The Sorcerer's Handbook

Chapter 239: The Legion of Heroes

The Legion of Heroes was a combined army of sorcerer projections and Knowledge Creatures.

No one knew why, but on the Continent of Time, sorcerer projections could move alongside Knowledge Creatures. Logically, commanding an entire army was far beyond the reach of any Two-Winged sorcerer. Even the most skilled Mind Class sorcerers, masters of subjugation, could control only one or two at a time. It was like asking a child to drive a heavy truck. Even if the vehicle somehow moved, it wouldn't be the child's skill, but the machine itself carrying them along.

Many sorcerers had tried to uncover how these projections controlled Knowledge Creatures, but most were torn apart the moment they got close. A sorcerer projection leading an army was a rare sight. Most believed they had only encountered a wandering group of creatures, never realizing what they were truly facing.

Many sorcerers had tried to uncover how these projections controlled Knowledge Creatures, but most were torn to pieces the moment they approached the army. A sorcerer projection leading a horde was a rare sight. Most believed they had merely interrupted a family outing of Knowledge Creatures, never realizing they were confronting death itself.

Sonya explained, "The Legion of Heroes is invincible on the Continent of Time, or at least, invincible to us. Even without the Hero's command, the Knowledge Creatures alone are difficult to handle. With the Hero directing them, even the most battle-hardened Brute Body sorcerers would be drained completely.

"There's no doubt a powerful sorcerer can defeat a hundred weaker opponents, but in the Legion, every single creature has the strength of a Two-Winged sorcerer. Their sheer numbers are enough to crush any sorcerer. And with the Hero controlling them like extensions of their own body... what we saw earlier from the Great Feral Wolf Dragon was nothing by comparison.

"Perhaps only a Sacred Realm sorcerer could defeat the Legion. But Sacred Realm sorcerers cannot even set foot on the Continent of Time."

Ashe raised an eyebrow. "Hero?"

"In texts like The Continent of Time Story Collection, Golden Secrets, and The Rainfall Chronicles, projections capable of commanding Knowledge Creatures are called Heroes. It's just a convention to distinguish them from ordinary projections."

Sonya watched the Legion fade into the distance. "Heroes are rare here. Most Two-Winged sorcerers might glimpse only one or two in their lifetime. Running into one so soon... should we call this luck or misfortune?"

Ashe blinked. "That's only the second most dangerous threat? Then what ranks first? Sacred Realm sorcerers coming here to hunt for fun?"

Sonya replied, "The most dangerous threat would naturally be battles between Heroes themselves. It's said that even the shockwaves from their fights can wipe out a group of sorcerers from afar. There is a saying here that you should never follow the sound of battle because you will end up as an innocent caught in the crossfire."

Dia thought for a moment. "I remember a story about the Legion. A sorcerer, wronged by enemies and losing their lover, dies with lingering resentment. With the help of seven dragons, they form a Hero Legion to take revenge, and only find peace after reuniting with their lover..."

Ashe nodded. "It fits the structure of a fairy tale, but the reasoning for it feels far too real. I'd give it an eight out of ten."

Sonya cut in, "We can save that for later. The Legion might come back. We need to move. If the Heroes attack, even the Soul Elixir won't save us. We'd be down for a month."

Like any other Knowledge Creatures, those in the Legion craved the rare taste of a sorcerer's soul. Take a nest of Knowledge Creatures as an example. Each creature could only bite once, but with so many in a nest, the total soul energy lost was already higher than usual. In the case of a Legion, the loss would be enormous. A sorcerer's soul was completely defenseless upon death, and if it were fully devoured, that death would be permanent, even in the real world.

As long as no taboo was triggered, such as the Exile Secret Poison, creatures in the Virtual World rarely consumed a soul entirely. It was like harvesting chives without cutting the roots. They left enough behind for the sorcerer to return.

Ashe fell into thought. "If no one has ever defeated the Legion, how do we know the commander is a projection? What if it's a sorcerer who triggered some mechanism and gained control over the creatures?"

Sonya looked uncertain. "There should be scouting records about it. But if it were a real sorcerer, they should still retain that ability after reaching the Distant Sky Domain. Yet I've never heard the professor mention anything like that.

"Even there, no one can command Knowledge Creatures like the Heroes do. Not an army, and certainly not a Legion. This phenomenon only exists on the Continent of Time, like whirlpools in the Sea of Knowledge."

She glanced at Ashe. "Either way, it doesn't matter. We need to leave. You're not planning something reckless, are you?"

Ashe let out a mischievous smile. "Don't make it sound like I'm scheming something indecent toward my teammates. I just want to try a high-difficulty challenge."

Sonya bit back a curse and replied calmly, "I'm not even going to think about us winning here. The real question is, what's the reward in it?

"The Legion is harder to deal with than a Resource Point and doesn't yield as many rewards. It's not worth it. If you want a real challenge, next time we'll go head-on. You and I take the front while Dia covers from the rear."

"We can all fight in melee," Dia protested, though her tone carried none of Ashe's enthusiasm.

Ashe retorted, "There's a chance the Heroes may drop rarer spirits, or more detailed Sorcerer's Handbooks. The Virtual World is fair. It wouldn't deny us rewards for defeating something like this. And I have a feeling there's a deeper secret behind them... something tied to the Rainbow Tail."

He turned to Sonya with a smile. "My dear Swordswoman, if you're willing to work overtime and push your Sword Class to the Sacred Realm, I might even consider giving up adventuring."

Sonya spoke irritably, "We didn't take much risk even when we uncovered the secret of the Golden Fish, did we?"

Ashe spread his hands. "That was only because we got lucky finding the Destiny Quiz Island and referencing a few key Sorcerer's Handbooks. Luck won't always be on our side. Lately, I've hit a few snags, and at the worst moments, it feels like the Goddess of Fate enjoys backstabbing me."

"Why should we be the ones to find the Rainbow Tail that other sorcerers can't? Is it because you're good-looking, or because my driving skills are top-notch?"

Ashe went on, "We take risks that ordinary sorcerers wouldn't dare. We seize opportunities they ignore and fight enemies they refuse to face. Only by doing that can we earn rewards beyond what normal sorcerers achieve."

Sonya felt like he was twisting logic, but after a moment of thought, she had to admit he had a point. She understood that greater risks could bring greater rewards, yet at heart, she was still a typical academy-style sorcerer. Naturally, she'd be more inclined toward steady gains and avoiding unnecessary danger.

Since becoming a Two-Winged sorcerer, her cautious nature hadn't weakened. If anything, it had grown stronger. She focused entirely on maintaining her existing advantages. It wasn't that her ambition was shallow; her worldview was simply too limited.

Around her were classmates she had already surpassed. The only strong figure she could interact with was Professor Trosan, and even he envied her talent. Countless people saw her as the future Sword Saint. Nobles eager to get close to her crowded the female dorms, and Sword and Roses University would soon take pride in her accomplishments.

Her life goals for the next twenty years were essentially complete. She could have retired comfortably, enjoying life while pursuing personal interests. In fact, she had secretly swapped her daytime courses for music and performing arts classes, leaving only two hours a day, which was also the time the Watcher had arranged, for sword training. Her skills had advanced too quickly; her ambition simply couldn't keep up.

Dia raised her hand. "I agree with the Watcher. Fairy tales are about being different. If we want to become legends, we must walk paths no one else dares. A life of sameness will only ever be summarized as 'many years later.'"

"Do you want to become a Legendary sorcerer, Witch?" Sonya asked.

Dia's expression grew serious. "Actually, it's Little Red and the White Queen who want that. I don't really care about power. Little Red craves higher-level battles, and the White Queen wants more leverage through strength... But since we're sisters, their dreams are naturally mine too."

"And how about your own dream?" Ashe asked.

Dia blinked. "Me? I..."

She tilted her head and said softly, "Of course... It's to always live happily with my sisters."

The two older ones couldn't resist tearing apart the naive girl's simple wish.

"That sounds even harder than becoming a legend," Ashe said.

Sonya agreed, "Indeed."

She took a deep breath and let out a helpless sigh. "All right, I'll risk my life with you. But the second question still stands. Can we even win? I don't see any chance if we fight in open terrain."

Ashe kept his eyes on the Virtual World map. "We can, and I have a good reason for that. They're walking straight into a narrow space. They're entering the cave we just scavenged."

Sonya froze. "Are they connected to the Great Feral Wolf Dragon?"

"It could be a temporary arrangement. The dragon is stationed here to guard the Resource Point. This is likely a short-term deployment."

On the map, the marker for the Legion of Heroes had moved into the Great Feral Wolf Dragon's nest. Some of the loot Ashe and his team had claimed apparently belonged to the Legion as well.

"But even in the nest, their numbers are overwhelming," Dia said thoughtfully. "Could we repeat our trick and block the entrance?"

Ashe shook his head while waving his hand, strongly opposing the idea. "That's too risky. If anything goes wrong and we can't escape, the beasts would tear us apart."

Sonya scolded him. "The Legion of Heroes already comes with extreme risk, like eating unknown brightly colored mushrooms. And you're still worried about escape? There's no safety net for being daring and smart at the same time."

Ashe smiled confidently. "There is. I have a method to defeat the Legion and still escape whenever we need."

Like what? Letting the two of us fight while you stay in the car, ready to run?

Sonya was about to voice her complaints when she suddenly realized Ashe's real plan.

"The Great Feral Wolf Dragon's home should be big enough for a car. I'm sure it would appreciate us giving it a proper memorial as well."

Ashe brought up the car's upgrade interface and scanned the list of available peripherals. "I was going to save these resources to upgrade the Alchemical Throne, but I guess when the time comes, I'll just have to use them. So...

"Time to show off the driving skills I got from failing the second license exam twice!"