Ashe’s worries did not come true.

After entering the Virtual Realm, the team explored the Dream Phantoms as usual. The Sword Princess dealt damage normally, the Witch controlled the battlefield normally, they conversed normally, distributed the spoils normally, and Ashe also normally questioned whether he had been dreaming the previous night.

However, tonight’s initial collection item was the “Colorful Collection: Midas Gloves,” whose effect was incredibly absurd-every time a sorcerer’s spirit miracle took effect, they would gain varying amounts of spellcasting experience!

No comprehension, no thinking, no Meditation required; just by fighting monsters, one could directly increase their spellcasting experience!

This collection item was naturally handed over to the Sword Princess to equip, as her Swordsmanship Sect was already on the verge of reaching the Sanctuary Realm, and her attack frequency was the highest in the team. A single move like “Blood Moon Blossoms” could even count as dozens of effective hits, making her the most suitable candidate for grinding experience.

The Sword Princess did not disappoint. In the third phantom, after Vesser ended the battle by identifying all the affixes, Sonya suddenly rushed over and hugged Ashe, summoning her Vibration Sword spirit, and excitedly jumped up and down: “Look, look, the Vibration Sword has reached three wings!”

After the Vibration Sword spirit reached three wings, a splendid white light battle armor appeared on its body, the white light sword at its waist became even more dazzling, and three wings emerged on its back. It stood on Sonya’s shoulder, flapped its wings, and flew around Ashe and Sonya, leaving a trail of light points.

The autonomous advancement of a spirit to three wings is the best indicator of a Sect Realm advancement, signifying that Sonya’s Swordsmanship Sect had fully ascended to the Sanctuary Realm, making her a true Sanctuary Sorcerer! Ashe was also happy for the Sword Princess and excitedly spun her around in a hug, but soon the two shyly let go and nervously glanced at the others.

Vesser very consciously turned her head to look elsewhere, while the Witch stared directly at the two of them, her mouth pouting as if it could hang a kettle. However, she didn’t say anything, just kicked the stones on the ground in a sullen mood.

By the fifth phantom, they triggered the affix bubble reward, which allowed them to obtain a spirit condensed from affixes or collection items. It seemed that Sonya had exhausted her luck for the night, as she didn’t get the corresponding spirit for the Midas Gloves, only obtaining an ordinary spirit; on the other hand, Deya had good luck and acquired the corresponding spirit ‘String’ for the “Golden Collection: String Puppet”!

The effect of the “String Puppet” is to negate all kinetic energy transfer, making it seem like physical immunity. However, due to its activation delay, it’s almost useless against bullets or instant-kill attacks. But when it comes to kinetic confrontations lasting more than a second, it works wonders! After equipping this collection piece, Deya’s threads become impossible for enemies to break through brute force alone. Even powerful dragon species like the Raging Slashing Dragon would be helplessly restrained by her threads until they perished!

However, the effect of the ‘String’ spirit is much weaker. It only ensures that the sorcerer always has a slight edge in any kinetic confrontation. Still, as a three-wing rare spirit, it’s quite valuable. Deya ran up to Ashe, holding the spirit in her hands, her bright eyes wide with excitement.

Ashe hesitated for a moment before reaching out to ruffle the Witch’s head. But the Witch wasn’t satisfied with just that level of reward. She took matters into her own hands, hugging Ashe tightly and rubbing her cheek against his.

Though she couldn’t feel his body temperature, Deya had a history of intimacy with Ashe. Just this was enough to evoke the warmth of their past memories.

At that moment, Ashe was plunged into deep self-doubt. He had never harbored any special feelings for the Witch before, so why did her affection feel so natural and pleasant? Why did it stir such a strong protective instinct in him, as if they had known each other for ages? What was going on? Was he somehow genetically predisposed to being a scoundrel?

When Deya finally let go, Ashe snapped out of his thoughts and quickly glanced at the Sword Princess. To his surprise, she seemed to be examining a Lala Fatty-themed canteen by the roadside, as if deeply curious about the food inside. It almost seemed like she hadn’t noticed Ashe and the Witch’s interaction.

That is, until Ashe noticed her hand tightly gripping her sword hilt. His heart sank, and he almost couldn’t calm down.

What on earth was going on? Ashe was utterly confused. It felt like there was some hidden Special Affix rule within the team that he wasn’t aware of. But he didn’t dare ask, and he didn’t dare speak up.

Compared to the bewildered Ashe, the bystander Vesser saw everything with crystal clarity.

If anyone thought the Sword Princess and the Witch would willingly accept a “shared” status, that was pure fantasy. Their behavior made it clear that they couldn’t tolerate Ashe being intimate with someone else.

But a sorcerer’s life isn’t just about love; it’s also about survival.

Before being lovers, their most important identity was that of trusted teammates-companions who could work together even in the face of cursed affixes.

So far, no one was willing to leave the team. The benefits the team provided were, in a way, equivalent to the value of love itself.

Having come all the way to the Distant Sky Domain, could it be that they didn’t want to witness the grandeur of Ruby Mountain, to push the limits of mortals and touch the realm of deities? Even if emotions held a deep place in their hearts, they were still sorcerers-sorcerers who thirsted for power, scholars who greedily pursued knowledge!

Unless they completely didn’t need each other’s help, as long as they wanted to keep the team functioning, they wouldn’t force a confrontation.

Moreover, Ashe was currently in the midst of a dangerous Trial. If they truly cared about him, they wouldn’t stir up conflict at such a critical moment.

However, it was clear that they couldn’t (and didn’t want to) remain stuck in the past state of “more than friends.” Instead, they tacitly took half a step forward, pushing their relationship into the realm of “lover without benefits,” as if adding a new affix to the team-

“Lover without benefits: Unlocks intimate permissions such as ‘hugging,’ ‘hand-holding,’ and ‘kissing,’ but does not disrupt the team’s harmonious atmosphere.”

“Vesser.”

Vesser turned her head and saw Ashe approaching. “Have you decided where the next Phantom will be?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Ashe nodded, then paused and added, “Sorry.”

Vesser naturally understood the subtext of his words and smiled. “It’s fine. I actually anticipated the progress in your relationships. But have you figured out what to do?”

Ashe scratched his head, crossed his arms, and thought for a moment before replying seriously, “Even though I don’t have a solution right now, I definitely won’t hurt them.”

“Relax. What you should do is accept their goodwill, not burden yourself unnecessarily,” Vesser said. “Perhaps fate will solve the problem for you. Maybe letting things take their natural course will lead to a beautiful ending… like them both being willing to marry you?”

“But wouldn’t that already hurt them?” Ashe asked.

“You’re really demanding,” Vesser mused. “Let me think about it…”

“Alright, alright, let’s go to the next Phantom,” Ashe said, feeling a bit awkward as he turned to leave. “Maybe once they’ve advanced their Spellcasting Sect to the sanctuary level and their intelligence increases, they won’t like me anymore…”

Vesser watched his retreating figure and said softly, “Hard to say. Sanctuary Sorcerers might still like you.”

“But there is a perfect ending, like…”

“What if you died tomorrow?”

Ashe and the Observer left the restroom and embarked on the final day of the Trial.

“Yesterday, we faced a Sanctuary Sorcerer. Could it be that today we’ll encounter a Legendary Sorcerer?” Ashe’s expression turned serious. “But I’ve never met a Legendary Sorcerer before. Will the Trial randomly pick someone from my memory and enhance them to a legendary level?”

“Who would be easier to deal with if they became legendary? Harvey would be fine-he can’t summon an army of Necromancy here, can he? Igor would also work; Mental Miracles aren’t too destructive. Please don’t let it be Annan-I don’t want to face a legendary Gun Sorcerer. And definitely not Gerard-the thought of a legendary Blood Hunter makes my scalp tingle… How about [222]? A legendary Healer-it feels like it’d be similar to a legendary Lala Fatty!”

As Ashe worried about which legendary enemy might appear, time ticked by, and soon, the moment of the Trial arrived.

Footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.

Along with a young, clear voice.

“Ashe, I didn’t expect to see you again.”

Ashe looked up sharply and saw the blue-haired butler in the distance.

“In the final battle at the Yisuo Royal Palace, I fully unleashed the ‘Melt’ Miracle. I thought I would simply dissipate, but instead, I survived as a baby…” The phantom Banjeet sighed. “I spent my life taking care of the young lady, but in the end, it was she who had to take care of me.”

Ashe’s pupils constricted. “You-“

“I’m a Copy, a Copy from your memories.” He pulled out the Frost Twin Guns and said, “But I’m also Banjeet Dolan. You must kill me to move forward; I must kill you to leave this place and see the young lady in the Gospel.”

“I must thank you, Ashe Heath.” The phantom Banjeet smiled, a smile Ashe knew all too well. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t exist. Even though I’m just a Copy, my feelings for the young lady are real, and I’m deeply grateful that you saved her in the end.”

“So, come on.” He raised the twin guns and smiled. “Don’t hold back. I’ve always wanted to face you, not in a game, but as a sorcerer, to see who’s stronger.”

“For our respective wishes, let’s fight to the death.”

Seeing the determination in the phantom Banjeet’s eyes, Ashe clenched his teeth so hard they almost cracked, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

From the moment he first saw the Copy, he had feared this situation. Even if the Copy exhibited the combat power of a sorcerer, even if the Copy was enhanced to the sanctuary level, or even the legendary level, none of that terrified and enraged Ashe as much as this moment!

Killing a Copy, killing a Copy that looks like someone you know, killing a Copy that is identical to someone you know and possesses complete emotions-these are three entirely different concepts!

How dare the Gray Fox sorcerers… How dare they…

After a few seconds of struggle with his eyes closed, Ashe suddenly opened them, reached for his sword hilt, and a look of furious determination crossed his face-

Clang!

The sword blade Ashe had partially drawn was struck hard by the Observer’s blade.

Ashe turned his head, stunned, to look at the Observer. The Observer slightly raised his sword, pressing it against Ashe’s hand, signaling him to sheathe his weapon.

“Next,” the Observer lowered his eyelids and drew a second blade, “you don’t need to draw your sword.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay