Sorcerer’s Handbook - Chapter 264: Farewell

Chapter 264: Farewell

Enchantress?

Is her name Enchantress… Sonya thought to herself as she moved spontaneously, following the white-haired girl swiftly through the meadow. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝘯𝘰𝓿𝑒𝓁.𝒸ℴ𝑚

Though suddenly pulled into this bizarre place, the rustic girl quickly regained her composure, knowing all too well that this must be the Observer’s doing.

She had told the Observer time and again to inform her before creating any trouble, yet the Observer, just like Sonya, never failed to disappoint when it came to letting people down.

Thus, the Red-haired Swordswoman remained calm; after all, the Observer wouldn’t harm her, and this Adventure was sure to bring some benefits.

But the problem was that she was about to engage in the Chief Battle with Tida, and now being pulled here, would her real self become immobilized?

If she stopped moving, Professor Trozan would surely interrupt the match to protect her, but it’s very likely that he would simply declare her defeated—there was no way the match could just continue the music and dance, waiting for her to wake up. Professor Trozan simply wasn’t that shameless.

After all, a student’s malfunction was their own issue, a common occurrence for Sorcerers. For instance, dying in the Virtual Realm greatly affects one’s real condition.

Could a Sorcerer, who frivolously died in the Virtual Realm, use poor condition as an excuse to delay a match? Impossible, everyone would think, ‘Why did you die when others didn’t? There must be something wrong with you.’

Condition management is a crucial aspect for a Sorcerer. Venturing into the Exploration in Virtual Realm before a major event is like taking laxatives before a long bus ride—you bear the consequences.

But it was Sonya’s first time representing her school in combat, and it was the Chief Battle no less. Just before the battle, to be fraught with such issues, she could already imagine the unpleasant comments that would flood the School Forum upon her return.

Oh Observer, why did you have to create trouble at this time? You must have known about the important match I was to attend tonight…

Just then, a pang of worry hit Sonya.

If she were to lose by default in the Chief Battle, the school would surely be disappointed in her, and it might even affect this year’s performance in the Intercollegiate League. If she couldn’t participate in the league, then her evenings would be free to continue the Exploration in Virtual Realm…

It only takes a little bit of soil for the seeds of suspicion to sprout uncontrollably.

Don’t blame the rustic girl for having such dark thoughts. If her mind hadn’t been filled with this foul rot, she would have been devoured by the city of Gales long ago—the label of a poor but beautiful college student might elicit kindness from the good-hearted, but it also invites malice from the wicked.

When faced with loss, the first reaction shouldn’t be ‘it wasn’t intentional’ but ‘it was targeted at me’. Holding this mindset is why Sonya hasn’t lost anything in her first year of college, securing every Scholarship and financial aid, edging out all competitors.

Because that’s all she has left, and losing any more would mean selling herself.

Over the past month, Sonya was almost ready to abandon this rotten way of thinking—she hated her constantly scheming self.

After all, how can someone full of negativity be happy?

Who wants to see everyone around them as villains? Who doesn’t want to be surrounded by Angels who like them?

The arrival of the Observer completely transformed Sonya’s social life. She not only made better friends but also gained the means to interact with high-quality friends—this was most important. A big reason why Sonya can now relax around people like Lois and Leoni is that she isn’t worried about being at a loss or being exploited by friends.

She can afford the cost of being betrayed by a friend.

Because she can afford to lose, she isn’t afraid to have.

But she can’t afford the cost of being betrayed by the Observer.

If, if it really was the Observer trying to control her life…

“Ah, we’ve encountered it so soon…” Enchantress suddenly said with a soft laugh.

Sonya saw a shallow pond suddenly appear in the meadow, and on it, an Orc wielding two axes. He had large ears and was clad in fine steel armor, sitting cross-legged on the pond, seemingly pondering something.

“Shall we attack?” Sonya heard ‘herself’ suggesting succinctly.

“There’s no need for that. This is the Tokoyo-no-Kuni of the Shadow Evil Dragon, where all monsters are minions of the Shadow Evil Dragon. If we make a move, it would be like knocking on the door to tell the master of the house that Invaders have arrived.”

Enchantress glanced at Sonya, “If you’re eager to fight your way in, I don’t mind, as long as you don’t hinder me from completing the master’s task.”

“Otherwise, just follow my lead obediently.” With a wave of her hand, both of their figures faded to transparency. Coupled with the light mist in the area, they became almost completely invisible. “I warn you, don’t hold me back, Sword Demon.”

“Hmph.” Sonya heard ‘herself’ scoff disdainfully, seemingly uninterested in arguing with Enchantress.

At that moment, Sonya finally remembered where they were—Tokoyo-no-Kuni, the Tokoyo Abyss!

The Abyss is not a single type but consists of various derivative Areas, such as the Aqueduct Abyss appearing in river areas, the Cavern Abyss in urban undergrounds, and even dungeon abysses that mimic surface architecture styles. Moreover, each layer of the Abyss has a different environment; for instance, the first layer might be the Aqueduct Abyss, and the second could turn into a mud abyss, with corresponding changes in the monsters that appear.

The Tokoyo Abyss, known as ‘the abyss closest to hell’, only appears in the deeper layers of the Abyss. Sonya knew of this place because the Tokoyo Abyss often appears in film and television productions.

Being the closest to hell, Tokoyo is regarded as the necessary path for the dead to resurrect from hell, and it is primarily inhabited by undead monsters, fitting people’s impressions of hell.

Currently, the knowledge of Tokoyo in the Stars Kingdom originates from the records of legendary Sorcerers, as only legendary Sorcerers have the capacity to delve into the deeper layers of the Abyss and step into Tokoyo-no-Kuni. As for more, Sonya wouldn’t know; after all, she had no plans to explore the Abyss, and her entire understanding of Tokoyo came from Delarose starring in the Shadow Drama “Alice in Tokoyo-no-Kuni” and “I Don’t Believe Every Heart Will Be Betrayed.”

Since ‘I’ and Enchantress can explore Tokoyo-no-Kuni, it at least shows that we’ve already broken through several layers of the Abyss… Does this mean that ‘I’ and Enchantress are both legendary Sorcerers?

But, is ‘my’ name Sword Demon? Doesn’t sound like a very nice person…

Sonya quickly gathered the current intelligence as she followed Enchantress through several monster defense zones. The monsters sat solitary on pools of water, standing like tombstones. They looked like Sorcerers from various races, except for their eyes, mouths, and ears, which were overgrown with blooming purple flowers, giving them a deceivingly normal appearance.

Suddenly, their view shifted. One second they were in an expansive meadow, and the next they saw a magnificent palace in the distance. Enchantress’s voice contained a hint of joy, “This is the place!”

Sonya immediately realized she must have been pulled into a memory—the transition clearly cut out the mundane part of their journey.

Only a memory could be ‘edited’ like this.

Why would the Observer want me to see this memory?… Sonya followed Enchantress into the palace, but the next second, she almost turned to flee.

“Lucky us,” Enchantress whispered with a light laugh. “The Shadow Evil Dragon is asleep.”

The vast palace seemed designed primarily to accommodate a huge black dragon. Its scales shimmered like onyx, and its wings were inlaid with purple orbs, curled up on a soft cushion, yet even in sleep, its appearance was fierce.

The palace was filled with purple flowers, some even growing on the dragon itself, which did not add a sense of natural harmony but rather made the scene even more sinister, as if the dragon and the flowers were consuming each other.

Logically, Sonya had slain dragons before—stacks of Slaying Fish-Dragon heads could form a small hill, so she shouldn’t be afraid of seeing another dragon.

But the problem was, this dragon was simply too massive.

A rough estimate suggested that if the dragon stood up, it would be dozens of meters tall. Just its claws could completely cover Sonya, and the sound of its heart beating inside its chest echoed like thunder throughout the palace.

Sonya had never seen such a colossal creature before, severely triggering her fear of large objects. When the size difference reaches a certain extent, all Magic becomes trivial tricks. The dragon would only need to step over to crush Sonya, the insect.

A Swordsmanship-practicing insect, no different from any other insect.

Is this the Shadow Evil Dragon? Can it be classified as a Knowledge Creature? Does it belong to the Perfect Form or an ultimate form?

However, Sonya found herself gripping the hilt of her sword, seemingly eager to disturb the Shadow Evil Dragon’s deep sleep. It was Enchantress who stopped her, saying, “I told you, we’re not here to fight. You’re just my backup plan if I fail… Watch me.”

The sweet-looking girl hopped and skipped up to the Shadow Evil Dragon, even jumping onto its snout and walking up to its head. Sonya, watching from the side, felt her heart pounding—she now somewhat understood how a mouse feels when trying to bell a cat.

Yet, the Shadow Evil Dragon showed no reaction to Enchantress’s actions, sleeping even more soundly. Sonya could now see that Enchantress seemed to be constantly performing a Miracle, keeping the dragon’s guard at its lowest, completely oblivious to her actions.

But as Enchantress reached the top of the dragon’s head, she suddenly plunged her hands into its forehead, prying apart—she revealed the vertical pupil of the Shadow Evil Dragon!

The evil, dark purple, large pupil was exposed to the air. Sonya was so nervous she was nearly numb, but the Shadow Evil Dragon still did not wake up. Its sleepy vertical pupil stared blankly into the void, completely unaware of Enchantress.

“The master was right; it has indeed matured…”

Humming a tune, Enchantress poured a strange solution into the vertical pupil. Sonya had a bad feeling, but unfortunately, this was just a memory, and she couldn’t stop her—

“Hey!”

With a sharp cry, Enchantress dug out the vertical pupils of the Shadow Evil Dragon! The sound of the eyeballs and nerve fibers breaking was like the crisp pop of opening a bottle of red wine!

“Ow—”

The intense pain instantly woke the slumbering beast. The dragon’s roar alone created a shockwave of sound, and Sonya felt as if she had been hit by a Wind Magic Miracle. Not to mention the roar sounded like thunder shattering Tokoyo, filling her ears with Echoes!

Enchantress gracefully jumped down from the Shadow Evil Dragon, first placing the purple orbs into a transparent container to keep them alive, then storing them in her spatial equipment, “Okay, my task is done. Now it’s your turn.”

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean is—goodbye, loser.”