Sorcerer’s Handbook

“This commander’s soul power is definitely limited.”

Ashe analyzed, “He’s only brought a small squad of Thousand-feathered Drakes, so his soul power arming limit should be just enough to equip this group of Drakes.”

The next question is, who will fight the sorcerer and who will take on the commander.

Sonya analyzed seriously, “First of all, it doesn’t matter if we win or lose the team fight with the sorcerer. The goal is just to delay until the commander is killed by the third person… I think I should face the commander.”

“Then should I team up with the Observer to fight the sorcerer?” Deya asked, “But how do we get the Arena to recognize us as a team? By hugging each other?”

“No!”

“Holding hands then?”

“That won’t work either!”

The Witch looked at the sword Princess in confusion. The sword Princess also realized her plan had a major flaw and quickly corrected it, “No, the Observer can summon spirits for his armed troop type, so it makes more sense for him to go after the commander.”

“It was always going to be me,” Ashe glanced at them, “I still need to map out the area. Speaking of armed troop types…”

Ashe raised his hand, and a form-fitting armor of deep blue materialized on both the Witch and the sword Princess. The Witch’s fingers sparkled with sharp starlight, while the sword Princess’s long sword emitted a dazzling arc of light.

“Fortunately, we killed that Raging Slashing Dragon earlier, otherwise, I wouldn’t have enough soul power to arm you.”

Ashe had exhausted most of his soul power in the Amnesia Cabin—if he hadn’t armed himself with the Level 6 Starburst Warrior from the Star Shrine, he wouldn’t have been able to suppress the Empress’s phantom.

“Why didn’t you save it for the fight with the commander?” Sonya was taken aback, “I already said it doesn’t matter if we win or lose against the other sorcerers…”

“If we really lose, a few layers of armor won’t make a difference,” Ashe said, “Besides, I’m up against the commander. At worst, I can surrender directly. But if you run into some weird sorcerer and can’t even surrender, getting killed outright…”

“That possibility is very small, and I have the ‘sincerity’ spirit to boost my mental resistance—”

“As I’ve already used it, there’s no returning it,” Ashe said as two warm lights glowed from his hands, casting one each on the Witch and the sword Princess. “Also, here’s the Empowerment Sword…”

Because the names under Single-minded Devotion were too embarrassing, Ashe had to awkwardly rebrand them as ‘Healing Sword (Joy)’, ‘Empowerment Sword (Love)’, ‘Piercing Sword (Anger)’, ‘Slowing Sword (Sorrow)’, instantly lowering their grandeur to that of cheap knock-off Miracles.

Sonya felt a tingling sensation all over her body, as if her waist was electrified; while Deya felt light and cool, almost as if she were falling weightlessly.

With their pre-battle preparations complete, the sports car parked outside the Arena. The Arena was a typical colonnade-style building; stepping into the corridor would instantly teleport them inside.

First up was the duo of the sword Princess and the Witch. They exchanged a glance and opted for the hand-in-hand best friends’ formation. The moment they stepped into the corridor, they were teleported away.

As the scenery changed, they clung to each other’s arms, feeling an unknown force trying to separate them. However, the bond between Sonya and Deya was not something that could be easily broken without investment. After a few moments of testing, the unknown force gave up, and they found themselves together in the sandy center of the Arena.

“Am I dreaming? Are there really two sorcerers here to cause trouble? The Revelation spirit’s message ‘You will be harmed by those around you’ must have meant I shouldn’t act with you!”

“Alice thinks blaming others like this is very low.”

“Alice isn’t even here. What does he think?”

“In reality, Alice is right beside me.”

“But isn’t Alice lying in a coffin—never mind, I don’t want to know.”

The two sorcerers, whose plans had been thwarted, were now beyond shocked, nearly on the verge of infighting. The fact that they hadn’t exploded in rage already was surprising to Sonya. After all, if she thought about it, if an opportunity she had fought hard for was suddenly snatched away by strangers, an opportunity she might never get again in her lifetime, she would probably want to destroy everything too.

！

The village girl took a closer look, her expression turning serious. “No wonder they dare challenge the heroic soul commander. They actually control a Dire Jackal Dragon and Thousand-feathered Drakes… The zombified Dire Jackal Dragon might suggest a necromancer… Wait, that Thousand-feathered Drake in black armor, could it be the heroic soul commander’s follower that they’ve taken control of?”

“Witch, be careful. They have the ability to affect the mind. I have the Sincerity spirit, so I should be fine… Witch?”

Deya snapped out of her trance, her eyes narrowing in focus as she raised her fists nervously. “Are we starting the fight?”

“Their main strength should be the Dire Jackal Dragon and the Thousand-feathered Drakes. Our best strategy is to find a way to kill the sorcerers directly, avoiding a fight with their monster followers,” Sonya said. “Who do you want to take on?”

“…I want to fight the one with the fairer skin and prettier face.”

“Then I’ll take the one with darker skin and curly hair.”

After the sword Princess and the Witch entered, Ashe quickly drove the sports car in.

If the sports car could be considered a usable item by the Arena, that would be amazing. Ashe would definitely make it a point to visit the Arena every night during virtual realm exploration, using the sports car to clear a path to the Third Layer of the Virtual Realm.

Unfortunately, only he himself was teleported inside the Arena.

Ashe took a moment to observe his surroundings, but didn’t see the sword Princess or the Witch. Standing before him was a black-robed individual holding a long sword, silent and with cold eyes, showing neither panic nor fear. This was clearly the heroic soul commander.

Miracle: Heart Pen!

Ashe’s first action upon landing was to use the Heart Pen to draw an ink mark trench around himself. The Heart Pen was excellent for setting traps, and Ashe could only use it for pre-battle preparations due to its complex procedure. He had just acquired it and couldn’t use it effectively in combat yet.

The enemy didn’t react while Ashe drew the ink mark trench. When he looked up, he saw the enemy had been watching him the whole time.

No.

She wasn’t watching him.

She was watching the Heart Sword spirit created by the Heart Pen.

“Ashe Heath?”

Ashe was stunned.

This was the first time he’d heard someone call his name in the virtual realm—like being called by your real name online—it felt bizarrely surreal.

If another sorcerer or a virtual realm structure called his name, Ashe could understand.

But why would the heroic soul commander know his name!?

The black-robed individual lifted her hood, revealing pointed long ears, pale blue lips, a high nose bridge, and long, dark green hair. In life, she must have been a proud and fierce Elf, Ashe thought.

Standing before Ashe was indeed a female Elf commander. Though Ashe had encountered many female Elves, he had no recollection of her.

“Do you recognize me?” Ashe suddenly thought of a possibility. “Are you a commander from the Spider Tower? Do all of you know what I look like and hunt me as soon as I enter the Virtual Realm?”

“No, I’m not from the Spider Tower,” the Elf woman shook her head. “And I didn’t recognize you either.”

She pointed to the Heart Sword beside Ashe and said, “I recognized that. It is a spirit born from a fragment of my soul, a gift I intended for my child.”

Ashe was utterly stunned.

He looked at the Heart Sword, then back at the Elf woman.

“Valcas?”