The Spellcaster's Manual

Chapter 3: Spellcaster's Manual

The game company where Ash worked in his previous life was named Aurora. Aurora had released multiple popular mobile games, Aurora’s Dungeon Fortress, Aurora’s Alienated Land, and Spellcaster's Manual of Aurora was precisely a new mobile game the company was currently testing.

Ash didn't belong to the new game development department but the operations department. However, he'd heard the new game was insanely fun and expected to explode. The head of planning intended to let him lead a small team to handle the operations planning for the new game, so Ash downloaded the Demo of Spellcaster's Manual, preparing to study the meta in order to contribute surplus value faster, better, and stronger in the future.

However, before Ash could open the game, he suddenly transmigrated during an all-night overtime session.

How did this mobile game transmigrate with me? And automatically install itself into the Consciousness Light Screen?

Ash was filled with shock and doubt, but thinking that in a few days he'd become meat on the chopping block, he had no time to investigate the reason. He could only hope it would bring him a miracle!

「Spellcaster's Manual of Aurora is starting…」 「Checking/updating game resources for you… Unable to connect to the network, automatically switching to Airplane Mode.」 「Warning: Graphics Engine Missing… Repairing…」 「Warning: Instance System Missing… Repairing…」 「Warning: Data System Missing… Repairing…」 「…」

A torrent of red Warning prompts flooded the light screen, until a green prompt appeared and stopped it—

「Search system started normally.」 「Recharge system started normally.」 「Welcome to Spellcaster's Manual!」

God damn it! The entire thing could successfully start with only the gacha and pay-to-win systems functional—truly worthy of my former company!

Ash entered the game with a dark expression.

Eighty percent of the entire light screen was blank. Only two rainbow-shimmering options could be interacted with—

「Material Procurement」 「Operator Search」

Clicking 「Material Procurement」 revealed source crystal purchase options: one crystal for 6 points, one set for 30 points, one pile for 98 points, one bag for 198 points, one box for 328 points, one crate for 648 points, each with first-time top-up double rewards…

Ash could guess even with his toenail-sized IQ that these points were currency, but PayPal didn’t transmigrate with him—where would he get money to recharge?

What was the company thinking? For an internal staff testing Demo, why include a pay-to-win system? Trying to claw back the salaries they paid us… Hiss, that sounds exactly like them.

Clicking 「Operator Search」, perhaps due to various resource losses, the operator search interface was also blank, with only two bare options: 「Search Once」, 「Search Ten Times」.

Ash wanted to draw cards and play, but drawing once actually cost 3 source crystals—where would he get money to draw?

No, they charge for the first gacha pull in a demo? What kind of shameless mobile game company does this… Oh, my company made it. Never mind.

Just when Ash was dejected, the light screen suddenly popped up a notification: 「Sign-in system repair successful, connecting to main server… Unable to connect to server, automatically switching to Airplane Mode.」

A third option appeared on the light screen: 「Login Sign-in」.

Clicking it revealed a calendar. Ash saw that the April 11th box was automatically checked.

「Standard Allocation: One source crystal.」 「Newcomer First Sign-in Allocation: One Operator Ten-Consecutive Search Voucher (Guaranteed to obtain one SSR).」

Whether he could escape next week’s Blood Moon Trial depended on this unknown game that had transmigrated with him!

Open the 「Search Operator」 interface and select 「Search Ten Times」! No flashy card-draw animation—just a plain list:

「Stamina Potion」, 「Stamina Potion」, 「Experience Potion」, 「Experience Potion」… 「Deathfrenzy Swordmaiden」, 「Basic Combat Experience Card」, 「Training Wooden Sword」… SSR!

Immediately after, a message popped up: 「Operator system repair successful. You can now manage your owned operators.」

Ash immediately checked the card. It showed a red-haired girl in a black halter dress, wearing an innocent neighbor-girl smile, hands behind her back, long legs in black stockings stepping in small leather shoes, head tilted as she looked around, pale red eyes full of curiosity.

「Deathfrenzy Swordmaiden」 「Human Race · Female · 18 years old」 「Bond Level: 0 (30% experience sharing)」 「Class: Spellcaster Student」 「Class Trait: Learning efficiency +5%」 「Innate Talent · Swordmaiden (Low-tier): Gain an extra 100% swordsmanship experience, low chance to gain 10000% swordsmanship experience. (Talent level unlockable after strength improvement.)」 「Personal Skill · Pitch-Black Heart Eye: Nip danger in the bud. When an enemy generates intent to attack, automatically counterattack with a certain probability based on strength difference.」

Ash stared for a long time but couldn’t find anything “death” or “mad” about her. He saw red—aside from the cool, explosive name, wasn’t this just a blank-slate waifu illustration?

Don't you dare try to monetize the art, you bastards!

The free starter character requires grinding? Modern people have such fast-paced lives—don't they want the player to feel good right away, but make them spend time instead? What kind of trash game is this? It's truly harmful! This planner should be replaced by me—I could do it too!

Moreover, a trash first-draw character is one thing, but if I can’t summon operators to reality to fight for me, what’s the point of drawing cards?!

In a few days I’ll be on the execution ground becoming the executioner’s KPI. This mobile game can’t even help me escape—do they want me to sign in every day before I die to send traffic to this trash game? Truly, utterly my company.

With even his last hope shattered, Ash became even more disheartened. He exited the operator personal interface and saw a red dot in the upper right corner of the newly appeared 「Operator Management」 on the main interface. With a slight touch of OCD, Ash naturally clicked it.

The next second, he bolted upright from the bed.

Because in 「Operator Management」, there were two operators.

Besides the newly drawn 「Deathfrenzy Swordmaiden」, there was also a rather handsome, lean young man in a pitch-black trench coat—

「End Watcher」 「Human Race · Male · 25 years old」 「Trust Value: ∞」 「Class: Cult Leader / Ancient History Scholar」 「Class Trait: Blessed by the Four Pillars God, luck check +10; easier to identify ancient artifacts, ancient artifact identification +5」 「Innate Talent · Spellcaster's Manual (Low-tier): Register other operators in the manual. Experience gained by other operators will be shared with this character according to bond level ratio. Current manual pages: 0/1 (upper limit unlockable after strength improvement.)」 「Personal Skill · Otherworld Wanderer: Effect unknown.」

Ash turned to look at the only mirror embedded in the prison cell wall, compared it with the illustration on the light screen for a long time, and finally confirmed that this 「End Watcher」 was none other than himself, Ash Heath!

Whether it was the innate talent Spellcaster's Manual or the personal skill Otherworld Wanderer, both alluded to his current situation!

Moreover, Ash still remembered the title End Watcher—this was exactly the honorific the Four Pillars God cult followers used for him.

It sounded edgy and final-boss-worthy, but he was wiped out by a bunch of Hunters—truly a classic case of the rebellion getting TKO’d by the local precinct.

He never expected this to become his in-game codename. Low damage, high insult.

But what was with this pitch-black trench coat? Ash didn’t remember wearing it. Maybe it was Heath’s fashion preference? Bad taste, bro.

Ash flipped through the Deathfrenzy Swordmaiden interface again, staring at the 30% experience sharing in bond level and pondering for a long time. He knew this might be his only chance to escape prison!

If he guessed correctly, when he leveled up 「Deathfrenzy Swordmaiden」 in the game, he himself could gain 30% of her experience! The stronger the Swordmaiden became, the stronger he became!

Hope reignited. Ash became energized and checked the other trash he had drawn: 2 Stamina Potions, 4 Experience Potions, 1 Training Wooden Sword, 1 Basic Combat Card, 1 Trial Card.

「Stamina Potion」: During training actions, adds one action point to the operator, lasts seven days. 「Experience Potion」: During training actions, skill experience gained by operator +10%, lasts seven days, maximum bonus per operator 50%. 「Training Wooden Sword」: When equipped by operator, swordsmanship training experience +15%. 「Basic Combat Card」: When used by operator, arranges combat training to gain a large amount of experience, lasts seven days (Danger level: Low). 「Basic Trial Card」: Grants operator one trial, gaining varying experience. Each operator can use only once per week.

All consumables for cultivation—perfectly suited to Ash’s intentions. If he had drawn combat-power items, they would be useless to him anyway.

But why did the combat experience card have a Danger level: Low note…

He opened Deathfrenzy Swordmaiden’s training strategy and found many details:

「Deathfrenzy Swordmaiden」 「Current Mood: 5 (0 experience bonus)」 「Available Actions: Rest, Entertainment, Training, Trial」 「Rest: Consumes one action point, recovers a certain amount of mood.」 「Entertainment: Consumes two action points, recovers a large amount of mood.」 「Training: Consumes one action point, performs specific spellfaction training.」 「Combat: Consumes one action point, requires specific item.」 「Trial: Consumes no action point, requires specific item.」 「Weekly Daily Action Points: 2 points (can use 1 Stamina Potion to add 1 action point).」

“So that’s how it is. You have to consider the operator’s mood. The better the mood, the better the training effect. Balance work and rest—that’s the essence of education…”

Ash greatly admired this humanized cultivation system, then equipped Deathfrenzy Swordmaiden with the Training Wooden Sword, consumed 1 Stamina Potion, 4 Experience Potions, maxing out 3 action points!

「Training Strategy: Training, Training, Combat」! 「This Week’s Trial Project: Swordsmanship」!

“I’m about to be executed—where do I have time to care about a paper waifu’s mood?!”

When Ash pressed confirm in the 「Training Strategy」 interface, the light screen suddenly prompted: 「Activate End Watcher innate talent to register Deathfrenzy Swordmaiden in Spellcaster's Manual?」

“Ah right, almost forgot to bind the Swordmaiden. Good thing the game reminded me—otherwise all that training would be wasted!” Ash exclaimed, relieved. His life was now like a candle in the wind; he couldn’t afford to waste time. He had to squeeze every bit of gain dry.

「Confirm registering Deathfrenzy Swordmaiden in Spellcaster's Manual? Note: This operation is irreversible.」

「Confirm」!

「Operator bond registration successful. Training in progress, scheduling…」 「Constructing trial scene… Scene materials missing, auto-completing… Found available scene, occupying…」 「Trial target missing, auto-completing… Found available target, extracting…」

Watching the in-game messages, Ash had nothing to do for the moment. Perhaps the day’s emotional rollercoaster was too stimulating. Once he relaxed, waves of drowsiness hit him. It felt like all his strength had been drained; his eyelids kept fighting to close.

Before his head even touched the pillow, Ash fell into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile.

In another distant place, three hours’ time difference from Ash’s location.

A girl who had gone to bed early for skincare and beauty suddenly found herself waking up in a dream.