But They Aren't You

"Cheers!" Outside the Coliseum, Sonia caught the small flask tossed her way and arched an eyebrow. "Why are you carrying liquor around with you?" "If you'd lost, this would've been a health tonic to drown your sorrows." Adele giggled, throwing her arms around the village girl's arm. "Aww, we don't look all that different, so how could you wipe out five contestants with a single sword strike?" "You're not the same at all. Your ass is bigger than hers, and you've got way more meat on you," Lois chimed in. "It's called being curvy and well-proportioned!" Adele bared her teeth. "And all the meat went to the right places! I don't have a single bit of... flab..." Adele gave her own waist a pinch and immediately lapsed into a long silence. Sonia twisted open the flask and took a sip just as a familiar voice called out from behind: "Junior!" Sonia turned to see her senior, Leonie. The orange-haired dancer walked over, enveloped the village girl in a tight hug, and grinned. "Nicely fought. I can't wait to face you in the arena." "After seeing my Blood Moon Shattered Lake, you still have the confidence to beat me, Senior?" Sonia teased. "Of course!" Leonie snatched the flask from her, took a swig, and chuckled. "I'll admit you're stronger right now, but before we cross paths, I'll definitely come up with a counter for that miracle of yours. Besides, my Rhythm Melody might just be able to shatter your Blood Moon. If you get conceited, just wait until I make you cry! Oh, right—when we get back, want to hit the Secret Garden for a drink?" "Thanks, but I already have plans tonight." "What a shame. I'll go find my professor then." Leonie gave a wave of farewell. "By the way, Professor Nidala thinks very highly of you too. From the look of it, he's kicking himself for not snatching you up as his student first." "Amazing..." Adele turned green with envy. "My professor only regrets giving me a passing grade, and then watches me fall hopelessly behind in the second semester." "Then shouldn't you just study hard and catch up?" Ingrid said. "I'd rather let the professor regret it." While they chatted, Professor Trozan walked up beside them and spoke abruptly. "Ride back in my car." Normally, students took the shuttles back on their own; the Coliseum ran direct lines to every university anyway. But Sonia's performance tonight had brought Trozan immense honor, so Trozan deigned to serve as her chauffeur for once. The roommates eagerly seized the chance to hitch a ride with the professor. Trozan's car was nothing out of the ordinary, but she seemed to employ some sorcery spirit while driving. Not only was the ride remarkably smooth, she also had a knack for weaving and slithering through traffic, successfully carving a path through the gridlocked streets. "Look outside," Ingrid suddenly said. The city's light screens were all replaying footage of Sonia's blood-moon strike sweeping Veline aside on a loop. Not just in Jialesi—in Yabakulei, Maji, Meite... all across the Starry Country, everyone was still savoring the opening ceremony's Meteor Tribulation. "Famous across Sword Flower, famous across the imperial capital, famous across the Starry Country..." Lois remarked. "You reached your goal in just two months." "Still far from it." Sonia fixed her gaze on her reflection on the light screens outside, reluctant to tear her eyes away. "Unless I keep winning all the way to first place, people will forget me soon enough." "When you act modest, could you at least wipe that smirk off your face? You look completely drunk on your own success! My dog looks just as vain whenever I snap a picture of it!" Sonia turned and stared intently at Lois. Just when Lois braced herself for her anger, the village girl put her hands atop her head like dog ears and beamed playfully. "Woof." Lois felt a sudden rush of heat flush her cheeks. Turning her head away, she muttered, "You just want me to take your picture too, don't you?" "Sonia, Sonia!" Adele shouted, staring at her bracelet's light screen. "Look at the campus Curtain! It's completely flooded with posts about you!" "Is anyone hating on me?" "How could they? This is your moment. The whole school is proud of you! Anyone who dares talk trash about you would get verbally obliterated," Adele said. "Why don't you make a post from your verified account to boost your image? Then our Claw Extension Club can use the momentum to expand!" "Deal!" Soon, while the Sword Flower students were still riding the high of tonight's excitement, they spotted a post by the Red-Haired Sword Princess on the campus Curtain. In the post, Sonia first briefly recounted her first-year experiences, tossing in funny anecdotes about professors and the dining hall so that the Sword Flower student body realized she wasn't some aloof, untouchable genius, but an ordinary student just like them. Next, Sonia highlighted notable events from Sword Flower University's past few years, stirring memories among upperclassmen and invoking a sense of collective pride among younger peers. Then, Sonia analyzed why Sword Flower University's tournament results had been lackluster in recent years, slyly suggesting that it wasn't due to their own shortcomings, but rather suppression by other institutions. Since such conspiracy theories were already wildly popular on the campus Curtain, everyone found it immensely satisfying and agreeable. Only at the very end did Sonia briefly mention her own performance tonight, framing it as merely a modest contribution and saying she still needed to work hard moving forward. Swept up in their surging emotions, the students were practically bursting with the desire to write thousands of words praising Miss Servey. Sonia's post instantly trended, claiming the top spot on the Curtain in glaring prominence. The 'Anti-Village Girl Alliance' would surely be so infuriated by the sight that they'd rather have a Fishcleaver Dragon eat their brains overnight than swallow such humiliation. Back at the dormitory, Trozan called out to Sonia as she got out of the car. Tossing her a piece of fluorite, the professor sped off without a single word. Sonia looked at the Two Wings sword sorcery spirit sealed inside the fluorite, thinking that Trozan was truly an experienced member of society—a thousand compliments couldn't compare to simply handing over cold, hard value. Now that was a professor she could love! Returning inside the dormitory building felt akin to an emperor gracing the inner palace. Seats at the Coliseum were scarce, so most students had been watching the broadcast from their rooms. The moment they heard Sonia was back, they swarmed over to welcome the new sovereign's ascent. Before long, the entire building echoed with chants of "Sonia! Sonia!" The village girl tried to find the resident proctor to quell the riot, only to see the proctor standing at the foot of the stairs, chanting right along with them. Tch, what had gotten into Sword Flower University? It was downright wonderful! By the time she finally made it into her dorm room, Sonia was thoroughly exhausted. But this was when Lois and the others got to work: combat outfits were a hassle to put on, and taking them off was just as painstaking. It took over half an hour to remove it completely, during which Sonia took the opportunity to close her eyes and rest. Having regained a bit of energy, Sonia stepped out onto the balcony, washed her face under a sky full of starlight, and dialed a number on her bracelet, bringing it to her ear. Before long, the call connected. "Linda?" Sonia started to say something, but ended up sighing helplessly. "Mom, it's me." Martha's voice held an anxious edge. "I just saw you fighting on the light screen. Did you get hurt? Should I come over?" "No, no, not at all. They couldn't even touch my clothes." "Then... you injured those people. Will there be trouble?" "It's a sorcerer tournament; everyone assumes their own risk of life and limb. How could there be trouble? Besides, I'm representing Sword Flower University. Even if something happened, the school would handle it." With that, the line fell silent. Sonia had plenty she wanted to say, but when the words reached her lips, she couldn't bring herself to utter them. Suddenly, she heard laughter from the other end. Hearing that chuckle, Sonia couldn't help smiling too. "What are you laughing at?" "Nothing. Mom just thinks our Linda looks so pretty." "Of course I do. Look whose daughter I am." Sonia let out a breath, suddenly feeling her entire body unwind. "I have more matches in a few days. Be sure to watch." "Mm! Mom doesn't know much about sorcerers, so just take good care of yourself. Don't push yourself too hard." The call ended. Sonia went into the bathroom to change, coming out to find Adele wrapped in a bath towel, having just finished her shower. Seeing Sonia's attire, Adele gave a knowing look. "You're heading into the Void Realm tonight too?" "Mm." Sonia blinked. "For us sorcerers, going into the Void Realm is how we rest." "Right, right, sure." "Totally." Ingrid and Lois chimed in one after another. Sonia gave them an odd look, but without lingering, she walked straight out of the dorm. Once the village girl had left, the three roommates began gossiping behind her back. "Ingrid," Adele asked while blow-drying her hair, "what do you think of this behavior?" "Terrifying, to put it mildly," Ingrid replied. "Back before I'd been to the Void Realm, I might have bought it. But after soaking in the Sea of Knowledge for so many days, I know something's off. "If it were me, after such a high-strung, intense battle, all I'd want is to crash and sleep. There's no way I'd want to jump into the Void Realm for an overtime match. Who rests from fighting by doing more fighting?! Can you cure a hangover by drinking more alcohol?" "Actually, having a little drink the next morning really can take the edge off a hangover," Adele noted. "Don't ask me how I know." "In conclusion," Lois said, "either Sonia is a hyper-driven freak who puts even Ingrid to shame, or her version of the Void Realm is completely different from what we know." "How different could it be?" Adele tilted her head. "Could an adventure drama really turn into a romance?" ... Void Realm, Time Continent. The instant they manifested, Yaxiu checked their location on the Void Realm Map. "This is the area in front of the Blood Tomb. We don't have a detailed map, so we need to move cautiously and avoid pursuit from the Heroic Spirit Legion..." "Ahem!" Sonia cleared her throat, affectionately wrapping her arms around Diya. "Witch, at our university league's opening ceremony, I fought my first Meteor Tribulation match tonight." Diya asked, "What's a Meteor Tribulation?" "Well, a Meteor Tribulation is..." "And then, with Blood Moon Shattered Lake, I defeated Veline in one blow..." "The other four put up a desperate resistance..." "The entire Starry Country was watching my Meteor Tribulation match..." By the time Sonia finished recounting her glorious evening, Diya's eyes were full of longing. "That sounds so fun! You get to compete, you become famous, and so many people look up to you... Is going to school really that interesting? Wait, Sword Princess, doesn't that make you a mega-celebrity now?!" "Not yet," Sonia said breezily. "I have to keep winning until I claim the league championship before I earn the recognition of the entire Starry Country." "Still, that's already amazing! You basically took on five opponents all by yourself. Right now, I'm not even sure I could defeat five Two Wings sorcerers head-on..." "Of course you could! Your time faction is impossible to guard against. If you'd taken my place on that stage, the match would've ended even faster!" The sports car came to a stop outside a gem mine resource point. Yaxiu clapped his hands. "Quick, quick, quick! We need to loot a few resource points before the Heroic Spirit Legion catches up!" Diya hopped out nimbly and dashed toward the mine shaft, while Sonia lingered behind. Just as Yaxiu was about to get out, he felt a hand grip his wrist. "What is it?" Sonia wore a look that practically screamed, *how can you have the nerve to ask that?* She pointed to herself. "I won the Meteor Tribulation." "Mm." Yaxiu blinked. "You said it pretty loudly just now. I heard." "Then shouldn't you..." Sonia's eyes fluttered. "Show a little appreciation?" Yaxiu looked utterly bewildered. "B-but you get first pick of all my loot anyway," he said, scratching his head. "How about I give you all the sorcery spirits we get tonight?" "Tch." Sonia shook his arm forcefully, pouting in dissatisfaction. "Can't you just give me a compliment?" "Didn't you just say the audience, your friends, and your professors all praised you? And the Witch did too." "But they aren't you."