The Sorcerer's Handbook

In essence, the Destiny Quiz Listening Test was not much different from the Destiny Quiz in the Sea of Knowledge. The only change was that the written prompts had been replaced with recorded dialogues, a format that, compared to simple text, contained far more information.

Sonya instantly recognized the speakers as herself and the Witch. The dialogue had likely taken place at least ten years in the future. Her own voice had changed, turning richer and deeper, yet remaining clear, much like the tone Didarose would use when playing a mature, alluring woman. Just by listening, Sonya could already picture her future self as a thorned rose.

The Witch was no different. Her voice carried none of its current youthful innocence; there was not even a trace of childish purity left when she spoke the word revenge.

In truth, revenge was a word filled with fairy-tale weight, much like love. In the real world, no one truly loved or hated someone for four to five years the way dramas portrayed it. The sheer flow of daily life was enough to dilute everything. Given time, even the most intense emotions eventually faded into calm.

Yet, when the Witch mentioned revenge, she sounded as casual as if she were discussing tonight’s dinner. That meant her vengeance was not an impulsive emotion. It was a mission that had to be completed, an obstacle necessary for survival, and a life goal tied to real, practical interests.

More importantly, the way the Witch spoke made it sound as though she were including Sonya. They likely shared the same target.

Sonya glanced toward Dia, but Dia looked completely bewildered herself.

The three of them removed their headphones and exchanged looks. After a brief silence, Ashe coughed and asked in a deliberately deep tone, ”Should we discuss this together, or handle it separately?”

If it had been just him and the Swordswoman, Ashe would have bluntly asked what kind of gossip she had just overheard. But since the Swordswoman was currently maintaining a strict team dynamic of ”the Watcher versus the Swordswoman and the Witch,” he had no choice but to follow her script.

As long as it reduced internal conflict, Ashe did not mind playing the villain. He always felt that Sonya’s intentions were not entirely pure, but this kind of hierarchical structure was undeniably more effective for team management. He had seen similar setups in his previous company where superiors and subordinates got too close. It often resulted in eroded authority, leading to subordinates slacking off, sneaking breaks in the bathroom, or openly resisting orders.

Objectively speaking, Ashe’s previous ”everything is discussed together” approach had been a mistake. It might even have been the root cause of their internal friction. Once everything was open for discussion, it became open to contest. Where there was contention, favoritism naturally emerged. The Witch’s earlier lack of trust stemmed precisely from the fact that Sonya had previously coordinated too closely with him, leaving the Witch terrified of being abandoned.

It was not that nothing could be discussed, but Ashe needed decisive authority, deterrence, and credibility to ensure his will could always be executed in the most efficient way. The ideal outcome, of course, was a team that fully trusted and supported him. If that could not be achieved, he at least needed to ensure that even if they did not trust him, they would not dare to disobey.

Clearly, no matter which direction the team took, he still had a long road ahead. Sometimes Ashe wondered if it would have been better not to recruit new operators at all. After all, when they left the Sea of Knowledge, he and the Swordswoman already formed a near-perfect duo, giving them a massive advantage. Other sorcerers did not have a single trusted companion to grow alongside, yet he not only had that, but a boat and a sports car to boot. What more could he possibly want?

Was recruiting the Witch as a new operator truly necessary? Ashe quickly found his answer: it was.

From the Legion of Heroes to the River of Flowing Gold, and all the way through the raids on the Resource Points, the Witch’s contribution to the team was immeasurable. As a support-type damage dealer, her value was undeniable. Many Resource Points that would have taken Ashe and the Swordswoman a long time to clear on their own, carrying a high risk of injury, were cleared two to three times faster with the Witch.

More importantly, their loot output was overflowing, and letting the Swordswoman convert it entirely into money was no longer optimal. For any sorcerer, resource gains eventually yielded diminishing returns. At first, Sonya could exchange loot for useful resources, meaning her Miracle: Decades of Swordcraft no longer had to be used sparingly. However, this growth quickly plateaued because there was a limit to how many spirits she could use at once. Essentially, she only needed to master a few key Miracles.

It was like a video game. Sonya had already built the ultimate glowing peripheral setup, bought the most expensive skins, and ordered the best food. Any further growth could only come from advancing her actual rank in her respective sorcery class.

At that stage, having another operator to nurture became incredibly valuable. In fact, the more operators they had, the higher their efficiency in converting raw resources into raw combat power.

As for why they needed strength...

Images flashed through Ashe’s mind. Lys, Iger, Annan, Quinna, Harvey... a normal, luxurious estate, waking up naturally without alarms, and a peaceful daily life where I get to meet the Swordswoman and the Witch in the flesh, rather than in the Virtual World.

It was not just him. The Swordswoman and the Witch needed strength even more. He had no reason to remain stagnant.

Once he saved up enough points, he would continue pulling new operators. The team had to keep expanding, even if it increased his management burden.

When will I finally become a leader with real authority? Ashe thought, filled with an ambition for power.

At the end of the day, he was still the man who had once been on the cusp of becoming an operations manager.

Faced with Ashe’s suggestion, Sonya immediately sneered in disgust. ”I’m not happy about sharing my future with you at all. But for the sake of improving our accuracy, I’m willing to compromise. Besides, the dialogue I heard involves both me and the Witch. I think it should be made public.”

Dia nodded eagerly. ”I don’t mind either! Was it a conversation between the future versions of you and me?”

Sonya nodded and relayed both the dialogue and the accompanying question. ”Witch, do you have any targets for revenge? Is this related to your uneasiness tonight?”

Dia immediately shook her head. ”No! I don’t have any targets for revenge at all. Not even my grandmother, after she put me through the Armor Ritual... I don’t feel any desire for vengeance against her.”

Despite being trapped in a tower since childhood, Dia harbored no hatred toward her grandmother. She had lost her freedom, yes, but in return, she had been granted a carefree childhood. Especially now, after leaving the tower and experiencing the outside world with Ashe and Sonya, she understood more clearly than ever that her grandmother had not wronged her, nor had she intended any malice.

Ultimately, everything she had experienced was simply the predetermined fate of the Isa bloodline. Her grandmother was merely one link in a chain of generational tragedies. What Dia wanted was not revenge, but resistance.

Since no useful information could be extracted from the dialogue itself, they turned their attention to analyzing the multiple-choice options.

Sonya made a strange grimace. ”The world is too broad, and as for the Divine Lord... Do we even have the power to seek revenge against the Divine Lord?”

For most sorcerers, the Divine Lord was less of a concrete deity and more of a symbol, a set of cosmic rules, or even existence itself. No one had ever seen the Divine Lord, and no one could escape its influence. How could someone take revenge on it? Was it like seeking vengeance against the sun? Against a storm? Or against the sea?

In that sense, the Divine Lord and the world were essentially equivalent choices, which left only one remaining option.

When the Witch and the Swordswoman both shifted their gazes to him, Ashe remained perfectly calm. ”As much as I also think making me the answer is the most logical choice, the problem is... I’m the only one among these three options that you actually know.”

Sonya paused, her eyes widening as the realization hit her. ”Oh, right. The Destiny Quiz isn’t a standard test of knowledge where we can deduce the correct answer. It’s more like a luck-based guessing game. If an option is this obvious, it has to be a trap!”

Dia nodded in agreement. She hadn’t experienced the Destiny Quiz in the Sea of Knowledge before, but the logic sounded sound. She added, ”Plus, I can’t imagine why I would ever want revenge on the Watcher. Now, if it were the Swordswoman wanting revenge on you, I could kind of understand that.”

Sonya’s face flushed slightly. ”I’d love nothing more than to part ways with him as soon as possible.”

Dia blinked. After a brief hesitation, she said, ”Actually, I also heard something very strange. I’m not sure if it’s related to the Swordswoman’s question.”

Suddenly, Dia’s hair began to shift in color. First, it turned bright white, her expression morphing into that of a sweet, innocent girl. ”Next, I, White Queen—”

Then, her hair shifted to stark black, her features turning cold and aloof. ”—and I, Black Butler, will reenact the dialogue.”

With that, Black Butler suddenly broke into mad laughter. ”Hahahahaha! This is hilarious! Didn’t you want to capture me? Come on then, catch me! Let’s all get captured by the Temple of Calamity Flame together! They’ll burn both you and me to ashes! Hahahahaha!”

White Queen seamlessly picked up where the act left off, replying calmly, ”We won’t be captured. Master will definitely come to save us. Witch, let’s cooperate for now.”

Black Butler mocked her coldly. ”Is that so? Then where is that person now? Weren’t you two supposed to act together? So why are you the only one trapped here with me? Tell me... could it be that, just like me, you’ve been abandoned? Abandoned?”

White Queen said firmly, ”Master will not abandon me.”

Black Butler sneered, letting out a disgusted sigh. ”Aah, such loyal devotion. Can you open your mouth so I can spit inside it? Everyone is just a tool to that demon, including you! Why? Why are you still willingly letting yourself be used? Don’t you know you’ve never been loved?”

White Queen replied dreamily, ”Why would Master use anyone else instead of me? That just proves he still cares about me. He is always so gentle with me.”

Black Butler snapped. ”Yes, he is gentle, but there isn’t a trace of love in his eyes! I’m going insane! What did I ever do to deserve meeting you two monsters? One madwoman! And one fool!”

White Queen countered, ”Then... shall we cooperate? They are coming. We won’t escape without working together.”

Black Butler suddenly grew quiet, her tone dropping into a calm chill. ”I can cooperate, but you must agree to one condition.”

”What condition?”

”Just like before... hug me once more.”

[Multiple Choice Question]

What was the relationship between the two people in the dialogue?

① Friends

② Colleagues

③ Non-blood-related family members

④ All of the above