"Now it’s your turn."

Although Silas did not understand the strange change in Cher’s expression, he had no intention of letting her off the hook.

She threw him into the firepit before, and it was his turn to return the favour.

"Show us your ability," he said calmly. "And explain the rest of your fighting style."

"Hehehe. I strongly advise everyone to retreat a little farther first."

Cher still seemed oddly awkward and avoided looking at him altogether, but it was Lara who spoke. Before anyone could react, she turned and sprinted away, putting more than a hundred meters between herself and the group.

"Rock the world, Blazing Cher!"

The three boys exchanged glances before immediately following her. Once they had retreated far enough, Cher finally acted.

The three white fireballs hovering above her head suddenly brightened. Their radiance intensified until they resembled miniature suns suspended in the air, their outlines dissolving beneath the overwhelming brilliance.

Three dazzling pillars of light burst forth from the blazing spheres and swept across the battlefield in different directions. Wherever they passed, the ground exploded apart and melted under the scorching heat. Massive holes were carved into the rocky layer covering the platform, while thick tongues of white smoke rose into the sky.

The pillars twisted like vicious serpents, lashing at everything within a fifty-meter radius around Cher.

Everyone stared at the destruction with widened eyes. Even Lara, who had witnessed the spectacle many times before, failed to hide the familiar mixture of shock and dread.

Yet, Silas narrowed his eyes.

Instead of marvelling at the sheer destructive power before him, his thoughts grew strangely clear as he instinctively began analysing the attack from every angle.

Had he not been wary of relying on the Time Mental World, he would have immediately sought inspiration from an ability unlike anything he had imagined possible.

"Phew."

The assault lasted less than ten seconds.

The three white fireballs gradually shrank before disappearing altogether. Cher stood amidst the scorched earth and shattered terrain with her chin slightly raised, savouring the lingering afterglow of power.

Despite the platform being forged from sturdy alloy and covered with layers of stone and soil, the craters reached all the way to the metallic foundation beneath.

Silence lingered as Cher waited for their reactions.

"That was... quite bad."

The praise she had expected never came. Instead, Silas dumped a bucket of cold water over her satisfaction.

Cher stared at him in disbelief.

"Bad? This was bad?" Alfred blurted out.

"Didn’t you see all that destruction?" Lara exclaimed. "She’s a monster on the battlefield!"

Darius remained silent. He knew Silas well enough to understand that his friend would never make such a statement without a good reason. Cher herself said nothing. Though surprised, curiosity outweighed her irritation.

Silas did not disappoint.

"Your ability is impressive," he said. "But there are several glaring flaws."

He pointed toward her free hand. It was the hand that should have held a Mana Crystal, which was now empty.

"One activation consumed an entire Mana Crystal. It might seem like a reasonable price for such devastating power, but it severely limits your endurance."

"Mana Crystals are no issue for me."

Cher blatantly said. But Silas didn’t buy what she said. Not even when Lara nodded.

"Aside from being an L-Enhancer, she receives lots of weekly allowance of crystals for being second in the ranking..."

Silas didn’t wait for her to continue her words, as he slowly explained his point.

"Imagine our team being in a long, attrition mission like the admission test. We fought day and night against endless waves of monsters while rationing our crystals carefully. In that kind of situation, this ability becomes a liability."

"I can still bring enough crystals with me into any mission to cover my needs."

Cher didn’t drop the ball easily. But Silas still didn’t approve of what she said.

"That doesn’t solve the problem of one use, and the crystal you hold burns to dust. You’ll need to replenish your exhausted crystal, interrupting your ability." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"I can take out crystals faster than you think..."

Silas didn’t let her continue her self-defence stemming from her hurt pride and said:

"Not to mention your ability needs time to recharge and get activated. It’s not just about how fast you’ll get a new crystal; it’s about standing in front of danger for way longer than you should. On top of that, your attack pattern will come interrupted, and in these intervals, if we are fighting against smart monsters, a race, or even Dark Hunters, they’ll spot the weakness and aim for it."

This time, neither Cher nor Lara said anything. Knowing he had proved his point, he swiftly moved to the next.

He gestured toward the devastated battlefield around them.

"And you still lack control over it. The beams weren’t directed by you. They moved on their own."

He glanced at Lara.

"If they hadn’t, Lara wouldn’t have warned us to retreat. Your ability is a loose cannon."

No further explanation was necessary, as everyone understood.

Mages were meant to fight from a distance. Yet if Cher could not safely control her own power, she would be unable to fight alongside allies and would be forced into the front lines like a hunter.

That defeated the very purpose of her role.

Putting this on top of the earlier point Silas highlighted, it showed how flawed her ability was. Despite being quite deadly, it was her greatest weak spot.

"You’ve got sharp eyes," Cher said after a long silence. "I already know about these shortcomings, but there isn’t an easy solution."

"There is one."

Alfred interrupted her.

"Someone once told me that if controlling the full extent of my ability is impossible, then I should take a step back and use a weaker version of it first. Once you’ve mastered that, gradually increase its strength."

He suddenly fell silent. His face changed slightly, growing darker. Fortunately, no one noticed.

Cher had already fallen into deep thought, carefully considering both Silas’s observations and Alfred’s advice. As for others, they were looking at Cher, waiting to see what she would decide.

"My father always says there’s no point talking endlessly about a problem."

Darius suddenly spoke.

For a brief moment, something flickered across Cher’s face at the mention of the word father.

"Try it again," he suggested. "Summon only one fireball this time, and let’s see the difference."

Silas immediately understood his meaning. Then Darius landed the final nail in Cher’s hesitation.

"Let’s see whether reducing the number gives you more control and allows the attack to last longer. Perhaps it can even lower the consumption of the Mana Crystal."

Determination slowly settled over Cher’s expression.

She produced another Mana Crystal from seemingly nowhere and took a deep breath before activating her ability once more. This time, only a single white fireball appeared above her head.

The difference was immediate.

A lone pillar of light descended, but unlike before, it moved exactly as Cher intended. It traced a perfect circle around her before spiralling inward in an intricate pattern that stopped just short of her feet.

More importantly, the attack lasted an entire minute. Only then did the Mana Crystal crumble into dust.

"How do you feel?" Silas asked.

He noticed the crystal’s fate but chose not to comment on it. The gains already spoke for themselves. Cher was no longer a loose cannon; she had become a proper trump card in the making.

"Never felt better."

A brilliant smile spread across her face.

Yet when their eyes met, she suddenly remembered the earlier misunderstanding and hastily looked away. Even so, embarrassment failed to silence her.

"Thanks."