The Sorcerer's Handbook

While giving his speech, Arsen quickly pulled Sonya over to the commentator’s seat beside him.

Sonya obediently closed her mouth.

As long as no one spoke to her directly, she could keep herself in check. A mixture of worry and relief churned within her. She worried because she had repeatedly offended both professors. Luckily, one of them happened to be Nidala. Trosan had always been at odds with him, so she could reasonably expect he’d watch her back.

As for Weapon Master Oleron, matters were even simpler. As long as Sonya avoided setting foot in Truth University, Oleron had no opportunity to trouble her.

Her only true concern was her own path as a host. This could very well mark the end of her dream of becoming a star.

By now, the two contestants had taken the stage. Lorian Zed was Sylvia’s relative and the senior who had given Sonya trouble before. He wasn’t as strong as Leona, but as a member of Sword and Roses University’s competition team, he was no pushover. Had he gone serious back then, he could likely have handled Sonya and Felix on his own.

”Lorian, I hear you’ve stooped to bullying first-year students,” Rigan said while pulling a longbow with a fearsome appearance. ”Taking out your frustrations on juniors because you haven’t improved yourself. Sword and Roses University really upholds good academic discipline.”

”Rigan, don’t forget who snapped your bowstring last time,” Lorian retorted, gripping his sword with one hand.

”I haven’t forgotten whose rear got pierced by my arrow either.”

Arsen glanced at his notes. ”These two also faced off in last year’s tournament. One year has passed, so they’ve surely improved. Miss Selby, what’s your take?”

Arsen wasn’t being stubborn here. He was simply following the script, which called for Sonya to introduce Lorian and Rigan’s spirits and past achievements. So he chose to trust her once again.

What he forgot was that the script said ”Please introduce the two young sorcerers,” not ”What’s your take?”

Catching Sonya’s exasperated glare, Arsen realized his mistake.

”I think these two are just wasting everyone’s time with trash talk. Why don’t they just fight so we can enjoy the show?”

Lorian’s mouth twitched. He took the initiative and sprinted straight at his opponent.

Rigan remained calm. He stepped aside with a quick pivot while drawing a silver arrow on his bowstring. In an instant, he turned defense into offense!

”That’s the Sword Class Miracle, Meteor Thrust! Beautiful execution! But Carroll had reacted just as fast. Archery is traditionally a team-based art, so for him to compete one-on-one shows he’s highly skilled in close combat. Zed should be cautious.

”Wow! A dodge-and-fire Steel Arrow, that’s Carroll’s signature Miracle. He dodges and fires a heavy, forceful arrow! Zed’s defense-type spirit barely held against it!

”Excellent counterattack! Too bad Carroll’s single arrow broke the assault and widened the gap again!”

After commenting for a while, Arsenal felt thirsty. Before taking a sip, he instinctively asked, ”What’s your take on the current situation?”

Anyone could see it was purely a professional habit. He needed someone to fill the commentary gap while he drank.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case for Sonya. She analyzed the battle with professional precision. ”Lorian has more losses than wins; he’s a speed-type fighter. Rigan, on the other hand, excels in sustained attacks and maintaining distance. But he lacks explosive-type Miracles. If Lorian risks his arm to block one attack, he could create an opening for a comeback.

”But Lorian seems confident in his reserve technique. He probably still has a high-power Miracle. But with his swordsmanship level, it might not outspeed Carroll’s response.”

The moment she spoke, Nidala, Oleron, and even the two contestants turned to her in astonishment.

Lorian’s eyes flickered. He quickly lunged forward and drew a cross in the air with his sword. His mana condensed into a massive, cross-shaped blade that nearly spanned the entire stage before sweeping down toward Rigan like a guillotine.

Rigan sneered. ”So that’s your trump card? That’s it?”

While sidestepping the cross-blade with ease, he nocked an arrow and fired at the charging Lorian in one fluid motion.

This time, Lorian didn’t dodge or block. He reached out with his hand, intercepting the silver arrow in exchange for a minor injury to maintain distance.

Rigan panicked slightly and fired three rapid arrows in succession. This was a meteor-like barrage that could easily split a person in two!

But Lorian went all out. He faced it head-on by channeling his defense-type spirit and using his left hand to block all three arrows.

Clang!

When the two paused, the audience saw Lorian’s left hand riddled with bloody holes, twisted and deformed as if a gust of wind could break it. Yet his sword tip remained pressed firmly against Rigan’s neck.

In mere seconds, Rigan had gone from the one supposedly with the upper hand to being defeated.

Arsen bellowed, ”The winner of the first friendly match is Lorian Zed!”

Healers rushed the victorious Lorian backstage, while the defeated Rigan was unharmed and required no treatment. Still, he seemed unable to accept his loss. He remained on stage, tasting the bitter sting of humiliation.

”The next contestants to take the stage are—”

Rigan suddenly interrupted Arsen. ”Hey, you!”

He pointed at Sonya. ”You just sit there spouting nonsense and don’t even compete! I hate people like you the most—”

Oleron’s face darkened. Glaring at his student who had disgraced him, he shouted, ”Rigan!”

”If she hadn’t distracted me with her nonsense earlier, I wouldn’t have lost!” Rigan insisted, his face twisted with resentment. ”I hate it when people point fingers while I’m fighting. If you’re so strong, why don’t you step up and face me yourself? In the end, it’s just—”

”All right.”

”See? I knew people like her...” Rigan trailed off mid-sentence, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.

”I’ll have a match. I won’t lose,” Sonya said, rising from the commentator’s seat. ”People like you, who blame the world for their failures, make me want to hit you even more.”

Rigan sneered. ”Won’t lose? You? I didn’t see you last year. You’re a first-year, right? Is the mana you’ve gathered even the size of a feather?”

As he spoke, Rigan waved his hand, summoning a half-Silver Wing behind him. He was a second-year student with two years before graduation. With his wing just a few feathers shy of completion, it was clear he could easily reach Two-Winged Gold and step onto the Continent of Time before graduation.

Arsen quickly reached for Sonya. ”Miss Selby, you don’t need to—”

In the next instant, Sonya’s Silver Wing unfurled fully before his eyes.

The dazzling light outshone the night sky above, drawing every gaze in the auditorium. A fully developed Silver Wing! How could a first-year novice sorcerer already be a certified One-Winged sorcerer?

”My mana, you say? I’ve been waiting for a chance to show off,” Sonya said, lightly stroking her wing. ”You should feel honored to be my stepping stone. And now, your defeat will pave the way for my glory!”

Sonya wasn’t sure whether her words came from the summoning ritual or her own volition. All she felt was the exhilarating freedom of saying whatever came to mind.

Seeing her stride onto the stage, Rigan instinctively stepped back.

In that tense moment, everyone’s attention snapped upward.

Above the open dome, beneath the night sky, a cluster of starlight pulsed with mana. In an instant, a figure fell from the stars and landed squarely in the Starfall Auditorium, right in front of Sonya.

The moment he hit the ground, he sprang up and scanned the crowd. He lunged toward the woman closest to him in an attempt to take her hostage and escape.

Clang!

Sensing the killer intent radiating from him, Sonya formed a sword with her hand and unleashed a Darklight Slash, forcing the intruder back. He was shocked to realize that even the seemingly ordinary girl before him was a sorcerer.

He abandoned his hostage plan and shot through the crowd with blinding speed. In addition to being a notorious thief and dual-element Earth-Wind sorcerer, he was also a master of the Earthborne Vessel Miracle. Under normal circumstances, he could have easily escaped when surrounded by hundreds. But his plan was cut short when a pair of hands clamped down on his shoulders, holding him fast.

”Your neck, hands, and feet are all bound with Starlight Shackles,” Oleron said.

Looking down, the intruder saw deep blue rings circling his limbs and neck. They looked like heavy chains, yet felt weightless.

Nidala added, ”This means that you are an invader from an external territory. The Starry Kingdom uses the Starlight Shackles to prevent intruders from performing spatial leaps.”

He lifted his gaze to the dome above, where a starlight-like Virtual Channel shimmered.

”Interesting. There’s a passage to another nation directly above Sword and Roses University? Tell me, which country are you from? Do you understand our language?”

It was only then that the intruder realized everyone around him was a sorcerer. He had been completely immobilized. He tried to use a Miracle, but to no avail. All of this pointed to one thing, which was that the two sorcerers holding him were at least Three-Winged Sacred Realm. They had used their power to directly suppress his spirits.

Sensing danger, his eyes flickered, and a holographic screen lit up with red warnings.

[Life-threatening situation detected. Initiating self-destruct!]

”Hm? Can’t let you die that easily.”

Suddenly, the warning scrambled into unreadable code and vanished. The chip implanted in his body had been forcibly suppressed.

The intruder gave a wry smile. Multiple Miracles had been encoded into his blood, bones, flesh, soul, and memory to prevent him from revealing Virtual Channel or kingdom secrets. Neutralizing the chip only extended his life by a few seconds.

”Hm? A cursed Miracle even the Three-Winged Sacred Realm can’t purify? Nidala, can you stop him from self-destructing?”

”Yes. Kill him first.”

The intruder’s body began to dissolve. Blood boiled, his skull screamed, and his eyes rolled back. Waves of pain tore through him as he teetered on the edge of consciousness. Deep despair clawed at him, yet a malicious smile tugged at the corner of his lips, knowing his misfortune would shatter someone else’s happiness.