"Sword Maiden, you understand me."

Weiser explained as calmly as possible, "I have no intention of competing with you for leadership—"

"But that's exactly what you're doing," Sonia said. "You think you're protecting us, helping the team, but you're actually imposing your personal views over the team's will and causing trouble for us and the Observer."

Weiser, slightly annoyed, shook off Sonia's hand and said coldly, "How have I caused trouble for you?"

Diya, standing nearby, was anxious and at a loss but only dared to try and stop them with her gaze, not daring to intervene.

"You might mistakenly believe the Observer favors me and the Witch, so you think your actions to protect us could gain his approval. After all, you're the only one getting your hands dirty, while everyone else can remain guilt-free..."

The Sword Maiden drew Weiser closer to her. She was just slightly taller than Weiser but now seemed to gaze down at her, "You seem to look down on both us and him."

"He has never taken our contributions for granted, never. Your initiative to blend into our social dynamics, your significant contributions to the team, and voluntary concessions for benefits have all been noted by us."

"In the Ghost Inheritance, you're particularly groomed to enhance the Soul Faction, not only because you suit it but also because the team favors you. He works hard to maintain the resource balance among us, willing to receive less himself so that we reap rewards matching our efforts."

"So, you know you're causing trouble, right?" Sonia said. "You've made us owe you a significant debt of gratitude. How are we supposed to repay it? How is he supposed to repay it?"

"You don't need to repay anything!" Weiser said. "I never expected you to repay—"

Slap.

Diya widened her eyes and covered her mouth, afraid to let even half a word escape and become involved in this dispute.

Weiser looked at Sonia in shock, unable to believe she had been slapped.

Sonia withdrew her hand and began speaking about another topic, "There's a case in 'Stored Wrong Blade,' where someone did good deeds without wanting recompense, which ultimately led to tragedy. I used to think that was made-up fiction, but then I found out it's quite a common phenomenon."

"In any organizational system, the most important principle is equivalent exchange; contributions must bring rewards, otherwise it's a test and desecration of human nature. You say you don't want any compensation, which is already trampling on this team's principle—we each have our own goals, which is why we explore the Void Realm together."

"If we could really treat you like a dirty rag, use you up and forget about you, would I be saying these words to you?" Sonia said. "Your words make it seem as if you don't understand us, are you insulting us or insulting yourself?"

"Moreover, the subtext of seeking no reward is either there's nothing in the team that can repay you, or you've already received other rewards." The Sword Maiden's ruby eyes reflected Weiser's appearance, "Are you fulfilling your strange desire for self-sacrifice?"

Weiser tightened her lips and said, "I just want to do my best to help the team."

"I too will contribute as much as I can, and sacrifice my interests if necessary, but unlike you, I will report what I've done to the Observer. If he doesn't compensate a hundredfold, I'm not accepting it," Sonia said. "Since I contribute to the team, I will not bear the cost alone."

"That's why I dislike your tone earlier, filled with a desire to bear guilt alone, indulging in a baseless self-touch without realizing this is a fate we should face together—which you absolutely need not do... You're just like the disgusting protagonists in those melodramas."

Weiser's face turned ugly as she listened, "I just—"

"Also, you misunderstood the Observer's thoughts." Sonia said, "He might also want to cast spells alone, but he'd never say 'I'll bear all responsibilities', instead, he'd share his psychological burden with us—you remember his suggestion earlier, right?"

"It wasn't a suggestion," Weiser said. "He said he would engage in intimate actions with you all."

"Ahem." Sonia quickly moved past that topic, "Anyway, gains and losses are the team's gains and losses, and guilt is the team's guilt. Say out what you've contributed and don't hide it, definitely don't bear it alone... I've always done it this way, and the Observer recently started doing it too, you should learn well from us."

Diya nodded vigorously like a chicken pecking rice.

Weiser said softly, "I just think doing this won't have any cost for me."

"Oh, really?" Sonia said. "But deep down, you don't want it, so why force yourself not to care?"

Weiser was startled.

"I've talked to you about stories in the Sea of Knowledge, when it's interesting you listen seriously, when it's not, you increase interaction—a method to cover your unwillingness by forcing yourself to express opinions." Sonia said, "Just like your previous behavior."

"Usually, you speak very little, Weiser."

Weiser was stunned for a while, suddenly relaxed, and said softly, "Your insight and eloquence resemble the Observer."

"What does this have to do with him!"

Though saying this, Sonia's cheeks flushed red, her gaze wandering, as if remembering something, looking somewhat happy.

"In any case, don't say things like that again." Sonia placed both hands on Weiser's shoulders, "I don't know what you've been through to develop this baffling desire for self-sacrifice, but..."

Sonia leaned close to Weiser, their foreheads touching as if feeling each other's warmth.

"We are already companions who've touched foreheads," she said. "So you don't need to sacrifice for us. Risks shared, guilt shared, benefits shared, that's the meaning of companionship."

Weiser blinked, in a trance she remembered Vione often used to touch her forehead like this when she was a child. She hesitated for a moment, wanted to reach out to hug the Sword Maiden to show recognition, who promptly embraced her joyfully.

Yet, despite the warmthless embrace, Weiser felt a familiar warmth.

Diya watched in amazement—didn't the Sword Maiden slap Weiser a minute ago? How could they reconcile just like that?

Is this the power of the vice captain?

"What about Dreams Come True?" Weiser finally pushed the Sword Maiden away and asked, "Isn't it best if one person casts it? Shouldn't I..."

"If we're all going to get our hands dirty, let's do it together," Sonia said. "No need to avoid it."

Weiser: "Are you ready psychologically?"

"Even if I'm not, I can always go back later to share the psychological pressure with the Observer." Sonia stroked the sword hilt, "Though I anticipated it, since the higher the level, the more likely you encounter situations where you are forced or helplessly kill innocent people. It's actually easy to assess, on one side is the lives of the four of us, on the other are 28, 50, 100 lives—of course we are more important."

"After all, we are all forced into this, it's all the Nightmare Angel's fault. Once you understand this, there will be no psychological burden."

Diya timidly asked, "Can it really be that simple?"

"We are not the Divine Lord, and even the Divine Lord is not All-Knowing and All-Powerful. The only thing we can do is to do our best for the world and give our all for ourselves," Sonia said, "And then, continue to live with our guilt."

She paused, "This is what I learned from the Observer."

Diya took a deep breath, "Okay!"

Weiser glanced at her own palm, then put it down, "Then let's accomplish our dreams come true together."

"Wait!" Sonia pondered, "Do you think we can improve the technique so that it can create Technique Spirits without anyone dying?"

Diya was powerless in this; if she could return to reality, she might ask the Gospel Book how to improve it, but in the Void Realm, she couldn't drive the Divine Being of the Gospel.

However, Weiser had been seriously studying the Miracle Technique just now and said, "It's not impossible to avoid death. The reason Dreams Come True completely obliterates the mage's soul is to pursue a 100% success rate. If slightly improved, it's possible to save the mage's life by reducing the success rate."

Sonia and Diya were both stunned—what were they struggling over just now?

"But such improvements are not something we can complete," Weiser said helplessly. "Even with my Golden Level Spirit Faction and Soul Faction, I can only explore a rough direction. It would take at least months to improve. To quickly improve the technique, you would need a Holy Sanctuary Level Spirit Faction and Soul Faction."

Sonia sighed softly, "So there's no way?"

"No way," Weiser shook her head.

"We can only kill!" Diya resolved herself.

Just at this moment, a black mist suddenly appeared in the underground hall, and the Nightmare finally transported the first victim.

The sorcerer hunting begins!

*

"This Ghost Key... actually has such an ingenious idea, and it's too suitable for me, isn't it?"

Igula was savoring the Ghost Key he just obtained, his heart surging with excitement, unable to contain himself. Because after dinner, Ash cast a soul enhancement on him, allowing him to break through the 80th level tonight and claim a Ghost Key!

The extras, the key, the tradition, if the extras were just small miracles that the Ghost Prophet occasionally used, then the key is undoubtedly a powerful miracle heavily relied upon by the Ghost Prophet!

The Ghost Key Igula obtained was a miracle technique that pointed directly to the Legendary! Although the key only contained a three-winged Technique Spirit, as long as he upgraded and supplemented the Technique Spirit, it would still be a top-tier miracle at the Legendary stage!

Moreover, the philosophy embodied in this technique was greatly beneficial to Igula, giving him more ideas about his own Technique Spirit system.

'Tonight's luck is really good...'

In his thoughts, Igula noticed that the underground hall was suddenly engulfed in black mist. He squinted his eyes, thinking, is this a change after the 80th level?

The black mist gradually disappeared, and the Swindler, using the soul spirit obtained from the heritage, cast various miracles, ready to face the challenge of the next level.

As the black mist cleared, three... female mages came into Igula's view?

As the red-haired female mage rushed over, Igula immediately shot out a "Soul Torrent"! This was a powerful soul miracle he assembled from the heritage, capable of almost instantly killing all enemy units—

Zap!

The Soul Torrent was blocked by a transparent barrier, diverted and intercepted!

Holy Domain!

Igula was stunned, instinctively wanting to rise to the Holy Domain, but his magic power did not react at all?

How could this be!

Bang!

The Swindler was slammed against the wall, and before he could say anything, his throat was tightly gripped. He immediately took out the Ghost Key, attempting to escape the heritage.

As expected, the Ghost Key couldn't be activated, and he couldn't run away.

He took a sharp breath, but only the cold breath of death flowed into him.

Igula vaguely guessed something. The appearance of mages not suppressed by the heritage, plus the inability to activate the Ghost Key, was enough to show he had become a lamb to be slaughtered.

He was doomed.

"I'm sorry," he heard the red-haired female mage say, "We have no choice either."

At this moment, what flashed through Igula's mind was not a survival trick, not a curse of resentment, but a painting.

The painting he had drawn many times in "Return to Childhood."

He still couldn't understand why that painting would have a black crow appear...

Just as the red-haired female mage was about to use an unknown Technique Spirit on him, Igula heard the other two female mages shout:

"Wait!"

"Don't kill yet!"

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