The Sorcerer's Handbook

Chapter 418: They're Not You!

"Cheers!"

Outside the national arena, Sonya caught the small bottle tossed to her and raised an eyebrow. "You actually carry alcohol with you?"

"If you had lost, this would've been a healthy dose of spirits to drown your sorrows." Adele laughed, hooking her arm through the country girl's. "Ugh, we don't look that different, do we? So why are you the one who can instantly wipe out five contestants with a single strike?"

Louisa chimed in, "It's not the same at all. You've got a bigger butt and more flesh."

Adele bared her teeth. "That's called a well-balanced figure! And all the flesh is in the right places. I don't have a single trace of... excess fat..."

She pinched her waist, then fell into a long, defeated silence.

Sonya twisted open the bottle and took a sip just as a familiar voice called out from behind.

"Sonya!"

Sonya turned to see Senior Leona. The Orange Dancer walked up and gave the country girl a firm hug, smiling brightly. "Well done. I can't wait to face you on stage."

Sonya teased. "You still think you can beat me after seeing my Blood Moon, Shattered Lake?"

"Of course," Leona snatched the bottle, took a heavy swig, and hummed. "I admit you're stronger right now, but before we meet in the bracket, I'll figure out a way to counter that Miracle. Besides, my Rhythm Melodies might still be able to shatter your Blood Moon. If you get too full of yourself, I'll make you cry. Oh, right, want to go grab a drink at the Secret Garden later?"

"Thanks, but I already have plans tonight."

"What a pity. I'll go find the professor first, then," Leona waved goodbye. "By the way, Professor Nidala thinks very highly of you, too. I heard she's already regretting not taking you as his student sooner."

Adele turned green with envy. "Incredible. My professor only regrets giving me a passing grade, then watches me completely tank the next semester."

"Then why don't you just study harder and catch up?" Angelica said.

"I'd rather my professor just keep regretting it."

At that moment, Professor Trosan approached them and said bluntly, "I'll drive you back."

Normally, students took the campus shuttles, which ran directly from the national arena to each university anyway. But Sonya's performance tonight had deeply stroked Trosan's ego, so she grudgingly offered to act as her personal chauffeur for once.

Her roommates piled into the car as well. Trosan's vehicle was nothing special, but she seemed to employ some sort of spirits while driving. The ride remained perfectly stable even as she weaved through traffic with serpentine precision, cutting through the congestion like a blade.

"Look outside," Angelica said suddenly.

On the city's massive, luminous projection screens, Sonya's Blood Moon, Shattered Lake replayed on an endless loop. It wasn't just in Cailleach. Across Yabacore, Magus, Meta... the entire Starry Kingdom was still reliving the spectacular opening match of the Meteor Calamity.

"Famous in Sword and Roses, famous in the capital, famous across the Starry Kingdom..." Louisa murmured. "You achieved your goal in just two months."

Sonya stared at her own reflection on the screen, unwilling to look away. "I still have a long way to go. If I don't keep winning all the way to first place, people will forget me soon enough."

"Could you please stop being modest while smiling like that? You look exactly like a smug villain. Even my dog looks less self-satisfied when I take photos of it!"

Sonya turned to look at Louisa. Just as Louisa braced herself for a retort, the country girl instead raised her hands to her head, formed dog ears, and beamed. "Woof."

Louisa suddenly felt her face flush and quickly looked away. "You just want me to take pictures of you, don't you?"

Adele pointed at her Miracle Bracelet. "Sonya! Sonya! Look at the campus feed! It's entirely flooded with you!"

"Any hate posts?"

"Of course not!" Adele said excitedly. "This is your moment. The whole university is proud of you. Anyone who speaks ill of you right now is practically begging to get flamed instantly. You should post something from your verified account to boost your image. Our Claw-Stretching Club can use this clout to expand!"

"Alright!"

Soon, while the Sword and Roses students were still buzzing with adrenaline, the Scarlet Swordswoman's post appeared on the campus feed.

First, she briefly recounted her experiences as a first-year, sprinkling in humorous anecdotes about strict professors and the lackluster cafeteria food. It instantly humanized her, allowing the student body to see her not as a distant, untouchable genius but as an ordinary student like them.

Next, she evoked famous historical events of Sword and Roses University, triggering deep nostalgia among the seniors and a surge of collective pride among the underclassmen.

Then, she analyzed why Sword and Roses had underperformed in recent years, subtly suggesting it wasn't due to a lack of talent, but rather external suppression from rival universities. Such conspiracy theories were already wildly popular on the campus forums, and the students ate it up instantly.

Finally, she mentioned her own spectacular performance that night only in passing, claiming she had merely made a small contribution and still had much to improve.

By then, the emotional tide had already turned into a tsunami. The students were practically itching to write thousands of words praising Lady Selby. Her post skyrocketed to the top of the trending topics and was pinned to the feed. It was a display so dazzling that the members of the so-called Anti-Country Girl Alliance probably wished they could be swallowed by a Fish-Slaying Dragon overnight rather than endure such public humiliation.

Back at the dorm, Professor Trosan stopped Sonya before she could step out. Without a single word, she slid a crystal stone into her hand, then drove off into the night.

Stored inside the crystal was a Two-Winged Sword Class Miracle.

As expected of a seasoned professional, Sonya thought, a smirk tugging at her lips. A thousand empty compliments can't compare to a direct reward. This kind of professor... I like her!

When she pushed open the doors to the dorm, the building was as lively as a royal palace welcoming its emperor back from conquest. Because seats at the national arena were limited, the vast majority of students had watched the broadcast from their lounges. The moment word spread that Sonya was back, they swarmed out to greet her like a coronation, chanting her name through the halls.

Soon, the entire dormitory echoed with a synchronized, deafening roar.

"Sonya! Sonya!"

The country girl briefly considered finding the on-duty teacher to suppress the chaos, but then she spotted the teacher standing right at the top of the staircase, chanting along at the top of her lungs.

Tch. Sword and Roses University has really gone mad. But honestly... this feels amazing.

***

After all the chaos, Sonya returned to the dorm utterly exhausted. However, it was time for Louisa and the others to help her peel out of her gear. Putting on combat uniforms was a chore, and taking them off was no easier. It took over half an hour of tugging and unbuckling to properly remove everything, during which Sonya simply closed her eyes and drifted off to rest.

Once she regained a sliver of energy, Sonya went out to the balcony to wash her face. Beneath a shimmering river of starlight, she tapped her bracelet, dialed a contact, and brought the device to her ear.

The call connected almost instantly.

—Linda?

Sonya tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat. In the end, she could only let out a helpless sigh. "Mom, it's me."

Masha's voice immediately turned anxious.

—I just saw you fighting on the projection screen. Are you hurt? Should I come over?

"No, no, no. They couldn't even touch my clothes."

—Th-then... will it be a problem that you injured those people?"

"This is an official sorcerer competition, mom. Life and death are handled by the arena itself. Of course there won't be any trouble. Besides, I'm representing Sword and Roses University. Even if something does come up, the university will handle it."

After that, the line fell into silence. Sonya had so many things she wanted to share, but the words refused to come out.

Suddenly, a soft chuckle echoed from the other end.

For some reason, Sonya couldn't help but smile too. "What are you laughing at?"

—Nothing. I just think our Linda looks so beautiful.

"Of course. Whose daughter do you think I am?" Sonya let out a long breath, suddenly feeling the tension drain completely from her body. "I have more matches in a few days. Remember to watch."

—Mmhmm! I don't understand sorcery the way you do, but you must take good care of yourself. Don't push yourself too hard.

The call ended. Sonya went to the bathroom to change, and when she stepped out, she ran into Adele, who was wrapped in a bath towel and fresh out of the shower. Adele took one look at Sonya's outfit and nodded knowingly.

"Heading into the Virtual World again tonight?"

Sonya blinked. "Mmhmm. Sorcerers rest in the Virtual World anyway."

Angelica and Louisa chimed in with perfect, robotic unison.

"Right, right."

"Exactly, exactly."

Sonya shot them a curious look, but too tired to think much of it, she slipped out of the dorm.

The moment the country girl left, the remaining three immediately huddled up to gossip.

"Angelica," Adele said, flipping her hair as she turned on the blow-dryer. "What do you think about this behavior?"

Angelica replied, "I have only one word: terrifying. I didn't think much of it before I unlocked the Virtual World myself, but after spending so much time in the Sea of Knowledge, I realized something is seriously off about her. After an intense battle like that, I would want nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep. I would never dive into the Virtual World for a second round of overtime. Who uses fighting as a form of rest? That's like curing a hangover with more alcohol."

"Well... technically, a little hair of the dog the next morning can help with a hangover," Adele muttered. "Don't ask me how I know."

Louisa summarized, "In short, either Sonya is a super-overworked freak that even Angelica can't compete with, or the Virtual World she visits is completely different from ours."

Adele tilted her head. "How different can it be? What, is it going to magically turn from an adventure story into a romance novel?"

***

On the Continent of Time.

The moment their minds were immersed in the Virtual World, Ashe immediately pulled up the map to verify their coordinates.

"We're right in front of the Blood Tomb. There's no detailed map for this region, so we need to move carefully and avoid getting hunted by the Legion of Heroes..."

"Ahem!" Sonya cleared her throat loudly and pulled Dia into an intimate hug. "Witch, our intercollegiate league started tonight. I fought in the opening Meteor Calamity match."

Dia blinked. "What's a Meteor Calamity?"

"Well, the Meteor Calamity is..."

Sonya launched into a dramatic retelling.

"...And then I used Blood Moon Shattered Lake to utterly crush Velin! While the other four struggled desperately, the entire Starry Kingdom was watching my match!"

By the time Sonya finished recounting her glorious performance, Dia's eyes were shining like stars. "That sounds like so much fun! You get to compete, become famous, and have everyone admire you... University sounds amazing! So, Swordswoman, you're basically a superstar now, right?"

"Not quite yet," Sonya said, trying to sound nonchalant. "I still have to keep winning until I take the championship and earn true recognition from the Starry Kingdom."

"But you're already incredible. You defeated five opponents all by yourself. I'm not even sure I could take on five Two-Winged sorcerers head-on..."

"You definitely could. Witch, your Time-related abilities are completely unpredictable. If you were in my place, the match would have ended even faster."

The vehicle ground to a halt outside a Gem Mine Resource Point, and Ashe clapped his hands, breaking the spell. "Quick, quick, quick! We need to harvest these resources before the Legion of Heroes catches up to us!"

Dia jumped out of the car and sprinted toward the mine, but Sonya lagged behind.

Just as Ashe was about to step out, he felt a firm grip clamp down on his wrist. He paused and turned around. "What is it?"

Sonya stared at him as if he had just said something profoundly offensive, then pointed a finger at herself. "I won the Meteor Calamity."

Ashe blinked, utterly oblivious. "Mmhmm. You said it very loudly just now. I heard the whole thing."

"Then shouldn't you..." Sonya's eyelashes fluttered rapidly as she dropped her hints. "...at least say something?"

Ashe looked thoroughly confused and scratched his head. "But... all the loot we gather goes to you anyway. Tell you what, how about I give you a massage voucher you can redeem whenever you want?"

"Tch!" Sonya aggressively shook his arm, her lips curling into a heavy pout. "Can't you just praise me a little?"

"Didn't everyone already praise you? The audience, the professors, even the Witch."

"But they aren't you."

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