Chapter 110: Let’s Break Up Right Now

"I remember now," Sonia murmured. "This is a Fate Quiz."

"A Fate Quiz?"

She nodded lightly. "It's a super rare mechanism in the Void Realm, and it comes in many forms. What we're dealing with now is the simplest type: a 'Paper Quiz.' If we answer correctly, we get to ask the Void Realm any question we want, and it has to answer."

"Any question?" Ash asked, intrigued. "So if I asked how to become immortal, invincible, and rule the world, it would answer that too?"

"It would," Sonia confirmed with a nod. "But the quality of the answer depends on how many questions you get right. The more you answer correctly, the more detailed and useful the response will be."

"Actually, more than the reward of 'asking the Void Realm,' most mages care about the quiz itself," she added. "Because every question in the Fate Quiz is about a mage's future."

"Future questions?"

"Exactly. These questions deal with things we haven't experienced yet. Mages can't possibly know the correct answers—they can only infer from the past to predict the future." Sonia glanced down at her paper, her voice dropping. "They say that anything mentioned in the Fate Quiz will inevitably come true."

"Oh," Ash muttered, his curiosity piqued. "So, what's your question?"

Sonia's pupils contracted. She feigned nonchalance and replied, "I don't want to tell you."

"Why not? Wouldn't it be easier to figure out the answer together?"

"Ugh, can you not pry into a girl's secrets? Gross," Sonia replied, pretending to be annoyed.

"Mages even have secrets?" Ash muttered, casting a skeptical look at her. He noticed her subtly shielding her paper as if embarrassed. But something felt off.

When it came to power or progress, Sonia never hesitated. Sure, she could be temperamental at times, but she was undoubtedly a good teammate—always pulling her weight during Void Realm explorations and never hesitating to contribute when necessary.

This Fate Quiz was clearly a rare opportunity. Would Sonia really let her so-called "shyness" stop her from collaborating, even if it meant risking a wrong answer?

If it were anyone else, maybe. But this was Sonia—the same person who had looked him in the eye and said, "You don't have dreams, but you can protect mine." She was someone whose ambition was so blatant that the game itself acknowledged it with the trait "Greedy Beyond Measure."

And let's not forget: he and Sonia were from entirely different worlds. To her, he was just some online stranger. Whatever secrets he might learn wouldn't affect her real life. There was no point in pretending to be modest or shy.

A sudden realization hit Ash like a lightning bolt. "Wait. Is your question… about me?"

Sonia froze.

She knew this was her best chance to deny it. A sarcastic laugh, a roll of her eyes, maybe a sharp jab like "Don't flatter yourself." That would be enough to dispel Ash's suspicion.

A lie would suffice. Concealing the truth was easy. All she had to do was prioritize her own interests and squash anything inconvenient before it could take root.

But for some reason, Sonia hesitated. The ever-sharp and quick-witted swordswoman paused just long enough to lose the chance to deny it.

Maybe it was the influence of the "Sincere Heart" spell she had summoned earlier.

Letting out a soft sigh, Sonia nodded. "Yes."

"Knew it," Ash muttered, sinking into thought. "So it's about me and you, and you don't want to tell me… Does it say—"

Sonia's heart rate spiked.

"—that you've fallen in love with me?"

"Are you sleep-deprived? Dreaming while awake?!" Sonia snapped, her tone dripping with irritation. "Not a chance!"

"You're denying it so firmly. That just makes it even more suspicious… Hey, hey, put down that sword! This is a Fate Quiz, not a duel!" Ash protested righteously, before lowering his gaze to his own paper. "Fine, don't tell me. It's not like I care."

"Don't you?" Sonia raised a brow.

"Of course I do! I'd love to trick you into turning your head so I can steal a glance at your paper," Ash admitted, his tone dry. "But if you don't want to tell me, I'm not going to jeopardize our current relationship over something as abstract as 'fate.'"

"If it's about fate and it's likely to come true, don't you want to know what the future holds for us?"

"That's not for me to decide," Ash replied calmly. "The real question is: do you want to share your future with me?"

Sonia froze for a moment. She picked up her paper, using it to cover her face, and quietly said, "Not quite yet."

"Fair enough," Ash shrugged and returned to his own question.

A few moments later, he glanced at her again. "Still not willing? Should I check back in five minutes?"

Sonia couldn't help but laugh. She glared at him playfully, her lips curling into a slight smile. Her eyelashes fluttered, her eyes crinkling into charming crescents. For a second, she seemed to glow, almost like she had summoned a beauty-enhancing spell.

"You're so annoying," she muttered, her tone laced with amusement. "Fine, fine. I can't figure it out anyway, so let's talk it through together."

"You've secretly wanted to discuss it this whole time, haven't you?"

"Focus on the question!" Sonia barked, reading aloud. "Single-choice question: What is the root cause of the swordswoman and the observer's falling out? ① The swordswoman resents the observer's indifference, ② The observer deems the swordswoman uncontrollable, ③ Uneven loot distribution, ④ All of the above."

"I fall out with you in the future?" Ash raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "That's a dramatic way of putting it. 'Falling out' sounds like something straight out of a soap opera."

Ash was more accustomed to phrases like "We're not friends anymore." Something as serious-sounding as "falling out" seemed more fitting for political alliances than personal relationships.

"So, are you secretly trying to control me and get mad when it doesn't work?"

"As if!" Sonia shot back. "Maybe you start seeing me differently. Let's be honest—I'm hardly the cheerful, passionate type. Doesn't indifference suit me better?"

"So it's not Option ①. Personally, I'm leaning toward ③: uneven loot distribution."

"Oh? Are you implying the loot-sharing rules are unfair?"

"Not now, but who knows? Once you break out of prison, maybe your appetite will grow."

"Please. If anyone's greedy, it's you. I bet you'll start hoarding rewards, and I'll be forced to put up with it until I finally snap and leave your party!"

"Let's be real here. Who's been putting in the most effort in every fight? Who's carrying the team? Me. If anything, I should be getting more of the loot!"

Their argument spiraled into playful bickering, both of them bantering as if they were discussing the aftermath of a co-op game session. The lightheartedness eased Sonia's earlier tension.

Initially, she had worried that sharing the "fate question" would create mistrust between them. But Ash's casual attitude dispelled all her concerns.

Sometimes, a problem isn't a problem until you treat it like one.

"① is out, ② is out, and ③ doesn't fit either," Sonia mused. "What do you think is the real answer?"

"Honestly? I don't think it's any of those. If we ever have a falling out, it'd probably be for a different reason entirely."

"Like what?"

"Maybe… you're not strong enough."

Sonia froze. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, you might not be able to keep up with my growth," Ash explained. "If I find stronger teammates down the road, you might become… well, obsolete."

That made perfect sense to Ash. After all, she was his first teammate, but that didn't mean she'd be his best. In any game, early characters often got outclassed by later additions. If he recruited stronger allies, there'd be no reason to keep Sonia in the party.

Sonia's hands turned cold, her shoulders trembling. "You'd ditch me because I'm not strong enough?"

"Not ditch, exactly. It's just that, at some point, you might not fit the team anymore. For both our sakes, it'd be better to part ways—"

"No need to wait for the future. Let's break up right now!"

"What?" Ash blinked in confusion.

Wait… was the Fate Quiz coming true already!?