The Sorcerer's Handbook

Chapter 332: The Senheisers' Dream

After dinner, Ashe returned to the gaming floor to resume his grind through the extreme dungeons.

Before they parted, he created another high-level substitute for Lys. He couldn't help but ask why the previous one had vanished so early. Based on the mana he'd supplied, a construct of that caliber should have lasted a full day. Yet, by the afternoon, Ashe had already felt his connection to the first one sever.

Lys maintained a look of pure innocence, claiming total ignorance. She insisted she hadn't worked the substitute hard at all. It had merely carried her around, sang a few songs, and held her books. Ashe wondered if using the two spirits together had somehow spiked the mana consumption, but he didn't dwell on it. He transferred command authority to Lys and watched her lead it away.

The substitute, however, behaved strangely. Every few steps, it cast a lingering look back at Ashe, its eyes filled with the silent desperation of someone who had a thousand things to say and no voice to say them.

But Ashe, his mind already racing toward Epic, missed the signals entirely. He was too preoccupied with a tactical dilemma. Should I switch roles?

The original account owner had set the main role as a combat-type sorcerer, so Ashe had naturally followed suit. However, after an afternoon of dungeon diving, he realized that in high-difficulty raids, the hierarchy of pressure was clear. The Healer bore the greatest burden, followed by the tank, with the combat-type sorcerer trailing behind.

Of course, in the context of Epic, Healer didn't mean a desk-bound doctor. It meant a frontline combat medic. Healers were responsible for frame-perfect heals and maintaining group-wide defenses. Tanks focused on drawing aggro and baiting out lethal skills. Meanwhile, the combat-type sorcerers just had to find a safe pocket and dump their burst damage.

Since raid bosses dealt catastrophic damage, a single lapse in concentration usually meant a total party wipe. If a combat-type sorcerer slacked off, the boss just died more slowly. If a healer slacked off, everyone died instantly.

After weighing his options, Ashe decided to switch to the Healer role.

He had noticed that most elite teams placed the burden of command on the healer. Positioned in the backline, they had the clearest view of the battlefield, which made them natural tactical leads. Furthermore, a truly competent healer had to monitor every teammate's condition. This level of situational awareness far exceeded that of a combat-type sorcerer or a tank.

Consistent with the principle that responsibility equaled authority, the healer naturally held the most power within the squad. Ashe wanted to lead, and that meant tackling the hardest role head-on.

There were practical reasons, too. While he lacked dedicated healing-type Miracles, his Sword Barrier was a formidable long-range defense that had already saved the Swordswoman and the Witch multiple times. In a sense, he was already playing a protective support role.

Then there was the petty reason that, after a disastrous afternoon, his sorcerer account's reputation had fallen into the gutter. No high-level dungeon team would take him. By switching to a healer, he could "smurf" his way into lower-tier progression groups, where no one would recognize his name.

As he finished reading through a few guides, the mark on the back of his hand pulsed with warmth, indicating that the Senheiser family's Reincarnation Dream was now open.

Should I go in? he wondered.

He found the concept of the mini Virtual World intriguing. It was marketed as a free, indulgent paradise, a prospect far more relaxing than the grind of Epic. But after hearing Pankey's warnings, Ashe felt a flicker of caution. He trusted his discipline, but if the dream world truly surrounded him with legions of beauties, such as elves, queens, blonde twin-tails, and silver-haired maidens, he feared he'd end up renaming himself Ashe Senheiser just to stay forever.

So... should I stay out?

Annan might not have set any specific quotas for him, but Ashe felt a growing internal pressure to perform. He had already tackled the first crisis by drawing a soul-healing item, ensuring he could log in before the next Spider Tower cycle.

But the second problem loomed large. How were they supposed to survive the Empress Hero's hunt?

This wasn't a one-time escape. Until they reached the third layer, they would have to face a Legion of Heroes, enemies hundreds of times stronger than themselves, in every single cycle. Beyond the dangers of the Virtual World, there was also the contract that bound him to Annan in reality.

This time, he'd lucked out and avoided a romantic entanglement. But what if Annan's next whim was for him to scrub out a cesspit? Under the contract, he'd have to do it, no matter how foul the task.

Is there a way to solve all of this at once?

A single phrase clawed its way to the forefront of his mind, primal and demanding, pulling every scattered thought into its orbit. The Divine Wish.

As long as he obtained a Divine Wish, none of them, not Annan, not the Gospel, and certainly not the Empress Hero, would be a problem anymore.

If Ashe could secure a spot on the second Future Ranking, his chances of obtaining that Wish would skyrocket.

Suddenly, the Gospel snapped open of its own accord, the pages fluttering until they landed on the Aurora Sorcerer's Handbook.

[Operator Watcher of Doomsday has triggered a personal exclusive side story.]

[New module: "Senheiser's Dream" unlocked.]

Does this trash game still have features I haven't played yet? Ashe wondered.

Under the Virtual World Exploration tab, a small new entry titled Senheiser's Dream appeared in the corner. It looked like a temporary event panel. When Ashe clicked it, he saw something unprecedented. The event wasn't just a block of text. It featured exquisite, high-fidelity artwork. The description read.

[An elegant and alluring Red Hat Elf sits upon a throne inside a high-rise office shrouded in white mist. She gazes down at Vanmura City through floor-to-ceiling glass like a queen ruling her metropolis. Beside her stands a younger, more spirited elf, whispering into her ear.]

Flanking the artwork were two options: the Dream Fragment Exchange and the Dream Expedition.

[Dream Expedition: Embark on a journey into the dream to recover Dream Fragments. Yields vary by expedition.]

Ashe checked the exchange shop first, and the rewards nearly blinded him. Beyond the standard Experience Orbs, the shop listed treasures like the Five Unmatched Secret Swords Mystery Box, the Time-Class Spirit Mystery Box, and the Prophecy-Class Spirit Mystery Box. These were rare artifacts he might never have seen in a lifetime of standard grinding.

He lunged for the Dream Expedition button, only to be stopped by a flashing warning.

[Warning: Operator's soul is damaged. Participation in Dream Expedition is not recommended.]

Damn it. My soul would take several more days to fully recover. By then, we might have already left Vanmura.

However, Ashe noticed the button hadn't turned gray, so he pressed it again.

[Substitute and Command spirits detected on the operator. It is recommended to dispatch the Substitute for the Dream Expedition to avoid aggravating soul damage.]

[Note 1: While the Substitute conducts the expedition, it can still be used normally in the real world.]

[Note 2: During the expedition, the operator cannot obtain dream intelligence or control the Substitute's actions. Only the expedition rewards will be received. Please choose carefully.]

Thump.

Ashe's heart hammered against his ribs. His breathing grew heavy, his face flushed, and a surge of pure adrenaline rushed through every pore. Right now, his eyes were locked onto a single, glorious line. It is recommended to dispatch the substitute.

I can finally send a substitute to work in my place! Auto-dungeon runs! Proxy commands! Passive rewards while I lie down! What more could I possibly ask for!?

Ashe navigated the menus with practiced speed.

[Dream Expedition] → [Dispatch Substitute] → [Select Objective]

To his surprise, he found that Romance was actually listed as a valid expedition objective. Once he selected it, the interface presented him with three distinct options.

[Please select the Substitute's Action Mode]

A) Watcher of Doomsday: Calm type. Suitable for intelligence gathering, sowing discord, and inciting chaos (Not Recommended).

B) Death Maniac Swordswoman: Frenzied type. Suitable for arson, assassination, destruction, and general mayhem (Not Recommended).

C) Black-White Witch: Joyful type. Suitable for role-playing, emotional manipulation, and creating chaos (Recommended).

Since he wasn't dispatching the real girls, but merely instructing the substitute to mimic their behavioral profiles, Ashe naturally followed the game's recommendation.

[Dream Expedition] → [Dispatch Substitute] → [Romance] → [Action Mode: Black-White Witch]

Confirm!

The mark on his hand cooled, and the status on his screen shifted to In Progress. Ashe blinked, staring at the interface. That's it? So... I really have nothing to do now?

Since he was free anyway, he decided to embrace his new role as a Healer and log into the game to mess with some unsuspecting players.

***

In Lys's room.

The young girl stood before a mirror, muttering to herself. Nearby, the substitute was hunched over a desk, skimming through piles of ancient manuals. Whenever its eyes landed on keywords like Gospel Incarnation, Isa Imperial Family, or Armor, it folded the corner of the page.

Once Dia and the others realized the substitute possessed a spark of intelligence, they immediately pivoted from manual labor to advanced mental exploitation. Their Gospel Points were still too low to query deep secrets directly, so they resorted to sifting through documents in hopes of finding clues. Fortunately, the Senheiser family had flourished for hundreds of years; otherwise, they never would have found such a wealth of information.

Suddenly, the back of the substitute's hand pulsed with heat. It paused, looking dazed for a moment, before mechanically returning to its work.

Meanwhile, within the vast, white expanse of the dreamscape, a figure quietly materialized.

The figure looked down at her current form. With a graceful twirl, she shed the generic skin and transformed into the likeness of the Black-White Witch illustration.

"If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands~ If you're happy and you know it, nod your head~ If you're happy and you know it, let's go for a walk~!"

By the time she finished her third line, seventeen identical "sisters" had appeared around her. They wore different outfits and displayed vastly different temperaments, but their faces were all the same.

"Are we really going to go on dates on behalf of that man?" one asked.

Another sighed. "That's so troublesome..."

"This is annoying. Don't drag me into this."

"Do we have to take on his appearance? No thanks, he's ugly."

A fifth sister countered, "Huh? I think he's quite cute. At least cuter than the Watcher."

"When you put it that way... I can't argue. A creature less cute than the Watcher probably doesn't exist, not even at the bottom of the abyss."

"Hungry! Cake! I want red velvet cake!"

The sisters' voices rose into a cacophony of arguments, shrieks, and wild howls. Even the white dreamscape seemed on the verge of shattering from the noise.

At that moment, the Witch pressed a finger to her lips. "Shh."

The silence was instantaneous.

She said, "At the end of the day, we are only here temporarily, piggybacking on Ashe's substitute to enter this dream. Regardless of how we feel, the task must be completed. As for our appearance, gender and race don't matter. As long as we resemble Ashe to some degree, the Gospel will credit the romantic exploits to him."

She smiled deviously. "Once each of you develops a relationship, whatever time you have left is all yours. This is the Family Dream, where things are unrestrained. Whatever madness you wish to pursue, you'll find someone here to join you. Oh, and one more thing..."

A Book of Gospel appeared in her hand. The other sisters followed suit, each manifesting their own. "With our accounts and the authority of the Incarnation of Secrets, we have free access to almost all information here. We can't take it outside, but... You all know how to make use of that advantage, don't you?"

Their eyes lit up. "Read her desires! Become her favorite! Break her mind!"

Chanting their wicked slogans, the sisters vanished one by one into the mist.

The Witch murmured to herself, "Now, where shall I start? Miss Annan, the Elf leader, the not-yet-corrupted White Queen, the not-yet-mad Black Butler, the Red Death Apostle I haven't killed yet... damn it. I want to play with them all. Who should I pick first?"