The Sorcerer's Handbook

Chapter 235: The Changed Witch

Driven into a corner, the beast thrashed in a frenzied, desperate struggle. But the hunter's threads had already coiled silently around its limbs. As its balance faltered and panic set in, the butcher's blade came crashing down.

Miracle, Aqua Line!

Miracle, Darklight Slash!

Precise and elegant, brutal yet efficient. The first overlord creature Ashe and the others had encountered, the Great Feral Wolf Dragon, fell just like that. Its skull split open like a perfectly ripened watermelon. Glossy, jet-black hair shimmered as if styled in a salon, and its massive body resembled a heavy truck. Now it broke apart into motes of light, crossing paths with the Ascending Golden Rain before sinking into the soil as nourishment.

Several spirits attempted to flee, only to be casually snatched back by the trio.

Sonya sheathed her sword and stretched her fingers forward, loosening her joints. "Not much different from a regular pack of monsters," she remarked.

Like a gourmet critic, she continued, "That last Great Feral Wolf Dragon had some merit. Scales, two points. Movement, three. Meat quality, four. But the skull? Five. Crisp, like potato chips."

Ashe groaned irritably. "That alone makes me want to skip potato chips for five days. My body fat thanks you. Still, that thing wasn't weaker than other large creatures. With its ability to command the other Feral Wolf Dragons, there were three occasions when it came close to seriously injuring you."

Sonya shot him a sideways glance. "Well, I have you here to watch over me, don't I?"

Her gaze then landed on a young woman, wide-eyed and expectant, with a stray lock of red hair standing up as if asking to be smoothed down. Sonya sighed and reached out to ruffle Dia's head. "Besides, I've got a super-powerful witch right next to me. No mere Great Feral Wolf Dragon could slip past our coordination."

Dia planted her hands on her hips proudly. "That's right! As long as Swordswoman and I are together, ten more wouldn't be a problem!"

Ashe clapped his hands. "If the two of you can hold off ten of them as firmly as capitalists cling to their workers, I won't complain about your enthusiasm. Alright, let's collect our commission and see what surprises the Wolf Dragon left for us."

The Wolf Dragon's nest was the third Resource Point they had discovered that night, and their first overlord-level one. Alongside thirteen Feral Wolf Dragons, there was a single overlord—the Great Feral Wolf Dragon itself.

Of course, the fight hadn't been as easy as the cheating trio made it sound. Overlord creatures boasted combat strength on par with large monsters and could command pack creatures in battle. They fought without the slightest sense of fairness. When the leader struck, the underlings attacked from the shadows, leaving even a skilled combat sorcerer feeling as helpless as a student realizing on the last day of summer break that they still had unfinished homework.

Fortunately, Ashe and the others were just as shameless. They found a narrow passage and, still dissatisfied, smashed the walls on both sides, letting rubble collapse inward and choke the space until only enough room remained for the two young women to move. Ashe stood behind them, thrusting with his Swordheart again and again, quickly exhausting the lesser wolf dragons. After that, it became a one-on-three fight against the Great Feral Wolf Dragon.

Having taken this Resource Point with great effort, the rewards were naturally abundant. The nest contained three types of resources in production, namely wood, mercury, and sulfur.

Wood and ore were common and inexpensive. In fact, they had already found these in the first two Resource Points that night. Mercury and sulfur, on the other hand, were much rarer. Red Sulfur served as premium fuel for Fire and Gun Class spirits, while Stoneflow Silver acted as a universal lubricant for Poison, Water, and Mechanist Class spirits.

The rarer the material, the wider the range of spirits it could nurture, and the stronger its effect. Spirits were very picky with ordinary materials like wood and ore, and these materials had much weaker effects. Ashe sometimes wondered if he was the spirits' master or if it was the other way around, having to risk life and limb just to gather the resources they needed.

All in all, the Great Feral Wolf Dragon's nest was likely their best haul of the night. Ashe's attention was fixed on the pool of mercury before him. Beside it stood a crude yet strangely intricate machine, like a one-of-a-kind work of art a drunken orc had cobbled together from random parts. For years, the wolf dragons' spirits had been using this contraption to extract mercury and refine it into valuable materials like Stoneflow Silver and Stonemilk Silver.

Ashe scanned the cavern. Wild vines had overtaken the walls, and no drainage system had been installed, leaving the air thick with the stench of waste. The square-edged patterns on the ceiling, shattered columns reduced to mere bases, and the fire basin in the corner, now serving as a urinal, made it clear that the Great Feral Wolf Dragon was merely a tenant, not the owner.

Of course, it was also possible that the original owners had degenerated into wolf dragons. Shared origins between enemy and ally were not unusual. But after recalling Sonya's comment about potato-chip-crisp skulls, Ashe decided to drop that line of thought. He still hoped to enjoy cucumber-flavored chips six days later.

"Watcher, Watcher!" Dia called, running up and holding out her hand. "This is Gale Wood, and this is Purple Sulfur. You'll need both!"

"Mm, thanks," he replied.

"You're welcome!"

The Witch darted off again to gather more resources.

Ashe's gaze followed Dia's retreating figure. At some point, Sonya had slipped quietly to his side. She murmured, "Something about the Witch today... feels off."

Ashe had noticed it too. It was impossible not to. Today, the Witch's hair was black, and she wore a black dress with a hem reaching her knees, not the white skirt from yesterday that had teased a sliver of thigh. The change was drastic. Even in battle, she no longer transformed into a fully crimson warrior. Only her gauze gloves had turned rose-red, and a streak of red ran through her black hair, blending naturally with it.

Of course, Sonya wasn't referring to her outfit. It was the Witch's personality that had shifted. Unlike the calm, composed figure from last night, tonight's Witch was lively, effervescent, and far easier to read. After just two battles, Sonya already knew the Witch's spirits, Miracles, and preferred combat style. Their relationship had progressed at an astonishing pace. In the real world, they would already be at the stage of holding hands and going to the restroom together.

After the first battle, Sonya had noticed the little tuft of red hair sticking up on the Witch's head. Using praise as an excuse, she reached out and patted it. She hadn't expected such a small gesture to open the floodgates. After every battle, the Witch would appear within her line of sight with that expressive tuft, begging for more praise.

It made Sonya wonder what kind of environment could shape a personality like this. Even in Cailleach, there were no girls this easy to read. But that wasn't the main point. The Witch was trying, clumsily, to please both the Watcher and herself. Because Sonya had shown friendliness, the Witch seemed to think she no longer needed to invest effort on that side, so she kept running over to the Watcher instead, bringing him materials, asking his color preferences, and complimenting his outfit. The awkwardness was enough to make one curl their toes, yet somehow the Witch's foolish charm made it even harder for Sonya to handle.

If it had been the calm Witch from last night, Sonya could have gone all out and matched her move for move. Sonya might now be among the elite of Sword and Roses University, but that didn't change what she had lived through during her first semester. Faction struggles, class politics, dorm hierarchies, and girls' cliques. Not a single one had she missed. Just a month ago, she had still been trading barbs with Louisa. If dealing with scheming girls were a recognized discipline, she would easily earn a Gold Rank in it.

At first, Sonya suspected the Witch was deliberately acting cute to win favor. That type of act had always been popular. Even Didaros had starred in dramas like The Domineering Prince Falls for the Naive Girl. Sonya herself had tried it in her first semester and knew just how effective an innocent act could be. Especially when performed deliberately, it struck with precision, unlike genuine foolishness, which could overstep and annoy others.

Soon, however, Sonya realized the Witch wasn't acting. She was genuinely naive, as if the werewolf mask she had worn for defense last night had been removed, revealing a harmless, simple lamb beneath. She seemed inexperienced at interacting with peers, forming connections by laying her heart bare and silently crying out, "Look, look." Even a village child would have been more cunning.

Sonya, an expert at feigning innocence, recognized genuine naivety when she saw it. If even she couldn't see through it, then it had to be real. But if that was the case, what about the White Witch from last night?

Ashe had already guessed part of the truth. He knew the Witch's innate ability allowed her to split her personality. Last night's Witch and tonight's Witch were clearly not the same person. But should he tell Sonya this? Or should it be him who told her?

"I suggest you ask her directly. This counts as her privacy," Ashe said.

"If you know, just tell me."

"And if the Witch asks about your privacy, should I answer honestly too?"

Before Sonya could respond, Ashe waved his hand dismissively. "I know what you want to say. Feelings deepen through shared experiences, and relationships grow closer through distance. You think you should have more access than the Witch, like discussing her behind her back.

"I enjoy gossip too, but only when it's about people we don't face every day. The three of us will be comrades for the foreseeable future, fighting together just to survive. A little whispering now and then is fine, but we can't make a habit of discussing a teammate's secrets. Otherwise, the moment you see me with the Witch, you'll assume we're talking about you."

"I'm not that sensitive!" Sonya protested.

"I think the only thing more sensitive than you in this world is poison," Ashe said irritably. "Sure, if the team grows larger, circles and groups might form. But right now, it's just the three of us. I want to keep the atmosphere like a student interest group for as long as possible, before we sink into the messy adult world of gossiping about colleagues."

"Actually... there's something I've been wanting to ask. What does gossip mean?"

"You didn't understand?"

"With the context, I can guess it means talking badly about others."

"It basically means discussing right and wrong."

"And what does right and wrong mean?"

Ashe snapped. "Are you picking a fight? If you want to know the Witch's secret, just ask her!"

"But asking someone about their secret so abruptly makes me seem socially clueless..."

"Then I'll help. I'm curious too."

Before she could react, Ashe grabbed Sonya's hand and pulled her toward Dia. Sonya froze for a moment. It wasn't their first time holding hands. They had interlocked fingers while flying through the Sea of Knowledge, and supported each other in battle. But in this ordinary moment, casual contact still felt strange.