The Sorcerer's Handbook

Sonya’s lips moved slightly, but in the end, she smiled and shrugged. ”I just thought the titles of these two books looked interesting, so I picked them up to skim through. There’s nothing special about them. If they turn out to be useless, I’ll just put them back later.”

Sylvia nodded, looking thoughtful. ”You don’t really need to explain yourself to me in that much detail.”

Sensing Sonya’s unease, Sylvia quickly shifted the topic. ”Still, I was surprised to see you at the Sylvan Library. I thought you would have joined the Extermination Operation.”

”The Extermination Operation?”

”Yes. Didn’t Professor Trosan mention it to you? Ah... it might be related to how fast you’ve been improving. The professor probably decided it was better for you to miss this opportunity than to risk putting you in danger.”

”What exactly is the Extermination Operation?” Sonya asked. The term was completely unfamiliar to a rural girl like her.

Sylvia thought for a moment before answering, ”I don’t know the details either. It’s a private mission organized by the university for exceptionally gifted students. Anyone without sufficient ability doesn’t even receive an invitation. And once someone signs the contract, they’re forbidden from disclosing any information about it.”

She continued, ”I only know because Lorian signed up. I also heard that Leona is participating, so I assumed you wouldn’t miss it.”

After a brief pause, she added, ”Apparently, it’s a large-scale event involving young sorcerers from all over Cailleach. Even talents from Truth University are taking part.”

Not just Senior Leona, but even top-tier sorcerers from Truth University?

Sonya felt a sharp pang of regret, as though she had missed a rare opportunity. Still, she understood the reasoning behind it.

The operation this time involved danger and real combat. Sonya might have fully unfurled her Silver Wing, but she was still just a rookie who had entered the Virtual World less than a month ago. For her safety and to avoid her from becoming a liability, Professor Trosan could never allow her to join such a mission this early.

She thought, I need to prove my strength as soon as possible. Otherwise, I’ll keep missing opportunities like this.

***

Halfway up a low hill on the outskirts of Caimon City.

It was ten in the morning. Two adventurers were monitoring the Virtual Channel hanging in the sky. They pressed the backs of their necks and reported, ”Everything’s normal. The next shift is taking over.”

Moments later, two figures emerged from the camp tents at the hilltop and took their places.

The younger adventurer had barely settled in before he began to complain. ”Old man, how much longer do we have to stay here? It’s hot, there’s no air conditioning, and the mosquitoes are insane. Even heavy-duty repellent barely works.”

The cloaked man beside him replied in a flat, emotionless voice. ”Another twelve hours. If there’s no return within seventy-two hours, we assume the rabbit is dead.”

Looking more closely, one could see that his arm, his thigh, and even one eye were mechanical.

The young adventurer muttered, ”If this mission didn’t earn credits, I’d rather be on the front lines fighting water monsters. Whoever triggered that Virtual Channel deserves to die. They just dumped more work on us and raised the risk of an invasion by other nations.”

The older man replied, ”Only sorcerers can cause disturbances in the Virtual World. There are eighty-six unknown Virtual Channels around Caimon City. That means eighty-six sorcerers triggered them. One of them could be you.”

The young adventurer froze.

The older man continued calmly, ”Others might think it’s reasonable, but you are a sorcerer.”

The younger man said quickly, ”I didn’t mean it like that. Don’t you complain sometimes, too?”

The old man shook his head. ”Once I accepted that I lack the talent to become a sorcerer, I also accepted the disasters caused by those who do. Complaining is something I grew tired of before I even turned forty.”

The younger adventurer changed the subject. ”So what are you planning to spend your credits on this time? I’ve saved enough to redeem a Blade spirit. Even if I run into a Knowledge Creature, I can hold my ground now.”

He glanced at the man beside him. ”You barely spend anything. Your equipment is outdated. Aren’t you going to upgrade? If I weren’t hesitant about body modification, I’d get a Silver Wolf Arm just for fun.”

The older man cast a cold glance at the younger adventurer with his mechanical eye. The adventurer shivered and quickly looked away. The older man then turned his gaze to the Virtual Channel thirty meters up the hill, where the space seemed to warp and dip unnaturally.

”I’m buying information,” the old man said.

”Information about what?”

”My child.”

The younger adventurer stared at him. ”That’s illegal.”

The old man replied, ”I know. That’s why I’ve saved credits for so many years. Otherwise, no one would dare take the risk.”

The young adventurer blurted out. ”You’re insane! Why go that far for something with no return? If someone finds out you’re raising a child, both of you would be locked in a pig cage and thrown into the abyss.”

The old man said nothing and merely fixed his mechanical eye on the silent distortion ahead.

The old man shook his head. ”Of course not. That child was born thirty-one years ago. I’ve long since forgotten what the mother looked like. I just want to see him, just once.”

The young man frowned in disbelief. ”See him once? With all these credits, you could boost your combat power by two tiers, gamble at the First Blood Casino, or even play around for a whole year. Why waste them just to look at some stranger?”

”He’s not a stranger. He’s my child.”

”But how is that any different? You don’t even know his name or what he looks like, and you’re spending credits just to see him?”

”He is my child. He exists because of me.”

The younger man shook his head. ”I still don’t understand. You’d be better off giving those credits to me.”

”You’re still young, even for a sorcerer. You wouldn’t understand. When I was your age, I did exactly what you’re doing now—spent credits on Moon Candy, gambled at First Blood, and even modified my body with surgery. But as I grew older, I slowly lost interest in those pleasures... and even in what the days ahead would bring.

”Then one day, it hit me. To earn the resources for reproduction, I had once had a child with a woman. It was as if the sky cleared, and I finally found my purpose: to see that child.

”You’re a sorcerer. You can explore the Virtual World, study spells, and test your limits. I cannot. Without seventy percent full-body mechanical modification, I’d never qualify to enter the warzone as an adventurer. Even the simplest firearm would be beyond me. The barrier between sorcery and non-sorcery is insurmountable.

”I’ve heard sorcerers chase miracles. That child... he is mine.”

The old man touched his left eye. ”The reason I only replaced one eye with a mechanical one is so I can see my child with my real eyes.”

The young man muttered, ”I still don’t understand...”

The old man let out a mechanical laugh. ”You don’t need to. It’s illegal.”

Bang!

In the next instant, the young man was hurled backward. He landed hard on the ground. ”Old man! What the—”

His words froze in his throat.

Before him stood an orange-haired girl in deep blue battle armor, right where the old man had been. She held a sword coated in red and blue fluid and planted her foot on his body. His head had been severed, and his mechanical spine shattered, sending blood and machine oil spraying in all directions.

The young man’s pupils widened in terror as a light screen flickered before his eyes.

[Detected—]

Snap!

Lorian severed the young man’s head. Meanwhile, the remaining adventurers resting at the camp were quickly eliminated by other extermination squad members.

Soon, all 163 members of the extermination squad had assembled. Each wore deep blue battle armor and carried weapons that were specialized alchemical creations. Even the hand-to-hand combat specialists wore armored gloves. Within seconds of their arrival, flickering blood-light shackles had formed around each neck, giving them the eerie appearance of humanoid light pollution.

A commanding voice intoned, ”There are four rules that must be followed. First, the final blow must be delivered with an astral weapon; otherwise, the kill will not count. Second, survive for forty-eight hours. Third, eliminate as many targets as possible, prioritizing humanoid enemies and, above all, sorcerer-type foes. Last but not least, activate the teleportation Miracle embedded in your armor to return here when time is up. After forty-eight hours, the stars will automatically destroy the Level Two Virtual Channel.”

”May the holy stars guide us and light our path. Now, let the game begin!”

A violet-blue glow rimmed the pupils of every squad member. At the command, they saluted in perfect unison before dispersing simultaneously.

From above, one could see a few blue dots moving toward the northern and southern villages, while the majority headed west, toward Caimon City.