Sorcerer’s Handbook

“Do you really think you’re her dad?”

While running down the stairs, Igor suddenly asked Ashe, who was just ahead of him.

They had just left the perilous gaming floor when Ashe and Banjeet erupted into a brief but fierce argument. Annan was on the 86th floor and Lise on the 56th. According to the character activity map displayed by the Gospel Book, Annan was fighting several people, while Lise was being pursued by one person. Therefore, Banjeet wanted everyone to first go support Annan.

Igor and Harvey had no objections, but Ashe insisted on going down to find Lise.

Given the urgency, they quickly took action after stating their opinions. Banjeet took the elevator up, Ashe ran down the stairs, and Igor signaled to Harvey. Thus, the necromancer and the butler went to curry favor with the boss, while the Con Artist accompanied the year’s worst employee to pick up the kid.

Without a doubt, Ashe’s “mixing business with personal matters” would surely anger both Banjeet and Annan.

After all, Lise’s situation seemed less dangerous, whereas Annan was barely holding on. Ashe, putting the boss after his “cheap daughter”, was unreasonable in every sense. Did he really think the Firm was his family?

Igor didn’t understand either. He knew that although Ashe had the intelligence of an Ogre and the cunning of a Goblin, his brain would often wander off on its own. However, Ashe wasn’t the kind of societal degenerate who couldn’t differentiate between priorities.

Judging by the situation, they should have all gone to rescue Annan first and then find Lise. Yet Ashe insisted on splitting up.

Igor should have gone with Banjeet to rescue Annan, but that would have made it seem like they were isolating Ashe. Even if it was just to show some solidarity as outsiders, Igor had to accompany Ashe down this path. Though it was inevitable that Annan would hold a grudge against him in the future, having Ashe, the perennial scapegoat, around made Igor less worried.

“No way,” Ashe’s voice interjected between the rapid footsteps. “I’m an unmarried guy, far from being old enough to be anyone’s dad.”

“Then why do you care so much about Lise that you can’t wait a few minutes? If we all went to save Annan together, we could quickly deal with those enemies and then turn around to rescue Lise. Isn’t that a more reasonable plan?”

“You’re right. Why didn’t I think of that? My bad.”

“Are you playing dumb in front of me?” Igor reached out and slapped Ashe on the head. “Even in a rush, how could you not figure that out?”

“I really didn’t think that much just now—”

“If you don’t want to explain, then forget it.”

As they turned a corner on the staircase, Ashe said helplessly, “Lise is different from Annan.”

“Ah, I can only hope you’re not talking about their body differences,” Igor mocked. “They are different in so many ways. For example, their names are different.”

“Putting aside their combat abilities, the most crucial difference,” Ashe said, “is their mindset.”

“Their mindset?”

Igor was slightly taken aback, but as a mental sorcerer, he instantly grasped Ashe’s implication.

“No matter how critical the situation, Annan can remain calm,” Ashe said. “She knows that many people care about her—her mother Qenna, her butler Banjeet, and her companions like us. She has plenty of reasons to hold on. She believes time is on her side, convinced that many people are rushing to save her. She holds onto hope.”

“But Lise is different. She…”

Ashe paused, seemingly racking his brain for a suitable example, finally settling on the worst one he could think of: “She’s a lot like you.”

“She is not.”

“She doesn’t know if anyone will come to rescue her, or if she even matters. Time is on Annan’s side because with every passing second, she believes help will arrive any moment. Time is not on Lise’s side because with each passing second, she feels abandoned.”

“People act spoiled when they feel they are favored; they act mature when they suspect they might be abandoned. Igor, Lise has always been a smart and sensible child.” Ashe smiled. “Even though I’ve never met her, I feel she’s very much like you when you were a kid.”

“She is not.”

“So even if it’s just me, I have to go find her first.” Ashe jumped off the steps, landing heavily on the concrete floor. “Maybe my arrival won’t make a difference, and I might even get caught. But at least I can show her through my actions—no matter what, always hold onto hope.”

“So, she’s not like me,” Igor kept pace with Ashe. “I haven’t fallen so low that I need someone else to give me hope.”

“Be a little more tolerant with kids, Aunt Bukin.”

“But you still haven’t answered my question. You explained why you need to save her, but not why you care so much about her.”

“Did you forget? I have a Pact with her. I have to protect her.”

“Is it just because of the Pact?”

“And there’s one other insignificant reason…”

Ashe grabbed ‘Lise’s’ hand, hoisting her onto his shoulder and giving her a firm smack on the bottom. ‘Lise’ couldn’t help but yelp.

“See, you always get into trouble, making me come to your rescue every time.” Ashe pretended to be angry, laughing as he spoke. “Let’s see if you dare to disobey next time!”

Ashe felt that Lise had been showing him less respect recently. She used to always call him Dad, but lately, she had been mixing ‘Ashe’ and ‘Dad’, even daring to tease him in front of Harvey. It’s one thing to do it privately, but how could she disrespect him in front of others?

If this continued, Lise might evolve into the kind of brat who says, ‘Hey, you, give me some money.’ This was the perfect opportunity to establish some adult authority. For Lise’s healthy development, it was time to take a firm stand!

Upstairs, Igor wore a peculiar expression. He never expected that Ashe’s main reason for rescuing Lise first was to show off in front of the little girl.

This guy has the nerve to say I’m like Lise. I think he’s the one who’s like Lise—two immature kids.

Deya covered her flushed face, wishing she could revert to her original form and beat this guy up, but she couldn’t. She had never been spanked by anyone, not even a witch, and now Ashe dared to smack her loudly!

She should have immediately returned the body to the Little Witch when she saw Ashe!

After all, it’s one thing for the Little Witch to get spanked, but she was the Secret Princess. How could she face the White Queen and the others in the future?

Wait a minute… Deya’s face changed, and she quickly slapped Ashe on the back. “Run!”

Boom!

The ceiling above them suddenly collapsed. Ashe immediately grabbed Deya and moved out of the way, narrowly avoiding the falling steel and concrete.

“Still not dead?” Ashe looked at the pile of rubble with a grim expression.

After discovering that the stairway on the 56th floor was blocked, Ashe and Igor had moved up to the 57th floor. Using the Gospel Book, they determined that Lise’s pursuers were directly below them and quickly devised a plan. Igor would unleash a Mental Scream to create an opening, and Ashe would drop down to ambush the enemies.

For this attack, Ashe chose not Sword Art, not Single-minded Devotion, but his most proficient miracle—the sword body barrier!

His sword body barrier was a Defensive Miracle that combined both offense and defense. It could repel ranged attacks, but if anyone came into close contact with it, their attacks would be neutralized, and they would be cut by the barrier’s sharp sword energy.

The sword energy of the sword body barrier originated from the Earth Sword and was shaped by the Wind Wall. Since the Earth Sword was connected to the ground, its sword energy was virtually indestructible—unless you could shatter the ground, you couldn’t penetrate the sword body barrier. Unless someone could instantly break through it, anyone who tried to clash with it would find themselves shattered, not the barrier.

In virtual realm combat, almost no virtual realm creature would directly confront the sword body barrier. They would either retreat or switch to long-range attacks.

Even virtual realm creatures knew to avoid its sharp edges, so sorcerers wouldn’t even consider it.

Thus, the offensive capabilities of the sword body barrier had always been lackluster, earning it the nickname “the sword of kindness,” with a record of 0 kills, 10 deaths, and 65 assists—having been broken at least 10 times but protecting teammates 65 times.

But Ashe keenly realized that the current terrain was the perfect opportunity for the sword body barrier to shine.

The biggest drawbacks of the sword body barrier were twofold: it had to be grounded, and it couldn’t move. That’s why it was called a “barrier”—it could only take hits passively and couldn’t attack proactively.

Yes, the sword body barrier couldn’t move, but what if you moved the ground instead?

The sword body barrier had to rely on the ground, but the ceiling was the ground too!

So Ashe planted his sword, causing the sword body barrier to form on the ceiling directly beneath him. Then, using the Heart Sword to cut through the floor and coordinating with Igor’s Mental Scream, Ashe finally executed his plan perfectly—

Miracle: Air Raid Sword Body Barrier!

“The damage should be sufficient, and with the enemy stunned by the Mental Scream, they shouldn’t have had time to react…” Ashe set Deya down, his eyes gleaming. “Could it be…”

Igor immediately opened the Gospel Book: “Reveal all the information you can about that person!”

Gospel Book: “(Consuming 30 Gospel Points) The opponent’s name is hidden.”

“Identity: Secret Guard of Yisuo, representing the Yisuo Royal Family, with administrative privileges second only to the royal family, authorized to oversee all imperial units.”

“Professional Privilege: Secret Gaze: Secret Guards have intelligence privileges second only to the royal family, allowing them to access any information without cost.”

“Professional Privilege: Weave: Secret Guards have Miracle privileges second only to the royal family, allowing them to use the royal family’s Gospel Points to request Miracles or even Divine Interventions from the Omniscient Weaver, and to weave fate at will.”

“Professional Privilege: Darkest Night: The Secret Guard’s armor is blessed with ‘Darkest Night,’ automatically consuming Gospel Points to resist all damage.”

“Professional Privilege: Requiem Prayer: The Secret Guard’s soul is blessed with ‘Requiem Prayer,’ automatically consuming Gospel Points to heal all mental injuries.”

There was a long list of additional privileges, but Igor didn’t bother reading further. He urgently shouted, “Ashe, don’t—”