In the Sea of Knowledge, on a small island in the Void Realm, the battle was reaching its climactic end.
"The difference between swordsmanship and butchery lies in precision," Professor Trozan's teachings echoed in Sonia's mind as she steadied her breathing, ensuring her movements remained precise. Holding her wooden sword tightly, she channeled her sorcery to the brink and struck with all her might!
The wooden sword pierced through Ash's back, driving through his chest!
"Ugh!"
Ash let out a grunt, the sharp pain nearly making him lose his grip. The Void Realm did not dull a sorcerer's pain—if anything, the raw connection to the soul made it even more intense, by 10%–20%. It wasn't unheard of for sorcerers to succumb to the pain in reality after enduring too much in the Void Realm.
The tip of Sonia's wooden sword began to glow with a faint purple hue before—
"Reverse Ripple Blade!"
With Sonia's cry, a burst of rippling sword energy erupted from the wooden sword!
The green-skinned orc gripping Ash's shoulders and resisting Sonia's strikes let out an earth-shattering roar. Its massive body exploded like a balloon, its lower half completely obliterated.
Yet, the fiery glint in its eyes burned brighter as its hands clamped around Ash's throat, squeezing as though wringing out a wet towel—
Sonia decisively pulled her sword back and delivered a swift slash. The orc's previously impervious neck now parted like a cake being sliced. The beast's head flew off, and Ash slumped to the ground, gasping for air.
"You okay?" Sonia asked.
"Other than briefly reliving my life and hearing some ghostly familial whispers, I'm fine."
Ash coughed a couple of times, glancing at the area Sonia had struck. Naturally, there was no visible damage now—not even his coat had a scratch—and his injuries had healed in an instant.
Ash already knew from his first battle that injuries in the Void Realm were merely illusions. As long as a sorcerer didn't die outright, they could recover almost instantly.
However, miracles always came with a price. Ash noticed that his hands had become slightly translucent, a clear sign that his soul energy had been significantly drained. One more heavy injury like this, and he might actually lose his first life in the Void Realm.
He glanced at the dissipating head of the orc, still feeling a lingering sense of dread.
This green-skinned orc was the strongest enemy they'd faced so far in the Void Realm. If Ash hadn't volunteered to play the tank and distract it, giving Sonia a chance to attack, the outcome of this battle would've been far from certain.
On paper, the orc wasn't much stronger than the gun-wielding enemy they'd faced earlier; both were low-level sorcerers with shallow combat styles.
That simplicity was why the "Void Exploration" system had deemed the encounter "worthwhile" for adventurers like them, lulling Ash into a false sense of security.
The Void Realm had swiftly corrected that assumption: everything here carried risk.
Even among low-level sorcerers, the gap in strength could be as vast as the divide between species.
The orc's Hardened Weakling specialization made it a nightmare for them. Its tree-bark-like skin acted as natural armor, making it nearly invulnerable to their attacks. Even Sonia's Ripple Blade had been reduced to a mere scratch.
What's worse, the orc had extensive combat experience and knowledge of martial arts, frequently disrupting Sonia's attempts to launch powerful attacks by either grappling with Ash or charging directly at her. This forced Sonia into a cautious, defensive stance.
The longer the battle dragged on, the more their energy drained, while the orc seemed to grow stronger. Realizing they couldn't win a prolonged fight, the two devised a strategy: Ash would act as bait, distracting the orc while Sonia landed a decisive blow.
The plan worked. The orc was defeated, Sonia's skills sharpened, and Ash got a rare glimpse of his life flashing before his eyes. Growth for everyone.
After the battle, it was time to examine their spoils. The orc dropped two wolf-tooth pendants, each containing a Soul Art:
"Oak Bark Skin"
One-wing Soul Art
Restriction: Sorcerer must possess skin tissue covering their muscles.
Basic Effect: Transforms skin into a bark-like material. When on the ground, 10% of kinetic impacts
to the skin are redirected to the earth.
Passive Effect: Skin can be gradually transformed into bark through routine training.
Note: Exposure to frost, sunlight, and other natural hardships will make you increasingly resilient.
Both Soul Arts were "Oak Bark Skin."
Ash frowned. "Why does it have two of the same Soul Art?"
Sonia explained, "Weakling-specialization sorcerers prioritize passive effects over active ones, and passive effects can stack. To speed up their training, they often seek multiple copies of the same Soul Art."
"Do you want one?"
"No way. It's not valuable and doesn't suit me. Even if I wanted to enhance my physique, there are better choices. Besides, Oak Bark Skin is ugly."
Ah, so it's about aesthetics. Ash recalled the orc's leathery, wrinkled skin, which resembled a repeatedly folded sheet of paper. He, too, felt reluctant.
While he wasn't obsessed with his appearance, there was a limit to how much he could sacrifice for power.
The two Soul Arts went into Ash's inventory as emergency currency.
Sonia picked up a scroll left behind by the orc. She skimmed it, her expression turning sour before tossing it to Ash. "You're not seriously planning to absorb this kind of sorcerer's manual, are you?"
Curious, Ash unrolled the scroll—and froze.
It was a… well, let's say it could be politely titled The Almanac of Allure, formally called Exotic Customs and Trades, or crassly referred to as The Big Beastly Guide to Satisfaction.
The first section contained "artistic" portraits of orc females. Although rough around the edges, the images had a certain primal charm—at least to someone deprived of visual indulgence for days.
The middle sections ventured into more diverse territory, featuring humans, elves, ogres, and even a spider-woman. The meticulous research and variety were a testament to the orc's dedication to its craft.
But Ash found one thing frustrating—the orc's narrow aesthetic preference for "big." Every individual featured was over two meters tall, towering over Ash's average frame.
"Like what you see? Why not take it back for a deeper study?" Sonia crossed her arms, her disdain barely hidden.
"Give me a minute. I'll skim through it quickly."
The scroll was long, listing hundreds of individuals—more than Ash had ever interacted with in his life. Droughts and floods, he thought grimly.
At the end of the scroll, he found a surprising entry: an ordinary-looking orc woman. She was fully clothed, holding the hands of two orc children, standing in front of a modest wooden house. Her simple smile and apron gave her the appearance of a rustic farmer's wife.
Oddly, there were no notes. Why had the orc chronicler included her? Love unfulfilled? A terminal illness?
Ash shook his head, puzzled.
When the scroll disintegrated into light, Ash gained two new skills:
"Secrets of Pleasure" (Effective only on females over two meters)
"Primal Instincts"
Ash stared blankly at the first skill.
He'd somehow acquired an A1 license for heavy vehicles, even though he'd never driven a day in his life.
The second skill, however, seemed useful. A refined version of the orc's instinctive combat techniques, it heightened Ash's ability to evade sneak attacks in close-quarters combat.
As their boat drifted away from the island, Sonia glanced at Ash. "I can't believe you absorbed that sorcerer's manual. You must have the most flexible moral compass."
"Flexible, yes," Ash replied. "But in this case, I'd say resourceful."
With the battle behind them, they looked ahead. Ash opened the Void Exploration map, spotting an unfamiliar orange notification on the next island.
"Wait."
"What's the holdup?" Sonia asked after a few seconds of stillness.
"It says to wait."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"How long?"
"No idea."
Sonia sighed and stretched. "Fine, we'll wait. Oh, by the way, I forgot—I wanted to ask you about something."
"What is it?"
"My daily training routine," she said, arms crossed. "Can we cut it out?"
Ash leaned back, fingers steepled. "I respect your wishes, of course. But I'd like to hear your reasons."