Mage Manual-Chapter 1434 - 1045: Death Mad and Black Demon

The silver elite car drove on the viaduct of Jiale City, countless car lights shuttling above the city along the overpass, like fireflies bound to tracks. Neon-lit skyscrapers stood on the earth like giant lanterns illuminating the snowflakes drifting in the night sky.

A toll booth was encountered after the bridge, the car window slowly rolled down, and a card was handed out from inside. The staff took the card and swiped it, glanced at the suspect list posted on the wall beside them, looked down into the car, and was immediately astounded: the driver in the front seat was a luxurious blonde girl, draped in a black velvet cloak with a military blue coat inside, naturally exuding upper-class noble air, her slender fingers in velvet black gloves gently tapping the steering wheel, clearly in a good mood.

Not matching the suspect list at all, the staff returned the card and said with a smile, "May the stars bless you."

The blonde girl smiled and nodded, rolling up the opaque window, and the silver elite car disappeared into the flow of traffic.

In the back seat, Sonia sat next to Ash watching a show, her blood-red hair tickling Ash. Though spending time watching shows together with the Sword Maiden was quite a good choice, Ash still needed to handle a small matter first.

Opening "Aurora’s Mage Manual," a message immediately popped up inside: "The training of the operators has ended, please check the growth report, and promptly set this week’s training strategy."

Ash didn’t expect this system to still be operational. In fact, upon knowing that his encounter with the four Sword Maidens wasn’t a ’game-like randomness’ but a ’destined inevitability,’ he realized this game system was merely a medium used by the Final Observer group to guide them.

I’ve been wondering how an operations group member ended up crossing into the game, operations work isn’t playing a game, but playing the gamers...

Now that Death Mad has confessed the truth and showed their teeth, Ash thought the "Aurora’s Mage Manual," even if not disappearing, would at least cease updating. After all, the system’s purpose was to guide Ash in collecting and properly training four operators under the guise of the Final Observer group.

But since Ash has met Death Mad, their existence is completely exposed; there’s no need to use the system for guidance anymore. It’s not possible that the Final Observer is yet another riddle-speaker of repetitive phrases, right?

Just like a couple in a long-distance relationship who has met yet insists on chatting online with emojis rather than in the real world.

However, when Ash saw the detailed report content, his expression became serious.

"Death Mad Sword Maiden Growth Report 10.17~3.27"

"Bonds Level: 4 (75% experience sharing)"

"Sword Technique Faction: Holy Domain→Demigod"

"Water Technique Faction: Gold→Legendary"

"Space Faction: Gold→Space"

"Light Magic Faction: Silver→Gold"

"Time Faction: Gold→Gold"

"Magic Power: Legendary Zero Wing→Demigod Zero Wing"

"Training Evaluation: SSS!"

"Due to receiving an SSS-grade evaluation, the Death Mad Sword Maiden gains career reinforcement in the Mage’s Handbook: Death Mad!"

"Death Mad·Ultimate Characteristics: Gradually unlocks three traits with personality shift."

[Possession: Each effective attack leaves Polluted Magic Power inside the target, which continuously tortures the target’s soul. The target’s Technique Spirit will go insane, actively rebel, or self-destruct.]

[Resentment: When you attack, no matter if the attack is effective, contacted, or harmful, the target you locked in will receive direct soul tremor damage. If the target contains Polluted Magic Power, it will burst out and grow explosively.]

[Sobbing: When you are emotionally down, you will gain layers of Sobbing Cloak, up to seven layers. Each layer provides various resistances, attack speed, casting speed, and damage barriers. The Sobbing Cloak will cause burning effects and accelerated growth of Polluted Magic Power within range.]

"With the enhancement of Magic Power, the innate talent of the Death Mad Sword Maiden is strengthened!"

"Due to receiving an SSS-grade evaluation, the Death Mad Sword Maiden gains the career assessment task ’Death Mad’!"

"Death Mad: No time limit, once personality shifts to the critical point, unlock all traits, solidify the career characteristics of Death Mad permanently. Current progress: (1/3)."

The Sword Maiden’s Bonds Level is still 4; Ash isn’t surprised. They could increase Bonds Level to 5 or even 6 within the Hell Trial all thanks to the temporary enhancement from the Final Observer group, naturally dropping back now that Hell Trial is over.

However, he and the Sword Witch have gone through so many adventures, already having 4 on the Bonds Level early. Ash once suspected whether they must perform intimate couple tasks to unlock 5 Bonds Level, but what if he’s a pure love faction... No, he has always been a pure love faction... What if he decided to only like one person, then others wouldn’t be able to unlock 5 Bonds Level?

It’s more likely the situation might occur: if no one likes him, then he wouldn’t be able to unlock 5 Bonds Level forever?

But now Ash understands, not just couples can unlock 5 Bonds Level, only the Supreme of Magic can unlock 5 Bonds Level; the unlocked Void Wings sharing at 5 Bonds Level is completely beyond the power demigods or Magic Masters can possess, invented by the Final Observer group as the ultimate secret skill.

As for the Sword Maiden’s demigod swordsmanship, Ash reckoned there’s plenty of puffery.

Before the Hell Trial, the Sword Maiden’s swordsmanship was at most Legendary, unlikely to touch the edge of the demigod, yet Legendary Realm alone isn’t enough for summoning Divine Being; in order to summon ’Shattered Lake Divine Being,’ her swordsmanship faction was forcibly lifted to the demigod realm during the Hell Trial.

So in a sense, it could be Ash who poured her swordsmanship realm into demigod level, after all...

Her advancement in Water Technique to Legendary was unexpected, yet reasonable. Evidently, the Shattered Lake Divine Being was a composite magic divine being chiefly swordsmanship supplemented by water technique, naturally deepening her understanding of water technique during the summoning process.

The Space Faction could ascend to Holy Domain for similar reasons.

This possibly stands as the most extravagant shortcut for magic advancement throughout history; Mages usually summon Divine Beings after a long accumulation of magic realm, only they elevate their magic understanding by summoning Divine Beings. The former is akin to attaining a leadership role through work experience, while the latter directly parachutes into leadership before accumulating work experience.

But Ash’s current tension naturally centers on the Sword Maiden’s new Professional characteristics, Death Mad!

Needless to say, Ash felt his heart throb upon seeing her Professional characteristics. Vishi previously mentioned, although soul body grants demigods Eternal Life, it also robs them of human ’malleability’; humans can use Miracles to mend flesh after injury, but a demigod’s soul body, after damage, possibly cannot be fixed for hundreds of years!

It can be seen that the three traits of Death Mad are entirely aimed at soul bodies: [Possession] creates Polluted Magic Power that continuously erodes the enemy’s soul body, [Resentment] allows the Sword Maiden to bypass all defenses and directly attack the opponent’s soul, triggering Polluted Magic Power, and [Sobbing] is both offensive and defensive. It not only protects one’s own soul body but also further enhances the power of Polluted Magic Power!

If the Sword Maiden unlocks these three traits, any demigod fighting her would be in for a world of hurt, if not dead. At the very least, Ash couldn’t figure out how he would deal with such a Sword Maiden.

Fortunately, the Sword Maiden is in my arms, I was scared to death.

Although these three traits are very tempting, Ash isn’t the least bit attached to them.

When the Sword Maiden’s personality shifts to the extent where these traits can be unlocked, she’s not far from being replaced by ’Death Mad’ either.

This is more a warning than a task. As long as Ash does the opposite, preventing the Sword Maiden from developing emotions like [Possession], [Resentment], and [Sobbing], he can avoid her personality shifting toward Death Mad!

Currently, the Sword Maiden’s progress is (1/3), obviously having unlocked the [Possession] trait, but Ash doesn’t mind. He never thought about changing the Sword Maiden’s possessiveness—first, he couldn’t do it, and second, he couldn’t imagine what a non-possessive Sword Maiden would be like.

He knows very well that the Sword Maiden has many flaws: overly possessive, vengeful, vain, selfish, unable to stand the sight of others doing well... but that’s just what he likes. When others have these flaws, it’s bad, but when the Sword Maiden has them, it’s adorable.

Just like how the Sword Maiden also likes his flawed self.

Ash adjusted his position, wrapping his arms around the Sword Maiden’s waist from behind. Sonia didn’t look back and changed to a more comfortable position lying in his embrace, placing her hands on his, gathering together for warmth.

"Innate Talent·Sword Maiden (Empty): Easier to summon Four-winged Sword Technique Spirit, potential to independently incubate new swordsmanship Divine Beings, can actively summon the Phantom of the Dragon of Annihilating Resentment (talent level unlockable after strength is improved)"

Ash stroked the back of the Sword Maiden’s hand; her Queen’s mark had not disappeared, allowing her to continue actively summoning her Guardian Spirit. It’s strange, the Sword Maiden has the Dragon of Annihilating Resentment, the Witch has the Bronze Dragon, the Silver Lamp has the Illusion Mirror Dragon, Vishi has the Dusk Dragon, yet he has no Guardian Spirit.

Even a Fish-Slicing Dragon would be nice!

Grumbling to himself, Ash opened the second report.

"Growth Report of the Black and White Witch 10.17~3.27"

"Bonds Level: 4 (75% experience shared)"

"Time Faction: Holy Domain→Demigod"

"Fist Claw Faction: Holy Domain→Legendary"

"Space Faction: Silver→Legendary"

"Soul Faction: Silver→Holy Domain"

"Spirit Faction: Gold→Gold"

"Water Technique Faction: Silver→Silver"

"Magic Power: Legendary Zero Feather→Demigod Zero Feather"

"Training Evaluation: SSS!"

"Due to achieving an SSS-grade evaluation, the Black and White Witch gains the mage manual’s profession enhancement: Black Demon!"

"Black Demon·Professional Characteristics: Gradually unlocks three traits as personality shifts."

[Loneliness: You share Void Wings’ Magic Power, Divine Spirit, Magic Wonder, and sensory information with your duplicate. You and your duplicate have the same casting permissions.]

[Madness: When you and your duplicate simultaneously activate a Miracle, Wonder, or Divine Act, the effects of your Magic will interconnect and influence each other, amplifying the results by 300%~10000%.]

[Despair: At the cost of sleeping, the duplicate’s cognitive ability receives hyper-frequency enhancement, enabling simultaneous activation of more Miracles, Wonders, and Divine Acts.]

"Due to the enhancement in Magic Power, the Black and White Witch’s talent improves!"

"Because of achieving an SSS-grade evaluation, the Black and White Witch obtains the profession assessment task ’Black Demon’!"

"Black Demon: No time limit, when personality shifts to a critical point, unlocking all traits will permanently solidify the Black Demon professional characteristics. Current progress: (2/3)."

Ash rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.

Why, why has the Sword Maiden only unlocked 1 trait while the Witch unlocked 2!?

The Witch surely unlocked [Loneliness], as it was her loneliness that led her to create the witch sisters; she certainly hasn’t unlocked [Despair], as she snuck into Ash’s tent last night and Ash found himself kicked out in the morning, full of energy every day.

So, the Witch only could have unlocked the [Madness] trait.

But the craziest thing the Witch has done so far seems to be...

Ash quickly pushed this terrifying thought out of his mind; no way, absolutely no way, it can’t possibly be because of me!

Sonia nudged him with her elbow, motioning for her pillow not to move around. She raised her eyebrows and glanced at the rearview mirror in front, telling Ash to hold her tighter.

(Just one update today, taking a break!)