Proofreader & Editor: Lotas
"I'm getting sick of this, let's switch games."
After Asho faced his tenth consecutive defeat tonight in "Sorcerer Duel 14," he suggested something Diya had anticipated.
Tonight, Asho had abandoned his usual Wandering Sword Saint to play popular characters like the Alchemy Overlord and Earth Empress, even employing special ones like the Enemy Sorcerer and the Scythe of Sorrow. They all had one thing in common—a simple and effective loop of suppressive combos.
In other words, "spear moves"—a term from the "Sorcerer Duel" series referring to tactics as straightforward and unstoppable as a spear thrust, which significantly affect the game's watchability and are thus unofficially banned by players.
Don't think that Asho was the only one who had read "The Complete Guide to Sorcerer Duel Series." Diya had also made time for Lis to finish it, so naturally, they both knew about the spear moves.
Unfortunately, Asho only learned these superficial tricks and didn't grasp the true keys to Sorcerer Duel: "sure counter," "gap merge," "timing press," and "stance recovery"—or perhaps they were too difficult, and he simply gave up.
The more Diya played, the more she realized that "Sorcerer Duel" contained a wealth of knowledge about sorcerer combat, much of which could be directly integrated into real battles. For example, "timing press" involved observing to confirm how much hit stun one's attack would inflict on the enemy, then perfectly chaining subsequent attacks to form an unblockable combo, thus dealing significant damage.
The game characters' skills were just different ingredients; once you mastered the key, you could handle anything with ease.
The same principle applied to miracles. Randomly unleashing miracles was like a newbie focused only on cuteness; a tactician like Asho knew how to use miracles for combo critical hits, but that was it; a true master, like Diya, not only knew how to create bursts of damage but also how to seize every flaw in the enemy's defense, or even create one where none existed.
Initially, Asho managed to corner Diya with spear moves, but once she figured out their pattern, she escaped using moves like crouching and high jumps. When Asho repeated his tactics, Diya would catch the flaw and break through.
So when Asho proposed playing another game, Diya wasn't surprised at all. Tonight's feast of spear moves was Asho's last act of defiance.
He had fallen, willing to abandon the dignity of a player for the power to defeat his enemy, yet still easily crushed by Diya. In a fairy tale, this would be the dark villain effortlessly trampled by the righteous hero.
Asho knew he couldn't beat himself in this game, so naturally, he wouldn't continue playing with himself. On this point, Diya shared his view—never play a game you can't win.
"Sure," Diya put down the controller. "What shall we play?"
"Let me see…"
Asho opened the drawer beneath the large screen, which held various game cartridges, neatly labeled: "To play with the kids later," "Cult masterpieces," "Evergreen favorites," "Only when the young lady is away"…
After searching for a while, he suddenly pulled out a cartridge: "This is it!"
Diya thought if the game turned out to be dull, she could just have Lis play with him. After all, 'defeating' Asho was enough to fulfill the observer's task. But when the game screen appeared, she couldn't take her eyes off it, not even when Lis was banging on the mirror next to her.
"Sorcerer Kart 5"
"A spin-off from the Sorcerer Duel series, where game characters race in karts across various Virtual Realm environments and can use miracles to attack other competitors," Asho explained. "Let's play this!"
"Great!"
Maybe this game will teach me how to attack others from a car!
Both thought simultaneously.
***
An hour and a half later, the disheveled pair exited the game room, Diya's hair a mess and Asho's clothes torn. They glanced at each other, snorted coldly, and walked away back-to-back—Asho to his room, Diya to the kitchen for a snack.
"I'm not surprised, but did you really have a falling out with Lis?"
Igura just happened to come out of his room and couldn't help but laugh at their state.
"Don't make it sound like it's my fault," Asho retorted irritably. "That brat can't take a loss and throws a tantrum, should I just put up with her?"
"Though I have no parenting experience, from my time at the foster home, I can say that guardians should indulge the children. Looking back, it was a wonderful time. I controlled the entire home with the 'Child Protection Law,' and even the adults didn't dare defy me…"
Asho was no longer surprised by Igura's outrageous past and quipped, "We were playing a racing game. It's part of the game to hold each other back, but Lis threw a fit after I dragged her down from first place three times in a row… Ah, kids these days care too much about winning and losing."
"Asho, I sincerely suggest you wear a mask. Your face gives you away worse than the new guest Harvey brought back. You couldn't hide your schadenfreude even if you tried."
"Huh?" Asho touched his mouth unconsciously. "Then pick up a mask for me when you go out, something stylish."
"How did you know I was going out…" Igura stopped mid-sentence, looking down at his coat and boots. It was obvious he was heading out—they usually wore slippers indoors.
Asho: "Did you talk to Harvey?"
Igura knew what he was asking and shook his head: "I asked, but Harvey didn't say what mission he was on with Annan last night. However…"
"However, what?"
"The cold fire within him that seemed to be dying out appears to be reigniting," Igura said, leaning against the wall. "If before Harvey was digging his own grave, now it seems he's making it bigger, but who he's burying is anyone's guess."
"So, Annan has completely activated Harvey?" Asho said. "Could the young lady be using 'The Light of Hope'?"
"Harvey doesn't have the Longevity Syndrome; The Light of Hope can't cure that." Igura shook his head. "But he cares about two things: his deceased lover and the Necromancer faction's cause."
"Hmph, unlike me, who wishes I were the only one in the world versed in the Mind faction, Harvey longs for everyone to practice the Necromancer faction."
"It's you who's not normal, Igura," Asho said. "Don't you look forward to a peer who can match your wits and spar with you intellectually?"
The con artist glanced at the heresy leader.
"Cowards need friends," he said. "Harvey is that kind of person, can't live without relying on something, clinging to life just to go all out… I've seen too many patients like him, I have many clients like him—strong, persistent, yet more fragile than glass. But among the psychological patients I've seen, Harvey is heavyweight. Do you know why he loves the Necromancer faction so much? Because he's so lonely he needs the dead for company—"
"Hey," Asho interrupted, his expression half-mocking, half-serious. "It's only meaningful to speak ill of someone to their face; backbiting is like hiding behind a shield to explode a stink bomb, not thrilling at all."
"Do you even have the mood to care about others, Asho Heath?" Igura raised his head, his face full of scorn. "You should understand that Harvey hasn't come to us because he has other plans. In this house, you have no friends; the alliance no longer exists."
Asho glanced at him, then suddenly laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"I'm just wondering, when you want to use me, you speak sweetly, but when you speak harshly, what exactly are you trying to do?"
Asho patted Igura's shoulder: "I'm off to the Virtual Realm, good luck with your work tonight."
"Hope you get run over by a white bull in the Virtual Realm," Igura retorted.
Asho returned to his room to take a bath, and while he had time, he decided to soak in the tub and open the game system to study.
If it weren't for last night's map, Asho wouldn't even know his Virtual Realm map had a recording function, so perhaps the game system had other useful options he hadn't discovered yet—like possibly delegating Virtual Realm exploration…
However, as soon as Asho opened the game, he saw a red dot in "Agent Management." Clicking in, he noticed an envelope icon on Sword Girl's character drawing.
【Alert: You've received 'Sword Girl's Leave Request】