Chapter 104: Another Day Filled With Hope

At the Meditation Tower of Swords and Roses University.

The moment Sonya's consciousness returned to her body, she was utterly exhausted and collapsed to the floor. It took her several long moments just to prop herself against the wall, sit up, and catch her breath. The fatigue from her soul echoed painfully in her body. Soon, fragrant sweat ran down her cheeks, slid past her collarbones, and pooled into the depths of her dress like falling pearls. She was completely drained.

It was not even dawn. This was the earliest she had ever withdrawn from the Virtual World, yet she still felt she had taken too long. Just moments ago, at least eight Knowledge Creatures had chased her and the Watcher through the Sea of Knowledge for over an hour. No matter how far or how fast they fled, the creatures pursued relentlessly. Even when the Watcher deliberately rammed into the territory of other Knowledge Creatures, they did not stop at all. Instead, the number increased from eight to nine.

Technically, they had no reason to be this terrified. They were only Silver Rank sorcerers. At worst, they would hand over their first death in the Virtual World, which every sorcerer would inevitably face sooner or later. The only difference was the number of times it occurred. Surviving until they condensed their Silver Wing before that first death already placed them among the most outstanding in history. If there were a ranking for "Sorcerers Who Survived Their First Death the Longest," Sonya believed she would easily rank within the top hundred.

The moment Sonya realized they had been surrounded by Knowledge Creatures, a hidden piece of information surfaced in her mind. During their escape, the Watcher had mentioned the poison associated with it.

[Exile Secret Poison]

Poison Details: When a sorcerer remains in the same location of the Virtual World for too long, their scent will be detected by nearby Knowledge Creatures, triggering hostility and marking the sorcerer as a provocation against the natives. The Virtual World is the homeland of Knowledge Creatures. They do not allow invaders to settle here. They swear to hunt down and expel invaders with settlement tendencies, devouring their souls completely.

Number of Infected: 31

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Poison Enhancement Level: 31%

Current Effect: Increased sensitivity to nearby Knowledge Creatures. When enhancement reaches 51%, the effect becomes negative. When reduced to 10%, it grants a major benefit.

With that, Sonya finally understood why professors had always warned her against lingering in one place. Sorcerers loved digging into causes, yet ironically, the rule had been treated as a taboo without anyone able to explain why. Now everything was clear. It was a secret poison.

Unlike the Whirlpool Secret Poison, whose secret itself carried immense value and could tempt those who knew it to share the knowledge with friends or family even at the risk of infection, Exile Secret Poison had no such appeal.

Now that she had figured out the truth behind the poison, Sonya knew she would never again linger in one place for too long, which the university had already taught long ago.

Those who knew about Exile Secret Poison had no reason to spread it deliberately. As a result, the number of infected remained pitifully low. Most were likely infected simply because they stayed too long by accident.

Worse still, judging by the harrowing experience Sonya and the Watcher had just endured, most people who discovered the secret probably got torn apart by Knowledge Creatures almost immediately.

Even with a small boat and the advantage of working as a pair, they had barely managed to escape. Sonya could not imagine the despair of a lone sorcerer, forced to swim alone, after realizing they had been surrounded by several Knowledge Creatures.

The most terrifying part was how a quantitative increase in Knowledge Creatures could lead to a qualitative change in death.

When a sorcerer's consciousness returned to their body, part of their soul often remained trapped within the Virtual World. Knowledge Creatures would seize this opportunity to take a bite, damaging the soul in the process. A single bite was not always fatal. When a Knowledge Creature nibbled on the soul, it actually became lighter, allowing it to return to the body more quickly. The loss was usually minor. That was why, in smaller numbers, the threat could be managed.

For Sonya and Ashe, however, the danger was extreme. They were being pursued not by one, but nine Knowledge Creatures. A single bite from each could have been enough to strip their souls to nothing, leaving barely anything to return. That was why it was often mentioned that death in the Virtual World carried severe consequences, and that staying too long in the Virtual World leads to actual death. The body, left waiting for a soul that never fully returned, assumed it had been abandoned, and the sorcerer would collapse and die on the spot.

Because of the attack, they had no time to explore that night. Once they put distance between themselves and the pursuers, they immediately left the Virtual World. Aside from a slight increase in sorcery class proficiency, that night was essentially wasted. Worse, it had been a net loss.

She already had one Whirlpool Secret Poison, which was bad enough. Now she had added Exile Secret Poison on top of it. This made Sonya feel her mind growing increasingly burdened

While Exile Secret Poison was currently beneficial due to the low number of infected, if it spread further, it would inevitably turn harmful.

Nevertheless, what mattered most was that they had survived, which Sonya was still grateful for. Moments ago, she had nearly believed they would die in the Virtual World.

She let out a long breath and left the Meditation Tower.

Outside, the night sky glittered with stars bright enough to rival daylight. The largest among them was the Gibbous Deficit Moon Star, a celestial body that looked as though a chunk had been carved away. It radiated a deep blue glow that illuminated the campus paths.

According to the lunar chart, the weather sorcerers would replace the moon star with the Last Quarter Moon Star tomorrow. Sonya suddenly felt curious about the Blood Moon on the Watcher's side.

Is it managed and replaced by a meteorological bureau as well, just like the moon stars of the Starry Kingdom?

Suddenly, a seven-colored halo bloomed across the night sky, startling her. On closer inspection, she realized the disturbance originated from the white tower.

Given that the area had been designated a warning zone and that sorcerers from all over Cailleach had gathered there, she sensed that the Virtual World Turbulence above the white tower, the very spot where an intruder had appeared, was extremely important. Unfortunately, her status was far too low to access such high-level intelligence. All she could do was watch from afar and speculate whether a group of professors was holding some kind of extravagant celebration inside.

When she returned to the dormitory, Sonya took light steps to avoid waking her roommates. With no hot water at night, she took a cold shower, then stood on the balcony, letting the breeze dry her hair naturally. She summoned a light screen on her Miracle Bracelet to watch the new drama starring Didaros.

The full-length mirror on the balcony caught her eye. Out of habit, she adjusted her posture, tidied her hair, and examined herself from different angles. Adele, hiding under the covers instead of sleeping, peeked out curiously. "What are you doing in the middle of the night?"

Sonya thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you think I count as a pure, cute girl with a good figure?"

Adele blinked. "You do, but you're still a little worse than me."

She raised a hand and gestured, "Just a little," indicating the gap was minimal.

***

In the Shattered Lake Prison.

Ashe suddenly rolled off the bed and hit the floor. The icy cold seeping from the surface pierced his panicked soul, slightly easing the turbulent emotions left behind by the escape.

Once he got back on his feet, he realized his entire body was soaked. He headed to the bathroom for a hot shower. Ordinary dormitories lacked bathtubs, but hot water ran around the clock. Cutting it off would have been considered abuse by human rights organizations.

While leaning against the white tiles and letting the water splash across his body, Ashe opened the light screen and arranged the gains from tonight.

Yes, tonight had still yielded rewards. To others, Exile Secret Poison would be nothing but a burden, but within the Aurora Sorcerer's Handbook, it triggered a new change.

[You have been infected with Exile Secret Poison.]

[Exile Secret Poison has enhanced the Watcher of Doomsday's ability to sense Knowledge Creatures within the Virtual World. The Virtual World map has been updated. A change has been made to the Virtual World map.]

[Notice: The Virtual World Map has been updated. You can now detect Knowledge Creatures within your observation range and obtain brief information.]

Earlier, while exploring the Virtual World, Ashe had already noticed subtle changes in the surrounding twenty-four grids. Most still showed A Waste of Effort or Not Worth Mentioning, but a few grids had displayed additional information.

[Fog Fish Dragon, Worth a Visit]

[Exploding Fish Dragon, A Bit Troublesome]

[Canopy Dragon, A Bit Troublesome]

Those were only the names of Knowledge Creatures, but this was a major breakthrough for Ashe's Virtual World exploration. Previously, he had relied solely on vague map prompts to determine whether an area contained an Inheritance Island or a Knowledge Creature habitat.

Worth a Visit

generally indicated an Inheritance Island, while

A Bit Troublesome

almost always meant Knowledge Creatures. There were occasional misjudgments, but it was far better than charging in blindly.

Now, with Knowledge Creature habitats clearly marked, any unmarked area that still triggered combat had to be an Inheritance Island.

Even better, while Ashe knew little about Knowledge Creatures, the Swordswoman had read the

Knowledge Creature Encyclopedia

. From just the names, she could identify a creature's dominant sorcery class, estimate its combat strength, and even spot specific weaknesses. Together, they could deliberately hunt Knowledge Creatures that they were strong against.

They could also deliberately target Knowledge Creatures that dropped Swordsmanship Orbs to cultivate the Swordswoman's swordsmanship. Creatures like the Fish-Slaying Dragon or the Canopy Dragon could raise her swordsmanship level straight to the Gold tier, helping her advance to Two-Winged Gold. Once she reached the Continent of Time, Ashe could repeat the same approach and slip in alongside her by riding on her coattails.

Just as he had become a Silver Rank sorcerer in the Sea of Knowledge, Ashe could ascend to Gold Rank on the Continent of Time. It wouldn't matter if he had never raised a single sorcery class to Gold or trained seriously in his life. He could advance entirely by relying on the Swordswoman. Others would surely envy him if they knew.

With Ashe's exploration skills and the Swordswoman's knowledge, venturing through the Sea of Knowledge would be smooth sailing from now on, as long as they avoided deliberately triggering taboos and seeking death, as they had tonight.

But all of this depended on one thing: Ashe had to survive. He had to escape. He had to gain freedom.

Turning off the shower, he wrapped a towel around himself and approached the sink. Water dripped from the tips of his hair onto his lean shoulders, sliding down his collarbones. He stared at his reflection in the mirror and murmured, "This is bad. I'm starting to like this world."

He tilted his face upward, and a faint smile curved the corner of his mouth. "It's another day filled with hope."