Chapter 99: Watcher?

The intercollegiate gala ended abruptly. Students were ushered back to their dormitories as a towering white spire shot up from the ground. The surrounding area was immediately declared a military-exclusive zone.

No one truly understood the significance of the intruder's appearance. All they saw was him collapse into a puddle of matter that resembled mashed potatoes, which the professors promptly scooped into jars and packed away. Cafeteria mashed potatoes would likely be unpopular for the next few days.

Sonya and her friends stood on the dormitory balcony, eyes fixed on the enormous white tower that blotted out the night sky. For a moment, they were at a loss. Sorcerers' power was something they had witnessed countless times across Cailleach. Such abilities had become so ordinary in daily life that nothing surprised them anymore.

Controlling the weather, halting earthquakes, regenerating limbs, and accelerating crop growth. Miracles like these were so routine that they even appeared on the University Graduate Employment Survey. When every second of life was bathed in such radiance, it was only natural to take them for granted.

Battles between sorcerers in dramas had always seemed dazzling, but unreal. Could anyone truly wield that much power? And even if they could... what did it have to do with them?

It wasn't until now that the apprentices at Sword and Roses University glimpsed even a fraction of true sorcerer might. A white tower hundreds of meters tall had erupted from the ground, not in days, not in hours, but in mere minutes. They watched in disbelief as the massive Starfall Auditorium disappeared beneath it. Soil and stone rose from the earth, stacking neatly like giant building blocks as the tower soared ever higher. The structure shot toward the suspended starlight at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Buildings that would take ordinary people years, even decades, to construct were completed in the time it took to sip tea.

Louisa murmured, "Was that... a Legendary sorcerer? I don't recall any Legendary sorcerers skilled in Earth sorcery..."

Angelica responded, "Sorcerers at the Sacred Realm or above can already adapt their magic. It is common for them to channel their own element to replicate another. Take the Wind Class Miracle, Aeolian Yardan, for example. It uses Wind magic to unleash the power of Earth, sculpting massive structures through storms.

"With Four-Winged power and spirits, Legendary sorcerers skilled in multiple classes possess power beyond our comprehension. The fact that students and nobles from other schools have all gathered here means this intruder must be highly important. With so many sorcerers assembled together, constructing a white tower might be nothing more than a trivial task."

Adele's voice broke in excitedly. "I noticed the Virtual World Turbulence earlier! If I'd reported it in time, would the school reward me, maybe exempt me from homework... or my thesis?"

Louisa tapped her on the forehead. "The school would probably give you free retakes. You failed two courses last semester. Fail two more this term, and we'll see how your schedule looks next year."

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Don't worry! I just learned a brilliant cheating trick. I'm never failing a class again!"

"Cheating right under a professor's nose? Are you secretly a Two-Winged sorcerer, with your specialized sorcery class supposedly... Drama-Watching?"

"

Hmph

. Just wait and see."

Angelica turned to Sonya. "Speaking of which... Sonya, how did you suddenly unfold your Silver Wing? By my count, you've been in the Virtual World for less than ten days."

Louisa and Adele also glanced at Sonya. They were equally curious but were unsure about how to approach the subject. They weren't close enough with her to pry into the matter, so they let Angelica broach the topic. It was simply too shocking to ignore.

Everyone knew Sonya had only begun sword training on the evening of April 12. During her duel with Felix at the training hall, she summoned the Wave spirit, earning her the title of First Swordsmanship Prodigy of the Water Class. The very next day, Trosan personally recruited her as a research apprentice, and she stepped into the Virtual World on the night of the 13th. Today was the 21st.

In just eight days, Sonya had transformed from an apprentice with no virtual wings into a full-fledged Silver Wing sorcerer.

The pace was terrifying. Even Rigan Carroll, who had performed on stage earlier, had only managed to summon most of his Silver Wing as a second-year student and was hailed as a genius at Truth University. Nidala's prized student, the Orange Dancer Leona, was only seen as having the potential to become a Sword Saint after fully unfurling her Silver Wing in her third year.

Most talented young sorcerers needed a year or two to explore the Sea of Knowledge and gather enough mana. Sonya had achieved in eight days what others couldn't in years.

If it weren't for the cultivation rank restrictions, which require reaching Gold Rank in a sorcery class before gaining a second wing, Louisa might have suspected that Sonya had already ascended to Gold Rank before they themselves became Silver Rank sorcerers.

If the intruder hadn't suddenly fallen from the sky, Sonya would have been tonight's undisputed star. Had the school not imposed a full lockdown and ordered all students to stay in their dorms, her room would likely have been overrun by onlookers.

Eight days to condense her Silver Wing, that means thousands of miles navigated across the Sea of Knowledge... How has she done it?

Even Sonya felt a tinge of fear now. She hadn't meant to reveal herself so quickly. But when Rigan taunted her with the words, "Does the mana you've gathered even amount to a single feather," the effect of the summoning ritual had compelled her to manifest her Silver Wing to prove herself. Sonya would absolutely deny that the intent to show off had come from her subconscious.

Her mana had accumulated over the past two days, while she and the Watcher used the secret of the Whirlpool to create small Whirlpools. These were short-range and difficult to produce, but thankfully, the Watcher had been able to locate three or four Knowledge Creatures each night. Over three nights, they created several Whirlpools, and both fully developed their Silver Wings.

By all rights, it should have been a good thing, but Sonya had been a sorcerer for too short a time. Exposing herself so openly made her seem terrifyingly powerful. She also didn't know whether the school would covet the Whirlpool secret. If it were merely knowledge, she could share it and expect a token reward.

But the secret was toxic. The more people knew about it, the more dangerous it became. Even drinking water now felt like swallowing spoiled liquid. She had no intention of sharing it and making her life harder.

"I encountered a Whirlpool," Sonya said carefully, controlling the amount of information she revealed.

Hearing that, the others murmured their admiration and envy, but no one pressed further. They likely assumed she had found an extremely long-range Whirlpool and condensed her Silver Wing in a single stroke. They never considered that she might have encountered multiple Whirlpools consecutively. No one would have guessed someone could hit first prize several times in a row.

Bang!

A sound like shattering glass erupted from the night sky. Everyone looked up to see a woman in a deep blue robe flying toward the white tower. Explosions rang out from the tower, and a ring of rainbow ripples spread across its surface. Clearly, a battle was taking place.

Adele gasped. "The female sorcerer flying toward the tower... is that... the Holy Maiden of the Church? I think I saw her at the Grand Festival last year..."

Louisa frowned. "Adele, are you religious?"

"I'm not," Adele replied, eyes fixed on the tower's decadent glow, "but Cailleach's nobles have to attend these festivals. Nothing happened a moment ago... could the Church's Holy Maiden really be fighting one of the professors?"

The others had little to add. Their knowledge of the Church was even more limited than Adele's. In the Starry Kingdom, the Church was a contradictory institution. It was the unquestioned state religion, recognizing no other faiths, and it oversaw all ceremonies. Even the Empress's coronation required the Pope's approval, yet it maintained a low profile. Missionary work was rare, and depictions of the Church in plays, films, and operas were scarce. True believers were almost nonexistent. Even the girls in the dorm knew only that the Church worshipped the Starry Lord and couldn't remember whether it was called the Starry Church or the Celestial Church.

Adele yawned. "It's time for a bath."

Sonya suddenly remembered something. She activated her Miracle Bracelet and saw that it was already 11:30!

She was supposed to enter the Virtual World by 11. Without taking time to remove her makeup or bathe, Sonya lay down on her bed and focused on the Door of Truth within her Wave spirit. With the school under full lockdown tonight, she couldn't go to the Meditation Tower. Luckily, as a full-fledged Silver Rank sorcerer, she could locate the Door of Truth easily.

She closed her eyes, focused on the Gate, sank into her consciousness, and entered the Virtual World.

The familiar sequence unfolded, but this time, before she even opened her eyes, she felt icy seawater enveloping her. It was nauseating, like the mocking stares of classmates when she studied as a child.

When she opened her eyes, neither the familiar boat nor the stranger was in sight. Only the eternal white mist and the deep, black Sea of Knowledge stretched before her.

She scanned the surroundings. Alone, the silence was almost terrifying. Ignoring the nausea, she swam a circuit, but her pupils reflected nothing but the same unchanging scene.

A wave of indescribable anxiety pressed into her mind. "Watcher?"