The Sorcerer's Handbook-Chapter 102: Do You Really Not Care About Your Life?

[Sincerity]

One-Winged Spirit

Requirement

- Must possess a heart.

Basic Effect

- Transforms the heart into a Heart of Sincerity. While active, it greatly enhances the sorcerer's mental resistances and mitigates a range of negative effects targeting the soul, consciousness, or thought, including dizziness, confusion, and sluggishness.

Passive Effect

- The sorcerer becomes more inclined to speak the truth, favors sincere communication, and can more easily discern the honesty of others' words.

Signature Quote

- There are only two tragedies in life. One is never speaking the truth; the other is speaking it.

Sonya gently stroked the One-Winged spirit. It resembled a transparent butterfly. Looking at it, a sense of wonder stirred in her chest. She had summoned spirits before, but never with such unexpected delight.

Although the Sincerity spirit had been summoned through the Watcher's compulsory ritual, Sonya grasped it almost effortlessly. Its structure and knowledge felt like second nature to her. She had a strong feeling that even if she lost Sincerity one day, she would be able to summon it again.

She had never studied Sincerity, nor did her personality align with it. Yet as she stroked the delicate butterfly, a resonance formed between her and the spirit, as if they were bound by blood. Sincerity felt like her own innate spirit.

Suddenly, she recalled the origins of sorcerers discussed in class. The first sorcerers had lived ordinary lives without knowing how to summon spirits. Yet, even in those times, small "cuties" would constantly appear to assist them. In that distant era, patience was part of life. Waiting was worthwhile. Every moment carried the possibility of a spirit's arrival.

Ashe opened the Operator Management screen and glanced at it.

[Death Maniac Swordswoman]

Species

- Human Female

Age

- 18

Bond Level

- 2 (40% experience shared)

Bond Resonance

- Never Enough: When acting together, there is a chance to obtain better loot.

Profession

- Silver Executioner Sorcerer

Profession Trait

- Restores 0.5% maximum mana with every effective attack.'

Owned Items

- Wooden Practice Sword

Controlled Spirit

- Wave, Moonthread, Torrent, Killing Intent, Fission, Sheath, Sharpen

Sword Class

- Silver Rank

Light Class

- Silver Rank

Water Class

- Silver Rank

Mind Class

- Silver Rank

Virtual World Exploration

- 0.098%

Knowledge Curse

- Whirlpool Poison

Ashe thought, As expected, her Mind Class has advanced to Silver Rank. But why is there a few spirits I haven't seen before?

Sonya recounted the events and gains of the past two days. Ashe listened, both surprised and delighted. He realized that she had completed the missing social development and storyline modules in Aurora's Handbook entirely on her own. Even without player assistance, the mature Swordswoman had finished the storyline and claimed her rewards.

Since Ashe couldn't help her clear stages, he resolved not to hold her back and planned to give greater consideration to her needs when dividing future loot.

Sonya explained, "I can teach you the Miracle Killing Intent Activation, but not Sheath Radiance or Decade of Swordcraft. Those two Miracles were taught to me by Professor Trosan. We signed a non-disclosure contract, so I have usage rights but not sharing rights. Until the contract is annulled, I can't reveal the details."

Ashe understood. Those two Miracles were exclusive rewards tied to Sonya's character and naturally couldn't be shared. Meanwhile, Killing Intent Activation came from the Killing Intent spirit, a reward from their exploration in the Virtual World. Upon returning to the real world, it triggered additional storyline content, providing a bonus that everyone could benefit from.

He wasn't particularly interested in the Miracles anyway. He was hardly a well-trained sorcerer, and he also lacked the key spirits. Even if he learned the formulas, he wouldn't be able to study them properly.

Sonya glanced at him, pursed her lips, and asked, "And you? Did you escape from prison?"

Ashe shook his head and recounted his bizarre experiences over the past two days.

Hearing about the canceled escape plan, the arrival of the Three-Winged Sacred Realm hunters, and the near-assassination attempt by their captain in his dorm, Sonya's mood shifted with every twist in his tale.

"So, what's your plan? Wait ten days and then break out?" Sonya asked.

Ashe shrugged. "That's the ideal plan. But there's another Blood Moon Tribunal in a few days. I seriously doubt I won't get picked again for the lucky eight. Syrin has even called out the Sacred Realm sorcerers. I don't trust him to pass up the chance to have me die openly and properly.

"Last time, Varkas stood in the way. This time, I'll have to rely entirely on myself."

"You're planning to face the Blood Moon Tribunal head-on?"

"I'll play the victim on the live stream and let the audience vote against the other criminals." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Sonya frowned, her eyebrows knitting in displeasure. "So... you're just going to sit there and wait to die?"

In the past, she might have teased him lightly and moved on. The Watcher's reality had never been her concern. Complaints and worries were mere small talk between breaks. She had never truly cared about his situation.

But this time, she couldn't help asking, "Don't you have any backup plan or secret card? If you run into a situation you can't escape, is there any guaranteed way out?"

"No. No way. If I had one, I'd already be outside, breathing fresh air."

"How could you possibly have nothing? You force me to train, explore the secrets of the Virtual World. You can freely access the Sorcerer's Handbook without any repercussions, and can even make me summon spirits I never imagined. How can you not even save yourself?"

Ashe spread his hands helplessly. "I just can't. Maybe I'm unlucky. Sorry."

Sonya fixed her gaze on him, then asked suddenly, "Is it my imagination, or do you really not care about your own life?"

Ashe froze slightly, then turned toward the gray misty sea, pretending to be shy. "Hearing you care so much... kind of makes me embarrassed."

"I'm not—"

Sonya stopped mid-sentence, then suddenly asked, "Wait... does that mean my ritual has ended?"

Ashe nodded. "Of course. The moment you summoned the Sincerity spirit, the ritual had already ended. By the way, your Mind Class is now Silver Rank. When you return, be sure to read some books. Maybe I can even arrange training for it."

"No need. I'll study the Mind Class myself!" Sonya said firmly.

She eyed Ashe suspiciously, then said with a small smirk, "Watcher, you're a humble, kind, and good person."

Just as Ashe was wondering how he had ended up holding a deluxe version of the "good person" card, Sonya let out a long and deep sigh. "Ah... lying feels so good."

Ashe's face darkened. He clicked his tongue. "I'm too lazy to argue with you. Time to explore the Virtual World. Since we've both condensed our Silver Wing, let's focus on steady progress and low-risk areas—"

"You still haven't answered my question."

Sonya grabbed his right wrist as he activated the light screen. Her soft red eyes locked onto his blurred face. "I've never seen anyone so unconcerned about their own life. Do you really have a secret backup plan I don't know about, or do you genuinely not care if you live or die?"

Ashe replied gently, "Hey, I'm not unconcerned. I just don't see the point in showing my nerves. Do you really want to watch me tremble in fear? Swordswoman, you have a twisted sense of humor~"

His reasoning sounded plausible, but Sonya shook her head. "When I was a child, my mother would occasionally bring home little treats. Whenever I offered her a taste, she'd shake her head and say she'd already eaten. That's exactly the feeling you give me. Do you think I'm a little girl? Even a child can see through such a flimsy lie."

Ashe thought for a moment, leaned back on the small boat, and smiled helplessly. "I'm not lying. I'm telling the truth. If I weren't afraid of death, why would I care so much about escaping? Why would I painstakingly form an escape team? I do fear death, and I want to live. That's biological instinct. But..."

"But what?"

"All I can think about is staying alive," Ashe said, staring at the gray Virtual World sky. "No past, no future, no family, or friends. The only force pushing me forward is the simple inertia of being alive. I have no goal worth fighting for. Living is just... living."

He shrugged. "Sounds a bit pretentious, doesn't it? I'm afraid you might even mock me for it. I don't know how to describe it... I feel light as a balloon, tied to the ground by only a thin string."

Sonya said, "Sounds like the early symptoms of Longevity Syndrome. Some legendary long-lived sorcerers have a chance of developing this peculiar condition. They stagnate in Virtual World exploration, neglect real-world affairs, grow too old without updating their social circle, can't keep up with the times, and eventually fall into confusion and loneliness.

"Many years ago, Longevity Syndrome was considered almost fatal. Infected sorcerers' souls would quickly decay and die."

Ashe flinched. "Is it that serious?"

"But with the advancement of medical sorcerers, the condition was cured. For hundreds of years, no sorcerer has died from it."

Sonya held up two fingers. "There are two treatments. The first is the Miracle Light of Hope, which reignites a sorcerer's inner flame and helps them find purpose. It's a common medical Miracle, highly effective against mental and cognitive disorders."

No matter how much Ashe had tried to overestimate this world, he still hadn't expected something like this. Can the sorcerer world even cure pretentiousness? That's simply amazing.

"The second method is talk therapy. Basically, you help someone regain motivation by talking to them. Want me to try it on you?"

"Sure. How does talk therapy work?"

"First, you need to call me Master."

Ashe paused, then said, "Swordswoman, I think you might have some symptoms of Longevity Syndrome yourself. How about I treat you first... Not even little boys would believe a lie like that!"