Sorcerer’s Handbook

Swordflower College, Meditation Room.

As her consciousness returned to her body, Sonya couldn’t help but collapse to the ground, utterly exhausted. She barely managed to prop herself up against the wall, sitting and gasping for air. The fatigue of the Soul seeped into her physical form, and soon, sweat cascaded down her face like a river, dripping onto her collarbone and sliding into the depths of her dress like pearls.

She was utterly spent.

Outside, dawn had not yet broken. This was the first time she had left the Virtual Realm so early, and Sonya still chastised herself for not withdrawing faster.

Just moments ago, no fewer than eight Knowledge Creatures had pursued her and the Observer for over an hour in the Sea of Knowledge. No matter how far or fast they fled, the Knowledge Creatures relentlessly chased them, not hesitating even when the Observer deliberately ventured into the territories of other creatures. The pursuit only intensified, growing from eight to nine.

Logically, there was no need for such fear; after all, they were merely Silver Sorcerers. At worst, they would concede their First Blood in the Virtual Realm; sorcerers were destined to die there eventually, the difference was only in the number of times it happened.

If they could persist until the condensation of the Silver Wings before dying, they would be among the most exceptional sorcerers through the ages. If there were a ranking for “The Sorcerers Who Experienced Their First Death the Latest,” Sonya didn’t expect to be in the top ten but felt confident she’d be within the top hundred.

But the moment Sonya realized they were surrounded by Knowledge Creatures, a piece of secret knowledge suddenly surfaced. During their flight, the Observer shared with her the ‘poison’ that this secret knowledge brought.

“Eviction Secret Poison.”

“Details of the Eviction Secret Poison: When a Sorcerer lingers too long in one place within the Virtual Realm, their scent is detected by the surrounding Knowledge Creatures, provoking hostility and seen as a challenge to the natives. The Virtual Realm is the home of the Knowledge Creatures; they do not allow Invaders to settle and vow to chase and kill those with ‘settling tendencies,’ devouring the Invader’s Soul completely.”

“Number of Secret Poison Infected: 31”

“Intensification Degree of Secret Poison: 31%”

“Current Effects of Secret Poison: Easier detection of surrounding Knowledge Creatures (reaching a 51% intensification level becomes a negative effect, while dropping to 10% results in a significant benefit).”

Sonya then understood why Professors at the school would say that ‘staying in one place in the Virtual Realm for too long’ is taboo, but no one could articulate why, even though Sorcerers are usually the most inquisitive people—because it is a secret poison.

Unlike the Whirlpool Secret Poison, which inherently holds a high utility value—making those in the know potentially willing to share the secret with close friends and family despite the risk of poisoning—the Eviction Secret Poison is relatively meaningless. Now that Sonya knows the truth about the Eviction Secret Poison, she will forever remember ‘never to linger in the same place for too long’—although the school had already taught them this lesson!

As such, those aware of the Eviction Secret Poison would not actively spread it, which naturally results in a very low number of infected individuals. Most of them probably lingered too long by accident and were unfortunately infected.

Moreover, based on the harrowing experience of Sonya and the Observer the previous night, most people who knew about the secret poison were likely devoured by Knowledge Creatures immediately.

It is worth noting that Sonya and the Observer were only able to narrowly escape their pursuers by riding a Boat through the waves, and even then, it was only their combined efforts that allowed them to break free and leave the Virtual Realm in the nick of time.

Sonya couldn’t even begin to imagine the despair of a lone Sorcerer, limited to swimming for movement, upon realizing they were surrounded by several Knowledge Creatures.

The most terrifying aspect is the ‘quantitative change’ in Knowledge Creatures that can lead to a ‘qualitative change’—the death of a Sorcerer.

It has been said before that death in the Virtual Realm carries severe consequences for Sorcerers. This is because, during the return of consciousness, the Sorcerer’s Soul lingers in the Virtual Realm, leaving it vulnerable to being feasted upon by Knowledge Creatures, resulting in soul damage.

However, after being bitten by a Knowledge Creature, a Sorcerer’s Soul becomes lighter and returns faster, so the damage is not overly severe.

This is why Sonya and the Observer were frantically fleeing—not from one Knowledge Creature but from nine in pursuit!

If each creature took its turn, it would be enough to completely devour the souls of both of them, possibly leaving nothing to share!

This is the real reason ‘lingering too long in the Virtual Realm can lead to death’: a Sorcerer is consumed piecemeal by Knowledge Creatures, with no chance for the Soul to return to the body. The body, waiting too long, might assume the Soul has abandoned it and simply perish on the spot.

Due to this emergency, they couldn’t explore tonight. After shaking off their pursuers at a distance, they immediately exited the Virtual Realm. Essentially, aside from a slight increase in their standing within the Faction Realm, the night was unproductive, with a net loss—even negative. Sonya already found the Whirlpool Secret Poison bothersome, and now with the addition of the Eviction Secret Poison, she felt her mind growing increasingly impure.

Although the number of infected individuals is low and the current effect of the Eviction Secret Poison is beneficial, if the poison were to spread, it would inevitably become negative.

Nevertheless, survival is a victory in itself. Moments ago, Sonya almost thought she and the Observer would meet their end in the Virtual Realm.

Sonya took a deep breath and left the Meditation Tower.

As night fell, the stars twinkled brightly, rivaling the light of day. The largest among them was the Waning Gibbous Moon, its deep blue glow illuminating the paths within the school like a round celestial body missing a slice.

According to the Moon Phase Chart, the Weather Sorcerers would change the Moon Star to the Last Quarter Moon by tomorrow… Sonya suddenly became curious about what the Blood Moon was like for the Observer. Was it also managed and replaced by the Meteorological Bureau like the Moon Star in the Stars Kingdom?

Suddenly, a multicolored halo burst across the night sky, startling Sonya. On closer inspection, she realized it was activity emanating from the White Tower.

Designated as a Warning Zone and gathering sorcerers from across Gales, Sonya faintly understood the importance of the ‘Virtual Realm Turbulence’ that occasionally expelled individuals from the Great Tower. However, her status was too low to access such high-level intelligence, so she could only gaze from afar, wondering if a group of Professors was throwing a Carnival party inside.

Returning to her dormitory, Sonya moved quietly, careful not to wake her roommate. With no hot water available late at night, she took a cold shower, then stood on the balcony to air-dry her hair in the breeze.

She tapped her Miracle Bracelet, bringing up a Holographic Screen, eager to catch the latest drama starring Delarose.

There was also a full-length mirror on the balcony. Catching a glimpse of her reflection, Sonya suddenly adjusted her stance, combed her hair, and studied her appearance from various angles.

“What are you doing in the middle of the night?”

Adelle, who had been hidden under her blankets watching a show, poked her head out and asked Sonya curiously.

Sonya looked at Adelle and thought for a moment before asking, “Do I count as a pure and cute girl with a nice figure?”

Adelle blinked, “You do, but you’re still a bit behind me.”

She gestured a small distance with her fingers to indicate that the gap wasn’t very large.

Shattered Lake Prison.

Ashe rolled off the bed with a sudden flip, the cold floor seeming to touch the panic-stricken Soul, somewhat easing the tumultuous emotions after fleeing.

Standing up from the ground, he realized he was soaked through and headed for the bathroom to take a hot shower. Although regular dormitories lacked bathtubs, hot water was supplied around the clock—failure to provide hot water could be seen as abuse by Human rights organizations.

Leaning against the pristine tiles, letting the water splash over his body, Ashe activated the Holographic Screen to sort through tonight’s gains.

Yes, there were gains tonight. While others might see the Eviction Secret Poison as purely a burden, within “Aurora’s Sorcerer Handbook,” the Eviction Secret Poison had triggered a new variation.

“You’ve been infected with ‘Eviction Secret Poison.’”

“‘Eviction Secret Poison’ has enhanced the apocalypse observer’s ability to sense Knowledge Creatures in the Virtual Realm, and the Map of the Virtual Realm has undergone changes.”

“Note: The Virtual Realm Map has been updated, and now you can discover Knowledge Creatures within your observational range on the Map and obtain brief information.”

While in the Virtual Realm earlier, Ashe opened the Map and noticed slight changes in the surrounding 24 cells. Most were still labeled as a waste of effort or inconsequential, but a few cells revealed more information:

“Mist Fish-Dragon, Worth a visit”

“Burstfish Dragon, A bit troublesome”

“Umbrella Bird-Dragon, A bit troublesome”

Although it was just the appearance of the names of Knowledge Creatures, it was a significant Breakthrough for Virtual Realm Exploration!

Before this, Ashe could only roughly determine whether an Area was Inheritance Island or a habitat of Knowledge Creatures based on the map’s prompts. Generally, “Worth a visit” indicated Inheritance Island, and “A bit troublesome” usually meant Knowledge Creatures. While not always accurate, it was still better than wandering aimlessly.

Now that the Areas inhabited by Knowledge Creatures are marked, other unmarked Areas where Battles occur are naturally Inheritance Islands!

Furthermore, even though Ashe has not studied Knowledge Creatures, the Swordswoman has read the “Compendium of Knowledge Creatures.” She can judge the corresponding monster’s preferred Magical Factions, approximate combat power, and even specific weaknesses just by their names, picking on those Knowledge Creatures that they can counter!

They could even hunt for Knowledge Creatures that drop Swordsmanship Orbs, such as the ‘Slaying Fish-Dragon’ and ‘Umbrella Bird-Dragon,’ to feed the Swordswoman’s Realm in swordsmanship up to the Gold Tier, aiding her Promotion to Golden Two Wings!

As soon as the Swordswoman reaches the Time Continent, Ashe can repeat his old tricks, smuggling his way to the Time Continent by exploiting this shortcut.

Just as he became a Silver Sorcerer in the Sea of Knowledge, Ashe can also advance to a Golden Sorcerer on the Time Continent, even if none of his Magical Factions have reached Gold Tier, and even without a single day of personal training—clinging to the coattails of the Swordswoman for an ascension. If others heard this, it might just cause Sorcerers everywhere to explode with envy.

With Ashe’s exploration skills and the Swordswoman’s knowledge, as long as they don’t deliberately trigger a Taboo like they did just now, their subsequent exploration of the Sea of Knowledge should be smooth sailing, with no more danger!

But all of this is predicated on Ashe staying alive, escaping this Prison, and gaining freedom.

Turning off the overhead shower, he wrapped himself in a bath towel and walked over to the sink. Ashe looked at his drenched reflection in the mirror, water dripping from his hair down to his gaunt shoulders, sliding along his collarbone.

“Damn, starting to like this world a bit.”

His cheeks tilted upward, and his lips curled into a slight smile: “Today is also a day brimming with hope.”

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