Sorcerer’s Handbook

“Booty No. 221: Cylindrical Maze”

“Origin: The Emerald Cross Caravan”

“Acquisition Process: The Temple sent us to plunder a caravan from the Emerald Cross. Unlike most caravans, they carried no banners, signifying no allegiance to any powers. In this desert, that could only mean they were courting death, or that they possessed the strength to defend themselves.”

“They were indeed formidable. After the loss of three Silverfire Knights, we finally annihilated the caravan under the Captain’s command. I trust that the souls of those knights will be Purified in flames and ascend the steps to the sun, finding eternal peace.”

“While searching the spoils, I found an exquisitely crafted cylinder small enough to hold in one hand within a tent. It was then I noticed a child hiding in the shadows, his eyes fixated on the cylinder in my hand.”

“Perhaps the Cataclysmic Fire had clouded my judgment. I asked what it was, and he said it was a family heirloom containing the secrets to trigger the Whirlpool.”

“Before the Captain came in, I had already Purified the child, wishing his Soul eternal freedom from this land of disaster.”

“I concealed the cylinder, and upon investigation, I discovered it was a treasure called ‘Maze,’ imbued with the aura of a Quadruple Wings spirit. If not opened correctly, the mechanism left by the Quadruple Wings spirit would automatically destroy the contents inside.”

“My wisdom was insufficient to unravel this maze, so I sought out the most intelligent woman in the Temple. After forging an oath of eternal allegiance, I handed the cylinder over to her. It took her a month, but she finally unlocked it and seized its secrets.”

“With this secret, our arcane energy surged forward. Due to my own dullness, I only triggered the Whirlpool once, whereas she triggered it twice and fully unfurled her Silver Wings.”

“Until one day, after emerging from the Virtual Realm, I found my Crippled Body bound by the Temple Knights. She stood behind the knights, her face stern.”

“She had betrayed me, revealing a shattered Cylindrical Maze hidden within my clothes. She had been Promoted to Two Wings and no longer needed the secret or me. What she needed now was an opportunity favored by the Temple, a way to alleviate the Whirlpool Secret Poison.”

“By hoarding and damaging an important piece of booty, I was sentenced to the extreme penalty, unable to be Purified in flames, only to sink into nightmares in sewage. Until the last second, I did not reveal the secret inside the cylinder because the oath of never betraying still bound me. After her Promotion to Two Wings, she unilaterally dissolved the oath through a Miracle, but it still held power over me.”

“Truthfully, if I had used the Miracle   Burn the Crippled Body, I could have temporarily suppressed all Abnormal Statuses and broken through the oath to expose her deceit.”

“But looking at her, for some reason, I gave up.”

“Perhaps the Cataclysmic Fire had clouded my judgment.”

“Final Disposition: Destroyed.”

Sonya crossed her arms: “Temple of Cataclysmic Fire… I’ve never heard of this power.”

“Shouldn’t a normal person express some sentiment over the Sorcerer’s emotional experience?”

“You really want to hear it? I can’t lie right now.”

“Then let’s forget it.”

“What about the method to trigger the Whirlpool? Why did you deliberately skip over that?”

“I’m debating whether or not to tell you.”

Sonya slightly started, tried to keep her mouth shut, her expression painfully strained. Ashe had never seen such a Swordswoman like this, almost laughing out loud.

Hearing the laughter, Sonya couldn’t hold back anymore, and speaking in a suppressed voice, she said, “You actually guard against me like this, thinking to enjoy the spoils alone? In your eyes, am I really worth less than a Whirlpool secret?”

Ashe, somewhat surprised, asked, “So, are you angry because I’m guarding against you enjoying the spoils alone, or because you’re not as important in my heart as you thought?”

Sonya’s eyes nearly visibly flashed with anger: “I—”

“I’m sorry, don’t answer, that was my mistake,” Ashe quickly said. “I’m not guarding against you, but this secret is poisonous. Once known, it taints the bearer. I’ve already been affected, and since we can enter the Whirlpool together, I didn’t think you needed to know.”

“Poisonous knowledge? I don’t believe that,” Sonya responded. “I think you’re lying to me, big liar.”

“I must say, it’s indeed easy to deal with you when you can only tell the truth,” said Ashe. “Then I’ll tell you, but don’t blame me.”

“How could I? If I fall for it, I’ll certainly blame you for not persuading me against it; if nothing happens, I’ll think you deliberately lied,” Sonya said, spreading her hands. “Anyway, I won’t see myself as at fault.”

“…That’s really unreasonable,” sighed Ashe. “But the poison isn’t severe at the moment. As they say, we’re all in the same boat. It would feel quite unfair if I were the only one poisoned…”

“The method to trigger the Whirlpool is: find a Knowledge Creature of the Fish-Dragon Species, injure it severely, and chase it as it tries to escape, but do not kill it. Instead, let it naturally expire from exhaustion. The location of its carcass will form a Whirlpool passage because…”

Sonya and Ashe said in unison, “The Sea of Knowledge is embracing its sleeping child.”

After speaking, Sonya looked at Ashe in surprise.

That line had almost naturally slipped out, as if, after listening to Ashe’s introduction of knowledge, new knowledge bred within her own knowledge, uncontrollably flooding her mind!

At the same time, Sonya felt an odd sensation, as if nothing had changed, yet the whole world seemed different!

She looked around, trying to spot the difference, and her gaze quickly settled on the seawater outside. After staring for a moment, she felt a wave of nausea—

“The poison of this secret makes us feel disgusted with water,” Ashe explained.

He opened “Aurora’s Sorcerer Handbook” – “Operator Management” and saw that both the “Apocalypse Observer” and the “Death Maniac Swordswoman” had acquired a new Abnormal Status.

“Whirlpool Secret Poison”

“Number of infected: 131”

“Intensity of poison: 131%”

“Current effect of the poison: Disgust for water (intensity reaching 300% gains enhancement, reduced to 100% receives alleviation, reduced to 50% transforms into a beneficial effect).”

This Secret Poison is a very bizarre toxin; it doesn’t harm the body but rather warps the Soul. What’s most terrifying is that the more people know this secret, the stronger the Secret Poison becomes, and every person who knows the secret suffers the consequences!

When Ashe revealed the information about the Secret Poison to Sonya, she immediately frowned and said, “Why didn’t you just firmly refuse me earlier? Small horn!”

He really did Speak and Execute; he said I would blame him, and I definitely will. Although dealing with such a straightforward Swordswoman is much simpler, she has also become much more annoying, just like a double-standard brat with no filter.

“Wait, did you just say that if less than 50 people are infected, this Secret Poison will turn into a beneficial effect?” Sonya suddenly asked. “Then what if we were to eliminate all the other people who know the secret…”

She made a throat-slitting gesture, and Ashe immediately showed signs of Cowardice: “Are you the wife who betrayed the Chopping Axe Sorcerer in the story?”

“I won’t rashly betray you before you do me wrong.”

“That truthful statement of yours doesn’t exactly inspire confidence…” Ashe muttered.

Through this exchange, the two of them also understood why the secret was deliberately hidden in the Cylindrical Maze and why the Chopping Axe Sorcerer was betrayed—because even if you can ensure your own secrecy, you can’t guarantee others won’t spill the beans.

Once the secret spreads and the Secret Poison reaches a certain threshold, it could intensify to an almost lethal level, such as being completely unable to touch water, or dying from shock upon contact with water.

At that threshold, the Weaklings without any means of protecting themselves would die, and the number of those in the know would quickly drop to a safe level.

Therefore, those who know the secret are natural enemies, each trying to eliminate the others to reduce the chances of their own demise. The wife of the Chopping Axe Sorcerer did just that, unilaterally breaking the oath and decisively reporting her husband to decrease the number of infected.

But even if every person who knows the secret keeps it to themselves, it will still get out—just as Ashe and others found out, other Sorcerers can also obtain similar information from the Sorcerer Handbook.

The Virtual Realm is the Sorcerer’s grave, and death does not keep a secret.

So after knowing this secret, Ashe effectively ingested a deadly poison and found himself on a one-way path.

If he did nothing, and one day the number of infected suddenly increased, intensifying the Secret Poison to a level he couldn’t tolerate, then he could only complain ‘why me? why is this happening?’ before his journey in the strange world ended under the torment of the deadly toxin.

Unexpectedly, Ashe was not very afraid.

Because he knew that all the difficulties granted by the Virtual Realm can be solved in one way.

From beginning to end, Sorcerers only have one way to live.

“So next, we should find a Knowledge Creature of the Fish-Dragon Species,” Ashe said. “Only by becoming stronger can we alleviate the power of the Secret Poison or even eradicate it entirely—such as forcibly forgetting this piece of knowledge. In short, we must make good use of the information we’ve obtained at the cost of being poisoned, transforming it into our strength, continuing to move forward, and never stopping!”

“That’s a given,” Sonya said, leaning against the Boat. “Aren’t we Sorcerers just that kind of greedy creatures?”

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