Sorcerer’s Handbook

Shattered Lake Prison.

“If hurt enough, use both hands, joyfully sever, yesterday’s curse…”

Ashe gazed at the Holographic Screen’s recharge display, lost in thought.

His Exploration in Virtual Realm yesterday yielded little, and it took some effort for Ashe to find an “Area Worth a visit,” only to encounter a Slaying Fish-Dragon.

He and the Swordswoman fought valiantly but ultimately failed to kill the Slaying Fish-Dragon, which cunningly acted as if it wanted to die with them before diving into the water. As it escaped, it didn’t forget to let out a couple of farts, carrying both soup and spirits—literally, as they contained arcane spirits.

Thus, Ashe and the Swordswoman could only humiliatingly catch the Slaying Fish-Dragon’s farts and watch helplessly as it vanished into the white mist.

The act was not highly injurious, but the insult was mighty.

Once again, the Virtual Realm taught Ashe a harsh lesson. Now he understood why death row inmates felt indifferent about being unable to enter or leave the Virtual Realm—it truly was a place where effort might not lead to success, but giving up guaranteed ease.

The difference between reality and the Virtual Realm is that reality is dominated by Pay-to-Win gamers in a trashy game, while the Virtual Realm is ruled by gamers with luck in a trashy game. For a regular sorcerer, gaming experience meant getting thrashed by reality first and then ravaged by the Virtual Realm, fully experiencing what it means to live in a world full of disparities.

The two arcane spirits released by the Slaying Fish-Dragon weren’t impressive, so naturally, Ashe took them to Recharge, as he, a player who started in hellish difficulty in reality, could only hope to change his fate through Pay-to-Win.

The problem arose when Ashe suddenly realized that the Points value for a One Wing spirit had dropped to just 8!

Just two days ago, they were worth 10 Points each!

What’s going on? Did the game system fix the Apple recharge channel and now charge me an Apple tax?

Five spirits only converted into 40 Points, a full 20% less!

However, Ashe found himself unable to complain or inquire. It wasn’t that the game system hadn’t fixed the complaint module, it was that their company’s game didn’t have one at all…

But Ashe had a vague guess—it was probably related to his power.

After transmigrating through the Whirlpool, his Silver Wings had also solidified by more than half. As his arcane energy grew, the potency of his spirits naturally increased, and the difficulty of Exploration in Virtual Realm for him and the Swordswoman plummeted. The most obvious sign was that the “Worth a visit” and “A bit troublesome” Areas in the Virtual Realm Map increased, while “Seeking death” Areas only appeared occasionally.

Once the Silver Wings were fully unfurled, Ashe might be able to achieve freedom with his spirits, harvesting seven or eight each night, potentially overwhelming the game system, and making his first task every morning a ten-pull draw to test his luck.

But that was clearly impossible.

Even if Ashe’s imagination had been dulled from years of being an office worker, using his cognitive resources to decide on lunch options, he knew there was definitely something wrong with the game system—it wouldn’t leave such an apparent loophole.

Evidently, to prevent a collapse in the value system, the game’s approach was: reduce the earnings.

Or in other words, a tax mechanism.

Ashe estimated that after his Promotion to Two Wings, the price of a One Wing spirit would drop to 5 Points or even lower. When he unfolds his Tri-wings, the price of a One Wing spirit would be so low that he wouldn’t even bother to pick it up if it fell to the ground.

Ashe began to suspect that the selling point of this game might be ‘no money required, all spirits are recyclable’—the idea that the spirits he fought for could be directly used for Recharge, giving players a sense of ‘this game is so conscientious.’

But as the player’s strength increases, the price of the low-level spirits he produces will decrease. To improve efficiency in earning Gold, one must obtain higher-level spirits… In the end, the daily earnings of all players would be about the same, and as everyone knows, if everyone gets money, it’s as if no one got money. Therefore, this tax mechanism serves as an additional supplement to the Check-in System, effectively increasing the players’ online time.

“Is this what they mean by ‘the greater the ability, the more taxes you pay’…” Ashe sighed and went out for breakfast.

As for the newly acquired 40 Points, of course, he would hold onto them for now. He had already purchased the Source Crystal pack worth 30 Points, losing the first-time double bonus, so Ashe’s next little goal was the ‘Pile of Source Crystals’ pack worth 98 Points.

Upon arriving at the Central Hall, Ashe was surprised to find many people gathered here, some even arguing with the Prison Guard. This sight filled Ashe with excitement—could it be that a prison riot was about to occur?

He squeezed to the front to get a better look and discovered that the Holographic Screen in the hall was broadcasting news:

“Join us in celebrating Kaimon City being rated as the safest area in the nation. Mayor Fernand Snow attended the press conference, thanking everyone for their indelible contributions…”

Damn, this news is so ironic! What death row inmate would watch this kind of news!

Upon closer inspection, Ashe noticed a notice posted next to the Holographic Screen:

“Special Task Volunteer Recruitment”

“Requirements: Two Wings combat-oriented Sorcerers and above”

“Reward: After completing the special task, the Prisoner’s sentence will be changed from ‘Redemption’ to ‘Deferred for five years,’ and they will receive a government position in the Government Affairs Hall, a house in the Kaimon City area, and a one-time subsidy of eight hundred Gold Coins.”

“Number of participants: No Restriction”

“I—I am a Two Wings composite Sorcerer, fully mastered the Golden Wings, completely in control of both the Fire Faction and Wind Magic, and I can even perform the miracle ‘Dragon Poem Annihilation’! Why not choose me?”

“And me, I’m a Two Wings Gun Technique practitioner, a former member of the Blood Moon Hunters, with a distinguished and venerable record, just made a misstep that led me down to Shattered Lake. Surely they should choose a former hunter like me!”

“You should at least give a reason for rejection; there’s no limit to the number of participants, so why can’t I volunteer?”

“I don’t actually care about getting out of prison; I just want to do something to contribute to society. Why are you stopping me from serving my country?”

The Prison Guard sitting at the front registration desk was aloof, completely ignoring the pleas of these job seekers, and coldly said, “Next.”

Ashe also wanted to sign up, but unfortunately, he wasn’t even a Two Wings Sorcerer and didn’t qualify to submit a resume. But he couldn’t bring himself to leave, so he just stood by, watching eagerly, not knowing what he was waiting for.

“What a great opportunity, too bad you can’t grasp it. Right now, you look like a vulgar man who knows he’s not eligible to pursue, yet still hopes for a beautiful lady to suddenly lose her sight and be willing to spend a lovely night with you.”

Ashe glanced at Igor, “Aren’t you going to sign up?”

“I did sign up, but unfortunately, I wasn’t chosen,” Igor said, shaking his head as he looked at the throng of people at the registration point. “It’s probably for the best that I wasn’t selected. I have no confidence in surviving such a special task.”

“Do you know what the special task is?”

“I don’t know, but it’s guessable. I’ve observed that the death row inmates who were chosen are mostly those who specialized in the Magical Factions of Water Art, Earth Magic, Wind Magic, and Radiance Magic.”

“What’s special about these Magical Factions?”

“Let me put it more clearly—the death row inmates who were selected typically have these in their charges: repeated resistance to arrest, long-term evasion, rich criminal experience, and offenses committed in multiple cities.”

Repeated resistance to arrest, long-term evasion?

Ashe recalled the strength of the Blood Mad Hunters at the Sin Hunter’s Hall and suddenly realized something: “Are they very good at escaping?”

“Exactly,” Igor nodded. “This special task probably doesn’t require battle or social skills but rather requires volunteers to have ample experience in evasion and survival. It seems to be an extremely dangerous reconnaissance mission. It has to be said that in Kaimon City, the people who meet these two requirements are indeed all in Shattered Lake Prison.”

“However, it’s surprising to see a task that pardons death row inmates,” Ashe said. “Does this happen often? Have death row inmates been able to leave legitimately through these tasks before?”

“Of course not, I’ve been living here for over a year, and this is the first time I’ve seen it. I just asked some of the older prisoners who’ve been here for ages, and they’ve also never seen a task that could pardon a death row inmate. Previous special tasks at most would reward prisoners with some Contribution points.”

Igor squinted his eyes slightly: “Come to think of it, a proposal like pardoning death row inmates would definitely not pass in a Lawful Organization, and the council would argue over it for a long time… Just how immense must the benefits be to get a Lawful Organization to pass such a risky proposal?”

“Lawful Organization?” Ashe heard a new term.

“Don’t you know? It’s a faction within the council, which has a conflicting relationship with the Human Rights Association. The Human Rights Association advocates that people should be the purpose of all laws, which must be aimed at protecting individuals and not treat people as expendable items; whereas the Lawful Organization believes in pursuing absolute order, where laws must be strictly enforced, without considering personal appeals or emotions.”

“Most proposals need to find a balance point between these two organizations to pass, like the Blood Moon Tribunal, which was formed after many years of debate between the Lawful Organization and the Human Rights Association. The Lawful Organization wants death row inmates to die as quickly as possible, while the Human Rights Association believes that death row inmates still have a chance to reform. The Blood Moon Tribunal allows some death row inmates to live and contribute societal value, while also giving the judgment power to the general public, which is why it received unanimous approval from the councilors.”

Igor gave Ashe a look, “The ‘extra dose’ Blood Moon Tribunal the day before yesterday must have required quite an effort from the Lawful Organization… Oh, I forgot to mention, councilor Professor Sylin is a member of the Lawful Organization.”

Hearing this, Ashe’s desire to escape from prison grew even stronger—with such a powerful villain in politics stirring up trouble outside, the law was no longer a shield for Ashe.

“So what exactly is the special task?”

“It’s something that’s significant enough to silence the Lawful Organization, recruiting volunteers adept at escaping and surviving, and considering the impending change from spring to summer… There’s probably only one possibility.”

Igor continued, “A stable Virtual Realm Turbulence has appeared in Kaimon City, which might contain a Virtual Realm Passage leading to other realms.”

“Finding a stable Virtual Realm Passage would be a feat that could please the Blood Moon.”

Gales, Swordflower College.

Apart from Engulite, who had gone out for a run early in the morning, the other three were in the dormitory.

Lois looked at Adelle, who was cuddling with a stuffed toy in her sleep, got out of bed, and grabbed a spray of spring water mist to spray viciously on her face. The whole person sprang up, a veritable torture for morning skincare.

At that moment, Sonya was already showering in the bathroom, so Lois had no choice but to wash her face and then apply a thick layer of jelly mask, squeezing in some time to study—she couldn’t use a sheet mask, as the essence would drip down to her chin.

In order to become a Water Art sorcerer quickly and retrieve the ‘Torrent’ spirit from Sonya, Lois had to compress her skincare and makeup time to make room for studying and training.

Every time she reached this point, Lois felt a mix of resentment and admiration towards Sonya—how could there be such a person in the world who had time to look good, study fast, and still be such a schemer?

Suddenly, the Miracle Bracelet vibrated slightly, and Lois pressed it to check. It was a message from the meteorological office.

“The Weather Sorcerer announces that this week is the week of Virtual Realm Turbulence, with an increased chance of Virtual Realm Passages appearing around Gales. Please report any sightings of Virtual Realm Passages and unidentified individuals to the police station immediately.”

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