Mage Manual

Chapter 42: Chapter 42 Experience Treasure Orb

“I hardly have any personal time during the day anymore.”

Sonia vented her frustrations, “Classes begin at 8 AM, and because I’ve switched to the Sword Skill Department, I no longer have to take classes in the Water Magic Department. However, I still need to attend an introductory course and a practical sword-fighting course. Not only that, Professor Trozan checks on my progress in swordsmanship almost daily and spars with me once, leaving me practically no time to rest during the day.”

Interestingly, Sonia found it peculiar that Professor Trozan, famed as the Hidden Hand Sword Saint and a signature Mage at Sword Flower University, was not some retired professor who idly tends to flowers and plants.

Though it was true that Trozan had taken Sonia and Felix as research apprentices, it was not necessary for him to check on them daily. Trozan was no stranger to geniuses, and the time of a Three-winged Holy Sanctuary Mage certainly wasn’t so cheap.

Yet, Professor Trozan not only visited them daily but also made time to spar specifically with Sonia—an honor uniquely hers, while Felix could only watch enviously.

Felix, who was her senior, was visibly favored less by Professor Trozan, which left Sonia feeling both embarrassed and secretly thrilled.

She considered the possibility of manipulation by the Observer but dismissed it—after all, this was the Hidden Hand Sword Saint!

If the Observer could control her, it seemed unlikely they could exert the same influence over Professor Trozan.

Moreover, if they could control Trozan, why would they have him simply spar with her?

“I know you want me to achieve something in swordsmanship.”

Sonia tried to speak politely, “But the amount of study during the day is already sufficient. I don’t need to undergo two more hours of forced sword fighting training at night.”

“And those trainings are hardly meaningful. Now that I possess the Wave Motion Sword, I should focus on summoning other auxiliary Technique Spirits around it, rather than continuing basic training…”

Sonia said this with some guilt.

Although what she said was correct, after becoming a Mage, she should have shifted from sword training to ‘Technique Spirit training,’ essentially to enhance her proficiency with Technique Spirits.

Some might find it odd. Wasn’t the Wave Sword Technique Spirit something Sonia had summoned and fully understood herself? Why was there still room for improvement?

This was because Sonia had fully grasped the ‘theory,’ but had not completely dissected the ‘reality.’ Utilizing Technique Spirits involved merging theory with reality in practice, and naturally, there was substantial potential yet to be uncovered.

For instance, the ‘Inner Wave Blade’ Sonia used to kill the Beastman Mage was a result of her studies over the past few days.

This move no longer treated the Wave Motion Sword as a long-range attack but concentrated it at the tip of the blade, causing explosive damage when thrust into an enemy, delivering catastrophic injuries at the moment of impact.

There were many variations of the Wave Motion Sword left to explore, and training in Technique Spirits was undoubtedly necessary.

Furthermore, if Sonia mastered the techniques of the Wave Motion Sword to the extreme, she was also likely to summon corresponding auxiliary Technique Spirits.

For example, if Sonia fully mastered the ‘Inner Wave Blade,’ there was a good chance she would summon the ‘Inner Space’ Technique Spirit. Inner Space Technique Spirit could compress the power of the Wave Motion Sword Technique Spirit by one hundred percent, and even temporarily store it within an enemy or object, triggering a sudden explosion when the Mage willed it.

By using two Technique Spirits, the ‘Inner Wave Blade’ had now become the stronger and more unpredictable ‘Miracle·Inner Wave Blade.’

Of course, this was a very rudimentary miracle, not even worthy of inclusion in the ‘Mage Miracle Directory,’ and carried no commercial value.

But this reflected the normal growth process of a Mage: summoning a Technique Spirit, then based on this Spirit, summoning other auxiliary Technique Spirits, developing a complete Miracle System.

Thus, Sonia’s request was quite reasonable.

However, the issue was, she was a Sword Maiden.

There’s a saying among Sword Maidens: if you just want to be an ordinary Sword Maiden, then follow the school’s curriculum; but if you aspire to reach the realms of Two-winged Gold, Three-winged Holy Realm, or even higher, then mastering the three Technique Spirits of ‘Slash Sword,’ ‘Pierce Sword,’ and ‘Cutting Sword’ is essential.

All Sword Technique Spirits ultimately derive from those three—Slash, Pierce, Cut. While mastering these three Spirits doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be powerful, not mastering them means you definitely have weaknesses.

Therefore, it made sense to everyone that Sonia continued her basic sword training, even Felix didn’t fall behind in training—any ambitious Sword Apprentice would take this time to solidify their foundation.

So why did Sonia propose to the Observer to cancel the training? @@novelbin@@

Aside from truly being exhausted with no time for leisure, a minor issue, the main reason was that she wanted to test her own say in the matter.

It wasn’t about testing the Observer’s compliance, but Sonia was not content to always be controlled.

Even if the Observer refused this time, Sonia could gradually probe and strategize, ensuring the Observer was reminded daily of her great contributions and efforts—after all, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

One day, Sonia would fully understand the Observer’s psychological boundaries and thought patterns.

At that time, who controlled whom would remain to be seen…

“You make a lot of sense.”

Ash nodded, seemingly truly convinced by the Sword Maiden.

Sonia was briefly startled, thinking to herself, is the Observer this easy to talk to?

“But I have a question for you—if you had an extra two hours at night, what would you plan to do with them?”

“Perhaps it involves reading books, watching plays, and attending balls to make more friends?”

“So, it’s all about entertainment and having fun, right?”

Ash tapped his fingers on the boat, recalling how his previous boss used to deceive people.

“Have you ever met someone from a better family background than yours?”

“I have.”

“Have you met someone with both a better family background and talent equal to yours?”

“I have.”

“Do you know what the most terrifying thing in this world is? It’s when someone with a better background and equal talent works harder than you!” Ash spoke earnestly, “When you can’t resist taking a break, others take that chance to widen the gap between you.”

Sonia felt a slight stir in her heart, remembering Felix driving away in his silver luxury car.

“Do not waste your life during the years you should be working hardest, do not cling to enjoyment during the times you should be striving. There are too many people whose starting points are where we end. Are you content to only look up to others in the future, content to be just an ordinary person, leaving no mark anywhere other than the Sea of Knowledge?”

Sonia’s lips moved, and ultimately, she shook her head, “I’m not content.”

Ash continued sternly, “So, Sword Maiden, this way of thinking is not good, don’t blame me for criticizing you. You feel tired? Feeling tired is correct; comfort is reserved for the elderly. You want to enjoy life? Wanting is correct; enjoyment is reserved for the successful.”

“You, in the prime of your life, must bravely step out of your comfort zone and fill your life with effort. Do not let others’ lives blind you. Do you want to be just an ordinary person in the future like them? Do not let your inner desires override your reason, hedonism only slows your sword-drawing speed.”

“Strive hard for the things you love, then in the future, when you fail, you can blame the world wholeheartedly instead of resenting yourself.”

“As Mages, we do not dwell on the past or hope for the next life, we only wish to live this life spectacularly, enjoying our triumphs and grievances!”

Sonia was silent for a long time before nodding firmly, “Observer, you are right!”

Good, he had bluffed his way through… Ash breathed a sigh of relief. He was still a bit uncomfortable with this kind of work; after all, it used to be his boss who did the psychological building, and now it was his turn to do it for others.

And you know, this kind of job that stirs up other people’s anxieties is pretty interesting; no wonder his boss often shared anxiety-inducing posts in his circle of friends.

“Then reducing the training time from two hours to one hour shouldn’t make a big difference, right?”

Ash blinked, suddenly noticing that the regional tip in the ‘Void Realm Exploration’ changed from ‘Wait a moment’ to ‘Now is the time,’ and quickly changed the subject: “No more idle chat, brace yourself, we’re entering a dangerous area!”

The small boat passed through layers of fog, and a small island came into view.

On the island was a gigantic white fox, its fur reflecting a purple-white arc light, as beautiful as the moon fallen to earth, mesmerizing onlookers. It crouched under a tree, its body and tail curled into a fluffy ball, making one want to pet it.

“It’s a Fox Dragon,” Sonia whispered, excitement barely contained in her voice, “It’s asleep!”

They quietly approached the shore, tiptoeing up to the Fox Dragon’s head, the two exchanged glances, ready to gather their strength.

Sonia assumed the Iaido stance, while Ash summoned his Substitute Technique Spirit, both wielding unsharpened long swords, aiming at the Fox Dragon’s head—in the Void Realm, Ash’s consciousness was free from the physical limitations of his neck chip, allowing him to use Technique Spirits.

It was only after testing did Ash realize that although the Substitute would burst upon a single poke, it could still attack before being burst. Like in this situation, it could add to the damage.

As for the unsharpened long sword, just as Sonia could wield a wooden sword, Ash could naturally summon the weapon he had used in life-or-death fights. Honestly, Ash would have preferred to summon a gun, but since he had never handled any guns in reality, he couldn’t imagine it…

Ready, they counted the beats silently, three, two, one, attack simultaneously!

“Iaido Wave Motion Sword!”

“Dual Slash!”

The sleeping Fox Dragon was instantly decapitated by three swords, emitting a sharp roar that nearly caused Ash and Sonia temporary deafness, and the Substitute was directly shattered by the scream.

But the Fox Dragon seemed dazed by the attack; it couldn’t even stand up, and could only thrash and bite wildly on the ground.

The two, unconcerned with any martial morality, seized the opportunity to pummel its head with their weapons while it was down, with Ash even taking the chance to stroke its fur.

After several seconds, the Fox Dragon let out a reluctant roar and dissolved into a puff of white smoke.

It left behind three sleeping Technique Spirits, who looked around bewilderedly at the unfamiliar Mages. But Sonia didn’t look at the Technique Spirits; instead, she picked up a bright bead from the ground.