The Sorcerer's Handbook

Once the misunderstanding between mother and daughter was resolved, the daughter’s friends finally received the treatment they deserved.

Ashe and the others were escorted to a lavish, fully equipped suite. Aside from a polite restriction on leaving their quarters, they faced no other limitations. Annan advised them to rest well, suggesting that if they weren’t quite ready for sleep, they could always spend the night strolling through the Virtual World; the truly important matters would wait until morning.

As she spoke, Annan kept her face hidden behind the Gospel. Even Iger, usually the most sharp-tongued of the group, remained silent. Everyone simply nodded, wordlessly following her lead.

There was no doubt that Annan hadn’t brought them to Vamura for a mere family visit or a sightseeing tour. She was playing for a ”triple crown” of victories. First, to secure a safe haven; second, to maneuver her mother’s family into taking the blame for her recent troubles; and third, to utilize the unique advantages of this region to push Ashe and the others toward the second Future Ranking.

However, Ashe still couldn’t fathom exactly how Vamura was supposed to help them. Is the plan to cultivate a mindset capable of isolating and rejecting an entire city?

While he turned these thoughts over in his mind, the sports car was already nearing the border of the Star Hall region.

On the Virtual World Map, the points of light representing the sorcerers traced an intelligent path across the endless black lake, rapidly closing the distance to the lush Star Hall ahead. If one were to pull back the viewpoint to observe the entire Continent of Time, they would notice several curved paths etched into the dark areas surrounding the Star Hall. Those were the lingering traces of their exploration over the past few days.

When connected end to end, these paths formed a crooked, jagged circle.

Days earlier, through a careful study of the map, the three of them had uncovered a secret behind the mechanics of the Continent of Time. The path of the Celestial Chariot Ox was a loop.

The White Ox didn’t move in a straight line; it traveled along a subtle, persistent curve. Once it completed a full circuit, the Continent of Time finished an entire cycle. It was a logical revelation. As the Swordswoman had noted, many sorcerers had long suspected that the White Ox simply circled the continent, as the land couldn’t possibly be infinite. They had simply lacked a complete map to prove it.

They hadn’t reached a firm conclusion yet, but they all sensed that this cyclical movement harbored a deeper, darker secret. Now, after days of effort, Ashe and the others were finally stepping back into the Star Hall with a complete map in hand. Tomorrow, they would be free to scour the region for its specialized resources.

Boom!

A blazing explosion erupted in the distance, like a miniature sun tearing itself apart. A violent gust of wind shredded the curtain of the Ascending Golden Rain. The car’s Refraction Barrier hissed to life instantly, sending ripples of energy dancing across its surface.

The golden trees lining the River of Flowing Gold snapped like dry twigs, and waist-high grass collapsed under the pressure. Even the arrogant golden rain was forced to part, swirling around the sudden vortex of battle.

Ashe slammed on the brakes. The car spun in a tight donut across the grass before skidding to a halt. Meanwhile, Sonya and Dia had already assumed their combat stances. ”Where’s the enemy?”

”Outside... our line of sight!”

Ashe stared at the Virtual World Map. Within the twenty-five-grid layout, every sector was a safe zone labeled Waste of Effort. In other words, the attack had been a long-distance strike launched from well beyond the map’s detection range.

Boom!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Not far away, veiled behind shifting curtains of the Ascending Golden Rain, a large-scale battle raged. The roar of annihilating energy, the agonizing wail of the upheaving earth, and the rhythmic percussion of clashing flesh and blood blended into a catastrophic symphony that swept across the region. Even without seeing the combatants, the scattered shockwaves of their struggle were enough to shred the surrounding ecosystem.

Ashe eased the car forward with cautious precision. Finally, in the far corner of his map, a blood-red warning flickered into existence:

[War Zone: Massive concentration of Knowledge Creatures.]

There were no further details, but all three sorcerers understood the gravity of those words. They had stumbled into a war between the Legions of Heroes. Unlike the previous commander they had encountered, who had merely strolled about with a few dragons in tow, both sides of this conflict had brought entire armies of subordinate creatures. Their collision shook the Virtual World like a collapsing mountain crashing into a raging sea.

Without a word of discussion, Ashe threw the car into reverse. Even the most reckless soul would turn cautious in the face of such a massacre.

However, their approach had already been noted. The radiant Ascending Golden Rain suddenly parted, carving a clear, hollow path through the air. A translucent golden soul shot across the distance, covering hundreds of meters in a heartbeat before plunging straight into Ashe’s chest.

A voice echoed directly in his mind. ”You came just in time, Demilo. Use your invincible logistics spell and run—”

The voice faltered, replaced by a cold, heavy silence. ”You... aren’t Demilo? Hah... so cold. I don’t want to return to that colorless world. I don’t want to... No... no. Just let me sleep. Don’t wake me up again. Don’t... toy with me anymore.”

Before Ashe could even process the intrusion, his Conjuring spirit leapt forth of its own accord, detailing the changes it had undergone. ”Conjuring spirit has successfully assimilated a spirit of the same name. New unit types unlocked.”

Available Unit Types

- Star Hall · Griffin Meteorologist: Wind, Water, and Lightning spells deal +20% soul damage. 3 layers of armor. Humanoid unit equipped with a griffin mount and the Miracle: Star Tide. Each unit consumes 4 soul energy. (Star Tide: Cast on a single target, dealing combined Wind, Water, and Lightning damage.)

- Star Hall · Bulwark: All attacks deal +15% soul damage. 11 layers of armor. Humanoid unit equipped with a shield. Each unit consumes 5 soul energy.

- Star Hall · Star Prayer Devotee: Ranged attacks deal +45% soul damage. 4 layers of armor. Humanoid unit equipped with the special Miracle, Falling Stars. Each unit consumes 10 soul energy. (Falling Stars: Minimum chant time 1 second, maximum 60 seconds. Launches a large-scale starlight bombardment on a designated area. The target area cannot be changed once selected.)

Star Hall · Starshot Warrior: Melee attacks deal +60% soul damage. 7 layers of armor. Humanoid unit equipped with the special Miracles Starstrike, Star Path, and Chaotic Nebula. Each unit consumes 15 soul energy. (Starstrike: Your next attack gains the power of the stars and ignores enemy armor. Star Path: While moving, you can pass through obstacles, including enemies, walls, and defensive constructs. Chaotic Nebula: 30% chance to evade all attacks. Each successful dodge refreshes the cooldown of Starstrike.)

[You have absorbed Bledo’s Commander’s Handbook.]

Note: You are rewarded with Bledo’s exclusive reward, Constellation, and one of the three optional rewards of your choice.

Constellation (Bledo-exclusive reward) (Compulsory): You are the embodiment of the stars’ will. Under your command, Star Prayer Devotees reduce their chant time by 50%, increase Miracle power by 150%, and gain an additional layer of armor.

Archery Command · Advanced: You understand how to utilize ranged units to achieve strategic objectives and gain a large amount of Archery Class experience.

Offense Command · Advanced: You are a master of offense and gain a large amount of experience in multiple sorcery classes.

Financial Management · Advanced: When arming units, soul energy consumption is reduced by 50%.

So powerful!

Both the newly unlocked units and the skills in the Commander’s Handbook pointed to the fact that the golden soul was a legendary Hero commander of the highest caliber. Yet even such a powerhouse had been beaten into a panicked retreat!

Ashe didn’t dare look back. He pushed the car to its limits, fleeing the war zone at full speed. Sonya could already sense the crushing killing intent surging from behind; her entire body tensed and trembled. As for the Witch, Dia, even her hair began to shift in color. They had not even seen the enemy yet, but a primal fear had already taken hold, like prey encountering its natural predator.

Run. Run faster!

Ashe checked the Virtual World map, only to find that the surrounding twenty-five-grid area had already ”surrendered” ahead of him. The crimson warnings were so intense they seemed ready to drip off the screen.

[Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Me], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger], [Danger]

Dia’s voice split into a trembling double tone. ”Is it too late to start praying to the Virtual World now?”

***

While Pankey was applying a hydrating treatment mask to Annan’s face, Annan suddenly sat upright. Her expression looked even worse than when her mother had beaten her. ”We’re finished.”

Confused, Pankey asked, ”Our partner may have changed from Madam Nona to Madam Quinna, but this should still be within your plan, right? And your injuries are much lighter than expected. It seems Madam Quinna still holds some affection for you.”

The Purple Moth pressed her temples. ”No, I’m not talking about that old woman. Did you forget? The strongest agency in Azura is best known for... Virtual World assassinations.”