Sorcerer’s Handbook

Chapter 223: The Flaw of Bond

Although they intended to scavenge a second Resource Point, they encountered an old acquaintance along the way, the Slaying Fish-Dragon. Thinking it serendipitous to meet an old friend in a foreign land, they decided why not seize the day and engaged in a friendly exchange on the spot.

Despite the absence of the sea, the Slaying Fish-Dragon was not to be underestimated on land, and it was not at the Juvenile Stage or Growth Stage, but a Large Creature very close to the Maturity Stage, with a body length of more than twenty meters, half of its scales transformed to a dark red hue.

Once all its scales turned dark red, it would fully evolve into a Maturity Stage Rampage Dragon, capable of challenging the peak Two Wings Swordcerers. However, for now, it was at best half a step away from full maturity, just a little shy of evolution.

What’s that? Why am I offering such a detailed introduction of this Slaying Fish-Dragon?

Because it’s really quite wealthy.

After a fierce Battle, the fortunate Slaying Fish-Dragon exploded into a trove of spoils, and the trio, well-prepared, simultaneously struck, capturing all the fleeing spirits.

First, it dropped Two Wings “Slash Sword” spirit and Two Wings “Sword Scar” spirit. Sonya, who wished to follow the traditional path of a Swordcerer, needed to upgrade the spirits of slash, pierce, and cut herself to lay a solid foundation in swordsmanship, so the “Slash Sword” was claimed by Ashe, who cared little for foundations.

“Sword Scar” was compatible with most swordsmanship spirits, and Sonya, not lacking in Sword Scar’s output augmentation, but Ashe, currently only capable of Long-range Attack with “Heart Sword”, could attempt to combine “Heart Sword” and “Sword Scar” to form a new Miracle, possibly creating a stable and efficient output method.

Aside from swordsmanship spirits, the Slaying Fish-Dragon also dropped a Two Wings “Water Erosion” spirit.

This spirit was claimed by Deya, whose “water thread” was already an attack method based on Water Art spirits and expressed through the Fist and Claw Faction. The “Water Erosion” spirit could perfectly Fuse into her combat system, potentially creating a new Miracle.

Besides these spirits, the other spirits of the Slaying Fish-Dragon were hardly worth mentioning and were all collected by Ashe’s spare Processor.

But aside from spirits, the Slaying Fish-Dragon also dropped a Swordsmanship Orb!

The orb was undoubtedly welcomed by Sonya, though she feigned reluctance at first, asking Ashe if he wanted it, all the while firmly grasping the orb in her hand, which Ashe couldn’t be bothered to call out.

A single Slaying Fish-Dragon brought benefits to all three of them.

Slaying Fish-Dragon, you are quite gentle.

But the Slaying Fish-Dragon approaching Maturity Stage wasn’t nurtured on seaweed alone; it boasted a robust constitution, high defenses, and ferocious combat prowess. Unfortunately for it, Ashe and Sonya had slain nearly a dozen Slaying Fish-Dragons in the Sea of Knowledge, able to predict its every move. When its tail lifted slightly, they knew it was about to relieve itself; when its head rose, they anticipated the forthcoming screeching roar. The strategies of old fitted perfectly.

Even if an error occurred, the trio could compensate for each other, denying the Slaying Fish-Dragon any chance to unleash its fury, playing it until the very last second.

Although they successfully slain this Knowledge Creature on the cusp of Maturity Stage, the Battle lasted a full half hour, leaving Ashe and the others’ arcane energy and Soul Energy significantly depleted, making further exploration impossible.

Arcane energy is akin to a mana bar, which can be replenished with Rest in the Virtual Realm; Soul Energy is like a combination of a health and stamina bar, depleted by injury and activity, and cannot be restored in the Virtual Realm. Once depleted, one must exit the Virtual Realm, or the soul could be damaged.

After arranging their loot in the sports car, Ashe stated, “Everyone performed well tonight. Let’s keep up the good work tomorrow night. Tonight’s achievements set the benchmark for tomorrow; let’s strive to improve a bit every day! So now we—”

“Observer,” Sonya suddenly interrupted. “There’s something I want to discuss with you.”

“Sure, go ahead,” Ashe replied readily.

Deya, being considerate, stood up: “I’ll go and integrate the new spirit. Just let me know when you’re done talking.”

Once the Witch’s figure vanished into the Reverse Golden Rain, Sonya turned to Ashe, her throat full of words that ultimately condensed into a single sound: “Hmph!”

“You’re still upset?” Ashe said, half amused, half exasperated. “Didn’t you just accept the Witch into the team?”

“It’s not that… It’s not just… Never mind.”

Sonya waved dismissively, her mood visibly downcast. She suddenly asked, “Can’t you hear my Inner Voice in the Virtual Realm?”

Ashe seemed puzzled but answered, “Of course not.”

Not only in the Virtual Realm, but never at all.

Wait, is there a feature in the game that allows listening to an Operator’s Inner Voice? Is that why the Swordswoman believes I can hear hers?

In these types of collection and nurturing mobile games, there indeed exists a mechanism where tapping on an Operator’s portrait prompts them to utter a few lines of dialogue. As the trust level of the Operator increases, their dialogue becomes more intimate and revealing.

However, Ashe, during his downtime in Shattered Lake Prison, had thoroughly combed through the game’s system without finding any other functional modules. Damn, could it be that this feature was lost a while back and was never repaired?

*Sigh…*

Sonya, leaning against the rear seat, gazed out at the Golden Rain and let out a soft sigh.

This was the first time Ashe had seen the Swordswoman looking so troubled. In his memory, she was always full of vigor and aggression, even in the face of setbacks, she would only become more determined to fight back. She was like a proud and imposing flower, holding her breath, determined to bloom brightly and outshine all others, beyond anyone’s control.

But now, she seemed like a hidden flower blooming quietly in a secluded corner of a garden, self-pitying and quiet, yet possessing a strangely captivating charm.

However…

“Your face really doesn’t match contemplation,” Ashe teased, poking her forehead with his finger. “Are you troubled by something? Share it with me; it might cheer me up.”

“It should be ‘sorrow’ that doesn’t suit me!” Sonya retorted, protecting her forehead. “How are you doing now?”

How did the topic switch to me? Ashe blinked, “Thanks to you, I’m getting by.”

“Be more specific,” Sonya glanced at him with mock annoyance. “Have you left the Blood Moon Kingdom? Is your current residence safe? Are you in danger often? Do you have any pressing difficulties? I might not be able to help, but at least I could offer some advice.”

Sonya had wanted to ask these questions much earlier, but her attention was swept away by the Witch joining the team as soon as they entered the Virtual Realm, followed by the Observer bringing in a sports car for their Exploration in the Virtual Realm. With the Witch always at their side, Sonya couldn’t find a chance to speak privately with the Observer.

As the team was about to disband and disconnect from the Virtual Realm, Sonya had no choice but to take the initiative to ask the Observer for a private conversation. She didn’t have to ask, really; the fact that the Observer could enter the Virtual Realm implied that he was safe in reality and even had a stable place to live. After all, a homeless person sleeping under a bridge wouldn’t dare to undertake Exploration in the Virtual Realm.

But she wanted to ask.

Ashe glanced at Sonya thoughtfully and then suddenly let out a chuckle. Sonya, unnerved by his laughter, pouted, “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, I’m just happy that you care about me.”

“I, I was just—”

“No need to explain, it’s nice to hold onto this feeling of being moved,” Ashe said with a smile. “While I was on the run, I thought about how you were doing too. I figured you must be missing me as well, and now it’s proven that our sacred Bond truly connects us.”

Sonya paused for a moment, “You thought of me while you were fleeing?”

“Yeah,” Ashe nodded. “It’s a shame that the deeper our Bond becomes, the less we can meet in reality. From now on, we can only meet in the Virtual Realm.”

If the Witch hadn’t told Ashe about this rule, he might have been secretly resenting the Swordswoman for not coming to visit him. It seems that apart from the Pay-to-Win aspect working perfectly, the game system has many other peculiar flaws.

“So that’s how it is…” Sonya nodded thoughtfully.

No wonder the Observer hadn’t visited her dormitory for so long. It turns out that he could only appear before her when their Bond was still weak. As their relationship grew closer, he could no longer enter her private space, nor could he hear her Inner Voice… Thinking about it, this Restriction seemed to actually be considerate of her.

However, I’m not that concerned about him entering my private space anymore…

And I’ve also learned how to hide my Inner Voice…

This Restriction… it really came at the wrong time.