Sorcerer’s Handbook

Chapter 239: Heroic Soul Legion

The Heroic Soul Legion is a combination of Sorcerer Projections and Knowledge Creatures.

No one knows why the Sorcerer Projections from the Time Continent mingle with Knowledge Creatures.

Even the most adept Mind Sorcerers, who excel at enslavement, can only control one or two Knowledge Creatures for a brief period. To command a large group of Knowledge Creatures goes far beyond the capabilities of any Two Wings Sorcerer. It’s like asking a child to drive a heavy truck—it’s simply not feasible based on size alone. And if the truck does move, it’s not due to the child’s ability, but rather the truck’s compliance.

Many Sorcerers have indeed attempted to uncover the secret of how Sorcerer Projections control Knowledge Creatures. However, they are usually torn to shreds by the monster legion upon encounter. Forget research; they’re lucky if they even catch a glimpse of the commanding Sorcerer Projection. Many Sorcerers die believing they have merely disrupted a family outing of Knowledge Creatures, oblivious that it was the dead who were marshaling an assault on the living.

“The Heroic Soul Legion is invincible on the Time Continent, or at least, it seems invincible to us,” Sonya said. “Not to mention the Heroic Spirits that serve as commanders, the Knowledge Creatures within the legion are incredibly difficult to handle. With the command of a Heroic Spirit, even the most enduring Berserker among Physical Sorcerers would be drained of arcane energy.”

“A Sorcerer is doubtless a force to be reckoned with, capable of taking on a hundred foes. But that only applies if a powerful Sorcerer faces a hundred weaker beings. Each creature in the Heroic Soul Legion possesses the combat power of a Two Wings Sorcerer; sheer numbers alone could overwhelm any traveler of the Time Continent. And with the Heroic Spirits directing them like extensions of their own limbs… Compared to the command ability of a Heroic Spirit, the recent counterattack by the Giant Fierce Wolf Dragon seems like child’s play.”

“Perhaps only a Sanctuary Sorcerer has the power to overcome the Heroic Soul Legion. But Sanctuary Sorcerers simply cannot step foot onto the Time Continent.”

“A Heroic Spirit?” Ashe raised his eyebrows.

“In texts such as ‘Tales of the Time Continent,’ ‘Gold Secrets,’ and ‘Veil of Rain,’ the authors refer to Sorcerer Projections that can command Knowledge Creatures as Heroic Spirits, to distinguish them from the more common Sorcerer Projections. It appears to have become a widely accepted term.”

Sonya watched the heroic soul legion disappear into the distance, “The heroic soul legion is a relatively rare presence on the Time Continent. Although most Two Wings Sorcerers will witness the legion once or twice, encountering this doom that walks the earth the very next day, are we lucky or not?”

“Is this really just the second most dangerous existence?” Ashe blinked, “What’s ranked first then? Sanctuary Sorcerers coming back to the Time Continent for easy pickings?”

“The most dangerous, of course, is a battle between heroic soul legions,” Sonya explained. “It’s said that even the aftermath of their battles can splash across the veil of rain and kill a group of Sorcerers. There’s a saying on the Time Continent: Never chase the sounds of battle, for you are always the innocent third party that gets affected.”

“I remember the heroic soul legion being mentioned in fairy tales I’ve read,” Deya recalled. “A Sorcerer, betrayed by enemies and stripped of their lover, after death, their obsession remained. With the help of seven dragons, they formed a heroic soul legion to return to reality, vanquish their enemies, and after a final kiss with their lover, rested in peace…”

“The structure fits a fairy tale, but the origin is a bit too real…” Ashe commented. “I’d give it an 8 out of 10.”

“Let’s save the fairy tale convention for when we’re further away, the heroic soul legion might come back,” Sonya urged. “Let’s get moving, or if the heroic soul legion kills us, we’re done for. Even with a soul special drink, we’ll be down for a month.”

Just as dying in the den of Gregarious Creatures results in more soul loss, the Knowledge Creatures in the heroic soul legion naturally all want a taste of the rare delicacy that is a Sorcerer’s soul. And after a Sorcerer dies, their soul is defenseless, if consumed completely it leads to true death. But since each Knowledge Creature can only take one bite, the more there are around at the time of death, the greater the loss of soul.

However, unless some Taboo is triggered, such as Eviction Secret Poison, creatures of the Virtual Realm generally don’t consume a Sorcerer’s entire soul. Much like not cutting the roots when harvesting leeks, they let Sorcerers recuperate in reality, to return another time.

However, Ashe fell into contemplation: “Since no one has ever defeated the heroic soul legion, why is it assumed that their commander is a Sorcerer Projection? Perhaps some other Sorcerer has violated a mechanism of the Virtual Realm and thus gained the ability to control Knowledge Creatures.”

“Shouldn’t there be some Prophecy conducted by a Sorcerer to gather intelligence?” Sonya was also not sure: “But if it’s not the heroic souls being controlled, then when a Sorcerer leaves the Time Continent for the Distant Skies, they should be able to continue enslaving Knowledge Creatures, right? However, I’ve never heard a Professor mention anything similar happening in the Distant Skies.”

“Even in the Distant Skies, there is no Sorcerer who can marshal Knowledge Creatures into legions to conquer in all directions, not even the heroic soul legion… The heroic soul legion is a unique product of the Time Continent, just like the Whirlpool is a boon of the Sea of Knowledge.”

“And whether the commander is a Sorcerer or a heroic soul really doesn’t matter, the point is we need to hurry… You’re not getting any improper ideas, are you?”

“Don’t make me sound like a Captain with ulterior motives toward a female team member.”

Ashe revealed a mischievous smile: “I’m just interested in trying a more challenging task.”

I’d rather you have ulterior motives towards a female team member…

Sonya struggled to suppress her urge to curse and logically analyzed with Ashe: “Let’s not talk about whether we can defeat the heroic soul legion or not, the question is, what’s the benefit?”

“The challenge posed by the heroic soul legion is greater than that of a Resource Point, but the rewards are less, the cost-performance ratio is too low. If you’re just looking to tackle a higher difficulty, then next time you can join me in close combat, with the Witch backing us up.”

“We can all join in close combat too,” Deya protested, not endorsing Ashe’s idea and evidently agreeing with Sonya’s rebuttal.

“Perhaps the heroic soul legion might drop a more precious spirit or a more detailed Sorcerer Handbook? The Virtual Realm is a fair and impartial judge, I believe that after defeating the heroic soul legion, the Virtual Realm definitely won’t skimp on the rewards we deserve.” Ashe said: “Moreover, I always feel that there must be some great secret behind the heroic soul legion, perhaps related to the Rainbow Tail.”

“My dear Swordswoman Miss, if you’re willing to work overtime to elevate the Swordsmanship Faction to Sanctuary-Level, I might even give up the idea of adventuring.”

Sonya replied with irritation: “Didn’t we find the secret of the Golden Fish without much adventuring?”

“But that was based on our lucky encounter with Destiny’s Inquiry island, as well as several important Sorcerer Handbooks we consulted.” Ashe spread his hands: “Fortune doesn’t always favor us—not to mention I’ve had a bit of bad luck recently, and at crucial times Fortune might secretly curse me.”

“Why are we able to find the Rainbow Tail that other Sorcerers can’t? Is it because you’re good-looking, or because of my superior driving skills?”

“We take risks that ordinary Sorcerers won’t take; we seize opportunities that ordinary Sorcerers won’t touch; we fight enemies that ordinary Sorcerers won’t battle. Only by doing so can we earn rewards beyond those of ordinary Sorcerers.”

Although it felt like the Observer was spouting nonsense, on second thought, it made a lot of sense.

Sonya was not unaware of the logic that ‘more adventure brings more gain,’ but now she is the typical representative of the Academy Faction, advocating stable returns and disliking risky investments.

Especially after her Promotion to Two Wings, this cautious, petty-bourgeois mentality did not weaken but instead became more entrenched. She was solely focused on maintaining her existing benefits.

It’s not to say that her greed is merely superficial; it’s just that her world is too small—surrounded by classmates who can’t match up to her, the only stronger figure she can interact with is Professor Trozan, who might be jealous of her talent. She is regarded by many as a future Sword saint, with Nobles eager to get close to her enough to crowd a female dormitory. Swordflower Academy is poised to take pride in her…

She has already exceeded her life goals for the next Twenty Years ahead of schedule, feeling like she could retire to enjoy life and pursue her dreams—in fact, she’s already secretly switched her daytime classes to Sound Magic and performance arts, and the actual time she spends practicing swordsmanship is just the two hours scheduled by the Observer.

Her progress has been too swift, and her ambition can’t keep up.

“I agree with the Observer’s idea,” Deya raised her hand and said. “To be a fairy tale, we must take the road less traveled. A life that never changes will only be summarized by ‘many years later.’”

Sonya asked, “Witch, you want to become a legend Sorcerer?”

“Actually, it’s Little Red and the White Queen who want that, I’m not that interested in power,” Deya said earnestly. “Little Red longs for higher levels of Battle, while the White Queen wants to gain more leverage through power… But since we’re sisters, their dreams are naturally mine too!”

“And what is your dream?” Ashe asked abruptly.

“Me? I…” Deya paused slightly, tilting her head and then said, “Of course, it’s to live happily ever after with my sisters.”

“That sounds even more difficult than becoming a legend.”

“Indeed.”

The two dirty adults mercilessly tore apart the naive girl’s pure dreams.

“Alright, I’ll gamble with you,” Sonya sighed helplessly. “But the second question comes—can we win? In open combat, I don’t think we stand a chance.”

“We can win,” Ashe said, looking at the Virtual Realm map. “Because they’ve entered a narrow area—they went into the cave we just scavenged.”

Sonya was startled. “Are they relatives with the Giant Fierce Wolf Dragon?”

“Maybe it’s an employment relationship, but the Giant Fierce Wolf Dragon being stationed here to guard the Resource Point might be an unlisted labor dispatch.”

On the Virtual Realm map, the heroic soul legion’s icons were moving into the cave that was once the lair of the Giant Fierce Wolf Dragon. Clearly, among the loot that Ashe and his group had taken was something belonging to the heroic soul legion.

“But even in the lair, there are too many of them,” Deya pondered. “Can we repeat the trick and block the cave entrance to deal with them?”

Ashe shook his head and waved his hand, doubly negating Deya’s idea. “The risk is too great. If something goes wrong, we won’t even be able to run, we’d be doomed to die in the jaws of the beast.”

“We are up against the heroic soul legion, the risk is as high as eating some unknown, brightly colored mushrooms. And you still think about running away?” Sonya couldn’t help but tease Ashe, who seemed to have a ‘breeze-through’ mentality: “The world doesn’t work that easily.”

“It does,” Ashe asserted confidently. “I have a plan that can defeat the heroic soul legion and allow us to escape at a moment’s notice.”

The thought barely formed in Sonya’s mind—Is he suggesting we two fight while one stays in the car ready to flee?—when she realized the essence of Ashe’s plan.

“The Giant Fierce Wolf Dragon’s lair is quite spacious; it should accommodate a sports car as a guest. Even the Giant Fierce Wolf Dragon, if aware, would appreciate us holding a grand Ritual of remembrance atop its grave.”

Ashe pulled up the upgrade schematics for the vehicle, his eyes scanning over the list of peripherals that could be activated. “Originally, these resources were intended to upgrade the Alchemical Throne, but when it’s time to use them, then…”

“It’s time to showcase my driving skills that took me three tries to get a license!”