The Sorcerer's Handbook

”But you still haven’t solved your most pressing problem.”

Sonya propped her chin on her hand. ”Judging by what you said, a lot of people are going to die in the Blood Moon Tribunal on the 27th. And what if your name ends up on that list? I can’t shake the feeling it’s some kind of omen. The more perfect your plan, the harder it will be for you to survive until the day it’s carried out.”

Of course, she wasn’t actually stretching her long legs toward him. Lying in this little boat wasn’t exactly comfortable. It wasn’t a bed, after all. She was in a playful mood and was merely teasing the Watcher to test the limits of his patience.

Naturally, the results were exactly what she wanted. The day she could finally defy the Watcher and make him her own mount was fast approaching.

Ashe, oblivious to her mischievous intentions, kept his eyes on the Virtual World map displayed on the light screen. ”Then I’ll just go ahead with the plan and start a prison riot right away.”

”But there’s no boat—”

”Even without a boat, there are other ways to get through the Finger Shark swarms in Shattered Lake. It’ll cost a bit of blood, sure, but the real problem without a boat is getting to shore safely. The banks will be crawling with hunter squads tracking escaped death row inmates. Escape might be nearly impossible, but it’s still better than being sitting ducks in the Blood Moon Tribunal.”

Sonya nodded. That was indeed the best option in a worst-case scenario. Still, she quietly revised her impression of the Watcher. After last night’s playful act, she had thought him cautious and hesitant. To her surprise, however, when decisiveness and ruthlessness were required, he didn’t falter at all.

Sonya could talk big in front of the Watcher, but if she were locked in Shattered Lake Prison, facing an isolated, heavily controlled island under chip surveillance, she wasn’t sure she could summon the resolve to escape, let alone plan a riot.

Escaping wasn’t just about getting out. It meant defying state authorities and challenging the ruling class. Even if one succeeded, endless manhunts and constant danger awaited. Every moment awake would be filled with threats, and no corner of the city offered true safety. Compared to that suffocating pressure, death might even seem easier.

Yet while the Watcher sometimes showed a softer side, he never wavered when it came to escaping. Having been captured by its hunters, he knew the strength of the Blood Moon Kingdom, the tight social control, as well as the dangers that awaited anyone attempting escape. Still, not a hint of fear colored his words.

Sonya could only attribute it to his confidence as a strong survivor, or maybe he simply did not know what fear meant.

”Up ahead is a Fish-Slaying Dragon,” Ashe said. ”It’s probably still in its Rookie stage. Should we take it on?”

”Take it! I’ve got a perfect opening move! I might even be able to knock it out in one strike.”

As the small boat cut through the white mist, Sonya sensed her surroundings. She heard scales scraping against the sand, bubbles rising from the fish dragon, and even caught the faint scent of the waves. While she couldn’t detect Knowledge Creatures at long range like the Watcher, the Exile Secret Poison had allowed her to gather biological data through the fog, giving her enough time to ready herself for battle.

Just as she lightly gripped the sword hilt with her right hand, the boat suddenly veered sharply, causing Sonya to lose the momentum she had been building.

She complained, ”Eh? What are you doing?”

Excitement laced Ashe’s voice. ”I spotted something strange behind the Fish-Slaying Dragon. It might be a Serendipity Island.”

On the Virtual World map, a dazzling silver light shimmered just behind the dragon, flashing a prompt.

[Come!]

Sonya straightened. ”Finally, another Serendipity Island! This time, I’ll claim every single spirit. Not a single one will escape!”

But as they drew closer, both Ashe and Sonya sensed something was off. The fog thickened, turning the surroundings milky-white and dense, reducing visibility until they could barely see each other.

Streams of knowledge flooded their minds. Ashe could handle it, but for Sonya, ideas sparked rapidly. She experienced repeated breakthroughs in her sword techniques and soon had solved all her current obstacles. She was ready to return to reality to test her conclusions.

Absorbing the white mist while navigating the Virtual World boosted their experience in sorcery classes. While Ashe and Sonya had already unfurled their Silver Wings and could not absorb additional mana, they could still advance any sorcery classes not yet at Gold Rank through the mist.

On normal occasions, the experience gained from the fog was subtle and only showed its effects during combat or research. This dense, potent fog, however, could push a sorcerer through multiple breakthroughs, making it nearly as valuable as an Experience Orb.

Thud.

The moment the boat stopped, the thick fog suddenly cleared, revealing a hidden island within.

The next moment, Ashe and Sonya’s faces drained of color.

If there had been Knowledge Creatures, sorcerer projections, or even other sorcerers on the island, they wouldn’t have been this shocked.

But what lay before them were two chairs. Yes, two.

They exchanged a glance, and Ashe instinctively lowered his voice. ”Do you know what this place is?”

”No idea,” Sonya admitted, unease creeping into her tone. ”Maybe we should leave?”

Their reaction was only natural. One chair might have seemed harmless, but two? That meant the island somehow knew two people were coming.

In the Virtual World, sorcerers almost always traveled alone. Two chairs were... impossible.

It was like wandering through a strange city and suddenly finding a hundred-dollar bill with the words ”Hello Ashe, spend me wisely.”

That subtle shiver, the feeling of being watched by an unseen presence, was disquieting, unnerving, and terrifying. It could unsettle anyone.

Ashe glanced again at the Virtual World map. The prompt still flashed ”Come!”

He steeled himself and decided to step onto the island. ”Don’t be afraid. Worst-case scenario, we just hand over our first death to the Virtual World. We’ve already fully unfurled our Silver Wing. Even if we die, we wouldn’t suffer any real loss.”

Sonya hesitated. ”But what if it’s another Exile Secret Poison situation? Death could be inevitable.”

”Trust me,” Ashe said firmly.

Seeing her still fidgeting, he took her hand and pulled her onto the island. Fear gripped him, too. He just needed someone at his side.

The chairs were ordinary. The two exchanged one more glance, drew a deep breath, and sat down.

Nothing happened. No tentacles shot out, and no traps ensnared them.

After a moment, they felt something and looked down to find a piece of paper resting on their laps.

They picked it up, and the rules of the game instantly came to mind. They had to answer the questions on the sheet. One wrong answer would end the questioning immediately, while a correct answer allowed them to continue. Answer at least one correctly, and they earned the right to ask a question in return.

When Sonya looked down again, a line of text appeared.

[Multiple Choice Question: What is the fundamental reason for the fallout between the Swordswoman and the Watcher?]

① The Swordswoman hates the Watcher’s cold indifference

② The Watcher believes the Swordswoman cannot be controlled

③ Unequal division of spoils

④ All of the above