Chapter 269: The Observer is Dead by My Hand |
At this moment, Sonya noticed Engulite had returned and called out, “Quick, go to the School Forum and find the post titled ‘Is Miss Therave a Disgrace to Our School Regardless of Her Skills?’ and help me obliterate the author.”
“Adelle, you should come help too. There are a bunch of idiots in there spouting nonsense and rolling around; it’s infuriating. Come and blast them with me!”
Engulite pointed at Sonya, her face a picture of confusion, and looked towards Adelle.
Adelle shrugged. “She’s been like this all afternoon, intensely searching for herself. She echoes posts that praise her and curses at the ones that insult her… she just can’t stop.”
Previously, Sonya was merely recognized as a genius within the Swordsmanship Department, and not much attention was paid by other departments. However, after last night’s Mixer Party where she summoned the Two Wings spirit and slew the alchemical giant bear during the Chief Battle, the Red-haired Swordswoman’s fame skyrocketed across Gales. The School Forum was flooded with the name “Sonya Therave” all day.
But Sonya was not a Gold Coin—while some admired her, others despised her. Quickly, the forum divided into two factions. One believed Sonya would emerge as a new Swordflower of the Sanctuary, potentially a Legend, while the other viewed her as merely a lucky rustic girl who would soon fade into obscurity, a disgrace to the Swordflower title.
Engulite opened the post, and her expression shifted slightly.
The post mainly argued three points: Sonya was not only non-Noble but not even an ordinary citizen, just a marginal impoverished villager, “A mud-legged commoner likely just using a Sorcerer status to sell herself at a high price.”
Sonya had lost her father early on, and her mother was a farmer. Where would she get the resources to study and learn, “She might have been exploiting her beauty even as a child.”
Every point was a slanderous attack, bereft of any logic. Engulite, furious at the read, exclaimed, “Can’t we just track down the author and beat them up?”
“It’s a new account, can’t dig anything up,” stated Adelle. “Today the School Forum saw a surge of zero-post accounts, all specifically trashing Sonya. They know they have no reasonable ground, so they don’t dare use their main accounts to confront us directly.”
Engulite, puzzled, asked, “Can’t these accounts that are indiscriminately insulting people be banned?”
Adelle sighed, “Take a closer look. The original poster didn’t use a single swear word; all the phrases just skirt the edge of insult, using suggestive tone to lead thoughts in a negative direction. Even if reported, the school can’t officially recognize it as direct verbal abuse.”
“I thought the students at Swordflower College would have better morals…” Engulite continued scrolling through other comments, growing increasingly agitated, “People in our town wouldn’t even speak like this!”
“Hah, don’t mention Swordflower College; even the School Forum at Truth College is filled with this kind of toxic posting. Colleges can only screen intelligence, perseverance, and background, but not character,” Adelle shook her head. “That’s how it is with us Nobles, polite face to face, but spewing nonsense behind the Curtain.”
Engulite looked towards Sonya, concerned, “Sonya, are you okay?”
“Huh? I’m fine, look, another person got so scared by our replies they didn’t dare to respond.”
The rustic girl flipped over, lying back on the bed, “So cowardly, must be one of those jerks from the Wind Department, hiding behind the Curtain and still wavering.”
Engulite blinked, Sonya’s reaction was completely different from what she expected.
At that moment, Lois finally recovered from her hangover and waved her hand, “Don’t worry about her; she’s the type who gets more excited the more people insult her.”
“Why do you make me sound like a pervert!” Sonya flipped back, continuing to lie on the bed.
“Tell me how you’re not a pervert. Can a normal person raise their Magical Factions to Gold Tier in just a month from scratch!?”
“Hmph, jealousy sounds so sweet.”
“See, I wasn’t wrong, you are a pervert, pervert, pervert!”
“Lois, your way of being affectionate is really weird.”
“Sonya the mega pervert!”
Facing derogatory and slanderous comments, people generally react in one of three ways: The first is to be heartbroken, losing sleep over such comments as if they were a physical blow, necessitating avoidance;
The second is to maintain composure, getting angry but not distressed, and not dwelling on these minor issues as if nothing happened;
The third type is like Sonya, with a heart of steel.
You insult me? I’ll insult you back, and not just that, I’ll call others to join me in the comeback!
Anger is my fuel, words are my ammunition, and if I don’t make you surrender with them, then I consider it a loss!
While ordinary people might cry over such slander and vilification, Sonya is different. The village she comes from is no simple place; from a young age, she honed her verbal skills through insulting others. When she sees these covert smears by Nobles on the School Forum, she’s utterly unfazed, even finding it somewhat amusing.
Is that all?
City rats don’t even squeak as sharply as country rats.
Engulite carefully read through the post replies and asked, “Is ‘Did the Swordswoman eat today?’ from Sonya?”
“No, that was me,” Adelle said. “Sonya’s alternate account is right beneath that one in the thread.”
Engulite looked perplexed, “The ‘President of the Stretching Claws Club’? What does that mean?”
Sonya glanced at her, then lay on the bed, sticking her bottom up in the air and stretching her arms forward as far as she could to stretch her back, much like a cat, comfortably squinting her eyes, “This is what it means to stretch claws.”
Adelle quickly snapped a photo with the speed of lightning, “Don’t worry, I won’t share it, just keeping it for myself.”
“Of course you can’t share,” Sonya said. “Even if you were to post a lifestyle photo, it would have to wait until I’m dressed in my Battle Garment and have my makeup done, and besides, the dorm lighting isn’t good, we’d need to get a ring light…”
Watching Sonya’s antics, Engulite couldn’t help but remark, “I used to think that Geniuses were always aloof and detached, like Professor Trozan is the epitome of a Genius in my mind…”
Engulite never imagined that a real Genius not only isn’t aloof but also intensely engages in searching their own discussion threads, uses alternate accounts to argue on forums, and even pays attention to lighting when taking photos…
“Your impression isn’t wrong,” Lois said. “What is wrong is the Stars, who blindly favored Sonya. No wonder there are so many novels about ‘poor boys favored by princesses’ out there; there’s some truth to them after all.”
“You’re talking behind my back again,” Sonya sat up. “But today I’m in a good mood. Not only am I not going to hold your jealousy against you, but I’m also planning to treat you to a meal!”
“Really?” Adelle jumped up excitedly. “What are we eating?”
“At the school restaurant!”
“You’re treating us to the school restaurant after winning the Chief Battle?”
“That’s true,” Sonya mused, chin in hand. “After all, since I won the Chief Battle, it should be you treating me, shouldn’t it? Why should I be the one paying?”
“That’s odd,” Adelle remarked. “Sonya, you didn’t use to take advantage of others, but recently you’ve gotten shameless. I wonder who you learned that from… And for the record, it wasn’t me!”
“You know me,” Engulite said calmly. “It wasn’t me either.”
“I’m usually the one Sonya takes advantage of,” Lois added, curious. “Besides us, the only other people Sonya is in frequent contact with are Felix and Professor Trozan, but they don’t seem like that type either… Could it be you’ve secretly started dating someone behind our backs?”
“Let’s go eat,” Sonya jumped down to change her clothes, sounding annoyed. “I’m rarely giving you the chance to treat me to a meal, so I advise you not to miss it.”
“Changing the subject!”
“Putting on airs!”
“Girl, you’ve caught my attention. Hand over your man, and I’ll spare your life!”
The dormitory was buzzing as everyone headed out to eat.
At 11 PM, as usual, Sonya arrived at the Meditation Tower, ready to enter the Virtual Realm.
She had a lot to discuss tonight: she had learned a new Miracle in her dreams, and her Swordsmanship Faction had advanced to the Gold Tier, successfully summoning a new Two Wings spirit;
She had won the Chief Battle and would be participating in the Intercollegiate League as a Swordflower seed player;
It seemed Demilo might be connected to Vlozrada, and Star Hall was likely under the Stars Sovereign’s Faction…
Thinking of this, Sonya couldn’t wait to step into the Time Continent to show off her achievements to the Observer.
She summoned her newly acquired Two Wings spirit, Sword Shadow, and tapped into the Gate of Truth within the spirit to descend into the second layer of the Virtual Realm on the Time Continent.
As her consciousness sank into the Virtual Realm, the rustic girl slowly opened her eyes. Finding herself in the front seat of a sports car, she turned around and said to those in the back, “Observer Witch, you’ll never guess what happened last night…”
Mid-sentence, Sonya faltered.
She looked at the Witch, and the Witch looked back at her. They glanced around and saw no one else.
“Where is the Observer?” Sonya asked, puzzled.
“It’s not my fault,” Deya quickly disclaimed any responsibility.
Soon, they noticed a note stuck on the car’s windshield:
“Got held up tonight, you two go for a drive. Just don’t wreck the car.”
“And Swordswoman, our adventure went smoothly last night, and we didn’t speak ill of you, ask the Witch if you don’t believe me.”
Sonya turned to Deya, “What bad things did you say about me last night?”
Deya looked utterly perplexed, hesitating to speak, then stopping, her expression twisted as if she were in stomach pain.
After discussing with her sisters for a moment, they decided to follow the advice of the Black Butler: “Actually, the Observer lied.”
“Where did he lie?”
“Our exploration last night did not go smoothly. The Observer was run over by my car as soon as he arrived in the Virtual Realm, so we didn’t have a chance to speak ill of you.”
