Sorcerer’s Handbook

Human effort is finite, but truth is infinite.

In a world where knowledge can summon spirits and spirits can give birth to miracles, the pursuit of knowledge by Sorcerers is almost an instinct etched deep within the soul. Yet, as Sorcerers tirelessly chase knowledge, they encounter a formidable barrier—the efficiency of learning.

Regardless of their race or realm, Sorcerers all learn the same way: through memorization, understanding, and mastery. Sorcerers of different races have their own advantages; the Skydancers, with their naturally sharp vision, excel at memorization; the Elven Race, with their powerful souls, excel at understanding; and the intuitive Orcs excel at mastery. Although these advantages are not equal, all races have the potential to become Sorcerers.

However, once a Sorcerer steps into the Virtual Realm, they realize just how laughable their racial advantages are in the face of its immeasurable Sea of Knowledge.

No matter how gifted they are, their efficiency in acquiring knowledge is akin to draining the Sea of Knowledge with a straw—the only difference being the thickness of the straw.

Sorcerers have devised many methods to increase this efficiency, such as inventing miracles like Eidetic Memory, Thought Acceleration, and Telepathy, or by extending their lifespans to compensate for the inefficiency in learning with time.

The ever-increasing pursuit of knowledge and the lagging learning efficiency form an existential contradiction that Sorcerers can never fully resolve.

But the Virtual Realm has long prepared a solution for Sorcerers.

“This is an Experience Orb from the Radiance Faction.”

Sonya gently held the bright and translucent orb, her voice light, as if afraid that speaking too loudly would harm it: “By absorbing it, even someone completely ignorant of the Radiance Faction can instantly possess Silver Rank Radiance knowledge and become a Sorcerer specialized in Radiance.”

“After returning to reality, with just a bit more research and organization of the knowledge, one could even summon a Radiance Spirit with their own strength. Because what the orb provides is not merely ‘illusory’ knowledge, but ‘actual’ experience—the experience that the fox dragon possesses.”

“If spirits are priceless, then Experience Orbs are truly beyond any price.”

There was an endless fascination in Sonya’s eyes, “Even the poorest Sorcerer would not sell an Experience Orb, and even the most generous Sorcerer would covet it. Although it’s possible to bring Experience Orbs out of the Virtual Realm, almost no Sorcerer does so—because the instant they obtain an Experience Orb, they’ve already absorbed it.”

Nearly every legendary Sorcerer has absorbed a multitude of Experience Orbs. It is the existence of these orbs that makes it possible for Sorcerers to master knowledge from various factions simultaneously, thereby renewing faction knowledge, creating new miracles, summoning new spirits, and even founding new factions.

The contribution of Experience Orbs to the development of Sorcerer civilization to its present state is immeasurable.

Ashe could understand the wonder of the Experience Orb, but he could not grasp Sonya’s excitement.

“The orb you’re talking about seems very precious, but didn’t we just get one quite easily?”

Sonya took a deep breath and silently repeated three times, “The Observer is a foolish Small Horn,” before calmly explaining, “Indeed, obtaining an Experience Orb theoretically isn’t difficult; defeating any Knowledge Creature might result in one dropping.”

“However, let’s not mention that Knowledge Creatures often have the power to defeat Sorcerers of the same level. Let’s assume you find a Knowledge Creature you can defeat, but what often happens is—just as you’re about to defeat the Knowledge Creature, it runs away.”

“They run away?”

“Since they’re creatures, they naturally have the instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm. How could they not flee?” Sonya retorted. “Would a Knowledge Creature capable of birthing a spirit be so foolish as to not understand basic common sense?”

Ashe always felt like the Swordswoman was scolding him, but he had no evidence. “Then isn’t that a huge loss for the Sorcerer?”

“Not necessarily. Knowledge Creatures also understand the concept of self-preservation. When they try to escape, they will intentionally throw out a spirit to distract the Sorcerer. As long as you can defeat the Knowledge Creature, you’re guaranteed at least one spirit.”

“Well, at least it’s not a loss if you win.”

“Sometimes winning can be more painful—if the Sorcerer kills the Knowledge Creature, they might also destroy the Experience Orb.”

“Ah?”

“Experience Orbs aren’t created upon the death of a Knowledge Creature, but rather they exist within the creature.” Sonya explained, “Due to the Knowledge Creature’s characteristic of dissipating upon death, nobody knows where within the creature the Experience Orb will form, and the location might differ for each Knowledge Creature.”

“If the Sorcerer isn’t careful when attacking, it’s very possible they’ll destroy the Experience Orb as well.”

“Every Sorcerer will experience the situation where they kill a Knowledge Creature and no Orb drops. They can’t know if the creature didn’t have an Orb or if they accidentally destroyed it.”

“Do you understand now how fortunate we are to have obtained this Orb?”

Sonya looked towards where the fox dragon had disappeared, “If the fox dragon hadn’t been asleep, if we hadn’t focused our attacks on its head, if the Experience Orb just happened to be in the fox dragon’s head, if the fox dragon had the strength to struggle with us… Without any one of these ifs, this Orb would almost certainly not have ended up in our hands.”

With that, Sonya couldn’t help but look at the Observer with an astonished gaze—the Observer’s recent halt was undoubtedly to wait for the fox dragon to fall asleep. This unheard-of, underhanded tactic was really… fantastic!

“Indeed.”

Ashe nodded, his eyes fixed on the Experience Orb.

Sonya gripped the Orb, her body slightly trembling. But soon, she exhaled and handed the Orb to Ashe: “Here.”

“You’re willing to give it to me?”

“Aren’t you in a dangerous situation and in urgent need of something to increase your strength?”

Sonya pretended to be nonchalant, “I’m not in a hurry. You can have this Orb. Just don’t compete with me for a Swordsmanship Orb next time.”

“Deal!”

Ashe reached out to take the Orb, but couldn’t move it.

“Let go!”

“I am letting go, I am! But my fingers won’t listen to me!”

Ashe had no choice but to pry Sonya’s fingers off one by one, and amidst her reluctant gaze, he finally got hold of the Orb.

As a warm flow entered his palm, a Holographic Screen popped up with a message:

“Radiance Orb”

“Essence of Truth left by the fox dragon, containing secret knowledge that a common Sorcerer cannot obtain through normal means. Upon absorption, one can gain a large amount of Radiance experience.”

“‘The moonlight is a frolicking fox; the fox is moonlight in motion.’”

The moment Ashe touched the Orb, he also felt a stirring in his soul, an indescribable hunger spreading from his heart to his entire body. It was his first time experiencing such an intense desire for knowledge—it was affecting his reason.

It was an indescribable experience, more intense than the urge for knowledge when a novel stops abruptly at a crucial point, more urgent than the anxiety of finding an exam’s answer sheet half missing, more exciting than the thrill of an important image loading only to freeze. It felt as if every crease and pore of his body urged Ashe to absorb this Orb.

Prison, danger, survival—all these were cast thousands of miles away at this moment; knowledge became Ashe’s only desire.

Just as Ashe could not resist absorbing the Orb, his reason flickered with a flash of wisdom—

Wait, I smell the scent of surplus value.

Ashe took a closer look at the introduction of the Radiance Orb, which undoubtedly stated, “Upon absorption, one can gain a large amount of Radiance experience.” That means…

“Swordswoman, you absorb it.”

Watching the Orb being tossed to her, the usually nimble Sonya caught the Radiance Orb in a fluster, a mix of anger and shock directed at Ashe.

“Could it be that your Radiance Faction level has already reached Silver Rank or above?”

“No, I don’t understand the Radiance Faction at all.”

“I see, does the Radiance Faction conflict with the Faction knowledge you’ve already mastered? Like the Abyssal Faction perhaps…”

“Not at all, I don’t know anything, as you well know.”

“Then why won’t you absorb this Orb?”

“Because there’s a Bond between us,” Ashe said matter-of-factly: “You getting stronger is me getting stronger.”

Sonya had heard the Observer talk about ‘a Bond between us’ before, but she always thought it was just a more polite way of saying ‘I can control you’—until this very moment, she couldn’t help but marvel: Is this what a Bond is?

As for the Observer’s words, ‘You getting stronger is me getting stronger,’ Sonya took it as mere courtesy, similar to ‘If you’re well, I’m well, and that’s the best for us all.’

Sonya didn’t hesitate, directly crushing the Experience Orb. Her body trembled slightly, her cheeks flushed with a touch of red, and she let out a long, melodious sigh.

Although the scene was very enticing, Ashe had no time to appreciate it, as he was in a similar state to Sonya.

This feeling, rather than ‘absorbing knowledge,’ was more like ‘memories flooding to the surface.’

Just as one might suddenly recall a teacher’s instruction when facing a tough math problem, Ashe naturally mastered a wealth of related knowledge. He went from a newbie who didn’t even know about the Radiance Faction to becoming a Specialized Sorcerer within it.

It really worked!

From the Experience Orb absorbed by the Swordswoman, 30% of the Radiance Faction experience could be shared with Ashe!

This is why Ashe had the Swordswoman absorb the Orb: while he would gain 100% benefit from absorbing it himself, letting the Swordswoman absorb it meant a 130% benefit!

Moreover, as long as the Swordswoman continued to advance in the Radiance Faction, Ashe would reap an endless stream of long-term benefits. Isn’t the surplus value created in this way much stronger than if he had monopolized the Experience Orb?

That’s why Ashe wasn’t blinded by the temptation of the Experience Orb: it’s merely a tool, like a hoe, and no matter how cool the hoe is, it needs to be in the hands of someone who knows how to cultivate the field to be truly effective. For someone with little Talent like Ashe, it was enough to wait and reap the benefits.

Sonya gradually recovered from being filled with knowledge, looked at Ashe with gratitude on her face: “Thank you!”

“You better not let me down, make sure to diligently study the knowledge of the Radiance Faction, and don’t neglect your Swordsmanship Training either!”

“Understood!”