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Chapter 138 Counterplay

One of the closest pairs, Zack and Sia, had already begun their match with explosive energy. Zack dashed forward, swinging his twin swords in a sweeping arc, aiming to overwhelm Sia.

Sia, however, remained unimpressed. She parried his attack with practiced ease, twisting her blades to redirect his momentum. "Predictable," she said, smirking.

"Shut up," Zack muttered, quickly adjusting his stance.

Meanwhile, Carole and Mirek's duel was playing out at a slower, more tactical pace.

"You rely too much on barriers," Mirek noted as he struck at Carole's defense, his staff glowing faintly. "A good counterplay isn't just blocking—it's knowing when to let an attack almost land so you can strike back immediately."

Carole frowned, absorbing his advice as she adjusted her grip.

On the other side of the grounds, June and Mei exchanged spells in rapid succession, testing each other's reactions.

Mei's fire magic clashed against June's ice barriers, sending bursts of steam into the air as their spells collided.

The two mages moved fluidly, their footwork careful, neither giving the other an inch as they tested each other's timing.

"It seems like you haven't worked on yesterday's exam mission," Mei noted, her voice carrying a teasing lilt as she sent another fireball toward June. "Please don't underestimate Hell Week, or it will come back to bite you."

June quickly countered with a frost wall, extinguishing the flames before they reached her. She frowned. "Huh? What do you mean? I haven't underestimated anything. And how do you know I didn't work on it?"

Mei smirked, twirling her staff in her hands. "It's obvious. I already figured out the answer to your mission. It's not that hard if you think about it logically," Mei shrugged. "Do you want me to just tell you?"

"I see, that makes sense. But, no thank you. I think I should learn it myself."

Mei's smirk widened. "Correct answer."

Without warning, she stepped forward and swung her staff at June's abdomen.

Caught off guard, June barely had time to react before the wooden shaft struck her stomach, forcing a small grunt out of her.

She stumbled back but didn't fall. The hit hadn't been that strong—Mei was still a mage, after all—but it was enough to disrupt her rhythm.

"I learned this attack from Professor Orlen during his match against Arlon, what do you think?" Mei asked.

She mentioned the time Orlen put his staff on Arlon's leg to disrupt his attack.

"I... just didn't expect it," June admitted, rubbing the spot where she'd been hit. "I thought mages relied only on magic."

Mei raised an eyebrow. "That's a very outdated way of thinking."

So, of course, he hid himself. That wasn't the mystery.

The real mystery was—why was he acting like a Trionian?

Since the Gamers entered on the second day of the game's launch, and they met Arlon the guide that same day, June was certain that Arlon had been doing this from the very beginning.

But how?

How could he act as a guide and level up at the same time in the limited time the players had?

No, it was possible—she had seen both versions of Arlon together before.

Which led to an even bigger question. Explore new worlds at My Virtual Library Empire

How could he create a copy of himself before even two days passed? She didn't know his level back then since the leaderboard wasn't displayed yet.

But it couldn't be more than 10, even with Arlon's standards.

Was it some hidden skill? A special ability? Or...

June's eyes widened slightly.

Did Arlon have a twin brother?

Could there be two of them, with one acting as the guide while the other focused on becoming stronger?

That would explain so much—but at the same time, it seemed too simple.

There was also the fact that Arlon the guide allegedly killed the named monsters while the players were offline and also held a Demon hostage.

There was something more to it.

And June wanted to know.

But she also knew that if she asked directly, Arlon would question why she was so curious.

And the real reason she wanted to know...

Yeah. That was too embarrassing to say out loud since she peeped into the changing room.

She needed to learn it herself before the Hell Week was over. If she couldn't, then she would ask.