“Lise, who gave you the courage to challenge me?”
“Merely pebbles, not even worthy of half my attention.”
“You are seeking death!”
Igor watched as the words “Victory and Defeat Decided” flashed across the Holographic Screen. He scribbled on a notepad beside him, “5:2, I declare the winner is Lise—”
“Wait!” Ashe grabbed the Con Artist’s pant leg, his face a plea for mercy: “Make it eleven rounds, six wins. Change it to eleven rounds, six wins. Let’s continue the battle, I can turn this around! I already know how to play now. Next round is my turn!”
Harvey, who had retreated to a corner to nibble on catnip, couldn’t help but interject, “Ashe, there’s no point in embarrassing yourself further, you can’t even beat a little girl…”
Ashe retorted with stubborn pride, “I’m just not used to the game controller in this world, and this cushion is too soft. Plus, Igor keeps distracting me, that’s why I—”
Feeling utterly embarrassed, Igor covered his face and whispered to Banjeet beside him, “I’ve said it several times before, but I must reiterate—Ashe is an exception. Please don’t judge our entire Kingdom by his actions.”
The Butler Youth, typically maintaining an almost-smiling expression, now struggled to keep his composure, his eyes nearly creasing into slits with suppressed laughter: “Mr. Ashe, perhaps I should have a round against Lise. You can see how I handle this character…”
“No!”Lise suddenly shouted: “I will battle him. I must defeat him thoroughly!”
“Hmph, you’ll soon pay for your arrogance!” Ashe bellowed, hastily beginning the next round of the Sorcerer Duel.
During the meal, Lise, for some reason, suddenly suggested a battle with Ashe.
Everyone found it a bit peculiar, yet no one stopped them. Banjeet even volunteered to arrange the mode of battle—for them to play the classic “Sorcerer Duel 14.”
The Sorcerer Duel series, a legendary game in the Gospel Kingdom for the past thirty years, allows players to control various legendary sorcerers in combat.
Not just ordinary people are fans of the game, even sorcerers are devout players—In fact, it could be said that almost every Battle Sorcerer under thirty in the Gospel Kingdom has been influenced by this game, with many dreaming of possessing the same formidable powers as the characters within, even affecting the ratio of sorcerers throughout the Kingdom.
The most popular characters in the Sorcerer Duel series are ‘Alchemy Overlord’ and ‘Earth Empress.’ The former can craft mechanical figures barehanded mid-battle, summon swords by the thousands, and command the elements of water, fire, wind, and lightning, mastering all factions within the Alchemy Faction. The latter alters the terrain with every move, executing attacks with utmost spectacle. Add to that the Earth Empress’s beauty, and it’s no wonder she’s a favorite among countless players.
Thus, in the Gospel Kingdom, the Alchemy and Earth Factions boast the most members. Of course, they soon realize they’ve been deceived—the Alchemy Faction at the Silver Realm level mainly consists of Creator Sorcerers, severely lacking in combat skills; the career prospects for the Earth Faction often involve joining engineering corps, where one can forget about queens; in the wilderness working on projects, even a female cat is a rare sight.
However, because these two factions have so many sorcerers, they’ve even created a demographic dividend, allowing the urbanization of the Gospel Kingdom to progress so rapidly over the past thirty years that there are enough people to build multi-level cities… Ah?
I digress, Ashe and Lise are currently battling it out in ‘Sorcerer Duel 14,’ though neither has chosen a popular character.
Lise is playing as the ‘Time Witch,’ and while by name a mistress of time, for balance purposes, this character primarily uses throws and close-range boxing, offering a strong sense of hit but without flashy special effects.
Ashe has chosen the ‘Wandering Sword Saint,’ and since Swordcerers are a minority in the Gospel Kingdom, this character, while also quite strong, has lackluster combat effects and thus doesn’t see much popularity among players.
Igor isn’t particularly interested in these combat games; his reason for coming was Banjeet.
He discreetly observes the Butler Youth, noting his intense focus on the battle between Ashe and Lise, plus the fact that it was Banjeet who had actively recommended the game. Curious, Igor leans towards Banjeet and asks, “Do you really like this game?”
“Not really…” Banjeet admits, a rare blush of youthfulness on his face: “I’m just somewhat happy.”
“Why are you happy?”
“Because this game is in my ‘Play with Kids in the Future’ collection.”
Igor glanced at Banjeet, whose youthful physique seemed not yet fully developed, and decided to file away this sad question for later.
If there ever came a time when Igor found himself at odds with Banjeet, he could use this query to embarrass him.
But Igor’s attention was now more on Lise than on Banjeet.
The white-haired little girl was staring intently at the Holographic Screen, her fingers skillfully manipulating the joystick and buttons. She was becoming increasingly adept at speculating, countering, and breaking defenses, as she controlled the Time Witch to pummel the Wandering Sword Saint.
Igor could tell that this was her first time playing the game; her initial handling was quite rough, and she was suppressed by Ashe, who had some competitive gaming skills.
But by the second round, she had improved rapidly, forcing Ashe to rely on the Wandering Sword Saint’s “defense-breaking” moves to narrowly defeat her. By the third round, she had figured out how to counter various skills, and from then on, she went on a winning streak, crushing Ashe.
Igor had thought she would stop after winning one round, then act cute and let Ashe win, but unexpectedly, she didn’t give him any quarter. Whenever Ashe came looking for trouble, she would fiercely retaliate.
Although someone like Ashe indeed deserved a harsh beating, this was not consistent with Lise’s usual style—she was like Igor, driven only by self-interest. Winning over Ashe didn’t offer her any benefits other than satisfaction.
She had been carefully playing her cute card to win everyone over. Even though everyone saw through her act, she was just too adorable.
Not to mention, her success in tricking Ashe into becoming her Slave was 99% due to her being a white-haired loli and only 1% due to Ashe’s stupidity.
Just as men like Green Tea and women fall for scumbags, fools love Igor. If victims claim deep down they don’t know what kind of person the other is, it’s definitely a lie. The perpetrator provides an emotional experience that no one else can offer, so the victims don’t want to think about it—they just wish the dream would last a little longer.
However, Lise’s behavior now was somewhat ‘breaking character’: not only did she not give Ashe any face, fighting very seriously, but she also seemed to call out Ashe’s name directly… Did she no longer want to use Ashe as a shield? But even wet toilet paper has its uses, so it seemed too early to cast aside Ashe the Slave, right?
Igor wasn’t sure if it was because Lise had beaten Ashe, or because she seemed so genuine, but now he found her quite endearing.
“The outcome is decided!”
“6:2 now, Ashe, are you aiming for a ten-loss streak?”
“I’ve let you win six rounds, it’s time to show my real skills…”
“As long as you’re happy.”
At 10 p.m., Deya, having taken a shower and wearing her pajamas, collapsed tiredly onto her bed. Unfortunately, her hair was long and would take a while to dry, so she couldn’t go straight to sleep.
However, sleeping wasn’t her job; it was Lise’s.
If it hadn’t been for Lise accidentally bumping her head and passing out last night, Deya would have already attempted Exploration in Virtual Realm.
Annan had given them enough freedom, and with Lise helping cover for her by sleeping, Deya wasn’t afraid of anyone discovering she was a Two Wings Sorcerer – even inside the Palace Tower, she could explore the Virtual Realm right under the watchful eyes of the Sanctuary in Legend.
Deya sat in front of the mirror brushing her hair and said, “You need to go to sleep nicely later, don’t read, don’t go looking for others, and if something happens, find a chance to contact me in the Virtual Realm.”
Lise, reflected in the mirror, pouted: “I also want to play Sorcerer Duel with daddy…”
“He’s so bad at it, you’d be better off playing with Banjeet.”
“I like beating the weak! Isn’t it fun to bully the small? Banjeet looks strong, it would definitely be a loss playing against him, no fun.”
“Yikes, you’re so naughty… By the way, Ashe seems to have some Points left, why don’t you trick him into a duel tomorrow and take them all?”
Suddenly, a familiar and frightening voice came from behind: “Witch, don’t tempt the child into gambling, eh? If you don’t have a good opponent, how about playing a game with me next time?”
Deya turned around sharply, finding no one behind her.
However, when she turned back around, she saw in the mirror that sitting on the bed behind Lise was that man whom everyone both hated and feared!
The Observer!
“Good evening, witches,” the Observer said lazily with his arms crossed in front of his chest, reflected in the mirror. “Did you have a good day today?”
“(*^▽^*) Not happy!” Lise said fiercely. “Don’t do that again tomorrow! Otherwise, I’ll start hating you!”
The Observer replied with feigned anger, “Little Witch, how dare you speak to me with such insolence. Tomorrow, I will make sure you have no time for studying and can only play to your heart’s content—”
“Enough, you two,” Deya said with an expression of disbelief, turning to the Observer. “I’ve completed your task. I fought Ashe and defeated him. You’re not going to deny me any personal time, are you?”
“The battle I was referring to probably wasn’t quite what happened… but as long as you learned something, I don’t mind,” the Observer replied, spreading his hands. “See, I can be quite reasonable.”
Reasonable, as in not giving me any choice, barging into a young girl’s room late at night without asking, forcing a child to stop studying to play a game? If that’s considered reasonable, then even Ashe, who is somewhat reluctant to follow orders, could be considered a truly loving father.
Deya thought sarcastically, then suddenly remembered that the Observer could hear her internal complaints, so she quickly changed the subject: “What could I possibly learn from playing games with Ashe?”
“Having experienced the Time Witch’s style of battle, don’t you think you could incorporate it into your own fighting system?”
“That’s just a game…” Deya started to say, but then stopped, thoughtful. She stood up and made a few gestures in the open space, her expression gradually turning serious.
The Observer spoke leisurely, “The Sorcerer Duel series has become the most widespread game in the Kingdom of Gospel and has inspired countless people to become sorcerers for a reason.”
Deya nodded excitedly, “You’re right, I’m going to try it out in the Virtual Realm—”
“That’s exactly why I came to find you,” said the Observer.
Deya paused, seeing the Observer sitting on the windowsill, looking down at the bustling city below.
“Have you forgotten? The reason I’ve been pranking you is that I need you to become my companion in Exploring the Virtual Realm.”
“You just said you were pranking me?”
“You heard wrong, I said guiding you.” The observer’s tone didn’t change a bit: “Since everyone is free tonight, why don’t we officially start Exploring the Virtual Realm? But you’ll need to wait a moment, we need to prepare.”
Is it really true?
Does he really want to invite me to join them in Exploring the Virtual Realm?
But isn’t the Virtual Realm meant for one person only…
Although Deya wanted to question the authenticity of this, the apocalypse observer’s actions over the past two days undoubtedly proved that he does what he says — he said to let Lise play, and not for a second could she stop; he said to have Deya Battle Ashe, and before the game was over, her hands couldn’t leave the controller.
The observer had no need to tell a lie that could be exposed immediately.
Deya was silent for a moment: “Then what do you need me to do?”
“You don’t need to do anything.”
The figure of the observer gradually faded, leaving only one sentence:
“The sacred Destiny connects us, and we will meet in the Virtual Realm soon.”
On the other side, Ashe, after his bath, lay in bed immersed in the ocean of knowledge, holding a book titled “The Complete Guide to the Sorcerer Duel Series.”
As Ashe fantasized about how he would use a combo to defeat Lise tomorrow, his Gospel popped out on its own.
A red exclamation mark appeared in the upper right corner of the “Mine” section, and anyone with a touch of OCD would want to click it, and then three messages appeared.
“Aurora’s Sorcerer Handbook has completed device binding and data transfer! Players can now log into the game with this device, with resolution increased to ultra-high definition, and Operator Portraits enhanced with dynamic CG effects.”
“Operator ‘apocalypse observer’ Soul health has been restored to 100%.”
“Operator ‘Death Maniac Swordswoman’ Soul health has been restored to 100%.”
Ashe blinked his eyes.
What is this? The game migrated itself to the new device, the Gospel, without his knowledge, and even added dynamic CG?
This isn’t just progress, it’s evolution!
From a money-grabbing mobile game to… a slightly more conscientious money-grabbing mobile game.
But compared to the huge transformation of the game, Ashe cared more about the last two messages!
Complete Soul recovery means they can finally start Exploring the Virtual Realm tonight!
In other words…
It’s finally time to meet.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter