At Sword and Roses University of Cailleach.
"I knew it! It had to be a Whirlpool. Damn it! Why can't I be as lucky as you? My Silver Wing is the result of my hard work, day and night!
"Tch... no, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. The more I look at you, the more jealous I feel. I've always hated lucky, talented people like you. Get out, now! Go back and practice your skills properly. If I catch you slacking off just because of this little achievent, I'll burn you to ashes with the flas of my jealousy..."
Sonya was promptly kicked out of the professor's study. She stuck out her tongue and walked away in high spirits. Despite Professor Trosan's harsh words, he hadn't withheld any rewards. From his personal collection, he handed her two Sword Class spirits and even shared two Miracles.
The two One-Winged spirits were Sheath and Sharpen. Sonya had seen Sheath in Sylvia's hands before. If a blade remained in the sheath for more than fifteen seconds, it would trigger a boost, strengthening the next attack. Sharpen, on the other hand, was a sword-enhancing spirit. When using a whetstone on a blade, it would make the edge sharper, tougher, and less likely to chip or break.
The two sword Miracles, Sheath Radiance and Decade of Swordcraft, were derived from the respective spirits. Sonya would need to acquire auxiliary spirits separately to activate them. For example, Decade of Swordcraft required Ti Class spirits—Second, Minute, Hour, Day, Month, and Year.
Ti Class spirits were inexpensive and abundant on the spirit trading platform. In the Virtual World's second layer, the Continent of Ti, they were everywhere. Every expedition by a Two-Winged practitioner yielded plenty. Though only Two-Winged practitioners could collect them, their abundance kept prices low. Otherwise, Professor Trosan wouldn't have taught Sonya this Miracle. He was well aware of her family background.
Having sold a fair number of Virtual World spirits, Sonya was relatively wealthy. She had been planning which spirits to acquire to perfect her tactical system, and now the professor had resolved that decision for her.
From these two Miracles, it was clear that Professor Trosan had set Sonya's current goal as raising her rank, mastering the spirits, and gaining full control over the Miracles.
It was a natural target. She had condensed her Silver Wing from scratch in just eight days, but her sword skills lagged behind her rapid mana growth. The true gap lay in her combat proficiency. Until she reached Gold level in swordsmanship, she wouldn't be able to summon Two-Winged spirits, enter the second layer of the Virtual World, step onto the Continent of Ti, or condense her Gold Wing.
A practitioner must not allow any vulnerabilities in their developnt. Only by advancing power and rank together could the Virtual World reveal its deeper secrets. Sonya's Silver Wing might have matured, but to attain a second wing, she would need at least a year to refine her swordsmanship.
Her rapid mana condensation carried risks. Every ti she imrsed herself in the Virtual World, she would reach the core area of the Sea of Knowledge. If her luck ran out, she could even encounter Champion-level Knowledge Creatures far beyond the reach of a One-Winged sorcerer.
This was why Professor Trosan was so strict. Slacking off could an repeated deaths, damaging her soul, losing vital spirits, and stalling her sorcery rank. "Smooth sailing" was a practitioner's worst curse. Countless practitioners, puffed up by lucky encounters, had been ruthlessly humbled by the Virtual World. True achievents required steady, step-by-step progress.
The Virtual World offered no charity. The more blessings it bestowed, the greater the pressure it demanded. Every stroke of luck carried an equivalent cost in misfortune. Unless Sonya, like with the Whirlpool, got incredibly lucky and discovered the Golden Fish, allowing her to skip directly to the Continent of Ti, she could never bypass the rank barrier to beco a Two-Winged sorcerer.
Neither she nor Professor Trosan even considered that possibility. Not even the Watcher could find the Golden Fish.
Thinking of the Watcher, Sonya's joyful expression faded. She sighed quietly and prepared to return to her dorm. The campus remained under lockdown. Classes were suspended, and no student could approach the white tower.
As she stepped out of the research building, she noticed a familiar silver luxury car parked on the driveway. She tried to ignore it, but the window rolled down, revealing Felix's handso face.
"Get in. I'll take you back."
Sonya turned a blind eye. She didn't want to talk. As she walked away, Felix followed along, asking, "Did you encounter a Whirlpool?"
"Yes."
By now, almost everyone on campus knew Sonya had encountered a Whirlpool just days after entering the Sea of Knowledge. If she had revealed a rare spirit, so might have mocked her as being "sponsored," but when it ca to mana growth at Silver Rank, Whirlpool was the only shortcut. No one could argue otherwise.
Any attempts to insult her luck would only trigger ridicule and bans on the Sword and Roses Forum. After all, every legendary practitioner had benefited from fortune, while the unlucky had already been crushed by the Virtual World for whining.
Calling out a practitioner for their luck was the most shaful behavior. It was no less despicable or boring than saying, "If he can't breathe, I can surely defeat him." Sonya had no reason to deny it, and, truthfully, she couldn't.
Felix remained silent for a long mont. Just as Sonya was about to enter the dormitory area, he suddenly asked, "After passing through the Whirlpool, did you encounter a severely wounded Swordfish Dragon and obtain the Killing Intent spirit from it?"
Sonya paused. No matter what she intended to say in that mont, the ritual already determined her answer. "Yes."
Felix looked slightly surprised. He hadn't expected that response. If she truly had encountered it, she would certainly understand the subtext behind his question. With her skill and personality, Sonya could have denied it flawlessly, leaving no trace for him to detect.
Felix tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel. "What price would I have to pay to buy back the Killing Intent spirit from you?"
Sonya had wanted to answer firmly, "I won't sell," yet her mouth betrayed her with, "Let obtain a noble title."
Felix blinked, taken aback. "I thought I said before that all you had to do was marry —"
"I don't like you."
It's a marriage of convenience. Whether you like or not doesn't matter...
Felix nearly asked another question, but seeing her serious expression, he swallowed his words and sighed. "If you refuse that path, I have no other terms to sway you... Wait a mont."
Sonya quickly retreated into the dormitory area, thinking, Is he really planning to forcibly take a civilian practitioner's spirit in broad daylight?
Felix then scribbled sothing on a piece of paper and tossed it to her. "Read it, and burn it afterward. Would this be worth a favor from you?"
Sonya caught the paper and stared in astonishnt. It detailed a Miracle called Killing Intent Activation, with the Killing Intent spirit as its core. Unlike the simple power-boosting Darklight Slash, Killing Intent Activation was a full-fledged composite Miracle. It converted a practitioner's killing intent into personal enhancent, boosting strength, explosiveness, reaction speed, stamina recovery, and more. The stronger the killing intent, the greater the effect.
This Miracle was effective both in the Virtual World and the real world, as the killing intent didn't apply solely to enemies, but also counted the practitioner's own as well. At Silver Rank, Killing Intent Activation could grant up to a 150% enhancent, far beyond what Sonya could have purchased with her modest funds. Clearly, Felix had acquired it as a paired Miracle alongside the Killing Intent spirit.
"Will this Miracle make you owe a favor?" Felix asked.
"It will, but only equivalent to a single Silver Coin. If your request exceeds that, I'd feel guilty and refuse it."
Felix smiled. "You're very precise. I'll make sure this Silver Coin favor is used wisely."
Sonya, still surprised, asked, "But are you really just going to give it to like that? No confidentiality contract? No other conditions?"
"No need. Just use the Killing Intent spirit properly. Don't waste it."
With that, Felix drove away. Sonya stood there, montarily dazed. Is this what it's like to be rich? To hand out a Miracle like it's nothing?
It made sense. As one of the Twenty-One Secret Swords, the Killing Intent spirit was nearly impossible for Felix to acquire again. In that case, the accompanying Killing Intent Activation Miracle was almost useless to him, so he might as well give it to Sonya.
Moreover, Felix seed ready to switch to the Poison, Water, or Wind Class. Swordsmanship had beco little more than a disguise. Professor Trosan was only a temporary shelter, aning Felix had no real competition with Sonya.
Still, she couldn't help admiring the audacity of this foolish noble. If it were her, she'd never give a Miracle away for free. She'd at least want the recipient to pay sothing to soothe her stinginess.
Even so, Killing Intent Activation required two auxiliary spirits, which were expensive and sotis hard to obtain. Despite her newfound wealth, it added to Sonya's burdens.
To her, fortune and hardship had arrived hand in hand. In a single day, she had gained two spirits and three Miracles, and mastering these new tools would take considerable ti.
Had it been the Sonya from just half a month ago, she would never have imagined that having too many spirits and Miracles could be a source of frustration.
Yet her current worry wasn't about the spirits or Miracles. She had originally planned to return to her dorm to relax and catch the latest productions of Didaros, but after a brief hesitation, she decided to head to the training hall to train her spirits instead.
***
At 11 p.m., Sonya arrived at the ditation Tower right on schedule.
The school was still under lockdown, but activity outside the white Tower had mostly returned to normal. Dining halls and training areas remained open, but all classes had been canceled, giving students a full day of self-study. Many secretly hoped it would continue indefinitely.
As she searched for the Door of Truth, a brief unease flickered through Sonya, but she quickly pushed it aside. Two hours of sword training still waiting for tonight... clearly, the Watcher's influence is at work. Even for a resurrected powerhouse with mory loss, death is only temporary. If sothing happened to him, it wouldn't be so bad. I'd gain my freedom. And with the Silver Wing condensed, I don't need his help exploring the Virtual World for now...
He probably escaped prison last night and overslept, so he hasn't entered the Virtual World yet. It won't be easy for him to get into trouble. Hmm... if I show off my new spirits and Miracles, would he be surprised?
Lost in thought, Sonya finally located the Door of Truth. She sank into her consciousness and entered the Virtual World. Her soul passed through layers of dark mist, gradually coalescing into form. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found herself greeted by the familiar small boat and the familiar, eccentric man.
As flippant and unreliable as ever, he greeted her, "Good evening, Swordswoman."
The words Sonya had prepared to scold him vanished from her mind. A weight seed to lift from her chest. She exhaled, lightly pressed a hand to her chest, and offered a small, relieved smile. "I'm glad you're alright."
Her unexpected concern made Ashe blink in surprise. Before he could respond, a golden light erupted from Sonya's chest, forming a dazzling One-Winged spirit.
It resembled a translucent butterfly with a single wing. As it fluttered, it refracted rainbow-colored light. The spirit was ethereal, delicate, and almost dreamlike, like a soap bubble.
Even without touching it, both Ashe and Sonya were able to recognize it imdiately. In unison, they said, "Sincerity."
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