Sorcerer’s Handbook

“Ugh, I’m so exhausted, Engulite. Do you want to shower first, or should I?”

The voice reached the room before she did, and Lois, who was reading in the dormitory, instantly frowned.

The door swung open, and two girls with sword bags on their backs walked in, their cheeks flushed and little beads of sweat clinging to their soft skin. They burst into laughter, filling the dormitory with a refreshing vitality reminiscent of the earth awakening in spring.

“I’ll shower first,” Engulite said as she sat down. “I have to do laundry later, plus your legs are jelly. Sit and recover your strength for a bit.”

“That’s true,” Sonya stretched languidly, sprawling across the table like a slime. “Ugh, I’m starting to regret switching to the Swordsmanship Department. It’s so tiring. It’s bad enough that we have classes, but Professor Trozan insists on two more hours of advanced lessons, and I even have to spar with him… Then I have to continue Swordsmanship Training in the evening to master the spirit of the Vibration Sword. It feels like my whole day is jam-packed.”

“That’s great, though,” Engulite said enviously. “Professor Trozan is a Tri-wings Swordcerer, and last year he was even selected as one of the ‘Top ten outstanding sword saints of the stars’, known as the ‘Hidden Hand Sword Saint’. It’s rumored he might break through to become a Quadruple wings Legend… Then, Sonya, you’ll be the apprentice of a legendary Sorcerer!”

Lois’s hands unconsciously crumpled the pages of her book.

Sonya waved her hand dismissively, “Professor Trozan hasn’t agreed to take me as an apprentice yet. He just thinks I have talent…”

Engulite sighed, “I wanted to become Professor Trozan’s apprentice from the start, but he never openly takes apprentices. You’re one of his rare exceptions, Sonya!”

“Then I’ll recommend you to Professor Trozan tomorrow. I can’t guarantee anything, but I should be able to get you an interview—”

“No need,” Engulite interrupted as she searched for clothes. “He’s clearly focused on nurturing talent, and I’m just ordinary. Not only would he not accept me, but it would probably annoy him. Besides, I’m close to breaking into the second ring, and in a few months, I’ll be able to summon my own spirit. The resources of the Swordsmanship Department will open up to me… Maybe by then, I’ll have caught up to you!”

“I won’t wait for you, you know,” Sonya giggled. “It’s a good thing you’re here, Engulite. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know how to turn down Felix’s invitation.”

Engulite asked curiously, “I heard he wanted to spar with you again. Don’t you want to have another match with him?”

“No way!” Sonya declared emphatically. “He’s not looking to spar. He just wants to get closer to me.”

“What’s wrong with getting closer to Felix?”

“Firstly, he’s a playboy. Plus, it’s obvious that I’ll surpass him in Swordsmanship one day. I have no interest in a man who can’t beat me at my best.”

“Swordflower College is just too small for me. In the future, I’m definitely going to Truth College. As for love, I’ll think about it once I’ve achieved something in Swordsmanship.”

Lois’s nails nearly pierced through the pages of her book.

Adelle, who had been half-watching a program on the Holographic Screen, asked with a mix of feigned interest and genuine curiosity, “Sonya, are you planning to transfer to Truth College?”

“No, but Professor Trozan can help me sign up for the Swordsmanship competition at Truth College, and I can use the facilities at Truth College. I might end up running back and forth between Swordflower and Truth,” Sonya sighed. “The more I think about it, the more tired I get.”

Adelle exclaimed, “Then Sonya, you’ll be able to meet all the talented students from Truth College, right? If you come across any handsome guys, remember to introduce them to us!”

“No~ problem~,” Sonya drawled. “How could I forget my roommates when good things happen? We’re the best of roommates who’ve had a great year together, right, Lois?”

Lois was so irritated her mouth twisted, but she managed a strained smile. “Of course, I just worry that Sonya the Sword saint won’t recognize us lowly roommates anymore.”

“How could that be? I’m just a rustic girl from the countryside; I’ll still need Miss Lois to look after me in the future.” Sonya said sarcastically. “Ah, Miss, you’re studying Water Art? I’m so envious. I wish I could continue studying Water Art, it’s so relaxing and dignified, unlike the Swordsmanship Department, which is too tiring~”

Engulite realized by then that Sonya, although talking to her, was directing her words at Lois.

She couldn’t be bothered with their squabble and went straight into the bathroom to take a shower.

Sonya braced herself for Lois’s outburst, but Lois remained silent, as if resigned to mockery.

Sarcastic banter is all about a PVP interaction, and now that her opponent was just hunkering down in defense, Sonya found it boring and decided to pack her bags, saying, “Forget it. I’ll come back and shower in the morning. Now I have to go to the Meditation Room to prepare for my first journey into the Virtual Realm. Everyone, have a pleasant night.”

Engulite was in the shower, Lois didn’t speak, and only Adelle replied, “Goodbye, Sonya.”

As the footsteps faded away, only the sound of water remained in the dormitory.

Adelle looked at the silent Lois, thought for a moment, and went over to start a conversation: “Humph, that rustic girl Sonya is really full of herself just because she has some Talent in Swordsmanship. Lois, you don’t have to take it to heart. She’s so arrogant, she’ll run into a wall sooner or later… Hm?”

Adelle went over and saw that Lois was indeed studying, even pulling out a workbook to do exercises.

“I lost this time,” Lois said. “That rustic girl Sonya has now climbed to a height where I need to look up to her. If this continues, when we meet again years after graduation, I’ll have to bow my head to her.”

Lois’s lips twitched slightly as if she could already picture her own humble future: “I can’t accept that… I refuse to believe I can’t even surpass that rustic girl!”

Adelle didn’t disturb her and returned to her seat to continue watching her program.

Although the program was still entertaining, Adelle’s mind was not at peace.

She turned to look at Lois again and saw that she was not just a flash in the pan but was still studying intently. After a moment’s thought, she too turned off the Holographic Screen and took out her books to study.

Engulite finished her shower and came out to find both roommates studying seriously, which slightly surprised her.

However, she didn’t say anything and quietly went to the balcony to wash her clothes.

The Doorkeeper checked the Student information in the Bracelet, and Sonya entered a fully enclosed special building.

As soon as she crossed the threshold, Sonya felt as if she had passed through an invisible boundary line, her thinking speed suddenly increased, and her Vibration Sword spirit jumped out from her shoulder, seeming very excited.

“So, will you still be by my side after I enter the Virtual Realm?” Sonya asked.

“This actually counts as overtime,” the Observer walking beside her said leisurely. “It’s beyond the scope of my services.”

“So you mean you’re unwilling…”

“So, there should be overtime pay!” the Observer said, rubbing his fingers together. “If you go to a bar to find someone to chat with, you have to buy them a drink, right? If you find someone to accompany you to chat and travel in the Virtual Realm, you should at least show some appreciation, right?”

“I’m super broke!”

“Besides money, you have lots of other surplus value to offer.”

Sonya raised her eyebrows slightly and hooked a finger under her close-fitting shirt, revealing a deep ravine: “The most valuable thing I have is myself…”

“That’s what I was waiting for! You’ll be an employee working for me then,” the Observer snapped his fingers. “But since you haven’t graduated yet, you’re still on a probationary period. And since it’s a probationary period, there’s no labor contract, and as for the salary during the probationary period, the Energy Potion you drank earlier and the wooden sword you used have already covered it, so…”

“So you want me to work for you for free?”

“Tsk, you make it sound so negative. I provide various opportunities to nurture your growth, and as you grow, you do some work in return for me. Isn’t this a healthy employer-employee relationship where we both progress together?”

Sonya did not reject this unfair overbearing contract, but she did ask, “You’ve put so much effort into training me in the dreams, arranging my Training, and stimulating my Swordsmanship Talent, all to have me work for you? What exactly is my job?”

“To live.”

“To live?”

“Living is the rarest thing in this world.” The Observer seemed to be smiling. “Most people merely exist.”

“I still don’t understand,” Sonya said. “I believe every gift has its price. You’ve invested so much in training me; you must want to reap more from me. Unless you are my spiritual illusion, I can’t think of any reason for your selflessness.”

“I’m not being selfless; on the contrary, there’s no one in the world more selfish than me.” The Observer laughed. “I ask that you live according to my wishes. Could there be anything more selfish than that?”

“But…”

“Haha, I was just joking. How could I possibly be such a nice person who has your best interests at heart?” The Observer laughed. “I have a serious favor to ask of you—due to some reasons, I’ve become very weak, and I can’t explore the Virtual Realm on my own, so I need you to protect me.”

As they spoke, Sonya had already arrived in front of room 311. Using her Bracelet, she opened the door to a narrow and empty Meditation Room, which had only an orange carpet filling the floor and Lighting on the ceiling illuminating every corner.

Here is the best place for Sonya to find peace to enter the Virtual Realm: the Meditation Room of Swordflower College.

She closed the door, sat cross-legged on the carpet, and let her Vibration Sword spirit float above her palm. She poured her whole heart and mind into the spirit, searching for the Gate of Truth hidden in the Sea of Knowledge, attempting her first journey into the Virtual Realm.

Though Sonya had successfully summoned her first spirit, she could not yet be called a One Wing Sorcerer, for she had not formed her ‘Silver Wings.’

Without arcane energy, without the coalescing of a virtual shadow, she was unable to fully activate her spirit and could not truly be considered a Sorcerer.

To form the Silver Wings, one must enter the Virtual Realm, traverse the Sea of Knowledge, attract knowledge with one’s Soul, extract arcane energy from this knowledge, condense the arcane energy into virtual wings, and then leverage the Authority of Rules through these wings to become a Sorcerer!

The only way for ordinary people to enter the Virtual Realm is by finding the Gate of Truth within their own spirit. Allowing the Soul to pass through this Gate, they can reach the illusory world constructed by Rules and Knowledge—the Virtual Realm!

It is said that the Virtual Realm is dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of times larger than the real world.

Countless Sorcerers never encounter others in the Virtual Realm throughout their lives, so all Sorcerers can only rely on themselves to explore it.

The Meditation Tower is specifically used by Sorcerers to explore the Virtual Realm. Besides the peace and lack of disturbance, Swordflower College has also cast the Miracle ‘Starchild Guiding Lights,’ not only accelerating students’ thinking speeds to more easily find the Gate of Truth but also drawing down countless rays of light from the Stars Sovereign, making students’ Souls emit a fragrance that knowledge favors, to more quickly condense the Silver Wings!

Soon, Sonya found the Gate of Truth within the spirit of her Vibration Sword.

Being her first time, she couldn’t help but feel as nervous as if she was going to a hotel room, and she asked in her mind: “Observer?”

“I’m here. Don’t worry, a Bond exists between us, and sacred destiny connects you and me.”

Sonya’s heart and mind immediately quieted down. Her consciousness touched the Gate of Truth, and her vision was suddenly engulfed by darkness.

When she awoke, she found herself lying in a boat, floating on a lead-gray sea.

In front of her was a sky thick as heavy ink, surrounded by a misty fog.

She lay at the stern, and at the bow lay a familiar figure.

Sonya: “Observer?”

Ashe: “Swordswoman?”

The two exchanged glances and both sighed in relief.