Sorcerer’s Handbook

Kaimon Comprehensive College, Classroom 108.

“Would you accept tenfold arcane energy if it meant being eternally pursued by an immortal snail? Those willing, raise your hand.”

This odd question almost instantly turned the classroom into a sea of mirth. A student from the Elves in the front row couldn’t help but laugh and raised their hand, saying, “Professor, you should be asking who wouldn’t be willing!”

At the lectern stood a distinguished Elf professor, with shoulder-length black hair, eyes blue as sapphires, fair skin, crystal-clear thin lips, a lean face, and a tall figure dressed in a dark gray coat, hands adorned with white gloves.

In response to the student’s remark, the corners of his mouth lifted in a slight smile: “Then what if it’s eightfold arcane energy, but the pursuer is a red wolf? Hmm, it seems you’re not very afraid of the most widespread hunter in the natural forests.”

“And what if it’s fivefold arcane energy, but your pursuer is a Slaying Fish-Dragon in its Juvenile Stage?”

At this, there was some hesitation—Juvenile Stage Slaying Fish-Dragons could be considered Silver killers. There’s a joke that goes, ‘A Sorcerer’s first encounter is without experience, surrendering before the Sea of Knowledge; the second encounter may have experience, but still surrenders to the fast, fierce, and fervent Slaying Fish-Dragon.’

Of course, since this joke could be seen as derogatory to both men and women, it was almost unheard of in reality, only visible behind the Curtain of online anonymity.

Nevertheless, most hands went up. The Elf professor nodded and then added, “What if it’s threefold arcane energy, but the pursuer is a Standard Blood Mad Hunter?”

The number of hands raised halved when the possibility of being pursued by a Standard Blood Mad Hunter was mentioned. Blood Mad Hunters are categorized into Hunter Apprentices, Formal Hunters, and Hunter Captains, corresponding to One Wing, Two Wings, and Tri-wings, respectively. Standard Blood Mad Hunters are almost always Two Wings level Battle Sorcerers. Moreover, for a Two Wings Sorcerer to become a Blood Mad Hunter, they must undergo stringent assessments and training, making it nearly impossible for an average Production Faction Two Wings Sorcerer to contend with a Blood Mad Hunter.

“What if the increase is only onefold arcane energy, but you are perpetually pursued by an Executioner-level creature of the Virtual Realm?”

Everyone put down their hands, and one discontented student couldn’t help but ask, “Professor, if I’m willing, can you grant me that?”

“I’m not that generous,” the Elf Professor said with a smile. “But the Virtual Realm can.”

“The reward is an additional onefold arcane energy, but the cost is being eternally hunted by an undying and powerful creature of the Virtual Realm. Such a ‘Boon’ is quite common within the Virtual Realm. As long as you Pray for it, the Virtual Realm will indeed fulfill your wish.”

“Everyone has signed a Student Loan contract, right? The parties involved Pray to the Virtual Realm to act as the notary, overseeing the contract’s enforcement. Whoever breaches the contract will be sanctioned by the Virtual Realm… This is actually the most common form of ‘Boon’!”

A student raised their hand and asked, “But almost anyone can Sign a Contract for anything. Is the Virtual Realm really that accommodating?”

The Elf Professor responded with a smile, “Of course, it’s accommodating because the ones who have to abide by the contract are you, and the ones who pay the price for breaching it are also you. In this process, you gain no additional benefits; instead, you’re constantly paying out. The Virtual Realm is always generous with such ‘Boons’ that are ‘harmful to others but not beneficial to oneself’—of course, this is also due to the many years of development in the insurance industry. It is said that signing contracts was a troublesome affair a long time ago.”

“However, if you dare to Pray to the Virtual Realm for a Boon that benefits yourself, the Virtual Realm will show a face even more fearsome than a bank’s, and fangs greedier than those of a loan shark. For any Sorcerer attempting to take shortcuts, the Virtual Realm will impose the most severe tests.”

“But ‘rewards’ and ‘tests’ are not fixed mechanisms. If a Sorcerer knows the correct way to harness the power of the Virtual Realm, they can significantly increase the reward and reduce the difficulty of the test.”

“Praying for a boon and adjusting it is the essence of the Ritual Faction’s power.”

The Elf Professor surveyed the Classroom: “To increase the reward from onefold arcane energy to tenfold, to reduce the pursuer from a Titan Executioner to a snail, is not the delusion of a fool, but a real Miracle.”

“Of course, Praying for a boon isn’t as simple as shouting a few words in the Virtual Realm and immediately receiving a response; not even the operators at the Sin Hunter’s Hall could provide that level of service. In fact, the Ritual of Praying for a boon is quite complex, requiring various spirits as materials and assessments of the Sorcerer across multiple Magical Factions, making it a faction with many prerequisites…”

Adra sat in the back row, cupping her face in her hands, eyes fixed intently on the Elf at the lectern.

“Professor Sylin is really handsome…”

“Huh?” Freya looked at Adra in surprise. “I thought you’d be the type to exclaim, ‘Isn’t there a reward that can increase gambling luck, with the test being something like losing fertility’ or something.”

“That’s absurd. I always listen carefully to Professor Sylin’s lectures!” Adra said indignantly. “Of course, I wouldn’t mind such a Boon either!”

The Classroom was packed, not just the aisles, but even the windows were lined with people—all there to attend Professor Sylin’s lecture. Professor Sylin could be considered one of the most popular professors at Kaimon Comprehensive College, with top-tier expertise, appearance, and teaching ability. Unfortunately, due to external commitments such as councilor duties, he had stepped down from being a full-time professor years ago and only occasionally visited the college to deliver a lecture or two.

Another reason for Professor Sylin’s popularity was that his classes were free! No tuition was required; anyone could audit his classes. To miss out on a free lecture by a Two Wings Sorcerer would be foolish.

If Adra hadn’t saved a seat for Freya, she too would have been perched at a window to listen.

“…However, Sorcerers capable of significantly leveraging the power of the Virtual Realm are a minority. For instance, the example I gave earlier of multiplying power by tenfold—perhaps even a Quadruple Wings Legend Sorcerer would have to exert full effort to achieve that. Therefore, rather than ‘adjustment,’ ordinary Ritual Sorcerers prefer to acquire Boons through ‘Conflict.’”

“Suppose I have two Boons. The price of the first is ‘never being able to taste food again,’ and the price of the second is ‘tasting everything within sight.’ What do you think would happen?”

The students looked at each other in confusion until Adra stood up to answer: “Both prices take effect simultaneously, but the Sorcerer can taste food by looking at it while eating, which means the second price weakens or even negates the first price to some extent.”

“Exactly, that’s the beauty of ‘Conflict,’ using the clash between different prices to lessen the negative impact of the prices,” Professor Sylin nodded in approval. “Of course, not all Boons can achieve such clever synergy. A more common practice is to combine multiple prices that affect the same area.”

“Suppose I have two Boons. The price of the first is blindness, and the second turns my field of vision into a bloody mire. By praying for these two Boons, although I would still lose my vision, I wouldn’t have to endure the second price. It’s like getting a bargain from the Virtual Realm.”

A student asked, “If I have ten Boons, all with prices related to my eyes, does that mean I only have to sacrifice my sight to gain the benefits of all ten Boons?”

“That’s the idea,” Sylin said with a smile. “Pray for, adjust, and use Conflict. Ritual Sorcerers can cleverly combine these to extract maximum benefit from the Virtual Realm at the smallest personal cost.”

Another student, puzzled, inquired, “If the Ritual faction is so powerful, why is it fading away?”

Sylin explained, “There are two reasons. The first, as I mentioned, is the high barrier to entry for the Ritual faction. It almost requires mastery of multiple Silver factions to perform a Ritual, so the minimum threshold for a Ritual Sorcerer is a Golden Two Wings.”

“Magical Factions with such high entry barriers often struggle to be passed down. If a generation is lost unexpectedly, the faction can vanish from history, only to be revived when a Sorcerer receives an Inheritance from the Virtual Realm and makes improvements, allowing these treasures of the past to shine once more.”

“The second reason is that the Ritual faction is too dangerous.”

A student chuckled, “As if other Magical Factions aren’t dangerous? Even the Water Faction, known for healing, can kill someone undetected.”

Sylin shook his head, “As I said earlier, while the Virtual Realm is stingy with benefits, it’s quite lenient when it comes to ‘harming others but not benefiting oneself.’ In certain Taboo Rituals, a Golden Two Wings Sorcerer can sacrifice themselves to Pray for a destructive storm on par with the full force of a Quadruple Wings Sorcerer’s blow!”

“Sorcerers may be greedy, daring, and unscrupulous, but above all, we must survive and cherish life! The Ritual Faction goes against this principle, and many Boons can cause physical and mental disabilities, making Sorcerers extreme, violent, and disdainful of life, which naturally hinders its propagation.”

“Learning about the Ritual Faction in the Virtual Realm is one thing, but in reality, any wise Sorcerer would prohibit its spread. It is not just for the sake of social stability, but also because the Ritual Faction tends to produce insane Sorcerers. Apart from chaotic and evil organizations, the Ritual Faction benefits no stable group.”

“The purpose of this lecture is to highlight the dangers of the Ritual Faction. If you encounter an Inheritance from the Ritual Faction in the Virtual Realm, remember not to let greed cloud your judgment. Use this dangerous knowledge cautiously.”

At that moment, a student wearing a mask raised a hand and asked, “Could there be someone who masters the Ritual Faction within the Four Pillars Cult? Could the natural disasters and storms in the past have been the evil deeds of Cultists from the Four Pillars?”

“…The Four Pillars Cult has been completely eradicated by the Sin Hunter’s Hall, and all members, including the leader, have been apprehended. You should keep up with the news,” Sylin said coolly. “The premise of your question is flawed.”

“Also, why are you wearing a mask in class? Can you take it off?”

Everyone turned to look, noticing that the questioning student was actually wearing a Crow Mask, similar to that of a Medic, as if engaged in role-playing. Freya also noticed this and suddenly remembered that the Cult Leader had a similar mask.

Could it be…

At that moment, the student took off the Crow Mask, revealing an apologetic face: “Sorry, Professor, I really like this mask, so I just…”

Professor Sylin fixed his gaze on the student, then suddenly covered his eyes with his gloved right hand. After a moment, he lowered his hand and said, “Please don’t wear a mask during class; it’s distracting.”

Amidst laughter, Freya keenly noticed someone was making their way out. With a backpack slung over his shoulders and wearing a hood and a face mask, he walked through the classroom unnoticed by everyone except Freya, who kept her eyes on him.

Even though his face was obscured, Freya was sure it was Ashe.

What was he doing here?

After class, Freya returned to her apartment and as soon as she opened the door, she was greeted with a waft of delicious aroma.

“Welcome back, just in time for dinner.”

“…I’m back.”

As Ashe was setting the table, Freya couldn’t wait to ask, “Were you at Professor Sylin’s class this afternoon?”

“Yeah, you saw me?”

“Why did you suddenly decide to attend?”

“Well, there were two reasons.”

Ashe picked up Little String, who was nibbling on cat food: “The first reason was to take Little String to the university’s treatment room for a checkup.”

Freya was taken aback, “Little String is sick?”

“Yeah, congenital chondrodystrophy. I noticed it sitting on the floor this afternoon, looking lethargic. I felt it must be uncomfortable, so I took it to see a Medic. The Medic said if we want to alleviate its pain, it needs to be treated almost every month.”

Freya held the fold-ear cat in her arms with empathy, “I’m sorry, Little String, I didn’t know… Thank you.”

“That’s a relief; I was afraid you’d be upset with me.”

“Why would I be upset with you?”

“If it hadn’t been treated, Little String wouldn’t know that pain could be relieved and wouldn’t understand how comfortable health is. It might find it hard to endure pain in the future and will need you to take it for treatments every month.”

As Ashe browsed videos to watch while eating, he added, “I was worried you’d think I’m causing you trouble.”

“What trouble?”

“Isn’t it troublesome to take Little String to the vet every month?”

“Not at all!” Freya shook her head, “Why would I mind? Little String shouldn’t have to suffer like this. You rescued it from its illness, I can’t thank you enough.”

Ashe gave her a look, “Good… I’m actually quite surprised. You reject any romantic relationships, yet you can give your whole heart selflessly to a cat.”

“It’s different,” Freya muttered, “Cats are cuter than people, and Little String won’t leave me. It’s a friend without an expiration date.”

Ashe laughed, “Do you consider the expiration date when making friends?”

“Why not?” Freya stated confidently, “If the expiration date is just a few hours, like with a Mud Worker, then one can be polite, play cute and charming for a few hours; if it’s a week to a few months, you can arrange to hang out during holidays to build rapport, and chat about hobbies in the meantime; if it’s a few years, then you’d better discuss political views quickly to determine if they’re the type you can be close with. If there’s a fundamental conflict, you have to set boundaries immediately, and not interact outside of work.”

“So what conditions need to be met for you to believe that someone has a lifetime expiration date?”

Freya paused, then looked down, pondering for a while, and hesitantly held up the fold-ear cat, “They would have to be at least as cute as Little String, right?”

Little String, feeling smothered by Freya’s embrace and annoyed by the doting, pushed her away. Freya let it go and asked, “So taking Little String to the vet was the first reason. What’s the second?”

“Just happened to be passing by the school, so I thought I’d drop in to see how you were doing in class,” Ashe said casually. “Oh? ‘The Misfortune of Loving a Married Woman’ has already released its first episode? Let’s watch that.”

“I actually wanted to continue watching ‘Tea Cafe Adventures’…” Freya poked at the Redflame Lala Fatty with her fork. “What’s there to see in class anyway?”

“There isn’t much to see.” Ashe twirled pasta onto his fork. “So I took one glance and left.”

“How odd,” Freya muttered, while she focused on the Knowledge Screen and took big bites of the Redflame Lala Fatty roe rice bowl.

But her thoughts were neither on the food nor on the video.

For some reason, that strange emotion inside her was growing stronger, even… a bit of happiness.

Come to think of it, what is the expiration date of this Cult Leader…

She forced herself not to ponder this question.

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