Sorcerer’s Handbook

The interlude with the Experience Orb made the allocation of the remaining three spirits much more relaxed and enjoyable.

Even though Sonya insisted that all three spirits should go to Ashe, after careful consideration, Ashe chose to take two of the less valuable ones, ‘Foxfire’ and ‘Lighting’, and gave the most useful ‘Moon Silk’ to Sonya.

**Foxfire**

**One Wing Spirit**

**Restriction: The Sorcerer must possess a tail.**

**Basic Effect: Flick a variable number of blue flames with the tail, which can attach to specific objects to burn for a while, causing no pain to the target, and may even induce pleasure.**

**Passive Effect: The body’s fur becomes more lush and flammable.**

**”Pain and pleasure are but illusions; when you burn away the facade, the truth within is revealed.”**

**Lighting**

**Restriction: The Sorcerer must hold a luminous medium or be near a light source.**

**Basic Effect: Emit a floating light that moves flexibly at your will.**

**Passive Effect: You become more spirited in well-lit areas.**

**”It’s not the light that dispels the darkness, but the darkness that chases the light.”**

**Moon Silk**

**One Wing Spirit**

**Restriction: The Sorcerer must hold a luminous medium or be near a light source.**

**Basic Effect: Create multiple temporary, taut, suspended moonlight silk threads.**

**Passive Effect: You become lighter under the moonlight.**

**”Listen, the moonlight weaves the veil of the night.”**

Clearly, ‘Foxfire’ and ‘Lighting’ were meant to be the fox dragon’s main methods of attack, attaching the Foxfire to the Lighting to create a continuous and flexible flame attack.

It was fortunate that they had beaten the slumbering fox dragon senseless; otherwise, just the ‘Foxfire Lantern’ would have given them a hard time, not to mention the ‘Moon Silk’—Sonya tried it out and was able to create silk threads in the air as hard as steel and suspended taut. Anyone bumping into them would be instantly sliced by the threads, a perfect Bumping Scam trap.

Ashe had wanted ‘Moon Silk’ too, but it was useless for him in the Prison as he couldn’t use spirits there. Having a good spirit with him would be meaningless, so he chose ‘Foxfire’ and ‘Lighting’ to Recharge with—neither of them had a tail, which was a prerequisite for using the ‘Foxfire Lantern’.

The stronger ‘Moon Silk’ was given to the Swordswoman as research homework; after all, her learning experiences would be shared with Ashe, and he couldn’t leave her without a single workbook in her hands.

At that moment, Ashe suddenly realized a problem: “Can we exchange spirits in the Virtual Realm?”

Sonya immediately knew what he was up to: “You want me to help you find the Slay Me Miracle spirit and then exchange it in the Virtual Realm?”

“Yes, after all, you—”

“It won’t work.”

“Huh?”

“Never unlink your connection with a spirit in the Virtual Realm, it would cause serious trouble.”

Ashe gulped.

“What kind of trouble?”

“The spirit would run away instantly.”

“…Can’t we catch it back?”

Sonya shook her head, “No Sorcerer can catch it back—perhaps you haven’t realized, we Sorcerers are foreign travelers in this Virtual Realm, where the spirits are the real masters.”

“Even though spirits are not exactly living creatures, and it’s questionable whether they can think, they undoubtedly have certain instincts—such as the desire for freedom.”

Ashe nodded as he remembered the spirits they encountered on Adventure Island quickly fleeing, but he was still somewhat puzzled.

“Spirits escape slowly, right? Why can’t they be caught?”

“Because those are spirits that haven’t been caught before. Do you think a mouse that has been caught once is more vigilant than one that hasn’t? Learning is also an instinct of a spirit.”

“But even if a spirit is highly vigilant, it can’t run fast.”

Sonya nodded and then shook her head, “In reality, what you’re saying is correct. In reality, when you unlink from a spirit, although it will try to escape, it has little influence on reality and can be easily caught.”

“But the Virtual Realm is the home of the spirits; this is where Miracles originate.”

“As long as the spirit wishes, the entire Virtual Realm will assist it.”

“Although I don’t know what price the spirit pays, countless records state that if you unlink from a spirit in the Virtual Realm, it will disappear instantly, and to date, no Sorcerer has been able to catch one back.”

Another avenue closed off, Ashe sighed, ready to leave, but Sonya stopped him, “Don’t be in a hurry to go; there’s still something to be divided here.”

Sonya walked towards the small tree where the fox dragon had been perched and picked two unripe little fruits. Ashe took one, unable to discern its variety.

“Virtual fruit, soul fruit, mysterious fruit—this thing has many names and comes in different shapes, but the effect is the same—eating it replenishes depleted Soul Energy, extending your exploration time in the Virtual Realm.”

“And just so you know, it tastes awful.”

Ashe gagged while looking at the Swordswoman, taking several seconds to overcome the nausea. It was as bad as eating dirt, “Could you maybe lead with that next time?”

“I think it’s quite alright; I certainly don’t want to eat a second one,” Sonya said, her face contorted in disgust.

Perhaps the Experience Orb had exhausted their luck, as Ashe didn’t find any ‘Worth a visit’ or ‘Welcome’ areas afterward; it was either ‘Seeking death’ or a ‘waste of effort’, and there were even ‘run quickly’ warnings.

After leaving the Virtual Realm and returning to the Prison, Ashe took the ‘Foxfire’ and ‘Lighting’ to Recharge. Both spirits were worth 10 Points each, and together with the ‘Rapid Fire’ spirit he sold before, Ashe now had 30 Points.

That was just enough for a ‘set of source crystals’ in the game, valued at 30 Points.

Even though Ashe could continue to save up for something bigger, after hearing from Valcas about Professor Sylin’s manhunt, Ashe felt an increasing sense of pressure—Prison was not his shield, danger was everywhere!

If you don’t spend when you need to, you might not get the chance later!

Spending all 30 Points to buy a ‘set of source crystals’, he acquired 6 Source Crystals, but due to a first-time purchase bonus, Ashe actually received 12 Source Crystals.

Over the past few days, Ashe has accumulated 15 Source Crystals through daily Check-ins, which means he can now indulge in Card Draw five times!

After three days, Ashe prepares for another round of Card Draw. He washes his hands, clasps them together, and prays to any deity whose name he can muster, not even sparing the miracles of this world: “Oh Virtual Realm, I use your spirits to Recharge and draw cards, which is, in essence, drawing on your behalf. What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine will eventually be yours. By granting me fortune, you favor yourself. I won’t say much more; you know what I mean…”

Card Draw!

Without enough for a ten-pull, Ashe goes for consecutive single draws, believing that faith itself is the magic of miracles!

White light, “Energy Potion”!

White light, “Primary Combat Card”!

Excellent, the Swordswoman won’t have any Rest next week either.

Purple light, “Virtual Realm Telescope”!

Orange light, “Death Maniac Swordswoman’s Silver Coin”!

Purple light, “Awakening Battle Record”!

Could the charm of single draws be the appearance of three new items in a row?

“Virtual Realm Telescope”: When used during Exploration in the Virtual Realm, it increases your observation distance by +1.

The shorter the description, the stronger the effect, or so Ashe quickly realizes. His current observation distance in the Virtual Realm is only 1, meaning he can only see the surrounding 8 squares. With this telescope, his observation area expands from 3×3 to 5×5, increasing the number of visible squares from 8 to 24!

A significant reason Ashe has struggled to find a suitable exploration area is his ‘myopic’ view in the Virtual Realm, where he could only take the safest routes before him. With this item, their efficiency in exploring the Virtual Realm will increase by at least 50%.

“Death Maniac Swordswoman’s Silver Coin”: One of three Silver Coins long treasured by the Death Maniac Swordswoman, lost over many years. If someone brings this Silver Coin to the Death Maniac Swordswoman, they will receive a reward—or death. The coin also expands the Bond functionality.

Though the description is vague, Ashe instantly spots the scheme: It’s just like the full potential mechanism in mobile game card draws. When you draw the same character, you can unlock more postures for the character, tempting players to Recharge more.

Using the “Death Maniac Swordswoman’s Silver Coin,” the information for ‘Death Maniac Swordswoman’ changes.

“Death Maniac Swordswoman”

“Human Race   Female   18 years old”

“Bond Level: 1 (35% Experience Sharing)”

“Bond Resonance – Greediness: When acting together, there’s a chance of obtaining better loot.”

“Occupation: One Wing Swordcerer”

“Occupational Traits: Reduces energy consumption by 10% when using Swordsmanship spirits”

“Items: Training Wooden Sword”

“Controlling Spirits: Vibration Sword, Moon Silk, Rapids”

“Swordsmanship Faction: Silver Rank”

“Radiance Faction: Silver Rank”

“Water Art Faction: Not Initiated”

“Exploration in Virtual Realm: 0.002%”

Aside from the increase of Experience Sharing from 30% to 35%, the most significant change is the addition of “Bond Resonance – Greediness.”

It’s clear this is a negative trait of the Swordswoman and not related to Ashe, but the effect is promising. From now on, the Swordswoman will take the last hit in battles.

As Ashe looks at the last item he drew, the “Awakening Battle Record,” he knows it’s not a common item. It was accompanied by a purple light, indicating it’s as valuable as the “Virtual Realm Telescope.”

The “Awakening Battle Record”: Schedules a high-difficulty battle for an Operator, allowing them to enter an Awakening State. In the Awakening State, Operators receive 250% battle experience and are more likely to perform miracles, summon spirits, and achieve breakthroughs (Risk Level: Medium).

“I barely have any personal time these days…”

“I’m so tired…”

“Can we reduce the training to just one hour…”

The Swordswoman’s complaints seem to echo in his ears, and Ashe’s face shows his struggle. It’s at this moment that the Prison’s morning song starts on schedule:

“If hurt enough, use both hands, joyfully sever yesterday’s curse. Await the daylight as night falls, leaving only scars behind…”

The song seems to solidify Ashe’s resolve, and he resolutely uses the “Awakening Battle Record”!

He selects the Death Maniac Swordswoman as the target.

“Swordswoman, I’m doing this for your own good!”