Sorcerer’s Handbook

“Why don’t you just kill yourself?”

When Valcas uttered these words, it didn’t signal his confidence in victory; on the contrary, it was a sign of his concession.

Suicide was an option in the Deathmatch Arena.

Once one committed suicide, the Deathmatch would end, the chip restrictions would reactivate, and Valcas would have no chance to desecrate the corpse.

As long as Ashe left his body intact, the Medics could communicate with his soul through the spirit in the Virtual Realm, and pull it back from the foggy mists of that realm into his body.

Ashe had dodged his first Earth-Shattering Miracle, and with that, Valcas had already lost. The subsequent attacks were nothing more than desperate struggles fueled by a slim hope. Even if he could win this Deathmatch, he couldn’t fulfill his mission to completely annihilate Ashe Heath.

More disheartening than the mission failure was the scene unfolding before Valcas.

Nothing was more painful than watching a genius rise, except perhaps being the stepping stone for that genius.

Even as a middle-aged elf with over a century of life behind him, Valcas felt a sense of aggrieved frustration—how could it be, with so many unlucky souls in the world, that he was the one to suffer this fate?

To be honest, Valcas was mentally breaking down, which is why he blurted out the quick solution, hoping Ashe would swiftly end this nightmare.

“Why should I kill myself? I haven’t lost yet.”

“Do you think you stand a chance against me?” Valcas sneered in anger, “Oh yes, centuries from now, Bards will sing of your glory in the streets, ‘Ashe Heath, who never learned Swordsmanship, faced off against a foolish elf swordsman in a Battle, and miraculously triumphed, marking the beginning of his undefeated, illustrious life.’”

“Ah, merciful Mr. Ashe, the humble Valcas beseeches you to mention my name in your future autobiography, may I live on infamously as a jest, yes?”

“So, when are you publishing your book, Valcas?”

Ashe struggled to lift his left hand, wiping the blood from his forehead to prevent it from sticking to his eyelashes and obstructing his vision, still smiling.

“I just have reasons why I must win against you.”

“What reasons?”

“I want to ask you, is it Sylin Dole who sent you to kill me? Is there a conspiracy behind my imprisonment?”

Valcas flicked the blood and debris off his sword blade with a light tap.

“What does that have to do with you needing to win?”

“If I don’t win against you, would you answer me?”

“Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn’t. And even if I did answer, could you discern the truth?”

“That question, I just asked someone else.” Ashe exhaled deeply, “He came to me to resolve a doubt, and I asked, ‘If I lie, can you tell?’ He said he really could tell.”

“So you can too?”

“No, I can’t. But I figured, the answer I get after beating you up is likely closer to the truth than one I would get by simply asking you.”

“It’s been a long time since I left the Nursery, and I haven’t heard such an innocent reason in a while.”

Valcas cracked a vicious smile for the first time since he had entered the arena, his elegant demeanor breaking in the heat of the Battle: “But if you don’t kill yourself, you very well might die, you know.”

“It all comes down to whether your sword is faster or mine is.”

“To kill you before you can kill yourself? Interesting, I accept that challenge.”

“Ah, that’s not really what I meant…”

Ashe gripped his sword tighter, his muscles tensed for action.

“After all, I have no plans of retiring here. If I can’t even step over a stepping stone like you, what right do I have to leave this Prison?”

“Such big talk!”

The already shattered ground split again, the invisible Sword Qi outlined by the flying debris, like a giant sword thrusting from the earth towards Ashe!

Ashe didn’t even blink as he dodged the Sword Qi and the exploding stones, prolonging the Battle to absorb as much Swordsmanship experience as possible!

The Swordswoman’s experience was truly formidable. From the start where Ashe couldn’t even see Valcas’s sword clearly, to now where he could anticipate Valcas’s moves just by watching his shoulder, Ashe may not have truly mastered the sword, but at least he had become adept at dodging.

He wasn’t simply courting death; he genuinely had the confidence to defeat Valcas.

With the added boost from the Swordswoman’s experience, the Miracle Earth-Shattering technique was no longer an unsolvable fog. On the contrary, with Valcas unable to exert his full power, Earth-Shattering was beginning to show a sliver of vulnerability!

It was like encountering a challenging math problem on a college entrance exam and suddenly discovering a helpful auxiliary line; Ashe felt he had a chance to conquer this difficult task!

Just a little more time, and Ashe believed he could even find a flaw in the Earth-Shattering’s attack pattern, slip through the gap, and counterattack Valcas!

If only he had a bit more time—

Boom!

Ashe grunted as the arcane energy in his mind circulated again, bringing a cooling sensation that forced his rationality to suppress the intense pain in his thigh. He barely managed to dodge another Earth-Shattering attack!

He glanced at his thigh with his peripheral vision, then dared not look any further down.

“Your growth rate is indeed admirable, but unfortunately, you’re tired,” Valcas said, unable to hide his pity. “From the beginning, you’ve been bleeding, and after such an intense Battle, you’ve lost too much blood, so much so that your brain is starting to lack oxygen and your strength is waning. You’re getting slower and slower.”

“Even if you can suppress the pain and continue to fight, your body can no longer battle. I’ve gouged out a chunk of flesh from your thigh, and with all the blood you’ve lost before, it’s surprising you haven’t passed out from shock already.”

“Do you know why I’m telling you all this? Because the longer the time drags on, the more strength you lose, and now your sword can no longer be faster than mine. Before you can kill yourself, my sword will crush your remains first.”

“Thank you, Ashe. Sorry, Ashe.”

With that, Valcas charged forward, his sword unleashing fierce Sword Qi once again, Earth-Shattering tearing through the ground!

Is this the limit of my strength…

Ashe sighed inwardly.

Long before Igor told him about Valcas, Ashe had anticipated the dangers of the Deathmatch. After all, without any grievances, why would someone challenge him, a rookie who had only fought in one Deathmatch?

If a colleague suddenly makes life difficult for you, it must be due to conflicting interests.

So why did Ashe accept the Deathmatch?

Even before entering the Arena, Ashe could have simply declined. No one would be able to insult or look down on him for it; Ashe had that freedom.

But Ashe did not want to back down.

Firstly, he needed an opponent to assimilate the Swordsmanship experience shared by the Swordswoman, and there was no place more fitting than the peril yet secure setting of the Deathmatch Arena.

Secondly, you can run for a while, but not forever. Even if Ashe avoided this Deathmatch, troubles would eventually find him.

Most importantly, as he said himself, he was planning an escape from prison. If he couldn’t even overcome a stepping stone like Valcas, what kind of escape could he possibly make? It would be better to just lie down and retire!

However, life is not full of Miracles, and even if they exist, they belong to others…

Just as Ashe was preparing to draw his longsword across his throat and commit suicide, he suddenly heard a familiar voice from the stands.

It was the Swordswoman.

“If it hurts, imagine that it’s happening to someone else. Then it won’t hurt anymore.”

In that instant, Ashe felt as if ice was melting in his mind. Arcane energy was running wild, but it was tightly bound by an invisible cage, unable to touch reality!

Arcane energy can be locked away, but knowledge cannot. Even if their hands and feet are bound, they will still grow wings and fly.

The Substitute spirit, which had been dormant, suddenly began to dance in Ashe’s consciousness.

Without any hesitation, Ashe did not dodge or retreat but chose to brandish his longsword and charge towards Valcas!

“It’s over.”

Valcas watched as ‘Ashe’ was engulfed by the Earth-Shattering Sword Qi, feeling a tinge of sorrow. As a Swordcerer, he had not seen an Apprentice with a greater Talent for Swordsmanship than Ashe in over a hundred years.

If it were a different time, a different place, a different identity, Valcas felt that even being a stepping stone for Ashe… might not be so bad…

There is nothing more painful than watching a genius rise before your eyes, and nothing more exhilarating than witnessing a genius ascend from up close.

Snap.

Hearing a sound like bubbles bursting, Valcas immediately sensed something was amiss. He focused his gaze and saw that ‘Ashe’ had dissipated under the impact of the Sword Qi without leaving any flesh or blood behind—

It was a Substitute!

“It’s over!”

Valcas slightly turned his head, only to discover that the area in his blind spot was covered in dust and debris from the Earth-Shattering slash, enough to conceal the charge of a gravely injured person!

As Valcas’s sword fell to the ground, Ashe’s sword penetrated his throat.

A blade without an edge, passing through the throat!

Ding, ding, ding!

“The battle is decided, the winner is Ashe Heath!”