"Death Maniac Sword Princess's Silver Coin"

With the Experience Pearl episode out of the way, the distribution of the remaining three Art Spirits became a relaxed and pleasant affair.

Although Sonia strongly insisted that all three Art Spirits should go to Ash, after careful consideration, Ash chose to take the two lower-value ones, "Fox Fire" and "Light," leaving the most useful "Moon Silk" for Sonia.

"Fox Fire"

"One-Winged Art Spirit"

"Restriction: The Spellcaster must possess a tail."

"Basic Effect: Use your tail to flick out varying numbers of blue flames. These blue flames can attach to a specific target and burn for a period of time. The target being burned will not feel pain; in fact, they may even experience pleasure."

"Passive Effect: All hair on the body becomes thicker and more flammable."

""Pain and pleasure are merely illusions. When you burn away the skin used for disguise, you can see the truth within.""

"Light"

"One-Winged Art Spirit"

"Restriction: The Spellcaster must hold a light-emitting medium or have a light source nearby."

"Basic Effect: Emit a beam of light that can hover, moving flexibly according to your will."

"Passive Effect: You will feel more energetic in well-lit areas."

""It is not the light that dispels the darkness, but the darkness that chases the light.""

"Moon Silk"

"One-Winged Art Spirit"

"Restriction: The Spellcaster must hold a light-emitting medium or have a light source nearby."

"Basic Effect: Create multiple strands of moonlight that hover and remain taut."

"Passive Effect: You become lighter when under moonlight."

""Listen, the moonlight is weaving the Veil of the night.""

Clearly, "Fox Fire" and "Light" were the Fox Zhaolong's primary means of attack. By attaching the Fox Fire to the light, it could create a continuous and flexible flame assault.

It was fortunate that the two of them had beaten the sleeping Fox Zhaolong to a pulp; otherwise, this "Fox Fire Light" combo alone would have been enough to give them a hard time, not to mention the "Moon Silk"—Sonia tried it out and found she could create silk threads in the air that were as hard as steel and held taut. If someone ran into them, they would be sliced open instantly; it was practically a death trap.

Ash had originally wanted the "Moon Silk" too, but since he couldn't use Art Spirits in Prison, it was meaningless for him to hold onto such good ones. Thus, he chose "Fox Fire" and "Light," intending to use them as fodder for currency later—neither of them had tails, so they didn't meet the requirements to use the "Fox Fire Light" combo.

He left the stronger "Moon Silk" for the Sword Maiden to study, as her learning experience would be shared with Ash, and he couldn't leave her without a single workbook.

At this moment, Ash suddenly realized a problem: "Can we trade Art Spirits in the Void Realm?"

As soon as Sonia heard this, she knew what he was thinking: "You want me to help you find an Art Spirit for your Slay Self Miracle, then trade it in the Void Realm?"

"Yeah, after all, you—"

"It won't work."

"Huh?"

"Never, ever break your connection with an Art Spirit in the Void Realm, or something very serious will happen."

Ash gulped.

"W-what will happen?"

"The Art Spirit will run away instantly. Instantly."

"...Can't we just catch it back?"

Sonia shook her head. "No Spellcaster can catch them back—perhaps you haven't realized it, but we Spellcasters are foreign travelers. In this Void Realm, the Art Spirits are the true masters."

"Although it's said that Art Spirits aren't living creatures—and it's even debatable whether they can think—they undoubtedly possess certain instincts, such as a longing for freedom."

Recalling how the Art Spirits he encountered on the adventure Island had fled rapidly, Ash nodded, though he remained puzzled.

"The Art Spirits run away quite slowly, though. Why can't we catch them?"

"Because those were Art Spirits that hadn't been caught before. Which do you think is more vigilant: a mouse that has been caught once, or one that hasn't? Learning is also an instinct of the Art Spirit."

"But even if they are vigilant, they aren't fast."

Sonia nodded, then shook her head. "In reality, your statement is correct. When you break the connection with an Art Spirit in reality, although it will try to flee, it has little influence on the physical world and is easily caught."

"But the Void Realm is the home of the Art Spirits. This is the origin of miracles."

"As long as the Art Spirit wishes it, the entire Void Realm will help it."

"Although I don't know what price the Art Spirit pays, countless records show that if you break your connection with an Art Spirit in the Void Realm, it will vanish instantly, and to this day, no Spellcaster has ever been able to catch one back."

Another path was blocked. Ash sighed and was about to return to his body when Sonia called out to him, "Don't be in such a hurry to leave; there's still something here to divide."

Sonia walked toward the small tree where the Fox Zhaolong had been coiled and plucked two unripe little fruits from it. Ash took one, unable to tell what variety it was.

"Void Fruit, Soul Fruit, Mysterious Fruit—this thing has many names and takes many shapes, but the effect is the same: eating it replenishes lost soul energy and extends the exploration time of this Void Realm trip."

"By the way, it tastes terrible."

Ash gagged while looking at the Sword Princess, taking several seconds to overcome the nausea; it was no better than eating excrement. "Could you put the important part first next time?"

"Isn't this fine? I certainly don't want to eat a second one." Sonia's face was also twisted in disgust.

Perhaps a single Experience Pearl had exhausted their luck, as Ash failed to find any ideal areas labeled "Worth Visiting" or "Welcome" for the rest of the time. Everything was either "Seek Death" or "Waste of Effort," and he even received a "Run Away" warning at one point.

After leaving the Void Realm and returning to the prison, Ash used his "Fox Fire" and "Light" to recharge. Both Spell Spirits were worth 10 points each, and combined with the "Rapid Fire" Spell Spirit he had sold earlier, Ash now had 30 points.

Coincidentally, a "Set of Source Crystals" in the game was worth exactly 30 points.

Although Ash could continue saving for something bigger, the sense of urgency in his heart grew heavier after hearing about Professor Shilin's kill order from Valkas—the prison was not his shield, and danger was everywhere!

If he didn't spend when he needed to, he wouldn't have the chance later!

He exhausted his 30 points to purchase a "Set of Source Crystals." A set contained 6 crystals, but thanks to the First Recharge Double Reward, Ash actually received 12.

Adding the 3 crystals he had obtained from daily check-ins over the past few days, Ash had a total of 15 Source Crystals, enough for 5 card draws!

After a three-day hiatus from drawing, Ash washed his hands first. He pressed his palms together and prayed to the Divine Spirits whose names he could recite, not even sparing the origins of miracles in this world: "Oh Void, my Void, I am using your Spell Spirits to pay-to-win. In other words, I am actually drawing on your behalf. What is yours is mine, and what is mine will eventually be yours. You letting me do well is the same as you doing well yourself. I won't say too much more; you understand..."

Draw!

Since he didn't meet the requirements for a ten-pull, he would just do consecutive single pulls. A believing heart is the miracle of magic!

White light, "Stamina Potion"!

White light, "Experience Potion"!

Very good, the Sword Princess wouldn't have any time to rest next week either.

Purple light, "Void Realm Telescope"!

Orange light, "Death Maniac Sword Princess's Silver Coin"!

Purple light, "Awakening Battle Card"!

To think he had pulled three new items in a row—was this the charm of single pulls?

"Void Realm Telescope": When performing Void Realm Exploration, your observation range +1.

The shorter the description, the more powerful the effect. Ash immediately understood what a treasure this was. His current Void Realm observation range was only 1, meaning he could only see the 8 squares surrounding him. With this telescope, his observable area expanded from 3×3 to 5×5, increasing the number of observable squares from 8 to 24!

A major reason Ash had been unable to find suitable exploration areas was his "short-sightedness" in the Void Realm, forcing him to take the safest route right in front of him. With this item, their Void Realm exploration efficiency would increase by at least 50%.

"Death Maniac Sword Princess's Silver Coin": One of three silver coins once treasured by the Death Maniac Sword Princess, lost many years later. If someone takes this silver coin to meet the Death Maniac Sword Princess, they will receive a reward, or death. Using it expands the bond function.

Although the description was vague, Ash saw through the gimmick immediately: wasn't this just the "max-constellation" mechanic from mobile gacha games? When you pull the same character, you unlock more poses to entice players to spend more.

Upon using the "Death Maniac Sword Princess's Silver Coin," the information for the "Death Maniac Sword Princess" changed.

"Death Maniac Sword Princess"

"Human Race · Female · 20 years old"

"Bond Level: 1 (35% Experience Sharing)"

"Resonance of Bonds · Insatiable Greed: When acting together, there is a chance to obtain better loot."

"Class: One-Winged Swordsman"

"Class Trait: Reduces stamina consumption by 10% when using Sword Art Spell Spirits"

"Held Items: Training Wooden Sword"

"Controlled Spell Spirits: Ripple Sword, Moon Silk, Rapid Stream"

"Sword Art Faction: Silver Rank"

"Radiance School: Silver Rank"

"Water Art Faction: Not yet initiated"

"Void Realm Exploration: 0.002%"

Aside from the experience sharing ratio increasing from 30% to 35%, the biggest change was naturally the addition of "Resonance of Bonds · Insatiable Greed."

It was clearly a negative trait of the Sword Princess and had nothing to do with Ash, but the effect was good. From now on, he would leave the final blow on monsters to her.

Ash looked at the last item he had pulled, the "Awakening Battle Card."

It had appeared with a purple glow, meaning it wasn't "Common Goods" but a high-quality item on par with the "Void Realm Telescope."

"Awakening Battle Card": Arranges a high-difficulty battle for an Operator, forcing them into an awakened state. In this state, the Operator gains 250% combat experience and is more likely to create miracles, summon Spell Spirits, and break through boundaries (Danger Level: Medium).

"I have almost no personal time left in a day..."

"I'm so tired..."

"Can you reduce the training time to one hour..."

The Sword Princess's complaints seemed to echo in his ears, and Ash's face showed a struggle. Just then, the prison's morning song rang out right on time:

"If you've been hurt enough, use a pair of hands, to cleanly slice away, yesterday's curse. Wait for the day at nightfall, the remaining scars..."

The singing seemed to steel Ash's resolve. He decisively used the "Awakening Battle Card"!

Target selected: Death Maniac Sword Princess!

"Sword Princess, I'm doing this for your own good!"