The Sorcerer's Handbook

”Toast and a glass of milk, please. What’s that? Braised pork? I’ll take one of those, too.”

Carrying his tray, Ashe found a seat and sat down, then quietly studied the cafeteria. Besides the inmates in standard uniforms, there were also a few guards eating here. Shattered Lake Prison didn’t enforce a rigid hierarchy. Guards and prisoners were equal. The guards didn’t bother the prisoners, and the prisoners didn’t pick fights with the guards, creating a strangely peaceful atmosphere uncharacteristic of a prison.

Ashe could understand why the guards stayed hands‑off. Anyone would slack off a little at work when no one was watching. But he didn’t understand why the prisoners also kept their distance.

He thought. ”Logically, smart people wouldn’t commit crimes. Anyone who ends up here must be too stupid to know their place, just like this dang Heath... getting me caught up in this mess and arrested by a few civilian officers... or hunters. By this logic, the prisoners shouldn’t be this clever either. So why aren’t they provoking the guards?”

”Because they’re locked,” the Swordswoman replied.

She sat beside him and poked the braised pork with her finger. ”Every one of your chips is locked. You can’t attack others, insult others, or even harm yourselves. That’s why this prison looks so free. Every bone and nerve in your body has been chained and restrained.”

She pointed toward a poster on the wall. ”There’s even a Build a Civilized Prison poster right there. It shows death row inmates posing for photos with visiting students. It seems like the prison’s civilizing program is going great. They even have students come here for spring and autumn field trips.”

Ashe instinctively touched the back of his neck, eyes widening. ”That’s like having a bomb strapped to my nec—”

Several inmates turned at the sound of his voice. The Death Maniac Swordswoman pointed at them. ”Can you keep it down?”

Ashe immediately stuffed the toast in his mouth. ”So as long as the chip’s in my neck, I can’t even attempt to escape? It probably tracks me, too!”

The Swordswoman shrugged. ”They can do more than that. If they want, they can send a shock through it strong enough to stop your heart. So yes, theoretically, escape is impossible. Forget escaping. If you try digging a tunnel with a spoon, the chip will stop you from damaging prison property.”

Ashe took a sip of milk and found it unexpectedly sweet. ”Alright, so that’s the theory. What about in practice?”

”In practice?” She rolled her eyes. ”Still impossible. I’m not even from this world. How would I know?”

”Then where did the information you just told me come from?”

”There’s a file called Encyclopedia of Shattered Lake Prison in your light‑screen folder. I was bored and flipped through it.”

Ashe froze. Right. She’s just a character from a game. How could she possibly know anything about this world? But... this is troublesome. I didn’t expect her to be able to read my files. I was just thinking about checking whether this world has any explicit websites...

The Swordswoman continued, ”I can’t help you break out. But if your goal is to get stronger, I can think of a few ways. First, find someone to fight. Nothing teaches better than combat. Don’t you agree, Watcher?”

At her words, Ashe refocused on the conversation and quickly realized something was amiss. ”Wait... according to you, prisoners can’t attack anyone. How am I supposed to find a fight? The prison literally cut off all possibility of brawling!”

She snorted. ”You ask me everything. Who’s the one trying to escape here, you or me? Do you call your mother when you get hungry too?”

”Mom! Grandma!”

The Swordswoman flicked his forehead. ”Do you have a death wish!?”

Ashe rubbed his forehead. Unbelievable. She is just data. How can her flick hurt so much?

He scanned the cafeteria and spotted the bald, muscular man from earlier drinking milk. Now that he knew no one could hit him, Ashe suddenly felt much bolder. He walked over and sat right opposite the bald man.

”Hi, I’m Ashe. What’s your name?”

The man smiled warmly. ”Hi, Ashe. I have a boyfriend.”

Ashe froze. Nearby guards and prisoners all turned to look. He hurried to explain, ”That’s not what I meant! I am just trying to ask a question!”

The bald man nodded with understanding. ”I know, I know. When someone talks to me, and I immediately clarify that I’m taken, it does get awkward. But my love for my boyfriend is sincere. I won’t allow even a hint of ambiguity. It’s better to be clear upfront. You seem like a good guy, Ashe. I’m sure you’ll find love too.”

”I... no... I just...”

The man gave him a supportive look. ”Ask whatever you want. No need to feel embarrassed. Getting rejected happens to everyone. If you need a moment to think of a casual question to cover for yourself, I can wait. But Ashe... the way you tried to get my attention is a bit outdated. You even knocked over my milk on purpose. That’s very grade-school behavior...”

Ashe was speechless. Perfect. With witnesses and evidence all around, there’s no way I can explain myself now.

He could feel the stares around him turn strange. Ashe opened his mouth, but in the end, he gave up trying to explain. ”What I want to ask is... is there a way for me to fight here?”

The bald man paused. ”Are you new here? Ah, I remember now. You’re the one who’s been on the news lately... the leader of the Four Pillars Cult?”

He gave Ashe an assessing look. ”Well, I actually find the Four Pillars pretty interesting. But I have a boyfriend, so even if I wanted to give you a chance...”

Ashe nearly got up and walked away, but the man’s next words forced him to stay seated.

”If you’re looking to stretch your muscles, you’ve come to the right person. I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Ronna, and I’m a member of the Death Match Club.”

”Death Match Club?”

Ronna explained, ”Normally, the chip prevents us from hurting anyone. But the Death Match Club is a group officially approved by the warden. During regulated Death Matches, our chips are temporarily unlocked so we can fight. It’s a special privilege for members.”

Ashe was genuinely surprised. ”The prison actually allows something like that? That’s... pretty humane.”

Ronna shook his head. ”There’s a price for it, with the biggest one already reflected in the club’s name.”

”Death Match?”

Ronna finished his milk, then used his thick tongue to clear the last drop from the corner of his mouth. He looked at Ashe with a calm expression. ”That’s right. Once you step into a Death Match, it doesn’t end until one side dies. A Death Match only ends in death.”

Ashe blinked. ”But the prison goes so far to restrict us. Would they really allow killing?”

Ronna smiled. ”Just because someone dies doesn’t mean you’re responsible for it. There’s a medical room right beside the arena. As long as the body remains intact and they haven’t been dead for more than five minutes, they can be revived once they’re taken in. As for aftereffects... no one can say for sure.”

”If a prisoner really dies for good, the prison doesn’t care. After all, everyone here has already been sentenced to death.”

That sounded like a ”well, duh” kind of statement, so Ashe nodded along. ”Yeah, right. Everyone dies eventually.”

Ronna looked at him with mild surprise. ”Hmm? It seems you misunderstood something. Haven’t you heard the reputation of Shattered Lake Prison before you were imprisoned? Haven’t you watched the Blood Moon Tribunal on the first and fifteenth of each month?”

”Huh?”

Ronna said calmly, ”All prisoners here are death row inmates, with no appeals, no chance of escape, and all political rights permanently revoked.

”After entering this prison, we can eat well, sleep well, exercise, watch movies, and play games. But there is one thing we are never allowed to do, which is take a life, including our own. Because for every one of us, there is only one ending.

”We will stand before the Blood Moon Tribunal... and die miserably before the entire world.”