condense in front of her. A bone-chilling storm began to manifest on the limited space of the stage.

  "Blizzard!"

  She was clever. She knew the arena was small; an area-of-effect (AoE) spell that covered the entire stage would be impossible to dodge.

  "Heh, no way out now, is there?" she gloated.

  "Watch out!"

  As the saying goes, the bystander sees more than the player. Behind her, Xiao Ya and the others couldn't help but cry out in alarm.

  On the stage, the "Archmage" trapped within the blizzard suddenly shattered into a thousand fragments of light. It was an illusion. The real Archmage had appeared directly behind Nalan Qinqi, a massive fireball already forming in his hand.

  Boom!

  Without a doubt, Nalan Qinqi was blasted right off the stage. Her unfinished Blizzard dissipated instantly.

  "A Mirror Image! When did he even cast a Mirror Image?!" Nalan Qinqi screamed, clutching her hair in frustration. Anyone would be livid after seeing a "guaranteed win" flipped on its head so suddenly.

  Kael, leaning on the counter, watched the temperamental little girl with total indifference. In fact, he kind of wanted to laugh. No one goes into the Arena for the first time without coming out frustrated.

  "Qinqi, calm down! Try again, I’m sure you can do it," Xiao Ya comforted and encouraged her.

  "You're right. One more time, and I'll definitely win," Nalan Qinqi nodded with grim determination.

  Fei Xue watched thoughtfully. Lan Qing'er and You Jiu shared a silent look and continued to observe the screen.

  Nalan Qinqi climbed back onto the stage and selected the Archmage again. This time, she was cautious, casting a Mana Shield on herself first before testing her opponent with minor spells.

  However, after several exchanges, she realized with a sinking feeling that the Archmage’s understanding of magic was far superior to hers. He countered every move she made, identifying her weaknesses and launching surgical counterattacks.

  Her frustration grew with every passing second. Finally, due to a minor casting error, she was sent flying off the stage again.

  "Just as I thought," Kael mused, watching from the counter.

  The fact that Nalan Qinqi lasted so long didn't mean her combat skill was significantly higher than Lanye’s. It was because the Archmage’s style was fundamentally "steady." Unlike typical mages who relied on flashy, explosive displays of light and sound, the Archmage excelled at finding a weakness in the middle of a calm exchange and striking a finishing blow. It looked peaceful on the surface, but underneath, it was a raging tide.

  This was inherent to the "Archmage" class in the Arena. Because he didn't lean toward any specific element, he focused on utility and low-level spells, chaining them together perfectly to create opportunities.

  In gaming terms, there was a specific name for this kind of fighter: a "Jack-of-all-trades." He knew every general-purpose spell in the book, even if he lacked the high-tier elemental specializations of other mages.