While studying the Virtual World map, Ashe asked, "By the way, Witch, do you practice the Time Class?"

"Yes."

"I've heard the Time Class improves most effectively on the Continent of Time. Is that true?"

"That's correct," Dia reached out to touch the Ascending Golden Rain from the nearby plants. "Every drop of this rain contains knowledge of time. You could say that all the time on the Continent of Time condenses into it. When I absorb the golden rain to condense my mana, nearly all of the time knowledge converts directly into my progress in the Time Class. Compared to other sorcery classes, I gain ten to fifteen times more experience."

Even someone as academically hopeless as Ashe felt a pang of jealousy. "That sounds nice, but why don't I feel any progress in my Time Class?"

The question was so foolish that the White Queen had to pause for a moment before explaining slowly, "Because you haven't crossed the threshold of the Time Class, Watcher. Absorbing the white mist from the Sea of Knowledge only improves sorcery classes that have already reached Silver Rank. Classes you haven't yet mastered gain no experience at all."

Sonya offered a clearer illustration. "The knowledge in the white mist and golden rain is like a professor's voice during a lecture. Only those who understand can hear it clearly. To everyone else, it's just noise."

Ashe caught on immediately. After a moment's thought, he said, "But the Time Class seems incredibly profitable on the Continent of Time. You can raise your class rank just by walking around... Swordswoman, is there any way for you to learn the Time Class?"

Sonya shook her head helplessly. "No way. In theory, the best way to enter the Time Class is to step onto the Continent of Time. But if you arrive here and still cannot draw knowledge of time from the golden rain, it simply means you lack the talent. No matter what you do, you won't learn the discipline. The Time Class depends more on talent than any other sorcery class. Effort counts for nothing. Talent decides everything. There's nothing to be jealous of."

"Are you really not jealous?"

"I'm not."

"But I've already learned the Time Class."

Ashe glanced at the newly appeared entry on his operator interface.

Time Class

- Silver Rank.

He grinned. "Looks like you're the only one who couldn't take advantage of the Virtual World."

Because of their bond, the experience Dia gained in the Time Class also flowed to Ashe. He might have lacked talent, but once her experience pushed him past the Silver threshold, he could naturally enjoy the Virtual World's benefits as well.

Sonya's lips twitched. She had only pretended to be angry earlier, but now she truly felt irritated. From the back seat, she hooked an arm around Ashe's neck. "You already knew this, yet you didn't help me think of a solution! Like that Spirit Summoning Ritual you mentioned before—"

"That is very luck-dependent. And aren't you worried about another Sincerity effect, forcing you to tell the truth for several days?" Ashe replied.

"My luck can't possibly be that bad every time!"

The White Queen watched their playful quarrel quietly. Secret Princess, I don't think their way of getting along suits me. I feel too old and mature for this. Perhaps if you came out personally, you could blend in with them more easily.

No. Absolutely not. I only trust you two. I don't want to deal with anyone else.

The White Queen sighed. Then, suddenly, Ashe let out a sharp scream. A figure had appeared out of nowhere in front of the sports car, and...

Bang!

The car's automatic braking system kicked in, and the three of them were nearly thrown forward by the momentum.

Turning back, they saw the figure that had appeared moments ago had already been cut in half by the car's Evil Blade. The two halves dropped onto the grass with a dull slap, like discarded rags.

Ashe immediately shifted the blame. "This is your fault, Swordswoman. You distracted me!"

Sonya shot back. "You were the one driving carelessly!"

Dia stared at the scene. "Did we just run over a sorcerer?"

Fortunately, it hadn't been a real person. The one who died was only a sorcerer projection. In other words, they had only destroyed a virtual corpse.

To put it differently, the first sorcerer projection Ashe and Sonya had encountered on the Continent of Time hadn't died from any spells or skills. They had killed it with a car. They hadn't even seen what the projection looked like, let alone what abilities it possessed. They had run it over blindly... which sounded dangerously careless.

Unlike the Sea of Knowledge, sorcerer projections on the Continent of Time didn't remain in fixed locations. They moved randomly, so sudden encounters during Virtual World exploration were common.

It's just that this particular sorcerer projection died far too quickly... Nevertheless, the spirits it dropped had more or less told the trio about its sorcery class. It appeared to be a sorcerer that specialized in both the Fire and Brute Body Class. In total, It dropped two Two-Winged and three One-Winged spirits. For their first kill on the Continent of Time, the profits weren't bad.

None of them needed the spirits directly. Ashe thought for a moment. "Witch, do you have any way to exchange spirits for other resources in reality? Before you joined the team, we had a simple distribution method. If no one needs the spirits, we sort them by value. The valuable ones go to the Swordswoman so she can sell them for money. The worthless ones go to me, and I convert them into special resources that only I can use."

Dia shook her head. "It's inconvenient for me to exchange spirits in reality. Let's keep using your previous system. But as compensation, can I have priority when reading the Sorcerer's Handbook?"

Ashe's eyes lit up. "Wait. Can you also read all Sorcerer's Handbooks?"

"Also?" Dia blinked. "Not all. My success rate is about eighty percent. For example, the particularly abnormal, disgusting, or bizarre manuals. I simply can't accept those."

"The Watcher can read every Sorcerer's Handbook," Sonya said calmly, patting Ashe on the shoulder. "Even the manuals you can't tolerate, he can read from beginning to end with interest. Impressive, right?"

On the surface, the White Queen clapped politely, but inwardly, she raised Ashe's threat level yet again.

Since entering the Virtual World, Ashe had seemed kind and even absent-minded at times. He knew surprisingly little about basic sorcery knowledge, which made it easy to forget that he was actually a terrifying heretical sorcerer capable of tracking, controlling, and defeating her. A major reason Dia hadn't dared face him herself was that he had once completely defeated her within her own mindscape.

Facing someone she couldn't surpass, even in thought, left her too frightened to act, forcing her to hide behind the White Queen. Now, seeing how effortlessly Ashe absorbed sorcery knowledge, she felt even more intimidated. A soul capable of reading every Sorcerer's Handbook might not be noble or righteous, but it certainly had no limits. Compared to him, the most evil villain in fairy tales would seem tame.

Ashe, however, didn't notice that the Swordswoman had just lowered his reputation even further. After a moment's thought, he said, "No problem. From now on, Witch, you can read the Sorcerer's Handbook first. If there's one you can't read, pass it to me... Wait a minute. The spirits the Swordswoman doesn't want go to me. The manuals the Witch can't read also go to me. Why does it feel like I've become the team's trash can?"

"Of course not," Dia said immediately. "We only abandon resources we cannot use. You, Watcher, can utilize them efficiently. That's proof of your strength."

"So be more confident," Soyia added, narrowing her eyes with a cheerful snort. "Drop the 'feels like.'"

While speaking, Dia picked up the dropped Sorcerer's Handbook. Its gilded edges and black flame-shaped flower on the cover gleamed. Opening the first page, she quietly activated the Mask spirit.

Personality Split, Mask Reconstruction, Temporary Mode · Ever-Changing!

Her hair began shifting through every hue imaginable—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple. At first, the colors were bright and pure, but gradually they turned murky, like cheap paint stirred into a dirty dark red.

At that moment, Ashe, already aware of the truth, and Sonya both realized something. Dia did not rely on flexible values or adaptability to read the Sorcerer's Handbook. She relied on some kind of Miracle.

That explained how Dia had become a Two-Winged sorcerer and stepped onto the Continent of Time without formal sorcerer education. Most of her knowledge came from reading Sorcerer's Handbooks in the Virtual World.

She might not have Ashe's exploration skills, but she had spent two years in the Sea of Knowledge, gradually reading more than forty Sorcerer's Handbooks. Her knowledge system might not have been as organized as Sonya's, but she had mastered all the basics needed to survive and explore the Virtual World. She was a battle-hardened, stray-cat sorcerer.

A stray cat might not be as strong as a house cat, but its survival ability could surpass it.

Before reaching the final page, Dia paused and handed the manual to Ashe. "Do you want to take a look too? Every Sorcerer's Handbook might contain information worth recording. If you're willing to give this manual to me, just stop before reading the last page."

Ashe took the book without objection and read for a while, then suddenly made a surprised sound.

"What's wrong?" Sonya asked.

"I feel like I just saw someone we know in here."