The Sorcerer's Handbook

Pankey's refusal was exactly what Iger had expected.

Of the three companions they had lost contact with, Pankey cared only about Annan. No one else truly mattered to him. Anything that threatened to interfere with her rescue would never win his approval. Initially, Pankey had headed toward the gaming floor because he assumed Annan would meet up with Ashe. But now, with Annan missing and Ashe trapped, Pankey saw no reason to take unnecessary risks.

If Ashe and Annan were both drowning, Pankey would ruthlessly ensure that Annan used Ashe as a stepping stone to reach safety.

The young butler had spoken at length to the group only because he wanted to persuade the two new recruits to help him search for Annan. Her current situation was completely unknown, and it was highly likely that she had encountered enemies. In a crisis like this, the more reinforcements he could gather, the better.

No matter how close they usually seemed, regardless of the fact that Ashe had learned gunsmithing from Pankey, or that Ashe, Lys, and Pankey had routinely joked about playing their favorite games with their future children, when a true crisis struck, the value of a life was instantly, cold-bloodedly prioritized.

Different people valued different things.

The butler was like that, and so was the fraudster.

Yet, Iger knew he had to convince Pankey. Among the remaining members of their group, Iger could only offer support, and Harvey required far too much preparation to be effective in a sudden skirmish. Only Pankey was capable of unleashing devastating, explosive combat power at a moment's notice.

Pankey had been a Two-Winged sorcerer for decades, dual-majoring in Gun and Frost, two sorcery classes honed entirely for lethal combat. Only God knew how deeply he had refined his fighting arts.

While Pankey had never ascended to the Sacred Realm, that was merely a reflection of his innate talent hitting a hard ceiling, not a lack of effort. In the world of sorcery, diligence was a basic survival trait for any Virtual World wanderer. Those who slacked off were quickly beaten into submission by the harsh reality of being devoured by Fish-Slaying Dragons.

The threshold of a sorcery class was an invisible, untouchable wall. If a breakthrough was impossible, it simply remained impossible. Because Experience Orbs were scarce, many sorcerers spent their entire lives unable to reach higher Virtual World layers. Still, no one stayed stuck forever. When advancement in a primary sorcery class was blocked, sorcerers simply cultivated other disciplines to see where their luck would take them.

Over time, these veteran sorcerers mastered multiple classes, weaving them together to birth entirely new Miracles and spirits. This depth of experience was particularly terrifying among the elves. Any elven sorcerer who had spent centuries constantly updating their knowledge possessed a foundation deep enough to effortlessly overwhelm human sorcerers of the exact same level who had only been practicing for a few decades.

Even when their mana ceased to grow, a sorcerer could still transmute time into strength across every aspect of their craft.

Pankey was precisely that kind of sorcerer. His mana had plateaued, but he had spent decades obsessively refining his techniques. Backed by the infallible guidance of the Gospel, he had undoubtedly constructed a flawless spirit system. If anyone in their group possessed the power to shatter the dominance of a Sacred Realm sorcerer, it was Pankey, and Pankey alone.

Mr. Perskin: Don't forget that Ashe is Annan's employee. The Red Hats will undoubtedly arrest Annan for harboring a fugitive. If we don't intercept them here, then even if we do find Annan later, we'll be running from Sacred Realm sorcerers under the worst possible conditions.

Mr. Perskin: Right now, all the Red Hats are concentrated on the gaming floor. They are exposed in the light, while we are operating from the shadows. If we strike them hard now, our escape will be far easier later. Or would you honestly prefer a life-and-death sprint across open terrain beneath the night sky, rather than utilizing the advantage of this layout?

Three seconds... Two... and one.

Butler: Is there a genuine chance of success?

Mr. Perskin: Yes.

***

As expected, plans that didn't rely on Ashe's chaotic, devious schemes usually proceeded like clockwork.

"I'm releasing a Psychic Scream! Anyone within ten meters who hears it directly will die instantly! Three, two, one!"

Dragging Ashe into a blind spot behind the gaming pods, Iger calmly shouted the countdown at the top of his lungs. It served two purposes, psychologically pressuring the Red Hats while giving Pankey his exact cue to strike.

This time, the key to ending the stalemate wasn't in their own hands, but in how the Red Hats reacted.

The Red Hats held the legal right to use violence, yet they were bound by a staggering number of bureaucratic restrictions. Firstly, they were strictly forbidden from attacking a wanted criminal unless the target exhibited explicit resistance. Secondly, they could never harm innocent citizens under any circumstances. Thirdly, if a criminal openly announced an impending crime and the Red Hats had the means to prevent it, they were legally required to prioritize public safety over making an arrest.

Iger hadn't watched countless documentaries and legal dramas just for entertainment. These three specific Red Hats regulations had been dissected like fine art by screenwriters for years, consistently engineered into moral dilemmas that tested the conscience of every officer. The moment Iger realized their assailants were Red Hats, he immediately saw a way to weaponize those restrictions to carve out a slim escape route for Ashe.

The calculated plan was to blind their vision using Ashe, terrorize their minds with Harvey, and step in to declare an imminent atrocity. This sequence would force them to erect soundproof barriers to protect the local citizens of Vanmura, which would subsequently empty their magazines and fracture their focus. Finally, Iger's Psychic Scream would mask the sound of Pankey's lethal gunfire and annihilate the Red Hats attempting this midnight raid.

The cost was just as steep. Iger's pristine citizen record, intact for less than twenty days, was about to be stained with a glaring criminal entry.

While Harvey could still pass off his actions as harmless mischief, and Ashe's wanted status might eventually be cleared, Iger's plan to unleash a mass-casualty Miracle in a densely populated area left him with no room for defense. If any Senheiser citizens died in the crossfire, the Gospel might even place a bounty on his head.

It was humiliating. Iger had never imagined that his first criminal record under the Gospel wouldn't be for sophisticated fraud, illegal fundraising, or heresy, but for endangering public safety, a mindless crime only a fool would commit.

It's always been like this! Nothing good ever comes from teaming up with Ashe. At this point, who's really dragging who?

At least Iger wouldn't be lonely. By ambushing the Red Hats, Pankey would be soaring right up the Hottest Criminals of the Day ranking alongside him.

Iger let out a heavy sigh and then unleashed a piercing, heart-wrenching tenor from his throat.

Simultaneously, Pankey breached the gaming floor. His dual ice pistols roared, unleashing a staggering sixty-two Miracle-infused bullets in a single, breathless second.

Yet, just as it seemed the Red Hats were about to fall victim to the criminals' trap, the two Sacred Realm sorcerers suddenly unfurled their wings.

Silver Wing! Gold Wing! And... Rainbow Wing!

The ethereal wings disintegrated the very instant they appeared, morphing into two transparent barriers that enveloped every single member of the Red Hats.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Psychic Scream rippled harmlessly against the outer surface of the barrier. At the exact same time, all sixty-two bullets froze midair against the defensive wall, detonating into a harmless flurry of frost.

Inside the barrier, the Red Hats stood completely unscathed.

In the face of absolute power, schemes and deceptions were no sturdier than soap bubbles.

Light watched the display and commented dryly, "An impressive tactical coordination. Unfortunately, you severely underestimated the Sacred Realm sorcerers."