The Void Realm Should Give Way to Reality

Starry Kingdom, Sword and Rose Sorcerer University, Swordsmanship Department professor's office. "What do you mean, you forgot?" "It just means I forgot to notify you. It only happened a couple of days ago, actually—two members of the exchange team died in the Void Realm." "Were their injuries severe?" "Their injuries weren't actually that bad, but the problem is that one injured an eye and the other an ear. It affected their combat ability too much, so they were swapped out. Then Leonie recommended you, so you naturally became a team member. Oh, right—I'm leading the team for this exchange with Locus University. I originally didn't want you participating in competitions this early, but the swordsmanship students in these recent classes are the worst I've ever seen. So I had no choice but to have a newcomer who's been studying the sword for less than a month step up to hold the line." "Why didn't you ask me?" "Because I figured you would definitely agree, so I couldn't be bothered to ask, and then I forgot to tell you." "But why the Chief Bout?" Sonia pressed a hand to her forehead in exasperation. "I enter the Void Realm punctually at eleven every night—it's not like you don't know that, Professor... The Chief Bout won't even start until midnight at the earliest. This completely ruins my plans—not to mention I have to train my swordsmanship for two hours every night." "And if someone hadn't mentioned it offhand, I wouldn't even have known I'm supposed to attend the exchange banquet tonight! The entire school knows I'm fighting the Chief Bout, and I was the only one in the dark!" "Professor, doing this really makes me—" *Thud!* A pair of tall boots slammed onto the desk. Trozan leaned back against her plush armchair with her arms crossed over her chest, her expression exceptionally impatient. "Have you said enough? Didn't I just forget to tell you? Do you really have to chirp on and on and annoy me like this? Next time there's a notice concerning you, I'll bombard you with ten messages on the Curtain, all right?" Harsh though the words were, Sonia knew the professor had taken it to heart. Having spent half a month together, Sonia had long since figured out Trozan's personality. While this swordsmanship professor was like a hedgehog, domineering and overbearing with whoever she spoke to, and her teaching style was always, "Who's stronger, you or me? I'm stronger, so listen to me," that was only because she had been brilliantly gifted since childhood, smoothly advancing all the way to Sanctuary Sorcerer. Her talent completely overshadowed her lack of emotional intelligence, so she had never needed to learn how to deal with people. To anyone else, dealing with Professor Trozan would surely be sheer torture, but Sonia did not feel that way at all. Back in her hometown, villagers with even lower EQ than Professor Trozan were everywhere; their knowledge came entirely from soap operas, and their manners relied purely on prenatal education. Sonia had abundant experience dealing with obnoxious people. Rather, Sonia was extremely glad Professor Trozan was a low-EQ genius. That was why she had been able to read Trozan's personality traits so quickly, and even knew what methods to use to make the professor "cooperate." The reason Sonia had spoken so sharply this time was that she knew Trozan wouldn't hold it against her, and that this was the only way Trozan would actually listen—frankly, Trozan belonged to that peculiar breed of contrary people who would never take anything to heart unless you gave them a firm lash. "From what you're saying, you don't seem very willing to participate in the exchange, and even less willing to fight the Chief Bout." Trozan tilted her head. "If you're really in a hurry to enter the Void Realm, I can change the order. I can have you fight in the Vanguard Bout first, and as soon as you finish, you can rush back to campus. Or I could even swap you out entirely... How about it?" "Then again, even back when I was at my most obsessed with the Void Realm, I wasn't as addicted as you are. If you miss a day or two in the Void Realm, could you really miss out on anything?" Miss out on anything? Miss out on the crucial moment when the Watcher and the Witch grow closer! Though she grumbled inwardly, Sonia knew nothing monumental would happen in a single night. If their relationship could truly advance by leaps and bounds in just one night, it would only prove that this village girl herself was utterly inept—she hadn't managed to turn the tables on the Watcher in the past half-month, so could the Witch seal the deal in just one night? Could a girlfriend with multiple personalities really be that enticing? Wasn't it just dating an empathetic big sister, a sly and sharp-tongued schemer, a bubbly energetic girl, and an aloof murderous maniac all at once? What was so great about that? All right, truth be told, the Witch did have plenty of advantages. After analyzing it point by point, Sonia realized that aside from having arrived earlier, she didn't seem to have much of a competitive edge. Even under the Watcher's beloved metric of combat power, the prospects of the Witch—who could cultivate the time faction—surpassed her own. The time faction grew automatically on the Time Continent, meaning the Witch would always have one more proficient faction than she did. Although her standing in the team seemed precarious, Sonia wasn't actually too worried about being cast aside. Even though the Watcher made things sound grave, always talking about "status," "striving," "survival of the fittest," "wolf culture," and "positions go to the capable," she knew full well those were just corporate buzzwords meant to spur her into cultivating diligently. Just like how, before every quiz at the university, the professors would claim that "this test will affect your continuous assessment score" to make the students anxious, thereby getting them to review proactively. Her half-month head start was not for nothing; Sonia had long since gained an intuitive grasp of the Watcher's character. This figure—suspected of being a revived legend—was actually an exceptionally delicate soul. Beneath his absurd and uninhibited jokes lay quiet undercurrents, and wrapped within his wordless actions was genuine kindness. Had the Watcher not taken the initiative, Sonia would never have brought up the Witch's combat personality confusion with her. Even if she had, she would have waited for it to happen a few more times and for their relationship to grow closer first. Yet the Watcher had acted as if he couldn't wait a moment longer, needing to resolve it as soon as he noticed, as though holding it in would impede his bladder. Who knew whether it stemmed from a sense of responsibility, concern for the team, or simple goodwill. A person with such a delicate soul was far slower to truly accept someone than ordinary people. And not just the Witch—Sonia felt that even now, she herself had not truly been accepted by the Watcher. Even though he called her the pillar of his life, whenever the Watcher occasionally looked at her, his eyes held an indescribable sense of distance. It was as if... he were looking at something unreachable. That distance was buried very deep. Perhaps it was because they did not belong to the same realm, the spatial distance causing an emotional detachment. A barrier that not even Sonia could breach was not something she believed the Witch could overcome either. Besides, if the Watcher truly were an impatient lecher whose selection of operators was just an imperial concubine pageant, why was Sonia still entirely untouched? Could it really be just because the Watcher couldn't beat her in a fight? Sonia could analyze ten thousand reasons to prove that nothing would go wrong with the Watcher and the Witch exploring the Void Realm alone. Yet she simply could not convince herself. Sometimes logic was utterly useless. Emotional impulses seized every inch of her mind, sending the army of reason into full retreat. At the thought of the Watcher and the Witch roaming the Void Realm without her, Sonia felt a pain as if she were being torn apart. She would have no way of knowing what they would do or say in the Void Realm. Would they speak ill of her behind her back? Would the Watcher talk about his past? What if they encountered a Void Realm anomaly—like the Miracle Paradise, the Hall of Sorceries, or even the Destiny Q&A... The treatment that had once belonged solely to her, the attention that only she had once received, the privileges that had once been hers alone—she was surrendering them all, bit by bit. If she didn't refuse the Chief Bout, if she didn't decline the exchange banquet, then the Watcher and the Witch would forge memories unique to them, shared experiences exclusive to them, and secrets shared with a knowing smile. She despised this feeling of powerlessness, and she dreaded the prospect of being sidelined. She knew such suspicions were baseless, and she knew dwelling on these emotions was meaningless, but she simply could not control herself. Sonia Servi was just such an incompetent village girl—unable to take things up, unable to let them go, reluctant to part with what she had, and unable to hold onto what slipped away. Ten thousand reasons could not outweigh a single flutter of the heart. "So, what are you saying?" Professor Trozan asked. "Swap the bout order, or decline the exchange altogether? Well, having real-world activities give way to Void Realm adventures isn't something I can't understand..." "No." Sonia's answer took the professor by surprise—and surprised herself just as much. The village girl stared intently at the professor, her fists clenched tight as she gave a stiff shake of her head. "We'll stick to your arrangement, Professor. I will take on the final Chief Bout, and I'll see this university exchange through to the end." "The Void Realm should give way to reality."