The Sorcerer's Handbook

Chapter 3: Sorcerer’s Handbook

Aurora was the game company Ashe had worked for in his past life. They had released several popular mobile games, including Aurora’s Dungeon Castle, Aurora’s Land of Mutation, and Carefree Cultivation. Their latest project, Aurora’s Sorcerer’s Handbook, was a new mobile game currently in playtesting.

Ashe hadn’t been part of the development team for this new game. He worked in operations. Still, he had heard that the game was genuinely fun and likely to be a hit. The planning lead even wanted him to spearhead a small team for the game’s launch operations, so Ashe had downloaded the demo to study it and prepare for being squeezed of everything he had.

Before he even opened it, he was suddenly isekai’d during an all-nighter at work.

How did this game end up here? And how did it even install itself into my mind?

Ashe’s head was full of questions, but with the non-zero possibility of becoming a slab of pork on the chopping block in a couple of days, he had no time to investigate how and why the game transmigrated here with him. All he could do was hope it would work some miracle.

[Starting Aurora’s Sorcerer’s Handbook...]

[Checking game resources... Unable to connect to the network. Switching to local area network mode.]

[Warning: Repairing missing image system...]

[Warning: Repairing missing instance system...]

[Warning: Repairing missing data system...]

Red warnings flashed non-stop until a green prompt appeared.

[Exploration system: Ready]

[Recharge system: Ready]

[Welcome to the Sorcerer’s Handbook.]

Damn it! The only things that started properly in the entire game are the gacha and recharge systems. Typical of my company.

Ashe looked at the screen helplessly. Eighty percent of the light screen was blank, with only two rainbow-colored options in the top right corner—Material Purchase and Operator Recruitment.

He tapped Material Purchase, and a menu appeared with Source Crystal purchase options: one crystal for 6 points, a bundle for 30 points, a pile for 98 points, a bag for 198 points, a box for 328 points, and a crate for 648 points. Each option offered a first-recharge double bonus.

Ashe could easily guess that these points meant real money. But his Bellipay hadn’t transmigrated with him. Where am I supposed to get money to recharge? And why would they put a recharge system in an internal test demo? Were they trying to claw back our salaries? Tch. Typical Aurora. They’d pull something like this.

He tapped Operator Recruitment, but with no resources, the screen was blank. Only two options were available. One was Recruit Once, and the other was Recruit Ten Times.

Ashe wanted to try the gacha for fun, but a single recruit cost 3 Source Crystals. He didn’t know where he could get the money to roll. Which shameless developer would make the first pull in a test demo cost money? Oh, right. My company. Never mind then.

Just then, a thought struck him. Hold on, I remember there’s a universal cheat code. Maybe it’ll work...

Ashe typed in Carefree Cultivation Easy Cultivation. The game interface glitched, and nothing else happened. Looks like there’s no debug backdoor in this game yet.

Just as Ashe was feeling dejected, a notification popped up on the light screen.

[Check-in system successfully repaired. Attempting connection to main server...]

[Unable to connect to server. Switching to local area network mode.]

A third option appeared on the screen.

[Login and Check-in.]

Ashe tapped it, and a calendar appeared. There was already a check mark for April 11.

[Standard Supply: 1 Source Crystal]

[New Player First Check-in Bonus: 1 Tenfold Operator Permit]

[Ten Times Operator Recruitment Permit: Issued by Aurora Investigation Department. Used to recruit high-value units in batches. Allows ten recruitments at once. Guarantees an operator.]

Ashe didn’t recognize any of the terminology, but for now, he couldn’t bring himself to care. What he knew for certain was that his chances of escaping next week’s Blood Moon Tribunal would depend on this mysterious game that had transmigrated with him.

He tapped on Operator Recruitment and selected Recruit Ten Times.

Instead of flashy summon animations, the game simply displayed a plain list of recruitment results.

[Energy Potion x2]

[EXP Potion x4]

[Death Maniac Swordswoman]

[Basic Combat EXP Card]

[Wooden Practice Sword]

Seeing the Death Maniac Swordswoman, Ashe exclaimed inwardly in joy, Jackpot!

[Operator system was repaired successfully. You can now manage your owned operators.]

Ashe immediately checked the card. It showed a red-haired girl with the innocent smile of the girl next door. She wore a black halter dress and had her hands clasped behind her back. Her long legs were clad in black stockings and small leather shoes. Her head was tilted slightly, and her light red eyes brimmed with curiosity.

[Death Maniac Swordswoman]

Species

- Human Female

Age

- 18

Bond Level

- 0, EXP Share 30%

Profession

- Sorcerer Apprentice

Profession Trait

- Learning efficiency +5%

Innate Ability

- Swordsmanship (Low-Level), Gain 100% extra Swordsmanship EXP; Small chance to gain 10,000% Swordsmanship EXP (Talent level unlocks as Strength increases)

Personal Skill

- Pitch Black Heart: Eliminates dangers before they sprout; Chance to automatically counterattack when the enemy intends to attack, based on relative strength

Owned Items

- None

Controlled Spirit

- None

Water Class

- Not Yet Unlocked

Training Strategy

- Not Set

Ashe stared for a long time, but saw nothing deadly or maniacal about her. He couldn’t help but get annoyed. Aside from a flashy, edgy name, she is just... a generic cute girl! Seriously? Do they really think they can scam people’s money with nothing but a pretty illustration!?

The starter characters... I can’t even use them right away? And I’m supposed to train them slowly before they’re useful to me? People these days live fast enough as it is! Why make me waste time before I can even enjoy myself? Seriously, what kind of trash game is this? The planning should’ve been left to me! I could’ve done it so much better!

Fine, I’ll accept it if the first pull’s useless. But if I can’t even summon her to fight, then what’s the point of this gacha!?

In a few days, I’ll be on the execution stand as part of the executioner’s KPI, and this game can’t even help me get out of it! Am I really supposed to log in every day before I die just to boost traffic for this trash game!? As expected of my company...

With his last hope shattered, Ashe felt even more disheartened. He exited the operator details screen. The red dot on the new Operator Management option caught his eye, and his slightly OCD instincts made it impossible to resist tapping it.

The next second, he bolted upright in bed.

On the Operator Management screen, there were two operators.

Aside from the newly pulled Death Maniac Swordswoman, there was a rather handsome, slender young man in a jet-black coat.

[Watcher of Doomsday]

Species

- Human Male

Age

- 25

Bond Level

- ∞

Profession

- Cult Leader / Ancient Historian

Profession Trait

- Blessed by the Four Pillar Deities, +10 Luck checks, +5 Ancient Artifact Identification

Innate Ability

- Sorcerer’s Handbook (Low-Level): Records other Operators into the manual; Gains experience shared by other Operators based on Bond Level; Current progress: 0/1 manual pages (additional pages unlock upon strength increase)

Personal Skill

- Displaced Soul (Effect unknown)

Owned Items

- None

Controlled Spirit

- None

Summoner Class

- Not Yet Unlocked

Ashe turned to look at the only mirror on the prison wall. He compared his reflection to the illustration for a long time before finally confirming that the original owner of this body, Ashe Heath, whose body he now occupied, was indeed the Watcher of Doomsday. Both his innate ability, Sorcerer’s Handbook, and his personal skill, Displaced Soul, were an exact reflection of his current predicament.

Besides that, Ashe also remembered that the title Watcher of Doomsday was what the cultists of the Four Pillars Cult called him. The name sounded awesome, but it really was just the sound; he’d been one-shotted by the Bloodrage Hunters almost as quickly as he started his rebellion. He hadn’t expected this to become his codename in the game. More than causing any real harm, it struck at his pride, making the insult sting all the sharper.

By the way, what’s with this black coat? I don’t ever remember wearing this. Could it be an outfit Heath liked? If that’s the case, his taste really wasn’t great.

Ashe looked through Death Maniac Swordswoman’s details again. He kept his eyes on the 30% EXP Share in the Bond Level category for a long time. He knew this was likely his only chance of escaping prison!

If his guess was correct, he could gain 30% of the Death Maniac Swordswoman’s EXP whenever he trained her in-game. This meant that the stronger the Death Manic Swordswoman was, the stronger he would become!

With his hope rekindled, Ashe became invigorated as he checked the other so-called trash he got from the gacha.

[Energy Potion x2: Grants the operator 1 extra Action Point in training activities. Lasts 7 days]

[EXP Potion x4: Operator gains +10% skill EXP in training activities. Lasts 7 days. Max 50% increase per operator]

[Wooden Practice Sword: Grants +15% EXP from sword practice when equipped]

[Basic Combat EXP Card: Grants the operator a chance for combat training, gaining lots of EXP. Lasts 7 days (Risk Level: Low)]

[Basic Trial Card: Grants the operator a trial and a random amount of EXP. Each operator is limited to 1 use per week.]

All of the items were useful for training, which perfectly suited what Ashe needed. For now, anything that directly boosted his own strength wouldn’t help him as much as training the operator.

He thought, Why is there a Risk Level: Low right beside the Combat EXP Card?

Next, he tapped the Death Maniac Swordwoman’s Training Strategy and found there were many details to keep in mind.

[Death Maniac Swordswoman]

Current Mood

- 5 (EXP Bonus 0)

Selectable Actions

1. Rest

- Consumes 1 Action Point, recovers some mood

2. Entertain

- Consumes 2 Action Points, recovers a large amount of mood

3. Train

- Consumes 1 Action Point, conduct style training

4. Combat

- Consumes 1 Action Point, requires a specific item

5. Trial

- Does not consume Action Point, requires a specific item

[Daily Action Points This Week: 2 points (Can use Energy Potion to gain 1 extra)]

Ashe greatly appreciated the humanized training system. ”I see... So I need to consider the operator’s mood too. Training goes better when they’re happier. I need to figure out a proper work-life balance. That’s the key to good education...”

He equipped Death Maniac Swordswoman with the Wooden Practice Sword, had her consume 1 Energy Potion to gain an extra Action Point, and gave her 4 EXP Potions.

[Training Strategy: Train, Train, Combat]

[Trial Event This Week: Sword Technique]

”I’m about to be executed, who has time to care about a 2D girl’s mood!”

When Ashe tapped Confirm in the Training Strategy screen, a prompt popped up.

[Trigger Watcher of Doomsday’s Innate Talent to log Death Maniac Swordswoman into the Sorcerer’s Handbook?]

Ashe exclaimed in relief, ”Oh, right! I almost forgot to bind the swordswoman. Good thing the game reminded me, or all that training would’ve been wasted.”

His life now was like a candle in the wind. Every gain mattered, and he couldn’t afford to waste a single moment.

[Confirm logging Death Maniac Swordswoman into the Sorcerer’s Handbook? Note: This is irreversible.]

”Confirm!”

[Operator Bond login successful. Training in progress, scheduling events...]

[Constructing trial scene... Missing scene materials, auto-filling...]

[Searching available scenes, occupying...]

[Missing trial targets, auto-filling... Searching available targets, extracting...]

While watching the game messages, Ashe had nothing else to do. Perhaps because of today’s extreme ups and downs, as soon as he relaxed, drowsiness washed over him. He felt completely drained, and his eyelids drooped.

Before he could even make it to the pillow, Ashe had already dozed off, curled up on his knees.

***

Meanwhile, in a faraway place three hours behind Ashe’s time zone, a teenage girl who had gone to bed early for skincare and beauty sleep suddenly found herself in a dream.