Chapter 64: Varkas' Curse

Healer No. 222 had been right. The Blood Moon Tribunal was indeed the only chance a death row inmate ever had to trade spirits.

Ashe looked down at the three spirits in his hand. For a moment, it felt as though Varkas's cold, gaunt face still lingered before his eyes.

The sword that had pierced Ashe's throat had concealed five spirits, all of which were freshly released from Varkas's contracts. If Ashe had been even a fraction slower, if his consciousness had faded even slightly, all five would have fled at once. He had moved as fast as he could, yet two still escaped. For all he knew, they might already be riding Finger Sharks, savoring the freedom of surfing across the Shattered Lake.

As for why Varkas had passed those spirits to him, there could have been many reasons. Perhaps it was because Ashe had defeated him. Perhaps it was vengeance against Syrin. Perhaps gratitude for Ashe's care in his final moments. Or perhaps Varkas had simply enjoyed watching the chaos unfold.

A dying elf could do anything, and none of it would have surprised Ashe, save for the blade through his throat. Ashe strongly suspected that act came from lingering resentment and served as a payback for having his throat cut during the Death Match.

Even so, Varkas's final actions left Ashe with a dilemma.

He hadn't been in this world long, yet he was already painfully aware of how much he didn't belong here. He had no intention of fitting in. He could not change the world of sorcerers, nor did he have any desire to let it change him.

He had no family here. Everyone he would meet from now on was a stranger.

Add to that the life-threatening stakes of the Blood Moon Tribunal and the suffocating control of Shattered Lake Prison, and Ashe had long adopted a subtle "make the most of each day" mindset. If he could transmigrate once, there was no reason he couldn't do it again. This time, he had arrived in the world of sorcerers; next time, perhaps he would end up in the world of engineers. He carried with him a blind optimism for his journey through the multiverse.

It was this same sudden, almost idle optimism, perhaps born from having nothing to anchor him, that gave Ashe a detached, observer's mindset toward everyone he met. One moment, he could sympathize with others' suffering and contemplate life and death, and in the next, it would all slip away, as though he were merely watching a film.

In this context, the Watcher was an apt name. He watched but did not act. He listened but did not speak, and he noticed, but he did not remember.

He was like a lone boat adrift on the waves, carried wherever the current took him, yet intimidated by the distant sight of the mainland. And now, that drifting boat bore a new burden, a mark etched deep into his memory.

Sorcerers did not need sleep, but Ashe knew that in the quiet of midnight, he would still dream of Varkas's eyes in his final moments.

It wasn't that he felt responsible for Varkas's death; rather, the elf's final gift left Ashe with a subtle sense of obligation and a need to repay him in some way.

He disliked being indebted just as much as he disliked leaving debts unpaid.

So he told himself that he had to escape the prison. He had to find Professor Syrin. He had to survive. Otherwise, it would feel as though he had wasted Varkas's final kindness and squandered the three spirits entrusted to him.

Perhaps this was Varkas's true revenge. Using life as the price, death as the ritual, silence as the spell, and the spirits as bait, he had essentially exhausted everything he had left to condemn Ashe to keep living.

For death row inmates of Shattered Lake Prison, there was no crueler curse than being forced to live.

Reflecting on Ashe's bizarre, nightmarish experience at the Blood Moon Tribunal, Sonya murmured, "He was a true swordsman. And a generous one, at that."

Ashe replied, "He was generous, but definitely not a good elf. He earned his place in Shattered Lake Prison fair and square. Neither elves nor humans can be neatly labeled as good or evil. Only gods or demons can claim absolute purity. The rest of us exist somewhere in between."

Sonya said lightly, "So many reflections. Is this the first time you've seen someone die since your amnesia?"

The question left Ashe wondering,

Amnesia? That's right... Before this, Heath had personally caused countless deaths.

He nodded. "A more accurate way to put it would be... this is the first time I've watched someone die right in front of me."

"So you still don't have any intel on the Swordheart stance?"

"Of course not."

Sonya looked at the Swordheart spirit in Ashe's hands with frustration. "Damn it. Something that valuable, and you're just wasting it. But wait... That means you're only one spirit away from completing the Slash Me Miracle, right?"

"That's right," Ashe let out a soft breath. "If luck's on our side, we might be able to gather all the required spirits tonight. For once, there's a tiny glimmer of hope for escaping the prison."

The Slash Me Miracle required three types of spirits. However, it wasn't bound to any single, fixed combination. Most Miracles allowed for substitution as long as the spirits belonged to the same category. The only differences lay in minor variations in power or range.

If spirits were building blocks, then Miracles were structures built from a specific blueprint. As long as the framework held, it didn't matter whether the blocks were cubes, triangles, or cones. The Miracle would still take shape.

Both Swordheart and Substitute fulfilled the necessary conditions. Substitute was common and unremarkable. Swordheart, on the other hand, was excessive. The creator of the Slash Me Miracle had likely never imagined that someone would use one of the Five Unmatched Secret Sword Spirits as a mere component.

All that remained was the final spirit. Once he found it, Ashe could activate the Slash Me Miracle and cleanse the chip embedded at the back of his neck.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Sonya murmured, half to herself, "Escape... So your physical body is locked away in the Blood Moon Kingdom's prison. You've lost all your memories, and you're still facing the threat of the Blood Moon Tribunal."

Lost all memories? Yes. I don't have any of Heath's memories.

Ashe glanced at her, puzzled. "Shouldn't you already know this? My physical body was identified as the leader of the Four Pillars Cult. The hunters arrested me during an illegal gathering in a basement."

He paused, then added flatly, "Given how weak this body is, it is obvious I am just a scapegoat."

When the Watcher had first mentioned being imprisoned, Sonya had imagined him to be in some kind of hidden divine prison. She had never expected it to be the Blood Moon Kingdom's prison. To her, the Blood Moon Kingdom was a distant, almost mythical name. Nevertheless, it was at least familiar enough to ring a bell.

She couldn't help thinking,

Is that all?

After a moment, she asked, "With your strength, you can't even escape the Blood Moon Kingdom's prison?"

Ashe snorted. "What strength are you talking about? Don't you know I'm practically trash?"

"

Ha!

Trash? Trash enough to make me challenge Leona? Then what am I supposed to be? Your pitiful toy, at the mercy of your schemes, waiting to die?"

Thanks to that encounter, Sonya had managed to learn the Water Moon Miracle by sheer luck. But that didn't make her any less furious. Being forced to fight Felix had been tolerable. His strength wasn't far beyond hers, so she still had a chance. The gap between her and Leona, however, was absurd. If Leona hadn't held back, Sonya wouldn't have even had the opportunity to use Water Moon.

And what about next time? Or the time after that?

Among sorcerers, ruthless and ambitious figures were far from rare. Younger students could still be manageable, but many older sorcerers had spent years exploring the Virtual World alone, constantly facing danger and death. Over time, their sense of morality eroded, leaving them merciless and quick to strike at any enemy, as if killing would automatically yield a reward. Some had even become corrupted devils who rampaged through reality like the Virtual World, massacring everything in their path.

Sonya could at least rationalize forced training as being for her own good. But with the Watcher pushing her into dangerous combat, all she could do was restrain herself from smashing his head in, because she might actually lose.

Ashe tried to brush it off. "Is it really that serious?"

"I'm the one fighting for my life! I'm the one getting injured! I'm the one on the edge of death! Only I have the right to say how serious it is!" Sonya snapped, trying to rein in her anger. "Do you have to watch me on the brink of death before you admit you might have miscalculated?"

It's not that serious... You won't die...

Ashe told himself.

Still, part of him couldn't help wondering if the Swordwoman could really not die.

Even in mobile games, characters could die, especially if the developers wanted to push microtransactions. She had repeatedly emphasized that she wasn't dependent on Ashe. She had her own life, her university, and her friends. This meant she existed in reality, and reality was the furthest thing from immortality.

Even if the Swordswoman revived after death, would she truly be the same Swordswoman I have come to know?

Ashe couldn't bear the risk of losing her, not just for her power, but because she was the only person he could trust and confide in. Even the smallest boat felt empty when sailed alone.

Ashe said cautiously, "Alright, you're right. I apologize. But you should know I'm doing this for your own good. Without my plan, you wouldn't have created the Water Moon Miracle so quickly."

"What does your plan have to do with it—"

"Because I knew that during your fight with Leo, the power gap would trigger your awakening, letting you create your own Miracle without facing real danger. Everything was under my control."

"You even got the other person's name wrong!"

"That doesn't matter. The point is, I can make sure you gain maximum benefit with minimal cost."

Seeing Sonya still uneasy, Ashe added, "Alright. If I ever plan to send you into a particularly dangerous fight in the future, I'll discuss it with you beforehand. How's that?"

With the Watcher finally relenting, Sonya felt a spark of satisfaction.

That's more like it.

Even if he insisted on acting on his own, she could manage him eventually. One concession could lead to another, and someday, she would bend the Watcher to her will.

Sonya trusted Ashe's promise. Despite his usual mischief, he was reliable. Coupled with the rumors of his legendary reincarnation, she had confidence in his judgment.

If she knew that Ashe's method for assessing danger was simply reading event card descriptions and that her duel with Leona had been only moderately dangerous, she might never feel completely at ease again.

"By the way, how did you find me?" Sonya asked.

"I entered the Virtual World through the Door of Truth you left behind and tracked you all the way here," Ashe replied.

Back in the cell, Ashe accessed the light screen and saw that the Swordswoman hadn't waited for him. Her status read.

[Exploring the Virtual World.]

He had assumed he'd missed her, but thankfully, the Join Mid-Session option was available. He didn't appear directly beside her, but at the initial point where she had entered the Virtual World tonight.

The Door of Truth was essential for entering and exiting the Virtual World. Without that bond, Ashe wouldn't have been able to follow her.

Sonya wasn't surprised that the Watcher knew her location. What puzzled her was how fast he had gotten there. She asked, "But I've been exploring for nearly two hours. How did you get here so quickly?"

"Two hours?" Ashe replied. "You're only one region away from the starting point. I found you in just over a minute of sailing."

"No way!"

"Why would I lie? Wait... you said you swam for two hours. Were you... just circling around here?"

Sonya blinked, then calmly sat down and gazed at the white mist. "I figured you wouldn't be gone without a reason, so I stayed nearby while exploring."

Ashe thought with a chuckle.

If you weren't blushing, I might really believe you.

He opened the Virtual World Map under Sonya's resentful gaze. Equipped with the Virtual World Telescope, he could now observe the 24-grid area around him. Most locations were labeled A Waste of Effort, except for one, marked Worth a Visit. Since Ashe wasn't in a hurry, he began sailing casually toward it.

Sonya asked suddenly, "What about your Miracle just now? Varkas gave you the spirits, but not the Miracle, right?"

Ashe replied casually. "I saw him use it once. He combined the Earth Sword with the Wind Barrier. But since I'm not a Two-Winged sorcerer, my defense can't match the complete version of his Miracle."

Sonya frowned. "You just saw it once and already managed to combine it? Is it really that simple?"

Cross-discipline Miracles were notoriously difficult. Earth Sword belonged to the Sword Class, while Wind Barrier was a Wind Class spirit.

Just then, Ashe spotted a flashing golden hint on the map, labeled Whirlpool.

"Do you know what a Whirlpool means?" he asked.

Sonya's eyes widened. "You found a Whirlpool?"

"Probably—"

Before Ashe could finish, she leapt forward and shook him wildly. "Quick! Go! Hurry!"

Her excitement was like someone stumbling onto a lottery ticket in a bathroom and discovering it was the jackpot. "If we're lucky, we might be able to forge the Silver Wing tonight!"