Sorcerer's Handbook-Chapter 665: Hold Off on the Killing

“Sword Princess, you know me.”

Vesser tried to explain as calmly as possible, “I have no intention of competing with you for leadership-“

“But that’s exactly what you’re doing,” Sonya interrupted. “You think you’re protecting us, helping the team, but in reality, you’re imposing your personal views over the team’s will, causing trouble for us and for the Observer.”

Vesser, slightly irritated, shook off Sonya’s hand and replied coldly, “How am I causing trouble for you?”

Deya stood by, anxious and at a loss, only daring to plead with her eyes, not daring to intervene.

“You might mistakenly believe that the Observer favors me and the Witch, so you think your protective actions will earn his approval. After all, you’re the only one getting your hands dirty, while everyone else can remain guilt-free…”

The Sword Princess pulled Vesser closer. Though only slightly taller, she seemed to look down on her, “You really underestimate both us and him.”

“He has never taken our contributions for granted, never. You’ve integrated into our group, contributed greatly, and willingly stepped back from benefits. We’ve all noticed.”

“In the Specter’s Inheritance, you’re being focused on to enhance the Soul Sect not just because you’re suitable, but because the team is favoring you. He works hard to maintain a balance of resources among us, even if it means he gets less, so we all gain according to our efforts.”

“So you realize you’re causing trouble, right?” Sonya continued, “You’re making us owe you a huge favor. How are we supposed to repay that? How is he supposed to repay that?”

“You don’t need to repay anything!” Vesser exclaimed. “I never expected any of you to-“

Smack.

Deya widened her eyes, covering her mouth, terrified that even a single word might drag her into this conflict.

Vesser stared at Sonya in shock, unable to believe she’d been slapped.

Sonya withdrew her hand and shifted the topic, “In ‘Blade of Shifting Time,’ there’s a case where someone did a good deed without asking for a reward, which ended in tragedy. I used to think it was just a plot device, but I’ve come to realize it’s a common occurrence.”

“In any organization, the principle of equivalent exchange is crucial; contributions must yield returns, or it’s a test and insult to human nature. By saying you don’t want repayment, you’re trampling on this team’s principles-we’re here exploring the Virtual Realm because we each have our own goals.”

“If we could really use you like a dirty rag and discard you, would I be saying all this?” Sonya asked. “Your words suggest you don’t understand us at all. Are you insulting us or yourself?”

“Moreover, saying you don’t want repayment implies either there’s nothing in the team that can repay you, or you’ve already received some other form of compensation.” The Sword Princess’s ruby eyes reflected Vesser’s appearance. “Are you satisfying some strange self-sacrificial urge?”

Vesser pressed her lips together and said, “I just want to do my best to help the team.”

“I will also do my best to contribute, and if necessary, I’ll sacrifice my own interests. But unlike you, I’ll report my efforts to the Observer. If he doesn’t compensate me tenfold, I won’t accept it,” Sonya said. “Since I’m contributing to the team, I won’t bear the cost alone.”

“So I really dislike your tone just now, filled with a self-destructive desire to bear sins alone, lost in some vague self-pity. You haven’t considered that this is a fate we all face together, and there’s no need for you to act out of place… You’re just like those nauseating protagonists in melodramatic plays.”

Vesser’s face turned sour. “I was just-“

“And you’ve misunderstood the Observer’s intentions,” Sonya continued. “He might want to cast spells alone like you, but he would never say, ‘I’ll take all the responsibility.’ Instead, he shares his mental burdens with us-remember his hint earlier?”

“It was more of a direct statement,” Vesser replied. “He said he’d engage in intimate actions with you.”

“Ahem,” Sonya quickly moved past the topic. “Anyway, gains and losses are the team’s, and so are the responsibilities. Whatever you contribute, speak up about it, don’t hide it, and certainly don’t bear it alone… That’s how I’ve always done it, and the Observer has started doing it too. You should learn from us.”

Deya nodded vigorously like a pecking chick.

Vesser softly said, “I just thought doing this wouldn’t cost me anything.”

“Really?” Sonya asked. “But deep down, you don’t want to do it, so why force yourself not to care?”

Vesser was taken aback.

“In the past, when I talked to you about stories from the Sea of Knowledge, you’d listen intently to the interesting ones. But when it was boring, you’d increase your engagement, forcing yourself to express opinions to cover your disinterest,” Sonya explained. “Just like your actions now.”

“You usually speak very little, Vesser.”

Vesser was silent for a moment, then suddenly relaxed, whispering, “Your insight and rhetoric are so much like the Observer’s.”

“What does he have to do with this!”

Despite her words, Sonya’s cheeks flushed, her gaze drifting as if recalling something pleasant.

“Anyway, don’t say things like that anymore.” Sonya placed her hands on Vesser’s shoulders. “I don’t know what you’ve been through to develop this inexplicable self-sacrificing tendency, but…”

Sonya leaned closer, their foreheads touching, as if feeling each other’s warmth.

“We’re forehead-touching companions now,” she said. “So, you don’t need to sacrifice for us. Risks are shared, responsibilities are shared, benefits are shared-that’s what being companions means.”

Vesser blinked, and in a daze, she remembered how Vionelle used to touch foreheads with her as a child. Hesitating for a moment, she wanted to hug the sword Princess to show her apology, and the latter happily embraced her.

Yet, this embrace, devoid of any warmth, made Vesser feel a familiar comfort.

Deya watched in awe from the side-didn’t the sword Princess just slap Vesser a minute ago? How did they reconcile so quickly?

Is this the power of the vice-captain?

“What about the longing for?” Vesser eventually pushed the sword Princess away and asked, “Shouldn’t it be performed by just one person? Let me…”

“If we’re going to get our hands dirty, let’s do it together,” Sonya said. “There’s no need to avoid it.”

Vesser asked, “Are you all mentally prepared?”

“Even if we’re not, we can always go back and share the psychological burden with the Observer later,” Sonya said, stroking her sword hilt. “But I actually anticipated this. The higher the level, the more likely we are to encounter situations like this, where we’re forced or compelled to kill innocent people. It’s actually easy to weigh-on one side, there’s the lives of the four of us, and on the other, 28, 50, 100 people-of course, we’re more important.”

“After all, we’re doing this out of necessity. It’s all the Nightmare Angel’s fault. Once you understand that, the psychological burden lifts.”

Deya timidly asked, “Can it really be that simple?”

“We’re not Divine Sovereigns, and even they aren’t Omniscient and Omnipotent. The only thing we can do is try our best for the world and give our all for ourselves,” Sonya said. “Then, continue living with a sense of guilt.”

She paused. “That’s what I learned from the Observer.”

Deya took a deep breath. “Alright!”

Vesser looked at her palm and lowered it. “Then let’s accomplish the longing for together.”

“Wait!” Sonya pondered. “Do you think we could improve the procedure so it can create a spirit without causing death?”

Deya was powerless in this regard. If she could return to reality, she might ask the Gospel Book how to improve it, but in the Virtual Realm, she couldn’t command the Gospel Deity.

However, Vesser, who had studied the Miracle procedure earlier, said, “It’s not impossible to avoid deaths. The longing for procedure obliterates the sorcerer’s soul to ensure a 100% success rate. If we make some adjustments, we could trade off some success rate for the sorcerer’s survival.”

Sonya and Deya were stunned-what had they been agonizing over earlier?

“But such improvements are beyond our capability,” Vesser said helplessly. “Even with my Golden level in the Mental Sect and Soul Sect, I can only grasp a rough direction. It would take at least months to make improvements. To quickly refine the procedure, we’d need sanctuary level expertise in both the Mental and Soul Sects.”

Sonya sighed softly. “So there’s no way?”

“No way,” Vesser shook her head.

“We’ll just have to kill!” Deya resolved firmly. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

At that moment, a mass of black mist suddenly appeared in the Underground Hall, and the nightmare finally transported the first victim.

The sorcerer hunt begins!

“This Specter’s Canon… what an ingenious idea, and it’s just perfect for me!”

Igor was still savoring the Specter’s Canon he had just acquired, his heart racing with excitement. Thanks to a soul enhancement Ash had given him after dinner, he had managed to break through to the 80th level tonight and seize a Specter’s Canon!

The Specter’s Appendix, Canon, and Codex-if the Appendix was merely a collection of minor Miracles occasionally used by the Specter Seer, then the Canon was undoubtedly a set of Powerful Miracles heavily relied upon by the Seer!

The Specter’s Canon Igor obtained was a Miracle procedure that pointed straight to legend! Although the Canon only contained three wings of spirits, as long as he advanced and completed the spirits, it would remain a top-tier Miracle even at the legendary stage!

Moreover, the spellcasting philosophy embodied in this procedure was greatly beneficial to Igor, giving him new insights into his spirit system.

‘What incredible luck tonight…’

As he pondered, Igor noticed that the Underground Hall was suddenly engulfed in black mist. He squinted, wondering if this was a change after the 80th level.

The black mist gradually dissipated, and the Con Artist, using the Soul Spirit obtained from the Inheritance, prepared various Miracles to face the next challenge.

As the mist cleared, what appeared before Igor were three… female sorcerers?

The moment the red-haired sorcerer charged at him, Igor immediately unleashed a “Riptide of Souls”! This was a potent soul miracle he had assembled from the Inheritance, capable of nearly obliterating any enemy unit-

Sizzle!

The Riptide of Souls was blocked by a transparent barrier, diverted and cut off!

Sanctuary!

Igor was stunned, instinctively wanting to raise his own Sanctuary, but his spellforce didn’t respond at all.

How could this be!

Smack!

The Con Artist was slammed against the wall, and before he could utter a word, his throat was tightly grasped. He quickly took out the specter key, attempting to escape the Inheritance.

As expected, the specter key wouldn’t activate; he couldn’t escape.

He took a sharp breath, but only the cold breath of death filled his lungs.

Igor had a vague idea of what was happening. The appearance of sorcerers not suppressed by the Inheritance, combined with the specter key’s failure to activate, was enough to indicate that he had become a lamb to the slaughter.

He was doomed.

“Sorry,” he heard the red-haired sorcerer say, “we have no choice.”

At that moment, what flashed through Igor’s mind wasn’t a scheme for survival, nor a curse of resentment, but a painting.

A painting he had drawn countless times in “Rejuvenating Return.”

Even now, he couldn’t understand why that painting featured a black crow…

Just as the red-haired sorcerer was about to use an unknown spirit on him, Igor heard the other two female sorcerers shout:

“Wait!”

“Don’t kill him yet!”

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