"Did we lose it?"
"Yeah, I think so... it probably can't swim, right?"
"Swim? What kind of route was that? You nearly got us killed!"
"Didn't I warn you it was dangerous? And who was it confidently claiming, 'No problem!' like a student with a cheat sheet?"
"You call that just a bit dangerous?!"
Amid the dense white fog of the Sea of Knowledge, Ash and Sonia lay sprawled out on their small boat, gasping for air. Their forms flickered faintly, blending into the surrounding mist as if they might dissipate entirely at any moment. Even their bickering sounded weak and half-hearted.
Not long ago, after nearly an hour of aimless sailing with no results, Ash suggested they try heading toward a zone marked as "Best Avoided" on his Void Exploration map. Bolstered by her early successes in the Void Realm, Sonia agreed. Together, they plunged into the unknown.
What awaited them wasn't a treasure-laden island but a colossal winged fish. It had capsized their boat with ease and spat water cannons that sent towering plumes of seawater skyward.
The fish's water cannon barely grazed them, yet it felt like their bodies had been scraped raw by sandpaper.
Fortunately, the boat was exceptionally sturdy. Even after being flipped, it floated steadfastly, allowing Ash and Sonia to claw their way back onboard and paddle desperately out of the danger zone.
But the beast had pursued them relentlessly, even taking to the air to lunge at their boat. In a moment of panic, Ash had used Void Exploration to accelerate the boat's speed, narrowly dodging the fish's final charge. Somehow, they escaped without surrendering their first "deaths" in the Void Realm.
Now, as the two caught their breath, Sonia glanced at Ash, drenched and bedraggled, a glint of curiosity flashing in her eyes. Casually, she asked, "Couldn't you have killed that Mudfish Dragon?"
Ash, still wheezing, replied without suspicion, "If even you couldn't, how could I?"
So, the Observer isn't as powerful as I thought.
Sonia's thoughts churned, but she ultimately said nothing. If the End Observer was weak, there was little she could do about it. She couldn't kill him, nor could she resist his influence. Even Trozan, her professor, had failed to detect the Observer's presence.
However, after witnessing the Observer's uncanny ability to navigate the Void Realm, Sonia's attitude had shifted.
As a fledgling Void Wing Sorcerer, Sonia understood the Void Realm's importance. An entity capable of piercing through its fog was a phenomenon beyond comprehension.
In the Void Realm, all sorcerers were theoretically equal. Its risks and rewards were shrouded in obscurity, leveling the playing field for both the strong and the weak.
This equality of opportunity was a cornerstone of sorcery itself.
But now, an entity had appeared that could shatter that equality. A being that could peer through the fog and elevate themselves above all others.
A sorcerer among sorcerers, the End Observer.
Before, Sonia had begrudgingly followed the Observer's commands out of necessity. But now, she was starting to feel a twisted admiration, even anticipation, for the life he might lead her to—a kind of corrupt longing to be uplifted by his power.
She briefly considered asking why the Observer had chosen her. What made her special? But then a chilling thought struck her: What if her question prompted the Observer to realize she wasn't particularly useful and decide to abandon her altogether?
For now, it was better to stay silent and cooperative.
"What was that fish, anyway?" Ash asked, breaking the silence.
Here we go, pretending to be clueless again. Sonia rolled her eyes internally but played along. "That was a Mudfish Dragon, one of the most common knowledge creatures in the Void Realm. Killing it can grant Water- or Earth-element Spirits. If it's previously devoured other sorcerers, it might even contain additional Spirits."
In the Void Realm, there were only two types of intelligent beings: sorcerers and knowledge creatures.
As the name implied, knowledge creatures embodied pure knowledge. Killing them granted access to their Spirits—the crystallized essence of their being.
Unlike sorcerer legacies, knowledge creatures' Spirits weren't fixed. While they generally aligned with specific domains—Mudfish Dragons wouldn't drop Fire Spirits, for instance—the exact rewards varied.
More intriguingly, the loot pool evolved alongside reality. When sorcerers in the real world developed new knowledge systems and summoned novel Spirits, these advancements could propagate into the Void Realm.
In extreme cases, revolutionary discoveries could even give rise to entirely new species of knowledge creatures, enriching the Void Realm's biodiversity.
This constant evolution upheld another pillar of sorcery: equality of knowledge.
No one could monopolize knowledge forever. Even if someone hoarded their discoveries, others could still stumble upon their fruits in the Void Realm. To stay ahead, one had to innovate continually.
Sorcerers who clung to old knowledge were no different from fools who refused to venture beyond their safe zones. The Void Realm would swallow the former, while reality would crush the latter.
After explaining, Sonia cautiously probed, "If you knew there was danger ahead, why couldn't you tell what it was?"
"I can't," Ash admitted. "I only know how dangerous a zone is for us, not what's in it."
Sonia sighed, a bit disappointed. "So you probably can't find the Golden Fish, either."
"Golden Fish?" Ash tilted his head. "What's that?"
Sonia blinked, momentarily stunned. Is he really this clueless, or is he testing me?
Suppressing her irritation, she answered, "The Golden Fish is a colossal creature floating in the Sea of Knowledge. Its back hosts the Continent of Time, the next destination for two-winged sorcerers…"
"Wait, a continent?" Ash interrupted. "How big is this fish?"
"Massive. No one has ever seen its full body. Even its smallest scales are said to be the size of cities that can house millions."
"If it's that big, shouldn't it be easy to find?"
"On the contrary, only a handful of lucky sorcerers have ever encountered it. Every single one went on to become a legendary figure."
"Oh?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "What's so special about finding it?"
"Climbing onto the Continent of Time lets you ascend directly to a two-winged sorcerer."
"Excuse me, what?"
"That's right." Sonia's tone betrayed her exasperation, but she remained patient. "One-winged sorcerers roam the Sea of Knowledge, gathering Silver Wings. Once they reach their limit, they must ascend to the Continent of Time to gather Gold Wings and advance further."
She continued, explaining the sorcerer's progression: summoning higher-tier Spirits, traversing deeper into the Void Realm, and repeating the cycle. At every stage, exploration and innovation were essential.
"Finding the Golden Fish is like sneaking through the backdoor," Sonia concluded. "A shortcut to greatness. That's why so many dream of finding it."
"Do you think we can?"
Sonia gave him a sidelong glance. "You'd have to be impossibly lucky. Now, keep sailing. I'm nearly out of energy, and we can't afford another fight."
Ash nodded. He was feeling the strain, too.
The Void Realm's journeys weren't free; the fog tempered their spirits and consumed their soul energy. Eventually, they'd have to leave and rest.
He opened Void Exploration, expecting the usual dead ends and danger zones.
But this time, something different caught his eye.
In the bottom-right corner of the map, a region shimmered with gold.
"Welcome!"