Sorcerer’s Handbook

“This is the Virtual Realm…”

Ashe scooped up a handful of seawater, sniffed it, and gave it a taste. To his surprise, it was a bit sweet.

He looked down at the water’s surface, which was so blurry that he couldn’t make out his own reflection.

Checking his attire, he found himself dressed in a Black Windbreaker identical to his Portrait, which looked quite handsome.

“It’s exactly as described in the textbooks.”

Since there was no one else around, Sonya spoke up, “This must be the Sea of Knowledge, also known as the Silver Sea, the Initial Sea… Whether genius or mediocre, whether the legendary Six Wings Divine Master or a One Wing Sorcerer, their first stop upon entering the Virtual Realm is invariably this ocean.”

“The only difference is this.” Sonya tapped on the small boat and looked around to find a book symbol at the bow and a sword symbol at the stern.

“The textbooks say that Sorcerers should arrive here completely naked…”

“Naked?” Ashe glanced at Sonya’s black slip dress.

Sonya’s face lined with embarrassment as she instinctively covered her chest, “Our appearance in the Virtual Realm is a projection of our consciousness. ‘Naked’ means we can’t have any help from external objects, like bringing items from reality… I’ve heard that newcomers to the Virtual Realm are supposed to swim directly in the seawater, not have a boat.”

“I get it now!” Ashe exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

“What do you understand?”

“This boat is actually your essence; you’re just a spirit projection!”

“What?” Sonya was taken aback.

“Your consciousness is split into two parts: one is your profound Soul, transformed into this boat to aid your voyage; the other is your agile mind, manifested in your current form,” Ashe stated confidently. “The Soul is the boat, the consciousness is the person; the boat carries the person to the other shore, it must be!”

It sounded somewhat logical, but…

“How can you prove that?” Sonya challenged.

Without missing a beat, Ashe replied, “If you don’t believe it, jump into the sea and see for yourself. If I’m right, you won’t be able to leave this boat!”

Without hesitation, Sonya dove into the sea with a leap. Luckily, from her Dream Trial, even though Sonya hadn’t learned to swim, she knew enough to not sink like a stone.

Quickly, Sonya climbed back onto the boat and scoffed, “You’re wrong; I can leave the boat. It’s not the embodiment of my Soul…”

To personally disprove the Observer’s words felt like a victory to her. Sonya was initially pleased with herself, but when she turned around, she found the Observer looking at her.

Even though his features were still obscured by the dim light, Sonya could fully sense his gaze. She looked down to find her clothes soaked by the sea, clinging to her body and outlining her graceful curves.

“You—” Sonya, fuming with anger, raised her wooden sword, not caring about the disparity in their abilities, and summoned her Vibration Sword spirit, ready to strike down Ashe, who quickly retreated with hands up in surrender, “Wait, where did you get that wooden sword from?”

Huh?

Sonya glanced at the wooden sword in her hand, recalling that she hadn’t brought any weapon with her just moments before. But seeing the Observer so infuriating, she subconsciously wanted to hit him with the wooden sword…

“You see, when you wanted a wooden sword, it appeared. It’s obvious that the boat also appeared because you didn’t want to swim,” Ashe spread his hands: “I was just testing a theory, and now it’s proven that the boat is indeed a creation of your mind.”

“So, your peeping just now was part of the test too? Wrong, the wooden sword is the weapon I’m most familiar with, so I can easily manifest it, just like I can manifest clothes!”

“Don’t slander me, I didn’t peek, I was looking openly and honestly!”

This little episode helped dissipate the strangeness and fear they felt upon first arriving in the Virtual Realm.

And with each other’s company, both felt a sense of security.

But just as Sonya didn’t know the difference between this ‘Observer’ and that ‘Observer’, Ashe didn’t know the difference between this ‘Swordswoman’ and that ‘Swordswoman’.

One hour earlier.

After finishing their meal and returning to the Prison dormitory, the Swordswoman started discussing a very adult topic with Ashe.

“There are two pieces of news, the good news is, you’ve got free housing provided by the state for the rest of your life.”

“Really? That’s good news?”

“The bad news is you could be dragged off to be beheaded at any moment.”

Ashe understood: “So, I can’t escape from prison?”

The Swordswoman sat on the bed, legs crossed and arms folded, looking at Ashe sideways: “You should know that Sorcerers are the most powerful group in this world, right? As a mere mortal, you can’t hope to contend with them.”

“Even that Physical Sorcerer who could transform his body into Diamond, once his connection to the Virtual Realm was cut, he could only become a Diamond rat rolling in a Manure pit.”

“And today’s experience should make it clear to you that as long as you’re wearing the neck chip, no matter where you are, you’re still bound by endless shackles.”

At this point, Ashe’s expression also changed slightly. He had originally thought the Miracle Chip was akin to an implanted computer, but he hadn’t realized that the Chip had turned him into a computer – with his admin privileges controlled remotely by someone else.

Whether he could hit someone, what content he could see, what words he could utter, all were under the administrator’s control. Today the administrator could make him a civilized young man who speaks politely and follows rules, tomorrow the administrator could make him eat filth.

Until the Chip was removed, all his plans were like a computer virus – the administrator could wipe them out with a system reboot. If the administrator deemed Ashe beyond repair, they could even recycle him as scrap, forcing Ashe to start his life over.

“Is there a way to remove the Chip?” Ashe asked through gritted teeth: “Like, directly cutting out the back of my neck…”

“If it were that simple, this Prison wouldn’t be so lively.”

The Swordswoman sneered: “Though it’s called a Chip, during your growth, the Miracle Chip has gradually integrated deeply into your marrow. Now every bone, every nerve, every muscle in you bears the mark of the Chip. To remove it, you might as well jump into molten steel at a steel mill – that might do the trick.”

“Which means that normal means are impossible for removing the Chip,” Ashe said. “What about a Sorcerer’s methods?”

“There are many methods that a Sorcerer could employ,” the Swordswoman replied. “And the most likely one you could obtain is the Swordsmanship Miracle ‘Slay Me’.”

“‘Slay Me’ is a defensive Miracle of a Swordcerer, specifically designed to Purify Abnormal Status. Although it’s just a Silver Miracle that a One Wing Sorcerer could use, it can directly Purify most Continuous Damage caused by a Two Wings spirit.”

“The Miracle Chip is aimed at mortals and One Wing Sorcerers, and cannot be immune to the ‘Slay Me’ Miracle with the power of Two Wings. As long as you execute ‘Slay Me,’ you can instantly clear all the Miracle Chips from your body, and then you’ll have the chance to escape from prison.”

“How can I obtain the ‘Slay Me’ Miracle?” Ashe asked.

“To perform Miracles, you first need to have a spirit. And there are four ways to acquire a spirit,” the Swordswoman said, raising four fingers:

“First, resonate with the Virtual Realm through learning, allowing Virtual Realm knowledge to manifest into a spirit in reality.”

“Second, find a Wild spirit within the Virtual Realm.”

“Third, slay a Sorcerer and plunder his spirit.”

“Fourth, trade spirits.”

“First off, the first option is not viable for you,” the Swordswoman glanced at Ashe. “The Miracle Chip has already severed your link with the Virtual Realm; no matter how much knowledge you absorb, you can’t trigger a resonance with the Virtual Realm.”

Ashe glanced at the Holographic Screen displaying his body’s information and indeed saw a ‘Virtual Realm Resonance Prohibited’ notice.

“The third option, slaying a Sorcerer with a mortal’s body, isn’t unheard of. Most occurrences involve concubines plotting to kill their master while in the act of love…”

The Swordswoman looked at Ashe’s face and shook her head: “That’s not a road you can travel either.”

“Do you have to be so absolute? Isn’t there a slight chance? I could have some potential to get by on my looks, right?!”

“As for the fourth option, you don’t have the means to trade with anyone.”

“In short,” the Swordswoman said, not wanting to entertain Ashe’s banter, “your only way to acquire a spirit is to go to the Virtual Realm and find a Wild one.”

Ashe asked, “Then how do I get to the Virtual Realm?”

“The only way to the Virtual Realm,” the Swordswoman explained, “is through triggering the Gate of Truth within a spirit’s body, allowing your consciousness to directly transmigrate to the Virtual Realm.”

Ashe blinked.

“So you mean, to go to the Virtual Realm, I need a spirit?”

“Exactly.”

“And the purpose of going to the Virtual Realm is to find a spirit?”

“You’ve got it right.”

“Wait a minute…”

Ashe stepped back, holding his forehead.

“Isn’t this just like the dilemma of recent college graduates discovering that every job position requires three years of experience?! I can’t go to the Virtual Realm without a spirit, and I need to go to the Virtual Realm to find a spirit. Isn’t this a vicious cycle?”

“Who told you that you must use your own spirit to travel to the Virtual Realm?”

“Huh?”

The Swordswoman pointed at herself: “Did you forget? I already have a Vibration Sword spirit, and I’m qualified to enter the Virtual Realm. Observer, through the Handbook, we have formed a Soul Bond, and we can even share experiences. Naturally, it’s not an issue for me to take you to the Virtual Realm with me.”

Is there really such a feature? Ashe opened the Sorcerer Handbook subconsciously, wanting to take another look at his Talent, but he found out that a new function module had been added to the game at some point:

“Exploration in Virtual Realm”: Organize an Operator Team to explore the Virtual Realm.

However, when Ashe clicked on “Exploration in Virtual Realm,” selected ‘Apocalypse Observer’ and ‘Death Maniac Swordswoman’ to act together, and hit “Ready,” nothing happened in reality—because the ‘Death Maniac Swordswoman’ was still “Preparing.”

“I’ve confirmed I’m ready; hurry up and confirm yours too,” Ashe urged.

“I’ll go back to get ready, you just wait,” she replied.

Ashe was dumbfounded: “What else do you need to prepare for?”

“A lot, a lot, something a virgin like you wouldn’t understand.”

“You have no evidence to call me a—”

Watching the Swordswoman purse her lips with a mocking smile and disappear into the air, Ashe could only lie in bed and wait. Perhaps it was the regeneration treatment that had drained too much of his energy, or perhaps it was the boredom of a night without scrolling through his phone, but Ashe soon fell asleep from exhaustion.

When he woke up again, he saw the Swordswoman sitting in the same boat as him, floating on a sea shrouded in white mist.

On the small boat in the Sea of Knowledge, Ashe suddenly remembered something and silently tried to summon the Holographic Screen.

He both failed and succeeded: The failure was that, although he summoned the Holographic Screen, most of its functions were disabled—indeed, the Virtual Realm doesn’t support physical cheats; the success was that the Sorcerer Handbook was still operational.

He opened the Sorcerer Handbook to “Exploration in Virtual Realm,” and suddenly a map popped up on the screen along with a message:

“You have entered Exploration in Virtual Realm mode, please read the beginner’s tutorial…”

On the other side, Sonya noticed Ashe’s silence and focused her attention on the Virtual Realm too. She leaned over and played with the water with her hand, trying to push the boat forward.

“Wait, Swordswoman, don’t be so hasty and move around like that, let me do it.”