Sorcerer’s Handbook

“I’m getting a bit tired of this. Let’s switch games.”

After facing his tenth consecutive defeat in “Sorcerer Duel 14” tonight, Ashe made a suggestion that Deya had anticipated.

Tonight, Ashe had forsaken his usual practice of the Wandering Sword Saint to play popular characters like the Alchemical Overlord and Earth Empress, even including unique characters like the Enemy Sorcerer and the Scythe of Sorrow. They all shared one common feature—a simple and effective looping suppression routine.

In simple terms, this is known as ‘Spear Technique’—a term from the “Sorcerer Duel” series, referring to moves as straightforward and unstoppable as a spear thrust. These moves significantly affect the aesthetics of gameplay, hence they are usually banned by players by default.

Don’t think that Ashe was the only one who had read the “Complete Guide to the Sorcerer Duel Series”; Deya had also made time for Lise to go through it, so naturally, they were both aware of the various Spear Techniques.

Unfortunately, Ashe only learned this superficial aspect and didn’t grasp the real keys to Sorcerer Duel—’Counterplay’, ‘Timing’, ‘Focus’, and ‘Reset’. Or perhaps, these were too difficult, and he simply gave up.

The more Deya played, the more she realized that “Sorcerer Duel” contained vast knowledge about sorcerer combat, much of which could be directly integrated into real combat. For instance, ‘Focus’ involves observing to determine how much stun your attack will impose on an enemy, perfectly connecting subsequent attacks to form an unstoppable sequence, thereby inflicting significant damage.

The skills of game characters are just like different ingredients; once you master the keys, you can handle anything smoothly.

The same principle applies to Miracles. Randomly unleashing all Miracles leaves one with only the production value, typical of a novice. Someone slightly more proficient, like Ashe, knows how to use Miracles to deliver combo critical strikes, but that’s about it. The true masters, like Deya, not only know how to produce bursts of damage but also how to exploit every tiny flaw in their opponent, or even create flaws where none existed.

At first, Ashe did manage to corner Deya using Spear Technique, but once Deya figured out the characteristics of the technique, she easily dodged by ducking and making high jumps. When Ashe tried the same moves again, Deya would catch the flaws and break through directly.

So, when Ashe suggested switching games, Deya wasn’t surprised at all. Tonight’s feast of Spear Technique was merely Ashe’s final act of defiance.

He had fallen, choosing to abandon the dignity of a player for the power to defeat his opponent, yet still found himself easily crushed by Deya. In a fairy tale, this would be akin to the dark villain effortlessly squashed by the righteous protagonist.

Knowing he couldn’t win against himself in this game, Ashe naturally wouldn’t continue playing against Deya. On this point, Deya agreed—they would never play a game they couldn’t win.

“Alright,” Deya set down the controller. “So, what shall we play?”

“Let me check…”

Ashe pulled open the drawer beneath the Holographic Screen, which held various game cartridges neatly labeled: “To play with the kids later”, “Cult masterpieces”, “Always fresh”, “Only when Annan is not around”…

After searching for a while, he suddenly pulled out a cartridge: “This is it!”

Deya thought to herself that if the game turned out to be dull, she could just let Lise play with him, as defeating Ashe would suffice to complete the Observer’s task. But when the game image appeared on the Holographic Screen, she couldn’t take her eyes off it, not even when Lise was knocking loudly on the mirror beside her.

Sorcerer Karting 5

“A spin-off from the Sorcerer Duel series. The game characters race in various Virtual Realm settings in karts, attacking other competitors with Miracles,” Ashe said. “Let’s play this!”

“Great!”

This game might just teach me how to attack others on the road!

Both thought simultaneously.

An hour and a half later, the disheveled pair exited the game room—Deya’s hair was a mess and Ashe’s clothes were torn. They glanced at each other, snorted coldly, and walked away in opposite directions—Ashe to his room, Deya to the kitchen for a snack.

“I’m not surprised at all, but did you really have a falling out with Lise?”

Igor had just stepped out of his room and couldn’t help but chuckle at their current state.

“Don’t make it sound like it was my fault,” Ashe responded irritably. “That little brat can’t handle losing and throws a tantrum. Am I supposed to just put up with it?”

“While I don’t have parenting experience, from what I remember about life in the Nursery, a Guardian is supposed to indulge the kids a bit. Looking back, it was a wonderful time. I managed to control the entire Nursery with the ‘Child Protection Act’, and even the adults didn’t dare to oppose me…”

Ashe was no longer surprised by Igor’s sinister and outrageous past and retorted, “We were just playing a racing game. It’s part of the game for everyone to hold each other back, but Lise throws a fit after being pulled from first place three times in a row… Ah, kids these days care too much about winning and losing.”

“Ashe, I really suggest you wear a mask, because your face management is worse than the new resident Harvey brought in. You couldn’t even hide your schadenfreude.”

“Ah?” Ashe subconsciously touched his mouth. “Then can you pick up a stylish mask for me while you’re out?”

“How did you know I was going…” Igor started to say but then caught himself. He looked down at his trench coat and boots, which clearly indicated he was going out—normally, they wore slippers around here.

“Have you talked to Harvey?” Ashe inquired.

Igor knew what he was asking and shook his head, “I asked, but Harvey didn’t say what mission he was on with Annan last night. Just that…”

“Just what?”

“The cold stream of fire inside him that was fading seems like it might really start to burn again,” Igor said, leaning against the wall. “If before Harvey was digging his own grave, now it seems he’s making that grave bigger, but who it’s for, I don’t know.”

“Does that mean Annan has completely activated Harvey?” Ashe said. “Could Annan be using the Beacon of Hope?”

“Harvey doesn’t have Immortality Syndrome, the Beacon of Hope can’t cure that,” Igor shook his head. “But what he cares about really boils down to two things—one is his deceased lover, and the other… the affairs of the Necromancy Faction.”

“Hmph, that’s unlike me. I wish I was the only one in the world versed in the Mind Faction, while Harvey desires a world where everyone practices the Necromancy Faction.”

“It’s you who’s not quite normal, Igor,” Ashe said. “Don’t you look forward to a friend who is your equal, someone who can keep up with your thoughts and spar intellectually with you?”

The Con Artist glanced at the Cult Leader.

“Cowards need friends,” he said. “That’s the kind of person Harvey is, can’t live without leaning on something, clinging to life just to go all out… I’ve seen too many patients like him, many clients like him—strong, persistent, yet more fragile than glass. But among the psychological cases I’ve encountered, Harvey is quite significant. Do you know why he’s so fond of the Necromancy Faction? Because he’s so lonely he needs the dead for company—”

“Hey,” Ashe interrupted him, his expression half mocking, half serious. “It only makes sense to talk bad about someone to their face. Talking behind their back is like holding a shield while detonating a bomb—it’s not thrilling at all.”

“You still care about others, Ashe Heath?” Igor raised his head, his face full of scorn. “You should have realized when Harvey didn’t come to us that he already had other plans. In this house, you have no friends; the alliance no longer exists.”

Ashe looked at him and suddenly laughed.

“What are you laughing at?”

“I’m just thinking… when you want to use me, you say things to please me. So what exactly are you trying to do when you speak to me with such hostility?”

Ashe patted Igor on the shoulder. “I’m off to the Virtual Realm. I hope your work goes smoothly tonight.”

“Hope you get rammed by a White Bull in the Virtual Realm,” Igor responded gruffly.

Ashe returned to his room for a bath, and with some time to spare, decided to soak in the tub and boot up the game system to do some research.

Had it not been for acquiring the map last night, Ashe wouldn’t even have known that his Virtual Realm map had a recording function. This made him think there might be other useful features in the game system he hadn’t yet discovered—such as possibly automating Exploration in Virtual Realm…

However, as soon as Ashe opened the game, he noticed a red notification under “Operator Management”. Clicking on it, he saw that the Portrait of the Swordswoman had an envelope icon.

“Notification: You have received a ‘Swordswoman’s Leave Request’.”

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