Mage Manual

Chapter 65: Chapter 62 Damn, He Pretended to be Unaware_2

To a Mage, death in the Void Realm is much like taking a break from work, something you don’t wish for, but there’s nothing to be done once it happens. You can only graciously accept the bad news and ponder how to spend the unexpected vacation without clocking in at the Void Realm.

Sonia also knew that her first death wouldn’t affect Professor Trozan’s evaluation of her. Dying early was just bad luck, and dying late wasn’t necessarily good either.

Some defeats and lessons must be personally experienced for a Mage to gain the wisdom.

But hey, everyone’s been young and dreamy once—

“I might become the first immortal Mage in the history of the Void Realm.”

Seeing this achievement about to be declared a failure, Sonia wasn’t disheartened at all. After all, she had managed to make it to her fourth foray into the Void Realm before conceding her first death, outperforming 99% of the Mages.

Most Mages would face their first death upon their first venture into the Void Realm, with drowning being the most common—despite countless notes from Mages emphasizing not to dive into the Sea of Knowledge, it was hard for those floating in the water to resist a glance at what lay beneath.

This time, entering the Void Realm at 11 o’clock sharp, Sonia found that the Observer wasn’t there, and naturally, there was no boat, so she was left soaking in the water.

Sitting on the boat felt different, but now submerged, Sonia found it exceedingly difficult not to wonder about what lay beneath the surface—Were there fish? A seafloor? Treasures?

What Mages have in abundance is curiosity.

So, after curbing her yearning for the ocean floor, Sonia turned her gaze to the fog that engulfed her.

After several unreturned calls to the Observer while soaking, Sonia had to accept the fact that she was exploring the Void Realm alone this time—this was the norm, as solitary exploration of the Void Realm was a daily affair for every Mage. Her previous adventures with the Observer had been a miracle, almost as absurd as taking a teacher into an open-book exam for reference.

But Sonia felt no anxiety, rather like a child who had slipped away from parental supervision, she bubbled with excitement to explore the Void Realm on her own.

However, Sonia soon found herself at a loss. Without the guidance of the Observer and with the dense fog obscuring her vision, she had no idea where to go and swam in a random direction.

Swimming was far more draining of soul energy than sitting in the boat. After more than an hour, Sonia felt more exhausted than when she used to help her mother harvest the wheat. She even considered exiting the Void Realm of her own volition.

But it seemed the Void Realm didn’t intend to let Sonia leave empty-handed. Her random floundering led her to stumble upon an Inheritance Island.

Naturally, Sonia hurried onto the island to face the challenge. Now brimming with confidence and armed with the “Water Moon” Counterattack Miracle capable of turning the tables on Reonie, she even believed there was nowhere left in the Sea of Knowledge that was out of her reach.

Then she got thoroughly trounced.

The Mage on the Inheritance Island was a Thunder Mage wielding two nine-section steel whips. In terms of faction supremacy, both Thunder Technique and swordsmanship are renowned for their aggressive offenses and there’s no restraint between them.

But as soon as the battle started, Sonia got lashed around like a top by the Thunder Holder.

The Thunder Holder’s use of Technique Spirits was minimal, but his combat system and experience completely overwhelmed Sonia. He charged his whips with thunder, using them for long thrusts like a spear and close-range lashes like chains, with attacks as fierce as thunder and defenses as solid as ramparts.

As he danced with his thunder-charged whips, Sonia dared not approach.

Her Wave Motion Sword met a whip shield and was nullified, her silken strands easily torn by the Thunder Whip, even the Counterattack Miracle “Water Moon” she had pinned her hopes on, was easily penetrated from afar—a swift thrust through her defenses. Despite the Miracle’s remarkable power and speed, its range was too short.

No wonder they say the Void Realm is the best teacher. Sonia had to admit she’d learned her lesson. She used to think swordsmanship was merely a medium for casting Technique Spirits, but witnessing the Thunder Holder’s impeccable skills with the nine-section whip, she realized she still had a long way to go—a truly powerful Sword Technique should be adaptable to any situation, not leave one helplessly flailing as she was now.

But Sonia wasn’t one to simply await her fate.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye at the sea behind her; the edge of the island wasn’t far away.

Should the right opportunity arise, she might yet have a chance to escape.

The Thunder Holder would definitely pursue her, but he would never leave the island. Sonia could only hope the sea would block his damage and buy her some precious time to escape. Once she reached a safe zone, she’d have time to search for the Gate of Truth within the Technique Spirit and leave the Void Realm, returning her consciousness to reality.

She silently vowed to herself to sign up for swimming lessons tomorrow. Dog paddling was just too slow.

Zzzt zzzt zzzt——

The nine-section whip in the Thunder Holder’s right hand suddenly transformed, taking the shape of a whip spear, thrusting through the air like lightning!

Now was her moment!

Sonia unleashed a Wave Motion Sword, retreating to make her leap into the sea.

However, the Thunder Holder seemed to have anticipated her move, as he flung the nine-section whip in his left hand, which spun and danced in the air like a thunderous boomerang, slashing toward Sonia’s lower body!

It was over.

Sonia had to jump up; otherwise, the spinning nine-section whip would entangle her legs and trip her on the spot. And the thunder on it was no mere decorative effect—its strong electric current would rob her of her mobility within seconds!

But jumping would play right into the Thunder Holder’s hands, as his Thunder Whip spear would continue to extend, piercing through Sonia’s chest!

She had no choice but to gamble that she could jump faster than his whip spear!

Sonia clenched her teeth and leaped with all her might. Just as she was exiting the reach of the Thunder Whip spear, the Thunder Holder flicked his wrist, and a Spiral Thunderstorm burst from his wrist to the front end of the whip spear. The whip’s lead section suddenly exploded, accelerating like a hidden weapon flying knife aimed at Sonia!

“Damn——it!”

Sonia watched with eyes wide, unable to help but curse, silently praying for a miracle to occur.

And a miracle did happen—a sudden snap, and to her surprise, she found her back had hit something, bringing her to a halt midair!

In this vast sea, how could anything appear on the surface?

Could it be that she had a traffic collision with a Fish Dragon wanting to jump out for a breath of air at just the right moment? @@novelbin@@

Zzzt zzzt zzzt——

Faced with the Thunder Whip just inches away, Sonia felt the fear of death envelop her. Her mind went blank, and she instinctively closed her eyes.

Ding!

“Huh?”

After two seconds, Sonia realized she hadn’t left the Void Realm. More importantly, she felt solid ground under her feet, not water, and cautiously opened one eye to survey the situation.

Before her, she saw a barrier of air that looked like a Sword Body. The Thunder Whip rippled against it but failed to break through.

Looking down, she recognized the familiar boat.

“With me here, you’re really lucky.”

Turning her head, she saw the Observer emerging from the mist, and only one thought remained in Sonia’s mind:

Damn, he got to show off.